#they're wearing their fancy city clothes

[bumblingbabooshka]

Tuvok and T’Pel take their kids to a museum in the city

[m-ayo-o]

Hii, i know megumi is such a sweetheart😭🥺 but what about him being a perv🙏👉👈 (I loved the last one u made)

18+ smut / 21+ bf megumi <3 masturbation ! turned out kiind of... domestic ?

Yeah, he's a kind and gentle man who cares deeply about the one he loves. He shows you every day, through little acts, like making the bed, surprising you with dinner, or taking you on a cute date at the weekend. He's polite to everyone, but with you he's always extra sweet, and so damn respectful- especially in the way he treats your body. He knows what you like. He knows your kinky side, just as much as you know his. He knows you love him for being his usual reserved self- when he waits for you to come get what you want. And he knows you love his needy side- when he gives you that shy smile and just buries his head into your neck and demands that you touch him.

So, if he's such a sweet and perfect boyfriend, the question must be asked, why is he on the bed with his shirt pulled up, jerking his cock to pictures of you?

You just left him so flustered when you were on your way out shopping with your girlfriends. You came downstairs, prancing to the door in what he can only describe as... something strappy... and thin. He wasn't really focused on the colour or design but the material was just so skimpy he could see the outline of your pretty body and you watched him come to terms with the fact that you were leaving.

He held onto your hand, unable to express that he wanted you to stay, and just pressed a kiss to your cheek and watched you walk out with your friends.

"Uh- I guess I'll see you later?"

But you're already stepping over to the car, where he watches you lower yourself in slow motion, where he admires the curve of your ass.

Yeah, that's it. He's admiring you.

It's not perverted?

It's just... a man, admiring his girlfriend. And he knows there's nothing wrong with that.

It's okay that he's moaning to the picture you took last week, of you two, in the glow of a sunset in the city. He just tries his best to ignore his boring face, resenting the fact that he isn't smiling even though he was very happy, and focusing on that pretty shimmer to your skin. The elated look in your eyes. Your smile.

It's not wrong that he's edging himself, trying to find the perfect picture of you to cum to. There are just too many.

Fuck- this one is hot. You were getting dressed up to go out for a fancy meal together and had him take photos of you. The dress is figure hugging in all the right places and displays your cleavage so perfectly- if he just strokes himself a few more times he's going to-

"Oh-"

He lets out a little surprised noise when he sees a notification from none other than you. Even just seeing your name on the screen makes his heart jump out of his chest. But when he taps on the message-

13:15 [name] Hey baby! I'm trying on some clothes, I wondered if you could help me choose?

-he lets out a little groan.

He's embarrassed that he's already got his dick in his hand, about ready to spill, when you're sending him such a cute message. And you look so happy and pretty it's making him feel guilty, however much he's trying to justify it to himself.

"Oh, baby," he sighs out loud and scans his dark eyes over the image of your body. You're wearing a... nightie? He thinks? Or would you want to wear it outside? He's not sure. But it's dusty pink with a little bow at the top and barely contains your boobs. And oh god, he lets off a groan, feeling his dick swell when his eyes catch your nipples. They're just poking through the thin, satin material and he'd give anything to bury his face between your tits and suck harshly at the raised buds to hear you whimper and moan. He can just imagine the way you'd say his name.

He swipes to the next picture.

"Mm-" fuck, it's just a pair of jeans, you idiot.

But he can see your thong and the way you're posing in the mirror is doing nothing to stop him gripping and tugging himself a little faster.

And in the next picture he gets the surprise of his life because your clothes have all gone and you're standing there in nothing but the prettiest, dark blue lingerie and he busts immediately.

He keeps his hand wrapped around his dick and pumps himself right to the base, hammering the cum out all over his abs.

He looks over his body, as the mess he's made, and finally lets go of his spent cock, sighing and dropping his phone on the bed. He'll reply to you later. If he looks at those pictures again right now he'll have to go for another round.

Little does he know, you're buying a couple of lingerie sets today to surprise him for his birthday (because you couldn't think of a better present than yourself). And you intend to come home and show them all off this weekend.

megumi | m.list

i'm sorry that your name is just [name] in megumi's phone i imagine that it's an ongoing battle. like you will change it to something cute but he loves your name so much that he will change it right back.

[mylordshesacactus]

Random thought this morning:

When doing characterization questions to try to build a character's personality--whether that's for fiction, an RPG, whatever? "Favorite" is often meaningless compared to "average".

It's very possible your character has a favorite food! But for most characters, a "favorite" food is.....nebulous. It may or may not tell you anything about them--if it does tell you something, it's probably something you already knew, and if it doesn't, then it falls flat and the question fails to do its job of actually helping you get to know this character better and making them feel like a person.

Something that's often more helpful is: What is their default option?

Your character walks into an unfamiliar tavern. What's their "safe" order? What's their default drive-through option? How, on a normal day, would they take their coffee? If they go to a normal bar with their friends on an average night, what do they have to drink? What do their pajamas look like?

Nine times out of ten, "my character's favorite color" is a nonsense question, but is there a color that dominates a lot of their wardrobe? (Using me in real life as an example here: My favorite color is earth-tone gold, but the vast majority of my clothes have a black base because it's more convenient--black doesn't clash with anything.)

Yeah, absolutely, have fun designing what they'd wear for a fancy ball--that's also great characterization! But what do they wear on an average day? Because by definition, that's who they are under normal circumstances. The best characterization question I've ever heard, genuinely, was "describe your character's shoes on a normal weekday".

That baseline will often reveal to you that your character does have a "favorite," and much more organically! It's much more important, when it comes to portraying a character consistently, to know who they are by default--and when you know that, you can poke at them and find the...dissatisfaction points, for lack of a better term. The places where the default feels just fine vs the places where you feel your character would want something more when given the opportunity.

The "Well... she'd order venison stew and beer by default, because it's pretty hard to fuck that up and she's a pretty down-to-earth person, but I think she actually really enjoys delicate aromatic spices...when they're in big cities with real restaurants, she probably spends a decent amount of her personal funds on nice food when she has the opportunity" feeling often does a LOT more to spark an understanding of a nuanced character than going straight for trying to define a Favorite Food out of the blue.

[here2bbtstrash]

party on you (explicit)

genre: SMUT SMUT SMUT with an extremely small side of fluff lol

pairing: hoseok x reader

summary: the only thing stronger than your social anxiety is your big dumb crush on hoseok - and you're certainly not expecting it when he tells you the real reason he threw this album release party.

word count: 9.8k

contains: explicit sexual content aka PORN !!!! idol-verse, literally takes place at the JITB album release party, friends to lovers, erotic hand holding, they're both cute and dumb, a studio hookup 👀 dirty talk, thigh riding, cunnilingus, a single pussy slap lol, taint touching (?), HOBI EATS ASS, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, throat fucking, reader gets a facial, and a lil bit of cum eating, it's cute 😌

A/N: so, hi, i went to hobipalooza lmao. this is actually lowkey a songfic ??? charli xcx was one of the earlier acts on hobi's stage and. my god. seeing her live was a religious experience, and when she performed party 4 u i was like hnnnhghg this should be a fic. and now it is !!!! and i hope u enjoy 🥺🥺 i tried some new stuff in here, both soft and freaky lmao so i'm nervy to share!!! as always your support and feedback means the world to meeeee ok ilysomuch bye~

read on AO3 !

~*~

You collapse back against the cushions of your couch with a soft whine of distress.

The whole thing is really so ridiculous. You told yourself when this started that you could be chill about it. People get crushes every day. It doesn’t have to be a huge fucking deal. You’re a sane, rational adult, perfectly capable of admiring a man quietly from afar while doing your best to be a good friend to him.

And, yes, maybe also obsessing a little too much over what to wear when you hang out, and what to post on Instagram in case he might see it, and dear god, how long his hair is getting. All normal crush things.

But now, as you press your phone to your chest with both hands and sigh forlornly, you wonder if it might actually be possible to yearn yourself to death. To like somebody so much that your heart just fucking explodes. If anyone could be capable of inciting spontaneous combustion, it is absolutely Jung Hoseok.

And he wants you to come to his big fancy party– has specifically sent a day-of reminder text, like you didn’t already receive a formal invitation weeks ago.

You purse your lips, fighting to keep a smile off your face despite being alone in your apartment where no one can perceive you. Hoseok is always so good at keeping in touch, even when he’s in an insanely busy season of his life. You can picture him now, probably bustling around his place in a robe, getting ready while simultaneously sending everyone their own personalized message.

Everyone– when you last chatted about the party, he rattled off enough of the guest list for you to know that easily half the industry will be there tonight. And even Lizzo has gushed about how great of a texter he is. You try to ease yourself off the ledge with the comforting thought that this has to be just one courtesy text of dozens, his pretty painted thumbnails working overtime to send gratuitous emojis out to every idol in the city.

And somehow also to you. Because your big fat crush made you stupid enough to say yes to what is arguably your worst nightmare: A party full of cool famous people, where you will know no one except the guest of honor.

Skipping the party is not an option becomes your internal refrain as the hours tick by. You have to remind yourself of this even more emphatically when you wind up on the floor of your bedroom, having tried on every article of clothing in your closet and having decisively hated it all.

Skipping the party is not an option, you think again, grabbing your phone to check the clock. Your heart sinks when you realize how much time you’ve wasted being an anxious wreck– you had planned to be ready to leave five minutes ago, not laying half-naked on the floor, hair and makeup still undone.

But skipping the party is not an option. A pre-party cry, however, might be on the table.

Pushing yourself up to sit on your heels, you force the tears back while you aimlessly sort through a pile of clothes. You’re barely looking at what’s in front of you, but you pause to do a double-take as your hand passes over a particularly enjoyable texture.

When you manage to extract the item, you realize it’s a dress you’d forgotten about entirely– something a friend made you buy a lifetime ago that you’ve never worn because you’ve always been uncomfortable with how short it is. But it’s smooth baby pink satin, and as different from your usual as it may be, you recall not being mad about the way it stuck to your curves like water.

Fuck it. You’re already late, and if there’s ever a party where you can take a fashion risk, it’s one thrown by Hoseok. You can only imagine what he might have on tonight; it honestly wouldn’t surprise you if he showed up in the same fucking dress.

The thought of seeing him is enough to make your heart leap in your chest, and you do your best to speed through your usual makeup and hair routine despite the way your hands are starting to tremble. By the time you grab your purse and make it out the door, you’re thirty minutes late. That thirty minutes quickly stretches into a full hour before you’re stepping off the elevator onto the 19th floor of HYBE headquarters, feeling like an asshole.

Gorgeous idols and various other famous people stream in around you, dressed in clothes that appear casual but you’re sure cost double your monthly rent payment, looking less than unbothered about showing up late. You do your best to slip in unnoticed and stick to the perimeter of the massive room, feeling like an absolute fraud.

Thankfully it’s only a few steps before you find a table taken up entirely by pre-filled flutes of champagne, and you eagerly grab one, mostly just grateful for something to do with your hands.

It occurs to you how little you know about celebrity culture, because the party doesn’t even seem to have started yet: early 2000s R&B is bumping through the speakers, and it feels like every few minutes the elevator chimes to let another group of people trickle into the space. You find an unoccupied section of wall to lean against as you sip your drink slowly, hoping that if you try hard enough, you might actually manage to become one with the wallpaper.

Tipping your head back for another sip of champagne, you nearly choke at an unexpected voice from over your shoulder.

“You look like you hate parties as much as I do.”

You manage to not inhale your drink, instead giving a polite smile as your eyes drift across the crowded room. You’re too nervous to immediately steal a glance at whoever is speaking to you, though you’re sure it just makes you seem rude. “Hate isn’t exactly it.” You have nothing against parties, or people who enjoy them. “I just… haven’t figured out what I’m supposed to be doing, exactly.”

“I think talking to people is generally expected,” the voice quips. “So, hey, you’re doing great already. Keep it up and they might even think you’re an extrovert.”

You exhale a soft laugh, a slight heat of embarrassment creeping up your neck.

“But Hobi said I didn’t have to meet and greet if I didn't want to. So I’m taking that as full permission to enjoy free alcohol and read webtoons on my phone.”

Your gaze snaps over at the familiar nickname, and your mouth goes dry as you realize you’ve been casually conversing with none other than Kim Seokjin, who is absentmindedly fiddling with the thin green strap of the bag slung over his shoulder.

Fuck. Embarrassing yourself in front of random famous people was exactly what you were trying to avoid when you picked this wall to lean against. You’d figured the other members would all be out mingling in the center of things, not hiding in a corner. Who knew celebrities were just like you?

“I-I’m sorry,” you stammer, immediately dropping your gaze to avoid making eye contact when Jin looks up. He probably assumed you’d sidled up next to him on purpose, like some kind of creepy fan. “I’ll leave you alone, I actually really didn’t mean to–”

You glance up again only to realize Jin is laughing, shoulders shaking slightly.

“Wow, I’m so bad at this. That wasn’t me telling you to fuck off. I was just trying to sympathize.” He gestures lazily towards the stage at the front of the room. “Thankfully it looks like you don’t have to suffer my conversation any longer.”

A Jack in the Box graphic has started to flash, projected onto the screen. After a few seconds, the image stills, and a spotlight clicks on, following Hoseok as he emerges from backstage. You lean forward to set your drink on the closest table so you can join in the applause for him.

Hoseok looks as effortlessly cool as he always does, but even more so tonight, like someone has cranked his charisma up to the max setting. A real fucking popstar, a rockstar, even: baggy clothes, multiple layers of necklaces, chunky black boots, dark hair pushed back with a few strands falling into his eyes. He somehow even manages to make wearing sunglasses indoors look cool– probably because they’re immediately offset by the wide, sweet grin of his mouth as he addresses the crowd. You can hear that he’s nervous by how hard he’s trying to keep his voice even, and it’s enough to make you feel the flutter of butterfly wings in your throat.

As you pick your drink back up for another sip, you can’t help but wonder if Jin can literally see the hearts in your eyes, or a nervous little teardrop floating above your head like an anime character. You do your best to hide your smile behind your glass.

“J-Hope is pretty cool, huh?”

You bite down on your bottom lip, answering Jin’s question with a shy nod.

Hoseok descends the stage as the lights lower, and then the album intro is starting and there’s no more time for conversation. You watch from across the room as he drops down on the large built-in stairs next to Jungkook, who immediately wraps a supportive arm around his waist while Hoseok laughs like he’s embarrassed. You’ve always been in total awe of the way Hoseok can light up and command the energy of a room easily, then squirm away from it at the next second.

Jin gets waved over and gives you a small nod as he departs, and then you’re alone again with the champagne in your hand and the wall against your back and Hoseok’s music thrumming through your nervous system.

The album is nothing like you expected– you didn’t know what to expect, really– and you absolutely love it. You’ve always felt like you have a stupidly limited vocabulary when it comes to talking about music, particularly around Hoseok, but even you can manage to string together the thought that these songs are fucking special.

But then again, so is he.

In what feels like the blink of an eye Hoseok is taking the stage again to giggle through his thanks, bent slightly at the waist in overwhelmed appreciation, and then the pop playlist is switched back on and the lights are dimmed and you suddenly feel your palms start to slick up against your champagne flute.

You can’t help but wonder what the fuck you’re supposed to do now.

The obvious choice would be to finally go talk to Hoseok, but of course, he’s the man of the hour, so every other person in the room seems to have the same idea. You choose to hang back and watch as he weaves through the growing crowd, putting on a bored expression to pose for pictures, laughing excitedly as people shake his hand and speak to him in hushed tones, and flashing thumbs ups and peace signs left, right and center.

It looks exhausting, you think to yourself with a small smile. And this is why you’re not famous.

For the second time tonight someone manages to sneak up on you, and this time it’s accompanied with a gentle call of your name. You nearly drop your drink as you whip around.

When you find yourself face-to-face with Park Jimin, it takes a few seconds for you to remember how to close your mouth. What is going on?

“I thought that was you.”

You double-blink, unable to find any words at all. You have never met this man before in your life. Seen him dozens of times on your TV screen, sure, but certainly never formally introduced.

“I’m Jimin,” he says, and you have to swallow the urge to giggle in his face because, yeah, no shit.

“Hi, Jimin.”

“Hoseok is going to be excited that you’re here.” Jimin scrunches his face up a little, like he knows he shouldn’t be telling you this. “He kept asking me if I thought you would show or not. He really wouldn’t shut up about it.”

You find yourself stammering again, trying to figure out how the hell to respond. Why, out of everyone on the guest list, would Hoseok be concerned about you? And he’s talked to Jimin about you enough for him to know who you are, that he can recognize you on sight alone? Your head starts to spin, despite the fact that you’re only halfway through your glass of champagne.

“Since you don’t like parties,” Jimin says, like it’s common knowledge, as if it’s totally normal for this very busy and famous kpop idol to keep tabs on your socialization preferences.

You nod dumbly. “I, yeah. I’m just not very good at them.”

Jimin nods, pushing up the sleeves of his white Chanel sweater. “You just have to get comfortable with talking to people about boring shit. Did you try the food?”

You shake your head– the very thought is enough to make you feel a little sick. “I get, like, a nervous stomach?” You hate that it comes out like a question when it clearly isn’t.

“Aish, you and Hoseok are so alike,” Jimin rolls his eyes, hands on hips, but you can see he’s smiling a little. “I haven’t been able to get him to eat anything all day. And we ordered so much food, I don’t even know why. Like half the people in this room aren’t on fucking diets.”

“Jimin-ah!”

Both of your heads snap up at the sound of Namjoon’s voice from the other side of the room, distorted slightly by the thudding bass.

“Ahh, they’re doing pictures,” Jimin says with an exaggerated sigh, like it’s just so hard being desirable and photogenic. “Do you want to get a photo?”

You shake your head as emphatically as possible. “No, nope, absolutely not.”

Jimin pauses, squinting at you for a second in a way that makes you think that if you were closer friends, he’d be dragging you across the room regardless of your answer to the question. You watch as he clearly attempts to restrain himself.

“Well, don’t drink too much on an empty stomach, okay? I’ll make you a to-go plate of food before you leave.” He starts to walk backwards away from you, raising his voice a little so you can still hear him. “And please talk to Hoseokie when we’re done! Maybe then he’ll calm the fuck down!”

You can’t hide the smile that blooms across your face, and Jimin wiggles his eyebrows for emphasis before turning around and pressing his way through the crowd to the photo wall.

The members take turns passing Hoseok around, punctuated by the snap of the camera: pinching his cheeks, leaning into him, clinging to his shoulders, wrapping an arm around his neck. You laugh out loud when Taehyung hikes a leg up high on Hoseok’s hip and tips back, a hand draped across his forehead, eyes shut, so fucking dramatic.

Hoseok stares down the camera like a professional, only to immediately dissolve into giggles between shots, tongue poking out between his teeth like he can’t quite handle all the attention. It’s enough to have you nearly fighting for your life.

The members crowd in for a few group shots, posing cutely until Jimin finally waves everyone back off to the dancefloor. He keeps Hoseok behind with one hand gripping his bicep, and your heart drops into your stomach when Jimin leans in to whisper something in Hoseok’s ear.

Oh, fuck.

You try to calm yourself down, reasoning that he could be talking about any number of important things, but then Jimin pulls Hoseok’s sunglasses off his face, turns him unmistakably in your direction, and gives his shoulders a hard push. It’s clear Hoseok doesn’t quite know where he’s going as he stumbles forward and squints at the party lights, so you throw back the last of your champagne for some assistance, set the empty flute on a table, and force yourself to be brave.

You run your palms nervously over the sides of your dress, trying to focus on the feeling of smooth satin as you cross the room to meet him.

“Hobi.” His eyes find yours and you watch as his face, still in party mode— all perfect straight lines and severe grace and supermodel apathy— softens, brightens.

“Oh thank god, you made it,” Hoseok huffs a disbelieving laugh. “Come here.”

He pulls you in for a hug, not the lazy one-armed greetings you’ve seen celebrities give each other all night but a real, solid embrace, both arms crossed firmly over the small of your back. You press your nose into the crook of his neck, the thin fabric of his tank top brushing against your skin. Heat radiates off of him in waves, and he smells so good, like expensive cologne. It’s dizzying.

“Hi,” you murmur, and it’s punctuated with a soft giggle when you realize you’re speaking directly into his collarbone. You move to extract yourself, but his grip tightens.

“Five more seconds,” Hoseok says with another half-laugh, and you gladly allow yourself to melt back into his arms.

He sounds slightly hoarse, you notice, probably from talking all night. You think for easily the millionth time that you have no idea how he does it, but this moment of softness makes you wonder if being the life of the party is a little more difficult than he lets on.

Hoseok hums a little, and the feeling rumbles through your chest, buzzing all the way down to your fingertips like an electric current. When he finally releases you, it’s with a soft sigh, something that almost sounds like reluctance. Your heart backflips at the thought.

The lights flash waves of rainbow color over his face, each one painting his perfect features with a slightly different energy: pink, blue, orange, green. You momentarily forget how to talk, but Hoseok doesn’t miss a beat.

“Are you having fun?”

You nod as decisively as you can. “I’m just awkward, but that’s not your party’s fault.” He giggles, gaze flitting nervously around the room, as you continue. “Seriously, it’s a great party. And I’m not just saying that because you have free booze.”

“Did you want more?” He asks quickly, then seems to think better of it. “Or, well, how much have you had? Do you need water?”

You smile a little despite yourself. “I’m fine, Hobi, thank you. You have better things to do tonight than look after me because I nursed a single glass of champagne. And besides, Jimin already tried to mother hen me earlier.”

A look of serious anguish crosses Hoseok’s face, and he glances back over his shoulder, but Jimin has evaporated into the crowd of beautiful people. “God, I specifically told him to leave you alone.”

You shrug. “It’s not a big deal. He was sweet.”

Hoseok’s gaze lands back on you, and it feels like your chest lights up from the inside out. You almost can’t look directly at him– it’s not unlike staring into the sun. You blink up at him once, twice, more than dazed, and then he laughs again, nose scrunching slightly as if to cringe at himself.

“Agh, I feel awkward. I don’t know what to say.”

You’re smiling, too. “That’s okay,” you say, because it is. You’re perfectly content to just stand here with him, unconcerned with the chaos of the party around you.

“I’m really glad you’re here.”

“Me too.”

“And– well, I guess you’ve never been here before, right? Can I give you a tour? I can take you downstairs and show you my studio.”

Your cheeks start to burn from all the questions, from how fixed his gaze is on you. It’s overwhelming. “Hobi, this is literally your party. You should stay here. I was doing fine holding up the wall over there.”

“Come on, I really want to. Please?” He leans in towards you slightly, glancing around as if to make sure he’s not being overheard. When he speaks into your ear, his voice drops to a lower register for privacy, and you can’t ignore the chills that dot up your spine. “I can’t talk to one more person that isn’t you right now.”

You nod, every nerve ending in your body now hyper-aware of how very close he is to you. “If you’re sure. I’d like that.”

“Thank you,” he says softly, and you breathe a soft giggle at how ridiculous it is that he’s the one thanking you at this moment. Before you even realize what he’s doing, his hand finds your hand, delicate fingers intertwining with yours. The skin of his palm is soft and warm. “Let’s go.” He chases the words with a gentle squeeze.

Hoseok leads you into the elevator and presses the button for a lower floor. You’re a little surprised when he slumps back against the wall with a heavy sigh as the doors close, still holding your hand.

“Oh, I’m tired.” He says quietly, almost like he’s talking to himself rather than to you. “It just hit me now. That was a lot.”

You squeeze his hand back, and his eyes flutter open to look at you. You press yourself up against the wall next to him. “You sound like me after any social event. And here I was thinking all night that you made it look so easy.”

Hoseok smiles. “I’m good at faking it. But I always collapse after stuff like this.” His eyes drift away from you and he stares into the empty space in front of him, his expression darkening slightly. “I just really hope they liked it. It’s so hard to tell what people think, or who’s only bullshitting you when they tell you it’s good. I’d rather they be honest with me.”

“Well, if it means anything, I loved it.” You say softly, your eyes searching his face. “And I’m not a bullshitter.”

Hoseok blinks, then nods once, his eyes not meeting yours. “You’re not. I appreciate that.”

The chime of the elevator seems to snap him somewhat out of his headspace, and he tugs on your joined hands to pull you through the doors as they slide open. “It’s just at the end of the hall.”

There’s something about Hoseok that comforts you all the way to your core, laps gently at the edges of your shyness until it recedes a bit. He just makes you feel like you can say anything without fear of judgment. Conversation comes easier with him, like this.

“How do you feel about it?”

“The album?” He asks.

You shrug. “Everything.”

“I’m very nervous,” Hoseok answers immediately with a bright peal of laughter, squeezing your hand again for emphasis. “I’m working really hard but… it all feels like uncharted territory. It’s so different to do it alone.”

His eyes jump from studio door to studio door as he leads you down the hallway. “I don’t know if people are going to like this side of me or the things I have to say. I don’t know if anyone will still care now that it’s just me. And ugh, I’m so unsure about the music festival. I’ve never done a whole show on my own before. I practice so much every day and I still don’t know if I can do it. Or if it will be any good.”

When he stops you outside of the final door at the end of the hallway, he seems to remember himself. “Wow, look at me. You were probably only being polite and I threw so much at you. This is just what goes around in my head. Every day and every night.”

“You sound stressed,” you say softly.

Hoseok purses his lips for a second. “I guess. I just really want to do well. I don’t want to disappoint anyone. I would– what?”

It isn’t until he asks the question, regarding you with a confused expression, that you realize you’re shaking your head. The smile that has crept across your face is a mixture of disbelief and appreciation.

“I’m sorry,” you’re practically laughing. “Please, keep going.”

“No, no, what is that face?”

You chew on the corner of your lip, trying to figure out the best way to word it. “I just… I don’t want to dismiss your concerns, because I absolutely understand all of them. And I would be shitting a brick, no question. But you…” Hoseok’s eyes widen a little as you pause, drinking him in, the way concern tugs down the corners of his mouth. “You just have no idea. No idea what it’s like to watch you from out here. And I wish you could see yourself the way I do.”

He pauses as if to consider your words. “What do you see?”

You don’t even have to think about the answer. It feels as steady and honest as the beat of your heart behind your ribs. “I see a fucking star. I see somebody who was born to do exactly what he’s doing. And, I mean, I think being nervous is a good thing, and I don’t say this to try and invalidate how you’re feeling at all. But I don’t see any possible future where you don’t succeed, Hoseok. It’s just... not an option. You’re going to get up there and kill it, I know you are. Because it’s you.”

Hoseok’s hand slips out of yours, and you can feel the warmth of his palms as he presses them to your waist to pull you close. Anticipation sparks through you. His eyes search yours intently, like he’s looking for something. “You really feel that way?”

“Completely. There’s no doubt in my mind.” Your gaze drops to his mouth, the way his full lips are parted slightly, and it occurs to you that maybe you’re talking about more than one thing now. “It feels predestined, to me… I don’t know. Inevitable.”

Hoseok makes a soft noise as he continues to close the distance between you. “Inevitable?” You tilt your chin up towards him, every cell in your body humming. “Like this?”

The way he kisses you is so gentle and sweet, you swear your heart leaps into your throat. You allow a second, maybe two, to move your mouth against his and get lost in it, and then you force yourself to break away, your mind reeling.

“I’m sorry,” he says automatically. “I’ve been wanting to do that all night.”

“Hoseok,” you murmur, eyes squeezing shut as you attempt to navigate the discomfort of being vulnerable. “I– you should know that I really, really like you.”

“Really?”

The shock in his voice makes your eyes snap open again, and you can’t help but make a face of utter disbelief. “I thought it was obvious.”

“Looks like I’m not the only one who doesn’t realize how other people see me. You’re actually very hard to read.” Hoseok slips one hand off of your waist to push down on the door handle behind you, then gestures for you to step through. He keeps talking as he follows in after you, letting the door shut behind him. “I second-guess myself all the time with you. Jimin is so fucking tired of hearing about it.”

“Wow,” you say dumbly. “I had no idea.”

“You didn’t even text me back about tonight! I had no idea if you were coming.”

You start to laugh as the realization washes over you: you’d been so busy sighing forlornly and stressing about what to wear, you’d forgotten to actually reply to his messages.

“Okay, this time was actually an accident. But…” You sweep your gaze over his studio, trying to think. “I don’t know, I just always feel like I’m bothering you. Your life is so big and important. Even now: you should be upstairs being the star of your own party. Not down here with me.”

Hoseok shakes his head immediately. “I don’t want to talk to anyone up there the way I want to talk to you. I was such a wreck today when you didn’t answer.”

You can’t believe what he’s saying, even as he takes a step in towards you, his mouth invitingly close to yours again. “Why? I am quite literally the least important person on the guestlist.”

“Because,” Hoseok pauses for a second, then sighs. “I like you, and I was scared that you’d decided not to come, when I…” He’s practically grinning, and the tell of his scrunched up nose makes you realize– he’s embarrassed. “I threw this whole party just to have an excuse to see you.”

Your jaw drops open. “You what?”

“Please don’t make me say it again.”

“Hobi.” You both start to laugh as you stare in disbelief, trying to process the most ridiculous statement you’ve ever heard in your life. “You could have just called me.”

“I tend to overthink these things.”

He’s close enough that you barely have to move to slide your hands up his chest and grip the lapels of his white button-down.

“I think I can help with that,” you murmur, and then you tug him back down into a kiss that makes your head spin.

The sweet nervousness of your first kiss has been replaced with urgency now, Hoseok’s mouth moving over yours like he’s hungry for it. You tug gently on your fistfuls of his shirt to move him towards you, stumbling backwards until you find purchase against the door of the studio.

Hoseok moves skillfully, tongue licking into your mouth while one of his strong thighs shifts to tease your legs apart and press between them. The quick succession of the two is enough to make your breath hitch, and it seems to encourage him more. The rough denim of his jeans grinds into your center, and your already-short dress has ridden up enough that the pressure drags hot sparks right over your core.

Your jaw goes slack as your focus slips, and you tip your head back against the door with a soft whine, circling your hips for more friction. “Fuck, Hoseok.”

His lips drop down to the exposed skin of your neck. The warmth of his mouth has your back arching, your nipples rubbed into stiff peaks under the thin fabric you couldn’t wear a bra with.

“You look so fucking good tonight,” Hoseok groans. “Driving me crazy in this little dress.”

There’s the soft brush of a hand on your thigh, and he teases the hem of your dress up higher and higher as your hips keep moving; his tongue darts out to lick a languid stripe over your collarbone. His other hand slides up from your waist to cup your breast over satin, deftly rolling the bud of your nipple between his long fingers, pinching with just enough pressure to coax a moan out of you.

“I like the sounds you make. Don’t want you to be shy with me.” Hoseok murmurs over your skin before he starts to suck deliberately at your neck, right on your pulse point. You couldn’t stifle the sound his mouth pulls from you even if you wanted to.

With all your attention drawn to grinding your clit against his leg and the warmth of his palm cupping your breast, your grip on the fabric of his shirt has loosened. Moving in a haze of pleasure, your hands fumble at his denim jacket, attempting to push it down his shoulders. Hoseok pulls back slightly when he realizes what you’re doing, though his fingers still lazily squeeze at your nipple.

“Let me just– hang on–” Hoseok untangles himself from you entirely with a sheepish grin, and you take the moment to collect yourself, your chest heaving in shallow breaths. You can feel the way your panties are soaked through as you press your thighs together, desperate for continued friction.

He’s moving quickly as he slips out of his oversized jacket and button down beneath it. You can clearly see the wheels in his head turning as he lays the pieces over the back of his desk chair, then immediately scrunches his face up as if to think better of it.

“Agh, sorry, sorry, one second–” Hoseok shakes out the jacket, then the shirt, folding both in quick yet precise succession before stacking the neat rectangles together and gently setting them on the small couch next to his desk.

Even in the dim studio lighting you can see his face is flushed pink with embarrassment as he returns to press you back against the door.

“I just– I don’t want wrinkles,” he says softly, and you’re very grateful that you no longer have to suppress the urge to take his face in your hands and kiss him.

“I like you so much,” you giggle into his mouth, and it’s punctuated with a squeak when his hands slide down to firmly grab your ass. The fabric of your dress is so thin that it hardly feels like it’s there at all.

Hoseok must have the same thought, because he releases his grip only for as long as it takes to push the skirt of your dress up over your ass; now there’s nothing separating his fingers from your skin when he squeezes you again.

“Like you,” he agrees, his voice husky. “Want to taste you.” Your core aches for his touch, clenches around nothing when he releases his grip and cracks a hand over the soft flesh of your asscheek.

“Please, Hobi.”

You find his mouth with yours again for a needy taste of a kiss, tongues sliding together. Your arms wrap around his shoulders in an attempt to pull him impossibly closer.

In one swift move he presses you flush against the door, and his hands slip to hitch your legs over his waist before moving back to your ass, hoisting your hips up to properly straddle him. You whimper at the grind of his erection through his jeans, right over your rubbed-sensitive center, and at the thought that he could fuck you just like this, up against this door.

Hoseok’s mouth doesn’t leave yours as he turns and carries you the short distance across the room, hands sliding to your hips so he can set you down on the desk. His lips are full and kiss-bitten red when he pulls back to look at you, pupils blown dark with lust.

“Sure this is okay?”

You meet his gaze, reaching up to dust strands of hair out of his eyes. His mouth chases the heel of your hand so he can press those soft lips into the center of your palm, chaste and sweet. 

“It’s so much more than okay,” you murmur.

He’s smiling as he leans forward for another kiss, only pulling back to press his forehead to yours once you’re both breathless. “I have wanted to do this for so fucking long. You have no idea.”

His hands hook under the backs of your thighs to scoot you gently forward until you’re perched at the very edge of his desk, and then he sinks to his knees. Your legs that were slipped around his waist find new purchase thrown over his shoulders and you tense a little when your high heels scrape over his back.

“I can take these off,” you start, but he’s already shaking his head as his palms encourage your thighs apart.

“I like it.”

You’re nearly gasping for breath with anticipation as his long fingers slip under the band of your panties and you lift your hips up so he can pull them down. You manage to extract one leg to drape back over his shoulders, leaving the lacy fabric to dangle off the other as you open up for him.

Hoseok’s thumbs press to either side of your pussy, gently spreading your lips apart to admire how soaked you already are. Anyone else examining you like this would have you squirming away self-consciously, but there’s just something about Hoseok that’s different. You want him to know every part of you fully, intimately.

“God, you are so gorgeous.” His breath is hot over your skin, makes your cunt tighten needily as if to beckon him closer.

You lean back to brace your forearms on the desk behind you and Hoseok’s gaze jumps up to meet yours. He doesn’t drop eye contact as he leans forward to press an open-mouthed kiss to your slit, both of you groaning at the contact.

His mouth moves just as it did against yours, and you let your eyes flutter closed as pleasure sears through you like a hot knife. Hoseok grunts a little, low in his throat when he adds tongue to his kisses, licking softly but deliberately to part your slick folds.

“Hobi,” you whine, rolling your hips up into him as he starts to apply more pressure with his tongue. “Fuck, ah, feels so good.”

Hoseok pulls off of you with a throaty gasp, like maybe he was so focused on eating you out that he didn’t quite remember to keep breathing. When you look down at him, his lips are wet and glossy, spread in a wide smile. “You taste so fucking good.”

You don’t even have time to ask for more before he’s hooking his biceps around your thighs and tugging your hips towards him, pulling you even closer to bury his face between your legs. This time he licks a stripe straight up to your swollen clit, pulling the bud into his mouth to suck on.

“Oh my god,” you gasp, digging your nails into the desk beneath you as sparks shoot through you and your clit twitches in his mouth.

Hoseok hums steadily around you, as if to once again encourage you to be vocal. He starts to nod his head as he sucks, his nose pressed flush against your pubic bone. Your hips fall in time with his rhythm, grinding back down on him.

“Yes, yes, yes,” you whimper. “Shit, Hobi.” Your voice catches on a dazed, disbelieving laugh. “You’re gonna make me come if you keep doing that.”

He doesn’t let up, squeezing his grip on your thighs that much tighter when you start to quiver beneath him. Your arousal coils tight and hot in your core as he works more not-so-shy noises out of you, breathy moans, needy whines.

You cling desperately to the edge of his desk, teetering equally on the edge of your own release. The wet slick wash of his tongue is lush, decadent, lapping at your clit between pulses of suction, and it’s all too fucking much.

“Yes, Hoseok, fuck!”

You cry out, your heels digging into the hard plane of Hoseok’s back as he works an intense, shuddering orgasm out of you. Your cunt throbs over and over as you come, a rush of arousal painting the crux of your thighs.

When you catch your breath it’s in uneven, shaky gasps, and the movement of your hips sharpens into jolts as you become hypersensitive to Hoseok’s mouth. He releases you almost reluctantly, still hovering close, continuing to dart his tongue out to gently lick up your folds.

“I don’t want to stop,” he says with a shy, blossoming laugh, the light catching the shine of his lips and chin when he glances up at you.

You’re dazed, beyond blissed out, unable to believe that any of this is real. You like him so much.

“Can I keep going?”

Just that sentence is enough to make you tighten all over again with anticipation. “I–” you laugh a little too despite yourself. “I want that. But I think my clit needs a second.”

Hoseok’s touch is featherlight as he circles a digit lower, over your entrance, as if to ask permission. “What about here?” Your pussy lips twitch even under so gentle a touch, but you ache for more; you like that it’s overwhelming.

“Yeah, yes. There, please, fuck,” you babble. He’s added a second finger to tease now, and you whimper when they finally press together into your sensitive cunt.

Hoseok is watching his fingers intently, and you can hear the way your pussy squelches as he pumps them slowly, can feel the tremors of your orgasm still shuddering through you, causing slick to drip from your center. You can only imagine what his view must be like, how you must look: dripping, needy, trembling for him, fingers gripping the desk and head lolling back.

“So pretty,” he murmurs, his voice low and soft, and then he dips his head down to lap below your entrance, tasting the juices that have leaked out of you. He pulls back to smack his other hand over your whole cunt, light enough that you barely feel the tap, but just the visual of it makes you squirm beneath him.

“So cute,” he smiles. His fingers rub circles into your front wall, becoming more insistent, and you breathe in shaky waves as you start to grip tightly around him.

“Hoseok,” you breathe, letting your eyes drop closed. Arousal blossoms through you like a heavy weight, your second climax already building, when you feel his other hand cup the join of your ass and thigh.

A soft whimper spills out of you as Hoseok starts to massage below your entrance, thumb working at a new bundle of nerves, like nothing you���ve ever felt. It’s pleasure that makes you hot all over, makes the muscles in your legs shiver and tense when it’s paired with the crook of his fingers still working your pussy.

“Fuck,” you pant, “Hobi, what are– that feels so–” You’re starting to lose a grip on your words, sentences going incoherent as your head spins. It’s hard to think over all the sensation, the way your body is lit up like a live wire, and the sound of your cunt gushing around him as he fucks into your g-spot.

“Has anyone touched you here before?” He asks softly, thumb tapping at the thin bridge of skin between your pussy and your ass. His head dips down for a chaste kiss there, then a second, adding a languid lap of tongue.

“N-no,” you whimper, toes curling in your shoes as he continues to drag his tongue over this delicate, sensitive place. “Keep going.”

Hoseok pulls back, a string of saliva still connecting him to you, and he lets it loose with a swipe of his hand over his mouth. His fingers slip out of you as he pairs a question with a smile. “Turn over for me?”

Your legs would be shaking even if you weren’t in fancy party heels, and you do your best to be graceful as you unsteadily spin, one arm keeping the fabric of your dress hiked up over your hips.

“Brace yourself on the desk,” Hoseok instructs, and you do, leaning forward until your stomach and forearms are flush with the wood, your bare ass hanging off the desk, presented for him. You spread your legs apart again and can feel the way your pussy drools arousal down your thighs. “That’s it,” he coaxes.

His fingers massage firmly into the flesh of your asscheeks, and your back arches up as you groan at the feeling. He spreads you just a little, enough for cool air to tease at your slick center; your hips wiggle towards him on instinct.

“Pretty back here, too,” he murmurs. “Tell me how it feels, okay? Won’t do it if you don’t like it.”

You clench for him in both places, even your fists grip tight in the fabric of your dress. “I’ll like it. Please, baby.”

“Baby,” Hoseok repeats back with a shy exhale. “I like that. I like you.” He leaves a sweet kiss pressed halfway up your thigh.

“Hobi–” you choke out a whine of his name as his breath ghosts over you, hands still firmly keeping you spread. His tongue returns to your perineum again, licking a hot, slow stripe that keeps moving up, up, until you feel the tease of warmth and wetness over your ass. “Oh, fuck.”

You’re so sensitive here, just the lightest drag of his tongue over your rim makes you moan, feet kicking listlessly as pleasure shudders through you.

“It’s good–” you manage to whimper, voice muffled slightly as your forehead drops against the desk, too, your whole body pinned down by his mouth. “–ngh, really good, Hobi.” Your cunt throbs when he does it again, as he falls into a consistent pace of long, steady laps that set off fireworks behind your eyes.

The ache in your core begs for touch, friction, and you oblige needily, tucking a hand under the weight of your hips pressed into the desk, a sweat-slicked palm for your mouth-wet clit.

Hoseok doesn’t miss a thing. It’s only for a second that he pulls off of you, but you whine at the loss of his tongue, sated slightly by the gentle brush of his lips over the small of your back. “Gonna get yourself off while I eat you out?”

You grind a circle down with your hips, hissing at the white-hot pulse against your hand. “Yes, baby, please.”

He doesn’t need any more encouragement to dive back in, fingers gripping harder to spread you and tongue licking deliberately, tracing patterns that work more arousal out of your pussy. You’re unraveling fast from humping against your palm, hips jolting forward to make your clit twitch and backwards to press towards Hoseok’s mouth.

You’re already wound so tight that you’re too desperate for words, reduced instead to little breathless gasps– “ah, ahh”– as you speed up the rub of your hand, your hips. Hoseok’s tongue never falters, firm pressure laved over and over your sensitive, flexing ass.

With a soft hum of effort, you feel him press a little harder, tongue barely dipping in past your tight ring of muscle, and the sweet stretch of it is the final push you need.

You roll your clit just right over your palm a final time and then you’re shaking and moaning as everything starts to pulse. The all-over clench pushes a fresh wave of fluid from your cunt, rolling down the backs of your thighs, fat droplets of arousal that Hoseok chases with sloppy kisses as the waves of your orgasm shudder through you.

It takes a moment before you can say anything, do anything, limbs too heavy and brain too fucked-out dumb. You do your best to slide gracefully off the desk, but your legs shake with aftershocks that betray you, and you stumble.

Hoseok is quick to wrap his arms around you and guide your hips down to the floor next to him. You collapse in a heap of giggles, him tangled over your waist, the skirt of your dress still pushed up, your bare ass on his studio carpet.

“Are you okay?” Hoseok laughs, and you bury your face in the fabric of his tank top as an answer, not convinced your coherency has returned to you yet.

“Too good,” you murmur, words slurring. “Fucked me too good.”

“You’re so hot.” You can tell he’s blushing just by the tone of his voice, and you start to come to a little, slow-blinking back to reality and rolling over to look up at him. His dark eyes shine as he smiles. You don’t want to come all the way down from this dazed, happy place yet, you realize, and you curl a finger into the loop of his jeans, tugging him closer.

“My turn.” Your hands start to fumble to undo his belt buckle. His jeans are oversized, but not enough to obscure the print of his hard cock pressed against his thigh.

“Let me take you home,” he says softly, running a fingertip along your jaw. “This should be– I want you to be comfortable. I want it to feel good.”

“It all feels good,” you say earnestly, sitting up to tug at the button of his jeans, undeterred. “And you can take me home. But you’ve been so good to me, Hobi.” You manage to work his fly open, and you lift your gaze to meet him. “Let me be good to you.”

You resume your work, wriggling Hoseok’s jeans down his thighs until his hands cover yours and he takes over, stripping himself of his shoes as well. He reaches back between his shoulder blades to pull his tank top over his head, and your eyes sweep over his body, taking in his lithe figure and smooth, hard muscles. You trail the tips of your fingers down the defined lines of his chest.

“Fuck,” Hoseok starts to smile self-consciously, one hand drifting over his dick straining against tight black briefs with a slightly darker spot in the center where he’s left a kiss of precum on the fabric. “I don’t have any condoms here.”

You sit up on your knees in front of him, considering this. “Use my mouth.” The high of your orgasm has subsided enough now that you’re not quite shameless anymore, and heat blooms in your face as you continue. “Like, fuck my throat.”

He tries and fails to suppress a groan, and his delicate hands reach to cup either side of your face, thumbs rubbing circles into the hinge of your jaw. “You–” he laughs softly. “You can’t just say things like that.”

“I mean it,” you say simply.

“But you really want to?”

You nod, half play-acting your shyness now, letting your lashes flutter as you blink up at him. “I’ve done it before. I like it.”

“Fuck,” Hoseok breathes. “I want to do everything you like.”

“Please?” You ask sweetly, and Hoseok is already getting to his feet, one hand still cupping your jaw.

“Pretty,” he murmurs, tongue darting out to wet his lips. “So pretty when you beg to suck my cock.” You’re smiling, your fingers slipping under his waistband to slide his briefs down his legs.

“Take your dress off, baby,” Hoseok instructs as he steps back to finish pulling off his underwear. “Don’t wanna ruin it.”

You do as you’re told, staying on your knees to pull it over your head, your heart squeezing again when he takes it from you and treats it as gently as his own clothes. It’s oddly domestic to watch him fold the smooth fabric with shaking hands, naked except for his jewelry, his hard dick leaking against his stomach.

When he turns back to you, you take the opportunity to properly admire him. His cock is as flushed and gorgeous as the rest of him, thick and dripping wet from his tip. You duck down to press a kiss to the sensitive spot under his head, then slide your lips up to gloss over his slit, slicking your mouth with his precum.

You look up at him, hands gripping the backs of his thighs; Hoseok’s eyelids are heavy with lust as he watches you work, tongue toying at the corner of his mouth. He groans a little as you pop just the head into your mouth and swirl your tongue over it, tasting the salt of him.

His hand slides to the back of your head, tangling in the hair at the nape of your neck, and his adam’s apple jerks in his throat as he swallows.

“Tap my foot if you need to stop.” Hoseok’s voice is quiet but firm, and his socked toes wiggle, brushing against your knee pressed into the carpet. “Okay?”

You hum your acknowledgement and maintain eye contact as he holds you still and slides his cock into your mouth. He starts off at a gentle pace, and you hollow your cheeks around him, pressing your tongue flat so it drags over his shaft as he starts to pump in and out of you.

As much as you want him in control, there’s a part of you that can’t help yourself– you lean forward, eyes fluttering closed, wanting to prove to him how much you can take. The head of his cock starts to stretch down your throat and you focus on breathing steady through your nose, your muscles jumping around him in a half-swallow.

“Fuck,” Hoseok groans, his voice dark and rough-edged. You can feel drool starting to leak out of your mouth, and the mess just makes it better. “You take it so well.”

His hips keep rolling, withdrawing his cock into the heat of your mouth only to push it back down the tight clutch of your throat. It gets easier as he starts to move faster, the weight of him pressing bright on your gag reflex in shorter and shorter bursts. It’s just enough to make tears well up in your eyes. They eventually spill over, staining your cheeks until your face is slick and wet, like the sounds of him hitting the back of your throat, all of it obscene and hot.

The hand in your hair tightens as he pulls you all the way down on his shaft until your nose is flush with his abdomen and your throat bulges, filled with him. He holds you there, eyes roaming hungrily over your face.

“You look so sweet with my cock down your throat, baby.”

The hum of agreement you try makes you gag a little, and he quickly releases, pulling out to let you gasp for air. Your tongue lolls out of your mouth as you smile up at him, dazed, and catch your breath.

“Was that too much?” His brows pinch together slightly with concern. You wipe a hand over your nose and shake your head.

“I want more, Hobi,” you purr, moving your face back towards his dick. You lean forward to lazily drag your tongue up his shaft for emphasis. “Want you to come on my face,” you admit as you fix your gaze on him.

You swear you feel his knees almost buckle when you take him in your mouth again.

“You are so fucking sexy,” Hoseok practically growls, hand returning to the nape of your neck. He pushes himself back down your throat and starts to pick up the pace. You want him all and take it easily now, drool slicking your neck and chest when you swallow around his length.

“Oh my god,” he gasps, and you can feel his cock twitch on your tongue as he fucks roughly into your mouth, chasing his orgasm. “Oh my god.”

Hoseok’s grip on your hair goes slack and he pulls out, hand pumping fast over his drool-glossed cock. He tips his head back, exposing the column of his throat with a heady whine when he starts to come. You’re up on your knees and ready for it, nose bumping his fist, face presented for him to paint. Warm spurts of cum hit your cheeks, tongue, lips, and you giggle a little as you try to hold still, as he makes another throaty grunt of effort and release.

“Shit,” he hisses as the movements of his hand slow, as he works out the last of it, stray drips already trailing down your neck, between the valley of your breasts. “Fuuuck.” His breathing is ragged, and you press a wet kiss to the tip of his dick as he recovers.

He’s clearly already focused on the mess he’s made of you, spinning in a dazed semi-circle before reaching to grab a box of tissues off of the desk. His bare knees thud on the carpet as he sinks down next to you.

You’re surprised when he leans in to kiss you, humming softly against your mouth, tongue even darting out to lick at the cum that drips off your lips. You smile into it, teeth gently grazing over his bottom lip.

“Hi,” he huffs a laugh as he leans back. “Was that okay? Not too much?”

You shake your head. “I liked it,” you say again, though your voice comes out a little hoarse. “Wouldn’t have asked for it if I didn’t. I like you. I–” your breath hitches slightly with nerves, and it’s funny to you, that it’s easy to ask him to fuck your throat, but hard to talk about the bigger feelings underneath. It’s more intimate, somehow, to be earnest. “You always worry so much about everyone else. I just want to take care of you.”

“You can.” Hoseok’s voice is gentle and warm. “We both can.” He pulls a tissue loose from the box, hovering close to you. “Let me clean you up.”

You’re too blissed out to stop yourself from giggling. “You have a whole party to get back to.” You nod dumbly at the verity of your own statement as he uses tissues to wipe cum and drool off your face, tear stains and smudged makeup from your cheeks.

“This,” he swipes a thumb down over your bottom lip, chases it with another quick kiss, “was so much better than a fucking party.” He adds the last of the dampened tissues to the small pile he’s made on the floor, tilting your jaw with his hand to inspect his work, to ensure perfection as he does with everything. “But I probably don’t have much longer before people start looking for me.”

“You should go,” you say quietly, trying to ignore the drop in your stomach.

His hand slips into yours for the second time tonight. “Will you come with me? I know it’s not really your thing.”

You falter momentarily– not because you don’t want to, but you can’t shake your own self-consciousness, this sense that you don’t belong here, rubbing elbows with all these famous people. But it’s hard to feel like any of that matters with the way Hoseok is looking at you, the soft turn of his lips in a barely-there smile.

“Are you sure?”

“Very.” He gives your hand an affirming squeeze. “Do I need to remind you that this entire party is literally for you?”

You shake your head, rolling your eyes at his antics despite the laugh that bubbles up in your throat. “I still can’t believe you. What is this, The Great Gatsby?”

His laugh is high and sweet, hand untangling from yours to wrap both arms around your waist, and he pulls you into his chest, bare skin on bare skin, hearts beating together. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes, Hobi,” you relent. “I’ll go back with you. Besides, Jimin promised to feed me.”

You can feel Hoseok’s smile as he presses a kiss to your temple. “Come on, then. I promise it’ll be fun. If we get Jungkook drunk enough he’ll probably start dancing on the stage.”

“Now that I have to see.”

[bluecollarmcandtf]

Farmboy

I hate grocery shopping. Usually I make whatever dumb chick I'm seeing do that crap, but I'm between hoes right now. Hopefully the cashier is hot enough to flirt with.

Dragging the cart down the aisle, I almost run into a giant oaf studying a rows of cans. The guy is tall, fat, and severely sunburnt. I can tell he's got some impressive muscle beneath his chub; probably from all the labor he does on his farm. Wearing denim overalls and a straw hat, he's essentially a walking cliche.

"Hey move it, redneck," I snap.

"You have a problem with me, son?" he slowly turns and peers out from his dirty beard.

"Not you," I answer annoyedly, "Just your fat ass. Move it."

This guy has to be slow because he just doesn't seem to get it. Instead of getting out of my way, he takes lumbering steps towards me and grabs my cart with his meaty paws.

"Try again, son."

"Man, let me through already!" I roll my eyes, "Are you dumb or something? All I want to do is pass! Then you can get back to shoveling crap and humping cows, ok?"

The hulking farmer staggers towards me until his fat stomach almost bumps me over.

"You think I shovel crap and hump cows all day?" he quietly growls down at me.

"Sure. You probably sleep with the pigs too big guy," I add.

"That sounds more like something you would do, kid," he slowly retorts.

"Man, look at me," I cry, "Do I look like a filthy redneck?"

"Actually you do."

His response catches me off guard. I'd just wanted to get the shopping done, but now this guy is straight up lying to my face. No one could ever mistake me for a country bumpkin with my stylish hair and $300 sneakers.

"You look exactly like a farmboy," he continues to grumble, "Just take a look at your hands, kid. See how worn they are; how filthy they are. That's the sign of hard work right there."

I can't help but hold my hands out in front of me.

That can't be right! Just like he said, dirt and dust cover my palms all the way up my arms. They're somehow riddled with callouses even though I rarely used my hands for anything.

"What'd you-"

"And look at what you're wearing, kid," he keeps talking, "You've been tracking dirt all through the store with those boots."

"I have $300 sneakers..." I nervously glance down.

I almost scream when I don't see my favorite kicks. My shoes have somehow been replaced with big rubber boots. I don't even own a pair of these, and yet they cover my feet all the way up my shins. Like the farmer had said, they were caked with mud, and it looks like I had created a messy trail of footprints across the store.

"Stop," I beg quietly.

"Stop?" he laughs and each bellow echoes through the store, "I'm just getting started, kid. You haven't even looked in the mirror yet. You've got the same bib overalls I got on!"

I shudder and turn away, abandoning my cart to run through the store in my awkwardly huge boots. I need to find the nearest bathroom and fast. I can already feel my clothes changing and a pair of straps pulling at my shoulders.

Bursting into the restroom I stare at my reflection.

I'm wearing the same redneck outfit as that farmer freak! Before I start ripping the clothes off, the door slams open and the giant farmer lumbers in.

"Stop whatever it is you're doing to me!" I scream, "Give me my clothes back!"

"Why would I do that, kid," he asks, "You love this getup. You don't want those fancy city clothes anyway."

I cringe as the tall boots suddenly feel very comfortable on my feet. The straps of the overalls on my shoulders are all the sudden very comforting to me. God this thing stinks, but I feel a new kind of pride in that stench. It is after all my own smell. There's nothing wrong with reeking of hard work, right?

"That's it, kid," the big redneck pats my head with his dirty hand, "There's nothing you'd rather do than work on my farm, right?"

God, he's right. All that land, the animals, and solitude sound perfect. I would be happy to work on his farm.

"Alright farmboy, come with me."

I follow behind the giant as he marches out of the grocery store. I notice that the cashier is exceptionally cute when we pass, but a pretty girl like that has no interest in me. She cringes at my smell. Girl probably can't handle the smell of a real man.

Back at the farmer's ranch, he leads me to the barn, and shows me inside.

"You'll live in here with the animals, kid," he explains, "I'll teach you the routine of feeding all them, but I have other chores for you to do right now."

The farmer hands me a shovel and bucket. Both things are covered in mud and who knows what else, but I don't mind. I already can guess what my job is.

"Picking up crap and humping cows, huh," he chuckles, remembering words I said a lifetime ago, "Well you can get started by shovelling all the crap. We'll see about the cows later."

"Awesome," I smile, happy he's already trusting me with his animals.

I get right to work, shovelling up the piles of dung. I can't help but smile with joy. This work just makes me so happy. I should probably keep my mouth closed though if I don't want any flies buzzing in, but I just can't help myself. Boy, am I glad I ran into the guy.

[kissesforsatoru]

can I request separate hcs for Bonten!Mikey, Sanzu, Rindou, Ran, and Sanzu x Farmer!Reader? like there's this one time where the boys asked the reader for a date but their own secretaries are making fun of the reader bcs yk she's from a farm and she doesn't wear any fancy clothes that the city girls have 👀

BONTEN! MIKEY, SANZU, RINDOU, RAN x GN!READER

₊˚⌗ bonten boys reaction to their darling being insulted

⤷ cw : general yandere themes, violence, threats, descriptions of injury, death, murder, slight nsfw for rindous part

notes : you put sanzu twice and i haven’t a clue who you could’ve meant instead so i just did the four you asked for

mikey is pissed. who the hell do these people think they are to be talking badly about you when they're just dumb fucking entitled sluts. their only personality trait is being a good fuck, unlike you who's kind and hard working. he needs to put them in their place, so he fucks with them a bit. but if they dare to ever say anything bad about you again, they're dead.

“i heard mikey asked out that farm person that was here the other day”

“really? them?”

“i know! their clothes look so rugged, i bet they’ll show up in overalls and a flannel or something like that. don’t they realize that they can’t wear stuff like that on dates?”

“mr. sano is way out of their league, i don’t know what he sees in them if i’m being honest.”

“right. he should be going after people with more class than that farm freak.”

mikey, sighs and sets down his glass with a force that causes the strippers sat around the booth to jump and look in his direction. he ignores them, instead standing up from his seat with a pissed off look on his face.

“sanzu.” he calls to his second as he walks towards the back exist of the club they’re currently occupying. sanzu smirks, knowing exactly what his boss wants without him having to say another word.

he’s quick to lure the girls outside where his boss waits, a cigarette between his lips that’s already been half smoked. the girls giggle as they look between sanzu and mikey, which just makes sanzu’s smirk grow wider with a thrill of excitement and anticipation. what dumb bitches, he thinks as he gestures to mikey.

mikey takes another drag of his cigarette before he wordlessly takes it from between his lips and grabs one of the girls—the one who called his bosses play thing a freak, sanzu remembers. she giggles again, giving her friend a look as she nuzzles up to mikey with an arch of her back that makes the man holding her quirk his lip in disgust.

“i’m fucking tired of sluts like you acting like you’re better than everyone because your loose pussy gets you a little bit of money.” he says lowly, threateningly, and finally, the girl stops giggling.

“what?” she says, body going rigid.

“your only value in this world is to be used and fucked, then get passed onto the next guy that wants some quick, cheap pleasure.” mikey continues. the girl begins to struggle in his hold, but mikeys grip only tightens.

the other girl tries to back away as she witnesses the situation unfold between her friend and mikey, but sanzu is quick to grab her and keep her in place with a knife to her throat.

“so what gives you the fucking right to talk shit about people with real value, hm?” he questions, flicking the ash off of his cigarette before taking another drag and blowing the smoke in the girls face. she coughs, struggling to breath as the smoke clouds her lungs.

“you’re not shit, unlike y/n. you need to be put in your fucking place, you dirty bitch.”

the girl screams as mikey puts his cigarette out on her arm, flicking the bud to the ground before doing the same to her.

“don’t ever fucking talk shit about them again or i'll kill you.”

sanzu coudn't have been scarier the moment he hears an insult to his darling leave someone's lips. he's crazy, so he's not going to just rough 'em up a bit, he'll straight up kill them without hesitation. anyone whos speaks bad things under his darlings name is a waste of space in his eyes.

"what the fuck did you just say?" he asks, chin tilted up as he gazes down at the woman who just said something bad about you--a display of superiority that has the girl shivering under his towering form.

her lip quivers as she tries to muster up the courage to say something, but all that can escape is a nervous laugh. sanzu sneers, lip curing in distaste as he pulls out his gun and pushes it against her forehead. he unlocks the safety and pushes teasingly on the trigger.

"w-wait! i'm sorry! sanzu, i-i didn't mean it!" she starts to scream, her heart thumping so loudly against her chest that sanzu can practically hear it. he smirks, pushing it further into her head which only coaxes more ugly sobs and screams from her vile mouth.

"did you not fucking hear me? are you deaf or somehting?" i asked you what you just fucking said." he repeats himself, laughing bitterly and coldly as the look on her face contorts more and more into a look of pure terror. good. she should be fucking sorry that she ever uttered your precious name.

"i-i said, y/n’s clothes look like they were t-taken from the dumpster. i d-don't understand why y-you asked them out." she stutters pathetically as she repeats the disgusting words she said about you just a second ago.

"that's what i thought i heard you say. i was hoping for your sake that i was wrong." he says coldly, any ounce of amusement on his face disappearing.

“w-what?” she askes, voice wobbly and hoarse from all the screaming she just did. she gulps and gives him a hopeful look when he lowers the gun. but instead of putting it away, he hits her haid with the gun, causing her to fall to the floor. she doesn’t get a chance to do anything other than scream and cry before sanzu speaks again.

"filth like you should learn to keep their mouths shut." he says, aiming his gun down at her before shooting.

rindou would insult the hell out of whoever insulted you, and he won't hold back either. anyone that isn't you is already trash to him, but anyone that insults you? they're the filthy dirt on his shoes as far as he's concerned. and if they have the gal to insult you again, he won't hesitate to cut off their tongue so they can never say anything bad about you again.

"rin rin, do you have to go out with that person from the other day?" the girl on his lap asks in a high pitched, whiney voice that gives him a headache. he hums, tilting his head in question as he tries to recall the person she's talking about. she pouts, bouncing in his lap when he doesn't remember.

"the one that looks like their clothes were washed with mud because of how old and dirty they were." she describes, and rindous body goes stiff with realization--she's talking about you.

"yeah, i do." he says curtly, turning his head to take a sip of his drink. the girl pouts some more, but this time she leans into him and drags her hand down his chest, her breasts pushing up against him to make them look bigger. she giggles after seeing the amused look he gives her.

"but why would you want to go out with an ugly person like them when you could stay and have fun with me." she whispers, trying to sound seductive, but rindou was pissed rather than turned on.

he pushes her off of him, uncaring of the fact that she fell on the floor and spilt her own drink all over herself.

"hey, what the fuck?!" she yells at him, but he ignores her and just takes another sip of his drink.

"and why the fuck would i want a desperate bitch like you, hm?" he asks, setting his glass down on his thigh as he leans forward and glares down at her. she doesn't say anything, but the look of disbelief on her faces makes rindou want to laugh.

"y/n is far better than some whore that doesn't even know how to turn a guy on properly." he says motioning to his flacid dick.

"honestly, how useless can you be? i paid a lot of money expecting a good fuck, and this is what i get? some try-hard bitch that's entitled and thinks she can replace my y/n" he scoffs, a feigned huff of a laugh leaving his lips as he shakes his head.

"you'll never be anything compared to what y/n is to me. you're just some whore i'm using for pleasure, but y/n is my everything." he says sternly.

"if you ever say some shit like that to me again i'll cut you're fucking tongue off." dumping his leftover drink on her, he stands up and leaves.

ran is similar to mikey in the way that he'd definitely fuck them up. he's not going to let anyone talk shit about you and get away with it. but the difference between him and mikey though, is he's a bit sadistic and enjoys fucking up anyone that talks shit about his darling.

"who did that person think they were coming into the club with dirty, old clothes? and they talked to ran so causally! he should've kicked them out right away for embarrassing him like that."

"excuse me?" the woman jumped at hearing someone behind her. she quickly turned around and sighed in relief seeing ran with an amused smile on his lips.

"oh my, i didn't notice you behind me." she giggled. "i was just saying you should've had that person thrown out from the other day. it was embarrassing how they came in here looking like they just got dragged through the mud. they didn't contaminate you or anything when they touched you, right?" she joked and ran laughed along with her, forced and strained.

"of course, they didn't." he says once she comes down from her fit of laughter, and his faces falls.

"why would they? they're perfect. unlike you who was born trash." he says, and the womans face scrunches up in confusion. ran grabs her arm with a smile before dragging her upstairs to his own private section of the club, all the while she's yelling protests that go ignored.

he throws her to the ground and looks down at her with a displeased look on his face. when she tries to stand up, he presses his foot against her body and pushes her back down to the floor.

"you said it yourself, right? filth doesn't have the privilege of standing and talking so casually to me." he says as one of the bouncers enters the room and hands him a baton. the woman begins to scream as ran looks down at her with mock sympathy before whacking her side.

"shut up. you should've kept your fucking mouth shut if you didn't want this to happen." he says just as the woman starts to cry.

[tallymonster]

Memories of Us Chapter 2 || Masterlist

Literally posting the first two parts and then passing out lol, same tags as last time, same inspiration from this art by @cheesy-cryptid , same everything basically.

Summary: Octavia goes to a place in the Upper City to meet her boss. Turns out it's extremely secretive.

Oh one thing I forgot to mention. The chapter titles are based on the song "I Caught Fire" by The Used.

Thanks again to my babe @micropoe10 for being my beta reader and best friend ❤️

also tagging @satanicspinosaurus because they're the first person to ask to be tagged (!!!!) Thanks for the support guys, it means A LOT.

Chapter 2

Could stay a while

Gale gave Octavia the very secret directions to the restaurant she was due to meet her boss in. It was a fancy place in the Upper City, secluded enough for only those who knew where it was could find it. Looking down at the piece of paper with the code to enter, she knocks on the door. A voice comes out of nowhere, loudly asking, "PASSWORD?" Nervously she speaks the phrase on the paper, instantly the door opens and the piece of paper is gone. "Wow, they really don't want people to know about this place huh?" "I would assume not, some of us do pay quite a bit of gold for the exclusivity." A haughty voice speaks out from behind her, a blush quickly develops on her cheeks as the realization crosses that she was not alone.

She quickly stammers "Oh it's my first time here, I was more surprised than anything." She chuckles at her own expense. The man behind her is cloaked in the light of a street lantern directly behind them. "Well, I hope you enjoy it, they say the first time is incredibly memorable..." The last word spills out with a sultry drawl, he walks past her and into the hallway, eventually fading into the darkness of the restaurant. The blush on her cheeks has definitely covered her entire face now.

Octavia takes a few breaths. Then steps into the dark restaurant. The interior of the establishment is lowly lit, almost completely dark, save for the candles on the tables and sconces on the walls. She looks around to the other patrons, all impeccably dressed in clothes that look like they would cost at least 5 months pay.

"This way, miss." Octavia is led to a private room towards the back, the waitress knocks on the red wooden door in front of them, a voice that sounds like Gale's calls out "I think she's here, let me go greet her!"

Gale comes out in a much nicer suit than his usual one, slightly fitted for a guy who you only see in cardigans and loose sweaters. "Okay, now I definitely feel underdressed, is there a dress code here that someone forgot to inform me about?" Octavia jokes, "Because if I had a reason to go buy a new wardrobe with my graduation money, it would've been good to know."

Gale looks at her slightly confused until he notices her wearing practically the same outfit she wore to work, the only exception was her blazer, it wasn't the one he accidentally spilled ink on when they were restoring some letters together earlier in the day.

He sucks his teeth and apologizes "I absolutely did, and I'm not sure how to make up for it yet, but I promise you look wonderful. You have your talents and expertise to speak for themselves! No amount of lavish clothing can eclipse that. Besides, Mr. Ancunin trusts me much more than anyone else. He and I have talked at great lengths about your impressive knowledge of the Heroes of Baldur's Gate. He's made remarks about it, seeming like you've been there yourself!" He laughs as he leads her into the room, would this be the time to tell him her family history?

As she approaches the table, a shadow becomes clear and his form begins to take shape. His hands are the first thing she sees come out from behind the cloak around his shoulders; slender fingers with a spider like length, lustrous skin like pearls, one reaches out and takes hers in a handshake. "My my..Made your way over from outside, darling?" That voice sounded like the man from outside."How was the walk over? Not too far in the back are we? I wanted to make sure our meeting was nice and private."

The waitress who led her down to this room lights a few more candles, replacing some that had apparently gone out. The barely lit room fills with warm yellow light and her boss becomes more illuminated by each one.

Octavia notices his hair first, a mop of silver and white styled into a messy tousle of curls. His ears were pointed, the few rings of hair that fell on them perfectly encircled around as if on purpose. She noticed something particular though, he was wearing sunglasses inside? In this dark place?

Before she even knew, she asked "Why are you wearing sunglasses inside at night?" Taken aback, her boss laughs loudly as he looks towards Gale, "You were right, cheeky little pup, isn't she?"

His grin grows mischievously. Gale shrugs and pulls the chair out in front of him, he motions Octavia to sit. She makes her way over and takes her spot, Gale sitting to her right. "Miss Octavia, I would be honored to finally introduce you to our esteemed head curator of the Baldur's Gate Museum of History, Mr. Astarion Ancunin."

Gale flourishes the last bit by extending his arm out to his right, Astarion dips his head in a small bow. "I do apologize for the last minute absence, my dear" he sips his wine and places the glass down.

"I believe you're both reaping the benefits of that excursion in the hard work you've been doing. Which is the cause of this little outing I've set up for the three of us. Obviously, I wanted to meet you beforehand, Octavia, but some things have to be sacrificed for the good of preservation. I take this work very seriously, I want to ensure these priceless artifacts don't get lost to time, as some things have before." He takes a slow sip of his wine, "I believe Gale has told you about his little interest in our Szarr art collection?"

Astarion playfully asks Octavia, as he turns to Gale, a devilish smile on his face, sipping more wine. "He has, actually, but I asked." she answers "Really? And what do you make of this mystery subject? You must have a theory, yes?" He places a hand under his chin, turning to look at her behind those dark lenses.

Octavia feels the same chill she felt when she first looked at the painting on the wall. She gulps,"Uh not yet, but I'm curious as well...the subject looks like a male elf, maybe about 40? No more than 100 it seems..."

She trails off a little, looking down at the table. "Whomever they were, they seem important somehow, like they were a favorite or something? A favored consort, possibly? I'm hoping that after Gale and I are done with this project, we may be able to find out?" She fidgets with her fingers a little under the table, hearing a pleased hum she straightens up and looks to Gale. He has a giant smile on his face, and gives her a reassuring nod.

A silence falls on the table as they turn to look at Astarion, his eyebrows come together.. he seems angry, perhaps annoyed, was he upset at her speculation? Her heart was in her throat, where was the waitress? She needed water and quick- "Why do you think that?" Astarion asks pointedly, taking a more prominent drink of his wine. "Why do you think that one is favored?"

Octavia feels a lump at her throat, she swallows and answers "They're in a lot of paintings in the gallery...I noticed them in at least a dozen...in the forefront of four, the background of 6...the main subject of two..it's quite a lot for someone who doesn't matter.." She hears a soft huff, not annoyed this time. "Interesting. Most people say that he's pretty or gorgeous or go on about his beautiful body, but you focused on the importance of the subject. I admire your insight, Octavia. I see why Gale tipped the scales for you."

[sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee]

Halloween HCS - Rogues Party

Alright everybody it's that time of year. My personal favorite time of year, the spooky season. So what better way to celebrate than to write Halloween headcanons for all the rogues? Going for general plus what they're doing this year specifically. Also surprise, I've added Music Meister (Clarence Rinette fan name is from @itsmalachitenow)

TW: spooky shit, murder, gore

Riddler

Thinks himself the belle of the ball, so to speak. Decked out in full elaborate costume. He has a ridiculous budget for this. Sometimes he stays in and gives out candy, but normally, he either wants to set a huge heist or go out to party. He needs to peacock every once in a while, or emotionally he'll start to wither. Matching costumes with his s/o are a must ;)

This year, he's assisting Jonathan in his haunted house venture (discussed below). The moment Jonathan announced to the dork squad what he'd be doing, all of them teamed up in their own ways to assist in making a horrific Halloween experience for the people of Gotham. Edward put himself in charge of animatronics and robotics.

The theme ended up being a literal haunted house, the entire building one giant horror maze save for several control rooms and employee areas- Which means a lot of hidden hydraulics in the walls and moving pieces Edward gets to crack his knuckles and puts together. He even rigs a set-up for an actor to fly across a room in ghostly pallor.

His pièce de résistance, however, is the start of the maze in the Library that has a hidden passageway that opens to the inside walls of the house. That plus some spooky elevators that transport guests to different levels- Jonathan couldn't have asked for better technical aspects.

The whole night he's hanging out in the control room, cackling when one of his devices gets someone. There will be parties on other nights he'll go to. He wouldn't miss this for the world.

Penguin

When he was younger he disliked Halloween because of bullying. That his face was horrific enough to scare anyone. It killed the fantasy and fun of wearing a costume. Even as his mother kissed his forehead and asked why he wasn't going out with friends-

Now he quite enjoys it. He doesn't really dress up per say, but there's always some fun parties to go to. Have some drinks, mingle, make some connections for the next big crime he's planning, then pass out in a pile of Halloween candy wrappers on his fancy chaise lounge. He'll do his best to save you your favorite if you tell him.

Now, if his s/o wants to dress up, it's a slightly different story. He'll be surprisingly anxious about it. Certainly it's not a lack of money or that the idea is displeasing to him. He doesn't want to be an "ugly" monster, but he "can't" play someone handsome. There's definitely a mental block there that he can't quite get past emotionally.

HOWEVER. If you suggest a mobster for him and being his little moll/arm candy? Period piece? He can do that. Big old cigar and everything. Probably commissions Jervis for the work. The guy will make sure it's all accurate.

He rolls up to the Halloween party at Harley's place with a box of "goodies" he has one of his underlings haul in. Expensive chocolates filled with liquor. Don't ask where he got it. Tonight is gonna be a fun night.

Mad Hatter

Halloween is a special time for Jervis when he can get really wild with costuming. Besides patching and creating things for other rogues, of course. If there is any kind of contest, he is likely going to win it. In fact, he's been banned from several around the city for winning too many times. If his s/o doesn't ask him to do their costume, he will pout a little. Even if he can't do the entire thing, let him help! He has an eye for this, you see. And maybe one year, they'll dress up as Alice, for him?

Of course he gets put in charge of costuming for the Haunted House production. Period accurate post-WWI clothing? Give him something difficult to do, why don't you? He does have to be told to keep eyes off some of the scare actors because they're all so pretty and lovely and look so good in his outfits, maybe they'd like some of his special tea- Jonathan helps him keep on point. There will be no Alice searches here.

For the majority of the night, he's manning the backstage area with Edward. Checking cameras that things are running smoothly. Then being available for actors who need a touch up! When one of the actresses comes in crying because some creep grabbed at her, Jervis is scuttling into the behind the scenes walls before Edward can stop him.

He comes back, slightly ruffled and helps the young woman calm down with (non-drugged) tea before sending her back off ready to go. The dork squad can drag the creep out from under one of the beds later and really put the fear into him. Maybe they'll kill him. Perhaps just a maiming. Depends on how lenient they feel later.

He's going to keep the costumes afterwards for different potential projects later unless an actor gets particularly attached. You never know when you'll need something like this!

Scarecrow

His Halloween consists of three things depending upon the year and the current situation: An elaborate spooky plot, a Halloween party to top all others, or a haunted house. Sometimes involving fear toxin! Sometimes not! Again, depends on how he's feeling.

Originally, he had intended on doing everything for himself for the haunted house. He's more than capable of doing it all himself, certainly. Yet, when he mentioned it to his closer companions (or as some call them, "the dork squad"), they all insisted on helping him. Annoying but... he supposes it's rather nice to enjoy this holiday with friends outside of Arkham. He's very clear, however, this concept is his and he has final say.

The story... Oh, he has fun with this. An old spinster and her daughter waiting for the prodigal son to return home from the war... several years too late. The daughter lures inhabitants to the home where the two women overpower them to keep them "forever."

His favorite part of the haunted house besides the writing, is the cellar. As the participants have been led upstairs, then faked out down to the cellar- it's a graveyard of bodies buried in the walls and the ground. Writhing. Trying to get out. They exit with the serial killer chasing them out of the hatch that leads back outdoors. With a ramp for accessibility, of course.

It's a hit! There's a line out to the street and the ten dollar ticket entry fee is definitely racking up some nice change as a bonus. He sets himself up as a scarecrow in the field at the exit, giving one last scare to the guests as they leave. He didn't even need to pump fear toxin in this time!

At the end of the night, the dork squad has drinks after the closing and Jonathan has to admit it wouldn't have been the same without his friends.

Reads "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" at least once. As is tradition.

Music Meister

Normally, Clarence Rinette is quite busy this time of year! If he's not involved with a stage production, he's decorating his home to the nines for trick-or-treaters. Big crafty, theatrical nonsense. Don't ask him how he paid for all this (he got an amazing deal through some vocal persuasion-). Someone once tried to suggest becoming a scare actor- but the truth is if he scared a child, it might actually make him cry. SO! He couldn't be a full on jumping at people scare actor.

Then he hears about Jonathan's plans for the season. Oh-ho-ho! A haunted house? For him? ("No," Jonathan quips, "it's not for you at all-") Well, he's got to be involved in this. It's a theatrical production-! ("It's not a full on production-" Jonathan informs him) ALRIGHT- but it's environmental storytelling. That's set-design. That's him!

People might not expect it of him, but he's done a bit of everything in the theater world. Backstage, lighting, sound, set design and building- and of course as a singer and lead, where he truly belongs. Yet, he's having a field day bringing in furniture for the haunted house. Setting up spiderwebs and aging some of the walls and props. Atmospheric sounds and smells for some of the rooms.

He's also in charge of assisting Jervis with makeup and making sure actors are ready- Before dressing up as an actor himself, you know. Gives himself a guide role in the Library to hype people up with the "history" of the house. Plus the hidden passageway reveal. Loves every second of it.

Victor Zsasz

Hardly registers Halloween. Every day is Halloween to this guy. Look at the people he associates with! He's surrounded by dead things all the time. How is this one time of year really that much different except everyone else is on the same page? What, he's supposed to dress up? He's got killing business to do.

Picture it. His target is walking around Gotham, feeling tipsy in their angel costume. The biggest Halloween party in town always spills out into the streets. A figure is closely following them in a full latex mask and black outfit. "Fake" machete at their side. The angel stumbles into an alleyway, the figure following close behind. The figure is Zsasz, in case you didn't guess, and he's got an angel to carve up for dinner. Cuts their heart in half as he leaves it next to their corpse. Takes a couple of their teeth for souvenirs. The rest he'll toss in the harbor. Have fun identifying that, GCPD.

If for some reason he IS home, he'll pass out candy to kids. Hawaiian shirt to cover his chest of scars. Spooks teens away that he thinks are too old. Gives handfuls of candy to everyone else. Has a straight face for every single person and the parents are definitely checking that candy when they get home (it's fine).

Might be convinced to dress up if his s/o really begs. He'd like it if they dressed up in something suggestive (for him) but he'd understand if they didn't want to. He will let them know that whatever they wear, he's probably taking it off with his knife by the end of the night.

Killer Croc

Normally, he actually doesn't like Halloween much. People assume his face is a scary costume which, frankly, is a pretty awful feeling. Sure, he can walk around easier, but it doesn't stop the stares. Now people feel inclined to ask him for photos. Or worse, they just take them without asking. More than usual.

Several parents at the daycare he sometimes works security at decide to do group trick-or-treating. They tell him he doesn't have to join in or... you know, he probably has plans, nevermind- He's already agreeing. Chaperone, he can do that. Better than staying home to watch the tube and not answer the door all night. He always leaves a bowl of candy but they always end up knocking anyways.

One of the kids gives him kitty ears and he rolls with it. If anyone asks, he makes a graveled, growling "meow" in his voice that makes the children giggle. Waylon watches the groups of people around them, glaring if any of them even look like they might try to pinch someones wallet or start bullying.

There is one Incident that occurs at a place with a porch in the downtown area. Waylon recognizes it from a mile away. A guy in a reaper costume is sitting on a chair. The other college kids are drinking beers telling kids to go up. That it's safe. They won't get scared. Then the man in costume scares the life out of them to the raucous laughter of all of them.

One of the parents seems to be trying to ask them if the children are going to get scared. Of course the people at the house lies. Instead of guiding the children away, however, Waylon grabs one of the kids by the hand and steps onto the porch to the man in costume. Leans down and gives his best crackling "meow" into the masked face of the man. Do it. Scare this fucking kid. He can smell the fear on the reaper as the kid pulls him away.

"Don't scare any more kids." He tells the college students. Shaking, they nod before going to check on their friend. Genuinely, he's very proud of himself for handling it in a way that didn't phase the kids.

Harley Quinn

If she's dating someone, there's a 90% chance they're doing some kind of matching costume situation. It's like. The rule for couples! They'll be really cute or really scary or both! Joker would NEVER do anything like this with her no matter how much she begged and pleaded. Consider this part of her getting to just be happy with herself and the things he wants to do with her life.

This year, she is throwing a party and it is going to be talked about for years afterwards. She figured if Jon isn't doing it this year, it's her time. She and Ivy attend his haunted house the night before in support. At one point she almost jumps into her friends arms with a particularly well timed jump scare out of the wall.

The theme for her party (that no one is expected to dress for) is undead glitz and glamor. We're talking the Hollywood Forever Cemetery kind of style. There's skeletons dressed in 40s and 50s red carpet affair around the apartment. Harley herself is a zombified Marylin Monroe type. Curled blonde hair and full makeup, one side of her face "split" to show fake teeth on her cheek.

There is a photo station for everyone attending with a camera she borrowed from Edward for high quality shots. Plus a polaroid. For funsies! It has props and a cardboard standee that Harley painted herself to look like an old fashioned hotel ballroom.

There's old halloween movies playing in one room for people who need a break. Food on the table in one room. Another is playing some spooky music for dancing. Everyone has a little something for them! Everyone gets a tad too drunk but overall it's a great time.

Poison Ivy

Pamela is always doing a sexy costume. She and Selina have a slight competition each year on who can show off the most tasteful amount of cleavage in an outfit and have the most heads turn. It's not malicious or catty (ba-dum), but rather a friendly thing where it's the two of them in on the joke. One year Harley convinced them to do a very cute-sy group look as the Gotham City Sirens. There's several lovely posed photos from the beginning of the night and then a very drunk selfie of the three of them at a pizza place at the end of the night. The latter is Pamela's lock screen on her phone.

For the party, Harley asked for some minor assistance which roughly translates to "keep me reigned in or I'll go way overboard." A lot of shopping and keeping in budget. Dressing up the skeletons and helping to decorate. She even allowed Harley to borrow some of her "spooky" looking plants to add to the aesthetic.

Pamela asked Waylon (who already had plans) for some recipes and added her own recipes to the mix. There's some that are more elevated since it is an adult party. There are plenty, however, that are incredibly cheesy- like crushed oreos to mimic graveyard dirt. She dresses up as a spooky Mae West with floral/vine theming. Full curves on display. There's several non-rogues who try to hit on her and she kicks them from the party.

Two-Face

His costumes are usually incredibly on the nose. Angel/Devil. Black and white vs color. One year they even did Roger and Jessica Rabbit from "Who framed Roger Rabbit?" Before you ask, obviously Jessica was played by Harv, one fake tit barely held in a dress. What normally starts out as a night out going to a party ends up with very drunk Halloween karaoke where Two-Face sings duets, both parts.

If they have an s/o, the dynamic changes a little. Do they want to do a trio costume? A couple costume and Harv and Harvey have to just agree on one harmonious look? Honestly they're fair game with whatever. It's not often they've had a third that wants to be involved in the holidays with them. Being a kind of sort-of trio can complicate things or put people off.

This year in particular they were a blend of rollerskating Ken and white fur coat Ken from the new Barbie movie. It is... hideous. It is garish. Who the hell agreed to make this- Harv is struggling with the one rollerskate on his side but at least Harvey has them standing upright. He agreed on a whim to be white fur coat ken and now it's kind of itchy.

The photos at the party, however, are fire and Harley makes copies for herself because it's so delightful. In hindsight, they had so much fun and it was one of the best years.

they do sing "Barbie Girl" by Aqua and "Barbie World" from the movie with Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice as a theme by the end of the night. There is video.

Black Mask

Ironic or no, he loves Halloween. The mythos of wearing the face of a monster to prevent yourself from being haunted or taken by spirits? That's SO his thing. Before the incident in which he "gained" his new face, he would drop insane amounts of money for costumes and sfx. Movie-quality for the big parties at Sionis. Due to being a makeup company, they had some big ones over the years for Halloween.

Now he tends to get busy, but appreciates the masks on the market. If there's a particularly good one he finds that can be set permanently, he'll add it to his collection. If an s/o happens to show him scare maze videos with their different sets and makeup, he might actually find a special interest in it.

When he finds out Harley is throwing the Halloween party this year, he's throwing his own opposing party. A better party. A party with blackjack. And booze!

The party ends up being a lot of underground folks and their partners trying to out-look each other and network. If Roman doesn't have a partner at this point, he has some arm candy in a "sexy" whatever costume to make him look good. When a partner is in the mix- he gets to drop the money on THEM on wild costume and sfx shit. Think of Heidi Klum Halloween but a team effort. Plus bonus: to do the sfx, he'll have to make a mold of your face that he gets to keep and look at amongst his collection.

Mr. Freeze

He's working, leave him alone.

Used to really like passing out candy to the kids with Nora. Fell out of it for a long time. Some years due to incarceration. Others, because of his own mourning. Now he tends to be working towards a cure in solitude far away from civilization to not be bothered for things like holidays.

What he does this year is very dependent on if he's seeing someone or not. If he's seeing someone, he rather wants to stay in and celebrate "normally." Small decorations around the house. A bowl of candy and he dresses up as a space man- The two of you sit in front of the house passing out candy. He delights seeing the kids and complimenting them on their costumes.

If he's by himself, he ends up going to Harley's party and sitting by himself with a drink in his hand for most of it. So awkward and uncomfortable but there is something about his friends not wanting him to be alone. They convince him to a group photo that he ends up framing to put in his lab next to Nora's picture.

Either way, Christmas is his time, so the moment it hits midnight October 31st, everything Halloween is GONE. Now that he's celebrating holidays this year, he's had to restrain himself hard-core so he's not that guy rushing everyone to Christmas.

Ra's al-Ghul

Does Ra's really celebrate holidays? Not unless he's with someone where that's important to them. Let's be honest, he's so old, he was there for some of these celebrations in their infancy.

His idea of celebrating Halloween is recounting the traditions surrounding it. And getting really creepy and ancient with it. I'm talking Samhain kind of thing.

He does not give out candy. If his s/o is into that, he'll kind of participate and not really Get It. Don't expect dressing up, either.

Lots of Edgar Allen Poe readings.

Bane

Didn't celebrate Halloween as a child and constantly forgets about it as an adult. Waylon reminds him to have a bowl of candy the week before because otherwise, Bane won't have anything. This has resulted in him opening the door to some very irate children wondering why he's a weirdo with no candy. Children are harsh, they'll tell you!

If he's out and about for Halloween doing villain stuff, people compliment his Luchador costume and he dies a little inside. While it sucks for him, it is one of the funniest things to see in person. No one is scared of the luchador in Gotham. The children are downright delighted. They want photos with him. There's multiple kids that run up to him speaking the most rapid-fire spanish you've ever heard in your life. There's several in their own luchador costumes that are losing their tiny minds at him. Changes his mood immensely for the better.

He absolutely gives extra candy for cute costumes and little kids, the sucker. He sees a toddler dressed as a pig and he's just cooing "pobrecito cerdo...."

Might go to Harleys party once the kids stop coming. Just to say hi and grab a beer. Feels pretty happy with himself.

[thinkofmehoney]

The city of my heart

Chapter one.

Pairing: Satoru Gojo x Suguru Geto

Summary: In the bustling city, Satoru and Suguru's paths cross again after so many years, intertwining their lives in unexpected ways. As single parents navigating the complexities of raising kids and confronting personal demons, they find solace in each other's company. Unbeknownst to them, a long-buried flame rekindles, and their journey becomes a delicate dance between friendship, love, and the challenges that come with second chances.

Or

Where Satoru sees Suguru at his kids’ school after twelve years without seeing each other. Oh and Suguru has twin daughters, just to add up to Satoru’s shock.

(click for Ao3 version)

Warnings: None for now, but I’ll treat sensitive topics later on, probably after chapter 5 or so.

Contents: Non Sorcerer AU, single dad Satoru x Single dad Suguru, friends to strangers to lovers (kinda)

Notes: (I almost forgot to mention, Satoru comes from a wealthy family in this au) I’m blindly trusting my past self who wrote this and made all the calculations, but if there’s any mistakes in dates or characters ages and etcetcetc, please forgive me 😭. I’ll add more notes at the end, my brain is empty rn.

(3.1k words)

Satoru's house was a mess, It was like a earthquake just destroyed everything in sight, there was empty boxes of school supplies on the floor, clean clothes scattered on the sofa and chairs, a bag of hair ties that seemed to have exploded... in reality, it was something way less tragic than a natural disaster. Satoru and his kids were getting ready before school.

He was just as nervous as Megumi and Tsumiki for their first day of school, if not more. He changed clothes almost four times before deciding that a white button down and black pants will do.

In record time, he had the frozen waffles ready to eat on the table, along with hot chocolate for him and Megumi and a cup of tea for Tsumiki, because she thought that Satoru’s breakfasts were way too sweet.

Satoru was fixing the tie of a grumpy Megumi. "Leave it! I don't wanna wear this stupid tie anyways." After some fixing on his uniform, Satoru finally let him free to eat his waffles.

"But you look fancy, Meg!" He sat down with them and looked at the watch on his wrist, they still had 10 minutes to eat their breakfast. "It's only for the first days though, after that you can take it off, they won't care."

When Satoru was about to get up and get more chocolate syrup, he noticed Tsumiki, only ate about 1/4 of her plate. He softly stroked her hair. "What's wrong princess? is it too sweet? We still have time to make toast." She denied with her head.

"It's not that, the waffles are great." She smiled politely. "I'm just nervous… What if I don't make any friends?" Satoru’s heart squeezed, Tsumiki seemed genuinely worried looking down and fidgeting with her fingers.

"You will, baby, I can promise you that." While he spoke, he picked Tsumiki's knife and fork to cut the waffles in smaller pieces. "Everyone is gonna be nervous, it's the first day after all, so you are all gonna be on the same page. Maybe the first day you won't have a best friend or something like that right away, but by the end of the week i'm sure you'll have your group."

He smiled reassuringly at her, who now felt more confident. He picked one small waffle with the fork and put his other hand under it in case it fell, "Now, eat this waffle I made with love for you." She smiled and ate it happily.

"But you didn't make them, you just put them in the toaster and they're not even defrosted all the way," Megumi said with a grumpy expression on his face as usual, but Satoru knew that picking on him was his unique humor and also his way to show affection, even though the kid wouldn't admit it. "It had some ice inside from the freezer."

Satoru got up and walked towards Megumi and his empty and almost squeaky clean plate. With ice or not, Megumi liked the frozen waffles. "Damn relax, no one was going to take the waffles away from you Meg." He joked as he brought the plate and empty mug to the kitchen.

He left the dishes on the sink and looked at his watch again, his eyes widened when he noticed that the ten minute breakfast turned out to be fifteen. He sprinted to the main entrance, "Kids, go wash your teeth quickly, I'll start the car!"

𓈒 ݁ ₊

Satoru drove his car through the busy morning traffic, glancing in the rearview mirror at his two children sitting in the backseat, a mix of excitement and nervousness on their faces as they anticipated their first day at their new school.

Satoru grinned and began chatting enthusiastically, his words flowing to reassure them, even if they didn't respond much. "You two are going to do great! Just calm down, and remember, it's a fresh start with new friends and new adventures. You're both very smart children, this year will be great!"

Even though Megumi had slightly frown eyebrows, inside he felt at ease after Satoru’s words. And Tsumiki's face lit up with a smile. When they arrived, Satoru carried their backpacks until the entrance, but Megumi thought something was off when he noticed that Satoru walked with them inside the school.

"Why are you coming with us?" Megumi looked at Satoru with a raised eyebrow, and he was checking his phone, reading something.

"There's a welcoming act at the school’s auditorium for parents and students, the principal will give a speech and blah blah blah." after reading some texts, Satoru smiled at the screen. "But Nanami told me that there will be a table with snacks." Megumi snorted and Tsumiki looked at Satoru with a side eye. "With how expensive this school is, the least they can do is offer me a cup of tea." He said in between his teeth.

"Don't do anything embarrassing, please." He walked ahead of his sister and Satoru, already feeling embarrassed that his dad was walking with him inside the school like he was a little kid that could get lost.

"And don't flirt with Nanami, he's gonna be our teacher now." Tsumiki added seriously.

Satoru was flabbergasted at both of his children, but still a little bit entertained. "Wha- I'm not gonna embarrass you or flirt with anyone! You guys think too little of me!". They finally got to the school’s auditorium, the teachers were guiding the kids to their sits by grade, so Satoru would go sit behind where the parents were. "Okay go to your seats and listen to your teachers, I'll go grab a cup of tea." he ruffled their hair one last time to then go to the snack table.

When he got there he saw Nanami, just like they said on text messages. The speech and Welcome Act hadn't started yet so the majority of the kids were sitting while the parents grabbed a coffee and talked with each other.

"Nanami! How are you?" He greeted his friend with a brief hug and backslap, looking at him up and down when they separated. "Lookin' good." He said flirtatiously, enjoying the playful banter that often annoyed Nanami.

The blond man just rolled his eyes and sighed, "I'm good, thank you. How are you? it's Tsumiki's last year before high school isn't it?"

Satoru sighed with a proud smile, glancing in her direction for a moment. "It is, my little girl is all grown up now." He looked down at his cup of tea with a hint of nostalgia. "I hope her high school years will be the best years of her life." Nanami's gaze softened at his words.

"I'm sure she'll have a great time, she's the sweetest kid ever; you've done a great job." Satoru chuckled, moved by his friend’s words, and playfully hit his arm.

"C'mon Nanami, you're gonna make me cry and Megumi already told me not to embarrass him." Satory wiped a fake tear from his face and Nanami laughed tenderly at Megumi’s words.

"Megumi is the best, he's the only one that keeps you humble." They kept chatting about the kids and their jobs, discussing on which students were more difficult to deal with: the college students, because Satoru was a professor, or the little noisy kids that Nanami taught. But suddenly something, or rather, someone familiar caught Nanami's attention.

A few meters away from them, he recognized a tall man with black straight hair tied in a half bun, who also wore black ear gauges. He haven’t seen that man in ages, so he could be wrong, maybe it was a mistake, his eyes were probably deceiving him, but no, it really was...

"Isn't that Suguru Geto?" Nanami abruptly interrupted their conversation while squinting his eyes.

After hearing that name, Satoru's blood froze automatically on his veins, and Nanami could tell by his mortified expression.

Satoru hasn't heard his name coming from anyone in a really long time. At first thought he didn’t heard Nanami correctly, because there was just no way. Was his sugar addiction finally getting to him? Has he finally started hallucinating?

He decided to slowly turn around to see where was Nanami looking at, and he didn't knew what to expect, the most realistic thing that could happen is that when he turned around he'd see someone that looked like him, and nothing more.

But oh there he was.

And he wasn't alone, he was with two little girls about the same age as Megumi, and they wore the same uniform as Tsumiki. Satoru couldn't believe this, being realistic, he never imagined that he would be seeing him again, specially there and with two kids.

His one and only best friend, whom he considered him to be the person he has been the closest to, the person he trusted the most, and that still felt like someone important to him even though the last time they saw each other they were about seventeen years old.

Things didn’t stop there, he felt his heart dropping to the floor when those violet eyes caught a glance of his own, completely defenseless. They both stood there, looking at each other like a bucket of cold water just fell over their heads, this had to be a sick joke of some kind.

Satoru felt the need to get closer, to say something, anything. It felt like he was bewitched, but just when he was thinking about breaking the distance and take the first step, Tsumiki appeared in front of him with a hair tie on her hand.

"Dad, can you put my hair on a ponytail? the speech is about to start and they'll take pictures." Satoru seemed to be on a trance, so Tsumiki tugged on his shirt. "Dad! hurry up!"

Satoru looked at her and chuckled nervously, "Sorry love... there you go, now go to your seat." His daughter thanked him and walked back where she came from. But when he looked up he couldn't find him anymore.

Nanami could only imagine how this moment felt for Satoru. After all, he just saw his best friend after twelve years. He put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "Hey, are you alright?" His friend sighed distressed, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Can I go to your place this evening? I just... need to talk about this."

"Of course, you're welcome whenever you need it." Satoru smiled, he felt so glad to have a friend like Nanami.

"Okay but don't get too excited, we're just going to talk, that's all." Nanami rolled his eyes and slapped the back of Satoru's head.

"How can you still make your perverted jokes in a moment like this?" Satoru just laughed, and sighed hopeless.

"I don't know, I think i'm going insane."

𓈒 ݁ ₊

Satoru arrived at Nanami's apartment at 7:30 PM, they both had to work the day after so they decided to meet early, that way Satoru could be back home and sleeping at 10:00 PM. They had to admit that they felt old for calculating the time to get home and sleep, they weren’t the same boys from college.

Nanami got himself a whisky on the rocks and a glass of sweet wine for his friend as they sat down on the balcony. Satoru and Nanami met in high school, but became good friends after graduation, and after all those years they've known each other, he has never seen Satoru as stressed as he was right now, not even once.

"Nanami, what should I do?" His leg bounced up and down and his fingers ran through his white hair, then he rested his forehead on his hand. "Should I talk to him or should I just pretend like I didn't see him?"

"I don't think that's going to work, you'll see him pretty often, you know?" He took a sip from his cold glass, "His daughters are Megumi's classmates." Satoru’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh shit, I forgot that he has two daughters." Nanami wanted to laugh at Satoru’s comment and the expression on his face.

"So? You literally have two kids yourself."

"But what if he's married or something?" Nanami raised an eyebrow, and Satoru just chugged his wine like it was a shot, probably not wanting to taste the liquor since he wasn't used to drink.

"Would that... be a problem?" The blue eyed man just sighed, frustrated with his own confusing mix of feelings.

"No... yes. Ugh, I don't know, maybe?" his hands rubbed his face, trying to dissipate his exhaustion and stress. And now Nanami was truly confused, he wasn’t expecting such an ambiguous answer from him.

"Wait a second, are you telling me... that you feel something for Geto?" Nanami couldn't believe it, did Satoru really felt something for that man? Even after all those years had passed? Satoru’s face told him all he needed to know but didn't want to hear.

"I don't think I've ever stopped having some sorta feelings for him." It was something crazy, but Satoru seemed sincere about it. Still, Nanami couldn't wrap his head around it. “I really liked him back then, at the time I could even say that I loved him but, I was too young and realized too late.” He smiled with nostalgia at the bittersweet memories.

"But it's been twelve years!" Nanami was shocked, but Satoru seemed just so certain about it, even though it’s been a decade without even talking to him. The blond man suddenly felt like he was the only sane person in that apartment.

"Believe me, I'm well aware that it's been twelve years... I think about it more often than I should." Melancholy slowly filled his eyes. "We had a fight before he left, that's the last time we said something to each other." Nanami tilted his head slightly.

"So you guys broke up in bad terms?" Satoru looked at him confused at first, but then he understood, he could just chuckle nervously.

"Oh we weren't together, I never even got to tell him that I had a crush on him." He had to be joking, Nanami thought.

"What? You guys were just friends?" Satoru nodded with a sheepish smile, "But- I remember you two were like an old married couple. And what was the fight even about? Can't you just tell me the whole story?" Nanami simply couldn't understand them, but he didn't knew if asking was a good idea after seeing Gojo with a melancholic glaze on his eyes as he thought about his past.

"I remember when we were around sixteen or seventeen, I think that's when I noticed that Suguru started to act different... He seemed more tired and distant, he started to get thinner and his hair was tangled and undone instead of in a bun like he always had it." He swallowed the lump on his throat that wanted to break his voice, the memories of a young Suguru just slowly shutting down was something that made him want to cry.

Satoru continued. "I didn't know for certain what was happening to him, but I could tell that he wasn't in a good place, so I always tried to cheer him up and make him feel better, but I guess it wasn't enough." A treacherous tear rolled down his cheek, he wiped it quickly pretending it didn't happen. Nanami, witnessing this vulnerable side of him, was taken aback. "And when he left I felt lonelier than ever, it reminded me of when I was a kid... Suguru was the only person that truly understood me, unlike everyone else I've ever met. With him, everything seemed just so bright, so comforting. He saw beyond my last name and status, he appreciated me for who I actually was." Another shaky breath escaped him, revealing the depth of their connection.

Seeing him crying was something difficult, Satoru was someone strong, someone you could hardly ever see being sad or vulnerable, but he was always there for anyone that needed him. Nanami immediately offered him a tissue and tried to comfort him, whispering "It's okay."

"When I realized that his decision was already taken and that he was leaving the city... I told him that he was just, running away from his problems instead of facing them, and that he- he didn't care about our future or our plans and... I think what hurt him the most was when I said that he didn't cared about us, I can't get the look on his face off my mind." His hand ran through his hair, and he finally turned to look at Nanami, "I think that… Suguru was my first love, I've never had anything like what I had with him, and I never will again."

There was a silence, Satoru tried to steady his breaths while Nanami just processed everything that he said. He knew those two were close, but he didn't knew they were that important to each other, even though he thought that they were dating, he imagined that it was just a high school sweetheart.

"I think this is your chance to talk to him." After meditating it, he thought that it was the best option for him, but Satoru looked at him with wide and teary eyes, like he was asking for more advice. "If you two are in this situation right now, where your kids go to the same school and that you'll see each other again often... I think that you should try and at least keep things peaceful with your so called «first love»." Satoru looked down and laughed softly.

"Easier said than done..." His phone buzzed on his pocket, he checked it and it was a picture from Choso, his babysitter and also his student. It was a picture of Tsumiki sitting on the couch and doing a peace sign with her hand, next to her Megumi covered his face with a drawing he made of an animal that seemed like a magic wolf.

He dried his remaining tears with his sleeve and put his phone back in his pocket. "I better get going, Choso has to study for an exam."

"You better give that kid extra credit." Satoru chuckled. They walked to the main entrance and before his friend left, he stopped him to talk "Satoru, if you need to talk, or if you need advice or even if you need someone to take care of your kids, don't doubt asking, I'll always be here okay?" Satoru felt really moved by his words, but he couldn't resist to pick on Nanami.

"I will. Thank you, seriously." He smiled. "Oh, and don't call me Satoru, I get flashbacks from college." Nanami almost laughed when Satoru winked at him.

"If nine years ago I knew that you would still bother me 'til this day, I would've thought about it twice before sleeping with you."

Notes: I thought Nanago hooking up in college would be funny teehehe. Ahh I’ve been wanting to post this fic for so long, but now it’s finally here!! Feedback is greatly appreciated <3

[starlightvld]

Because you all are being so patient as I finish up chapter 10 of Broken Bones and Shattered Hearts, here's a snippet for you!

––

They end up at a trendy gastropub west of Birmingham's city center. The decor is dark wood mixed with black and white accents, and though it's nice, it's not exactly "dress-up" nice. A thought niggles at the back of John's brain, but he doesn't have time to dig into it as they're led to a secluded wooden booth. Kyle and Belle slide into one side while Simon and John take the other side.

It isn't until they're left to look over the menus that the niggling thought finally resolves into realization. John watches Kyle and Belle snuggle into each other while they pore over a single menu, her arm around his back and chin resting on his shoulder as they softly murmur back and forth about options. 

John slowly lets his gaze travel over the dark wood walls and table to stare at the side of Simon's face.

It's just the four of them: Kyle and Belle and him and Simon. Simon is wearing his equivalent of fancy dress clothes, and they're sitting in next to each other in a cozy booth as if—

"Is this a double date?" he blurts.

Kyle and Belle go quiet, but that only lasts until Kyle slaps a hand over his mouth in a poor attempt at covering an incredulous laugh. John doesn't take his eyes off Simon, though he does direct a particular finger at Kyle — which only makes Kyle laugh harder.

A faint hint of pink dusts the tips of Simon's ears as he sets down the menu he'd been reading...

[mollysunder]

Gilded Jinx Looks Like What I Thought Chembarons Would Look Like.

Look at her, she looks like an 80s punk pirate queen with bolder coloring than both her gilded and chembaron counterparts, complete with bright makeup (by Victorian standards) and big hair. Zaun is supposed to be set apart from Piltover by the unmistakable creativity and innovation expressed through a loud punk aesthetic that it's inhabitants are meant to embody, at least the younger inhabitants do. The higher up the food chain you go in Zaun, the punk aesthetic filters out with only the Victorian base remaining.

(Finn's a bit of the exception but his aesthetic is kind of supposed to coincide with his self-serving nature rather than a reflection of Zaun's culture.)

On one hand you could argue that it's some kind of social commentary where these violent gangleaders are adopting the aesthetic of their oppressors to take on similar roles. But even chembarons that are antagonistic to Piltover, and frankly just hate Piltover for what it's done to them and their families still take on Piltovan aesthetic. If it isn't a straightforward Victorian aesthetic, then it's more of a fusion of modern business clothing and evening wear. This goes for characters like Silco, Renata, and Corina Veraza.

(Shout out to Silco for keeping it real and stitching his pants instead of getting new ones.)

Zaun, at least in League, is it's own city-state with its own distinct culture, but so often these leaders don't really embody that (once again maybe social commentary, but that explanation only goes so far). Honestly their designs are so dedicated to Piltover aesthetics sometimes it doesn't even communicate their wealth! The thing most of them are all about! If someone has to be in rags for me to know they're rich they're not doing it right.

The chembarons don't all have to be like that, but it seems like they're usually designed to just look like evil Piltovans. The only unifying part of their design that doesn't borrow from Piltover and makes them distinct is their asymmetrical styling and the fact they all either have scars or body mods to accommodate their disabilities, or both.

And here's Jinx in her obnoxiously loud outfit ready for the runway! Yeah her money's new, what are you gonna do about it? She's the right mix loud fun 80s mess with her fishnets and and ripped mesh covered in a fancy jacket lined with ermine fur. It would have been so easy to give her hexgem earrings, but no, they're in chemtech green, hooked with actual screws. The coloring alone says to me the designers couldn't let go of Jinx's Zaunite origins because her character defines Zaun as much as Zaun defines her. You'd almost think she was making fun of Piltover if she weren't wearing her look so well, if wasn't so dedicated to playful asymmetry where here shoes are slightly different, her coattails slant in two different style. Her whole look is so customized to be Jinx sans Piltover, it's just so her. The Gilded universe is supposed to be a universe where everybody's living a comfortably ritzy and safe Piltovan lifestyle and Jinx’s missing an arm. The prosthetic looks great!

The chembarons are supposed be a coalition of leaders in Zaun. Sure, they're gangleaders, but a lot of rich people politics is gang politics. At least some of them should understand that to grow past the shadow of Piltover, they need to embrace the strengths of Zaun, not co-opt Piltie patterns. Gilded Jinx's design understands that so well. If you put these pictures in a line up and asked me to find the chembaron, my safest choice would be Jinx.

Tldr: Chembarons in League of Legends and Arcane aren't very distinct from their Piltovan counterparts. The only real difference is their visible disabilities, body mods, and asymmetry (maybe goth vibes too). Gilded Jinx is a great example of what chembarons could be, leaders with loud and eccentric vibes that actually matches the distinct culture of Zaun itself.

[tkachukz]

How is Matthew Tkachuk as a boyfriend

-Matthew is an extremely competitive person, so since you agreed to be his girlfriend, he works hard to be the best boyfriend in the world

-That means he's always researching things to do, bringing you gifts without special occasions, and planning dates in detail

-But he also loves spending the day with you cuddling on the couch watching a movie

-For dates, he likes to take you to fancy places, where you can dress up and he can watch you in a pretty dress

-He loves playing sports, and is always planning to play them with you

-You've already joined him in golf, tennis, cycling, mountain climbing and scuba diving

-He still intends to make you play hockey eventually, but for that he still needs to teach you how to skate

-And of course the game would only be between close friends so you don't get hurt

-He can be quite overprotective, but only because he cares about you a lot

-At parties and events, he likes to have one hand behind your back

-First because he knows that big events make you nervous

-And secondly, because he want to make sure that everyone knows that you are accompanied

-If any guy approaches you, he will loudly introduce himself as your boyfriend, maybe shake his hand or pull you closer

-But it won't take you out of the conversation if you want to stay

-He likes to be present at your side, but also he likes that you feel comfortable talking to whoever you want

-Things change if the guy tries to hit on you, makes a pass at you, or makes you uncomfortable

-Matt will put himself in the middle, pulling you behind him

-He prefers to resolve things by talking, intimidation, or simply getting you away from there

-But wouldn't mind punching someone if the situation called for it.

-He wouldn't let anyone hurt you

-When you are alone, he allows himself to show his most vulnerable side

-Matt has always felt very pressured into what people expect of him, and having you by his side, someone who loves him entirely for who he is, makes him immensely happy

-And he has no problem showing it

-He never hangs up a call, leaves the house, or goes to sleep without saying 'I love you'

-Little kisses on top of the head, holding your hand whenever you leave the house, opening and closing doors, offering your arm when you're in heels or needing to deal with stairs. Before you met, you didn't know he could be such a gentleman.

-You lost count of how many times you ended up with his suit over your shoulders at the end of parties because of the cold

-And he loves to see you wearing his clothes, be it a t-shirt or a coat, but mostly, his jerseys

-with his number and last name stamped very large

-When he is traveling, you can expect a call from him every night

-Sometimes it comes with a complete analysis of the game, a gossip about a teammate or something that happened in your day

-But sometimes it's just you looking at each other for a while, mumbling longing, and often sleeping listening to each other's laughter

-You've fallen asleep on too many phone calls while Matt had the camera on, because watching you so relaxed made him feel good

-When he comes back from his trip, he always brings a gift

-Often from the city he was in, some cap or teddy bear

-Or when he felt that no gift was good enough, he resorted to flowers

-Lilies, your favorites

-He loves watching you do everyday things

-Watches you out of the corner of his eye as you're getting ready to go out, doing your makeup and humming Taylor Swift

-He secretly likes the songs but likes to pretend they're not a big deal just to watch you take a deep breath and start a ten minute monologue explaining why Taylor is the music industry

-And you secretly know he likes the song, but you love talking about Taylor

-He is not very good at cooking, but he is always committed to helping you

-You tend to leave him with simpler tasks that don't involve fire

-Like cut vegetables or decorate cookies

-One day he surprised you with a wonderful mac and cheese

-You let out a sincere smile when you saw that he had looked up the video step by step on youtube

-And it was very good.

-He loves to give little love bites

-all affectionate

-And he doesn't mind when you call him a little pest or teddy bear

-Only when you're alone

-Matthew wants  to be the best boyfriend in the world and so far, you definitely have nothing to complain about

-He is doing a great job

[bodydoublegame]

What do the ROs look like?

AGENT BECK Real Name: [CONFIDENTIAL] Physical Description: They have amber-brown skin, brown eyes, and snow-white hair. f!Beck's hair falls down her back, but it's usually in a sleek ponytail that falls over her shoulder. m!Beck is cut short at the front but curls longer at the neck. They usually wear the standard Cypress-issued uniform: a matte black armored suit. While their hair is white, their brows are black, suggesting they dye their hair. They're 6'0. Mixed Race. 30 years old. Personality: Beck can be described as cool, calm, and collected and has been honed under years of training that makes them skilled, mildly approachable, and fairly level-headed. With that said, they have a tendency to get irritated easily.

CAI [CYPRESS AI] Physical Description: They have honey-brown skin and gray eyes. For m!CAI, severely cut black hair in an undercut and nb!CAI and f!CAI's hair is cut into an equally severe and blunted length that stops right below the chin. They usually wear the standard Cypress-issued uniform for all AI models, which is a straight, high-neck black button-down shirt and pants with a single color strip on the lapels denoting their position. 5'8. Modeled to look 29 years old and mixed race. Personality: CAI is whatever they are set to be, but this Cai is blunt, honest, fairly emotionless, and one-track-minded due to being modeled to be a field agent. Most AIs who break out of their intended programming are quickly discarded and replaced. CAI would prefer to avoid that.

HAWKE Real name: [CONFIDENTIAL] Physical Description: He has olive skin, brown eyes, and his head is buzzed. He is dressed in armor, half of his body enhanced with Cypress-issued assets. A series of lines cross the side of Hawke's face, leading to his left eye where a digital enhancement chip is. He uses an exoskeleton and his suit colors are silver and matte black. 6'5. Asian, specifically South Asian. 36 years old. Personality: Despite his menacing reputation and the fact that he's a mercenary, Hawke is fairly lighthearted...when he's not on the job. Comedic, sarcastic, and arrogant, Hawke is not taken very seriously off the clock. It's a far cry from what people expect from him.

SOLANA Real Name: [UNKNOWN] Physical Description: Solana has dark brown skin and brown eyes, a lavender bob that stops midway at her cheeks, the ends swept up in what present times would call a French cut. She can be seen in clothes considered simple for the standards of their city: a pantsuit, though it does come with its own enhancements. She also has the enhancement microchip implanted, though not Cypress-issued. 5'5. Black. 26 years old. Personality: Solana is a charmer, a smooth talker, and an extrovert. She knows how to work a crowd and knows how to get people to fall for her suave words. With her personality, Solana has managed to build an empire, and she has no intention of losing it.

AXL CROWE Physical Description: Axl has pale skin and light brown hair, their eyes a startling and unnatural shade of blue. Axl keeps their hair short and shaggy, one side of their hair tucked behind their ear and clipped to their head. No matter what Axl may be dressed in, they always wear white from top to bottom. Their family's color of choice. 5'0. White. 25 years old. Personality: Axl is angry, grieving, and quick to anger. It seems like their fuse is always getting set off. They're emotional, untrusting, and prefer to isolate themselves. They tend to be a bit prissy and naive due to growing up in excessive wealth and comfort.

MAV REEDS Physical Description: Mav has light brown skin and shaggy black hair, cut unevenly in what resembles a wolf cut. Sporting perpetual dark circles from endless night shifts around their brown eyes, Mav is either scene wearing the fugly IT uniform or a sweater and jeans. They don't have much money for all the fancy things Cypress has to offer...5'11. Mixed Race. 28 years old. Personality: Mav cares less about working and more about gaming, and they're usually always up to tag along with MC's shenanigans. Though they're friendly and approachable, Mav is tired so often that they appear sluggish and exist with a perpetually weary demeanor.

Skintones of the ROs from left to right!

Beck - CAI - Axl

Solana - Mav - Hawke

Mav and Cai are similar, though Cai is a shade darker! (Failed to find a chart that picked up on that but yeah lol)

[riddler-green]

Amor, amor, amor.

Summary: Edward has been considered the office outcast, the weakest link in the chain, but, if he's as invisible as he thinks he is, why are you looking at him?

a/n: Hi! this is my first fic in English, sooo apologies for any spelling mistakes, enjoy!

Warning: this fic is heavily inspired by The Riddler: Year One #1, obsessive behavior on the part of the reader and Edward, foul language, love at first sight, maybe a little cheesy.

Words: 8,200.

What is it that makes us valuable in the eyes of others?

It may be money, values, beauty, or anything.

But in this world loneliness has affected you, since you were born your desires are handed to you on a silver platter, anything can be yours. And with the social circle, you live with it's easy to fall, to be a spoiled and arrogant person.

Jewelry, fancy clothes, and brand name shoes, all your life you got used to that, that your only concern was what color you would wear for your nails this week. Everything seemed to be simpler, your mind enclosed in a bubble of glitter and pink, after all, you considered that you had a perfect life.

Well, until you met Bruce Wayne.

It was a one-in-a-million coincidence that you two met, it's even stranger that the two of you hit it off somehow, a very unique duo, he gave you a new perspective on the world, of Gotham, as you walked him through all the years where he figured out who he is and what he wants to do for the future of the city.

He practically burst your ideals, it's like he punctured your bubble and you came out, you realized what he meant. Then he started making it more formal, making his outfit, his weapons, and tools, he even made a whole lair where he would do his operations.

How you are trustworthy and practically his only friend told you after several months of thinking about it, you accepted it regardless of the consequences that would come in Bruce's life. You remember that night, you hugged your friend until your arms ached for all the trust he gave you, his secret will be safe with you, even though inside you worried too much. But how could you refuse? if it's to keep his legacy as he said, you weren't going to stop him.

Since then you have stopped seeing Bruce as often as you used to.

And it all seems so bland, even if you turned to Gotham's rich little group of young adults, it wasn't enough, it was all drab and dreary. You could easily die of boredom.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

"Why don't you give work a chance, honey?" your father's voice is heard in the doorway of your room, bringing you back to reality, you stare at the fire in the fireplace. After so many introspections have made working not a condemnation for you, maybe in your spoiled past you would have thrown a tantrum for the simple fact of getting out of your comfort zone and working like any normal person, but now you lift your shoulders and just say "Okay".

"Great! They're hiring at KTMJ, just one call and you're done" You turn to see him pull out his phone "What if I want to get a job on my own?" The man shakes his head "You have to get experience first, my child! Besides I'll rest easy knowing you'll be in a safe environment" he exclaimed exasperated, maybe your parents were happy to have you working too.

You keep looking at him, he waits for an answer from you and you just stare at a fixed point on his face, do you need to work? The position you could fill is deserved by someone who is trying hard to get ahead, but you don't have many options anymore to get bored. "I understand father, I'll work as best I can" you reply looking back at the fire in the fireplace.

You hear him talking to someone you have no idea who it could be, but at the moment you just think that this new experience could be a good thing for you, you could stop depending on your family, you just hope to give a job worthy of the position they can give you.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

You adjust your clothes as you walk up the stairs of the KTMJ building, today is your first day and you want to make a good impression. As you enter you notice the variety of people arriving and leaving the building. It's a small office complex compared to other skyscrapers, but you still like the detail of the logo on the elevator, you appreciate it as you walk up from floor to floor.

To your surprise, when the elevator opened, a lively and cheerful atmosphere greeted you, you see helium balloons and streamers on the ceiling along with company anniversary decorations, you perceive a group of well-dressed people talking happily, one of them notices you and jumps out of his seat to approach you.

"Wow! But look who's here!" a man in a sharp suit greets you, he has a sharp face and dark brown eyes with spiky hair like porcupine quills, you greet him back "Hello! Good afternoon I'm-" before you speak he interrupts you "Oh! no need for formal introductions! Call me Zach and I've already been informed of your arrival" he laughs offering his hand for a handshake, you take it warily but do so anyway.

"Zach, nice to meet you, um-" you take a moment to speak "If you already know who I am, then could you tell me where I can talk to Mr.Stone?".

"I'd be honored! Come, I'll walk with you" he walks deftly between the cubicles of the office, Zach guides you to a staircase, and going up to the second floor you observe the view that gives the height, from here you can see almost the entire office, half of the people are talking and dancing with drinks in hand and the other working in their cubicles as if it were another work day.

"Here it is Miss, and welcome" he opens an office door and then smiles with perfect teeth. "Thank you" you reply and enter the office.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Apparently, it's not enough for this office to celebrate the anniversary once, so when you come back the next day you find the same scenario, this time there's a lot more decoration and everyone is out of their cubicles.

Well, except for one.

You look at the back of the man sitting in his cubicle, absorbed in all the commotion and writing frantically on bead sheets.

Interesting, you think.

You'd like to approach him to ask what's got him sitting and working instead of partying with the others, but you'd rather give him his space, he may be working on something important.

You walk towards the stairs to get to your own office, Mr. stone offered it to you as a cordial gesture, after all, you are the daughter of the biggest partner of the company, and the favoritism is obvious, in a certain part, you dislike that you are given better treatment than the others.

"Well if it isn't my favorite girl!" you hear Zach shout moving closer to you, here we go again. "We just met Zach" you wave if you can call it that, unlocking the office door with a set of keys, the man in the blue suit stands to the side of you "Well that doesn't take away from the fact that you are" you open the door and Zach walks in behind you "You should come downstairs, there's a party going on right now!".

You turn on the light in the room "I'd rather stay here" you refuse and then sit down at your desk "I want to start working at once".

 "Oh! Please! You'll have fun! Besides, Edward is already covering those bills" You stopped the express cleaning you do to your desk "Who is Edward?".

Zach Snorted "The bespectacled weirdo" speaks, adjusting his black tie. A red flag goes up on the flagpole in your mind "Oh, I think I saw him when I got here."

Once Zach arranges his tie the way he likes it and turns to look at you "Believe me tell you he's a very weird guy, but he's extremely good at the job, that's why he hasn't been fired yet" he revealed as if it wasn't a big deal.

Formulas some questions, why is he considered a weirdo? why is he still here?

"I find it interesting, I'd like to meet him" you reply curiously. "Well, there will be a time for that, now you have to meet the others" he comments and you sigh as he is right, the best thing would be to meet most people.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

You chatted with the group of friends of the man in the blue suit, who were drinking glasses of wine, and taking pictures to remember the party, they were nice to you. Zach, apparently the leader of the group is the one who talks most of the time, makes jokes, and tells anecdotes and in the end, everyone laughs at what he says. But you know perfectly well that kind of man like Zach, his leadership potential is good, but he lacks nobility, he even becomes quite egomaniacal with the comments of his recent promotion.

It's a good atmosphere, but for you, this is a waste of time.

"Hold on, I have some papers to serve" Zach informs walking away from the group, you notice the direction he's walking in and he stops at a cubicle. Curiosity prickles your skin, he must be talking to Edward, you unconsciously get up from your chair, one hand occupied by a plate of food, and head towards the same cubicle.

"You finish the Smelkison accounts?" you hear Zach's stoic voice directed at the person sitting at the desk. "Yes" speaks the man you can't see as Zach's stiff back prevents you from seeing him.

You walk faster until you reach the man in the blue suit "Hey! Hello!" you hold up a plate with the sandwich "I guess we haven't introduced ourselves..." you say finally looking at the face of the man in front of you, you stop talking slowly looking at every detail of him. Slightly tousled brown hair, a round face, smooth cheeks, and a normal build but you just can't look away, he catches your eye so much that you continue to stare in fascination as if you were appreciating a newly discovered work of art.

You look at Zach's face for a second. Is he blind? Can't he see the beauty of the man in front of his eyes?

On the other hand, the center of your attention doesn't respond to you, and thinks you're talking to someone else, causing you to get confused and decide to speak again "You're Edward, right?".

"He-hello" he stutters a little, forming a nervous smile, in response, you smile at his shyness. Zach looks at the interaction skeptically "Oh, my favorite snack" he takes the untouched plate in your hands and thanks you for instantly taking a bite, you frown slightly "Actually it was for Edward, a gift for helping with the...Smelkinson account?" you improvise an excuse.

Edward adjusts his glasses hiding his eyes from the reflection of the light "Thanks, but I'm not hungry". Your smile doesn't stop, on the contrary, it grows because of how adorable you find him "Wow, that's a pity, the food is delicious".

Edward doesn't respond to your comment, it's as if his voice stopped working in your presence, he looks down trying to concentrate on his work "I also finished other things like the Goodman divorce".

Zach stops eating his sandwich and puts it in one of the file cabinets "jeez, we don't need this until the end of the month" he speaks busily as you stand silently watching their interaction. "Sorry" apologized Edward in a low voice. "It's fine but let's keep this between us," says the man in the blue suit then turning to you "we need to get back".

"I'll catch up with you later" you reply, causing Zach to raise his eyebrow but he doesn't think twice before turning back to his entourage. You turn to look at Edward who is surprised that you caught him looking at you "Are you sure you don't want a snack?" you offer hoping he'll say yes.

He shakes his head, muttering a "No, thank you".

"Mmm, well, best of luck in your job, Edward" you wave goodbye and walk away from his cubicle, causing Edward to lower the papers he put halfway down his face to hide his nervousness.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Luck is something he doesn't have, not even a hint of it, but he feels that something changed in his destiny when you looked at him for the first time, as you noticed him among so many people and that's almost a historical fact, someone who notices him and doesn't ignore him like everyone else.

He knows you, how can he not? If everyone talks about you, about your upper-class position that gets you to put in a better cubicle than him, you just starting to work, he's been here for five years and he's still at his simple desk while you rise to the top. It's unfair, totally unfair, and the strange thing about it all is that you don't repulse him.

You dress just like Zach's friends, in fancy and expensive clothes, and he watches as you approach the group with a serene face, after a few minutes you look in their direction, and instead of grimacing or telling someone that Edweird is looking at you funny, you simply smile at them and make a peace sign.

He is too surprised, he looks away to return to the accounts on the table, numbers are his safe place where he knows the result of operations. But social relations? He doesn't know about that area, that's why he's completely confused, why do you smile at him? why do you treat him well? It must be because you are kind or you are faking it to hide your cruel personality.

Kindness, he never thought that existed in Gotham, it's not every day you see a pretty, rich girl offering him snacks and being empathetic, so he's suspicious of any decent gesture that comes his way.

Edward sighs, the day will soon be over.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

You walk out of the KTMJ building as the dusk turns into a starless night, you slowly walk down the steps blowing on your hands, you shouldn't have forgotten your gloves. You see out of the corner of your eye Edward's brown hair on the bottom steps, and you can't help but want to talk to him.

"Goodbye Edward!" you yell at him and he turns around with a surprised face, you wave a hand as a goodbye with growing excitement, and he waves goodbye without saying anything to you, just slowly waving his hand as you do.

You consider it cute and even refreshing, a novel feeling arises in your whole being, you watch as he mingles through the dangerous streets of Gotham, perhaps on his way to the subway, and you worry about how dangerous the streets can be at this hour, next time you might take him home.

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Are your cheeks hot? Does your heart race in his presence?

Oh, you should call Bruce.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

 Zach arrives at your office with a couple of coffees from the nearest branch of the building, he greets you with a big smile and sits down in front of your desk handing you the coffee, you take a sip and quickly push away the paper cup with the hot coffee, you burn your tongue a little causing a disgusted look on your face. "Slow down" Zach chuckles and drank his hot coffee.

Jesus, how disgusting this guy is, someday he must realize that you have no interest in him, he keeps coming back to you to brag about his luxuries and cases he has solved alone. Maybe in other times, you would have been captivated by his neat appearance of a successful businessman, but being surrounded by people like that you ended up losing interest.

It's your second week here and you've only done basic things, but it's not all bad, the good thing is that from your office you can see Edward from your window. You don't care how creepy it sounds that you watch in your spare time a man who probably doesn't want anything to do with you.

"Look what I did" he hands you a folder, it was the Goodman case you heard about the second time you arrived, but you remember perfectly well that Edward worked on this case as well. "That's fantastic, all this research" you congratulate flipping through the accounts and papers with all the information "But, didn't Edward help you with this?".

At the mention of the other man his smile falters "Yeah, well, he did the numbers part, but I did everything else!". You close the folder, this job is Edward's, not his, no matter how assertively he lies, you won't fall into his trap.

"Tell them Edward helped you" you hand the folder back to him. "But-" he objects, however, he watches your serious face and it cowed him, he doesn't forget who you are "Okay."

He leaves your office and you wait a moment, when a few minutes pass you quickly walk over to the only window in the room to watch Edward for a while, but what you find is Zach talking to him, your blood boils every time he talks to the man with the clear glasses, are you the only one who realizes that the idiot Zach is taking advantage of Edward? maybe some people realize it because of how obvious it is, but no one does anything.

You will change that.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

"What?" Mindy, who you think is a female version of Zach, stopped looking at herself in her hand mirror to look directly at you. "I said," you clear your voice, "Do you know Edward Nashton?"

The woman rolls her eyes and turns back to her mirror "He's one of Zach's minions" she says applying red lipgloss. "Come on Mindy" you sit down next to her "you must know something more about him".

"Why so much interest, mmh?" she asks with a suspicious tone. You knew I'd ask you, are you willing to give up this intimate secret to the most gossipy woman in the office?

"I think he's handsome" you confess swallowing your distrust, with the crush you're suffering you need want to know everything about Edward.

Mindy starts laughing, however, when you don't follow her laughter, she instantly stops "Are you serious?". You shake your head in affirmation, Mindy's mouth drops open, totally taken off guard by the fact, "Wow, I mean, I didn't think that was your type”.

You set your sights on something other than Mindy, you get a little shy talking about these topics out loud "He's cute and very dedicated to his work."

"Well, if you say so" he keeps his mirror in his bag "Actually, Nashton is a very mysterious person, I mean, he hardly hangs out with anyone in the office, apparently he's really into crossword puzzles and that shit, all the time I see stuff like that wasted all over his desk."

Satisfied with the little she gave you, you point to her "Don't tell anyone what I told you" you just hope your secret isn't revealed before you try to move forward with Edward.

Your co-worker smiles "Relax!" she gets up from her chair "Your secret is safe with me!" she assures you before leaving the room.

You doubt it.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

 Edward arrives at work at exactly 7 am when there is almost no one in the office, he likes to be early so he can be alone with his work, without the need to listen to Zach's irritating voice giving him folder after folder of new cases, however when he gets to his desk he finds something.

"1001 Sudokus to solve!" 

He picks up the little book and looks at it with fascination, looking around for someone who might have left it there. 

But he's alone... isn't he?.

He looks towards the stairs, on the second floor, and watches the shutters of one of the offices close quickly, if he remembers correctly, yours. Was it you? Did you give him this? He sits down at his desk and picks up his red pen to start the sudoku on the first page, while he solves it without difficulty he thinks of you.

He's skeptical, he can't help it, it must be a joke on you and Zach, it can't be a gift, it's a joke, just that, but as he finishes his first sudoku he imagines you leaving him this book with joy in your eyes, that he's not a joke on you.

He hears some footsteps from the iron steps, he turns up and finds you in front of him "Good morning Edward" you smile at him already close by in his cubicle. "Good morning" he reciprocates the greeting ducking his head, he had already seen too many pictures of you last night, but when he is next to you he just freezes.

"I heard you like crossword puzzles" you laugh "but I couldn't find one of those, so" you sit in a chair with desk casters near him "I chose Sudoku."

"You gave it to me?" he speak hesitantly filling in the boxes with numbers. "Yes!" you confess with unconscious enthusiasm.

"Why?" he didn't mean to sound so confused but he can't help it, that thorn in his head telling him that he doesn't deserve any of this too he wonders the same thing Why, why are you giving him a gift?

"Because I want to, someone should thank you for the cases Zach took, right?" you replied cheerfully even though you worry inside, doesn't he like the gift? Does he find it strange?

"What?" he abruptly stops solving his sudoku, he looks at you with utmost surprise, what did you just say? "Nothing" you quickly get up and walk away saying "have a nice day".

Edward stares at your figure as you climb the stairs again, that you're back to the top again, he should hate you, but he can't, nor does he want to. The gears in his head turn to come up with a workable answer, you're not like them, his smug superiors, he smiles slowly, he didn't get a chance to thank you for the gift. Edward thinks about what he should do, he could go upstairs and thank you directly but he also thinks that this situation needs to be cleared up once and for all.

He needs to know if you're playing him, if he trusts you even for a second, you'll probably show up laughing with Zach and his group over poor naive Edward who believed in you.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

 Mr. Stone looks at you as if you grew another eye on your forehead, yes, your request was more than unexpected, he adjusted his glasses and keeps his usual gesture of seriousness "Are you sure?

You are sitting in front of his desk with a chair, and you notice the various newspaper pictures on the walls, you don't have time to read them and you focus on Mr. stone "More than sure, I don't deserve an office if I'm only given simple tasks" It wasn't enough to just watch Edward anymore, you want more, and being up there with the others, it just takes you away from him.

The man sighs "But you can't go down to the cubicles where the others are, Miss" Your smile disappears at his reply "Why not?".

Mr.stone leans back in his chair "Well, your father insisted on a better environment for you, and believe me the second floor is the best section for that".

"I'll tell my father that I chose to be downstairs, he doesn't have to worry about that" you see Mr.stone's tired face with clear signs of wear and tear, but he still tries to give you a good deal. "okay, we'll give you a new cubicle". 

You give a little jump of joy inside you, and outwardly you smile determinedly "In fact, I know where I want to settle down."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

 "Hi Edward!" you drop your files into your new cubicle, a freshly cleaned desk just for you, your expression of joy is hard to hide, how did you not think of switching cubicles before?

Edward jumps at the noise, looks at you a little startled then asks "What are you doing?".

"I'll be your neighbor, isn't that wonderful?" you sit down in a desk chair, and put your post-it notes in one of the drawers naturally, while Edward continues to process what you said. "What happened to your office?" he asks again.

"Well, I decided it's better to work directly with others than to lock myself in four walls" that's not entirely a lie, but you know the reason you came down is beside you, anxiously waving his red pen.

"Makes sense" Edward opines further accepting the idea that you'll be by his side for quite some time, he's not ready yet. in the meantime you smile at him relieved, he thinks it's no wonder you sit specifically near him, another bullet dodged.

The two of them remain silent, which you don't mind, you suppose Edward must be quite introverted and that's why you don't force him to chat if he doesn't want to.

"The sudoku you gave me..." he started to speak but looked down at the papers on his desk "I liked it, thank you very much."

"Ah!" His thank you catches you off guard, your cheeks start to hurt as much as you smile "It's nothing! I hope it wasn't too hard for you."

Edward smiles back "I figured it all out in less than an hour, it was entertaining." You are surprised by what he said "Really?" Edward nods his head with an approving hum "That's brilliant" you reply delightedly.

"You think?" his cheeks heat up forming a slight flush, when was the last time someone complimented him? this feeling is so unfamiliar to him, it's simply scorching, but also addictive.

"Yeah!" you laugh as you slowly come up next to him to talk closer "I take to do one, like, a half hour and you finish the whole book!".

Edward chuckles, flashing his smile strange to others, but to you captivating "It's not that hard."

"How cool" you flatter him again, and you look at his face closely, how sometimes most of the time his glasses hide his eyes from the sun or the glare, you'd like to see those green eyes more, get lost in them and never go back, wouldn't that be wonderful?

Edward opens his mouth to speak again but a call stops him "Nashton!".

Your smile fades. Why does Zach have to butt in where he's not wanted?

Zach stopped in front of Edward's desk with some files in hand.

"Look at this" gives you a new folder, from the perspective of your view you see the title of the file -New Beginnings, animal rescue-.

"What happened to Goodman account that was here?" Edward questions receiving the folder giving Zach an indecipherable look.

"Oh, I decided to hand it over, after all, they're impressed with how fast we work" he informs holding up his hand with his thumb, you roll your eyes inquiringly.

Edward's face softens to a completely reflective one, still staring at Zach... <we>?

"So you told them that Edward did most of the work, right?" Zach is surprised to hear your voice, he didn't notice you when he came to give Edward the files, he turns in your direction and smiles with that fake face "Yes, I did."

You narrow your eyes in extreme distrust, he's most likely lying, but you'll give him the benefit of the doubt. "What are you doing here, by the way?" the suited man ignores Edward's glare at him.

"I moved my desk, I'll leave the office to give it to you" to Zach's eyes it seems like a nice act but the truth is it's a sign that you want him as far away from Edward and you as possible.

"Aw! You shouldn't have done that!" she replies in a cloying voice that makes you want to bust your eardrums if you hear it again.

"I insist, keep it."

Edward stays in the background of their conversation, ducking low enough not to turn around and watch you talk to Zach like he's your friend. "I need you to look at this file, it's something from upstairs, they need it urgently so they gave it to me" Zach informs him again, god, this job will kill Edward someday.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

 You look at Edward again, and you think you might consider him your new hobby, however, you are worried that something is wrong with him. Another nice thing you find about him is that when it's time to work, he nimbly moves his hand and answers the boxes on the charts, he takes the time to look at each receipt for evidence and compares each bill to find a discrepancy. It's as if he's so focused on just that that everything else gets put on the back burner.

You can't get enough of seeing him like this, but it's getting late and you're practically alone in the office. You tap him on the shoulder and shake him gently and call out, "Edward?

Edward comes out of his trance, he looks around and finds the office about to close, but he also finds you there, right next to him "Yes?" he looks at you a bit dazed.

"It's late, let's go" you put on your coat for the cold and settle in your chair already standing up. Heeding you he gets up from his seat and puts on his coat and backpack "I didn't notice the time, did you also work late? 

"I finished my work early" you declare walking towards the elevator, and Edward follows you "I was just waiting for you."

The elevator closes, you inhale the cold air, and you see Edward who similarly watches you and just smiles. "How long have you been here?" you start a conversation, averting your gaze at the speed of light, seeing the logo plastered on one of the walls of the elevator instead of Edward's smile that could blind you if you stare at it too long.

Edward adjusts his glasses "Five years" he replies somewhat embarrassed, at this point he knows you won't make fun of him, but he still has that thorn in his side.

"That's a lot" you reply "You deserve better".

"I don't think so," he says hiding his hands in his coat, "I'm not capable enough to be promoted."

"Edward please" you speak almost angrily, not at him, but at the people who made him feel this way "I've seen your notes and let me tell you they're great, you're talented."

Edward looks into your eyes, looking for some lie you can give him, if this were a dream, he doesn't want to wake up, he shyly pulls his hands out of his coat and gives himself a little pinch, he feels the pain, he's awake.

That's all I wanted to hear from someone, but now that he has you in front of him he doesn't know how to take it, no, don't fall for it Edward, it's a game of yours, everything you're saying must be a joke, after all, it's not the first time someone plays with his happiness.

Meanwhile, your head is burning for not knowing what to say, you have so many things to confess to Edward, the urgent need to tell him that he looks great in that plaid shirt, or that his hairstyle makes him look incredibly handsome, so many options but you decide to keep them to yourself.

The elevator goes down to the first floor when the doors open Edward gets out first almost running but you stop him "Edward, you're going to the subway right?".

"Yeah, are you going too?" he asks innocently and you almost say yes just to tag along, but you have a better idea.

"Oh no, I have a car" you look at the watch on your wrist "It's late enough and it might be dangerous, I can give you a ride home, if you want" you pose crossing your fingers internally, you hoped it wouldn't sound so weird your proposal.

Edward could pass out right there, this all sounds like a romantic movie I used to watch when the orphanage had a worn-out TV but it worked "I don't want to be a bother".

You gasp "Impossible!" you reach over and grab his arm "I would never think something like that."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

 All Edward thought as he looked at the streets of Gotham was that all is lost, desolate, and full of evil, he examined the people silently on their paths to the subway, as he blended into the crowd of god-forsaken people.

But now he's sitting in a beautiful carriage next to you.

The streets are still the same, and the people are still there, yet he rejoices in the privilege of not being on his way to the disastrous subway, that he doesn't have to put up with gangsters bothering office workers like him.

One thing is obvious, he hates your kind, he loathes them with all his being, all the while wondering if there is hope in this life, and it seems that fate has answered him.

Yes, there is hope, and it's you.

And he admits it in the depths of his being, the attention you give him scares him a little, it must be something normal for people to treat each other like that, with kindness and respect, but you make him feel special and that makes him not want to get away from you, he craves that attention little by little.

You look out of the corner of your eye at Edward who is contemplating the view from the passenger window, once again absorbed in his thoughts, what a cute thing to do, you did not regret it taking him home.

Once your father told you when you were little that someday a rich man would give you a great life and you wouldn't have to worry about anything else, that you wouldn't have to lift a finger for your husband to give you everything you want.

But now? You wanted nothing more than to give Edward that comfortable life. Oh, Edward had you wrapped around his finger and didn't know it.

"What are you thinking about?" Zach spoke to you sitting comfortably in his new office, next to another colleague whose name you don't know but they were chatting about trivial things, Edward was keeping busy doing his work and you didn't want to interrupt him, so now you are here.

"Edward should be promoted" you replied looking straight at him "I should mention it to Mr.stone".

The man in the blue suit laughs "Come on honey, Nashton doesn't have what it takes for this position".

"And you have what it takes?" you ask him with some distaste, you're not his honey.

"Uh, yes" he still laughs and the girl next to you laughs along with him "But well, I don't want to talk about him anymore, have you been to Paris?" he expertly changes the subject to which your companion replies.

Without answering his question you leave the office, but unexpectedly the office door opens unexpectedly.

A somewhat dejected and uneasy Edward enters the room so quickly that Zach is startled, shouting "Jesus!".

"Edward?" you speak to him and he turns to look at you and smiles softly, raises his hand in greeting, and turns to Zach.

"Uh, can I have a word?" Edward murmur to the man in the blue suit who reluctantly gets up and follows him toward the exit.

You sigh, Edward looks good in anything he wears "what are they talking about?" you say quietly.

"Who cares?" replies the other woman in the room.

"I care."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

 Walking down the stairs towards your desk, Zach runs in the opposite direction down the stairs past you and ignores you "I'm taking you upstairs with me, Rain Man!" he yells excitedly.

Oh, so he must mean Edward since he gave him that nickname recently. Back in your cubicle, you pick up a piece of paper from the floor and hand it to Edward, who has disorganized his desk.

"Did you find anything?" you put the paper on his desk, Edward nods his head with clear happiness, starting to tell you in detail about the discrepancy between accounts, and various financial terms confused you, but seeing him so cheerful talking numbers makes you so happy you just listen to him.

"You're so smart Edd," you said without filters in your mouth, you open your eyes in surprise realizing how you said it, in a gawking tone.

"Tha-thank you" he takes his red pen that has black ink in it and starts playing with it.

You sit stiffly clearing your throat to look more decent "I hope they notice your effort."

You and Edward stare at each other as if it were a staring contest, you both smile comfortably together, he squirms with happiness at the compliments you usually give him, and on the other hand, just the fact of making him smile delights you.

You hear a noise coming from the second floor, Zach energetically descends the stairs and Edward approaches him still maintaining his excitement.

"What did they say?" asks Edward without batting an eye, Zach grabs his shoulder with an unconvincing smile.

"He said it was probably nothing" the man in the suit informs and Edward's eyes widen in surprise "What? But-" he tries to speak but Zach stops him, "He said it was a mistake, but it was a good job! He even bought me lunch!" he starts to walk away to start walking up the stairs "Don't worry! I've got it from here, bud"

"But!-" Edward shouts but Zach no longer hears him, his serious countenance turned to disappointment, again he was ignored, standing there, static and beginning to darken his mind, a formulated hatred, screaming internally in his conscience for the time he invested in analyzing the account.

"Idiot" you whisper looking towards Zach's office, you have to do something to make them notice Edward's effort, you pick up your bag and walk over to the man still standing there "Let's get something to eat, Eddie"

He comes out of his trance and feels your arm touching his "Yes, let's go".

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

 "So, what do you think?" Edward asks your opinion on his plan to talk to Mr.stone. "It won't work, trust me" you comment eating a French fry as you see Edward in front of you, the two of them standing in a booth at the nearest diner in the office, a place set in the eighties with a menu with plenty of burgers and sodas "He'll just tell you it's a mistake, but I know it's not".

Edward looks at you in confusion, eating his food and thinking that you are right about his could-be plan being in vain.  But he doesn't know what to do to make his work stand out or at least get an explanation as to why his discovery was a mistake.

Clicking his tongue quickly, you noticed, this whole thing is fixed, if that investigation is done in depth there will be a danger for everyone involved, it was expected that Mr. stone dismissed the case without much thought.

This company could be up to dirty tricks and that's what you fear the most, is your father involved too? It's time for you to do your investigation.

"What goes up and doesn't come back down?" Edward asks shyly, it's like he's testing the waters with you.

 "Is it a riddle?" you smile stopping eating to turn your attention to Edward who shrinks back in his seat "Don't you like them?" he says unsure, nodding you told him "Yes, but I'm not that good" you shift restlessly around in your seat, trying to hide how elated you are, it seems like the two of you are a couple on a date.

"Your age".

Your naive fantasies are distorted back to reality "what?".

"That's the answer to the riddle" he comments taking a bite of his food "They're not that hard, it's just a matter of thinking about it."

"You make it sound so simple" you laugh wiping your mouth with a napkin "I'd rather you tell me the answer."

When you are next to Edward, that self-critical part of him that puts him off disappears, you make him feel like he is normal, in that he doesn't have to hide his personality and you pay close attention to him when he talks about his crosswords, he is starting to enjoy your company, he has fallen, he is so weak to your charms, he takes a sip of his drink and nods his head, he will tell you the answer to every riddle he knows.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

It's two in the morning when the ringtone of your cell phone rings, you raise your arm lazily to reach it from your bedside table "Who is calling?" you ask with a sleepy voice, whoever it is you were going to hang up the call in less than a second if it wasn't because you heard Edward's voice calling your name frantically.

"Eddie? Eddie! what's wrong?" your eyes widen in alarm, leaving your tired mode to a worried one "Are you okay?".

"I saw them!" he shouts through the call, you pick up the sound of the rain and the city in the background "I saw them all!".

You get out of bed and put on a sleeping robe, still holding the phone to your ear, "Where are you?" you grab your car keys and head for the front door of your apartment.

"I...I" stop talking making you worry more "I'm outside the iceberg Longue!".

"I'm on my way, don't hang up please".

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

 "Sorry " Edward muttered sitting on the floor, warming himself near the fireplace in your new apartment, like emancipation from your parent's house. 

You take your time drying her hair with a towel and hum softly, you dreamt of this before, the two of you sitting there appreciating the warm fire and holding each other to feel the warmth of each other, but you didn't want things to happen this way, you have so many questions to ask, what happened, what did Edward see to put her in that state? You decide not to ask that for the moment.

"What are you apologizing for?" you whisper to him gently, not wanting to overwhelm him any more than he already is.

"I disturbed you in the middle of the night" she speaks softly cringing trying to dry herself more with the towel she has covering her entire body.

"Listen Eddie" you finish drying his hair and sit down next to him, the two of you on the floor near the fireplace for warmth, seeing his distressed face you reply "I would never think you were a bother, on the contrary, I'm so glad you called me."

Edward is still silent, the iceberg lounge event still haunts him, making his thoughts turn to mush and behave so shyly "Why are you doing this?" he asked sharply, he doesn't know whether to trust you anymore, he saw his boss talking to a criminal, you may even be in on it, he just wants some peace or else his mind would explode. 

Their gazes meet, your cheeks get so hot you could be mistaken for having a fever, and you have an inexplicable fear of confessing your love for Edward, of telling him that you want to give him the whole world without it sounding like an exaggeration.

"I like you" you confess, expecting a negative reaction, but you only hear Edward's voice crack "really?".

"Yes," you let out a nervous laugh at how impressed he is "do I need to say that again?".

Of course, Edward is still not speaking and you take his hands "Edward Nashton" you move closer until your face is inches away from his "I like you".

"You..." he muttered closing his eyes and squeezing your hands, he's hurting, he's terrified of all of this, that it's not real, he's just telling the truth.

You repeated "I like you" to him, enduring the small pain he makes by squeezing your hands tightly.

He starts to cry, an impulse of such strong emotions he feels at the same time, a catharsis that makes his eyes blur and he just sobbed in front of you, no one had ever said such words to him that he feels it's all too good to be true, Edward doesn't feel worthy enough of your love.

But you just look at him anyway, letting him cry whatever he wants, knowing that he's not ready to say the same words to you yet, you don't mind wiping the small residue of tears on his cheeks "Do you want some water?" you offer in a calm voice, Edward shakes his head and says "Stay".

You pull him close to your body and they embrace, you can feel the warmth of his sturdy body and you notice that you prefer that warmth to the warmth of the fireplace.

You smelled Edward's chest as he kept hugging you, they were like that for so long that you forgot the minutes that passed.

You smile still crushing your face by his collarbone, there are so many things going through your mind, a total devotion that you want to give to Edward so he is safe and doesn't have to live in more danger, when you sniff his shirt you perceive the smell of the humidity caused by the rain, remembering the reason why he is here "What happened Eddie?" you talk to him with clear concern when he called you, he was very scared and you were afraid of what could have happened to him in those parts of the city.

Edward is silent and just keeps staring at the fire in the fireplace with a sign of fear, why even he can't process what he saw, Zach and Mr. stone at the entrance of the club along with a criminal who several days ago was on trial. He almost threw up in disgust, why are they there, what were they doing? You don't want to imagine all the things they did in that club, the image you had of the boss was shattered into a thousand pieces, the faces of those people merged with the mud puddles on the dirty floor, and on autopilot, you grabbed your cell phone and called you.

"Nothing," he says hoping it sounded convincing but it wasn't, you pull away from the embrace and look into his eyes, seeing through his glasses and you notice him bewildered, stunned.

"Tell me the truth."

Even so with the confession of love you gave him doubt, inside his being he has an immense terror of you making fun of him for how he took a simple shameless situation.

"Did they do something to you? " this time your meek voice was changed to an angry "Did they hurt you?" just the thought of someone touching a hair on his head makes you angry.

"No, no, no" he replied "Remember that case I told you about a few days ago?".

It takes you a few seconds to remember which case he was talking about " about the animal rescue?".

"Yes, I....." he gulps "I saw Zach and Mr.stone with one of the people involved."

You open your eyes full of surprise at Edward's statement, to this point it wasn't a crazy thing to happen "Shit."

"Yeah" he nods "Something's going on and it's not very good" he opines and you couldn't agree with him more, jeez, Edward just uncovered a sewer of fucking KMTJ corruption. "Damn" you curse still in shock. "Did they see you?" you ask.

"No, they didn't even notice me."

"Good" you snort "I also noticed something weird is going on" Edward hums with affirmation, he shudders at everything that happened in one night, he shouldn't have gone to that animal shelter.

"Hey, don't worry" you whisper touching her cheek "it's going to be okay".

Edward feels your warm palm, and closes his eyes softly absorbing all the affection you give him, he never thought he would have such genuine contact with another person, for the first time in his life, he feels he's not alone anymore. But that soft feeling starts to mix with something darker, he spent five years working for an idiot who only takes advantage of his talent. Something new emerges in him, but he doesn't know how to name it, it's only a matter of time before his mind becomes clear.

✧˖°. Thank you very much for reading. And again, an apologize for any errors! My ao3 ✧˖°.

[katyspersonal]

What Bloody Crow and Maria USED TO wear before?

Honestly, @heraldofcrow made a very good point ( x ) that Cainhurst Knights are not "real" hunters - they dispose of their nobles that got too blood-drunk! We do, however, know what their warriors used to wear thanks to a link between portrait and Chalice Dungeons:

(The 'display' one is unused, I saw it first in Lance's video about some unused items here ( x ), at 5:40)

And now I am thinking about the fact that Cainhurst Guardians (what Bloody Crow and Leo are) hunt specifically for Blood Dregs, that are said to be discovered within hunters first and foremost, and that lore bit that Vilebloods clan, was (re)born after Byrgenwerth discovered (more like brought back) the holy blood! It is possible that THE reason why Cainhurst warriors were hunting in Chalice Dungeons to begin with WAS to restore their 'legacy'.

So, basically, the Guardian type might have been a later invention, as they're 1) associated with the 'clan' (consanguineous contract with the blood queen) 2) NEED hunters' bodies for their quest and 3) found as hostile NPCs in dungeons but there are no corpses of THIS type of hunter scattered like this, so they simply could have dived in later

^^^ There is an armour of warriors on horses in Annalise's throne room specifically that is very similar, though! If anything, looks like the same armour but a silver variant instead of golden one! Within the lore, both silver and gold are believed to repel beasthood!

It is hard to say for sure which is which! Cainhurst seems to be more particular on silver in the end, though, whereas Healing Church picked gold as THEIR trademark, especially manifesting in Gold Ardeo of Executioners. But.... yeah, you know, THAT theory:

I would think that initially, Cainhurst had the golden heavy armor, but soon enough they started to prefer silver instead! Maybe to further distance from the Church as the tension between was growing, or maybe to connect with their ancestry more (Pthumerian ancestors DO seem to wear mostly silver things, Mergo's servants and Labyrinth Warrior off the top of my head). Maybe both! Or maybe 'golden' warriors were the army - diving into dungeons, travelling lands, etc, but 'silver' warriors were bodyguards specifically, with attached presence to the castle and the queen! I think I like this one!

My point is? If Bloody Crow and Leo were guardians of the queen from the start, this might have been their armour before adopting the new style as hunters of Blood Dregs.

And maybe Maria also used to wear a set like this? Beasts (and undead Pthumerians in the dungeons, for that matter) are very agile, and heavy armour would not be effective. You need to jump and roll and run with these fuckers, you'd need a lighter armour! We can see confirmation of it with just how many warriors are dead in the dungeons. So, Gehrman and other Old Hunters appeared and helped Cainhurst to adopt different tactics with clothing and maybe weapons?

Alternatively, just like heraldofcrow said, maybe Maria WAS a Knight and not the warrior; but, again, Knights are basically internal staff with their clothes and unnecessarily elegant fancy weapons x) Their forte is killing their peers that went cringe and fail, not so much the beasts! So, again, a training to become stronger and go out there to protect the city from "plague of beasts" was needed.

Male Knights specifically have shoes of horse riders (with sharp metal plates to them, you know) and the name of the weapon Reiterpallasch means 'horse rider's sword' in German. So yeah, like I said before, it is expected that male Knights would prefer riding horses and using Reiterpallasch and rely more on their physical capacity; meanwhile, female Knights would likely rely more on bloody sword Chikage, that is also then used by Guardians! Interestingly, transformation of Chikage doesn't include stabbing oneself like in Maria's battle, but instead, you slide it in the sheath and it comes out bloodied.

Maria's weapon is also interesting, as it is not simply Chikage but without blood, of course! I feel like typically male Knights would use Reiterpallasch that is a sword, but also a gun, meanwhile female Knights (and later, Guardians) would use Chikage and Evelyn, and Evelyn Maria is pretty familiar with too!

Basically, she could have already been a unique Knight on her own, maybe already had her unusual weapon, or maybe she used Chikage + Evelyn combo but never used Chikage's bloody state. But Cainhurst seems to be the most gender-roles place, and if Cainhurst Knights had certain "norms" within them (with men being more dex and women being more blood), I can imagine Maria being 'your angle or yuor devil' with her style and clothes x)

Yet I just..... keep thinking about the possibility that guns using silver bullets were Old Hunters' invention entirely, that Cainhurst OWES Evelyn to Gehrman, and that Knights became a thing after holy blood was brought back. Because now the vampires could drink it like that! In that case? Maria and Crow could wear that cool metal armour, then Maria would adopt new style from Gehrman and Cainhurst would be the one to steal the drip for themselves! @fantomette22 made a good point that Knights on the portraits are depicted WITHOUT the ribbon; meanwhile, Knight's Wig is not only the ribbon itself but a... well, wig. It has a piece of silver hair attached to it! So maybe not Maria imitated the look of the Knights as a hunter, but THEY imitated her look in honor of her being the most important warrior amongst themselves?

Yeah it largerly depends on how long one wants to make the timeline, but what do you guys think? Was Maria wearing that cool silver armour before becoming Gehrman's student, as a guardian of the queen before they became something else? Or maybe what Crow's armour is actually DID exist for a while, and Maria was wearing that one before departing as a hunter? Or was she wearing just male Knight outfit but with fighting style more common for female Knights? Or she had unique look entirely? (But yeah also please consider..... Bloody Crow in alternative armour...)

[punsmaster69]

27/OCT/20XX

"Is that... a Christmas display? Already??"

"IT'S NOT EVEN HALLOWEEN YET?!"

"HOW CAN THEY BE THINKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS SO EARLY???"

"you mean you don't wanna buy a reindeer sweater in october?"

"NO!"

we're in new home city clothes shopping today.

(good name.)

it's not a very big city, but there's still more options around than in new snowdin.

(..seems to be a pattern in the naming system.)

frisk tugged papyrus' sleeve and pointed.

"That one looks like it'd have your kind of fashion."

it was a semi-formal style of clothing store, judging by the outfits in the window.

once inside, papyrus immediately made a beeline for the selection of turtleneck sweaters.

"THIS ONE LOOKS IDENTICAL TO THE ONE I NEED TO REPLACE!"

"Why do you need a replacement?"

"I LET UNDYNE BORROW IT ONCE. SHE FORGOT TO GIVE IT BACK, SO IT'S KIND OF JUST.."

"BECOME HERS."

"wasn't that last year?"

"YES. HENCE, THE NEEDING OF ANOTHER ONE."

"Do we all own one of these?"

"THEY'RE CLASSY AND COMFORTABLE; OF COURSE EVERYONE HAS ONE!"

"...EXCEPT FOR SANS."

"Sans, you should get one."

"nah. not really my style."

"I think you'd look good.'

"i'd look like a terrible ceo."

"still no."

"AT LEAST TRY ONE ON?"

......

somehow i keep being roped into having clothes tried on me.

"IT'S ODD SEEING YOU IN ANYTHING OTHER THAN A T-SHIRT. A WELCOME CHANGE!"

"don't get used to it."

frisk quickly snapped a picture.

"..was that photo what you wanted me to wear this for?"

"Maybe."

"You should try the blue one!"

"no."

"i'm taking this off."

"YOU SHOULD BUY IT!"

"EVEN IF YOU DON'T END UP ACTUALLY WEARING IT THAT MUCH."

"A classy shirt is always good to have as a backup."

"EXACTLY!"

my phone buzzed. it was a text from tori.

"You look quite handsome in that sweater! I do hope to see you in it often. ]:)"

"jeez."

"you already sent that around?"

..anyway, i bought it.

——

"Papyrus, is this shirt something you'd wear or nah?"

"I THINK I ALREADY HAVE ONE LIKE THIS."

"...WAIT, DIDN'T I BORROW IT FROM UNDYNE?"

"How often do you share clothes for this to happen?"

"WE'RE THE SAME SIZE!! WOULD BE A SHAME TO NOT MAKE USE OF IT."

"same fashion sense, too."

"YEAH! BESIDES THE SKIRTS."

"UNDYNE DOESN'T LIKE THEM."

"I'm like that with dresses."

"Skirts are way better though."

"Long skirts are REALLY where it's at."

"I AGREE!! HOWEVER 𝙄 AM VERY LONG, SO I MIGHT BE BIASED."

"Thoughts on denim ones?"

"GOOD FOR OUTSIDE WEAR!"

"Pleats?"

"A FLAIR OF CUTENESS OR ELEGANCE DEPENDING ON HOW YOU PAIR IT!"

they went back and forth about skirts while we finished shopping. everything sorta went over my head, to be honest.

we stopped by a fancy restaurant afterwards. i thought it was just ok, but frisk and paps liked it a lot.

been a minute since i've been to a restaurant that wasn't grillby's.

.....

grillbs definitely makes a better burger, though.