#today is the first time ive ever met this coworker

[yourplaceinaugust]

i was sitting in the staff room on my break and then my coworker comes in, grabs his bottle of chocolate milk, starts drinking it as fast as he can, and then when he's done he sat there heavily breathing due to the lack of oxygen

[messybouquetoflilies]

girl who's a lil bit of a fag

[shadyhouse]

i am not doing well rn

[lilac-cat-draws]

Been taking my time, adding some stuff in this AU, mostly starting off with writing some dialogue along with some sketches that I think would fit the characters in the Genshin universe

I’m not going to write all of the voice overs, so I'll be mostly focusing on the ones I think would be more interesting to write about, also it was very difficult for me to get this to sound in character so this is my attempt

Dazai’s “Voice-Over”

Hello

Greetings I’m Osamu Dazai, it’s a pleasure to meet you. If you need any help, come to the Armed Detective Agency and we’ll deal with the issue. But looking at you, you seem to be handling things fine on your own, but if you’re considering feel free to contact us.

~

About Kujou Sara

Ah, you mean the tengu lady in the Tenryou Commission? Why yes I’ve met her, she would work along side us on more difficult cases and we don’t really see eye to eye most of the time which is unfortunate.

~

About Shikanoin Heizou

Never thought that the Tenryou Commission would have their own skilled detective, he’s sharp like a certain someone I know and his method of investigation is quite unique. A detective who stops a crime before it even starts, hmm interesting.

~

About Nakajima Atsushi

Atsushi has been my most fateful subordinate ever since I took him in. The boy has a lot of potential under all of his insecurities, also he’s been the most reliable when it comes to doing the paperwork I don’t want to do.

~

About Ryuunosuke Akutagawa

Oh him? I don’t have anything special to say about him in particular but I had something in mind. What is it? Well I’m not telling.

~

About Nakahara Chuuya

Ugh, that slug? He can be irritating sometimes, not to mention his fashion sense I mean really? *sigh* Besides that, he has his moments where he’s a lot more bearable and it is fun to mess with him whenever I get the chance.

~

About the Vision

I didn’t think the gods would acknowledge me of all people to deserve a vision, well I personally don’t mind this, but I doubt I’d really put this thing to much further use, other than what I used to use it for.

~

Birthday

Hey, since today is your special day, thought I’d take you around they city and grab something to eat, and as for the bill you don’t have to worry about that, my work partner can pay the expenses for us later.

~

More About Osamu Dazai: I

Have you ever been to our detective agency by any chance? It can be quite the treat if you get the chance to know us and as someone with first hand experience I’ll gladly give you a tour of the office and the various cases we deal with on a regular basis, hey I could even recruit you in, you seem to have the skills to join. No need? well it’s fine but if you change your mind, the offer is still on the table.

~

More About Osamu Dazai: II

There is this one coworker I know who is really fun to tease, he sticks to his ideals so much he can be a bit gullible. i would sometimes give him what he thinks could be vital information only for me to them tell him it wasn’t true. Believe me, it really livens up the workplace.

~

More About Osamu Dazai: III

Whenever the agency gets reached out with a certain case, it would be something along the lines of what the usual police couldn’t handle and on some instances we would collaborate with them for the more serious situations and It also means there would be more paperwork for the Agency to deal with *sigh*, and it’s no fun having to do nothing but that so I just don’t bother.

~

More About Osamu Dazai: IV

Why did I join the Armed Detective Agency? Well you’re pretty nosy aren’t you. It’s nothing special, but let’s just say that I joined because I’ve made a promise to someone long ago. I’d rather not have someone poking into my past like that so this is all the information you’ll get out of me.

~

More About Osamu Dazai: V

I always wonder what’s the value of living, what purpose do we need to serve in order to continue that. You seem to know what you want and by the time you get it, what now? As for me, well I’m just going through the motions and see what happens next and maybe I’ll find the reason I’m searching for

This is the best I could do, might edit this since I wrote this late at night

[muffinbeliever]

Neighborly Love [01]

Pairing: Coworker!Dean Winchester x Coworker!Reader

Word Count: 2100

Warnings: minor language, dean is a dick

Summary: Coworker!AU– Dean Winchester is the newbie around the office, and also your new cubicle neighbor. You have him all figured out from the start: a jerk, or so you think. It doesn’t help that he won’t stop flirting with you. Will Dean be able to convince you otherwise? 

A/N: hello hello hello I KNOW IVE BEEN GONE but i wrote this for my narrative writing class with the intention of turning it into a fanfic so technically ive been writing ! it was originally for the coworker au square in my fluff bingo board, but the more i write it, the more i want it to be a regular series so here it is!

Masterlist | Neighborly Love Masterlist 

The corner cubicle offered you only one neighbor, and the departure of the cubicle’s last occupant, Adam, left a cold, empty feeling inside of you. While you had only known each other for a month, it still hurt when he had suddenly left without even saying goodbye. For the past couple of weeks, you wished there was someone next door for you to talk with and mildly complain to, but today you welcomed the solitude. 

After catching your boyfriend of two years in bed with another girl the night before, you seriously considered calling in sick today. The last thing you wanted to do was work. What you really wanted to do was bundle up in blankets and wallow in bed, but you knew that if you were at home, all you would do is replay the sight of your now ex-boyfriend in bed with that blonde girl, and you would rather stab yourself with a rusty fork than relive that disaster. 

So, you went to work. 

It was Monday– the Mondayest Monday if you ever knew one. You woke up bleary-eyed and puffy-faced thirty minutes after your alarm supposedly went off. You burned your thumb making coffee and tripped on an overturned corner of your rug on the way out. Traffic was a bitch, and it took you ten minutes to find a parking spot. And now, like icing on the cake, your supervisor, Chuck, was headed your way. You quickly opened the first file on your desktop so you weren’t caught staring at a blank screen. Chuck’s monotonous voice met your ears and you turned to face him, only to meet his back. 

“This is your desk. You can decorate it however you want, I really don’t care,” he said flatly, addressing the person in front of him. You huffed, your chair swiveling back to the computer. You had been eagerly waiting for a new neighbor, but not today. Any day but today. 

“Too bad I left all my Playboy posters at home,” a deep voice responded. 

It was a guy. A crude, cocky guy if his poor taste in jokes was any indication. You internally groaned. You had encountered so many guys just like him– in fact, you just dated one. You knew exactly who he was even before saying hello.

“It’s time for my break. Don’t bother me unless it’s urgent.” Chuck left without waiting for a response, leaving you alone with the mystery man.

Your eyes stayed glued to the screen in front of you, but you barely registered its contents. Instead, you focused on the cubicle to your right. 

The partition blocked him from your view, but you heard a thump! as his box was set down, causing your desk to tremble under your fingertips. The faint scent of his cologne wafted past. There was clinking as objects were moved around, followed by the distinct sound of papers shuffling.

You debated on introducing yourself and giving him the benefit of the doubt, but a larger, more stubborn part of you wanted nothing to do with him, certain he was exactly the type of guy you expected. You heard your mother’s voice, chastising you for judging a book by its cover, and you felt a momentary lapse of guilt, knowing that your parents would be disappointed by your actions. In hopes of masking the small, fleeting bout of shame, you convinced yourself that you were being a good person by letting him settle in quietly, rather than overwhelming him with introductions and questions. 

Caught up in your thoughts, you didn’t notice the silence that fell over the neighboring cubicle. What you did notice, however, was the distinct sound of the mystery man clearing his throat, which snapped you back to reality. Irked by his sudden intrusion, you spun in your chair to face him, but your witty retort died on your lips when you saw him.

His eyes were intensely green and twinkled under the harsh fluorescents– although, how that was even possible was lost on you. Freckles dotted the bridge of his nose like paint lightly splattered against canvas. His short, dark hair was softly spiked, and his lips quirked into a teasing smirk when he caught you staring. 

“Like what you see?” He asked, in a smooth, flirtatious tone that you were certain he had perfected over the years of picking up women. Your laugh was cold.

“I’d like it a lot better if you let me go back to work,” you snapped. He raised a dark brow. 

“Just so we’re on the same page, when you say ‘work’, you mean staring at a three-year-old document and not working, right?” He gave you a pointed look. 

Your head whipped to the screen, mentally cursing when you saw the date; he was right. It was an outdated spreadsheet of the company’s clients. 

“Do you want something? Or did Chuck just hire you to annoy me?” You huffed, steering the conversation away from your blatant lie.

“Please,” he scoffed, “Chuck doesn’t give a rat’s ass about you, or me, or the company. That dude is here for one thing and one thing only: the money. I, however, will take your number, since you’re offering.” He gave you a cliche wink. You blinked. 

“I wasn’t,” you bit back. 

“No?” He cocked a dark brow. “You asked if I wanted something, and that’s what I want,” he stated plainly. “Unless you’re more of a let’s-not-talk-it’s-just-sex type of girl,” he added. “Then, I don’t need your number, just a time and a place.” Your eye twitched as you restrained yourself from slapping the shit-eating grin off his face. 

“How about you do both of us a favor and go fuck yourself,” you snapped, before turning back to your desk. 

“Only if you’re there to watch,” came his cheeky response. 

You clenched your jaw and took a deep breath, coming to the conclusion that you should’ve stayed in bed this morning. One look at Chuck’s closed door was enough to convince you that it wasn’t too late to do just that. You made quick work of turning off your computer and grabbing your things before making your way to the elevator, not sparing the green-eyed man a second glance. 

The next morning, you were ready. You had given yourself a pep-talk in the bathroom mirror about stupid manwhores and shitty green-eyed men. You strutted down the lines of cubicles in a pair of heels that you affectionately referred to as your Fuck You Platforms. You imagined breezing by him to your desk, but your best-laid plans crumbled at the sight of his empty chair. His computer was on, and there was a steaming mug of black coffee next to a bag of Hershey’s Kisses. You huffed in annoyance. If anyone could unknowingly ruin plans, it would be him. 

You stepped into your side of the partition, and your gaze immediately honed in on the little silver-wrapped chocolates carefully placed on your desk spelling out, “SRY.”

“What the,” you muttered, setting your bag down so you could better inspect the treats. There was no note, but you had a sneaking suspicion of who had left them. You threw them by the handful onto the desk of the neighboring cubicle before settling into your chair, hoping at least one of them landed in his coffee. You scrolled through your email and forwarded project updates to Chuck even though you knew he never bothered to read them.

Chuck was single-handedly the most incompetent supervisor you’d ever had. He never bothered to check in on projects nor did he enforce deadlines. He only cared about the long line of zeros on his paycheck. You didn’t blame him, though. You also would only do the bare minimum and get paid for it if you could.

A couple of minutes passed before heavy footsteps and a familiar scent of cologne grew close. 

“I see you didn’t like my apology,” he noted, gesturing towards your empty desk. Then he spotted the candy strewn about his desk. “I guess you didn’t like my Kisses, either,” he added.

He swiped the twenty-or-so chocolates into his hand and placed them back in the bag. You watched him from the corner of your eye as he sipped his coffee, and you smiled when he frowned at the mug.

“I don’t take candy from strangers,” was your simple reply. You opened the spreadsheet for your current project, trying to ignore the man next to you.

“I’m actually your coworker. Technically your neighbor. Hardly a stranger,” he corrected, much to your frustration. 

“Jesus Christ, do you ever stop talking? I have shit to do! You and I both know we’re only here to work. We don’t have to hold hands and sing Kumbaya,” you exclaimed, exasperated. 

“You’re too young to hate your job and be bitter about it,” he stated, after a beat of silence. You rolled your eyes.

“You don’t even know me.”

“And you don’t know me, but that doesn’t stop you from making assumptions, huh?” You wasted no time responding. 

“Actually, I know exactly who you are. You realized in college that you could use your good looks and cheesy lines to get girls into bed, and once that happens, you either wham-bam-thank you ma’am her, or you keep sleeping with her until she catches feelings for you, and then one day you decide to give in to her advances and date her for two years before getting bored and fucking the next girl who will spread her legs for you!” 

Your throat burned as tears brimmed your eyes, threatening to fall. You stared at his green eyes that were widened with shock from your outburst, and took a deep breath before continuing

“Now, can I get back to my spreadsheet, or are you going to keep bothering me?” You had barely turned back to your desk before the man next to you spoke. 

“So… I’m guessing you got cheated on?” Hesitation laced his voice. You was hit by a wave of guilt, and your shoulders dropped as you slumped in defeat. You shuffled your feet until you were facing him once again before giving him a sheepish smile.

“What gave it away?” You tried to joke, but your voice cracked, and you were unsuccessful in your attempt to swallow the lump in your throat. You turned away and hastily wiped away a stray tear that had escaped. 

“Here,” he said, offering you a tissue. You accepted it without a fuss.

“Thanks.” 

A beat of silence passed. 

“Sorry for being a bitch,” You started, but the green-eyed man shrugged. 

“Trust me, I know what you’re going through. I’ve been there before.”

“Right,” You scoffed in disbelief. “Like anyone would cheat on you.” He shrugged again.

“You’d be surprised.” He stuck his hand out before you could respond. “Dean.” 

You stared at the extended hand. The guilt was back and bigger than before. Maybe you were being a tad bit irrational. With a sigh, you shook his hand.

“I’m Y/N.”

“Such a pretty name for a pretty girl.” Dean winked. You quickly retracted your hand from his grasp. You began to berate yourself for being foolish and doubting your instincts, but stopped once you saw the mirth sparkling in his green eyes. 

“Funny,” you said, not finding it funny in the slightest. 

“Sorry,” he winced. “Too soon?” 

“Yeah, I think one day is too soon.” He let out a low whistle.

“Yikes. I figured it was pretty raw, but not that raw.” He reached into the bag of Kisses and gently placed a handful on the corner of your desk. “You definitely need these more than I do.” 

“Thanks, I always wanted pity chocolates,” you said, sarcasm dripping from your voice. He gave you a knowing look and you rolled your eyes before unwrapping a Kiss and popping it in your mouth. You tried to hide your sigh of relief from the silky chocolate, but Dean caught it right away.

“Good, huh?” He sported a triumphant smile. 

“Not bad,” You admitted, a hint of a smile dancing on your lips. The silence was long. You cleared your throat before it could get awkward. 

“I’m gonna,” you motioned towards your screen, “You know.” 

“Of course,” he said dramatically, grasping at his chest. “Your spreadsheet awaits.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. You rolled your eyes at his childish antics, before turning to your desk and getting back to work. 

Taglist: @akshi8278 @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @lanea-1 @slamminmine @bluedragonflylady @cevans-winchester

[sugrhigh]

hey girl… imma give u a storytime cuz im going CRAZY

so me and this guy we work together, we have a seasonal job in the summer. we got really close real fast and we don’t exactly flirt like complement each other we like have a flirty banter if that makes sense? anyway i used to like him a lot but then the job ended and we didn’t really see each other that much but we still talk like daily so i kinda lost feelings. he also was talking to this other girl so i didn’t want to get in between them yk. but then we smoked together after not seeing each other for probably 2 months? then he told me ab how this girl is literally crazy and technically cheated on him even though they weren’t really dating. so then he goes “so as of today im a free man” and then we start talking about our sex history LMAO and then at the end of that convo he goes “i honestly thought me and you were gonna end up doing something” i literally DIED that was my confirmation that we both liked each other at one point ya know… so i replied saying something like “oh yeah same here” and he goes “yeah don’t you remember the rumours of us dating??” (i literally don’t and never heard of it) he was literally SOO SURE about it he was like “like 10 of our coworkers came up to me and asked if we were dating” im like oooookay whatever you say… (my friend is convinced he was “lying” to make something happen yk… i kinda think so too cuz i NEVER HEARD OF THAT RUMOUR. im also way closer with all the other coworkers because this guy im talking ab came into the job like during the last 2 months when i was there the whole time if that makes sense LMAO) so im like “oh really? i never heard anything ab that” and hes like “oh yeah it was crazy” and then it was like silent for a good minute and then all the sudden he goes “wanna makeout?” HOLYYYY FUCK I DIED BRO I FUCKING DIED so then we did and it was gooooooood until my fucking mom called and interrupted us… still mad ab it to this day. anyway that was all we did just makeout then i had to drop him off at home cuz he had work or something the next day, and i had a early flight the next day too LMAO.

so we never talked ab that AT ALL, and i get home from my vacation which was literally A WEEK. he’s texting me saying “girl i might have a gf soon” so im like oh! okay!!! great!!! and hes like “you have to hear the tea its so good” so then we hung out that night and he told me how he is now dating the best friend of the girl who cheated on him 😭😭 like okay king get it but i was kinda bummed that he sorta used me as a rebound but I honestly didn’t give a fuck and I didn’t let it hurt me. cuz i wasn’t gonna lose one of my best friends over stupid feelings ya knoww. so thats that NOW HERES THE GOOD PART.

me and him only ever hangout just us two or with our other coworkers. this weekend my girlfriends finally came home from uni and stuff so we obviously went out to bars lol, i was asking him to pick me up because we both live out in the country side of our town rather than the city ya know? so it was just easier that way, and it was supposed to be just me him and one of his friends but then my girls ride canceled on them so i asked if he could drive them home and he said yes. so now this the first time my friends have met him and like seen us together. keep in mind he still has that gf… the car ride was so fun all of us were laughing and we all got along very well. we drop off my one friend at her house and then he turns to me and is like “can we all come into your house i need to hit that bong” so im like yeah ofc duh and literally he wanted to get to my house SO BAD he didn’t even drop my other friend off, she was forced to stay the night at mine like 😭😭😭 anyway its the four of us now (me and my girlfriend, then him and his best friend) and we get to my house, i quickly change outta my bar clothes cuz fuck that then i go upstairs to see him at the top of the stairs and hes like “dude ive been WAITINGGGG lets fucking go” im like “what about our other friends dont they wanna smoke too?” And hes like “nahhh we need our time together” HELLO??!!! Died. so then we smoked blah blah our usual conversations and then we go back inside and all of us start playing mariokart. then they left cuz he was forcing me to go to bed so i could wake up and go to work in the morning 😭 but as soon as they left my girlfriend turned to me and was like “DUDEEEEE HE WANTS YOU SOOOO BAD” …. so now im going crazy 😀 mans has a fucking gf but is lowkey so flirty towards me and if my FRIENDS SAW THAT DURING THE FIRST TIME THEY MET HIM…. and the morning after i texted our girls gc and was like so guys am i going crazy or is there something here?? and they all replied with yes he wants you so bad bro. and my girlfriend apparently overheard him talking to his best friend and was like “me and my gf are fighting and shes literally crazy” so im like FUCKKKK LIKE WHAT DO I DO. and i think us 4 are gonna hangout again this weekend. so uh ill keep u updated if u want 😀 also sorry this is terribly long but IM GOING CRAZY AND I NEED HELP

OH MY GOD I AM SO INVESTED IN THIS PLS KEEP ME UPDATED MY SWEET LADY!!!!

he def sounds like he wants u in my humble opinion, i think whoever he’s dating now is the rebound from making out with YOU cuz it doesn’t seem like he likes her too much plus he jumped into it really quick. if yall hang out this weekend i would be a little extra flirty and see if maybe that inspires him to grow a pair and tell u how he feels

but always remember that no man is ever worth ur peace of mind so if he doesn’t sack up and be honest with you and his gf and himself….he can move to the back of the line!

[getblackout503]

Chapter 3, ngl i was procrastinating this chapter just because I started playing on my switch, but in the end I wrote it, I feel like this is the weakest one ive wroten yet, but i also feel like it’s just good enough for what i was going for, side note one of the jokes was written by @jaycrakhead so thank them for it, now enjoy chapter three

—————————————————————————-

Finral pulled up to Grey’s hotel, Gauche getting out first helping Grey get out of the car, Before closing door Finral stopped him to tell him something.

“Make sure she gets to her room safely, okay?” Finral told Gauche who scoffed.

“Alright, I will, Now wait here for me until I get back, Got it?”

“I know”

Making their way up to her floor, Gauche was making sure Grey didn’t get startled by anything or anyone, and as they got closer to her room, gauche saw someone, specifically a man with red hair, blue eyes, and a black mask wearing a leather jacket, as well as black pants, but what set gauche off the most was that he was banging on Grey’s door.

“Hey Grey, you there, everything okay” He yelled as he continued banging, and he would have gone for longer if he hadn’t turned and spotted Grey “Grey-“ he called but stopped when he saw the state she was in, and he got a bit irritated when he saw Gauche “Hey, who are you and what did you do to her” He walked closer to him, looking like he was ready to fight.

“Z-Zora, i-it’s okay, I’m okay, this is Gauche, he’s my coworker” Grey told Zora to calm him down “we had a party at work today, but I had a panic attack so gauche was making sure I got home okay” Zora seemed to buy it somewhat, but he still walked over to Grey.

“Well thanks, but I’ll take it from here” Zora said as he helped Grey into her room

“T-Thank you Gauche, S-See you tomorrow” Grey thanked him but before Gauche could reply Zora slammed the door in his face,

“Your welcome…” He sighed before going back to the car where Finral was waiting for him.

“So did she get to her room alright?” Finral asked but only got a sigh in response, at that he knew the answer clear, and he started driving, but back at Grey’s room Zora had helped her sit down, handed her, her weighted blanket, and started making her some tea to relax her nerves, all the while Grey with her shaking hands grabbed the remote to put on some kind of movie, and as zora was coming back with the tea he placed on the table in front of her, took the remote, handed her the tea, and put on the greatest showmen.

“Just take it easy grey” zora sat down next to Grey as she slowly drank her tea “let me guess you saw your ex?”

“Saw his brother, S-set me into panic”

“Esh, that bad huh? If I ever see your ex I'll punch him so hard he’ll be crying for his mommy” Zora said in order to raise her spirit but to no avail as Grey thought of what would happen to Zora if he did so.

“Um, hey remember when we first met, at the coffee shop” He started “we were seated next to each other, and as I was sketching in my art book I looked over briefly and I saw you listening to the Addams Family musical playlist, and oh boy as soon as I asked if you liked the musical, your eyes lit up and you just went off, heh and after that we talked for so long about different musicals by the time we realized what time it was, we saw it was closing time” Zora told but Grey was still in a bit shaken “Come on, cheer up…do you want me to sing like we’re in some musical?” Grey smiled a bit, and Zora smirked knowing it was working. “You know I’m not the best singer but I’ll burst out singing camp rock or some shit to make you feel better” Grey giggled a bit.

“I know, not the best musical but hey, We’re all in this together” He sang in a monotone voice.

“That’s not camp rock” Grey said with a smile

“Shit fuck-“ Zora says in realization and grey burst out laughing, with zora following suit.

For a while they laughed and watched a couple different movies and musicals, And the hours fly by, now Zora and Grey were just resting, Grey’s panic had subsided, as they were now resting in silence “hey you know the offer of a tattoo still stands, anytime, I’ll have the shop open up for you” Zora told Grey as he was trying and successfully convincing Grey to get a tattoo since he worked at a tattoo shop.

“Maybe Zora, Maybe” She told him, she was considering a tattoo she just needed to figure out what kind she wanted.

“Okay, just tell me when” with that they got back into comfortable silence, Grey laying her head on Zora's shoulder.

“Hey Zora”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you”

“For what?”

“For being with me, protecting me, And being my big brother” Grey answered before promptly falling asleep.

“Heh, No problem…Little sis”

[wanderrlust0]

today was fun and we had more fun than we thought we would at this party since we werent even sure if we would go or not

edit: 11.16 / i just knew the two coworkers and my managers at the party and then just stuck with snow the whole time ofc. we got deadlifted by the girls girlfriends sister lol and she was in a whole leather/latex one piece like okayy girl youre strong. there was someone as ice king or technically simon and they were very friendly and fun. we took lemon drop shots and jello shots and i had some mixed drinks and i was sooo reddd lolol luckily it was dark but in the bathroom it was so noticeable. idk if it was but it couldve been the most ive had to drink ever or at least the most different types of alcohol ive had at once and my head started to hurt at the end but thankfully i didnt throw up!! we had a fun time tho. we got there at like 9:30ish and left around 12 or so? and sat in the car for a bit but snow got along just fine with everyone after a little while of being there and them and V talked a lot. Z asked us if we were together and were like lolol noo and he asked how we met and we mutually refused to answer & made up some nonsense so i told him to just guess even tho he would have no clue bc he doesnt know me like that and this is the most he’s heard me talk lmao. one guess was a one night hook up im like …nooo lol we never thought this would ever come up. anyways, i found out days after the party that my coworker who thru it thought me and snow were together bc she mentioned us to my boss and he knows the whole story so he told her that we werent (idk what else he told her tho since i wasnt there) but she apparently thought we gave those vibes and just looked like it and when he told me that i was like omg .. like even ice king/simon person asked us and we just mettt. i mean they were pretty gay and first asked us if we were queer bc he could tell and that was the first time someone told me that to my face so i kind of felt good?about that. like yess i wanna look queer and just not straight lolll. so i followed my coworker on ig and i see pics of her gf and i know her!! her and my bf were friends once and like were closeclose where they did stuff (this was like 5 or 6yrs ago, before i met him) and she ended up realizing she was gay or something after him and they stopped talking (mainly bc she apparently would trauma dump on him a lot). i only know about her bc years later she hit him up out of nowhere and apologized for always talking to him about her problems and that she realized she was gay and then asked if theyd wanna get lunch or something so he told me. when i saw pics of her i recognized her from tinder when i had it. they never ended up hanging out bc he thought itd be weird now that hes with me and i would feel a bit weird about it. anyways, so i literally saw her and spoke to her at the party but i didnt notice that was her bc the room was dark and it was brief. looking back now thats crazy it was her and that we both know the same person that im now dating but she doesnt know that lol and neither does he bc i justtt came to this realization. the ice king person is now her like bestie who she met on tinder. its crazy when peoples connections come to light like someone you know knows someone else you know and they have their whole history and i have mine and then you can be in the same room as them and like only one person knows the other and etc lol idk its mind boggling

[sanzulicious]

My first post i hope you like it!

•Warnings•

This story contains

Smut,angst,comfort,cursing

Ill be using bonten sanzu for this ;)

I dont own these characters they are owned by ken wakui.

It was indeed a beautiful day in tokyo Were the city full of people walking. Y/n a girl who works at a cafe with 3 other people your the cashier taking orders while the others prepare.

“Hello there what can i get you today?” You say to them.

“Frappe please!” They said.

“Sure thing” you say while putting it in.

“It will be right out” you say.

“Y/n are you busy tonight? Your coworker erika asks.

“Huh oh Well ive been wanting to watch this show for the longest thats what i have planned for tonight why?” you say.

“Really how boring y/n dont you ever have a club to go in mind? its a friday night. Have you even been to a club y/n?” Erika says with a scoff.

“First off its not boring they said its acutally a good show besides..i rather do that than go to a club and get hit on by gross thirsty men.” You said.

“Well they hit on you because your hot, besides i never seen you with a guy before are you a lesbian by chance?” Erika asks with a hand over her mouth.

“Shut up erika im not gay. And if i was you’d see me with someone im just not in the mood to date anyone at the momment.”

Thats right you werent you will get hit on at a store or anywhere you were at you were indeed hot like erika said but you never gave any guy a chance last time you had boyfriend was back in highschool 11th grade. His name was ryota but eventually you guys broke up since then you havent seen him. You were working to save up money to move out of japan and go to the usa since you have family there and your cousins.

“Let her be erika if she doesnt wanna go its fine let her be boring.” Your other coworker kai said with a wink.

“Ha-ha very funny and stop saying boring im not boring okay i have fun with myself okay..” you say crossing your arms.

“Ouu What kind of fun with youself” kai says with a wink again.

“masterbate” erika says with a whisper.

“HAHAHA” both kai and erika laugh.

“FUCK YOU GUYS im done with you two” you say.

Kai and erika were your coworkers well also friends. You met them at the cafe you were new and eventually yall became friends they would always joke around they are heavy jokesters sometimes they go to far. Like rightnow. They were different than you, you weren’t exactly the going out type you were more into staying home and companied with your dog prince. You make plans of what you were gonna do in the usa once you saved up money but you still had long way to go but to you there wasnt a problem with planning early. And you weren’t exactly a drinker either, you would only drink to a limit your still sober in your own house.

“Oi everyone has needs girl its okay* *wink* kai says.

You roll your eyes with a smirk.

“YO so anyways come to a club with us y/n out of all the times we invited you, you cant skip this one girl it is turned up” erika says.

“Oh yeah its in Roppongi girl you cant miss this one we wont take no for an answer.” Kai said.

“In Roppongi?” You say.

“Yeah they say the club is owned by these two brothers but this one is gonna be different its gonna be under the name kokonoi whos hosting something there supposedly theres gonna be a game and they’re gonna bet money and whoever wins gets 100k” Erika says cheerfully.

“Well im for sure gonna join the game, you should to y/n i mean you might win since you are saving up money to leave us you whore.. this is an opportunity for you, you should go for it.” Kai says.

Im not “leaving” you guys there is something called facetime and i can come visit sometimes. And also there’s no way in hell ill win but i do need money so 50/50 chance. For that ill take a risk. But i hate partys, but..fuck it i need money.” You say with a sigh.

“Thats the spirit!” Erika says with a smile.

“*sigh* so you said its tonight right? Well what time are you guys picking me up im not taking my car so you better give me ride erika if you want me to go.” You say.

“I knew your cheap ass was gonna say that and ill pick you up at 11pm.” Erika says pinching your cheek.

“We barely have costumers today this place looks like desert dry as hell.” Kai says.

“Well yeah we barely had 6 customers today.. what do you think sumiko?” Erika asks the other coworker.

“Hehe yeah i think this place might need an upgrade?.” The girl says.

“Hell yeah” erika says.

“Haha” you laugh.

*8:00pm*

Later that day you closed the cafe heading home. Once you made it home you threw your keys on the counter and went to your room and landed on the bed *sigh* “im tired i dont even wanna go but what can i do if i need the money theres a chance i might win i might be lucky right prince hehe.” You say to you dog laying beside you. You dog tilt his head to the side. You grabed your phone from your pocket and checked the time just “2hrs 1/2 left before she picks me up” you say. You got up and went to you closet to see what dress youll wear tonight.

“Hmm no not this one”.. “bleh”.. “o-ohh this one looks good havent wore this one yet” you grabbed a pretty black dress. “Ill wear this one i guess with these black heels”. You say.

2hrs 1/2 passed by you were ready and you were waiting for erika. While you were waiting you felt pretty nervous to go well nervous about the game maybe its gonna be hard to win who knows you kept overthinking. *HONK* “Y/N im outside you whore.” You heard erika yelling outside. You look out the window you grabbed your keys and phone and said goodbye to your dog prince.

“Are you fucking kidding me erika my neighbors heard you your being to loud they are asleep at this hour” you say.

“Yeah yeah” WOOOO!*HONK**HONK* erika speeds off.

“Your so fucking childish erika” kai say.

“HEY IM HERE TO HAVE FUN ALRIGHT!” Erika shouts.

“Yeah but dont be loud and can you slow down before we get a ticket.” You say.

“You guys SUCK” erika says.

“Haha” kai laughs.

*End of chapter 1*

I know its short ill make the other one longer.

I hope you like this chapter thank you for reading.!

•Heres the outfit you chose•

[trendfag]

ok the REASON i needed a drink is that ok im going to arizona flying into phoenix well i had a layover in kansas city but there was bad weather in kc today so my first flight got delayed like an hour and so i missed my connecting flight and you know i had a really stressful week filling in for my mom like have you ever been an autistic trans girl filling in for an office manager of a dentist office? that shit is stressful!!! AND i met with an advisor at a community college to enroll in some classes on wednesday and NO ONE knew i was even in the process of enrolling in classes except for my therapist…i told my boss who is my moms best friend because she was talking to one of my coworkers about going from working mon tue wed to tue wed thurs…and so i was like wellll i just enrolled in classes for tues thirs…i was kind if implying like “please keep doing mon tue wed because i just enrolled in classes for tues thurs and i want to keep working here” but she said like after being like omg thats so great bc shes my moms best friend and so she cares about me as a person she was like “well dont worry about it you can come in just whenever youre free dont worry about it” which is very nice i do love my boss she is really so great i cannot rave enough about my boss like yes she is my moms best friend but i see her like fighting herself because shes caught in the whole “i need ti charge more because i have a family i need to support” vs “i am in dentistry because i want to help people feel good about their teeth and im very empathetic and i want to just do everything for everyone but also if i do that then i wont be able to send my children to the schools i want them to go to including my son with a learning disability but who loves the school specifically for kids with learning disabilities that i decided would be good for him after seeing how he didnt do well in the school his brother goes to” like you know i love my boss sorry i dont remwbwr what this was all about uhmmmmmmmmm…………ok but anyway i like chose my classes so id still be able to work most of the time theyre open but its fine its whatever also im sure my mom will probably talk her out of it….if im being completely honest i dont remember what this post was originally supposed to be about im drunk off two shots of tequila + a can of redbull sorry…i still have like an hour and a half before i start boarding! im going to eat like a chicken sandwich there is one that has avocado yayayayayayayayay

ok basically i was saying ive been really stresseed all week because i had to answer phones and make calls abf basically be the face of the practice (except all my coworkers are soooooo nice and considerate and think about me it wasnt like THAT bad) but it was still stressful like even watching my mom do her job is stressful sometimes much less doing it MYSELF!?!?!! so i got a drink because of my work and also because i missed my connecting flight so now im drunk…like that feels so stupid to be like yeah im drunk off two shots of tequila plus a redbull red (watermelon flavor it literally didnt cover the tequila at all) i think i might text my friend from college…anyway im here at my gate i still have like two hours before boarding im going to watch drag race lol…i thi k i’ll go to the bathroom first anf maybe get something to eat well i am hungry…i should text my cousins as well

[g0ldengubler]

lunchtime ~ spencer reid

A/N: THIS IS VERY UNEDITED VERY HORRIBLE WRITING! i just wanted to get this out. this is a kink i have but never really talked about it. but i hope u still enjoy! it’s very weird so if you don’t want to read it you don’t have to :)

Category: smut (NSFW18+)

CW: rough sex, riding, doggystyle, special guests listening in

Summary: spencer reid works a lot. he’s an fbi agent, he can’t help but be a workaholic! but when you guys finally get time to yourselves, what happens when it’s risky interrupted?

Word Count: 2078

✨masterlist✨

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

having a boyfriend who works in the FBI isn’t all rainbows and sunshine. Because of his job, Dr.Spencer Reid was always either gone on a case or working on cases at home. he could be doing it in the office, but spencer was a sweet guy and made a middle ground to see his girlfriend more. he was just as passionate about her as he was with his job, calling her every night when he was away, making sure to treat her when he got back or when he was done for the day. he made sure she knew she was important to him, which wasn’t something she ever felt from a guy who was a workaholic.

today was just like every other day. spencer got to do case files at home as there was no case as of then. Y/n tried her best to take care of him while working, as a return of the favor. She made him his favorite waffles that morning and even made him a fresh cup of coffee just the way he likes it-a cup of sugar with coffee to mix. He kissed her on the forehead, convinced that he didn’t deserve her. once he was done he went straight to work. In a way, y/n pretty much worked with him as his personal Penelope Garcia, as he was an old man when it came to computers.

it was lunchtime at this point. y/n walked into his office and stood in the door frame, watching his fingers move down the page in his book as he read. his fingers made her melt, and he knew that. clouds began to form in her head as thoughts of what he could do with this fingers took hold of her. she didn’t even notice he was wanting her attention as he snapped her out of her daydreams with a snap of his fingers.

“Bubs, are you ok?” spencer asked. he was still at his desk, his finger placed at the spot he was at. you looked back at him from his finger, noticing what he was wearing and it wasn’t helping your case at all. while he was wearing his favorite maroon cardigan that he thrifted (still lux though as it was ralph lauren), he also wore a pair of grey sweatpants. clever of him for the moments he had to video chat with people.

you were quickly out of your thoughts yet again as you felt your body move without you knowing before. you walked towards him as he turned his chair to your side. you noticed he was half hard in his pants, as the imprint of himself showed through. you sat on his lap and ran your fingers through your hair, peppering kisses below his ear. he chuckled, thinking you were being cute, but you were just getting started.

“it’s lunchtime bubs.” you whispered as you softly grind against him.

spencer put his hands on your his after guiding your body to straddle him. he guides them as his lips touch yours. “good,” he said in between kisses, gently rubbing circles over your shorts in the place you wanted him most, “i’m starving.”

not only was spencer the sweetest, softest man you’ve ever met, but he was also the sexiest and dirtiest. he was rough like a wild bear but soft as a teddy bear-taking such good care of you after he ruined you to filth. no one would ever believe the things you two have done together in the past year. no one would especially believe what happened today.

as spencer’s about to slide his hand down your shorts, his phone rang. he groan softly under his breath as his right hand left your side to grab his phone. you were a little annoyed at first, but once he put the phone to his ear, an idea popped into your head.

“hey hotch...” he said. you slowly leaned down and went back to the spot below his ear, sucking and nibbling it softly.

this wasn’t something new to the both of you. it was a fun little game you’d play if either of phones rang while you were in the middle of it, seeing how long they could last at acting normal. by now, spencer had got the hang of it and made it easy for him when it was any of his coworkers. today, however, he was almost struggling.

you heard other voices on the phone as well. you could tell by how low they all sounded that it was 3 of the men on his team.

“yeah, i was um...about to have lunch.”

you decided to try and break him a little, sucking a little bit harder.

“can i call y-“ a soft moan left his lips, cutting him off his sentence. his eyes bulged out of his head as his mouth fell open. you quickly coughed in a lower tone to help him out, trying not to laugh.

“yeah, luke i’m fine,” he said, “just stubbed my toe....shut up morgan!”

you giggled softly to yourself, but not softly enough. you heard laughing from his phone and realized you were busted.

“hi boys!” you said, jokingly sounding seductive.

spencer gave you a look that said ‘are you kidding me?’ which made you giggle even more. you hear morgan on the other end say, “aww, did we interrupt your lunch?”

“yeah, you did! we were just about to get started.”

spencer placed the phone back to his ear, taking a deep breath before speaking. “look seriously can we-“

he paused, listening to whoever was talking. slowly, spencer removed the phone from his ear and covered it with his shoulder. he looked unsure of himself, as if he was trying to gather the courage to speak.

“bubs,” he said weakly, “do you um...uh..d-do you want to...have the phone on speaker?”

you thought for a moment. you were always secretly into things like this, but never told spencer because you thought he would find it weird. but seeing him look kind of into it didn’t help the puddle forming in your shorts.

“you don’t have to if you don’t want to. whatever your comfortable with!”

you thought for one more moment before taking his phone out of his hands and putting it on speaker for him, setting it down on his desk. he looks at you confused.

“let’s put on a show for your coworkers, daddy.”

“ooooo coming in with the big guns already!” said Luke.

“y/n does not play.” said Hotch.

Spencer was frozen in his tracks. he couldn’t believe the words coming out of their mouths, let alone what was going on.

“well come on then daddy, give us a show! my popcorn is getting cold.” teased morgan.

spencer rolled his eyes at morgan before his lips attacked yours. you continued your grinding on him, this time he was grinding back. you moaned through the kiss as his hands went back in your shorts, rubbing circles on your clit.

“oh wow, spencer got a girl to moan like that!” said Morgan.

“is he making you feel good, hun?” asked hotch.

“fuck yesssss!” you let out a long moan as spencer moved faster with his motions. he let out a groan and cursed under his breath. you felt his pressed under your thigh and that made you try to hold in how turned on you really were. you held on for dear life on the armrests of his chair as he leaned back a little bit.

“are you getting close, baby girl?” asked morgan.

“yes yes yes fuuuck daddy please let me cum.”

“you wanna cum for me, angel?” asked spencer.

“yes omg please i’m so fucking close!”

“cum for him, princess.” said Luke.

before you could fall down the hill like on a roller coaster, you felt incomplete as he took his fingers out. you let out a little whine, letting the guys know he didn’t let you cum.

“ooooo doctor genius over there didn’t let her cum, how sad.” teased Luke.

“what are you going to do now?” asked Hotch.

“because she’s about to get fucked and really show you how much of slut she truly is. well, MY slut at least.”

spencer took his painfully hard cock out as you moved your shorts to the side. you felt the head enter you and shortly his whole length was slammed deep inside you before you even make a sound. you let out a quiet gasp before a loud moan escaped from your throat.

he let you adjust, but only for a short moment as he quickly began pounding you, holding you from your ass. you were a moaning mess at this point, letting out more dramatic, pornographic ones for the guys.

“fuck he’s really an animal isnt he?” teased Hotch.

“you like being pounded like a dirty slut?” asked Luke.

you moaned out a yes, but it wasn’t enough for them.

“use your words, baby girl.” said Morgan.

“i love being pounded like a dirty slut!”

“tell them who’s slut you are.” spencer growled.

you held onto him from behind his head and pushed his face in between your tits. “i’m you’re slut, spencer,” you moaned, “i’m daddy’s little slut!”

“you’re such a good girl, y/n.” said Hotch.

“fuck daddy can i cum? please let me cum ive been a good girl!”

“what do you think?” spencer asked.

“cum, baby girl.” said morgan

“cum for him, princess.” said Luke.

“cum hard all over his cock, baby.” said Hotch.

you finally came all over his cock, screaming as the pleasure surged through your body. spencer helped you ride out your orgasm and let you catch your breath.

“holy shit” said Luke.

“oh we’re not done yet,” said spencer, “she deserves a reward for doing so well.”

he takes you off his cock and makes you stand up, flipping you around so you were in front of him, your ass sticking out. he quickly put his cock back inside of you and luke and morgan cheered on. he pounds you harder this time, making sure you lose your voice by the time you’re done.

“youre such a dirty slut,” spencer growled, taking a handful of your hair and pulling it, “letting me fuck you over the phone with not just my friends, my coworkers. you like putting on a show for people? you want people to know how much of a fucking slut you are for me?”

your eyes rolled to the back of your head at his words. the pure filth in them almost pushing you off the edge as you squeezed around his cock. even the guys grew silent.

“fuck keep doing that angel, keep squeezing daddy’s cock like tha-shit im close. you want my cum inside you?”

“oh my god yes please, i want to be full of your cum daddy!”

hearing you say those words through him over the edge as you feel him filling you up, hearing him moan your name and cursing under his breath. he stayed inside you for a bit before he caught his breath and left to go get something to clean you up with. when he comes back he looks at you sitting in front of him, watching his cum drip out of you and onto his work chair. he wasn’t even mad about it.

“you did so good, bubs.” he says, walking over and kneeling in front you before cleaning you up.

“you were amazing, baby!” you say. he comes back up and kisses you, and it was hard to break away. but somehow you did after what felt like hours and laughed at yourselves for what you just did. you then remembered they were still on the phone. spencer grabs his phone and faces it towards them.

“well? how was the show?” you asked.

“holy-“

“fuck.” luke cut morgan off.

you had left them speechless before hotch finally spoke up.

“....we will not speak of this at work.”

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

[softholand]

ive been trying so hard to think of a moodboard i havent asked for already and totally forgot to send a blurb request, my bad 😩🤚🏻 here it goes: can i have “You bought me flowers?” “Yeah, well I noticed you’d seemed kinda down, so I wanted to cheer you up.” with my sweet angel baby pls 💜🥰 ily — kit xx

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞

⤷ harrison osterfield x barista!reader, coffee shop au

prompt: “you bought me flowers?” “yeah, well i noticed you’d seemed kinda down, so i wanted to cheer you up.”

words: 1.3k

a/n: hi bestie 👋🏻 thanks for sending this, i had so much fun writing it, i hope you like it as much as i do :’)) ily and i hope you have a great day xx 💜

It was that time of the month again, you were currently exhausted, your cramps were killing you, your eyes felt heavy and your head carried a pounding headache that made you want to smash it against a wall. To sum up, today was definitely not your day.

To make matters worse, the coffee shop you worked at was extremely busy today. The little bell at the door that indicated a new customer didn’t stop ringing, groups of tired students coming to drink their much needed coffee to keep them awake for the rest of the class day.

You had just finished giving the last customer in line their coffee when you saw your coworker slide one of the paper cups your way. “Drink it, you need it! You look like shit!” They said in a flat voice. “Damn, thanks, Ro!” You scolded, taking the drink nonetheless. “What? I’m just looking out for you, don’t give me that look.” They said, rolling their eyes. “I know, I appreciate that, Ro! Today is just not my day, sorry!” You groaned, taking a few sips of the hot liquid, feeling your body relax almost instantly. “Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it.” Your friend said, going back to wiping the counter.

You were quietly enjoying your beverage when the bell at the door rang again, making you sigh heavily, not ready to put the happy facade up again. Leaving your coffee aside, you turned around, being met with the most beautiful set of blue eyes you had ever seen.

Harrison was a regular at the shop, always coming in earlier than everyone else so that he could study in the quietness of the space before the rush of tired students came barging in with their laughs and loud chatter.

He was kind, funny, and very charming and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t have a little crush on him. Okay, maybe little wasn’t the right word to describe, in fact, if you’d ask your friend, they’d probably say you had your whole wedding already planned in your mind. You hadn’t, by the way, but you couldn’t deny the attraction between you, and his flirty behavior towards you didn’t help at all in your situation.

That’s why you suddenly grew nervous as you saw him entering the shop, a bouquet in hand, your mind already playing tricks on you and making you believe he was off to see someone else. “Hey! Here for another boost?” You joked, earning a chuckle from the blonde. “Hi! Yes, I am!” He said, scratching the back of his neck. “The usual?” You asked, trying to keep your nerves at bay. “Yes, please!”

Once you turned around to prepare his order, Ro was looking at you with a huge smirk on their face, making you glare at them, before finishing Harrison’s coffee. As the machine did the work for you, you couldn’t help but notice the way he nervously held the bouquet, his knuckles almost white from how hard he was holding it.

“Going on a date?” You asked, already regretting it since his private life had absolutely nothing to do with you. Harrison seemed very confused by your question at first, so you signaled to the bouquet in his hands, making him finally realize. “Oh, no! This… this is— uhm, this is actually for you.” The blonde stuttered, offering you the bundle of small pink and white flowers, a white ribbon tied in the form of a perfect bow holding everything together. What?

“You bought me flowers?” You asked, completely dumbfounded, taking the bouquet from his hands, holding it closer to your face. “Yeah, well I noticed you’d seemed kinda down, so I wanted to cheer you up,” Harrison stated, your heart swelling up at his words.

You felt like melting right then and there, while Harrison’s blue eyes stared shyly at you, waiting for your dumb ass to just say something. “I— wow, I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much!” Your voice was hoarse, and if that wasn’t enough, your eyes were also watering, a very clear sign that you were about to cry.

Harrison seemed to notice your state by the way he frowned, but before he could say anything, you sniffled, getting your friends' attention. “Ro, can you cover for me a little bit?” You asked, to which they nodded. “Sure!” They said, sending you a knowing look. “Thanks! I’ll be right back!” You informed them, but your friend just laughed, “Go on, I promise not to set the shop on fire.”

After taking your apron off, you guided yourself and Harrison outside, where the cold December air hit you, making you shiver, holding the flowers closer to you as if they were some kind of heater that’d warm you up. “Is everything alright?” Harrison asked as soon as you were out. “Yes, it is, I just… fuck! Today has been such a shitty day for me and then you show up with flowers? This… this means more than you know to me, Haz! Thank you so much, you really didn’t have to!” You rambled, feeling yourself grow flustered as the words left your mouth.

Harrison’s expression seemed to change from one of uncertainty to one of relief, “It’s alright! I— I wanted to!” He stated, a smile now appearing on his lips. “And I’m sorry if I seemed a bit down earlier, I just…” you started but Harrison was quick to cut you off, “Hey, you don’t have to apologize for not feeling your best. It’s normal, we all have our days.” The blonde exclaimed, putting his hands on your shoulders, forcing you to make eye contact.

You didn’t know if it was your hormones or the fact that Harrison looked absolutely ethereal with little snowflakes falling down his face that made you lean in and close the gap between you two, connecting his lips to yours in a quick kiss, that left you wanting nothing else for the rest of your life.

You were a stuttering mess when you pulled away from him though, apologizing for what you had done, saying how inappropriate it was but Harrison cut you off once again, this time with his lips. “It wasn’t inappropriate. In fact, I have been wanting to ask you on a date for quite a while now, I just didn’t have the courage to do it.” He said, a smile forming on your lips. “I’d love to go on a date with you!” You said, your cheeks hurting from how wide your smile was. “Yeah?” Harrison grinned, “Yeah!” You nodded, biting down on your bottom lip.

You were just about to lean in and kiss him again when you heard a couple of knocks on the shop’s door, Ro’s face showing an apologetic smile. “I have to go back to work.” You sighed, and Harrison immediately pulled away, “Yeah, no… sure!” He said, making you chuckle. “I can give you my number though, that way we can plan the date?” You asked, feeling like a teenager all over again, sharing your phone number with your crush. “Yeah, that sounds great!” He said, taking his phone out of his coat pocket, before handing it to you.

Once your phone number was secured on his phone, you passed the device back, “You’re coming back inside?” You asked, heading for the door. Harrison seemed completely clueless, raising an eyebrow to you, which was actually pretty adorable. “For your coffee?” You exclaimed and it was like a light switch went on inside his head. “Oh, yeah! Coffee, yes!” He mumbled, making you chuckle.

With a coffee and his favorite muffin in his hands, Harrison made his way out of the shop, giving you an adorable little wave before disappearing down the street. By your side, Ro cleared their throat, raising their eyebrows, “So… got something to tell me?”

—don’t forget to reblog and leave your feedback ♡

[starglow-xx]

retrouvaille

nakajima atsushi x f!reader

fandom: bungou stray dogs

content: hurt comfort, fluff

warning! : mentions of abuse

type of work: one-shot

synopsis: he left the orphanage, and that meant he had to leave you too; fortunately, this time, it seems like the universe was on your side

a/n: this is kinda self indulgent bc ive been feeling kinda down lately...?? and this has been sitting in my drafts for a while now and i havent posted in a while so killing three birds w/ one stone ig

the word retrouvaille is a french noun...

The moment you stepped foot into the armed detective agency, heterochromia eyes met your (e/c) ones.

You notice several agents talking and walking over to assist you, but you drown them out only having focus on the gray haired male ten feet away from you.

Said male takes a small step forward with uncertainty and disbelief laced in his voice.

“(y-y/n)...?” 

At the sound of your name, your eyes immediately begin to water and with pure relief in your voice, you softly sob his name; the name of the boy who comforted you when you were both still in that wretched place.

“Atsushi...”

With all hesitation gone, Atsushi runs over to you shoving through his surprised and confused coworkers and wraps his arms tightly around you.

The force of the hug causes the both of you to stumble and harshly crash to the ground beneath you.

But the two of you didn’t care.

In his arms was a person Atsushi thought he’d never be able to see again.

In his arms was the same girl who snuck him food from the kitchens, the girl who stole medical supplies from the infirmary to treat his wounds, to take care of him when he was sick, and the girl who received punishment after punishment for insisting on staying with him inside his damn cell.

You gave him happiness in place where he should’ve never been able to receive it.

As if he ever felt like he deserved it in the first place.

You’re too good for him, but yet you still chose him.

You, his sweet and kind, his so very kind, and so very beautiful girlfriend, chose him, the cursed, good for nothing orphan.

The orphanage staff treated you considerably better before the two of you were acquainted, so Atsushi knew he was the problem. That he was the reason why tears would fall onto your beautiful face, why bruises and scars would litter your arms and legs, and why the staff would call you awful, degrading nicknames about you and or your virtue.

He had always thought that he wasn’t good for you, that he didn’t deserve you, that you could do better, but you stayed by his side regardless of his fears and insecurities, and provided him the strength and comfort he had always been deprived of.

And to his very surprise, he found that you found your own strength and comfort in him.

So he knew that you must of cried for weeks after he was kicked out, that you must’ve been devastated to wake up one morning only to learn that he was gone without a trace.

There wasn’t a single day that he never thought of you.

Atsushi wanted to go back for you, he really did; he wanted to storm into the orphanage with members of the armed detective agency, his new family, right at his tail before eventually reuniting with you.

But he didn’t do that.

Ultimately, he chose to leave you out of the mess that came with his job knowing that you would be eventually targeted and used against him if anyone found out about what he had with you.

So he kept quiet.

No mafioso, government agent, foreign organization, nor agency member had a clue about your connection with him, much less your existence.

He told himself that when things have calmed down by a considerable amount, he would go back and get you, with or without the agency backing him up.

Unfortunately, he knew that time of peace was far from the present.

But to see you, in your beautiful glory, standing at the threshold of the agency? 

His original plan to keep you away from Yokohoma flew out the damn window. 

At the sight of you, his heart did backflips and his legs almost gave out. 

Ignoring the jelly feeling in his legs and the loud pounding of his heart, he raced around the desks and his coworkers—nearly fully crashing into Dazai in the process—to once more engulf you into his arms.

As for you?

When you saw him, you felt like you were going to pass out.

Your legs grew weak, your entire body was shaking, and tears started to fall down your face.

He was here.

He was safe and he was alive.

You mourned his abrupt disappearance from the orphanage and spent most of your time worrying about his well being.

The staff thought you were pathetic, that you sulked and cried over someone who they thought should disappear off the face of the earth.

They could insult and beat you all you want, but you drew the line when it came to Atsushi.

Finally having enough of everything, you planned your escape.

You were patient; you never jumped the gun nor gave anything away. You planned everything to the very last, minute detail, and after a few more months of abuse and waiting, you put your plan into action and left in the dead of night.

Thankfully, a kind old couple took you after you had collapsed in the streets. You worked job after job after job to return everything they had spent on your behalf even after they had told you not to worry about it.

And after another few weeks, you finally caught wind of your lost boyfriend tracking him down to Yokohoma through an old newspaper article.

Knowing your boyfriend, and yourself, you knew that tears would easily escape both of your eyes due to the long duration of your separation, but you weren’t expecting to find yourself crashing onto the floors of the armed detective agency curtesy of Atsushi. 

But, you wouldn’t have it any other way because in your arms was the boy who gave you comfort during the most darkest days in the orphanage, the boy who laid you in his lap or on his stomach stroking your hair so you would fall asleep, and the boy who often threw himself in front of you so you would remain unharmed.

You choked on your sobs as you tightened your own hold on him and they gradually grew louder as you buried your face into the shoulder of his white button up.

Through his own choked sobs and teary eyes, Atsushi gently maneuvered the two of you so that you would be lying on his stomach—a familiar position the two of you would lay in back in the orphanage.

He gently stroked his fingers through your hair and softly rubbed your back as he whispered the familiar sweet nothings into your ears.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

“I’m okay, you’re okay, we’re okay...”

“I’m here, just let it all out..”

Overwhelmed with your emotions, his sweet words only started to make you cry more.

You’ve missed him so much.

Your tears easily soaked his both his shirt and his neck, and you tried to speak only for you to choke up. Atsushi simply just started to shush you—as you would to a baby—and placed a kiss to your forehead as he continued to comfortingly stroke your hair and rub your back.

With the both of you off into your own little world, a world consisting only of the two of you, reactions and looks from the Armed Detective Agency went unnoticed.

It didn’t take long for them to realize the kind of relationship you and Atsushi had.

But what surprised them was Atsushi’s behavior.

The young adult they knew tended to be unsure of everything, including himself, and stammered whenever he was nervous.

But the young adult currently in front of them had this new aura of maturity; he didn’t hesitate to touch you or to comfort you, and for the first time they’ve seen in a while, he was sure of himself; he wasn’t nervous at all.

With the amount of comfortability Atsushi had around you, and the tender, loving care he showered you in, it was clear that you certainly were someone special to their tiger.

Your sobs slowly turned to small hiccups, and Atsushi’s face turned to one of pure tranquility and content, having his lover back in his arms.

Although having calmed down, what Atsushi said to you next made you want to start bawling all over again.

“I’m sorry I left you, and I promise I didn’t forget about you,” he whispered softly, “I thought of you every day. I still do. The thought of being able to see you again is what kept me going.”

You buried yourself further into his shoulder as you gripped his white button up in your hands.

“And thanks to the armed detective agency, I’m stronger now. I won’t let anybody hurt you, not anymore. That, I promise you.”

Actually taking a look up from you, Atsushi ended up locking eyes with Dazai, who had a gentle look on his face.

His senior only closed his eyes, tilted his head down softly, and lightly chuckled before opening his brown eyes once more, giving Atsushi a look of approval.

The gray haired teen’s eyes widened slightly as he looked around the room only to be met with similar looks of approval and gentleness from his seniors and coworkers.

He felt his eyes tear up again, but instead let out a relieved sigh as he tightened his hold on you slightly.

“Hey Atsushi...” you softly murmured.

Equally as soft, he answered, “Yes (y/n)?”

“...I love you...”

Your lover smiled before placing another kiss onto your forehead.

“I love you too (y/n)”

At last, the girl he loved was back in his arms, and the boy you loved was back within your reach.

And neither of you were ever going to let each other go again.

and it means, the joy of meeting or finding someone again after a long separation, a rediscovery

as always, reblogs and shares are appreciated! i hope you all stay safe! and just in case nobody told you they loved you today, i love you! you are enough! <3

writing belongs to me! please do not plagiarize! the reblog button is there for a reason

[nurseofren]

Keeping Your Promise - Chapter 29 (NSFW-lite)

Read on AO3 | Read on Wattpad

Read chapter twenty-eight (NSFW)

Title: ASSISTANCE REQUIRED

Words: 5.6k

Summary: I am very uncomfortable with the vibe we have created in the studio Infirmary today...

Warnings: mentions of abuse, suicide

ST Rambles: So... I graduated nursing school. And will be taking my licensure exam next month and start working as well...

In my time away, other than the above mentioned accomplishments, I've been reading a lot of books and even went to see an internet friend just last weekend. Life got insane and I needed to focus on school, and I do appreciate the patience and enthusiasm.

I hope this was worth the wait. I hope the next part will be even more so ;)

[MASTERLIST] || BANNER // @elmidol

Fucking, fuck!

“I know in academy you were told to pierce the skin at a forty-five-degree angle, but it works a lot better if you-,”

“Go in at a fifteen-degree-angle, go parallel to the skin. I know,” you huffed, embarrassment burning your skin. “That’s not the issue. I do that. The issue is-,”

“That is the issue,” Silver corrected, interrupted. Your preceptor-for-all-intents-and-purposes crossed her arms and stared at you with hard, unyielding eyes. “You won’t listen to me,” she spat. “You are the issue.”

Calliope Silvren, or “Silver”, as she’d informed you upon meeting, was everything you were supposed to be. And you hated her for that fact, hated her for that and so much more.

She was intelligent and concise and respected, she knew everything and made sure you were aware that you didn’t. During the past eleven hours, not with so many words, Silver had made it clear that you were never supposed to be here to begin with, that hers was the name in the original provider candidate pool and you were nothing but a fluke, a nobody, nothing.

Compared to Silver, compared to Calliope fucking Silvren, who’d graduated valedictorian, who had star-white hair and golden skin, whose eyes were a harsh sea of frozen cerulean, whose legs were long and lips were full and head was high and posture was perfect – compared to the program’s prototype? What were you other than a fluke? A whim? Compared to her, how were you anything more than the fascination you’d been labeled as from the very start?

As you stared up at her, her height almost that of Kylo’s, and felt the wrath of that frozen sea that resided behind her glare, you couldn’t speak. Every word of defense left you, and your mouth dried and your chest hollowed. Because her words not only rippled through your head but echoed through the unit’s halls so every nurse and physician and maintenance worker had heard them. Heard her and how superior she was, heard how incompetent you were.

Silver knew what she’d done, could feel the eyes of her coworkers gawking at her scolding; you knew by the smallest quirk to her lip, the slightest tick in her platinum brow. She had you trapped and on display, and all you could do was stand here and take it. The Board was watching, and so was Hux – CB-7070 always shadowing ten paces behind – you had no choice but to remain neutral-faced and silent.

She spoke your name and it was beautiful, a voice like sugar even when it slithered and bit like venom, “We’ll pick up tomorrow. If you absolutely need me, I’ll be organizing my report sheets for the oncoming shift.” When no one was looking anymore, her eyes narrowed and she leaned in. “Busy yourself for the next hour.” A sneer slipped past the benevolent mask she wore. “Don’t need me.”

With a steel spine, she whipped past you, stalking off toward her task, the white of her hair streaking from your periphery. And there you were, clutching an IV starter kit – missing the needle, much like you’d missed the vein – trying your hardest to keep from showing any emotion whatsoever. Less people were gawking now that Silver had left, but you still felt eyes on you. Whatever lay in those lingering stares, pity or humor or apathy, it all burned you, reminded you how temporary you were. Not only in this place – the “Infirmary” as the staff referred to it – but in your life, as well.

Smoothing the skirt of your uniform, you cleared your throat and turned to do as you were instructed, catching CB-7070’s visor for a second before peering around the unit. She faced you, and even though you couldn’t see her face, you knew she may be the only one around who was on your side. The white of her helmet glinted as she gave a small nod in your periphery. Yeah, she wasn’t so bad, no matter who she’d report to the second you got back to the Consulate.

The Infirmary was a large unit, and, unlike any place you’d practiced in since graduation, it was efficiently staffed and stocked. Safe nurse-to-patient ratios, sufficient supplies, and an allocated provider available for any emergent orders or treatments. It was a surreal representation of the “hospital utopia” you’d heard of all throughout school.

But, aside from its apparent perfection, some characteristics of the unit confused you, but you didn’t ask about it because no one else seemed to think it was weird, and Silver didn’t exactly foster a great learning environment.

What struck you first was the Infirmary’s construction and layout. It was all glass, floor to ceiling windows that offered full views of each patient in their respective rooms. You’d watched the sun dance across the sky as the day went on, nothing hindering you from the beautiful view of the sea beyond the fanned-out city below. The only thing that offered a semblance of privacy for each patient was the wall-spanning mirror positioned in front of their beds. None of them saw each other, but it was still odd that there seemed to be no concern towards the errant lapse in privacy policy the design created.

At the center was the nurses’ station, large and circular, a skylight fixed right above. The staff used the lack of patient privacy to their advantage, peering above the counter to make sure their assignments were doing alright. Their assignments who were all under the age of twenty. Some much younger, just grasping at adolescence, others kissing young adulthood – those seemed much worse off, something darker rimmed their eyes, ghosted behind the lifeless face all of them wore.

It was a strange environment to be in, even more so due to how vague the progress notes were, history and physicals extremely short and never too in depth, especially when it concerned anything related to the patients’ family history or living situations. Something seemed off, something that tugged at you and made you yearn to break past the flat affect each patient met you with.

So many were here for a few hours and then gone the next, a constant influx of admissions and discharges. But, so strangely, there was never any patient education given, never any parents or guardians for the younger ones to go home to. They were always escorted from the unit by two “official personnel”. And watching their faces as Silver told them they were done with treatment and could leave, it killed you to see the faintest slash of fear quiver their bottom lips.

Beyond that, beyond seeing these younglings so fearful and defenseless, what clawed at your gut the most was that none of them had a name. They had no birthdate information, no address listed, no family contacts entered or even offered. They were all in the system only by the letters “FL” followed by a code of eight numbers. The nurses would refer to them by their room numbers to make it simpler, but none of them shared your concern for the lack of identity these patients were plagued with.

Yes, something seemed off, seemed wrong here. Something waswrong here, but you feared you would be gone before you ever knew what that was.

From the corner of your eye, you saw a tray left on an isolation cart next to a door. Heeding Silver’s command, you approached it, discarding the IV kit and feeling CB-7070’s focus catch your every step. You’d passed this door frequently, never seeing anyone approach it for longer than a few seconds at a time, assuming it was a closet for extra supplies or scanning machines. But the meal card on the tray indicated differently.

This was a patient’s room. The room number matched, there were no other doors labeled with it that you could see. No staff paid you any attention as you peered around. The only one watching was your white-armored shadow standing against a pane of glass.

Shrugging to yourself, feeling you couldn’t possibly get in trouble for delivering a patient’s food, you said over your shoulder to CB-7070, “I’m taking this in. I shouldn’t be long. Don’t follow me in here.” More to yourself, you sighed, “Even if I am the only one here concerned about privacy, I’d prefer not to violate anyone’s rights on my first day.”

CB-7070 nodded. “Affirmative,” her modulator croaked.

A swipe of your new badge gained you access past the door, a whoosh of air whipping through your skirt as it closed behind you. It was pitch dark, the only light coming from a holo-chart programmed into the wall. It appeared you were in an antechamber, those that often came with isolation patients, but there was nothing indicating this patient had any infection or ailment that necessitated a gown or mask.

The air was stale, like nothing and no one had stirred it in a few days, and the only glass visible was that of a window peering into the room beyond – or, it would be peering, were there not closed blinds on the other side of it.

You saw yourself in that darkened pane, clutching the tray to yourself, the first glimpse you caught of your face since the start of shift. Truthfully, you looked awful. Hair frizzed at your temples, a sheen of oil had gathered on your forehead, and exhaustion was evident in the puffy bags beneath your eyes.

But it was an earned appearance, no matter what Silver wanted you and everyone else to believe. Today you did your best and you interpreted and communicated abnormal findings, you assessed every patient without bias and documented everything you did. There were things you were unsure of, not having performed many skills while being assigned to Kylo, but you always asked for help, even though you realized it would be met with disgruntled aggravation after the first few times.

You had done everything right, understanding the consequences if you didn’t. As far as you were concerned, and even as much doubt as she’s caused you in the singular day you’ve known her, Silver was the problem. Not you.

And, not for nothing, the IV you missed earlier… not entirely your fault.

Kylo Ren picked the wrong day to Force-edge you. Or maybe it was you who really initiated the torture, but he’d been the one to follow through with his threat. Every hour had been memorable.

The first three had luckily occurred when you were away from patients but did earn you a few wary glances from the unit staff, your jaw set firm as you gave them a reassuring nod, hoping they couldn’t see how badly you were shaking as your cunt spasmed toward orgasm, but never got there.

There was something vicious in the rate at which he was forcing you toward the edge. Even though you couldn’t see or hear him, you felt like he was tormenting you with spite in mind rather than pleasure, like something you’d said or thought had angered him.

You didn’t have much time to consider that, though, as the hours went on and you’d begged the stars that the slick slipping from your center wouldn’t go past the hem of your dress. A few times you’d cursed the damned uniform, but quickly turned to cursing Kylo Ren for the ever-so-slightly too high hem. It’d surprised you that he never acted on those silent curses aimed at him, that it hadn’t earn you another hour riding the edge of pleasure while choking down the gasps and moans he’d surely intended to draw from you.

During lunch, you’d found a corner and ate alone, speaking to the wall and scorning Kylo under your breath, spitting empty threats, telling him to stop, to slow down. When that hadn’t worked and the Force picked up in pattern and pressure, nudging your clit just right, your hands had clamped around a plastic fork as you held on for dear life. He was nowhere near you and you’d almost cum four times over the course of your twenty-five-minute break. At that point, you’d considered begging him to let you cum, but part of you knew that would only lengthen his schemes.

Other times during shift, when Silver was rolling her eyes when you’d asked for her help, you’d felt the light, teasing lance of the Force trail along your neck. When you were priming tubing for a new admission, you’d felt the strange, unseen presence caress your ear like Kylo’s tongue might. And one hour, right after the previous had left you wondering if you’d be able to stand the next time you needed to – that hour where you’d traded your curses for pleading, traded the harshness you were spitting for the simple, hushed breaths you needed to outlast the never-ending torrent of pleasure he kept surging through you – the Force was kinder, something sentimental in the way it’d weighted your body like Kylo would, draped itself along your shoulders as sweat dried on your brow and the shaking of your legs settled.

A delicate, “Thank you,” had breathed over your lips when the Force – when Kylo’s teasing – seemed it would let up for the remainder of your shift.

But, of course, that peace had been temporary, a strategy to lapse your guard, to make you vulnerable when you’d most needed a clear mind and a steady hand. It had started with the gentle lulls you’d been left with, a stroking tendril swift over the column of your neck, the tourniquet tight to the patient’s arm as you poked their forearm in search of a vein. And when you informed Silver you’d found one, the Force deftly switched its attention to your pussy.

Silver had been scrutinizing you before, but when your shaking hand and short, shallow breaths appeared as fear instead of the pleasure they were born from, her brow had narrowed that much more. When you’d anchored the vein and aligned the needle – at her all-important fifteen-degree angle – your hand had shifted, jumped as your thighs tightened and you fought to trap a moan in your throat. It was an accident that the needle pierced the patient – and, worse, through the vein – at a greater angle, and it wrought you with emotion. Guilt for hurting the patient, shame for screwing up under Silver’s icy appraisal, and unyielding anger for Kylo Ren for causing your fuck up and not being able to explain that.

So here you were, taking the brunt of criticism and punishment for a mistake you wouldn’t have made had it not been for Kylo Ren, and studying your reflection in the scant light offered from the holo-chart of a patient you hadn’t known existed up until three minutes ago.

“Kylo,” you breathed, reaching for the second badge-scanner, “I can’t look bad here. The Board is watching. Hux is watching.” You glimpsed the radar fastened to your wrist, directing your tired eyes at Kylo’s indicator like he could feel your attention on him. “Give me this last hour and let me be good. Let me do well. Let me prove that I can to everyone who believes otherwise.”

A few seconds passed by as you waited for a reaction. Nothing came. The Force remained absent from you, and your shoulders dropped in relief. With a final glance at the chart, noting the patient’s identifier and checking it against the meal ticket, you swiped your badge and the entrance rushed open.

Darkness met you once more, but this darkness was heavier somehow. Not in the way untouched rooms are usually heavy – not with dust or grime – but a heaviness that clutched at your heart. It pressed into you, taunted you even as you remained a step outside the threshold. It was only shadows, unmoving and unremarkable darkness, but it clawed at you. It writhed at your feet and stirred your heart.

This was the darkness that lived behind each of those younglings’ eyes, but here it was concentrated, like this was the very source of it. Like this was its home.

“Hello?” you croaked, still not daring to pass into the shadow-thick room.

No answer, not even a stir. Nothing but that unyielding darkness.

You cleared your throat. “I, um, I have your dinner.” You took a small step forward. “Sorry for the wait… if there was one.”

More of the same. More of nothing.

A light switch entered your periphery with your next step, and you reached for it, but before you could flip it—

“If I wanted it on, do you think I’d be sitting in here like this?”

The voice was weak, small, but not that of a child. Not even that of an ill person, or an elderly one. It was male, though. Boyish, but not a boy’s. Somehow, the voice was young and old at the same time, as if the boy had lived long years already, and those years had worn him down.

The voice was a singular stream against the dark’s thick, silent wrath, and it was hollow, empty like the shadows before you should be. As the question ended, you found that it wasn’t bitterness or pain that lived in its tone, but rather a broken apathy, like whoever this was had cared and fought for so long but had ultimately lost in the end.

“Not that anyone here is really concerned about what I want,” came the voice again, an edge weighting its words.

Finally, you stepped completely into the room. You had to swallow a gasp when the entrance at your back locked shut. The tray jostled in your arms, but you succeeded at remaining upright.

With a sugary tone, you asked, “How will you eat if you can’t see your food?”

A huffed laugh, tired and bitter. “You should work on that nurse voice. Not very convincing.” A long, deep breath filled a few otherwise silent moments. “Send that tray back. Give it to someone who wants it.”

Without your “nurse voice”, you said, “Why did you order it—”

“—I didn’t. I never do. I’m being kept here, why would I want to sustain myself to make my stay that much longer?”

“Kept?” you whispered.

The longer you stood in place, the more your eyes adjusted. The room was still suffocated by the swamp of darkness, but there was some light after all. Scant, but there, a beam of the setting sun speared the room, and from what you had begun to make out of the body in front of you – a small form curled in the center of a bed – you found he was staring out of the broken blinds from which it came, like he was looking at something. Looking forsomething.

“Kept. Held prisoner. Restrained but not restrained because thatwould make this whole operation illegal, right? Whatever way you want to put it, I’ve made it obvious I don’t want to be here.” A long pause and a sad sigh. “Starvation is a better fate than most here, anyway.”

The more he spoke, the clearer it became that his voice wasn’t hollow, but burning with quiet fury. For what, you weren’t sure, but you realized this was the first patient who had spoken all day. And his tone, his words, only solidified the fact that there was something very, very wrong going on.

You walked closer to him, past the foot of his bed until you saw where the small slant of light was focused, what he continued to brokenly fawn over.

“What are you looking at?” you asked, leaning down so you could match your view with his.

He turned his head from the mostly covered window, the creak of light only possible through a bend in the blinds, and he looked at you, a flash of realization spreading through his features before he reined his expression into a void of dull emotion.

He stared at you as you stared at him, appraising you just the same. He was young, but it appeared as though his youth had been leeched from him. Long dark brunette curls framed his face and teased his shoulders, heavy with oil inherent of unkemptness. An immense sadness lived in the downturned state of his mouth, a contrasting anger set in the crease of his brow. And when you finally found his eyes, you restrained a shiver, as the deep hazel burned with that cleave of sun and struck you with the anvil of pain and desperation that lived in them.

He wasn’t alarmed at your proximity but confused. With a shaky voice, and something of a weak sneer biting at his mouth, he said, “You’re a sick, brutal cunt, you know that?”

“What? What do you—”

“What am I looking at? Do not patronize me!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“Are you stupid or just cruel?”

“I’m not either, I—”

“You’re both!”

“I’m temporary! I don’t work here! I’ve been here for one shift! I’ve been on this planet for one day!”

Without missing a beat, but less heated and more restrained, the boy said, “Just stupid then.”

He continued to glare at you, but your eyes wandered back to the break in the blinds, and with narrowed eyes you found something that resembled a racing track. It was far out in the distance, but you knew that was what he had been focused on, sure of it by the way his demeanor shifted when you looked back down at him.

“Help me understand, then, if I am so stupid,” you whispered.

“You aren’t any different from the others, no matter if you’re temporary or not. Whatever that means, anyway.” The boy’s jaw set so firm you swore you heard it crack. “You don’t want to understand. If you did, if anyone cared so much, the Infirmary wouldn’t exist.”

“I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Help me?” the boy barked. He considered you for a moment, sun and shadow warring across the hollows of his cheeks as he did. Those pained eyes narrowed a fraction. “Who are you? What does temporary mean?”

You leaned away from him, straightening your posture and setting his tray on a counter off to the side. You offered your name, just the first, and dragged an absent-minded finger over the embroidery of your uniform. “Temporary means…”

Perhaps it was his already non-existent trust in you, but you did not think that informing him of the real reason you were here – telling him that your license and life were on the line and you were here so the Board of Physicians would have ease in their decision to end your life or not – would do much to foster his confidence in you, you took a second to frame it in a way that would appeal to him.

Clearing your throat, you kept his stare and said, “Temporary means that I’m here for less than two weeks, and I have no loyalties to any staff here. Temporary means that I do care so much, and I do want to help because temporary also means that I’ve seen some weird shit today, and I don’t understand it.” The boy’s brows raised for a fragmented second, but you knew you’d gained at least a small portion of his respect, so you continued.

With a lowered voice and an unbreakable stare, you said, “Temporary means that I am on your side, and if you let me, if you help me to understand what is going on, I will help you as best as I can.”

The boy shifted, ringing a hand around his opposite wrist, toying with the identification band secured there. He never stopped looking into your eyes, and you knew he was searching for deceit, but the longer he stared, the more he came up short.

You offered him your hand, observing how he flinched away from it, but keeping it extended as he considered it for another few moments.

“I told you who I am. Will you tell me who you are?”

It seemed like the darkness that surrounded you was watching with bated breath, watching in awe as the boy’s gaze remained on your extended hand.

He swallowed, and ever so slowly, with a hesitation that struck through your heart, he lifted his hand and clasped it around yours. The light from the broken blinds coiled around your matched hands, and for the first time today, you felt hopeful. And no matter how dim and breathless it was, a flicker of that same hopefulness played through his eyes.

“I…” the boy hesitated, so you squeezed his hand and offered a reassuring nod. His shoulders relaxed with his next breath. “I am Quynnland. With a ‘Y’.”

“Quynnland,” you parroted, trying it out and letting his hand go. “Do you have any nicknames? Like Quynn? Quynnie?”

“No one calls me Quynnie!” he roared. “Nobody calls me that except…” Quynnland shifted in bed, away from you, turning his face back toward that racing track. His bottom lip quivered, and he appeared as if you’d just lashed him with molten plasma.

“Quynnland,” you soothed, “nobody calls you that except who?”

He remained quiet, but he shuddered, and you saw the light glint off a stream that found its way down the slate of his cheek.

“I want to understand. I want to help you.” You swallowed against your throat, which had become markedly thicker since you last spoke. “Please, help me help you.”

Quynnland’s chin rose, his eyes fell shut, and he balled his hands into tight fists. He wasn’t angry, but in pain, and you knew from the sight of how broken he was that he’d been in pain for a long time now. Perhaps, it seemed, he had never known a day without it.

Just when you were about to speak, Quynnland coughed against a sob and whispered, “They won’t let me see him. He’s there on his own. He’s never been alone for this long.” A tight breath whipped into his chest. “They’re keeping me here so I age out. They’re keeping me away from him.”

“Who is he? What are you aging out of?” The more he offered, the more questions you thought of.

“I almost got us out this time,” he whispered. “I almost saved us both, but they caught me and dragged me away from him. He’s young, but that never stopped them before.” A wheeze of pain slipped from Quynnland’s lips. “They probably broke him just enough so he could still work.”

You didn’t know what to say to that, so you kept quiet.

After what seemed like an eternity, Quynnland spoke again. “My brother. That’s who gets to call me ‘Quynnie’. That’s who I tried to save, and that’s who is suffering because I failed.” He pushed an aggravated sound from his lungs. “The only way you can help me, is if you help him.”

“How do I do that?” you asked, watching as his fists relaxed at his sides.

Quynnland opened his eyes and bore the full weight of their pain into yours. He took a long breath and squared his jaw. “You get him away from the wardens, and then you get him out.”

“Where is he?” you asked, needing to know what that racing track he kept glancing toward was.

He went to answer, but a rush of motion sounded beyond his door, and just as quickly, the entrance to his room shot open. Quynnland ducked his head and balled his fists, and you turned to see that it was Silver who stood in his doorway. She wore an unfamiliar face, one of shock and terror, and you went to speak, but her hand whipped out and signaled that you would notbe saying a word until you left this room.

She stared at Quynnland a moment longer, surveying him like she’d never seen him before. “Eat your dinner. I won’t have you starving to death under my license, not now that this will be your last stay here.” Silver more so talked at him rather than directly to him, and her tone was hard and full of disgust.

It gave you another reason to hate her.

You wanted to reach out and take Quynnland’s hand, but Silver snapped at you before you could. “You,” she sneered. “Out. Now.”

The ice behind her eyes had seeped to her tongue, and her words froze the very blood in your veins. She watched you as you stepped around her and into the antechamber, and you glanced the final withering, aghast glare she shot at Quynnland as you did.

When you reached toward the door that opened to the hall, Silver caught your wrist just before your badge met it. She was eerily silent for a moment, and you swore she was practically shaking with rage, but then she settled herself and stared down at you with such concentrated antagonization that it knocked the breath right from your lungs.

“What made you think you could go into this room? I never went near this room with you today. Why would you be allowed to enter it alone?” She was seething, but she hid it behind something of a gnarled smile.

“There was a tray just sitting outside, unattended to. I figured I would find something to do and deliver it to the patient. No harm done.”

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes on you. “Are you aware what this patient is here for?” she asked sweetly, but it came off as clear condescension.

Silver waited for you to answer, but you wouldn’t give her the satisfaction she wanted from humiliating you again. So you remained silent, and she sneered at you. “Exactly what I thought. So why would you interact with a patient you know nothing about? And did the double security not tip you off that you were somewhere you shouldn’t be?”

“Look, Silver,” you huffed, enjoying the disgust that smeared across her features as you said her name, “I saw a tray. I had nothing better to do. My badge had access to the room. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

She cast you an undying glare, and her eye twitched when she gave you a once-over. “This patient willfully tried to kill himself and his brother last week. Did he tell you that?”

Your heart blackened, and your ears rang with silence as she let her words sink in.

Silver was pleased with your shocked silence. She went on. “Oh, and did he tell you just how many times he’s tried to do this exact thing in the past?” You remained wordless, feeling betrayed for reasons you couldn’t understand. “No? Not even a guess? Well, he’s a unit regular, if that gives any indication.”

She waited again and was once more elated to be met with silence. “It’s the same story every time. The wardens say he takes his kid brother to the shore and plans on swimming out to the Falls and either drowning to death or dying from impact.”

You swallowed in vain, mouth drier than sand. A part of your knew you didn’t want the answer, but you still asked, “How old… how old is his brother?”

A sick, deathly smile creaked across her perfect face. “Of course, we don’t know exactly, but previous scans estimate that he’s no older than seven.”

Seven. A child. Quynnland had tried to kill his brother… had tried to kill himself and his kid brother…

“Next time, don’t poke around business you don’t understand,” Silver cut your panic short, her frigid tone icing your skin with gooseflesh. “Your shift is up.”

She shoved your shoulder on her way past, but before she could activate the door the room filled with bright red light, and a shrill alarm screamed through the ruby darkness.

It was your watch.

Endless, screeching notes sounded from your wrist. Your stomach dropped, and you couldn’t think for a moment, completely thrown back to that last hour on Starkiller Base.

Kylo was in trouble. Kylo was hurt. Kylo needed you and you weren’t there.

When you lifted your arm as your heart sank through the floor and you read the continuous scrawling message, your feet pounded the ground and carried you away from the unit to wherever he was, wherever your radar was guiding you.

All you could think of was him lying under you, his blood slipping along your skin, and his still, comatose body. And as you made your way to him, not seeing the world around you, hardly aware of CB-7070’s footfalls booming behind you, you kept rereading the message that raced along your watch’s screen, and as you turned corner after corner and fled down hundreds of steps and staircases, the simple, abbreviated message taunted you with the past.

ASSISTANCE REQUIRED ASSISTANCE REQUIRED ASSISTANCE REQUIRED

As it scrawled endlessly across the small screen, all you could think of was how this felt too familiar to the day Starkiller exploded. And the only thought that remained, the only one out of the thousand that flooded back from that day, was that you would fight for the future you’d realized you wanted then.

Only now did you admit the full truth of that thought: the only future you wanted was one where you could be with Kylo. The only future worth having, you realized, was the one where you would spend it with him.

So you ran toward your future. Just as you had run that day not so long ago, you ran toward Kylo Ren.

[wing-ed-thing]

Cabaret (Might Guy x Reader, Chapter VI)

Synopsis: You can't stand Might Guy. Honestly, how could anyone be so boisterously unaware and sickeningly positive? Your heart sinks as the both of you are teamed up to infiltrate and collect information from the Hidden Sound's gritty nightlife. Maybe losing yourselves in the dark of the underground will help you both come to an understanding.

Word Count: 2,251

Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI Chapter VII Chapter VIIIChapter IX Chapter X Chapter XI 

Warnings: Minor Sexual Assault (you are kissed without permission), adult themes, alcohol, fowl language

You were at the club early the following day. You sat down at the bar with a deep exhale. Guy hadn’t arrived but the girls helped themselves to what was behind the counter. You couldn’t choose between water or hair of the dog. You opted for both.

The hangover wasn’t the only factor worsening your exhaustion. Chiasa had just helped you finish hanging up your gowns. One gown on its own didn’t yield much weight, but you severely underestimated how heavy multiple evening gowns became when jutsu wasn’t used to store them. Your headache from your first night on the job pounded in your ears. You were just about done downing your third glass of water when you heard a man clear his throat.

You turned on the stool, seeing the Sound ninja from last night. He wore his uniform still… and still looked the slightest bit like Might Guy. You blinked rapidly, trying to physically banish the comparison from your head. His bangs framed his hitai-ate. The eighth note on his forehead shone under the lowlights of the club.

“Oh, hello.” You greeted him weakly.

“Accompany me for a walk.” His demanding words carried a passive tone. It was not a question. You looked over to one of the other hostesses. She did not look back, but her side eye told you that you better leave with the ninja before you.

You removed your gloves and placed them on the counter before following the man out of the building. It was that time again. The sun just began to set on the Sound. You didn’t know what it was, but the sunsets appeared different in the Hidden Sound. Equally beautiful, but different. The air smelled like the ocean.

You walked with the ninja. The sandy gravel of the path crunched under your heels.

You noted his sports gloves and the hole open on the back, exposing the skin of his hand. Another patch lay exposed between his ear and his scarf. You took in the many cuts and scrapes on his arms, honing in on four puncture wounds. His face remained unobscured. You remembered his high cheekbones from the night before. You remembered his lean frame. You remembered his bangs, his almond shaped eyes and thin lips.

“I would like to take you on a date.” The ninja told you. “You will be compensated for your time and the meal. I already worked it out with the woman known as Mama-san. I’ve taken a liking to you and you will be ready for me here tomorrow before you work at six. Then, you will sit with me for a drink. This conversation is a courtesy, of course.”

You felt an unpleasant pang in your chest. Objectification. Subhumanity. The sheer fact that he thought that he was doing you a favor to tell you before buying you was enough to lose your temper where you stood, but you shut your mouth. You had no choice but to accept, but that did not mean you wouldn’t seethe silently the whole way back to “HEAVEN”.

“Marigolds keep snakes away.” You told him when you got back.

“What?”

“The snake bites on your arms. Marigolds.”

***

“It’s called dohan,” Chiara explained when you told her later. “You’re very lucky!” She told you, lips puckered and eyes bright. Lucky. “You get extra money for dohan! You just got yourself a regular, Yume-san!” In her excitement, she nearly tripped. You caught the tray of empty champagne flutes from the table you just cleared. You exited the kitchen when another hostess approached the two of you.

“There’s a request for Yume-san at table fifteen.”

“Okay! We’ll be out in a moment!” Chiara chirped.

“Just Yume-san.”

“Just Yume-san?” Chiara questioned. The hostess nodded. She perked up. “It might be that guy you told me about! From earlier! You’re doing such a great job, I can’t believe you already have regulars!” You frowned, less than happy at such a prospect.

Your two coworkers sent you out with a tray with a scotch and a martini.

“I’ll take a scotch and whatever it is that the lady wants.” Your new client apparently said.

You sauntered past the bar to your assigned table in the upper left corner of the club. A hostess performed on stage and her gorgeous melodies flowed throughout the area. She shook her hips, making explicit gestures as she ran her hands down her body. Another hostess accompanied her on the piano. Another few played various brass instruments. You would have to ask Chiasa about that later.

You caught sight of your client. You nearly stopped in your tracks. Seeing his full face now, your mind flashed back to the Leaf’s bingo book, but you pressed on as to not alarm the wanted man. He lounged in the booth like a prince upon a throne. He lazily swirled around the ice in his drink. His hitai-ate restrained his overflowing silver locks. When he noticed you approaching, he made no effort to adjust his posture.

You placed the tray on the table in front of him. You pushed down the heat rising to your skin and picked up your martini. You handed him his scotch, mentally picturing him in cuffs on his way to prison. He gave you a silent nod of acknowledgement as you sat down next to him. His arm immediately came to rest around your shoulders. His circular glasses caught the light from the lamp above.

“Hiya… Handsome, how are we doing today?” The words were still clunky as they rolled off your tongue despite your day of experience.

“Just fine, thank you,” He took a sip of his drink and put it back down on the table. His eyes narrowed and a wide smirk encompassed his lips. The hand around your shoulder played with your hair. The ninja leaned down, two fingers under your chin. His cold touch on your skin coursed through you. You fought off the urge to recoil. He breathed, “You can call me Yakushi-sama, Beautiful.”

The hand in your hair came to pin your shoulder back against the booth. The shock of his touch encompassed your system, pounding in your head. He leaned down to place a kiss on your lips. You mentally shattered. You felt dizzy, your senses overloaded by his shifty spirit. He came crashing into your mind. You felt arrogance. Snark. Devotion. Loss. Need. Hunger.

Clients weren’t supposed to touch you. You weakly pushed him off you, bowing your head away before the exchange, leaving the overload of sensations erupt in your core.

When you looked into his round frames, you could have sworn he looked through you. You felt on display. You took a deep intake, the sharp frost dissipating into a balanced equilibrium.

“Of course, Yakushi-sama.” He looked amused at your reaction and reached back for his drink. Your smile faltered as he did so. The room may as well have been spinning. You gripped your glass, the sensation of the smooth glass under your fingertips grounding you to reality. “I’m honored that you chose me for your company tonight.”

“Well, I’ve heard a lot about you, Yume-chan.” You eyed him and tried to ignite a semblance of fire within you. Guy’s words echoed in your head. Prepare yourself, watch your back. But you found yourself unmotivated and failing. “And I must say that I am disappointed.”

Kabuto finished his drink. The cubes of ice clinked as he once again rested the glass on the table. He took out his wallet, fishing out a few ryō before he stood. The ryō were placed on the tray. And he left you alone to down your martini.

***

You stumbled into your studio apartment, wasted but sobering up. You were beginning to build up a tolerance, but that process was ever slow. You flung your heels off and tossed your gloves on the bed. You trudged to the bathroom, taking soaked rag to the glue of your wig. The lace peeled from your skin inch by inch.

You took a large bottle of mouthwash out from under the counter. Swirl, gargle, repeat. Swirl, gargle, repeat. The bottle stood half empty by the time you slammed your cup down for the last time.

You leaned, a hand on the counter. You looked up into the mirror. Your makeup smeared around your eyes and wig gel flaked at your hairline. The bags under your eyes stood out more prominently without concealer. You stripped out of your gown, hanging it up on the hook on the door.

The steam from the shower began to clear your head as you washed your hair out. But even under the hot water, you felt grimy. You scrubbed at your skin, trying to wash away the unwanted touches from the club. You pushed the loofah into your skin, but the sensation still remained. You turned the heat up before returning to lather the loofah in soap once more. You returned to roughly scoured your skin as the water scorched your back. But once again, the feeling of hands remained. You kept trying and trying and trying until your skin became red from both the heat and the friction. You could still sense them: each and every client. Their spirits etched themselves in you with every grope. Every moment of bitter exchange and unpleasant balance. The ninja from the bingo book flashed across your memories. You let out a bitter cry, throwing the loofah down. Your head met your hands as you sat, crouched, crying.

Guy had sat on your couch once again when you came out of the bathroom. You wrapped a towel around your hair. You balanced the weight as you finished buttoning up your night shirt. You sat down next to him. He did not bring beer this time.

“Rough few nights?” Guy threw on his usual jovial smile. You curled up into the couch.

““I have some things to tell you about the mission but… give me a second, okay?” That was all you said. He sat with you silently and patiently. A clock somewhere in the room ticked on. You took a deep inhale, your voice a whisper, “We need to get into that back room.”

“And we will!” Guy was overdoing it. A beat. A pause. Your features didn’t change. His voice became low, “You don’t have to go with him tomorrow.” You felt the sting of tears gathering in your ducts. You weren’t sure why you were crying.

“Yes I do.” You blinked, tears streaming down your face. You wiped them away with your sleeve. “That’s not it…” Guy cleared his throat.

“Well, I don’t think you should go.” Guy promptly put. You shook your head at him, brow furrowing farther in sadness.

“Don’t-... Guy, don’t-...” Your hand wove itself in your hair as you clenched your eyes shut. “I told you it’s not about that.”

“It would be hard for me to spot you. If anything goes wrong, I’ll be there, but it’s harder to follow you away from the club-” He began to get lost in himself.

“Guy please! I don’t know if I can do this!” His eyes met your tired puffy ones. “I know it’s not a big deal. I know I shouldn’t be bothered.” You let out a huff of a laugh as tears streamed down your cheeks. “But fuck… I hate that I’m so worked up over this.”

“What is it?”

“My kekkei genkai,” You took a breath in an attempt to slow your breathing. “Sure, I can connect myself to others. If I can get my hands on someone’s face I’m golden, you know?” You kicked a leg out. The coffee table tumbled across the floor and you cried. “But that’s when I can get information and be done. That’s when I’m in control! I can’t turn it off! I feel it all day, every touch from men and their slimy spirits.” You scrunched your nose in bitterness. “We better find what we’re looking for soon.”

“And we will.” You gripped onto a pillow, screaming into it.

“ I can see shit I wish I didn’t, hear the things they want to do to me, to other women and I can’t do shit about it! Fucking pathetic!” You melted into the cushions around you. “I don’t know how much more I can handle and it’s only been two days! I-I... was the wrong choice for this.”

Your features contorted themselves in pain, in hurt. The way of the ninja always was gender neutral. It didn’t matter if you were a man or a woman or anything in between, your duty to your team remained your duty to your team. You were always a confident kunoichi or at least you thought so. The fury buried itself in your chest. You didn’t understand. You did not understand what this mission was doing to you and you didn’t like it one bit. Unable to escape, you felt it burn you from the inside out. For you were no longer a capable kunoichi, but a doll to be ordered off a menu.

“Please, talk about anything else.” You pleaded at this point. Guy’s features softened.

“Anything else, huh?” He pursed his lips. He tried to replicate the usual brightness in his eyes. You appreciated the attempt. “Well, let me tell ya’! Mine and Kakashi’s last rivalry challenge was truly one for the record books! It was a barbecue eating contest and I’m convinced that he cheated!” Guy continued on with gusto as tears fell from your eyes. “We’re seven pieces of flank steak in and all of the sudden he’s tellin’ me he has to go to the bathroom-”

You softly take his hand into yours.

A wave overtook you. You felt it again. Warm. Kind. You let his spirit swirl in your core and you exhaled thankfulness. Guy sat with you silent now like a foreigner in a sacred temple. You knew he felt it too.

“Please continue.” You whispered. Your thumb traced his knuckles. “I think I’m just tired, that’s all.”

“Ah… right! So it’s neck and neck, we both have two more plates to go…”

You basked in his comfy spirit, watching the glow in his eyes that was just for you. The sensations from the club slowly began to fade away and not once did Might Guy falter.

You know, I was watching Spirited Away when editing this. I want to like it, I really do. I love Studio Ghibli, but dear lord, did they have to make Chihiro scream all her lines? Like the animation and story is gorgeous but jeez so much yelling. 

Aaaaanyway enjoy!

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

[ronsenburg]

i saw this post and IMMEDIATELY started writing an essay, so I moved it here so as not to clutter up someone else’s post...........

it absolutely blows my mind that, today in 2021, i honestly can’t remember what’s canon from the turnabout serenade case, what i read in a fanficition, and what is my own personal HC. like, it’s been more than a decade since i played the case for the first time and it’s probably been 5ish years since the last time i played AJ (definitely forgot to play it again before writing youngblood which is.... contributing to this) so i really don’t know if what goes on in my head is accurate, but, over the years, i’ve come up with a Lot of Thoughts, which i’ll discuss below. 

tldr; it’s all about power (the desire for, the subversion of, the need to maintain), but if you’d like the specifics, here you go:

daryan: i think the explanation that he did it for “the money” is a line. please don’t mistake me, daryan is an asshole and a murderer, im not discounting that, but in court ive always thought that he was playing the part that everyone- especially klavier- is expecting of him. he’s the bad guy. might as well make it a finale for the books.

i’ve always seen daryan and klavier as opposite sides of the same coin when it comes to family and career aspirations. where i imagine klavier came from a well off and well loved family before his parents died, i see daryan from a working class, difficult upbringing. i read a few papers on the psychology of children/parenting style of police officers and decided early on that daryan’s dad was also a cop. his mother is either dead or (more likely) left them early on. dad coped by working a little too hard, gambling/drinking a little too much, and was overall not around a lot and kind of an authoritarian/controller when he was. it left daryan with a lot of anger he had to cope with, about what it means to be a cop, the idea of a “just cause” and the ends justifying the means, and an issue with authority (which is laughable, considering what a bully he turned out to be. sometimes we emulate our parents unintentionally; it’s the only thing we have to model our behavior on). so daryan started off at a disadvantage. klavier started off loved and supported and surrounded by expensive belongings, but the death of his parents and the subsequent emotional and financial abuse by his newly appointed guardian/brother left him in a similar place by the time he and daryan met. i think it was probably the foundation for their bond, and i think it’s why klavier decided to become a prosecutor instead of following in his brother’s footsteps and why daryan ultimately decided to enter law enforcement as well. i think they had a lot of optimistic, idealistic thoughts on being better than the people that hurt them, on utilizing the law to make the world a better place. i don’t think klavier ever conceived that kristoph could have wanted him in the prosecutors office as another pawn to play, and i don’t think he realized how fluid daryan’s morality could be.

shipping alert—you guys know me, im crazy for the idea of a “best friends to on again off again lovers to tenuous coworkers to bitterly disappointed in but still harboring feelings for the other person despite being on opposite sides” dynamic between daryan and klavier. i honestly can’t separate the ship from the case and im sorry about it. if you read youngblood you know that i think daryan started to resent klavier pretty early on, when they were still together, when the band was still successful, because klavier was able to move forward and work through the issues of his past while daryan was seemingly stuck. yes, daryan had made detective and the gavinners were a hit, he’d risen above his initial social standing and thrown off the control his father, he had money and fame and a future. but everything he had was because of klavier. daryan needed klavier, emotionally, morally, financially. but even when klavier was professing his love for daryan, both privately and in the form of chart topping songs, he didn’t need daryan. it was obvious (and of course, healthy, but how do children of abuse learn what a healthy relationship looks like without help? especially when the only relationships you’ve ever had are codependent and, in some ways, just as toxic?) and so things spiraled. daryan got possessive and angry again and klavier got distant and they broke up and got back together and broke up and didn’t get back together but kept ending up back in each other’s arms for comfort and for support and because how the hell do you move on when the person you’ve been in love with since you were 15 is sitting next to you on a tour bus and is also your partner in a homicide case and singing songs he wrote about you on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans?

okay, shipping glasses off, sorry. but no matter how you look at their relationship, daryan’s promotion out of homicide was probably the most distance they’d had from each other in years, as it removed a large chunk of the daily “working relationship” aspect. and without klavier there to act as a moral compass, it was likely easier to slip back into his earlier thoughts about what constitutes justice and his intense hatred of being pushed around by someone who has more power than you. so enter the chief justice with a son who is sick, dying even, but can’t get the medicine he needs because there’s a government out there telling them no. The reasons are arbitrary: the medicine could be used as a poison and can’t be found anywhere else so it might come back to bite the country in the ass if it’s misused by criminals. newsflash: pretty much all medicine is poisonous if it isn’t used correctly, should we stop using penicillin entirely because some people might be allergic to it? they’ve essentially condemned a whole bunch of people to death because they’re worried about their reputation. and that doesn’t sit well with daryan, who is caught up remembering the bullshit justifications his dad would spout when he knocked him around, that kristoph would give when withholding every single penny of money klavier was entitled to until he agreed to do what kristoph wanted. it isn’t right, it isn’t fair and unfair laws shouldn’t have to be upheld, especially when they’re the unfair laws of a country you most definitely did not swear to uphold and protect. it was never about money, though daryan agrees to take it when the chief offers it to him, more for his comfort level than for daryan’s need or desire. it’s about justice and putting a bully in it’s place with a (seemingly) victimless crime that should be so easy given his role in the international division of criminal affairs and klavier’s sudden hard on for the country of borginia. seriously, how could this have been any more straightforward? daryan is capable of murder, though. all cops are. and if it came down to a “them or me” shootout, of course he’d pull the trigger. 

machi: when you come from nothing, the desire to have something of your own is overwhelming. the idea that machi is famous and financially set is disingenuous; he is not individually famous, he is Lamiroir’s “blind” pianist. yes, she views him as a son and seems to care deeply for him, but his main purpose in her life is to perpetuate a lie. machi has been abandoned before; what will happen to him if lamiroir suddenly remembers who she was in the past? what if she has a family and a true son of her own and has no use for him? what if their secret is found out and the public rejects him for his role in it? he is 14. what does he know about being provided for? about contracts and trust funds and royalties? he ended up in an orphanage originally because he was unwanted, and that led to a life of poverty and hardship. abandonment issues are rooted in fear and are rarely logical. i find it far easier to believe that machi did it for the money, but more for the power money might have given him towards independence in an unfeeling and capitalist world.

kristoph: i won’t get into this, because this is supposed to be about daryan and machi and the guitar’s serenade, and kristoph is not really involved in that at all. but i think everything that kristoph has ever done in the game, good or bad, is rooted in a pathological need to constantly be in control. i think that kristoph and klavier both have very intense personalities that they have sought to control over the course of their lives for the sake of their careers. kristoph believes that to be a good lawyer, you need to play your cards close to your chest, that to show your hand is to expose a weakness that the enemy can exploit, that to show no weaknesses at all places you in a position of power. klavier believes that to show his true self, to display his weaknesses and fears to the public, would result only in their rejection. as such, they both wear masks of their own creation even under the most intense of pressures: kristoph as pleasant and calm, klavier as magnetic and dynamic. note the primary difference in their rational? klavier wants to be wanted, while kristoph wants power. and power corrupts, after all. once you have it, what could be more overwhelming than the idea that you might lose it all? it can drive even the most rational people to commit acts of passionate irrationality in the name of holding on to that power. and kristoph has so many pieces involved in his strategy to maintain.