#today's topic is brooding lol

[mareenavee]

WIP Wednesday WHENEVER :>

Hi everyone. I have a busy day today so I'll tag ya'll instead lol <3

Tagging the amazing and wonderful @paraparadigm, @changelingsandothernonsense, @thana-topsy, @thequeenofthewinter, @throughtrialbyfire, @wildhexe, @oblivions-dawn, @archangelsunited, @gilgamish, @dirty-bosmer, @kookaburra1701, @inquisition-dragonborn, @snippetsrus, @saltymaplesyrup, @expended-sleeper, @orfeoarte, @elfinismsarts, @ladytanithia, @miraakulous-cloud-district, @polypolymorph, @tallmatcha, @rainpebble3, @rhiannon1199, @viss-and-pinegar, @late-nite-scholar, @greyborn2, and YOU. Yep. If I've forgotten you, then you're tagged. Feel free to tag me back :>

I have two active WIPS today so you'll get a ~400 word fragment of each <3

Below the cut!

1) Light the Way (yet unpublished) Set in the 3rd Era, (and canon to World's fic universe) our Nerevarine Teldryn Sero has somehow convinced Neloth not to blatantly start a war, and to instead try a different approach to achieve his goals.

Sero’s face twisted through several emotions before it settled back into the familiar frustrated scowl he always wore. “The Empire can go f—”

“ —yes, yes, we know your sentiment. Spare me the histrionics, if you don’t mind,” Neloth interrupted with a flap of his hand, “because we do rather have things to accomplish today if we aren’t simply going to wreak havoc on the Mainland as I’d intended.”

“You know, we will have to discuss that topic again later,” Sero drawled, scratching the back of his neck. “As much as I don’t want to. For now, though, you’re right.” He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Hortator. It’s madness.”

Neloth glanced over at the distracted Nerevarine, caught in the glare from the soul gem. He’d likely win a prize for brooding if such a contest existed. Nobody seemed quite as capable of being so sullen over something as ridiculous as this. Granted, it was a responsibility that came with expectations even Neloth would be remiss to shrug off in favor of this abolitionist nonsense. But, like anything worth having, he’d eventually have little choice but to take the title. Or—Sero being Sero—convince himself he’d already earned it. The utter chivalry of the entire situation got exhausting after a while. What had happened to the slovenly bandit with a chip on his shoulder?

Though, come to think of it, Sero had never really been the type who allowed himself to be pointed in a direction and told to stab. He’d always been too clever for whatever he’d believed about himself all those years before. Not that he’d be caught dead telling the fool that, though.

Neloth shuddered at the implications of admitting any kind of respect for a non-mage, first of all, and an otherwise nameless urchin besides. Imagine. The Council would be in hysterics, and the ruse would be dropped, and every ounce of power he’d clawed to himself would evaporate in the blink of an eye. No. Securing a seat on the Grand Council was imperative if he wanted to keep his status. One did not simply earn a seat the same as anywhere else. Connections—or honestly, more like assassinations and lies. No. There had to be concrete proof of concept. What, exactly, could one do as a Grand Councilor that would advance the House’s position as a whole?

Destroy another house—especially one intent on encroaching on one’s own—by any means necessary.

2) The World on Our Shoulders, Chapter 31 The Embassy Arc begins and Athis is reeling from his encounter with someone some of you may find a bit...familiar :>

“You have no chance here,” the Altmer said. Athis paused and glanced at the man, eyebrow furrowed. His tone was matter of fact, like this was Gods-given truth. “They will find you and you’ll be no better off than I am.”

“We have a werewolf on our side, actually,” Athis said dryly as he scraped at the lock with his knife. “They’re welcome to try.”

“You are in over your head, Athis,” the Altmer said. Athis froze. For a second, he felt his heart all but stop. He exhaled through his nose. The man had to have heard Avulstein bellowing orders like he was leading the charge. That was the only explanation. The Altmer laughed, a mirthless thing. “Yes, just as I thought. I know who you are. We’ve known for a while now. Tell me, have you any idea where Nyenna ended up?” Athis slowly backed away, dropping the hunter’s knife in favor of his sword. The Altmer grinned crookedly and let out a low chuckle. “Because I do.”

Who was this?

“I’ll leave you here,” Athis warned, anger or bile rising in his throat, “and when Farkas is done here, there’ll be nobody left and you’ll rot alone in the darkness.”

“You wouldn’t, despite wiser advice,” the Altmer said, picking a thread off of his roughspun tunic. “That’s not who you are, from what’s been observed.” His voice had taken on a matter-of-fact tone. He was right, but Athis was still reeling.

“What do you know of Nyenna?” he asked after a moment, voice wavering. He swallowed hard. He had so many other questions, but the mention of her in a place like this… He had to know.

The Altmer seemed to ponder the question for a moment. “She’s on Solstheim. In a bit of a bad way, the last I’d heard, but the Telvanni are working on resolving the problem.”

“You’re lying.” Athis felt a knot form in his gut. A bad way? He knew then that listening to Aela’s advice had been a horrible mistake. That, or he’d fallen into some kind of trap.

“Believe whatever you want,” the Altmer said, gazing at his nails, caked as they were with dirt. He picked at them absently. “Regardless, it's as I said." He paused, listening intently as crashing sounded from somewhere on the upper levels of the keep. “The issue of Nyenna aside, you’ll never understand the gravity of what you’ve done here today. This will follow you. You’ve played right into their hands.”

[tanihanya]

You wanna know smth that worries me loads in media rn? The Overwhelming Pessimism (rant post, written at 12am lol)

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was watching some older shows with my dad earlier-- and while some were a couple dated, Some things, really, really stuck out to me. We were watching M*A*S*H, the episode where the Cardinal Visits. It touches on deep topics, while still keeping it's normal humour, and feels good at the end. However, It was more after watching it-- that I sorta noticed... M*A*S*H would never air today.

And, No- Not because people would be 'Too Sensitive' - But the opposite, It's not dark enough. It's not grimy. It gives war as it is without being constant, overwhelming angst, and brooding darkness, and pessimistic characters--- I tried to think, about shows that were hopeful and meaningful and light today-- Movies, Even-- and I just, Couldnt. And that's because... as far as I know, what optimistic shows exist? From Superhero movies to sci fi, we have gritty, dark stories about corruption and being doomed and hidden issues we don't think about, constantly weighing down all the time. Online, we only see shit and how awful the world is outside, and never- never once- Like M*A*S*H and TNG, some shows I really like, Ways to deal with it, or try to help and fix it-- Nothing good, as if the human condition is nothing but misery and regret. But it's not like that. The World Sucks, it really does-- But we fucken neglect the things that make it redeemable, too- We neglect that change can, and has, happened. We seem to design the future as this unstoppable force of evil, that none of us can stop. Where are my TNGs and MASHs to help? where are the shows that are meant to give me faith? Where are the people still dreaming of futures, even if unattainable, to try to achieve? Where is our future? If all we ever think of is darkness, how can we ever expect it to be light? When we phrase "Realism" as the same as pessimism, the world falls into the pessimistic ideas itself-

Is Pessimism realistic? or are we making it realistic by being so pessimist? When we make only awful and gross futures, what future do we expect to grow into?

We don't allow eachother to dream. That is the right we are taking away from ourselves-- Something no external force can do. People in the past have dreamt of tomorrow in the worst of situations, why do we only ever make these nightmares? I'm going to be honest, While it's true that the world always has, and likely will, always suck, the fact is that we live here anyway- We need to make these changes, or try to, or the world will never become any different.

Yes, It's hard to try to change things, but it's harder to live in a world where nobody tried.

Where are the happy stories? Where have they gone? Where are shows like M*A*S*H, which acknowledge and explore the shit while appreciating the good ?

Where is half of our Human Condition? Where have we hidden it? It's easy to consume doomsaying media, Everybody does it. I do it. It's addictive to feel doomed, it's easy to throw all out and say that our futures will only get worse but--- Who Benefits? How does it help? It is hard to be hopeful, and it always feels like it gets harder as time goes on-- But we have to be Hopeful anyway. We have to dream or at least believe that things Can Improve.

If we never do that, then we never allow things to improve at all. If we let the world take away our ability to dream, we're giving up something that it has no right or access to. We need to welcome change. Yes, Recognise that "It's not good enough" But still be able to celebrate that it happened at all, that today is better than yesterday. I can't remember who said this, But I'm gonna quote a line that I heard once: "Welcome to Earth, Your Mission is to leave a better place than the one at your birth."

Forget about changing the world, you can change things down on our level. the personal level. you can still try, you can still work hard to make yourself happy- you can still be kind, and appreciative to others. We can still work for those glorious, unachievable dreams instead of these vicious, equally unrealistic nightmares. I hope this made sense <3

[quicksilverdrabbles]

Kaidan and Taliesin: *intense glaring*

Merlyn: Uhm.. What are they doing?

Caryalind: I'm not too sure. They've been staring at each other like that for about ten minutes. I'm starting to wonder if they've been paralyzed.

Inigo: I think they are having a brooding competition. Or a silent argument.

Caryalind: Either one seems likely.

Merlyn: Riiiight.. and what's Lucien doing?

Lucien: *pouting*

Inigo: Trying to copy their glares. It does not have the same affect.

Merlyn: He looks like a sad puppy. And Xelzaz?

Xelzaz: *glaring down at his alchemy table*

Caryalind: Trying to figure out where the ingredients he left out went.

Inigo: Do not tell him that I ate them.

Kaidan: *scoffs, breaking eye contact and walking away*

Taliesin: *chuckles*

Merlyn: Whether it was an argument or competition..

Caryalind: Kaidan just lost, haha.

[ialwaysgobacktoit]

Azriel surprises Gwyn for her birthday PART 5

Guys what have i done???? I'm so addicted to writing their story this part was like 5 pages long lol. I HOPE YOU LIKE IT and I thank you soooo much, your comments both on AO3 and here are really inspiring me to keep on going.

Also I created a Chapter List to organize the parts better from now on. You can check it out right here!

Also thanking my following supporters @katiebellf @madie2200 @starbornsinger THANK YOU SO MUCH GIRLS. I swear you get me so hyped to keep on writing this <3

Part 5.

Azriel couldn’t stop thinking about Gwyn. He tried not to remember her lips brushing against his skin, the way she spoke against his chest, the light pressure of her body in his arms. But somehow in a few hours since he surprised her it was proving harder and harder for him to focus on anything happening around him. And he was the Shadowsinger, for Mother’s sake. He needed to stay alert for a living.

“Az” Cassian called him from across the table. “Are you listening to me at all?”

The two of them were at their most visited tavern, waiting for Rhys to arrive. Azriel stared at his beer in front of him, already half-drank, and shook his head. Cassian snorted.

“I asked if everything went alright” Seeing how he still seemed a little aloof, his brother continued “Today. With Gwyn’s birthday present.”

Before he could answer, Rhys appeared right by their side. Greeting both of them, he sat by the table and joined in.

“What are we talking about?”

“I’m trying to get to Azriel about his birthday gift for Gwyn today.” Cassian smirked through his glass “But it appears he’s not very talkative, as usual.”

“Ah, it was today? I wasn’t aware.” Rhys asked with furrowed brows.

“Not many people knew” Azriel justified.

“And you did?”

“I remembered.” It was all he could manage to say.

Both of their brothers exchanged glances, as if talking internally. Azriel didn’t interrupt them, although he knew what they might be saying, because suddenly his interest fell upon someone across the room. Someone whose back was to him, ordering from the bar, her long copper hair falling loose behind her. His heart jumped a beat, even though he knew it was impossible for Gwyn to be there. She was enjoying the Valkyrie’s companies, after all.

Rhys followed his gaze to the spot across the bar, and chuckled quietly. It was enough for Azriel to blink and turn to his brothers. But in his mind, he found himself growing impatient to see her. He could picture her perfectly right now, sitting comfortably in the couch, probably in the House’s library, laughing and joking with Nesta and Emerie. She’d be flushed, from the heat of her drink or the subject of their conversation, and her beautiful, copper hair would be tied in a loose braid: just like he’d seen her last, but with a more comfortable outfit than her leathers. A part of him wished he were there with her. A part of him wished they’d never parted from that embrace. Because if she had just waited… Azriel didn’t know what he could’ve done next.

“Brother.” Rhys was smiling now, and Cassian was trying not to laugh. “How did it go?”

“Well.” Azriel forced himself to come back to the present. “She really liked it.”

“And?” Both of their brows were raised high right now, the portrait of amusement.

“And it was all. She thanked me, and that was it.”

“But she liked it? A lot?”

And damn him if Azriel couldn’t contain his smile now, as he remembered her face lighting up, her smile, her laugh, her hug, her kiss… Everything. He noticed something different in her posture during dinner, and when he winnowed back from leaving Diane, Gwyn’s eyes seemed to be shining from emotion. He was so tense waiting for her reaction that when she hugged him he was completely taken aback. But it felt right, every second of their embrace. Breathing in her scent, feeling her back against his hands… It just felt right.

“She did. A lot.”

He joined in a silent laugh as Cassian and Rhys smiled broadly, and the latter tapped his shoulder. We’re happy to see you like this, brother, they seemed to say, or it was his shadows whispering to him. Either way, he didn’t care. He was happy too.

*****

“I want to get out more.”

Gwyn blurted out just as soon as she, Nesta and Emerie arrived at their spots in the training ring the following morning. The three of them were late due to their birthday girl’s night, but neither Azriel nor Cassian did mention it. After his night with his brothers and current hangover, they weren’t the ones to say anything.

“What do you mean more?” Nesta asked as they both stretched their legs on the floor.

“I mean out of the library. I should have done this a long time ago, but now I think is time to release myself from Merril’s claws. It helped me a lot, I’m grateful for it, but enough is enough” She rushed the words, as if she just had to spit out everything she was feeling at once.

Azriel tried his best not to turn around and join their conversation, only because he wouldn’t like to pry.

“I think that’s great. Where do you plan on living?” Emerie questioned with interest.

“Well… I don’t know.”

Azriel chuckled quietly at her bluntness, hoping the females wouldn’t hear.

“You’re welcome to stay here at the House of Wind for as long as you want, right Cas?” He could feel Nesta smiling as she went on “Az?”

He turned around, striding to the three females on the floor, as if he’d not been paying attention this whole time.

“What?”

“Gwyn’s thinking of leaving the library and I invited her to stay here with us for as long as she wants.” Nesta repeated, smiling almost mischiefly. Azriel didn’t know what Cassian told her, but he fought the urge to grimace at his brother from across the room. Not that he’d speak a lot about it the night before, but Rhys and Cassian knew him too well to know something might be going on.

“Of course.” He nodded, giving his usual half smile.

Yes yes yes yes yes

His shadows agitated in excitement, and he controlled them the best he could as he stared at Gwyn. But by the way she looked up at him, and then at his shadows, he knew she caught up on something. He didn’t let his smile falter, though. He was happier than he would admit. And then she blushed. Furiously.

Azriel blinked, but she was already facing the other side of the ring. He couldn’t think much through it, because Cassian decided that was the moment for them to start training. And so they did, falling into their usual stances and going through the routines.

Everything just felt easy when they trained together. Correcting her, encouraging her, even taunting and challenging each other, it was all their usual behavior. Still, today he felt something else. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger around it, but nonetheless, he still felt it. It was that slight posture change from the night before, how Gwyn now seemed lost in thought for a few seconds when she looked at him. It was that same tension from last night, those seconds of silence where she stood a few feet from him at the dining room, her piercing eyes looking at his, before they hugged. Something had changed, and he really wanted to know what.

When training finished, Azriel was arranging the equipments on the training ring when he heard her all-too familiar voice.

“See you later, Shadowsinger.”

He turned around to face her, but she was already gone.

******

“So” Nesta started as she took a sip from her orange juice. “I’m thinking about inviting Gwyn to come over to dinner at the River House, this Friday. She only went to the Town House, and it was months ago. What do you think?”

Azriel, Cassian and Nesta were having lunch at the balcony in the House of Wind, and he tried his best to ignore her inquisitive eyes: eyes that knew too much, her sharp intelligence not missing a thing. Cassian nodded all the same, but Az knew she wasn’t asking her mate.

“I think that’s good.” He kept his tone neutral and stared at her inexpressively. His typical Shadowsinger posture.

But she only snorted in response, shaking her head.

“You two…” She muttered to herself.

Azriel kept in silence, and ate another mouthful of food. Cassian, then, seeming to realize they were having a new type of conversation, crossed his arms and reclined in his seat.

“What’s happening here?”

Azriel rolled his eyes, but Nesta quickly retorted, ignoring Cassian completely as she kept those cunning eyes over Az.

“I may ask you the same. What’s the deal with Gwyn’s birthday gift?”

“I did what you suggested me to do.” Azriel responded simply, but Nesta didn’t buy it.

“Please. You know that’s not what we suggested. What’s going on between you two?”

Cassian glanced repeatedly from his brother to his mate, highly amused by their topic of conversation.

“Yeah, brother, what’s going on between you two?”

“We’re friends.” Azriel meant what he said: indeed, they were. Even though he wasn’t quite sure if friends felt that difficulty in stop thinking about each other the way he’d been having during these last hours. “That’s it.”

“Keep saying that to yourself.” Cassian smirked as he and his mate exchanged a knowing look that got to Azriel’s nerves. Cauldron, he needed to get away from these two for some time. Not only because they were intolerable when they wanted to, but because he knew they were right.

And still, like magnets, his thoughts couldn’t stay away from Gwyn for too long. Couldn’t ignore that slightly odd behavior this morning, her blushing and staring. Was it possible she got embarrassed from the moment they shared together? Regretful even, of those minutes they were in each other’s arms? Or could it be that… Or could it be that she felt something else entirely, something his rational side was only starting to realize might feel for her?

And so, he got up to do what he always did when consumed by thoughts. With a grunt as response at those two in front of him, he went flying.

*****

He seemed to get home at the right time. After hours of brooding and soaring, brooding and soaring, his wings were sore and his shadows, restless. He didn’t exactly come to a conclusion about what he felt, but one thing he could admit: whatever it was that was going on with him, he liked it. He liked Gwyn, and what they had with each other. She made him feel… Peace. Stillness. In a way he never truly had felt before.

He thought about the night he told her about the necklace, all those months ago. How she could immediately tell what he was about to say when he mentioned Elain, and at the end she merely whispered “Don’t worry. I understand.” The way he knew she could see his relief, his shoulders relaxing at her response. Her gentle, sensible smile, as if she knew he was having a rough time, and could relate to that. Her understanding was all he was craving for at the time, and it made his heart warm up when he got it.

She was too kind.

And then that side of him attacked again, intrusive thoughts he was trying his best to control these last few weeks. He didn’t deserve someone to treat him like that. She could’ve pushed him away, she should’ve fought him. She should’ve yelled at him, despised him. After all, she was in her right, and he was that heartless monster, the one that got there too late that night, all those years ago. But for some reason, she didn’t do it. And their friendship only grew stronger from that point on.

He trailed off as soon as he got to the hallway, and saw a curious Gwyn follow Nesta through the rooms, showing her the place.

“Ok, so, I think you know all of it by now. Have you talked to Clotho yet? We can move you in right away.”

Gwyn nodded. “Yeah, I did. She acted like she was fine with it.”

“Do you need any help?”

They both turned on their heels as they looked at Azriel. Damn, that’s when he realized he hadn’t taken a bath since that morning. And he spent the afternoon flying.

But Gwyn didn’t seem to mind it, as she offered him a smile.

“No need, I haven’t got much to carry upstairs anyway.”

“Welcome home” He couldn’t help his relaxed, even slightly hopeful tone, as he threw her a knowing smile.

She huffed a laugh and thanked him. With a nod, he excused himself and went to his chambers. When he closed his door, he let his shadows run free, because he, too, shared their joy that Gwyn would be closer to them now. He took a long, hot bath, and when he got out and was getting dressed, he heard a knock on his door.

He opened it up to see Nesta with a triumphant smile on her face. He grunted “What do you want”

“Just so you know” She said by way of greeting. “Gwyn will be sleeping in this floor from now on.”

“You…”

“I didn’t do anything. She chose it, and the room she liked best was coincidentally that one” She pointed towards the third door on the left. “Hope you don’t mind.”

He swallowed, and that was the only visible sign he felt something about that information.

“As long as she doesn’t, it’s fine by me.”

“Perfect!” Azriel fought the urge to roll his eyes at her smugness.

But his heart rate suddenly went up at the thought of being that close to Gwyn. And he couldn’t deny that he spent the rest of the night way, way more aware of the sounds around him than he usually was.

[lolokiquit]

Without Me I

Word Count: 4.4k

Pairing: Jung Hoseok x F!Reader

Genre: Angst, fluff, smut (future chapters) I CEO au(?) idk what this should be catagorized as lol

“Tell me, how's it feel sittin' up there? Feelin' so high, but too far away to hold me.”

Without Me (Halsey)

“One day I’ll give you the world I promise.” You only allow yourself to think of him when you're drinking, only when you're drinking. In those nights where your mind is hazed with alcohol, and the guilt of everything begins to eat you alive slowly. You remember the way he used to look at you with the twinkle of the night sky or the way his eyes would crinkle whenever he laughed. You remember the nights where you whispered nothing into his ear and the days when he was your whole world. Then slowly, as those memories start to fade, you begin to recall the screaming, the way he always seemed to come home drunk with blood on his fingers, and the way you begged for him to quit. By the time the memories finished making their rounds, you couldn't stop the bitter taste from crawling back into your mouth. The morning glow outside your small apartment window has started to peek through the night sky, and you realized that you've spent yet another night lost in the man that you lost so many years ago.

"Hoseok, stop that tickles," you giggled as your boyfriend wrapped his arms around your waist. You're in the kitchen of your new home that you had just moved into, an apron on, and smiles as wide as the morning sun. It's been hard coming up with the money to finally move from your small hometown in Busan all the way to Seoul. But through all of your shifts in the convenience store to the restaurant down the street from your childhood home, the two of you had made it.

"You look like the perfect housewife," He giggles into your ear, "I promise one day when I finally make enough money to buy you that diamond ring, I'll ask you to marry me, and we'll live happily ever after," You think that this must be what heaven feels like.

Being at the fresh age of 23, you couldn't have been more naive. Everything that the world had to offer seemed too innocent, and your future with Hoseok seemed so bright. You saw a big house with a picket fence, children running in the backyard, and a loving husband in your arms.

"Yes," you think to yourself, "This is what my future is going to look like." Running your soft hands through his hair Hoseok's eyes glitter as he slowly whispers, "let's never change," mirroring his lovestruck eyes, you slowly whisper back, "ok."

Love is a strange thing. Growing up in a family where the sound of screaming and breaking glass was as expected as the sun rising, could anyone blame you for jumping at the first sign of affection you were shown? It was no surprise that the boy in a leather jacket and tattoos on his arms who promised you all of his love had you wrapped around his coarse fingers in record speed. Meeting him at seventeen, you began to think that maybe life didn't hate you so much after all. It wasn't like you had a choice. After all, his advances towards you swarmed your everyday life like cockroaches and cancer cells that infested every single part of your being. You found yourself unable to stop your doom. He became your reason for everything. You breathed into him almost as if he was the oxygen that ran through your bloodstream. You couldn't live without him.

Your friends had warned you about the boy that had magic in his eyes and sweet words on his lips telling you that you couldn't change a person like him, but you were too young and reckless to care. Maybe it was the glint of the galaxy and freedom in his eyes, or perhaps it was the lingering sense of loneliness that you felt as if the two of you shared. But at that moment, you knew you would risk it all for him.

It was an uneventful Tuesday afternoon. You stood in your local supermarket staring at the little amounts of money you had left in your hands. Your father had stopped sending his child support months ago. With your mother constantly drunk out of her mind, you and your siblings were now only surviving on the part-time job you worked at the coffee shop down the street. You slowly started adding up all the necessities you needed. Milk, eggs, toilet paper….Your brooding was cut short as the loud hooting and screaming of teenage boys filled your ears. Before you knew it, the whole store had turned into utter chaos. The group of, from what you could tell, 7 boys with guns and knives had started running around the store, looting whatever was in sight. The store manager had come out staring at the whole scenario playing out in front of him in shock. He started yelling as well, threatening to call the police as the boys simply laughed in response.

Soon, police sirens began to ring from a distance. You stood frozen solid to your spot by the tomatoes, and your shock slowly melted into fear. Were you going to die today? You didn't have much time to think when suddenly someone grabbed your hand and screamed "RUN" and started dragging you right along with him. You weren't sure if it was a pure reflex or the adventurous inner side of yourself finally showing. But you found your legs starting to move to their own accord as you began to zooming off with the random stranger.

You ran and ran like your life depended on it. The cold winter air ran through your hair, and for a moment, you finally felt like you could breathe again. As if some sort of craze has taken over you, you began to laugh maniacally like there was no tomorrow. You laughed and screamed along with the others as you continued to run. You went on without stopping until you reached the shores of a nearby beach.

The stranger finally let go of your hand, and for a moment, the world around you went still. You stood there staring at each other for what felt like forever before he finally spoke up with a grin. "Well, that was a good one, wasn't it?" He laughed as the boys that were with him also started to chuckle. You continued to stare, looking like a lost deer caught in headlights. "I'm sorry," the boy continued on. "You just looked like you needed something to spice up your life; you looked quite bored up there."

The realization that he was actually speaking to you and that you needed to form some sort of response hit you. You started fumbling for words, the shock from the previous events only now beginning to set in. "I-I yea I mean I.." you trailed off, being at a loss of words.

"It's ok, you can find the right words later. Now how about we continue on this adventure. It would be pretty pointless for you to stop now, wouldn't it be?" He replied before you had the chance to actually come up with a coherent sentence.

After a couple seconds, you came to the final conclusion that he was right. You pondered your options. You could either go home to your most likely drunk mother, who wouldn't have noticed that you had already missed your curfew, or you could take a chance for once in your life. You really didn't have much to lose, so you might as well finish what had already been started, right?

So off you went with him, getting on the back of his bike, you set off.

Riding across abandoned highways, you screamed at the top of your lungs and laughed as you've never done before. At that moment, you felt so free. The stranger promised to show you the brightest sky of stars you've ever seen in your life, and with a smile, you agreed.

You finished the night learning that the boy's name was Jung Hoseok. You memorized the stars in his eyes over the stars in the night sky. You'll never know what it was exactly that drove Jung Hoseok to grab you that day, perhaps fate? Or maybe he just needed a new play toy on that specific night. But at that moment, Jung Hoseok had become your own personal savior, a beam of light that shined down into your dying world. Whether he was an angel sent from above or the devil himself, you weren't sure, but one thing was for sure, you were in love.

But that was in the past. Now, you're stuck in a small apartment in the middle of Seoul alone, working an ok job, eating, sleeping, surviving. But Jung Hoseok, however, Jung Hoseok had become a living god. Even that in itself seemed to be an understatement. His power ran through the streets of Seoul and all the way around the world. Owning Seoul's most prominent and most influential company. No matter how you think about it, you can't seem to shake off the bubbling sense of anger. How you had abandoned your whole family, your whole life back in Busan to follow him here, to a foreign city that you didn't know. How you had stood by his side through all the questionable things he did and all the pain that he caused, only to be left on the curb when he finally decided that you were no longer good enough for him.

The truth was the fact that you had never really gotten over him. How could you? He was your world, your life, your everything. And the moment he walked out of your life, he took a part of you with him.

Sometimes you would reminisce on the old times. The days where the two of you were still trapped in that little town and had nothing else to hold but each other. Hoseok had always been the bigger dreamer out of the two of you. With his miniature gang activities within the town, he had always believed that there was something more. He wanted to see the world, to soar above the clouds, and to experience life. In fact, he was the one that had brought up the topic of Seoul first.

It was four in the morning, and the sun was about to rise as you and Hoseok lay at that beach where you had first met when he finally brought it up.

"Let's go to Seoul" the offer was so sudden, so out of the blue, that you laughed, thinking he was joking.

"I'm not joking," he starts again. "Let's go to Seoul. Let's get out of here."

"Hoseok," you say, slowly starting to sit up, "You can't be serious, can you? We're both dead broke. There's no way we can just spontaneously decide that we're going to Seoul."

You had just graduated high school a year ago and had immediately taken up several part-time shifts at places all across town to try to provide for your family. For people like you, the idea of college was merely a luxury that you couldn't afford.

“Jien-ah listen to me ok? Staying here is a dead-end road. We'll never be able to amount to anything" Hoseok stood up and started to shake the sand off of him. "You KNOW that we have to leave at one point or another. Didn't you want to go to college? We have futures. There are things out there for you to see, places to visit. We can't stay here. You know that"

You sat there, not knowing what to think. You knew deep down that Hoseok was right. You couldn't stay holed up in this good-for-nothing town forever. You had to leave. But you were scared, scared of change. The future seemed so terrifying you didn't know if you wanted to jeopardize your future more than needed.

It wasn't until weeks later did Hoseok bring up the topic of Seoul again. It was after another screaming match with your mother about her drinking habits. This time the two of you were sitting on the roof of your old high school. Your eyes were poofy after having cried out probably all of the water that was in your body when he asked the same question again, "let's run away to Seoul." This time, without hesitation, you answered, "ok."

The decision to move to Seoul with him was both the hardest and easiest one in your life. You knew you had to leave the town that trapped you. Still, the watering eyes of your siblings and the familiarity of everything around you made it so hard to leave. The hurt and betrayal that your siblings had felt the second you walked out of your run down house was enough to have you on your knees. But for once, you wanted to be selfish, to finally chase what you had wanted in life. So after much pondering and hundreds of shifts at your several part-time jobs, you finally packed all of your things in one suitcase, and you left. You walked out of that door, got on Hoseok's bike, and off the two of you drove. From that moment on, you never looked back because you knew that you couldn't. There was no longer a home that you could go to, no matter how crappy, no, Hoseok was all you had now.

Hoseok had told you before you moved that he had connections from old friends in Seoul that had gotten him a job. Apparently, this job had come with an apartment which meant that housing wouldn't be a problem. You, being the naive girl you were, never really questioned this said job and its description. Instead, you busied your first couple of weeks in Seoul, settling into your new apartment. Though it was small, it was still something that you and Hoseok could call your own. You found a job as a barista at the cafe down the street, and life began to fall into a comfortable routine.

For the first two years, the two of you were happy. Hoseok was doing well in his job, so well that two of you were able to enroll you in your nearby college, and you began to study literature. Hoseok never really discussed his job with you, claiming that he didn't like to bring work home. You never really asked either, accepting that his work was the only part of him that he likes to keep to himself. You busied yourself with work and school, you were finally able to live the life you had spent years being envious of. You went to college, made friends, had nights out, and had an amazing boyfriend that loved you. There was simply nothing that could bring you down from the high you were from. Little did you know that it was only the beginning

You set your steaming mug of hot tea on your nightstand, thinking fondly back to the years where your future had seemed so bright. Everything you could've imagined and more. You were finally on the right track, a college degree, hopefully, a good job, a stable income, and maybe children in the near future with a man that you loved. You had slowly begun to lose your edge, you no longer felt sorry for yourself, and slowly, you were starting to believe in the statement that as long as you work hard, you'll be able to reach the goal you had always been so desperately longing for.

But like most good things in your life, they don't last.

It's your fourth year in Seoul and your third year in college when you start noticing the shift in Hoseok's behavior. He left for work so early in the morning and came back so late that you almost never saw him. He seemed to come home later and later each day. The two of you no longer ate dinner together, or baked cookies, or watched your favorite movies, hell, you had barely had a proper conversation in weeks. He wouldn't reply to your messages, once again using work as an excuse, and never picked up your calls. It almost seemed as if you were dating a ghost.

Even though the whole situation made you feel uneasy and as if you were put on the back burner, you never brought it up to him. You were a coward. You were petrified because a part of you deep down knew what this meant, that he had lost interest. You don't blame him though, the two of you had been together for so long there was no longer anything new or exciting. He didn't take you on motorcycle rides anymore. Being in a large city like Seoul, there were no beaches to explore and no abandoned highways to see the stars from. He no longer had the time for you, and you knew it.

Hoseok's job had gotten even more important as time had passed by. He had been promoted and had been making more money than you could have ever imagined. Your little apartment had been traded in for a penthouse that was too big for you and no longer felt like home. Your wardrobe was filled with designer that you weren't used to. Hoseok had gotten rid of his leather jacket and motorcycle and traded them in for a Mercedes and expensive suits. He no longer smiled at you like the sun, and whenever he did smile, it almost seemed forced.

But you never bought any of this up; you simply greeted him with a smile and kiss whenever he had the time. Your mind would often wander off to places it shouldn't go; perhaps he was cheating on you? It wouldn't be hard for a man like him to find women that fancy him. He probably had millions lining up wanting and wishing for some of his attention. He was no longer the scruffy boy that took you on adventures and swore to protect you from the rest of the world.

There were days where you would lie on the king-sized bed you shared with your close to nonexistent boyfriend, thinking of the better days. The days where the two of you were cramped in that small apartment, the days where he would help you with dinner and almost burned down the house, the nights where you talked about everything and nothing at the same time. You ran your hands around the ring attached to the necklace that rests perfectly on your collarbones.

You were slowly stirring the boiling stew in your kitchen while anxiously stared at the clock. Hoseok should've been back hours ago. He hadn't called saying he would be late, and in the years you had been together, Jung Hoseok had never been late without calling. You were worried. It had been close to a year since you've moved to the big city, and life was going pretty well. Granted, there were still days where you and Hoseok struggled with the bills and had arguments like any other couple. But the two of you were living your dream lives, and it couldn't have been any better.

Right as you were about to get lost in your own daydream, Hoseok came bounding in like a kid on Christmas day.

"Hey, why didn't you call? I was so worried-" before you could finish, you scolding Hoseok had already folded you in his arms with a bear hug.

"I love you," He mumbled into your hair. "You know that, right? That I love you?"

"Of course I know. Jung Hoseok, is this your way of trying to get out of trouble? I swear-" But before you could finish the cut, you off again by whipping a small red box out of his pocket, and you gasped.

"Don't worry, I'm not about to propose to you in the middle of our kitchen," He laughed "that would be kind of lame. But this is for you" He opened the box and in it was a beautiful diamond ring. "I've been saving up for months. This isn't an engagement ring. It's only a man-made diamond. But one day-" He pointed outside your window, "I'll buy us a penthouse in one of those buildings in, and I'll really get down on one knee, then I'll ask you to marry me. But for now, this is just a promise ring. I promise one day I'll marry you." He looked up at you expectantly after his long speech. You were staring back at him with tears in your eyes as you choked out a simple "ok."

The two of you held each other for what felt like forever until you smelled something burning in the air, and you realized that the stew you had on the stove was now burnt.

You can't help but smile as you think back to those bittersweet memories. It's been over 4 years since Jung Hoseok has made that decisive step out of your life. But you still wore that necklace as a reminder of the better days. The days where the naive little girl in you still believed in love. When you still believed that as long as you gave in a relationship, you would surely receive.

You're smarter now; you've grown up. You no longer believed in the sweet words of others, and you no longer fell for sparkling eyes. Jung Hoseok had ruined that for you. You were rougher around the corners, and deep down, you knew that perhaps your story with him wasn't as special as you put it out to be because, in the end, you were just another one of his chapters to his never-ending story or girls. But sometimes, you liked to try to convince yourself that you had been something more. You can't help but think that maybe, you could've been something more.

It's midnight, and you've already had an entire bottle of champagne to yourself. Hoseok wasn't home, but that was no surprise. He never was. You laughed quietly at how pathetic you had become. Since when were you one to not speak your mind? But now, here you were terrified out of your mind at the notion of bringing up fears to your boyfriend, who, keep in mind, was supposed to be the one that you were to trust the most, he was supposed to be your home, he was all you had left. But no, you were a coward that was terrified of being alone, so you never brought it up in fear that he would leave you.

The front door creaked, then opened, and in walked Jung Hoseok in all of his broken glory. An expensive Armani suit `bedazzled with gold cuffs adorned his toned figure, paired with Louis Vuitton slippers and his newly acquired stoic expression. If you hadn't known any better, you would've mistaken him to be one of the born elites that the two of you used to despise. But you knew, you hoped and prayed that deep down, somewhere where light could still reach, the boy with shaggy brown hair that looked at you instead of the night sky still existed. That perhaps he was just a little lost and needed some coaxing to come back. Those were the thoughts that kept you sane as the past couple of months had unraveled.

Slowly you stood from your stool and made your way towards the front door. Hoseok was in the process of hanging up his trench coat when he noticed your presence, almost immediately freezing after the realization. There was an unexplainable tension in the air, a silence so thick it could've drowned you both. The two of you stood in front of each other. Either of you dared to utter a word. It was almost as if you both knew that once the conversation started, you would no longer be able to go back to pretending that everything was ok again. After what seemed like hours, you were the one that made the first move, maybe it was the alcohol in your veins that prompted your next words, but at that moment, with all the pent-up anxiety and hurt, you no longer cared. Mustering up all your courage, you finally asked him the question that you had been dying to know. "Do you still love me?"

Deep down, you both knew that the end was inevitable. You both wanted different things now. While you were still envisioning white picket fences and running children, Hoseok had started to see more. He wanted power and control, he wanted to be known, to be respected, and he knew that all of that would have to come at a price. He was selfish, he didn't want to have to choose, no he wanted to have both.

It's three in the morning, and Jung Hoseok stood on the roof of his million-dollar penthouse. The wind was blowing, the skies dark, signaling the arrival of a storm. As Hoseok starred up into the seemingly endless sky, his own storm brewing inside his head. The world underneath him seemed so distant and small, almost ant-like. Compared to his inner hurricane, all the Honks and raging cars of the rush hour seemed practically serene.

 As expected, he started hearing her calling out to him from a distance. She whispered his name, soft and gentle, like the waves by the beach she used to love so much. Hoseok would often hear the voice in the distant winds. It was as if she was so close, just in hand's reach. But whenever he reached out to grab her, she would disappear again.

She was the air he breathed, the drug that he couldn't cut, and if her love were the ocean, he would willingly drown in it. He would do anything just to escape this endless wondering and meaningless life of counting off the days. He would do anything to be able to breathe again. Without her, he was colorblind; his world became a black and white movie that he couldn't quite wrap his head around. Because if we were honest, what was the point of a prince charming without his princess, and what's so heroic about the knight in shining armor without his damsel in distress. Without her, he meant nothing, and his life was meaningless.

Perhaps that was what it was meant to be all along, a tragedy, another pair of star-crossed lovers that bit the dust.

[gravesofheirscog]

The update ignited my imagination!

1. When we first meet the revenant, he reminds me of an annoying sales manager, because he reduces everything to a broken soul.

Are you talking about vamir? Of course, it's because of a broken soul!

Are you shouting with joy? I'm almost 100% sure that a broken soul is involved!

Are you silent? A broken soul, no less.

2. When we choose the revenant name, I was amused by the moment with the choice of Excess.

"So, what noble name will you give me?"

Ms "of course": Excess

Excess : I think I've made a contract with the god of originality and creativity

3. When can we interact with Dit? When did Carmine start interacting with him and how did it happen?We will sign a contract with him, and he will give us strength? If he is a god, can he be worshipped by performing any rituals on virgin blood (ours)? Would it be possible to build any friendship with him, or at least the relationship of a faithful cultist and a benevolent god? And why, if Deet can manipulate time so freely, is the world still not in ruins?

4. Is it possible to emotionally manipulate Vitaly to create a sense of guilt in front of us and to cultivate a hero complex?

For example, I have a scene in my head.

Background:

Miss is a fragile child who, thanks to this and her acting abilities, plays a child younger than her age, calls Vitaly her brother and constantly shows signs of affection. All in order to create a sense of innocence and naivety, which must be protected. I decided to destroy the Academy day by day, and I interacted with Dit for a long time.

Ms "runs up to Vitaly and silently embraces him"

Vitaly: Something you are some silent today?

ms "still hides his eyes and says in a lost voice": Brother, do you want to escape from here?

Vitaly "pats the lady on the head": Of course, I want this more than anything in the world. But as long as that's not possible, don't worry, soon your big brother will grow up and be strong enough to get us out of here.

MS "brooding voice": More than anything else? "hugs him even tighter and leaves with a determined look"

Ms: Sorry, I have to go. "runs away"

Vialy " thoughtfully rubs his head, but does not attach any importance to this"

The next day.

Ms "runs up to Vitaly in a painfully depressed state and, without giving him time to recover, says:" Brother, I need you to be at the edge of the forest today in 30 minutes. It's a matter of life and death, I beg you, if you don't, something bad will happen.

Vitaly "worryingly": You were bullied again by high school students, do they want you to be there?

Ms "High spirits leave smnenya with fear and determination": Vitaly, please, I can't say. "runs away in tears"

Vitaly, angry and ready to fight, comes to the edge of the forest at the right moment, but there is no one there, before he has time to think about something, he is blinded by the brightest flash of light. After his eyes begin to see something, he turns around and sees the burning ruins at the academy site and a black dot above them that is rapidly approaching him. When the dot comes close enough, Vitaly realizes that it is Ms, but now blood is flowing from his eyes, nose and ears.

Ms "sobbing, talking in a frenzy": Sorry, sorry, sorry. I didn't know it would be like this. He told me he'd set you free, I didn't know ,I didn't know

, I didn't know, I didn't know. "At this moment, black tentacles break out from under the MK and drag it into the dark hole"

Vitaly shudders from the shock of everything that is happening and falls to his knees. Much later, he will add up all the hints and realize that some powerful dark entity has offered the MC a contract for his release. He realizes that he wasn't really at fault in that situation, there wasn't much he could have done. But a heartbreaking sense of guilt will forever settle in his heart.

Of course, in this imaginary scenario, there are a number of assumptions, for example, I do not know if Vitaly wants to escape, if I got at least partially into his character, if there is a forest edge in that academy, and much more. But my imagination persists in painting such a picture.

Ah, your questions always get me thinking! They’re so much fun to answer, so thank you for sending this in!

1. It’s been so much fun to read/see people’s reactions to the revenant. I totally see what you mean about a particularly bull headed salesman! I had a laugh imagining him trying to pawn off crappy used cars to people lmao. 

2. Haha, thanks! Growing up I had a pet clam named Clammy and people had similar reactions lol. 

3. Interactions with Deathe will be coming up in the next chapter, and his relationship/how he met Carmine will be explained as it affects the plot of the original novel quite a bit. You can choose to sign a contract with him, and he will give the MC powers in accordance with that contract. And yes, he is a god (elder god, to be precise) and as the story progresses you can build up a relationship with him. On the topic of rituals, there’s some in-universe debate over this but you will be able to ask him yourself in the next chapter! Also, his manipulation over time is a pretty overarching spoiler so I can’t say anything yet - sorry!

4. The MC can absolutely manipulate Vitalius/Astasus by pretending to be the meek girl Carmine used to be. There’s a few ways I plan to take this, so I hope you’ll enjoy it! Also, I feel like you really understood him well! I really enjoyed reading that!

Thank you so much for your ask!

[dylinski]

Magnetism

Warnings: SMUT! bondage (but barely), language, violence, kind of dom tommy (but y/n is a brat so it doesnt last long), angst (obviously)

Relationships: Thomas/Reader

Word Count: 7.5K

Author: @dylinski​

A/N: Here’s my fic for day 4 of tomuary!!!! if i get them finished, i plan on posting two more but we’ll see how that goes. lol hope ya’ll enjoy and let me know what you think please. i’m really unsure about writing smut and idk if this is any good, so if i shouldn’t write anymore it would be nice to know. lol

There’s something about running for your life and fighting against all odds to survive that make a person reevaluate their life, but with Y/N, that’s not the case. Being in the scorch with a bunch of boys wasn’t much different from the glade, so what was there to consider? She knew who her friends and her enemies were and that’s all she needed to know in order to survive in this world. If Thomas had just listened to her when she said not to trust Teresa, more of them would be alive, but him not believing anything Y/N says is to be expected. Since the moment he came up and out of the box, something repellant between them switched on. The only proper way to describe it is when you try to force two poles of a magnet together with the same polar direction.

Fighting their way out of the maze, through the scorch, and now in this abandoned town lets a person see a lot of death and Y/N was tired of it. If that meant trying to convince Thomas that running around and attacking WCKD at random to find Minho, risking other’s lives, was a bad idea then she was willing to take all the blame. They were so close to paradise and they had saved so many souls already. At least Vince agreed, having one person on her side is nice.

There was another meeting, discussing all the usual topics, but Thomas seemed more pissed off than usual, which is saying something as of late. He’s been nothing but a pissy bitch since the search for his raven-haired friend had turned sour and unwilling. The meeting was held in a moderate-sized room, big enough to hold the handful of people permitted. Thomas was leaning on both hands over a table with Newt at his hip, what a surprise. They were combing over a map with Vince and Jorge, arguing about a last city or something. Y/N was sitting in the corner, rolling her eyes at practically every other word, a sad image of men and boys arguing over nonsense around the circular table. 

Newt would look up every once in a while and give her a sympathetic smile to let her know she wasn’t forgotten in the exchange of emotions and words. She liked Newt, he had always been kind to her when most of the other boys treated her like she was fragile and delicate in the maze. He never doubted her or underestimated her abilities despite what was between her legs, well, until that little shit popped up and out of the ground. Motherfucking Thomas, the angel, the savior, the one who will lead us to paradise. Yeah right, more like the one who will lead everyone to their preventable deaths.

“Look! He was there, okay? I know it. Minho was there!” The vein in Thomas’ neck was protruding and defined from the strain he was putting on his words. He was desperate. “We grabbed the wrong container!”

“Thomas, there was a 50/50 chance and we made a choice of which one to grab. Not to mention the odds of him being in either train car, to begin with, were small.” Vince was calm and collected, he always managed to keep a cool head.

“Yeah, but he was there! If I had just..” Thomas was quieter now, but no less desperate.

“You didn’t pick the wrong one, Mate. We saved at least 100 people from WCKD today. I wouldn’t call that a failure. We didn’t find Minho, but I have faith we will. He’s still out there, I know it.” Newt looked up at Y/N when he finished, and she couldn’t help to give a forced smile. Leave it to him to be the voice of reason, but also the one to egg on the bumbling buffoon everyone seems to eagerly place their faith in.

“Newt, I get that, but he was there, he was right there! If we hadn’t been so pressed for time I could have-”

Y/N jumped up, utterly pissed at this point and tired of hearing these idiots run round and round in the same circles. “You could have what, Thomas? You could have picked the ‘right’ container? Hmm? Why don’t you go tell that to Sonya? Or Aris? I’m sure they’d love to hear that you saving their lives, along with everyone else in that box, wasn’t your goal and you’d gladly trade them for the single life of Minho.”

Everyone in the room fell silent and it was filled with the light of the moon shining through the missing part of the ceiling. The flames from the lanterns danced on everyone’s shocked faces. Y/N was never one to prance around the daisies when it came to stating the obvious. Thomas looked almost ashamed and it was honestly annoying. She was tired of his pitiful ’I didn’t ask for this’ routine.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Despite the guilt that raged in his stomach, he used it to fuel his anger towards Y/N, which was to be expected. He took most of his negative emotions out on her, his own personal punching bag, but he could never land any punches because she honestly couldn’t care less. She rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, shooting knives at him and his nostrils flared under her eyes. An unknowing battle of spiteful gazes between them.

“Well, as entertaining as it is to watch you two practically have hate-sex with each other, we need to discuss our options.” Jorge obviously chose his words to jolt the two out of their staring contest and it worked. They both made faces like they had tasted something sour, scrunching their noses at the idea of actually wanting each other. Well, I mean, it’s not the first time Y/N had thought of it, but just because he had the body that could rival a god doesn’t mean she was ignorant of his pea-sized brain.

“There’s nothing to discuss. We’re not risking anyone’s lives to go to the last city, if it’s even real.” Y/N couldn’t help but sights the relief of Vince seeing reason.

“I’ve heard things over the years, that it was a last resort for WCKD, their place of operations. I’ve never managed to make it that far north, but it’s one of the safe heavens that were put into place when things went to shit.” Y/N huffed in annoyance, thanks, Jorge. Great job at giving the little shit ideas.

“Look, we could make it there with a small team in a week and then be back with Minho in no time.”

“No, Thomas. I’m not risking any more lives to save one person. This is a suicide mission. If it’s anything Jorge says it is, the city will be a fortress. Not to mention the road to get there, riddled with the infected. We don’t have the people or the resources to take on a fight like that.” Vince was tired of arguing with him, so he was standing his ground and that would be the end of it. Thomas may have been the leader in the glade and the scorch, but here he was allowed the privilege to have a say by Vince.

“I don’t need an army, just two or three-”

“Thomas, no!” Vince was done with these petty arguments and put his foot down. “The ship is almost done. We’ll be ready to sail in less than a week. There are casualties in war, and in this world, the life of one doesn’t out way the lives of the many. We’re not going and that’s final.”

Thomas grunted and threw his arms up in rebellion, stomping off to brood somewhere by himself. 

Y/N couldn’t help the small smile of satisfaction that crept onto her face from seeing him so pissed off. She strode over to where Newt was standing and crossed her arms, leaning her back against the table to face him.

“He’s hurting you know? He blames himself. He blames himself for everything honestly.” The smile melted away just as easily as it appeared. There goes Newt, always defending his puppy.

“He should! I told him not to trust Teresa!” Newt let a small shudder roll over his body at her name and Y/N couldn’t help but feel empathy and guilt for mentioning it.

“We all trusted her, except for you, of course. You never let us forget it, but we had no reason not to. She helped us, she helped Thomas. Maybe you were just jeal-”

“For the love of God, Newt, if you say I was jealous, I’ll break your other leg.” He chuckled at the threat, knowing it was empty and mostly a joke. It made her smile a bit, seeing him smile and laugh. He was always like a brother to her and she missed seeing him so happy. A lot of them haven’t been able to feel that way for a while now. Not since Thomas showed up and shucked it all up, anyway. 

“He understands why you hate him.” Y/N was caught off guard, lost in her own head when Newt broke through.

“I don’t hate him, I just…” There wasn’t really a word for it. It was like Thomas was made specifically to boil the blood in her veins and ignite a fire in her stomach that was begging to rage. He knew exactly how to get under her skin and press her buttons, and most of the time he wasn’t even trying.

“You two are a lot alike actually.” Newt let out a chuckle and ignored the hard stare directed at him. “You’re both stubborn as bulls, reckless too. Jumping into things without thinking clearly. You’re guided by emotion rather than logic, but there’s nothing wrong with that.” He turned his head to face his friend and curled up the corner of his lip. “Go get some sleep, we’ve all had a long day.” Newt patted her shoulder and limped off, leaving her alone in the room that now felt huge.

Y/N wasn’t really that tired, so she decided to go around to her favorite spot by the water that she found when they first arrived. The way the moonlight danced on the water in the darkness created the illusion of twinkling lights and reminded her of looking up into the sky in the glade. She hopped down from the ledge onto the sand and trotted through the thick and moist beach towards the large rock that always managed to be warm despite the sun. When it finally came into view, she halted in her tracks.

Of course, Thomas would fucking be there, laying on her rock in her secret spot. A low grumble resonates in her chest as she clenched her fist and stomped towards him. He heard and sat up hazily, having been lost in the limbo of sleep and consciousness.

“What? Who’s...oh. It’s you.” He laid back down, resting his head on his arms that were raised over his head.

“That’s my spot.” Y/N spoke through gritted teeth and clenched fists, trying not to punch him.

He lifted his head slightly and opened one eye, looking Y/N over and then let his head fall back down. “I don’t see your name on it.”

Y/N’s jaw went slack as she let out a small whine of protest, which seemed to put a shit-eating grin on Thomas’ face. Despite being pissed as hell, she couldn’t deny that his smile, with the crescent eyes and the way the moon illuminated his face, was...beautiful. No. No no no no. She’s mad and he’s an annoying little shit that gets everybody hurt or killed. Okay, good. She couldn’t stand the thought of actually being attracted to him.

“You know, Newt says-” Thomas was cut off by her.

“Newt says a lot of things.” Despite being so close to him, Y/N still couldn’t help but feel the rise of annoyance as she rolled her eyes.

Thomas sat up on his elbows and looked over at Y/N. The way he looked at her, and the light of the night with the waves crashing, for some reason it made her feel vulnerable. She moved her arms that were crossed on her chest down to wrap around her stomach. Thomas tilted his head in the most quizzical of ways like he was trying to decipher her. She was a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve, but so terribly wanted to. 

Tired of being gawked at, Y/N took the few steps between them and leaned against the large boulder, her back mostly facing Thomas. She looked up to the sky that was mostly black and empty and let out a sad sigh. She missed the stars, but since they left the maze they seemed to have all died out.

“I know, I miss them too.” Y/N shot a look over her shoulder at Thomas who was looking up. She couldn’t help but linger her gaze on him, he looked so...broken. He must have felt her stare because the muscles in his arms flexed under his weight as he shifted uncomfortably. His jaw clenched, but he still kept looking up, searching for something they both knew he’d never find.

“Why do you want to save Minho so bad?” He broke his lock on the sky and looked at her like it was the stupidest of questions, which it was. “I mean, I know why, but he’s probably dead. We haven’t heard anything about him in months and-”

“He’s alive.” Thomas laid himself back down flat against the rock. “I know it, I can feel it in my gut.” He spoke like it was the truth, something factual rather than the simple feeling that it really was.

“Yeah, but what if he’s not? Are you willing to risk our lives, your life, for someone who may not even be alive?”

He sat up fully and his eyes were dark and full of emotions she couldn’t quite decode. His posture changed to confidence and purpose. “Minho would do it for me.” He looked out to the ocean and crossed his legs, letting his elbows rest on them, placing his cheeks between his hands.

Y/N couldn’t argue with him there. She had known Minho longer than Thomas, and if there was one thing he’d never do, it would be leaving a friend behind. Thomas scooted over and patted the hard surface next to him. She examined the spot and looked up to him, questioningly. He gave her a small smile and she climbed up next to him. There was silence between them, not having much to say, as they shared the space and took in the sea and its illusion of stars.

“I’m going,” Thomas spoke softly as he continued to stare out at the water. They could hear the waves lapping against the stone as his words echoed. Y/N wasn’t entirely sure what he meant. Was he going now? Going to sleep? He looked up and his lips turned down, eyes full of sadness and it hit her. He was going to the last city, alone.

“What!? You can't go! Did you not hear Vince? It’s a suicide mission!” Y/N surprised both of them at her exasperation to get Thomas to stay. I mean, sure she didn’t like the guy, but it’s not like she wanted him dead.

He looked at her and pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. “I don’t care. I have to at least try.” The look in his eyes was pitiful and unrelenting. The decision was made, and once he made his mind up on something, there was no use arguing with him.

“If you want to die, that’s fine, I won’t be a part of it.” Y/N hopped down from the rock and started to walk away hurriedly. “But I’m telling Vince.” 

Thomas’ eyes grew wide and he jumped from the rock and chased after her. “No! You can't say anything!” He grabbed her arm and she reactively spun around, landing a solid punch in his gut. Thomas grabbed his stomach and took a step back, grunting in pain. She rolled her eyes and turned to continue walking when Thomas ran up behind her and tackled her to the ground.

“What the fuck, Thomas!?” She struggled but managed to spin around, her back to the sand and Thomas hovering over top her, caging her in with his arms as they held her wrists down over her head.

“I can't let you tell anyone before I leave!” His hot breaths were huffing into her face, a contrast to the cold breeze that had chilled the air.

Y/N looked up at him in frustration and confusion, but mostly at herself. Her eyes flitted down to his lips for the slightest of seconds, but she had to throw those thoughts from her mind. Sorry, Thomas. She slammed her head up into the boy’s nose and he let out a shout as he flew back, grabbing his face and releasing his grip on her arms. She wiggled out from under him and stood up to keep going, but a hand wrapped around her ankle and she face-planted into the hard earth and let out a groan, rubbing the sore spot on her head.

Thomas climbed up on top of her, straddling her waist from behind. He held her wrists to her side this time, avoiding the possibility of her bucking her head back and hitting him in the face again. She writhed underneath him and fought as best she could, but he was stronger than her. It didn’t help that he had the advantage either.

“Are you jacked!? Let me go you little shuckface!” She let out screeches and shouts as she struggled, but it was no use. She gave up and relaxed under him. “Well, you can't hold me down forever! What’s your plan here slinthead?”

Thomas didn’t reply, obviously trying to make this shit up as he went along. He pinned her arms behind her back and stood up, making a grunting noise as he pulled her up with him. “Oh, now he’s the quiet brooding type. Couldn’t get you to shut up for the life of me in the glade, but now you got nothing to say?”

“Shut up.” He grunted through his teeth as he pushed Y/N forward a bit, jerking her around as they walked. He still had her arm pinned behind her back and it was getting kind of painful now.

“Where are you taking me? Are you gonna kill me? Didn’t think you’d have the balls. Well, actually with all the people you’ve killed over the last year, it probably won’t be that hard.” Thomas threw Y/N up against the wall of one of the buildings as they passed through the camp and her head bounced off, now throbbing in two places. She slammed her eyes shut and grabbed the back of her skull as Thomas slammed his hands into the wall on either side of her face. His body was pressing into hers and she could feel every muscle tense as he gritted his teeth and flared his nostrils.

Their faces were inches apart as he growled at her. “I’m getting fucking tired of you reminding me how many mistakes I’ve made!” She has seen him angry like this before, and it was intense, but to have it directed at her, if she was less of a stubborn mule, she probably would have klunked her pants. Thomas was like a raging sea when he was truly angry, everything in his path swallowed up and demolished. He had so much anger, so much hate towards WCKD and himself that when he reached a tipping point it would all spill out like an erupting volcano, and Y/N just happened to be in his path.

“You walk around, talking shit about me to everyone and I can’t take it anymore! You think I don’t carry those people with me, that I don’t know the lives I’ve cost!? I didn’t want any of this! I never asked for it. I didn’t want to be the leader! That’s Minho’s job, but for some God-forsaken reason, everyone but you thinks I’m some savior. I just want to save my friends! I just want to get as far from WCKD and this fucking place as I can! The last thing I need is you reminding me how royally I’ve screwed up every five seconds!” He pulled her off the wall, she was mostly shell shocked from his burst of fury. He gripped her bicep tight enough to leave a bruise as he guided her further through the camp. “But first, I’m getting Minho.”

They traveled the rest of the way in silence which was preferred by Thomas since he was trying not to wake up anyone anyways. They made it to the small building that Thomas had claimed as his own and he shut the door behind them. He pushed Y/N down forcefully on his excuse for a bed and she sat there, still and silent. Thomas paced and ran his fingers through his hair as his mind raced a million miles a minute.

Y/N gulped and wasn’t entirely sure what to say to keep him from exploding again. It wasn’t that she feared he would hurt her, she knew he wouldn’t, but she feared to see him like this. Seeing him like a rabid dog biting at the ankles of anyone who caught his eye. Thomas grabbed a shirt from the floor and ripped off a piece and grabbed her arm, pulling her up the bed.

“Are you serious? You’re tying me up?” Thomas glared at her and then proceeded to tie her wrist to the post of the bed. “Kinky.” Her words were meant to antagonize him, and it worked as he visibly clenched his jaw in vexation. He got up and started to walk around the room when Y/N cleared her throat and waved her hand at Thomas. “Well you’re not very bright, are you?” He looked at her with bewilderment and she rolled her eyes. “My other hand. What’s to stop me from untying your sad excuse for a knot?” Thomas growled under his breath, mostly at himself for not thinking about that possibility. He ripped off another strip of cloth and tied her other wrist to the opposite bedpost.

She wasn’t entirely sure why she was helping him, but she was starting to find this entertaining. Seeing him sputter around in an attempt to get himself killed and digging himself into a deeper hole. Y/N watched him with enjoyment as she crossed her ankles and relaxed against the headboard. He was scurrying around the room like a squirrel, trying to find things and stuffing them into a bag.

“So you’re just gonna leave me tied up when you leave until someone finds me, huh?” Thomas looked over his shoulder and huffed as he continued to rummage through his belongings. “Don’t forget your jacket, might get a little chilly.” He stood up from where he was squatting and threw his bag down hard on the ground and curled in his lips with impatience.

“Keep talking and I’ll gag you!” 

“Ooo, promise?” Thomas shot daggers as he glinted his eyes and growled. Y/N just smiled and wiggled her head in triumph. “If you wanted to get me into bed, all you had to do was ask.” Thomas rolled his eyes and turned to keep packing. She was getting bored of the silence and made an attempt to rile him up again.

 “Some of the boys in the glade used to talk, you know?” Thomas ignored her as she rambled on. “Apparently you weren’t very quiet when you used to, you know?” Thomas turned to her with curiosity. Since her hands were, tied she couldn’t make the motion, so she thrust her hips up twice, but he got the idea. His eyes went wide and he froze in place. Y/N couldn’t help but laugh at his discomfort. “I overheard Jeff telling Zart about how they accidentally saw you in the woods rubbing one out and when you came you said my na-”

“SHUT UP!” Thomas grabbed what was left of the shirt from the end of the bed and shoved it into Y/N’s mouth. She just laughed through the fabric, her enjoyment muted. His cheeks were so pink that they looked like they were hot to the touch and it was almost adorable how flustered and embarrassed he looked. He was sitting on the side of the bed, his back mostly facing Y/N and his head hanging low in shame.

Finally, his cheeks turned from pink to red and he looked to her as he stood. “Well, what do you expect with you prancing around the glade in those short shorts and spaghetti-strap shirts!?” Y/N’s face went from amused to resentful. She tried defending herself through the cloth but all that came out was stifled noise. Thomas threw his arms up and huffed in annoyance, then grabbed the shirt from her mouth.

“I said, you fucking misogynist, that it was fucking hot out while I was working, unlike you who avoided his duties like the plague! Besides, how is it fair for you to fucking say shit like that about me when you paraded yourself around in those pants that clung to your ass while you were shirtless? Do you think I liked staring at your abs as sweat rolled down them?” Both of them were stunned into silence, Y/N realizing what she said and Thomas just amazed that she even thought about him like that. 

They both stared at each other, Y/N turning flushed and Thomas trying to hold back his smile. “Shut up!” She pushed her leg out to the side as she kicked him as hard as she could in the leg. He shouted at the impact and bent over to grab the spot that now throbbed.

“You’re such a violent little shit!” He hollered at her, referring to their brawl earlier.

“Yeah? Imagine me in bed.” Her words were sultry and aimed at being intimidating, but Thomas just smiled the most devilish grin. 

“I already have.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and blushed as she turned her head against her shoulder in the opposite direction of Thomas in protest. After a moment she looked back since he was so quiet and he was still standing there, looking at her with hunger and gnawing on his bottom lip. She narrowed her eyes and couldn’t help but look down and noticed the bulge in his pants. Her eyes went wide and she gasped as she went to kick him again. He yelped and swatted her foot away. “What the fuck, Thomas?”

“What!? You’re the one who said to imagine you in bed!”

“Jesus fucking Christ, you’re such a whore!” Thomas had a smile of amusement at being called a whore like it was a funny joke. Y/N just huffed and turned her eyes up in annoyance. 

“C’mon, you haven’t thought about me?” Thomas sat on the edge of the bed, keeping distance between them in case she wanted to kick or headbutt him again.

“God no!” Her words were firm and strong, but she was betrayed by her face. His lips went dry at the lie and she licked them unknowingly as her eyes darted to his. She blushed and looked away quickly to avoid any further incrimination, but Thomas grabbed her chin and turned her back to face him. His face was so close to hers now, them only needing to whisper to communicate.

“Tell me, what did you imagine? Do you think about my thick cock while you had your fingers inside yourself?” She shuddered at his words and her mouth was like a desert, begging for water. Her lips were parted and she couldn’t gain control of her tongue as she searched his eyes, full of need and hidden desire. He licked her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue and a chill coursed through her. He pulled away and her face followed, but was she restrained by the ties on her wrists. She let out a small whine at the loss of his mouth. Thomas bit his lip and chuckled. “If that’s how your lips taste, I bet the rest of you tastes just as amazing.” His hand rested on her bare calf and trailed its way up her leg until it reached her thigh where the hem of her shorts began.

Her hot, panting breaths were mixed with his, their lips nearly touching. She wanted desperately to close the minuscule distance between them, but couldn’t make her body move, frozen under his touch. Thomas went in, but just before their lips connected he tilted his head and collided his mouth with her neck. She let out a gasp at the sudden feeling of his warm lips against her chilled flesh. He kissed and sucked at the spot just below her jaw as she leaned back, giving him more access. He worked his way down to the pulse in her neck and bit down, then licked over it to alleviate the red marks. The mix of pain and pleasure, hot and cold, had her rubbing her thighs together in search of friction. Y/N let out a small moan into Thomas’s ear and his hand made its way further up her leg. He continued to lick and nip at her neck, leaving marks and right before his hand reached her core he pulled away.

Y/N let out a whine of protest at the loss of his warmth as he stood up and started to walk away. She was finally able to find her voice, but just barely. She croaked out in a pant, “You can’t just do that.”

“Can’t I?” A smile crossed his lips and the asshole had the nerve to wink. She pouted and huffed in retaliation and Thomas was now standing at the end of the bed, his legs touching the mattress, directly vertical to her. “I’m not going to just give you what you want. You have to work for it, Princess.” Y/N’s eyes went wide, seeing him like this, so domineering. The last thing she ever expected was for him to be authoritative in bed, let alone letting herself be subdued by him.

Thomas was such an arrogant little shit, he got into crevices that she didn’t even know she had. Working his way through her walls and made her squirm. She tugged at the cloth around her wrists, digging into her flesh and creating a pleasurable sting, wishing she could jump on him. She’s not entirely sure if her desire is to jump his bones or beat his ass though. He laughs and leans over her feet, placing his hands on the mattress. “Come on, baby girl, beg.” He took his time saying the last word, allowing the ‘g’ to bounce off his tongue.

“I don’t fucking beg!” Y/N spit at Thomas and the wet hit his chin. He grinned and stood up as he wiped it from his face with his finger, then placed it in his mouth. He sucked on it and let it out with a pop. Even if her tongue wouldn’t beg, her eyes sure did. “Fucking Christ…” she mumbled under her breath, but he still heard and chuckled.

Thomas places his hands on her ankles and slowly slid them up the length of her legs, maintaining eye contact. He placed his knees on the bed and was straddling the lower part of her body. When his fingers reached the waist of her pants, he curled his fingers into the band and looked her in the eyes. His digits against her flesh were thrilling and like fire coursing to her core. He searched her eyes for protest, but Y/N bit her lip and gave him the slightest nod. He smirked and looked down as he dragged the clothing off her hips. The tug pulled her down slightly, now resting on her tailbone instead of her ass. He pulled her shorts all the way off with her shoes and let them drop to the floor.

Y/N crossed her legs, feeling vulnerable, but Thomas leaned in and forced them apart by her knees. She dragged her legs up, placing her feet flat on the bed as Thomas’ fingers trailed up her thighs, leaving a trail of fire. He leaned down, his heat breaths against the inside of her legs. He kissed and licked at the warm skin and left bruising marks as he sucked into it. His mouth made its way up painfully slow to her sex when he blew cold air across it. A shiver radiated up her spine and left her feeling dizzy at the mix of everything.

Thomas kept licking and sucking everywhere around her core, the place where she so desperately wanted him to be. Her hips bucked up uncontrollably whenever he got agonizingly close, but he would always move away. “Thomas..” His name was breathy and needy, a plea for him to stop being such a tease. He moaned at the sound of his name on her lips and it reverberated through her skin as he continued to kiss and she felt it in her core. The stimulation causing her to whine. 

“Tell me what you want, Princess.” His words vibrated against her flesh as he refused to release his lips. 

Y/N let out a couple hearty breaths when she finally panted out, “Fuck me with your tongue, you prick!”

Thomas dove into her core without hesitation and the sound that came from her was somewhere between a screech and a gasp. His tongue lapped up around her entrance, licking up all the wetness he caused. He hummed at the taste and it sent shivers through her body and down to her toes. “God, you’re so fucking wet.” He licked a stripe up to her clit and clamped his lips around the nub as he sucked hard. The pressure around it was inciting, but then he started to flick his tongue across the bundle of nerves. The two sensations mixing together sent a warm thrill down to her bones as her back arched up slightly. 

The noises coming from Y/N were a mix of moans and gasps as his tongue worked on her fervently. He let go of her clit and replaced it with the pad of his finger, rubbing circles into it. He traced the ring of her entrance with the tip of his tongue until her hips bucked up and he penetrated, just like she had said she wanted him to. He thrust his tongue in and out, drinking up the dampness she was producing for him. “So wet. Taste’s so good.” The words vibrated through her core and a deep long moan was released. 

“Fi..fingers.” She struggled to get the word out, but Thomas knew what she needed. He placed his mouth around her nub again, sucking and flicking while his finger traced the place his tongue had been. He looked up at her through his eyelashes and watched as she writhed under his torment. She looked down at him and whined, so he gave in and pushed a finger inside her. He slowly pumped it in and out as she let out soundless gasps. He wiggled his finger, stretching her out and slid a second one in. He pumped as he sucked at her clit and her moans were constant now. Her body, unable to keep still, was beyond her control and fully reacting to everything that Thomas was doing.

He scissored his digits, widening her for his cock. “Are you gonna come on my fingers, baby?”

“Mhmmm” That was all Y/N could manage with all the sensations she was feeling. That fire building in her stomach was overflowing and begging to spill out. She was such a wreck that she felt like she was being torn apart. Thomas curled his fingers and pumped them vigorously as he kept his mouth to her bundle of nerves and hit that spot that triggered everything. His digits brushed across it once, twice, three times, and then the coil broke.

Thomas watched as Y/N let out a silent scream and threw her head back. He smiled at his victory and hummed around her clit, causing her body to spasm through her orgasm. He licked around his fingers, taking in all she had to offer. Pulling his fingers from her, she went limp on the bed, panting with her eyes shut and her wrists red from tugging at the ties around them. He licked his digits, eating up everything he could and couldn’t help but be smug at how well he unraveled her. “Oh, I’m not done with you yet babygirl. If I made you come that good on my fingers, I can’t wait to see you on my cock.” 

Thomas started to rub the all too obvious tenting in his pants and Y/N opened her eyes, panting, and looked at him in awe. He pulled off his shirt and, dear God those abs and his chest. He wasn’t chiseled or defined, but you could still see the muscles easily. There was a patch of hair between his pecs that spread down and across to his nipples that were hard pebbles. Y/N licked her lips as she thought about running her tongue across them. Her eyes found the thick brush of hair just below his belly button that led down to the band of his pants that hung low on his hips, showing off the ‘v’ that disappeared into his waistband. 

Y/N gulped as she rubbed her thighs together, becoming aroused again just by the sight of the man. He reached a hand down his pants and started rubbing, as she poked his legs with her foot. “Take. Them. Off.” Thomas smiled and did as he was told. His pants fell around his ankles as he stepped out, kicking off his boots. He pumped his cock, the flesh around his swollen head begging to be tasted.

He crawled onto the bed, his heavy dick hanging between his legs as he hovered over Y/N. She was licking her lips so much they were bound to become chapped. He laid his body on top of her, his cock resting against her pelvis. He reached a hand under her top, pulling the hem up to reveal her breast. The rough pad of his thumb brushed over the sensitive and raised peak, making her close her eyes. She let out a hot breath and Thomas took advantage of her open mouth. He plunged his tongue between her lips and swirled it around, filling her with her own taste.

Their lips smacked against each other, creating a dance of tongues filled with moans and whines. Thomas released her mouth and trailed suckling kisses across her jaw and down her neck until he reached her nipple. He took it into his mouth and thrust his hips forward, rubbing his shaft against Y/N’s all too sensitive clit. She shuddered and met his hips as she bucked up against him. He let out a deep groan at the friction he’d been craving so frustratingly and lightly bit down on the flesh next to her nipple in response.

“Untie. Me. Now.” Y/N huffed, trying to keep herself coherent enough to speak.

“Not yet.” Thomas purred into her ear and licked a long stripe from her jaw up to behind her ear that left chills on her skin as the cold air hit the wetness. She grunted in revolt at not being untied but was distracted as Thomas thrust his hips up again and she let out a hitched breath. He zoned in his focus on her nipple, sucking and nibbling until Y/N was writhing beneath him.

Thomas started to kiss her passionately in a chaos of lips, teeth, tongues, and saliva as he lifted his hand not preoccupied with her nipple to untie the fabric around her left wrist. She pulled her arm away at the freedom and immediately wove her fingers through his hair. He gave her other nipple equal attention when he switched hands to release her other wrist. It went for his ass without hesitation. She drew her leg up over his thigh as her fingers dig into the flesh on his behind. He moaned into her mouth at the feeling of her touch, not realizing how sorely he needed it.

His hips bucked up against her core rhythmically now as they deepened their kiss in a flutter of groping and tugging of flesh. “Fuck me.” Y/N spoke into his mouth and Thomas growled in response. He leaned up, pulled her shirt over her head and lined his cock up with her cunt. His head and shaft were already slick with her wetness from gliding across her core. He pressed the tip against the entrance and slowly pushed the head in. Y/N let out a moan as she felt him move deeper inside her, inch by agonizing inch. Halfway, he easily slid in until he bottomed out.

He kept still, taking in her heat around him and allowing her to adjust to his size. She whined when he was still for too long and the look in her eyes was all the answer he needed. He hiked her leg over his hip for a better angle and slowly pulled out until she was almost empty. He slowly pushed back in until their pelvis’ met again. He repeated this excruciating movement until she couldn’t take it anymore. She gripped the back of his head, intertwining her fingers in his hair and pulled his face to her. She kissed him hard and pulled on his lip with her teeth letting it bounce back with a plop. He let out a rumble in his chest and thrust into her hard. A small yelp escaped her chest and she dug her other hand into his shoulder. “Fuck.”

Thomas pulled out slow again, but rammed into her hard. He did this a few more times until he couldn’t take it anymore himself. He started to quicken his pace and Y/N’s head fell back as she clung to him. Her moans and grunts unrelenting, littered with profanities and his name, egging him on. “Oh fuck.” She forced out her words with each breath as he pushed into her like there was no room for them with him inside.

“Fuck, baby girl. You feel so fucking good.” Thomas let his head fall into the crevice of her neck as he pulled her other leg over his hip, the heels of her feet digging into the bottom of his ass. He mercilessly thrust into her, over and over, moving the bed along with them and they were both practically screaming now. “Christ, princess you’re so tight.”

Y/N couldn’t answer, her mind too wired and out of control, just like her body. She let out noises she couldn’t decipher and felt that heat in her abdomen start to boil like a hot white flame. They were both covered in sheens of sweat, and she watched as a bead dripped down Thomas’ temple. The vein in his neck was defined and strained, pulsing visibly. “I’m so fucking close.”

Thomas reached down between them and started to vigorously rub circles on her clit, he shifted his pelvis and with his next thrust hit her g-spot perfectly. “Holy..” She gasped out as the build-up reached its peak, the split moment of feeling lighter than air, her stomach jumping. “FUCK.” Her dams burst and she let out a long and gruff breath, exhaling hard as she came around his thick cock, her eyes and head rolling back.

Thomas could feel her clenching around him and the hot pressure sent him over the edge as he came inside her, letting hot spurts coat her walls. He took his fingers from her clit and wrapped his hand around the base of his cock as he milked out every last bit of his orgasm into Y/N. He collapsed down onto her, their bodies a mess of sweat, saliva, and come. They both panted and sighed as they let their bodies catch up to the moment, exhausted from what just happened.

Thomas got up and grabbed a cloth, dousing it in water, then cleaning up the mixture of come from Y/N. He cleaned off his limp cock and let it drop to hang between his thighs. He laid back down in the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her as she curled up next to him. He reached over and played with the ends of her hair, examining her face. “I’m still leaving, you know.”

Y/N laid flat on her back and sighed. “I know.” She turned back into his side and looked up from his chest. “Let’s go get Minho, together.”

Taglist: @xoprincessmel​ @bitch-banshee​ @parker-potter​ @writingsbychlo​ @lettersofwrittencollective​ @fan-child​ @moongoddesskiana​

[donnerpartyofone]

how do i tell someone

that i will never talk on the phone with them, ever, in the course of our entire relationship, unless there is a legitimate crisis of their mental and physical safety?

now is probably the main time of my life when i need this skill. i should have saved all of my notepads, from the era where i was talking on the phone more, to demonstrate to people that even when i’m going to have a conversation with someone i feel very close to, i need to write down talking points ahead of time, for everything i might say to this person, in case i just spaz out and become totally paralyzed due to the pressures of performing on the telephone. today, i still have to get kind of drunk to handle the pressures of the phone, almost no matter what time of day the call is, or who it’s with, which is not good. maybe i could just send pictures of the bottles/cans/glasses that were required for the call, to get the point across. but, all that said: in reality, my aversion to the phone is just a symptom of my greater social aversion, which is a much harder thing to communicate to people who you want in your life. this morning i am thinking of a friend i love and don’t want to lose, but whose every text or email racks me with nervous electrical shocks, because i know that it is going to involve SO MUCH MORE than just saying hi, even if there is no central topic like a major life change or a request for advice or some similar guideline that helps me along. i can’t ever just send this friend a note or a picture they would like, just to say “thinking of you, hope you’re good!”, because it instantly provokes like 50 questions plus some kind of homework assignment (e.g. explaining that i don’t make everything on my blog, or finding out a bunch of background trivia about a meme i sent and where it came from originally because they “need” to know about it now), in addition to an attempt to schedule a call or a hangout. they are genuinely a pretty intense person, so it takes extra effort on my part to remind myself that at least half the problem is with me--that it’s not abnormal for people to want to spontaneously check in with their friends, especially now, and moreover it IS somewhat abnormal to want to control the exact amount and type of attention that you receive from others and be the sole arbiter of when they get to talk to or look at you based on the rare conditions under which you can stand it. it kind of sucks that i can’t get this person, and persons like them, to just NOTICE after all these years that for the most part i only socialize in short and/or discreet spurts, and sometimes they need to let me send them a little token of my esteem, just for fun, without it exploding into a whole interrogation of our entire lives including scheduled calls and meetings. i do tell people explicitly that i’m an introvert, that even pleasant social contact exhausts me quickly, that i don’t like to be touched, etc, but the truth is that this rarely lands with anyone besides other introverts who already know exactly how i feel without an explanation or instructions. no matter what i say or do, i still have to put up with a whole lot of “awww, i know you said you don’t like to be touched but i’m just gonna hug you ok LOL that’s just me that’s just how i am oh well c’mere AAAAAAWWWWWW! (makes full-body contact with me including the face)”, because people who aren’t like me can’t imagine what it’s like to be like me, to the point that actually they don’t even believe me, they won’t even take me at my word about how i prefer to be treated, they think that SECRETLY all human beings like to be touched so when i say “don’t touch me” i really mean that i’m just too shy to ask to be bathed in the showers of hugs and kisses that my heart truly desires. people just trying to talk to me is a little harder to define as a problem, though, because who is supposed to automatically know when i’m ready to have a conversation and when i’m not? it’s too tiring and too complicated for me to just reassert my boundaries over and over again, so i usually just let people manipulate me into whatever amusement they think i owe them, if i can’t avoid them entirely for whatever reason. so in the spirit of all this, i’ve been sitting here giving my phone the hairy side-eye for as long as it took to type out this entire blog post about the text message i just received asking me to either call or have a socially-distanced hangout, because it’s much easier for me to spend 40 minutes producing pages of brooding self-analysis while my coffee gets cold (and i haven’t even gotten to the exciting topic of how my mother was so rejecting and withholding that it socialized me to make everybody prove that they’re worth my time!) than it is for me to either JUST CALL THE PERSON; say “sure i’ll call you next week” and then ghost the person; or find that mythological perfect way to say, “look, i love you, but i can’t call you. it’s too confusing and it makes me too nervous. i know it’s hard, but you can’t take this personally; it’s entirely about me. why don’t you email me when you get a chance and tell me what you’ve been up to, or else i’ll let you know when i feel comfortable traveling to your neighborhood or vice versa. hope you’re good!” another solution, as my worst shrink once suggested, is to somehow transform myself into a person who LOVES crowds and phone calls and parties and attention and constant platonic touching and rubbing. but like i’m 39 now and i don’t think 40 is going to be the year that i discover that evil alchemy. UGH.

[shyeehaw]

RDR - Awkward s/o

Request: Can you write some headcanons with Sean, Arthur, Kieran, Lenny, Javier, John, Charles and Dutch (hope that's not too much lol) having an awkward s/o?

Sean

Before meeting him, you thought no one would ever get you.

You were used to sympathy giggles, but Sean? He actually finds you funny!

And if you start laughing at inappropriate times, guess who will join you?

Also, sometimes you will just panic and start to giggle. Without any reason to.

“Y/N, when was the last time you made a donation to the box?”, Ms. Grimshaw asks.

And then you giggle, trying to hide it only makes it worse.

So Sean will save you, with his smoothness.

“Ms. Grimshaw! I was forgetting to give me share, but yer reminder is always on time! Let me tell ya how I got this and-“

There was this unspoken rule that everyone seemed to know about, but you.

It’s like at birth they got a book called “things not to do” and memorized it... You? You didn’t even know there was a book until it was too late.

Sean was not bothered by how you always seemed to have a quirky subject to talk about.

Or if your compliments sounded way weirder than they intended to.

“You have nice hands.”, you said once, admiring how slim and long were his fingers, but not actually explaining what made you think of that.

Karen snorted and even Uncle was puzzled by your weird ways.

But not Sean, he just gave you the biggest smile, happy to have anything complimented.

“Thanks! so do you, Y/N.”

You two make a pretty funny duo, you may say something awkward and Sean will turn into a joke.

And once he starts oversharing, telling the story of his life and mentioning his “da”, you do too!

Happy to have someone that will actually listen this time.

Arthur

“What a handsome man...”, you thought once you laid eyes on him.

That same night, around the fire, Arthur came to talk to you.

“It’s nice to meet you! I’m Y/N”, you said offering your hand for a handshake.

“I know... I was here last week remember?”, he said, laughing a bit.

“Oh! Yes! Right! I was only joking...”, you said, convincing a total amount of 0 (zero!) people.

But Arthur did not gave up on you, not on that occasion or in the many others that you were probably astonishing him with your oddness.

People may call you awkward, but to Arthur the things you do are unique.

And he loves your uniqueness.

It’s intriguing to him how differently you react than others.

He is a worried boyfriend, always protecting you from people’s mean reactions.

Won’t admit anyone making fun of you. And honestly? People will take one look at his frown and know better.

He will try to save the conversation when you ask him to help with your eyes.

In fact, you two now share a whole dialogue just with glances, it’s pretty handy.

You asked him to stop you before you can embarrass yourself.

But his soft spot for you makes it so hard to do so.

Kieran

It all started by observing Kieran, like a lion does to it’s prey.

You would watch him trying to bond with others and, usually, being unable to say the right things...

Ss you watched him do that, only one thought crossed your mind. “Yup! That’s me! I gotta talk to him!”

You would sit beside him and attempt to start a conversation.

“Hi, I’ve noticed you are uncomfortable around them...”, you said, looking for any response.

Getting none but a bug-eyed expression, you added: “I am too!”

Ever since you two started being a thing, it was much easier to say things without the fear of being judged.

Kieran even got a little bit more confident.

Together, you two make a pretty awkward couple, but at least you are not alone anymore.

Lenny

Lenny almost makes you forget about your social ineptitude.

You feel so insecure about it that you rarely try to interact with others and when you do...

You always end up saying the wrong things.

But Lenny doesn’t mind, he finds it cute even.

He will give you a confidence boost by saying that if people don’t get you is their loss

When you get stuck on your thoughts, brooding over why did you say such weird things, Lenny will gently bring you back to the present.

“They’ll probably forget about it, Y/N. It was not that bad.”

He has this magical way of always being able to comfort you.

Most of all, Lenny accepts you from who you are

Javier

You never know when people expect you to hug them or not.

So after a long trip, when Javier arrived at camp and waved, you got up and went for a big hug.

It’s safe to say he was not expecting it, given that you two only talked a few times.

When someone waves at you, it’s not expected to greet them back?

“I had no idea they were a thing.”, you heard Tilly whispering to Mary-Beth.

Oh no. What have you done?

But it was such a spontaneous hug, Javier didn’t mind. He was actually glad to be greeted like that.

You have no idea how, but it seemed that he actually liked you.

He said the first thing he noticed about you was your... odd fashion sense.

Javier admires you for your originality, you have no shame on being your weird self. He loves that.

Somehow, he asked you in a date. A fishing trip as an excuse to get out of camp. Just the two of you.

That means a lot of time alone, and much time to embarrassing things to happen.

Like falling in the water. Good thing you know how to laugh at yourself.

Well, it was not a date exactly, you found it out later. When you filled the silence with a kiss and he had a surprised look on his face.

“You are wild Y/N, I love that about you.”

He will shower you with compliments.

And how is one supposed to answer to that?

“Your smile, mi amor, és hermoso”

“I... uh. Thanks? I like to smile, so I’m glad you... like it?”

Ugh, way to ruin the mood.

But he founds it adorable, in fact, your guess is that he does that on purpose, just to see you all worked up about it.

His compliments are genuine, so after the initial awkwardness of receiving it, you feel pretty good about it.

John

John has that tough way of his, but deep down he is so head over heels about you. That tiny detail doesn’t bother him.

It seems like every time he’s around, embarrassing things are prone to happen.

That might be because you are nervous when John is watching you, which only leads to disastrous comments by you.

You thought it would be a good idea to tell him a joke, and oh god, he was so invested in it.

Halfway through you realized you didn’t know how it ended. No big deal, right? You just make up a new ending.

You could tell that his smile was forced, but you appreciated the effort.

“Look, Y/N, I ain’t gonna lie, you are very odd.”, he said, causing you to abandon all hope, “But I like you. Very much.”

It was the most sincere declaration, there was no walking around the fact that you were a bit of a social disaster.

Being in a relationship with John, took him time to get used to your weird conversation topics.

Like the time you helped Pearson chop vegetables, and he thanked you.

You were about to say “no problem” but it got mixed with “you’re welcome”.

It came out as “your problem”, you could swear you saw John shaking his head from where he was standing.

He loves you still, even when you say things that get him embarrassed on your behalf.

Charles

There are no awkward silences with Charles.

You know he appreciates not having small talks, so you don’t feel compelled to fill the silence with nonsense.

It’s much easier when the other person is not expecting to talk all the time. 

Charles is so calm and nice with you it almost makes you act like that as well. Almost. 

There’s no changing you from your clumsiness.

When you two were hunting together, Charles saved you from falling flat on your face after you tripped into a root. It could have been romantic if you hadn’t ruined the moment by commenting on how that always happened to you.

“No, not the part of being saved! That never happened before! I mean, why can’t I just walk without tripping on things? I’m sorry, I’m being a chatterbox, right? I’ve seen you talking to Uncle and I know you don't-“

“Y/N, it’s fine. I’m just glad you are alright.”

“I am... thanks to you.”, you said, measuring your words for once.

Charles has this thing which makes him like the role of protector. So a clumsy s/o is a perfect fit. 

He is not bothered at all by your peculiar interactions with others. 

Charles doesn’t feel the need to connect with the others. So if you find it embarrassing, he probably doesn’t think much of it, assuring you it’s fine.

You don’t mind getting teased, but you do hope people think twice before doing it in front of him.

He likes you for you, and awkwardness won’t change that.

Dutch

He is the closest thing you get of a “boss”.

So, of course, he makes you nervous!

When asked to come to his tent and listen about a job, you are unable to concentrate.

You have to remind yourself to maintain eye contact, or else you might seem rude.

“Get that, Y/N? It’s an easy in and out situation. No hostages.”

You nod, trying to recall a word he said before that.

“I’m terribly sorry Dutch. But I was trying to look you in the eye, and I focused so much in that... I didn’t heard a word you said.”

He appears surprised at first, probably no one dared to be this upfront with him before.

“Well, you do have nice eyes, Y/N”

INSTANT BLUSH!

You two orbit around each other, sharing glances that leave your legs feeling like butter.

You can’t describe how embarrassed you were when Dutch went to give you a hug and you offered a handshake.

He just laughed it off and asked what it would be.

It was such a simple gesture and yet made you feel much better.

He is a charmer, so he never fails to give you compliments.

“You look good today”

“Nice! Thanks!”

Let’s just establish that compliments make your awkwardness go through the roof. Like, what are you supposed to do?

Dating you is thrilling. At any time you can say something weird.

He admires how you don’t seem to have a filter, you just say whatever it feels right.

And honesty is a very important topic for Dutch.

Setting up a whole mood and taking you to Saint Denis on a date, Dutch professes his love for you.

It was too unexpected, a wave of feelings got ahold of you.

“I think I love you too”, was the only thing that you were able to say.

“You think?”, he said, raising his brow, “Then I’ll have to make you sure of it.”

It’s no secret that he loves to dance, his phonograph it’s the second thing he cherishes the most.

And you hate that damned thing because you have two left feet.

Your moves lack grace, and you can feel everyone looking at your poor excuse of a dance.

But it’s so worth it, to slowly sway along him.

He loves to dance with you, even if it means bruised feet the day after.

[chikkachu]

Hungry Days AU

Prompt: A breathy demand: “Kiss me” - and what the other person does to respond.

-x-

Zorona (Zoro x Perona) make-out scene incoming. I couldn’t resist. What can I say?  I do love writing steamy situations. I don’t know why I’m so captivated by this pairing at the moment. This will also be available to read on my ff.net/A03 account.

Not sure what couple I’ll write for next (my last one was ZoLu, I guess I love writing about my favourite marimo lol). So let me know what you think and what ships you like. Headcanons are always welcome.

-x-

Whipping the bamboo sword so hard the material creaked, frustration etched each movement the green-haired boy made.  Zoro had experienced utter defeat at the hands of Hawkeye and today’s training session was his outlet. Perspiration dotted his forehead as he pushed his body to the limit – if not further. Knowing the young swordsman Perona would say the latter because she had witnessed his foolish fits of anger before.

He didn’t know when to stop.

Addicted to the feeling of hard work and adrenaline she supposed, not being a fitness freak herself. She’d prefer to put her feet up and drown her sorrows with a bowl of strawberry shortcake ice-cream. That was cuter than the smell of sweat and oxidising metal that accompanied the weight training Zoro chose.

Yet she still spent time in the kendo hall watching Hawkeye and Zoro when she wasn’t at the spooks club with Moria and Absalom. She felt strangely at home exchanging insults and chagrin. The brooding swordsman seemed to accept her regular visits as a norm. Her relationship with Zoro was peculiar. Sometimes they were at each other’s throats, his brutish attitude and ability to get lost in a one-way street tried her patience.

“Hah!” Startled Perona’s gaze jumped to the person occupying her thoughts. Tension making the harsh lines of his shoulders hunched forward, his perfect form wavering due to fatigue. It had been three hours of rigorous kata exorcises. Typical Zoro not acknowledging his limits - but this time was different. The injury had the potential to impact on his performance for months. She wasn’t an expert, but she knew that.

“Zoro.” She said, firm and non-compromising. Perona had never been a girl who settled for being ignored.

“It’s none of your business.” Biting and brutal to the point she could sense his teeth grinding as his jaw clenched.  Heart pounding in response to the blatant dismissal, her own temper flared. No one spoke to her like shit.

“Excuse me?” It wasn’t said as a question. It was a declaration of impending war. If he wanted to throw down, then she wouldn’t disappoint. Springing forward from her perch on the bench, she marched toward the glowering idiot.

“You are a rude obnoxious jerk Roronoa!” Stopping only when she made sure to purposefully invade his space. Toe to toe and her finger jabbed firmly in his thorax. She wanted her entire body to scream ‘fuck you’.

“Tch,” Upper lip pulling upwards into a snarl, he avoided her glare by staring to the side. The bastard was still trying to ignore her. Not happening. Shuffling sideways she stood on her tiptoes to stare him dead in the eye. “…annoying woman.”

Brow furrowing, she leaned further into his space so her nose almost touched his chin. Why did he have to be so tall? It ruined the effect.

“Me? Annoying?” Perona spat, noticing how he visibly winced at the high octaves, “That’s rich coming from ‘Mr. I’d be late to my own funeral’”.

“At least my laugh doesn’t sound like a dying cat.” Zoro shot back quick as usual. He didn’t usually resort to such childish arguments with anyone - the perverted cook didn't count. That dickhead disserved every slur apparently. Perona knew how to push his buttons as well as the blond. His attack didn’t put her off, in fact, excitement pulsed beneath her diaphragm. Not thinking she lunged placing both hands on his chest and used her body weight to push. Chuckling she watched the muscle head stumble as he lost his footing for a moment.

She couldn’t help but feel accomplishment in catching him off-guard even if it didn’t push him back. Zoro trained daily in martial arts and toned his core strength to the point she had seen him doing one-arm handstands. Honestly, the impact of her palms on his chest felt solid - a living bronze statue.

Calloused fingers formed a vice grip on her dainty hand, the pressure enough to hold her in place.

Perona hyper-aware of her throbbing pulse, her wrist gripped by his strong fingers, a large knot settled in her throat. A dangerous glint glazed Zoro’s eyes but she didn’t fear him. Perusing the features of her long-time friend she noticed his full bottom lip twitching. He tended to chew his bottom lip when hassled and the action diverted her attention.

It’s no secret Zoro is a good-looking boy – now a young man. Classically attractive features combined with the exotic allure of seafoam green hair made him a heartthrob. But most of the time people admired him from afar, a treasure you could see but not touch. The man had a demeanour that demanded respect and a not so subtle ‘fuck outta here’ vibe if you managed to piss him off.

Perona and the select few allowed into his inner circle knew another side. A kind and honourable man. And the biggest dork she’d ever met.

“Oi, stop staring.” Damn. She’d spaced out again…whilst eye fucking. Zoro didn’t need to know that.

“I would if you stopped being so cute.” Unless she opened her own stupid mouth. She had meant to say UN-cute. N-O-T cute.

Because he wasn’t.  At all.

“Cute?” He tried the word as if sucking on a sour treat. If she wasn’t so mortified the comical look that emerged - a cross between emotional constipation and disgust - would have triggered laughter.

The silence made her want to die or drop through the floor. Whatever happened quicker.

“I knew that’d pull out the stick that’s currently lodged up your ass.” She said, smiling sweetly. Tone sweet as honeycomb, dripping with the challenge. Time to save face.

Zoro leaned forward taking back the space she’d managed to steal. Squinting in thought his usual persona returned, it wasn’t the tense energy from before. Instead, it was a captivating focus that drew her in closer. He’d always had an ability to control the mood. It seriously rubbed her the wrong way. Perona would spend an hour iterating how she felt on a topic and he’d manage with a single sentence. Sometimes a grunt, yet she’d understand.  

Right now, she understood the atmosphere around them. Intense, sexy and one hundred percent Zoro.  Subconsciously placing a hand on his chest, she traced the seam of his keikogi. Keeping eye contact as she travelled to his neck, fingers brushing the soft skin in the conjunction of his neck. Zoro swallowed and once again she found herself admiring his lips. His nose brushed hers as he exhaled the brief contact titillating her nerve endings. Perona wanted more from him.

“Kiss me.” She sighed, her own lips brushing against his chin. Once again it wasn’t a question but a breathy demand. Her breath jittered as she felt his thumb stroke over her lips as if silencing the gibberish likely to explode from her mouth if he didn’t hurry up. True to form he read her well and the cocky smirk told her he hadn’t bought her excuse from the beginning.

“You always have to make things personal,” Zoro said, voice gravelly and taking her mind to a place that wasn’t appropriate for a gym hall. Head dipping, he hovered for a second, mirth dancing in his eyes. Fed up with his teasing she shifted to aim a well-deserved kick in the shin when he nipped at the corner of her mouth. Perona felt her mouth pop with an embarrassing gush that resulted from the attention.

He moved in quick precision, making her feel like the hunter became the hunted, enveloping her bottom lip into his mouth. Still holding her hand, he tugged sharply, and she found herself being melded into the masculine presence that was Roronoa Zoro. She felt a large hand splay across the small of her back, pushing her flush to his torso. Clearly, he didn’t want any space between them.

Peppering wet kisses over her top lip she felt him raise their joined hands. Pushing her palm flat against his jawline he broke away to lay a kiss on her palm. Aegean blue eyes gazed at her under a thick hood of gorgeous eyelashes. Honestly, Perona hated the fact that he was such a pretty boy and she had a weakness for anything cute.  

Impatient she used the hand to forcefully turn his head, whilst the other slid into his green strands gripping what she could. Lips now a supple pink she nuzzled his nose before capturing his lips in an audacious move. Eyes closing, she took in the sensations of his tongue sliding over the seam of her lips, the warmth of his breath on her cheek and how soft his hair felt.

“AH-em.” Freezing at the deliberate interruption, Zoro’s arms locked around her waist in surprise. Her eyes shot open to see her partners face resembling the tragedy mask they often see in her drama study classes.  Rose started to bleed onto his cheeks and coat the tips of his ears. It was too cute to stop an awkward giggle escaping.

“Tch.” Zoro and his typical sulk sound. He refused to look at her or his intruding teacher in the eye. Looking over his shoulder she spotted Mihawk standing in the doorframe across the room. Arms folded and his expression screaming annoyance. A slight twitch at the corner of his mouth said he had expected this.

“Roronoa, this is not your bedroom. Take it elsewhere.”

Tinkling laughter filled the hall as Perona grabbed Zoro’s hand. It’d be her pleasure to whisk the wayward swordsman somewhere private.  

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 216: You’re a Good Man, Shinsou Hitoshi

Previously on BnHA: Deku calmed his emotions and activated Blackwhip a second time, this time On Purpose, and for a moment it looked like he was going to completely curb stomp poor Shinsou. But then he crumpled in pain and the quirk vanished, and he realized he wasn’t physically strong enough to use that quirk just yet. So instead he chased after Shinsou using good ol’ full cowl. Meanwhile Ochako captured Monoma, who taunted her about having one last ace up his sleeve. This turned out to be a Twin Impact shot he’d been saving to hit Deku with, and it worked pretty nicely, but unfortunately our boy Shinsou didn’t have enough experience yet to take full advantage of the resulting opening. Meanwhile Ochako went to bail out Mina and Mineta and took out not one but two more opponents singlehandedly like the fucking ninja she is. Mina took out the third with a raging uppercut, leaving Deku to wrangle Shinsou, thus securing 1-A’s total victory. Now all that remains to be seen is what kind of excuse Deku will come up with for his sudden new quirk, and whether or not Shinsou will be accepted into the hero course. We’re all rooting for you, kid.

Today on BnHA: The 5th set wraps up with a 4-0 victory for Team A, which also gives class A the overall victory over class B, having won 3 of the 5 matches. As 1-A celebrates, Shinsou broods. He was able to piece together that the exercise was a test for his potential transfer, but he feels like he didn’t accomplish enough. The teachers gather the two teams for the post-game analysis and are all “what the fuck, Midoriya.” Deku is all “I don’t know either,” and for some reason everyone just buys that and moves on with their lives. Deku credits Ochako and Shinsou with helping to save him, but Shinsou says he just did it to stop his team from losing. Aizawa chokes some sense into him and says that just because he’s not a perfect 100% self-sacrificing martyr all the time doesn’t mean he’s not worthy of being a hero. Everyone else chimes in and says that Shinsou did really good, and Vlad says that although they still need to make it official, it’s more than likely that Shinsou will be joining the hero course next year. Having settled all that, Aizawa asks Monoma if he can do him a favor and come with him to see Eri the next day.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my mostly-unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’m caught up with the manga now at chapter 225, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

so we’re opening with Shinsou’s perspective on those last few moments against Deku

wow

you’re telling me Izuku was spinning around over and over again in mid-air? he wasn’t just twisting the binding cloth around?? he himself was literally twirling at high speed? that’s what this panel was depicting?? the author of this series is drunk

ahhhhhh my poor exhausted lavender son

welcome to shounen manga, friend. we only go forwards not back

ahhhhh fff dammit Shinsou

YOU BETTER NOT START CRYING OR I’M GONNA LOSE IT

and now we’re belatedly getting the hero names of the four class B kids waaaaaay after the fact

Emily??

(ETA: Exorcism of Emily Rose?? that’s what Viz’s translator speculated, anyway. idk I don’t watch horror movies so I don’t know what else it could be.)

I like the name “Mines” for Shouda though! his quirk kinda is like a landmine I guess. also this poor kid has seen better days Mina what did you do to him

anyways so poor Vlad is being forced to announce class 1-A’s perfect 4-0 victory for the second time in a row

haha check out Mina’s kung fu pose

and Ochako’s peace sign. MVPs. I stan some motherfucking legends here I tell you what

oh lol it was Midnight that was doing the commentary since Vlad went with Aizawa and All Might

I’m glad the kids’ petitioning paid off

so in the end class 1-A once again proved themselves against the unfortunate class 1-B who had all of the cool quirks but none of the luck

Midnight’s making the official announcement and everyone is cheering!

poor class B

it’s not your fault, Manga. at least your team actually won, mainly thanks to you

ahhhh we’re cutting back to Shinsou and his face is hidden and he’s tugging at his scarf and hesitantly addressing Vlad and Aizawa

SHINSOU STOP IT

SOMEONE GIVE HIM A HUG!! AND STOP LEAVING HIM IN SUSPENSE!!!

he says this was also supposed to be his transfer exam. so he knew??

lol Vlad is asking Aizawa if he told him, but Shinsou says he basically just put two and two together even though he wasn’t 100% sure

“not to mention, I was the only one who participated in two matches” yeah that was certainly a big clue

lmao Vlad looks so impressed

just how low are your standards dude

and now Aizawa is changing the topic and says it’s time for the teachers’ critiques! OH BOY THIS OUGHTA BE GOOD

Deku’s critique basically should just consist of “what the actual fuck Midoriya”

and like I said in the previous recap, Shinsou should get credit for his performance in the first battle as well as his save in this battle which showed he has the true spirit of a hero!

LOOOOOOOOOOOL

I WANT TO SHAKE HORIKOSHI’S GODDAMN HAND

so Aizawa’s asking what the principle is behind Deku’s new move since it’s so radically different from his established “super strength” quirk

and Deku’s just standing there nervously

Tokoyami and Kuroiro are bonding over their mutual admiration of how goth the new quirk is

hmmmm how you wanna play this Deku

so basically just be all “fuck if I know, this quirk only manifested for the first time eight months ago and it keeps surprising me with weird new shit. petition to rename it ‘mystery quirk’”

sidestepping the question like a pro there Deku

so he says his power suddenly started overflowing and he couldn’t suppress it and it scared him, but that thanks to Shinsou and Ochako’s help it turned out all right

he says that if Shinsou hadn’t knocked him out he’s not sure what would have happened

and he’s turning to Shinsou now and explaining that he wasn’t bluffing earlier, and he’s thanking him

what the fuck Shinsou

were you?? fooled me then

YESSSSSSSS GIVE OCHAKO HER PROPS

SHE WAS A FUCKING BADASS. NOW TALK ABOUT THE PART WHERE SHE’S RESPONSIBLE FOR CAPTURING 3 OF THE 5 ENEMY TEAM MEMBERS

noooo goddammit Mina not now!!

MINA ARE YOU JEALOUS NO ONE HAS GIVEN YOU CREDIT YET. WE WERE GETTING TO THAT, BE PATIENT

oh sheesh lmao

and now she’s nervously twiddling her fingers and smiling hesitantly and saying she’d rather do that than not do anything and regret it later

oh my gosh

SO PROUD OF MY LITTLE BABY GIRL. YES!!

and holy shit but I want to take that picture of him smiling almost imperceptibly and fucking frame it

look at Ochako managing to completely deflect the attention away from Deku somehow. not only was she the MVP of the battle, but she just keeps saving his ass even afterward

holy shit

DEKU’S FACE ALSO BEING BEET RED THOUGH. HE MUST LOOK LIKE A GODDAMN RADISH

anyway, so Shinsou says he just did what Ochako asked him to do

yeah, but you did it despite them being on the opposing team though!

exactly. you knew it was the right course of action and you didn’t hesitate

SHINSOU STOP MAKING THESE SAD FACES!!!

FOR FUCK’S SAKE I CAN’T TAKE THIS??

AIZAWA OH MY GOD YES

PLEASE REASSURE YOUR DEPRESSED PURPLE SON AND TELL HIM THAT HE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG AND HE’S A GOOD HERO

sdlfhaslkdfj

holy --

lmao at Kaminari immediately breaking into a chant. methinks the mangaka is too self-aware

and well then, since Best Dad Aizawa Shouta has officially entered the ranks of parents who occasionally discipline their children via shocking comedic violence (consider also: All Might decking Deku at the beach a mere chapter before Mitsuki’s infamous introduction), maybe we can finally put that debate to rest. I think it’s pretty clear when Horikoshi is intentionally portraying abuse and when he’s just being over the top because this is a fictional story in a fictional world where not three pages ago there was a character with a literal comic book for a head

oh snap Aizawa

in other words, it’s okay to be a little selfish. sometimes selfish is even needed. because he’s absolutely right, if you don’t take care of yourself as well you’ll fuck yourself over before long and then you won’t be able to save anyone

and also, at the end of the day, if you save everyone successfully and complete the mission, does it really make sense to stand around and argue whether or not your intentions were pure enough?

anyways needless to say I’m really digging this “nobody’s perfect” speech right here you guys

(ETA: oh hey it’s Aizawa’s Mysterious Cloudy Friend, Shirakumo! probably. hey Shirakumo. what’s your fucking deal goddammit)

this is basically Aizawa’s version of All Might’s speech from chapter 120. I always love when the series metas about what it means to be a hero and what separates the great ones from everyone else. and we saw firsthand in Bakugou’s match just a few chapters ago the difference it makes when a hero is focused on both winning and rescuing

now Deku is complimenting Shinsou on all of his strategic moves like dropping those pipes down on him and trying to lead him back to where everyone else was to regain his advantage

oh my god you guys Deku is so passionate and generous with his praise, this is exactly the kind of thing Shinsou needed to hear though

kinda getting that “a true hero doesn’t just save people, they save people’s hearts” vibe thing here on top of everything else

oh my god Deku

what the fuck are you talking about, if anything you lean into this too much and you need to relax a little and take some of Aizawa’s advice to heart

ahhhhhhhhHHHHHH

YESSSSSSSSSSS THIS IS WHAT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR. YOU DID IT SHINSOU I’M SO PROUD OF YOU

oh my god. the one hand clutching his scarf and the other one in a clenched fist. and that face. oh shit here come the feels

and I desperately need to know if this means next year as in January/next term, or next year as in when they move on to year 2

(ETA: Viz’s translation indicates it’ll happen in their second year of school.)

OH FOR FUCK’S SAKE

GODDAMMIT HORIKOSHI I WAS SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS CHAPTER TO FIND OUT, AND THEN YOU GO AND PULL THIS SHIT. UNBELIEVABLE

(ETA: I love that both classes so clearly want him though. again, they’ve all collectively adopted him and I love it

also, class 1-A still has a traitor in their midst, so depending on when and how that all goes down, they may just end up having a vacancy, just saying...)

oh my god

Mina this is why I want you to run for President. and Aizawa, she absolutely is right and he should be punished

loooool Monoma is trying!

hang in there buddy

so getting back to that, I’m guessing what happened there was that he did take One for All the quirk, but not any of the stockpiled power within Izuku? because to get that it has to be willed to you by the previous owner. so basically he was trying to activate it, and it probably was working, but his version of the quirk was at OFA Prime levels. basically starting from scratch with no additional power stored up other than his own. and we all agree this is actually very fortunate for him and he’d be getting carted off to Recovery Girl right now if things had gone differently

does that not bother him, by the way? like, Ochako just figured he was “bluffing”, but Monoma knows he was actually trying to activate the quirk and nothing was happening. I wonder what he made of that. it seems like maybe he’s too caught up in the loss to class A to really think much on it just yet

(ETA: so apparently he knows enough about how his quirk works to have already figured this out, lol.)

whoa oh shit and I just read the last three panels and a ton of interesting stuff happened so quickly lol

okay let’s break this down and then we’ll end the recap

(1) Deku is so fucking pure. middle of a battle and being attacked, and his only concern is that the quirk is gonna be too much for Monoma and badly injure him

(ETA: and can I just say, the other students could have used a little more of that concern though. the teachers too for that matter.)

(2) so I take this to mean Horikoshi is going to explain what happened, but for now I’m assuming my speculation is more or less near the mark. he definitely did take OFA because you could see the telltale red flashing pulsing shit happening with his skin. so it has nothing to do with Deku originally being quirkless; it’s the way that OFA as a quirk works

(3) Deku is super fucking lucky that no one started questioning what happened with his quirk again, what with Monoma bringing the subject back up

and lastly, (4) OH SHIT. is he gonna have Monoma copy Eri’s quirk to see if he can control it? lol we only just established how lucky he is to be alive after taking Deku’s quirk. what are you trying to do to this poor kid

though I am glad to see Aizawa being a logical dad who cares about his baby girl and is constantly thinking of ways in which to possibly help her out. ah well, hope nothing goes wrong there

and that’s it! on to the next chapter to hopefully see Bakugou and All Might grill Deku about WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED lol

[kusunogatari-a]

[ Kalon || @sasuhina-renaissance-week ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Healing Waters and Scorching Flames ] [ A beauty that is more than skin deep - beautiful, as an outward sign of inward good, noble, honorable character. ]

If you’d have told him where he’d stand today only a handful of years ago, Sasuke would have laughed...and then scorched your skin for such an insult. Him? A prince of the Fire Nation? In love with a measly waterbender? Please. It’s not only a remark against his heritage of pureblood firebenders, but a personal one as well. As if he’d ever let one of those weak, water-blooded fools anywhere near him unless on their knees, pledging allegiance to the new empire.

...but much can change in such a short amount of time.

His mission had been to capture the Avatar: one he’d accepted gladly for glory in his father’s eyes. Second born behind a sick and frail elder brother, he thought that enough favor from their father would have usurped Itachi’s birthright and granted him the title of Fire Lord. He’d not always been so lustful for power...but time had seen him torn between worry for his brother’s health...and ridicule that a weak man would mean a weak nation. Better he to lead.

But in the end, he’d abandoned that wish for power, and instead helped the Avatar himself master firebending, and overtake Fugaku to bring the war to a close at last. It hadn’t been an easy path - they’d clashed more than once, as well as the rest of his little entourage. The temperamental earthbender, Sakura; a nonbender from the south pole, Kiba, and his polar bear dog; and the little waterbender, Hinata.

The last had been of little consequence at first. Benders were so rare in the south after their raids, she had no one to teach her. But every time they met, she got a little stronger - a little surer. And eventually, Sasuke could no longer ignore her strength - both in bending, and in spirit.

The war’s closing meant slowly beginning to amend the damage done. While Itachi tends to the Fire Nation, Sasuke remains with his new band: touring the lands he helped conquer under his own’s banner.

Things are...stable now. But far from as they were before Madara’s conquest began. Sasuke has every intention of amending what his family has done. And he’s glad he doesn’t have to do so alone.

For the moment, they’re back in his homeland. Naruto has brought leaders from the other nations to address Itachi and begin putting new laws and sanctions into place to assure this never happens again. As always, Sakura remains at his side as an anchor for his...often-lofty ideas. Kiba, ranking in his nation’s navy now, is part of the negotiations and ensuring Fire Nation military downsizing.

And Hinata is among her land’s council as steps toward peace continue.

Sasuke, still a prince to his brother’s title of Fire Lord, mostly lingers in corners. Itachi at times seeks his advice, but Sasuke doesn’t yet trust himself near positions of power. Not after what he nearly did for it. What he nearly sacrificed.

Most don’t seem to notice, too involved in their new roles. But one spares the time to ensure he’s not left alone too long.

It’s evening, the capital dusky as negotiations carry on into the later hours. Elbows leaned against a balcony railing, he turns at the sound of the door behind him, expecting a summons from Itachi.

Instead, he sees Hinata.

Dark brows lift slightly in surprise. “...have they finished for the night?”

“No...but it’s a topic I’m not part of.” She moves herself abreast him, hands daintily mimicking his arms.

Sasuke finds himself shying from her slightly. “...looking for fresh air?”

“Mm...and some less argumentative company.” She gives him a glance, a slightly glint of humor in her gaze. “I know this is all important, but...sometimes I just need a little time away from it all. And most of the talk from my nation comes from those older than me, anyway. I’m really only here because I traveled with the Avatar…”

“It gives you good insight.”

“I suppose...but part of me wishes I wasn’t so sought-after. I’ve not had a quiet day since then, and it’s been...what, five years now? I’m just...tired.”

He considers her for a moment. There’s none of the posture he saw when they first met. No longer is she timid, unsure, or avoidant. She stands with a kind of regality even now, though he’s sure she doesn’t intend it. It’s simply...natural. Her gaze is a thousand miles away, staring out over the city and not noticing his staring.

...it’s then it really hits him how beautiful she is. And not just on the surface. Her strength, so hard-won after her struggles. Her patience at all she’s faced. Her grace inherited from the flow of her element.

The pit of his stomach drops as he realizes...he’s grown quite fond of her over the years. Naruto is a good companion - his liveliness and positivity balance out his own brooding and pessimism. Sakura doesn’t mince her words - he can always expect what he needs to hear from her. Kiba...well, the nonbender is obnoxious, but loyal - he’s taught the prince a lot.

But Hinata…

At first, like the others, she didn’t trust him. Perhaps more so - she’d been quite smitten with Naruto back then, and as the boy’s primary threat, she’d reeled on him with a tenacity he’d not expected. But in the end...they had far more similarities than differences. Though driven, Sasuke has never been brash. The other three are far more outspoken than he.

Not Hinata.

At the base of their natures is a similar quietude. Though he’s been arrogant, and at times scorching like his element, what’s been left in the wake of his new path is...different. His temper has cooled. No longer does he seek attention, or recognition, or power. He merely wishes to make his amends, quietly, without fuss or flare. After so long of feeling torn, and angry, and looked down upon, he wants nothing more than to find peace. For himself, and the world he owes.

...she’s been good company in that regard.

Water can be violent. It can drown what angers it. And true, Hinata has a fierceness to her, but only when necessary. Otherwise, she’s been a quiet pool to calm the rest of her companions. The voice of reason and caution, but just as strong when there are no other options.

He wishes he could be half the person she is. He wishes for her patience, her resilience, her level head and her steadfastness.

She knows who she is. What she wants. Even if part of it has fallen through, she adapts with that same grace, head held high. She’s grown into a woman of beauty, inside and out.

“...Sasuke…?”

A blink. “...yes?”

Her head tilts, looking to him in concern. “...are you feeling well? You were a bit...vacant for a moment.”

Sasuke glances around - how long was he…? “...I was just lost in thought.”

She softens, but only just, in understanding. “...there’s been much to think about lately,” she agrees quietly. “Who knows how long we’ll be here...these talks have potential to last weeks.”

“...I’ll not mind them so long as it means you’ll be here.”

Her gaze widens slightly, and he realizes he’s said too much.

“...you balance out that blond buffoon,” Sasuke attempts to amend, tone rushed in an obvious excuse. “This will all be tedious enough without his volume and...enthusiasm.”

At that, Hinata can’t help a laugh into her sleeve. The sound brings him a small flutter of contentment. “...well, I’ll do my best. It’s good he has the energy, though. Otherwise I fear we’d all be asleep in our seats!”

His lips twitch. “...fair enough.”

Silence falls between them, but it’s neither unwanted nor uncomfortable: amiable, and a pleasant change of pace. Only once some time passes does she murmur, “...I should let you retire for the night. And I’d best do the same - I could be called back for anything at any time.”

Sasuke swallows back a tinge of disappointment. “True...Naruto can only keep you awake through so much.”

She smiles. “...I’ll see you tomorrow, Sasuke.”

“Until then...Hinata.” Watching her go, he only turns back once the door shuts behind her with a soft clack.

Her absence is deafening.

Still leaned along the balcony railing, Sasuke heaves a sigh.

“...what are you getting yourself into, you fool…?”

     This feels a little off, but I haven’t written this verse in quite some time ^^; Apologies if I’m a little rusty lol      I’ve had this verse for a while, though it normally only has one set pairing. But what’s an AU unless you have like ten branching AUs from it? So in this one, we’ve got SasuHina, taking place a few years after what would be the ending of AtLA.      But, I won’t ramble too much - I’ll probably do AUs for all of my entries for this lil ship week (because honestly they’re so much more fun for me to write than canon verses lol), so keep an eye out for them! Some are crossovers, but some are also based on my original novel work. We’ll see what each prompt best fits as the week goes on!      Happy shipping, fellow SasuHina lovers :3 See y’all tomorrow!

[orangecuties]

SidGeno 12ish Days of Christmas - Day 2

I Saw Daddy Kissing - ao3 link

(I know i forgot to post this yesterday but I did write it and it was on ao3 so technically I didn’t miss a day lol) 

Sidney was in pure shock at what his daughter had just told him, he had to have misheard her. It was early and she had just woken up, maybe she was just telling him about one of her dreams. “Could you say that one more time for me sweetheart?”

“I said, I saw daddy kissing someone else!” his daughter loudly whispered, obviously upset about the matter but not wanting to wake the whole house with the news. Sidney was usually the first one up in the house while Geno continued to sleep in and would only wake up once he smelt breakfast being made, likewise Katya tended to wake up and either go play or sit with Sidney while her younger brother Kolya would continue to sleep and usually make his way down the stairs trailing behind Geno.

“Sweetie are you sure that’s what you saw? Maybe you were dreaming?” She had to have seen wrong, Geno would never cheat on him, and even he did he wouldn’t be stupid enough to bring him into the house, right?

“Yes, I’m sure!” Sidney could tell she was getting frustrated but he wasn’t exactly faring any better, “I saw it the other night, I heard the door open and so I went and looked and daddy was downstairs! With…with another man…and-and they kissed! And then he laughed and then daddy was shushing him and I ran to my room!” Katya was panting a little, clearly angry about the whole situation and confused, and honestly, Sidney was no better. He didn’t want to believe it but Katya wasn’t one to make up lies, especially about something as serious as this, and she did have a tendency to get up at night and go get a glass of water so maybe she really did see something? Maybe?

Sidney knew he had to calm her down though before he even began thinking about this, he would corner Geno later and ask him. How he would exactly bring up the topic of “hey I think you might be cheating on me, our seven-year-old daughter is my source,” was another story. Especially since the kids were on winter break and they didn’t have a lot of time just the two of them right now, and he really didn’t want to start a possible screaming match in the house right before Christmas.

“Katya come here” Sidney said as he pulled her into his arms, trying to reassure her that her dad wasn’t actually cheating on the other, “shh it’s okay, I’m sure you were just dreaming, daddy loves me and he loves you and Kolya too okay, don’t worry.”

Katya gave a small nod but didn’t seem fully convinced. She hopped out of Sidney’s arms and went to go sit at the counter while Sidney finished making breakfast. A pensive look was stuck on her face and if Sidney wasn’t silently freaking out, he would laugh at how serious her little seven-year old face was.

As Sidney was nearly done making breakfast, Geno and Kolya began to walk down the stairs, or rather Geno walked, Kolya was carried. Sidney thought it was a testament to just how lazy someone could be that even though Kolya was six years old, he still made Geno carry him down the stairs in the morning. Geno would complain that he was getting too heavy and was too old to be carried, but would eventually give in every morning. Sidney teased Geno about it though saying that he had no room to judge because he had definitely seen a picture of an at least seven-year-old Geno being carried by his mom.

“Morning princess, morning Sid” Geno yawned as he walked to the living room where he continued to drop Kolya onto the couch, making him bounce on the cushions. “breakfast almost ready?”

“You know you could actually get up earlier for once and make breakfast for me instead” Sidney teased, knowing that trying to get Geno up early was like trying to move a mountain.

“Yes, but then who carry Kolya downstairs? He too heavy for your weak arms to carry, might drop him.” Geno said, sticking his tongue out at Sid, making Kolya giggle.

“He could always walk down himself you know” Sidney replied as he began plating everyone’s food.

“I can’t, my legs are still sleeping, I’d have to crawl down the stairs, papa,” Kolya piped in, looking desperately at Geno trying to signal for help to get out of this conversation.

“See Sid, very dangerous, don’t want him to crawl down stairs, don’t want you to drop, should stick to routine yes? Know you love routines,” Geno said to Sidney with a wink.

Sidney rolled his eyes and tried to hide his smile but knew he was doing a lousy job. He loved moments like these where they could all sit together and be a family, now that both he and Geno were retired and the kids were on break, it was the perfect time. Or it was, until Sidney looked over to Katya and noticed she still had a brooding look on her face and hadn’t even looked at Geno. Sidney needed to deal with whatever she saw fast, he didn’t want Katya thinking bad thoughts about her dad. He frowned at the thought of the situation and the even the slightest possibility of it being true, what would he do if Katya was right?

“Breakfast is ready” Sidney said, turning his face away from everyone else and schooling his expression, he could keep it together through the morning and then talk to Geno later while the kids were playing.

As the four of them sat down to eat, it was quieter than usual. Katya and Kolya had been talking about Christmas more often than not lately and their excitement over Santa Claus and what cookies they should put out for him and what kind of milk and if they should leave snacks for his elf or reindeer and if they should build gingerbread houses to put the cookies by or get a fancy plate, but today Katya was quiet, which made her brother quiet also.

Geno turned to Sid and gave him a questioning look; Sidney tried to give him what he hoped was a convincing shrug to pretend that he didn’t know either, but Geno only gave him a more confused look and turned back to look at the kids.

“So, you two excited about Christmas? Figure out what cookies you going to leave for Santa? Leave snacks for reindeer?”

Kolya looked up at Geno and was about to answer when Katya slammed her hands down onto the table, she shot Sidney a quick look, which Sidney instantly knew wasn’t good, and began yelling. “Daddy I saw you! I saw you the other night! I saw you down stairs! You kissed someone else! It wasn’t Papa I know it wasn’t!” Katya was practically on top of the table as she was on her knees on the chair and leaning forward with her hands slammed down in front of her.

Kolya was looking between all three of them, a look of shock and fear on his face.

Well there goes Sidney’s hopes of not causing a scene in the house. He looked over to Geno who looked equally as shocked and worried, which was not a good sign to Sidney. He wasn’t really sure what to say in this situation but luckily Geno piped in. “Katya, I not kiss anyone else, I only ever kiss papa, why you think I kiss someone else?”

“I saw you! Two days ago, you were kissing…you were kissing Santa Claus!” Katya yelled, almost to tears now, while Sidney was nothing but confused. Santa Claus? How was Geno kissing Santa Claus? That had to be a dream, right? But Geno was looking at Sidney now with a wide-eyed expression clearly trying to signal for help but Sidney was at a loss for words, was it not a dream then? Sidney had no idea what was happening.

Geno sighed and put his face in his hand. “Me and papa be right back, Katya, Kolya, I promise I not kiss anyone but papa okay,” Geno said as reassuringly as he could as he also yanked Sidney out of his seat and back into the kitchen.

“Sidney, you not remember?” Geno said, looking slightly amused but mostly annoyed over this whole situation.

“Remember what? You kissing someone dressed as Santa apparently?” Sidney didn’t actually believe any of that though, he sounded crazy but Geno wasn’t readily denying it either so he wasn’t really sure what to believe.

“Sidney, you Santa Claus!” Geno said, throwing his hands into the air and leaning his forehead against the fridge, “remember, when you come back from Mario’s.”

Sidney had gone over to Mario’s the other day in the evening to talk about post-retirement options that included working for the Penguins organization, and also to borrow a Santa Claus costume. Mario had told him that his retirement break had only been a little over a year and he didn’t need to rush to get back into the hockey world, but telling Sidney that was like telling a fish not to rush into water. The two hashed out some options and afterwards began reminiscing about playing with the team, about raising their kids, about growing old; Sidney wouldn’t trade his family or his life with Geno even for another Stanley Cup season, but that didn’t mean he didn’t miss playing. What started as a quick pop into the Lemieux house to discuss job options and pick up a costume, turned into Sidney still not being able to hold his liquor and getting drunk at Mario’s house like a kid again and needing him to drop him off at home, in the Santa costume. Drunk Sidney thought he needed to make sure it fit and even drunker Sidney thought it would be hilarious to sneak up on Geno at home in the costume.

Except Mario had already called Geno and told him he was bringing him a drunk “Sidney Claus” and so was already waiting for him downstairs. When Sidney got inside, Geno teased him that it was like looking into the future but that he’d still find him cute, even if he grew a big white beard. And Sidney just had to kiss Geno for saying that, right? So, he laughed about the beard getting caught between them while Geno was trying to shush him and that must’ve been what Katya saw—shit.

“Shit. I’m Santa, you were cheating on me, with me. What do we do Geno! What do we tell them!” Sidney was freaking out now, which was worse, letting the kids think their dad maybe kissed Santa just once, or telling them Santa doesn’t exist and it was just their dad?

“We can’t tell them Santa not exist, they still so little, still believe” Geno said, and Sidney felt the same way, he didn’t want to crush their dreams about Santa, especially since pretty soon they’d stop believing and Sidney wanted just a few more years of them getting excited about him.

“Well we can’t exactly let them think you were just going around kissing him either,” Sidney said, earning him an unimpressed glare from Geno, “why would he even be here earlier, how do we even explain that?” Sidney felt like this morning was just getting more and more complicated.

At that comment though Geno looked at Sidney with a wide smile on his face, “I got it!” He grabbed Sidney by the arm and went back to the dining table where Katya and Kolya were whispering to each other and then both of them pointed their little angry faces at Geno. Geno thought it was adorable and sort of nice to see how protective of their papa they were, but not when it was directed right at him.

“Katya, you right, I was kissing someone, but I was kissing Papa, he was in Santa outfit,” Geno said. Sidney gave him a shocked and heartbroken look, how could he just tell them, what about their letters to Santa, the cookies, the reindeer, all dashed away.

Katya and Kolya were sporting similar looks as Sidney. Katya questioned Geno first, “does that mean that Santa…” she couldn’t finish her sentence though as her lower lip began to wobble a little.

Sidney didn’t know what to do and his heart was breaking more and more by the second but then Geno took a deep breath and “Yes, it mean Santa is real, and papa was trying to steal his cookies. That why I was downstairs to stop him.”

The two children gasped, “What! Papa! You can’t steal Santa’s cookies! He’ll put you on the naughty list!” Kolya said, which the thought of made the two begin laughing and the tension melted away from their faces.

It felt like a weight had been lifted off Sidney, but he couldn’t believe Geno pinned this all on him, he looked over to see Geno holding back a smirk while Sidney leveled him with an unamused look, but he too couldn’t hide his smile that well.

“I guess it was a good thing daddy was down there to stop me, huh?” Sidney said, smiling down at his children who were still laughing and his heart felt so filled with love for them and their little family, he couldn’t believe how lucky he was.

“I don’t know, I think you might still be on naughty list, not get any presents” Geno said, pulling Sidney over to him and giving him a quick kiss.

“It’s alright, I already have everything I need right here.”

[fourtrisheafanfic]

Fan fiction Title: Chat Room Romance

Rating: Mature

Summary: Two people meet in an X-Files online chat room and become instant friends. After a couple of months of chatting users ScientistScully (Dany) and FoxyMulder (Jon) decide to give it a try and meet on a blind date. What happens with sparks fly - but not in a good way? Chat Room Romance is a jonerys short-story written for the Jonerys Week 2018. I selected the Prompt Modern AU for day three (March 6th) - Chapter 1. Chapter 2 will be for day four (March 7th).

**I have no rights to these characters, all belong to HBO and Author, George R.R. Martin**

#jonerysweek #jonerys week 2018 #jonerys

Ao3 link: (X)

++o+ Chapter One: Online Friendship +o++

 01.03.2018

ScientistScully: Okay, Foxy…I just watched episode 1! Thank you for not sending me any spoilers since I couldn’t watch it live. Work was a nightmare today, as I suspected it would be. I just got home an hour ago.

FoxyMulder: First, you need to stop calling me Foxy. I was so drunk when I made up my username. StudMulder was already taken... lol.  Kidding. But seriously, I am the furthest thing from being a fox. I consider myself more of a WOLF! ;-) And of course I wasn’t going to ruin the episode for you with spoilers.

ScientistScully: xoxo

FoxyMulder: Besides SS, you are my best friend – who else would I want to talk about our favorite show with?

ScientistScully: Hmmm…your best friend? You won’t even write out my full username, calling me SS! That is a pretty big title for you to give to a girl you have never met in real life.

FoxyMulder: First, if you want me to write out ScientistScully every time, I will do it for you. I’ll do anything for you. LOL As for us not having met in person… Well, that is true…but you do feel like my best friend. We have been talking online for many months now...and pretty much daily. When I have a problem, you are the first person I think of to talk to. Of course someone who loves the X-Files as much as you do would be a wealth of knowledge about the real world!

ScientistScully: I am just teasing you, the truth is your (cyber) friendship has become really important to me too. I feel like I can talk to you about anything…so thank you for that. There is probably something safe about speaking to someone online that is never going to be in your “real life” - - makes it more secure?

FoxyMulder: Yeah – you can’t betray me and spill all of my dark secrets that I confide in you!

ScientistScully: True dat. Okay – ENOUGH flattery – Let’s talk about the show…I didn’t love it. I can’t get over the nerve of the writers!!!  I will revolt if the Smoking Man is telling the truth that he fathered William by pairing his DNA with aliens and impregnating Scully. Hell no!!!!  That better be Mulder’s love child.

FoxyMulder: Oh my sweet SS! The moment I watched that part I knew you were going to be so pissed off!!!  I knew it!  You are such a romantic – still shipping Mulder and Scully after all these years.

ScientistScully: And you aren’t a romantic? Of COURSE I ship them, they are meant to be!

FoxyMulder: Am I romantic? I think with the right girl…I would be. Speaking of that…have you thought about what I said…maybe we can meet in the real world one day?  I am sure there will be some Comic Con event we can meet at…pick a city that is somewhere in the middle of the cities we secretly live in.

ScientistScully: Oh Foxy… Remember our promise – we agreed to not exchange real names or talk about where we live. I am a girl in my 20s… I like how safe this thing we have is now. Don’t be mad, okay?

FoxyMulder: I could never be mad at you. And I get where you are coming from. Although I promise I am not a serial killer, I respect your wishes. Maybe five years from now when we are still debating the X-Files series we can meet then. ;-) As I am in my 20s too...I can be patient until you are ready.

ScientistScully: Thanks Foxy xo! You’re too good to me. Before we discuss tonight’s show – I want to hear about how Ghost’s visit to the vet went…all okay? ….

02.01.2018

FoxyMulder: Hey, how was your day? Are you feeling better?

ScientistScully: Hi Foxy, I am not feeling better. :-( I ended up staying home all day and sleeping. My office was not happy with me.

FoxyMulder: I was worried about that, when you cut our chat short last night...I just knew you were really sick.

ScientistScully: Yeah, my roommate made me chicken soup before she left for her fiance’s place. I’ve nibbled on that and just rested.

FoxyMulder: I would so take care of you...if you would let me.

ScientistScully: Promises, promises…. LOL

FoxyMulder: Ha, ha.  You are too much. But seriously, if you aren’t feeling well we can stop chatting. I don’t want to be responsible for hindering your recovery.

ScientistScully: I am literally laughing. You always make me smile...Foxy. ;-)  No, I hated not chatting with you last night. I missed you… Tell me about your day…

02.06.2018

ScientistScully: Hey…  If I said something to upset you, I just wanted to say I am sorry. I am sometimes guilty of putting my foot in my mouth. I miss you, “Foxy”. :-(

FoxyMulder: Fuck.. SS, I am the one who is sorry. No, you are perfect and probably the most amazing person I’ve ever gotten close with. The things I told you about...about my life, my family… I’ve never talked to ANYONE about those things. I just felt so overwhelmed after and I needed some time alone to brood. But you are amazing, I count on you. Sorry if that sounds...weird? But it is true. Besides, I finally got you to agree to exchange photos of our furry-babies (as you like to call them...not my words). Yours cats are so cute. I’d rather see a picture of you.,, But still a WIN!

ScientistScully: First, thank you for confiding in me. I care about you too. A lot. And I do owe you an apology. My crazy ranting about your stepmother was not cool, and I am sure although TRUE, it didn’t make you feel any better.  Again - I am really sorry.  I wish I had been more level headed and calm. I care about you… it just hit me harder than I thought it would.

FoxyMulder: Hey, stop. No apology needed. Well...the only apology you owe me is for not being willing to meet at some random city and give me a real hug of comfort. (kidding!...kinda)

ScientistScully: Hey - we just have shared all of this personal life stories with each other….baby steps my friend. Baby steps! And GHOST is gorgeous...I just want to hug him!

FoxyMulder: you want to hug my dog...but not me??  Ouch! I know, I know. I just want what I want. And that is to really get to meet you. In the real world. BUT until then… Are you so excited for tomorrow night’s new episode?  

ScientistScully: Kinda…  An episode that is centered around Skinner and called “Kitten” makes me wonder….

02.14.2018

FoxyMulder: Look SS - it is not nice to cyber-MOCK me. I swear, Ghost can tell when I am chatting with YOU!!! Dogs are very intuitive. Although my dog doesn’t know you, I am pretty sure he loves you. Besides...I know we have been chatting for hours...but I have to be honest with you about something off topic.

ScientistScully: Always...spill. Next you are going to tell me that you think my cats are psychic.

FoxyMulder: I was really...nervous...petrified even… That you weren’t going to be be able to chat tonight, since it is Valentine’s Day. I think my heart would’ve burst. I mean - I guess you have never told me that you don’t have a boyfriend...or even a husband (please God, do not tell me you are married)

ScientistScully: Foxy!!!!  No, I am not married.  LOL  Jeez. And I am not dating anyone at the moment. I do go on the occasional date, usually when someone tries to set me up with some poor guy. But nothing good has ever come of that. And you?

FoxyMulder: Single...super single. But also super interested in someone.

ScientistScully: Oh? Well, that’s cool. So what’s she like?

FoxyMulder: Well, she is pretty amazing in every way that counts. Smart, wicked funny, kind, I love talking to her. She means a lot to me.

++long pause before ScientistScully replies ++

ScientistScully: Wow. She sounds amazing. So did you have a nice V-day with her? You seem like the kind of guy that would make a good effort...

FoxyMulder: Yeah, it has been a nice V-Day with her...because I am chatting with her right now.

ScientistScully: Foxy!  STOP toying with me, that was cruel. Ugh, you had me going there… Look...I just don’t know what to say. But yes...I like you too.  A lot.

FoxyMulder: Good, because I am crazy about you. SS - I will do anything. I will fly to your city, stay in my own hotel and just take you out for coffee. I am serious. Ghost has a new dog sitter and he is willing to do overnights!

ScientistScully: I am sitting here blushing...I need to think about it. Okay?

FoxyMulder: Okay. But will you tell me what city you live in...so I can start planning my trip?

ScientistScully: You are too much!!!! But FINE….  I live in Denver, Colorado. But do NOT go buying any plane tickets yet!

FoxyMulder: Wait - WHAT????? Are you kidding?  I also live in Colorado...south of Denver...in the Wash Park area. This is CRAZY.  

ScientistScully: You are kidding again right?

FoxyMulder: Dead serious - I live in Wash Park (Ghost’s favorite park) and work in the DTC. You?

ScientistScully: Work and live downtown… This is crazy.

FoxyMulder: No...I think it’s fate. Now we have to meet, for real. X-files won’t be on for couple weeks because of the Winter Olympics...who knows, maybe by then we can even watch it together….

ScientistScully: Slow down there… This is just crazy, but also pretty cool. Give me a few days to think about it. Please?

FoxyMulder: SS - of course. I want you to take all the time you need...I am just really happy.

ScientistScully: Thanks. And just so you know….I am really happy too….

02.17.2018

“Why are we still even talking about this, Dany?!” Missie says across the breakfast table, taking a large sip from her coffee. “You are CRAZY about this guy. I knew it when you had been talking to him for just a few weeks and you had those dates with Daario.”

“Daario? What does he have to do with this?” Dany asks, genuinely confused. She had only gone on a handful of dates with Daario...and they were pretty much a flop.

“Um, when someone as fine as Daario is throwing himself at your feet, taking you on fancy dates...and all YOU wanted to do was get home, change into your pajamas so you can log on and chat with “FoxyMulder” - - that is how I know you really like this guy...you liked him then and I think you like him a lot more now. Let’s not forget - it turns out he lives in the same state!” Missie says firmly, enjoying the look of surprise flashing on Dany’s face.

Dany’s mind is racing. How did this even happen? She has been an avid X-files fan for decades and she decided to log into a X-Files chat room one night, just to discuss the theories and enjoy some banter before the new season started…  And then she met him, FoxyMulder.

Dany also trusts Missie’s opinion more than anyone else. She has always been level headed, calm and gives the best advice. She will be so sad when Missie moves in with her fiance Grey after their wedding in two months. But Dany knows they will remain close, plus Grey’s condo is only 5 blocks away.

“You are right...I am even surprised how much I like him, I care about him. We’ve talked about such personal things. I mean...it is even possible to fall in love with someone you have never met in person???” Dany asks out loud what she wonders about often, she does feel confused.

“All I can tell you….that we both know a few couples that met via online dating and are really happy now. It is a new world. Yeah - you guys were on a chat group about a nerdy sci-fi show...but in the end...you were the one to tell me that you talk about X-files but much more about your real lives,” Missie pushes kindly. Her roommate is one of the sweetest persons she has ever known, she wants her to be happy.

Missie ponders the situation - maybe this X-Files nerd will be it for Dany. “I just think you should meet for coffee and don’t hold back!”

Dany smiles at her friend...feeling more confident with her decision. As always, she can’t wait to talk to Foxy via chat tonight.

  02.17.2018

FoxyMulder: So as I end every chat lately...and I am persistent… Could I take you out for a coffee date? How about this next Friday….the 23rd?

ScientistScully: FoxyMulder...my answer is yes! Let’s do this. I would love to meet you for coffee. But please, nothing fancy. AND just in case it is a complete flop...can we agree to not exchange our real names yet?

FoxyMulder: In case what, that we hate each other??? Just so you know, I call you SS...not for ScientistScully...it is now for “Skeptical Scully”!

ScientistScully: ha, ha, ha….so is that a no for coffee then?

FoxyMulder: Hell yes - we are having our coffee date next weekend.  I can’t wait!!!! I will pick out which coffee shop and get back to you. So Friday the 23rd... Shall we say 6pm? After work for us both?

ScientistScully: Sounds perfect.

FoxyMulder: It sounds like a date to me!

ScientistScully: Yes, a date.  :-)

++o+ Chapter End +o++

Author’s Note: Chapter 2 can be found HERE

[funkymbtifiction]

Ne / Ni

(Gif: Mick and Coraline, Moonlight (CBS). ESFP, ENFJ.)

I had a discussion the other day with an ENFJ, in which we “compared some notes” on how our intuition works, which may be useful in seeing how two strong intuitive functions work by comparison.

She tends to work by “filling in the gaps” (figuring out what is missing, and working backward to reason out the missing piece) whereas I tend to reach a similar conclusion, but through “expansion” (looking at the broader circumstances around it, and forming an intuitive perception).

Even though Ni-doms are most often credited as having the most frequent “aha!” moments... this happens to me all the time and her not much at all; she says she can “track back” how she formed her conclusions; whereas I accumulate external information in chunks which then slots into place and gives me not only an answer to “THIS” puzzle, but also “THAT” one over there -- the point where I have gathered enough information / knowledge from various perspectives and/or sources automatically “slots” the information into place, and provides answers to a dozen or more questions; often, it’s a snowball effect with me -- I’ll find one answer, then my Ne connects this information or conclusion with a dozen more in my mind, and a big, broad picture comes into focus.

I’m waiting for the information to appear to fill in the blanks; whereas she is actively focused on the blanks, and often draws the right conclusion in advance of the evidence. I cannot count the many times she has said, “I found more research today to support my earlier supposition,” or “I love it when I come up with a story idea and... there it is, in an obscure historical reference volume; a situation exactly like it.” With regards to history, sometimes she just “knows” something about someone before she finds it. This does not happen as much to me; rather, I tend to “wonder” about the externals, until I read information that clicks into place and fleshes out the larger picture. (Why did this happen in England? Hmm, don’t know. And then I read a biography of the Borgias, in Rome, and that explains why this happened in England.)

(Gif: Beth, Moonlight (CBS). ENFP.)

She tends to have ideas pop into her head, often fully fleshed out and detailed -- whereas mine are abstract concepts / ideas without form other than a basic shadow, and I build them into complex characters, situations, and entwined situations as I go along. We both have trouble with too many characters fighting for dominance in our minds but I seem more capable of eliminating unnecessary plot lines, streamlining, and keeping the word count down (strong Te) whereas she’s much more interested in the motives behind situations and in amassing a complete understanding of them (Ti) before / as she moves forward.

I am also more fluid; my plots shift, change, and often wind up totally different than my original intention (the book I’m working on now, I was heading toward a dramatic resolution in a castle with a certain set of characters, and now ... half the main characters I intended are gone, and most of the rest have undergone name changes, different professions, and no longer have the same motives as the first idea ... halfway through the book; I seem to be revising and improvising as I go, coming up with “better” ideas and discarding old ones, consciously aware with each creative decision that I’ll have massive first half of the book rewrites going on -- including introducing some characters earlier; but I’m just writing them in as I go, and will streamline later. Some of them don’t even have names yet, just ??? marks. LOL).

She tends to brood on things a long time (Ni) in an attempt to figure it out (Ti) whereas I require very little internalization to spit out a thought and rather often, do not like revisiting the same topics (Ne) except those that baffle us both from a logical perspective (the motives behind butchering history on screen is one of them). I change my mind, my approach, my opinions, and my ideas far more frequently than she does -- but weirdly, am much more singularly focused when it comes to the drive to finish a creative project.

I guess my point is: intuition can often look alike from the outside, reach the same conclusions, and have strongly similar perceptions -- but the internal process is quite different. I tend to admire Ni’s ability to “delve deep” and “see the truth,” whereas I’m sure they either admire or hate the Ne’s ability to spit out a profound thought with literally no forethought (just connecting external dots).

- ENFP Mod

[presumenothing]

Lol who am I kidding, I was definitely thinking of Dramatic Roof Scene again: “... Are you shivering?”“Hey, I got you…” Hakuba either corners KID (if roof scene) OR he's noticed Kaito's seemed a bit off today but not sure why (what if it's at school... BUT STILL ON THE ROOF??)

(prompt me anytime!)

.

ok this might be a tad less Dramatic than originally expected but still

set in the pyrokinesis!verse – or, to blatantly appropriate a tag from the most excellent @ninthfeather: #and kaito frickin flying also that (look, naming things isn’t one of my skillsets okay). because that’s a thing now, apparently?

also, cookies of your favourite variety for everyone who reblogged the original posts with lovely comments! this verse was very much started on a whim, so it’s been a pleasant surprise that people actually like it by which I mean this is all your fault and I hope you’re enjoying it

(AO3)

.

Saguru goes to the roof.

It’s the most reliable solution to the problem of ‘where is Kuroba?’, insofar as anything about the magician can be reliably dependable. Aoko agrees, too, which is to say that she’d told Saguru that it was one of her top ten rules when it came to handling one Kuroba Kaito.

(He is… still unsure, to this day, how serious she had been about that. Saguru’s own proclivity for rules is unusual, he knows that much, but then again Aoko does have a tendency of defying everyone’s expectations. She and Kuroba have that in common, among other things.)

At any rate, they’d reached a consensus: if you wanted to find Kuroba, you went up, and out.

(Saguru suspects that it’s at least partly due to Kuroba’s aerokinetic abilities – Aoko liked being in the water, and many of the elementals he’d met had been the same, though since Saguru lacks tendencies towards large-scale arson he can’t exactly confirm it himself – and partly just because the magician had a general affinity for high places and other off-limit areas.

Though at least Kuroba could catch himself and fly if he ever actually fell from any such areas, which was admittedly unlikely for him, and also more than could be said for most other people.)

Ekoda High is no skyscraper, of course – the main classroom building is only six storeys tall, but it’s still high enough that a frigid wind whips past Saguru’s face once he pushes open the roof access door.

Kuroba is easy to spot, for once, his school uniform constrasting starkly with the dull grey of the cement. He’s sitting near the edge of the roof, legs dangling out in between the railings.

Saguru almost hesitates at this point, but Aoko’s worried expression comes to mind (Kuroba had skipped three classes in a row, which was unusual even by his standards) and he sighs before walking over.

The wind is loud enough that his footsteps are almost inaudible. Saguru has little doubt that Kuroba noticed him anyway, though the magician doesn’t so much as turn around as he approaches. “Aoko sent you up here?” 

“Aoko-kun is concerned, yes, but I made the decision mys–” Saguru cuts himself off mid-sentence, and would probably have said something impolite if he’d been the type to swear. “You’re shivering, Kuroba-kun.” 

“Really.” Kuroba looks at his hands with a frown, then clenches them until they stop trembling. “I hadn’t noticed.”

Oh, for – Kuroba’s being serious, isn’t he, Saguru thinks despairingly, already unbuttoning and shrugging off his own uniform jacket, which he drapes over Kuroba’s shoulders in a deft motion. “At least bring a heavier coat if you’re going to brood up here, I’d credited you with more intelligence than this.”

Kuroba doesn’t move to pull the jacket any closer around himself, but he does look over at Saguru, at least. “Aren’t you co– oh, pyrokinetic, right.”

Saguru nods as he sits down next to Kuroba, with his back to the railing. (He’d have been really disturbed if Kuroba hadn’t figured that one out, honestly.)

They sit in silence for five and a half minutes – not an especially awkward silence, but certainly more unusual for Kuroba than himself – before the magician speaks up, apropos of nothing. “I guess I’ve been kind of an ass to you, Hakuba. Sorry.”

Saguru blinks, completely taken aback. “…well, it’s past lunch, but I suppose impossible things can’t always happen on a schedule, can they?”

Kuroba actually laughs at that one, which is slightly better than what Saguru had been aiming for, and further evidence (not that Saguru needed it) for the fact that his classmate is far more well-read and knowledgeable than he usually appears. “The impossible is my specialty!” he quips with some of his customary cheer, though even Saguru can tell it’s a little forced. 

“That much is obvious,” Saguru answers dryly. “Apology accepted, by the way, though I wasn’t looking for one. Let’s just say that I’ve had significantly less amiable encounters at my previous school, and leave it at that.”

To put it mildly, he adds mentally. It’d never been anything overt, but then it never had to be, and the small things added up quickly – his half-Japanese heritage, his skills, even the apparent mismatch between his element and personality. (Even though extensive research had already demonstrated the lack of significant correlation between the two, but Holmes forbid anyone consult the literature before forming completely unfounded beliefs.)

Kuroba, expression now sober again, gives him a look that suggests he’s more or less guessed what Saguru is thinking. Fortunately, he doesn’t pursue it any further, though Saguru doesn’t expect it when he changes the topic.

“My dad…” Kuroba trails off, and exhales, leaning forward against the rail. “You know what day it is?”

“I am aware of the date’s significance, yes,” Saguru answers cautiously – he’d read the case file and whatever articles he could get ahold of regarding Kuroba Toichi’s death, though they had been ultimately uninformative beyond the basic facts. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry for your loss, Kuroba-kun. All the evidence suggests that he was a great man.”

“Yes, he was.” Kuroba, when Saguru chances a look at him, is staring off into the distance. Saguru wonders what he sees. “Shortly before you transferred to our class… I discovered that his death was most probably not an accident.”

Saguru breathes in sharply, a hiss of surprise, but his mind is already piecing together the puzzle – his suspicions about Kuroba Toichi, the increasingly bold snipers at heists (which he fully intends to confront Kid about when he gets the opportunity, just not today), the relatively few ways one could ensure a death by fire – and he doesn’t like the answer that’s taking shape. “Why didn’t you go to the police, if you had evidence of foul play?”

“I didn’t. Nothing they could act on, at least.” Kuroba’s voice is bitter. “But you can see why I took your abilities badly.”

Saguru tries to imagine himself in the same position – suddenly confronted with the same ability he suspected was involved in the death of someone he cared deeply about – and can’t quite suppress a shudder of his own, though he manages to keep his tone even when he answers. “A perfectly understandable response. And as I said, I wasn’t bothered by your attitude, even if it wasn’t quite for the usual reasons.”

“Just thought you’d like to know, that’s all,” Kuroba says before lapsing back into silence, during which Saguru makes a mental note to look into the records over at Organised Crime – any pyrokinetic that powerful (allowing for the use of accelerants, of course, which lowered the required strength considerably) would probably have been noted down somewhere.

Saguru would know, after all.

He breaks the silence five minutes later, standing up and dusting his pants off. “Come on, we’d better head back to class before Aoko threatens to water jet us. Or worse.”

Kuroba looks up at him, something searching in his gaze. “If I said I’d come down later… you wouldn’t trust me, would you?”

Saguru gives the question honest thought, considering the probabilities, then shakes his head with some regret. “Not on this, no.”

“Fair enough.” Kuroba shrugs, handing the extra jacket back as he stands up, showing no signs of stiffness even though Saguru is certain that he’s been essentially sitting stock still in the same spot for hours.

(Abilities aside, it was little wonder that Kaitou Kid ran circles around the Task Force, Saguru couldn’t help but think, even with Kuroba near single-handedly planning all of the heists. Though if the Task Force made good on their whispered plans to hire Aoko when she graduated – assuming Nakamori-keibu didn’t throw a fit first – then… Saguru has the sudden mental image of Kaitou Kid being chased with a mop by an irate inspector.)

At Saguru’s badly stifled snicker, Kuroba turns around, walking backwards without even bothering to glance behind him. “What?”

“Nothing,” Saguru answers smoothly. “Just imagining Aoko-kun chasing the Kaitou Kid while armed with mops and high-powered water jets.”

Kuroba blanches briefly, then starts laughing as well, until he almost backs into the door without noticing. 

Saguru lets that one pass uncommented, and Kuroba huffs in seeming annoyance before turning back to open the door. 

For all that the cold never really gets to Saguru – he hadn’t been misdirecting Kuroba earlier, his pyrokinetic abilities did serve as a buffer against all but the most extreme of weather – he’s still glad to leave the wind behind as he closes the access door behind them.

“You know, there’s this kid from Beika that you should meet.” Kuroba grins at him as they head down the stairs, looking considerably more like his usual self. “Electrokinetic, and a powerful one to boot.”

Saguru flips through a mental list of people he knows from Beika, and stops short. “…you can’t possibly mean Edogawa Conan. He’s a little young to have fully manifested his powers, isn’t he?”

“Oh, he has them, all right.” Kaito’s expression falters, presumably recalling some past incident. “Did you know that electrokinetics are apparently resistant to tasers?”

“I do now,” Saguru answers with a raised eyebrow. “And how did you find that out, then? Electrokinetics are rare enough that the research on them is rather sparse, as I recall.”

Kuroba waves a hand airily, carefree grin already firmly back in place. “Oh, I just overheard some of the Task Force people talking about it. Kaitou Kid tried it at a heist, apparently, and the little detective gave him a earful on the dangers of using tasers on children.”

…well, Saguru’s definitely going to find the original witness statements from that heist – clearly not one he’d been around for – and have a good bout of amusement at Kid’s expense. (He wonders if this is some gesture of gratitude on Kuroba’s part, but he’ll take it anyway, whatever it is.) “Seems like we can add child endangerment to Kid’s list of crimes, then? I’m sure Division One would be happy to help us with the paperwork.”

The answer is rife with indignation. “Hey! Kid-sama would never do anything to actually endanger a kid, okay – ”

.

.

…heh. this was partly inspired by your tag (@swingingrobin​): #also lol will Kaito ever try to be considerate or is he actively avoiding ever being nice to Hakuba?

which – er. on a reread that is indeed how Kaito comes off in this verse, though I can definitely say I didn’t do that intentionally. but apparently my response to that is another thousand words exploring why that might be the case? plus a bonus mention of what Conan might be up to in this verse (aka I conveniently appropriated Railgun’s powers for him sorry Misaka)? like what even is my life anymore tbh

so yeah somehow I ended up with 1.5k of vague angst after the previous cracky instalment mood whiplash what whiplash amirite (look it could’ve been worse, I briefly considered setting this post-Nightmare… but nah, neither these poor kids nor I deserve that conversation. it was tempting though. man do they ever have Issues. so many Issues.)

in case it wasn’t clear – the fact that they’re all verbally dancing around is that it’s the anniversary of Toichi’s death (which Aoko also knows), and in this verse it seems distinctly possible that Snake got a pyrokinetic to do it, which genuinely doesn’t bear thinking about, honestly 

(it’s deliberately left open to interpretation, but I assume Snake probably isn’t one himself, and as Saguru thinks here the pyrokinetic was possibly just involved in starting the fire, with the rest being dong via accelerants/damaged equipment/whatever nefarious setup have you)