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#He can heal people who have been effected by it though
acourtofthought · 1 day
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Regarding Lucien’s scars. I think it’s basically a headcanon in the fandom that Lucien still has the scars on his back from being whipped, but if those are present in canon too, that could be interesting. Howeverrrr… the facial scar must be kind of a big deal for Lucien. Amarantha attacked him 50ish years ago and then within a few days she organized that masquerade ball “in Lucien’s honor” - the masked theme was a scheme to help him basically hide what she did to his face. Then the masks were plastered to the faces of everyone in Spring Court because Tamlin didn’t accept to sleep with Amarantha. So here’s Lucien, hiding his scars for 50 years no matter how uncomfortable the whole mask situation may have been… but now his facial scar that he cannot hide anywhere (unlike Azriel’s hands) is just in full view for anyone who looks at him. I think there is no question about it. He must be self conscious about it, especially since he thinks Elain is the most beautiful female he has ever seen and she doesn’t reciprocate anything yet. People have been writing about it here on tumblr recently but I really hope SJM explores Lucien’s character from this perspective too. I assume he must feel very inadequate compared to Elain. She has so much (family, friends, connected to the IC, safety and security, beauty, etc.), whereas Lucien refers to himself as a whole lot of nothing. He doesn’t have a home or even a court, he’s basically all alone in the fae world, his closest allies are two humans who so far don’t have much power or influence in Prythian. I assume he is probably also unhappy with his looks after such a traumatic experience. I hope SJM explores this, I think that would be a really cool addition to Elucien’s healing journey. Even though Lucien is quite snarky and cocky outwardly, his inner monologue seems very self conscious. Ahhh SJM give us the angstttttt
I AGREE!!!!!! I think while there are sincere aspects of Lucien's personality that are (hahaha, I just accidentally typed snocky which was my brain getting confused on whether I wanted to type snarky or cocky first) snarky and cocky, I also feel it's a default mechanism too. Lucien is known to take care in his appearance and he is aware of appearances. Even in book once he was a bit of a fashionista, commenting on how Feyre's tunic wasn't as pretty as a dress and being amazed at how positively fae she looked when she did finally put one on. There's also this: Lucien said, "True. But indulge me: you're a human woman, and yet you'd rather eat hot coals than sit here longer than necessary. Ignoring this" - he waved a hand at the metal eye and brutal scar on his face-" surely we're not so miserable to look at. Lucien must be constantly aware of others looking at him and I'm guessing he's never sure if it's about the eye or if his scars are unappealing to them. For someone who does care about appearances, whose job it is to talk to High Lords and make friends to be a successful emissary, there is definitely an inner discomfort he's trying to brush off through his nonchalance and jokes about his appearance. I think you're right. Elain is beautiful to the point that people talk. Eris somehow heard across courts that Lucien's mate is a real beauty. She had heiresses jealous of her at barely thirteen. Her mother commented that if her beauty held, she'd be able to secure them a decent match on the marriage market (Elain was 11). So Lucien comes along and not only is he given this super special, sacred bond with her but she turns out to be the most beautiful female he'd ever seen all while knowing that she's in love with someone else. And there he is, with no home, no family name, a scar running down his face and one eye. I would take Lucien in a second and we know that many in the ACOTAR world reference his good looks but you can see how he would struggle with his appearance. You can see how Elain literally took his breath away and she did not seem effected by him (I imagine we'll find out that wasn't the truth in her POV but it's how he perceived it at the time). He thinks she doesn't want him or need him and I definitely think we're going to find that he's been feeling very insecure about her perception of his physical appearance.
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bluerosefox · 6 months
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Beloved Beyond Time
A DeadSerious Prompt where a young Damian follows his mother's advice about finding his future 'Beloved' and is smitten with a TimeTraveling Ghost King (Prince) Danny when his grandfather summoned the eldritch being.
Damian, despite being young, will want no other to be by his side once he takes over the League. Especially since the King was able to strike fear in his grandfather for even just for a moment.
Danny, whose just started taking up his soon to be Kingly title and duties, at first freaked out when a kid who just got out of toddlerhood is offering marriage. Who wouldn't. And well while he didn't fully encourage it, he found it a little adorable and tried to nudge the kid away from said... err crush feelings?
He was a little sad to have to say goodbye to the kid when his month long stay with the al Ghul's (mostly to see if they're worthy to keep the Pits) he was pretty for sure he'd never run into the kid again and if he did who knows how old they'd actually be because again.. time travel.
So Danny now at the age of 16 really wasn't expecting to be basically be cornered on his first day at his new school at Gotham Academy by a 17 year old Damian Wayne who is leaning over him and says "Hello Beloved. Time has been kind to you it seems."
Danny's poor half-alive heart is currently dying from being cornered by an older Damian.
Let this crazy train wreck begin.
#danny phantom#danny fenton#blue rambles#crossover#writing ideas#random idea#danny phantom dc#dpxdc#dcxdp#dead serious#Damian sneaked into a League meeting when they summoned the Ghost King#but they actually got the Ghost Prince who was learning how to handle realm duties at the time#but Danny doesn't tell them that. Also they summoned him when he was practicing his eldritch form. So yeah he scared them.#Danny actually scared Ra's into submission by threatening his precious Lazarus Pits since he was going to be forced to stay for a month#Danny actually and sadly can't do much to the Pits.Its been there for so long the world would start to become unstable if he took them away#He can heal people who have been effected by it though#Anyways this is another thing Ra's doesn't actually need to know if Danny has anything to say about it#Damian is a smitten kitten by the being who managed to strike fear in his grandfather#and decides only the Ghost King was worthy of becoming his Beloved#During the month he tries to get Danny to agree to their impending marriage#Danny freaks at first but finds it a little adorable and never really takes it seriously#he does try to reason with Damian about how it wont work but the boy is stubborn#Damian does worm a spot in Danny's heart though by being stubbornly adorable#When the month is up. Damian swears to a fading Danny he will marry him in the future#Danny returns to his own time and thinks thats the end of that.#A few weeks later he finds out that someone as a joke signed him up for an exchange student program and that he was picked to go to Gotham#Damian has NEVER forgotten the one he calls Beloved#and has drawn him. Many times. In Eldritch form. Ghost King form. Little Man form. Phantom form. EVEN his human form only Damian knew of.#So when Damian spots Danny. He knows who he is.#Damian is gonna try to channel his mother's abilities in seduction to woo his Beloved
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risuola · 8 months
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TOO MUCH — F. READER x GOJO SATORU
Lately, it felt like not a second pass by without some new curse appearing somewhere in Japan and both you and Satoru had your hands full of work for few weeks, but when he comes back home, exhausted to the bone, his composure snaps and he unloads his frustration on you.
cw: angst, verbal abuse, hurt/little comfort, mentions of blood and hurt, reader is injured, mental exhaustion — 2,5k words
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Too much. Too much of everything that piled up on Satoru's shoulders, weighing him down so heavily that he almost couldn't breathe. It felt like the world was on fire, curses crawling out of every shithole in Japan, most of them first or special grade, spreading nothing but death and chaos. So many people killed, so much blood and pain he had witnessed in the last few weeks, it drowned him in exhaustion and helplessness. Satoru Gojo, the strongest sorcerer alive, and yet he felt so helpless in the current situation. He traveled from town to town, fighting these terrors, but the lives that had been taken away, he couldn't bring back, and he used to think that he was immune to it already. Turns out, one can never be immune enough.
You had your hands full with work as well, but you stayed in Tokyo. The situation drained your energy too, the cascading waves of sadness and sorrow made you feel like you couldn't think straight, but you pushed through. You felt so weak, but had to be strong, everyone had to be. All of your sorcerer friends were just as engaged in the fight as you were, just as tired and distressed, but the show must go on, as they say.
You and Gojo weren't officially a couple, though everyone knew you were together. You were friends, yes, the kind of friends who kiss and have sex. The kind of friends that use pet-names and fall asleep while cuddling naked. Shit, you lived together for a few months, you know everything about him and he knows just as much about you. And you were happy, sharing every moment. He always said that you bring him so much comfort, that he feels like he can be openly himself when he's with you and be accepted for it. Nothing could ever bring you more joy than the man you love feeling comfortable with you.
That being said, it wasn't the best time for your relationship slash situationship. He was more out of the house than in it, and you were just sleeping there, barely. It's been going on for a few weeks already, and it's just now it’s beginning to finally calm down. Few weeks of constant fighting for everyone involved in the jujutsu world, but it started to slow down. So you knew that Satoru would finally return home.
It's when you showered and put on your pajamas that you heard the keys twisting in the lock and the doors opening. Putting on a smile, you rushed to welcome Gojo home, but the moment you saw him, you knew he's extremely exhausted.
Satoru entered the house already annoyed by the conversation he had with Gakuganji a few moments before. That old fart had the audacity to nag him about his methods while he himself was sitting in his cave sipping green tea, not caring one bit that the world was drowning in curses and blood. He threw the keys on the shelf, kicked off his shoes and took off the blindfold, then looked at you, all clean and comfortable in your pajamas. He scoffed quietly.
He felt like his own body was falling apart, everything hurt, his head was pounding, his eyes were burning. Even though he was actively healing himself, the side effects of everything were getting to him. A few weeks of nonstop fighting, of domains, of reds, blues, and purples, and so much physical combat had left him hanging on the last thread of his composure. The usual mask of cheerful carelessness long gone.
Suddenly he wished he could enter the empty house, throw away his clothes, collapse on the bed dirty and just fall asleep, but he couldn't. You were there. And there was never a time in the past when he wouldn't be absolutely overjoyed to come home to you. Even when tired, he wanted nothing more than your arms around him. But not right now.
"Satoru, hey," you greeted him, keeping your voice soft and on the quiet side. You knew him so well, you could see how fatigued he was and frankly, you couldn't blame him. Being the strongest had its downsides, one of which was being very much in demand, and sadly, no one could take his place. "You're exhausted, huh?"
"Look at you, so damn perceptive," he snapped harshly, his eyes cold and empty as he looked down at you. He walked past you to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.
“Are you hungry? I can make you someth-“
"No, just shut up, you cannot make me fucking anything," once again, his tone was cold as he snarled at you. It was the first time so much cyanide spilled out of his mouth and he just barely opened it. At first you tried to understand it. Things had been really draining lately and you knew he was angry because he was tired, but it hurt nonetheless.
"Alright," you sighed, deciding it's best not to get deeper into the conversation when he's so argumentative. "Do as you wish, get some rest, Satoru."
"You know, why instead of telling me what the hell to do, you just don't leave my house, huh?", Shut up Gojo, he screamed at himself subconsciously. "Why are you even here anyway?" Shut. Up. " All comfy when I'm constantly on the job?"
"I know you're tired, Satoru, but I've been on missions too. I'm tired too," you looked at him in defeat, unable to keep the smiley mask on. There was so much wrong in this situation, so much anger being thrown at you for no reason whatsoever, and you had every right in the world to be just as angry as he was, but you just chose not to. You wanted to welcome him home with warmth, comfort him, and keep him up even if you felt down. You wanted to soothe his aching body when yours hurt just as much. Or worse. You were badly injured during the last few battles, but Shoko had her hands so full, you told her you could wait, and you hid all those wounds from Gojo's eyes so as not to worry him.
"'Yeah, your little missions,'" he bit, and your brows furrowed at the sound of his words.
"What does that even mean?" you asked, slowly feeling the heat of anger coursing through your veins. "I'm first gra-"
"I don't care what you are. You're still nothing to me. I deal with real shit, not those..."
You slapped him. Or at least you tried, your hand stopping just short of his face, and it surprised you to realize his limitless was still on, even though he was home already. He was still in fight-or-flight mode, still feeling threatened enough to keep his defensive techniques activated.
"Just what do you think you're fucking doing?" he growled, taking your wrist into his grip, the squeeze shooting shockwaves of pain through your nervous system. "Did my words hurt you? Did the truth hurt you so badly that you thought you could actually hit me?", his tone had a taunting undertone, and when you looked into his blue eyes, you saw nothing but cold. "Funny little thing."
"Let go, Satoru."
"Oh, I will. And when I do, you'll get your useless ass out of here. I'm not your boyfriend, we just fuck, we're not in a goddamn relationship for you to be here all the time. I need my space."
Gojo hated every word that fell out of his mouth, but now he couldn't take them back or erase them, and he didn't exactly know how to act now that he had said them. Immediately, he let his limitless inactivate, hoping you'd want to slap him again. Shit, he'd even accept a kick in the balls, but you remained silent, just looking at him. He could tell by the way your eyes glistened in the sharp artificial light of his kitchen that there were tears threatening to come out, but you didn't cry. Your jaw clenched for a moment and you lowered your hand.
"Right," you exhaled deeply, feeling the hurt burn your heart and soul. The smoke of sadness already flowing through your veins, your cells, your mind. "You're right, we're not. Here," you performed a theatrical swing of your arm, displaying the interiors to him, "your fucking space. I'll let myself out."
"Y/n..." he tried, but you were already in the room, changing from your pj's to sweatpants. He stayed in the kitchen, hoping you'd just jump into bed and maybe cry about it all, and he'd just come back later and comfort you when he wasn't mad anymore, but it didn't go that way.
Once he saw you again, you were heading towards the door.
"Y/n stay, don't be silly, stop," he tried to grab you, but you slapped his hands away.
"What, does the almighty, fucking honored one wish to add something to his oh-so-wonderful speech?"
"No, I'm sorry, stay," he took your hand forcefully, pulling you into his chest, but you fought back, not wanting anything to do with him right now. He had said too much. You knew it was all driven by his exhaustion, but it was far too much.
"No, Gojo, I don't want to stay here. I'm more than pleased to leave you in your space. There's no damn reason for you to share your precious air with such a useless nothing."
"No, no, please," he begged, his anger slowly being overtaken by panic. The sound of his last name felt cold and unfamiliar as it rolled off your tongue. "I'm sorry, please stay. I didn't mean it. Fuck, I didn't mean any of it."
"Please, take your hands off me," you told him more quietly. You were tired and now emotionally drained as well. All you wanted from this evening was to cuddle up with him to sleep. To bask in his warmth, knowing he's safe and home, to feel his skin against yours, to breathe him in. But no.
"No, I won't," he lowered his head and buried his face in your neck. "Please, I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't mean it, I'm just so tired. I feel dead, there has been so much fighting and pain and suffering and death all around me these past few weeks. I'm sorry, y/n," his voice faded to whisper as he rambled against your pulse.
"Gojo..."
"I don't think you're useless or nothing. Fuck, what have I done" he was spiraling slowly into a panic attack. You could feel his heartbeat getting hectic, his breathing uneven, and his grip on you so tight it hurt. "I am nothing without you. Please stay."
"Gojo."
"I love you," he whispered, his tone breathless, and at first you thought you had heard him wrong. He had never told you that. Not even once. "I love you so fucking much, please. Slap me, kick me, punch me in the dick, I don't care. Just don't leave me. I'm so sorry."
"Satoru, please, it hurts..."
"Hurts?", he froze. What hurts? Did he hurt you? The thought frightened him, not only did he insult you for no damn reason and now he caused you pain? As if burned, he let go of you completely, raising his hands as if he wanted to keep them in sight so you knew he wouldn't hurt you anymore. "I'm sorry."
"I've been fighting for these weeks, too. I'm tired too. I would never compare myself to you, but I gave it my all, too," you exhaled deeply. "And I know you're exhausted, Satoru. So please go to bed and get some sleep. I'll just go home."
"Here is your home, with me."
"Here?", you briefly looked around. It was a place you loved because it was filled with him. It was where your heart wanted to be when you felt safest and happiest, but now... "Suddenly I feel like an intruder here. I feel like I shouldn't be here."
"No, please don't say that. Listen, y/n, love," he dropped to his knees, took your hands in his and kissed the tops of them gently and tenderly. "Please, stay with me. I'm an idiot. But I love you. And I need you here, I need you in my life. I want you by my side."
"So, what do you want us to be? You said we're just fucking. God, I thought we were at least friends, if not a couple, but..."
"I want us to be everything. I want you to be my friend, my partner, my lover, my wife and my entire world."
You sighed. Deep and slow, pushing the air out of your lungs, letting your whole body deflate as you took his hands and pulled him up.
"Go take a shower and come to bed. You need to sleep it off. I need to rest too."
Obeying, Satoru rushed to the bathroom and you made sure to lock the doors, turn off the lights and took the time to change back into your pajamas. Sitting on the bed, you finally felt the tears running down your face. They brought you some relief and you let them flow freely, desperate to get it out of you before Gojo came back. It pained you how wrong the evening went and you wondered if there was anything you did to cause it, but no. It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t deserve it. And you should leave him there alone, just as he wished for. Then why were you still here?
"Please don't cry," his long arms wrapped around you from behind, enveloping you in his warmth. The light sweet scent of his body wash pleasantly filled your airways and it's out of habit that you leaned into him. "Will you ever forgive me?" he asked, gently wiping the tears from your cheeks. Slowly, he laid you down on the pillows and took his usual place beside you.
"I will," you sighed, already feeling the discomfort. "But please, let's change sides."
Satoru didn't understand at first, but he did what you asked anyway. When he saw you exhale in relief as you turned to the other side, his brain clicked. Moving his hands in the most delicate way possible, he lifted your shirt a little, revealing the many layers of bandages, already tinged with red that was seeping through them slowly.
"God, you're wounded. That's what was hurting you when I held you... I had no idea why you didn't tel-, ah, because I was being an asshole, right," he sighed.
"Yeah, I wasn't going to tell you anyway. I'm fine, just Shoko had her hands full, so I told her I'd wait a day or two. It's just a scratch, really," you told him, fixing your shirt. "Please, let's get some sleep, okay? We'll talk about it all later."
"I love you," he whispered, pulling you to his chest and planting a kiss on the top of your head. It was only now that he could feel his body relax, with you right next to him, your heartbeat syncing with his own, and all of your loving aura filling his body. And he realized that the words he never had the balls to say out loud to you now felt natural, rolling off his tongue. "I love you so much."
"You idiot," you sighed, closing your eyes and slowly melting into his form. "I love you too."
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bleedingoptimism · 10 months
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𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚
part 1
“You look pale,” Jeff comments making Eddie snort loudly.
Of course he looks pale, he’s got vampirism, doesn't he? But then again, so does Jeff and he looks great.
“When was the last time you fed?” He asks.
Eddie sighs heavily trying to reign in his bad mood. He knows Jeff’s just worried and wants to help, and he’s grateful to have run into an old friend from high school as soon as he moved into the big city. 
Because he’d be utterly lost without him.
He doesn't know where anything is, he gets lost in the subway, and he has no idea when he’s being charged too much for a muffin or suspiciously too little for a hotdog, or where all the blood markets are.
“Like, two weeks ago,” Eddie finally answers.
Jeff looks surprised but it’s not actually that bad, people with vampirism can go up to 4 to 5 weeks without blood. 
It’s not the same as those vampires from movies and books, they still eat food and they can stand in the sun with just minor cases of sunburn. There’s also the light sensitivity, making them all look like assholes wearing sunglasses everywhere.
Also, they are not allergic to garlic. Which, thank the heavens because Eddie loves garlic, a lot.
There’re a couple of side effects that do come in handy sometimes, like augmented hearing and smell. And the healing spit is super weird but nifty. No super strength regrettably, that would’ve been awesome.
Anyways, it’s like they have super anemia or something.
“I went to a blood bar, hooked up with some dude but. I didn't have a good time, at all. I kind of don't want to go back to bars for a while,” He elaborates and when Jeff frowns worried, he shakes his head,
“No, not like that. It’s just… the dude was like way too into it, you know? It kinda freaked me out.”
“What do you mean? Don't you find it hot? When you feed?” Jeff asks him, curious. 
Eddie nods quickly, “Yes, of course I do! It can be really sexy with the right person, but this guy, he was like- like way too loud and like, he was faking it? I don’t for who, though. And halfway through it, I started getting worried I’d accidentally hired someone instead of just hooked up and I didn’t have any money, and then I started thinking about money and my dick-”
“Ok! Ok, I get it.” Jeff thankfully interrupts him. “Dude, why didn’t you say something, I know of a place. I didn’t mention it before because it’s kind of boujee and handles itself a little differently.” 
“Oh? Do tell” Eddie tells him excitedly, he loves going to new places, especially if they are weird.
“Well, it’s real private, like ‘can’t get in unless you are on the list’ private. And it’s run by this girl. Blonde little thing, super cute. Scary as fuck. Everyone calls her ‘The Boss’” he says doing air quotes.
“Dramatic, I like it.” Eddie smiles.
Jeff chuckles, “So the gist of it it’s you go there and just hang out normally, like any other kind of bar. The place is beautiful, the music is good, and the drinks are delicious. But what's interesting about this place is the hostesses,” he says and even does a little pause for effect before continuing, “Similar to a blood bar there’re people there willing to be fed on but what’s cool about it is they get to choose.”
Eddie raises his eyebrows, “That sounds kind of fun, actually.”
“Right? And it feels, safer somehow? For them?” Jeff agrees and Eddie nods and smiles at him, waiting for him to keep going.
“Anyway, the hostesses choose and then you get to go upstairs and talk through what you want to happen, just feeding, sex, talking, anything they agree to, it's on the table. I once ended up just playing a game of Uno with the girl I fed on and two other hostesses that hadn't picked anyone that night.” he finishes and Eddie laughs delightedly.
“Ok, this place sounds amazing, what’s the catch?” 
“Well, you have to pay an entry fee, the drinks are expensive and there’s always the possibility you’ll leave empty-handed. The first time is free though,” Jeff says.
“Like drugs,” Eddie replies and Jeff nods solemnly, 
“You know the hostesses can be kind of addicting.” 
That night, on the way there, Jeff tells him they have to sign a guest list at the entrance,
“No one uses their real name, not because the place is shady or anything! But because they want to leave that choice to us and the hostesses if you ever get too close with one. It's not like, frowned upon.”
Eddie nods listening intently, he feels kind of nervous in a way he hasn't in a while, but he’s not sure why.
“Also, secret nicknames are fun! I’m known as Jay there. So please don’t dox me. Or yourself.” Jeff tells him.
After careful consideration, Eddie smiles and says, “I’ll be… Strider”
“Nerd”
“Shut up, you are just jealous you didn't come up with it yourself”
Jeff laughs, “You got me there,” he says, and then, “We are here” and he opens a big glass windowed door and vows to Eddie, inviting him in.
Eddie chuckles and enters and immediately almost runs into someone—a tall, massive guy with short curly hair and the shadow of a beard.
“Hey freak,” Jeff greets calmly, “He’s with me,”
Eddie cringes at the nickname, bad memories from high school bullying. But the dude just nods and gives Jeff the tiniest of smiles, so he figures it’s the nickname the bouncer chose for himself.
They enter and sign their name in the guest book, a girl about their age with dirty blond hair and hundreds of freckles on her nose and cheeks is there and she asks Eddie a couple of questions. Not in a weird way, but in a ‘you are new and I’m curious’ kind of way.
Eddie feels comfortable and excited as they go in.
Jeff was right, the place is beautiful. The lobby leads to a big room with high ceilings and fake candle-lit lamps. The chairs and tables are antiques and all different but roughly the same time period so they look good together. There’re old signs and posters from all kinds of drinks and different products adorning the walls. And the music is instrumental and oldie too, sounds like probably 40s or 50s.
It is incredibly boujee. But in a fun way, cozy and warm.
They get a seat at a small round table in a corner and Jeff lets Eddie look around for a while before asking,
“So? Weird right? It’s like stepping into another time,”
Eddie snorts, “Yeah, one that has no idea which time period it wants to repre- who is that?”
Jeff looks at where Eddie is looking and sighs, “Of course you noticed Sunshine,”
“Sunshine?” Eddie sighs.
“That’s what they call him. Because apparently he smells like flowers and summer and tastes like orgasms or something,” Jeff says amused rolling his eyes.
The guy, Sunshine, is probably the prettiest person he’s ever seen in his life, definitely the most beautiful man in this room. His face is a contradiction of sharp and round angles that is just absolutely perfect, and he’s wearing a black suit that clings to his body like a second skin, showing off his big shoulders and his tiny waist. He’s looking around the room with big, brown eyes that look bored as he leans against a wall like he’s above it all, he’s a fucking dream.
Eddie swallows audibly and looks smirking at Jeff for a second before his eyes drift back to the man, “Tastes like what, you said” he teases and Jeff snorts.
“Not that anyone would know, as far as I know, he’s never taken anyone upstairs,” he tells Eddie in a conspiratory tone.
That makes him incredibly curious, “Really? Why is he still here then?”
“I don’t know for sure, mostly rumors but he’s the boss’s favorite, that’s for sure. Oh!” Jeff exclaims and then nods his head to a girl sitting on the other side of the room, in a big fancy-looking chair that looks more like a throne than a simple piece of furniture.
She’s got blonde hair up in a ponytail and she’s wearing a flowery dress but there's something about the way she looks around the room, something about the way people walk around her and look at her, with respect or fear, or maybe both. She’s fucking intimidating.
While Eddie’s looking, the girl from the front desk, with the freckles, comes to sit on a small stool beside the “throne”, there’s another one on the other side that’s empty. The blonde girl moves her hand towards freckles and she kisses it and then her shoulder and smiles as she leans in closer and starts whispering to her.
It’s kind of surreal. 
“That’s The Boss, and the girl from the entrance, that’s Sparrow. She’s her girl.” Jeff explains.
“Respect for looking scary in a sundress,” Eddie comments.
And Jeff nods, “Anyways my theory is, Sunshine is actually just a bodyguard and not a hostess but the people that come here like to think they actually have a chance with him, so no one says anything to the contrary.”
Eddie snorts and nods, it makes sense. It's actually very good marketing, just like the ‘the first one is free’ thing. That boss girl is really smart with her business.
Jeff and he get a few drinks and they chat calmly, Jeff isn't looking to go upstairs tonight, he only came by to accompany Eddie and Eddie knows he should be looking around, trying to make eye contact with someone, but he can stop staring at Sunshine.
He even looked at their table at one point, and Eddie thought he was going to faint. He was scanning the room as he apparently does every couple of minutes when he caught Jeff’s eye and Jeff lifted his hand in greeting.
And Sunshine’s face completely transformed, his bored calculating expression changed into a beautiful smile that made his eyes shine. He wiggled his fingers at Jeff cutely before going back to looking like fucking Droopy Dog. If Droopy was the sexiest motherfucker alive. It was amazing to see.
Eddie’s jaw almost hit the table and he turned to look at Jeff stunned and he just shrugged,
“Sunshine was one of the hostesses I ended up playing Uno with. He’s fucking vicious,” he says smiling at the memory.
Eddie chuckles as his eyes follow Sunshine moving across the room, he just can't. Stop. Looking.
But the thing is, Sunshine is looking back now. Keeping eye contact with him obviously and unashamed. It’s thrilling and it makes shivers run down his spine.
He watches as Sunshine sits on the stool on the other side of The Boss’s throne and grabs her hand and holds it, intertwining their fingers. 
The Boss and her girl turn and look at him and the three of them start whispering, looking at him.
“Dude,” he says and turns to Jeff to see if he’s seeing what he’s seeing.
Jeff looks from him to the whispering party, “Un fucking believable, first time here and tonight is the night Sunshine is taking someone upstairs” he says looking fed up, but clearly in a joking manner.
“Is that what you think it’s happening? No way,” Eddie shakes his head as Sparrow says something that makes The Boss chuckle but Sunshine speaks up and she sobers up immediately. Curious.
“He’s looking right at you, he probably went to ask Sparrow about you,” Jeff insists.
“Maybe he’s looking at you”
“He’s seen me before,” Jeff scoffs.
He’s about to reply but their conversation gets interrupted by someone shily clearing their throat. A girl, a hostess, is looking at him with curious eyes, and shit… she’s cute and looks like a nice person but, Eddie can’t- he needs to know what those looks from Sunshine meant.
He needs him.
He looks back at the group quickly to see Sunshine and The Boss in deep conversation and Sparrow… is she glaring at him?
He rejects the girl, as nicely as possible and Jeff scoffs and murmurs ‘unbelievable’ under his breath again as Eddie turns to look back at Sunshine.
Who is walking toward them, holy shit.
“Holy shit,” Jeff says and then moves to stand. Eddie grabs his wrist and tries to pull him back.
“Wait what are you doing, dont-” But Jeff frees himself and starts walking away,
“Good luck!” He sings songs and then leaves him alone.
part 1: you are here
part 2: 👄
part 3: 🩸
bonus content: ☀️
ao3: 🌙
art: 🦇
coffee?☕🥐💕
2K notes · View notes
florwons · 9 months
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‧₊˚ ⋅ hurt — nishimura riki ‧ ˚₊‧
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synopsis you hated niki. he hated you. despite your ongoing rivalry, your recent arm injury seems to have had an unexpected effect on your so-called enemy. rather than making fun of your injury, he's shown a surprising twist of kindness by wanting to draw on your cast instead.
pairing rival!niki x fem!reader genre fluff, e2ls, hs au !
warnings profanity, injury, just niki and reader being a bickering mess !! typical rival things
featuring danielle newjeans jungwon enhypen wc 2303 !
note first enha work !! first time on blr and i think i’m getting a hang of it.. took too much time figuring out everything though 😵‍💫. i guess this happens when you’re bored (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝) anyhow, i just think niki fits e2ls !! also i think he fits this cute idea i was thinking about so why not combine the two ?? might also create a part 2 to this !!
— wanna read part 2 ? coming soon!
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"Wow, two whole months for it to heal? I’m sure it hurt, didn’t it?" Danielle exclaimed, her expression filled with shock as she glanced from your cast to your face. The two of you were seated next to each other during your first period, giving her a chance to closely examine your injury.
"Yeah," you replied with a touch of sarcasm, a sigh escaping your lips as you gazed at the plain, white cast encasing your arm. "Just the sort of thing that can happen when you take up a part-time job at a convenience store. But, my doctor assured me it's not too serious, so this arm should be back to its usual self soon!" You lightly tapped your arm with your free hand, showing her that you’re completely fine.
"Well, it's still frustrating to have to let it heal for that long," she pouted, receiving a light chuckle from you. Extending your uninjured arm, you gently held her hand, offering her a soft smile. "Don't worry, Danielle. Two months will fly by."
You were truly grateful for a friend like Danielle, who consistently showed concern for your well-being. It made you wonder why your life couldn't be filled with people like her instead of people like him. But no, the universe had different plans and had given you Niki, your classmate, or rather your enemy.
This rivalry with Niki had its roots all the way back to elementary school, and due to both of your stubbornness, it had been brought into your high school years. Poor Danielle found herself caught in this mess, being friends with both of you. You did feel bad for involving her, but the blame fell largely on Niki, who seemed to exist solely to get under your skin.
"Does... you-know-who... know about your injury? You guys walk to and from here together," Danielle hesitated, bringing up him in the conversation cautiously. You shook your head and replied, "No, not as far as I know. I actually left a bit early today—oh no."
Your hand instinctively moved to your forehead, the beginnings of a headache forming from the thought. Danielle let out a small gasp, concern evident in her expression. "What's wrong, YN? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine—wait, no, I'm not!"
"Why? What's the matter?"
"It's Niki! I just remembered that he's probably going to make fun of my injury for the entire two months." You slumped in your chair, already envisioning the scenarios in your mind. "That asshole."
“You actually got me worried!”
"Sorry, but this is something you should be worried about! Niki's constant teasing might be the end of me!"
"YN, you'll handle it. You both argue every day, anyway," Danielle said with a dismissive tone, not fully grasping how serious the issue felt to you. After all, Niki having another reason to mock you during class was far from trivial.
You sighed, realizing that you really wished for your arm to heal as quickly as possible.
In what seemed like no time at all, the second period arrived—a bit faster than usual. You hurried into the classroom, aiming to get into your seat promptly. But there was no use of that if he’s your seatmate! Just why couldn’t it be Danielle? You silently cursed your teacher for arranging the seating this way. More people started filling the classroom, and Niki’s unmistakable blonde hair caught your attention — he was walking your way.
His gaze fixed strangely on your arm as you withdrew it from the desk, letting it hang at your side. You deliberately avoided meeting his eyes, unwilling to deal with his presence at the moment. The scrape of his chair against the floor caught your ear, prompting you to take a deep breath. "Already pissed?" His voice carried a teasing tone, and you could practically feel the smirk in his words, causing you to roll your eyes.
“Aw, you got my routine down already?” You scoffed, placing your notebook on your desk. You were determined to shut out his annoying voice, but of course, life had other plans. "Seems like it. Just call it the Niki effect, I guess."
"Yeah, a real heartwarming effect," you replied monotonously, your attention shifting to the front of the classroom. In the corner of your eye, you could see him take out a notebook as well. You silently hoped he'd simply focus on his work and not pay attention to you, though it seemed he had different intentions.
“What’s up with your arm?” he points at your injured arm with his pencil. Now that made you wish you could snap that pencil in half. Nonetheless, you managed to maintain your composure, or at least tried to, as you responded calmly. "Oh, you know, just your typical arm-breaking experience. Nothing major—just a cozy two-month wait for it to return to normal."
"I didn't need a breakdown of your recovery process, but I suppose thank you for letting me know,” Niki remarked, adjusting his seat position. "Wouldn't expect any less from someone like you."
Holding onto your pencil, the pressure of it snapped its lead, and you clenched your teeth in frustration. "Do you ever know when to just keep your mouth shut?" you retorted, your tone edged with irritation.
"It's one of my finer qualities—maybe you should catch up," he shot back, a hint of amusement evident in his voice.
"Sure thing. Just do me a favor and stay quiet for two months, will you?"
He raised an eyebrow. "And what's in it for me?"
"Me sparing you from my rude remarks—just not like what you're doing right now."
“Can’t make any promises,” He dragged the last word, making you sigh. He smiled slightly, knowing he knew exactly how to piss you off.
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The bell rang, and relief washed over you like a wave. Hastily gathering your belongings, you were so focused on getting out of the classroom that you failed to notice Niki's gaze on you. Slinging your bag over your shoulder, you headed toward Danielle. Unknown to you, Niki's attention lingered, a subconscious concern for your well-being flickering in his mind.
"Niki? Niki!" Jungwon tapped him on the shoulder, causing Niki to start slightly. Wait, what was he doing just now? Before he could analyze his actions, Jungwon pulled him from his thoughts. "You seemed out of it for a bit. Are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, I spaced out for a second. Let's not miss our third period, alright?" Niki hurriedly packed his things, walking alongside Jungwon, his earlier behavior still puzzling him.
Niki's earlier slip-up had him lost in thought, and it continued especially during P.E. class. His eyes were drawn to you, sitting on the bleachers with a bored expression, casually observing the movement of the others. Then, unexpectedly, you excused yourself and headed toward the nurse's office. Niki found himself continuing to watch you, his focus on you more than anything else around.
"Hey, Niki!" A familiar voice brought his attention away from you, just in time to see a ball hurtling his way. He attempted to react, but the ball had already hit his arm. Wincing, he gripped his arm, a small crowd forming around him. Mr. Kim scolded him, and Niki nodded in acknowledgment—it was his fault for not paying attention.
“Take this pass and go get an ice pack,” Mr. Kim said, already finishing up the pass for him. At first, he contemplated declining, but then he remembered that you were in the nurse's office.
This was the fastest he ever grabbed a pass. His movements were swift as he exited the gym and quickly navigated the route to the nurse's office, hoping he could arrive before you left.
He knocked on the door, and a soft voice invited him in. Stepping inside, he found you seated in one of the chairs. Your surprise was evident as you looked at him, his hand resting on his left arm—the same one you had injured. He observed as he grabbed an ice pack before making his way over to where you were sitting.
In the row of chairs, he left a space between you, taking a seat. Your voice broke the silence, teasingly suggesting, "Starting to think you're obsessed with me." Niki couldn't help but scoff lightly as he settled in.
While you weren't exactly off the mark with your comment, admitting such a thing to you was out of the question. He waved off your words with a dismissive tone, "Me? Obsessed with you? Sure, as if."
A quiet pause settled between you both, and subtle glances were exchanged. Breaking the silence, you remarked, "Seems like you're about to join me, huh?"
He looked at you with confusion etched on his face, only to glance down at his arm and yours—both injured in the same spot. Niki couldn't help but chuckle softly, acknowledging that you were right. "Well, not quite as bad as your situation."
"Shut up." Niki's laughter filled the air, and for the first time, you found his laugh endearing—a thought you quickly brushed off. You simply smiled at his boxy grin. Has his smile always been this charming?
Niki realized he had let his guard down, his throat clearing as he subtly corrected himself. He needed to maintain the distance he had always kept between you two—at least for now.
"What are you doing here?" you started to answer, but he interrupted himself, realizing his mistake. "I shouldn't have asked, I mean, look at your arm."
There was the Niki you still had so much hate for. "If I had both arms, I'd strangle you right here."
"But you can't."
"Yeah, thanks for the reminder, idiot—as if I wasn't already aware," you retorted, rising from your seat. He wouldn't be entirely honest if he didn't admit part of him wanted you to leave. It was strange, but he always felt a certain oddness when you weren't nearby. "Can't wait for you to make jokes about my injured arm at every given opportunity."
Your words sparked an idea in him, and as you turned to leave, he was already formulating a plan — his way of getting closer to you than before.
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That's exactly what he did. Every chance he got to be near you, he seized it. His motives remained a mystery – was his plan to push you further away? If so, it was definitely working, as he managed to piss you off with every passing moment. Niki couldn't forget the way you clenched your teeth and let out exasperated sighs whenever he was around. He acknowledged he was being a nuisance, but was there really any other choice?
Could he just flip a switch and suddenly be friendly? That would be too suspicious, wouldn't it? Still, there was an inner push for him to say something decent for once.
And now, here he was, sitting beside you, gazing at your plain cast. Two weeks had already gone by – why hadn't anyone doodled on it yet? He hesitated before gently tapping your arm, causing you to look at him, your expression vacant. You were ready for him to bring up your arm again, almost as if you expected him to repeat his hurtful comments again.
“What? I swear if you make fun of my arm–”
"Can I draw on your cast?" He uttered the words, seemingly without a second thought, catching you completely off guard. Why this sudden change? Could he possibly be planning to write something embarrassing? Then again, your cast did look rather dull, almost too depressing to glance at. But, you still had your doubts.
“What? What if you draw something weird–”
“Come on, I’m not that terrible of a person.”
“Literally who do you think you are–”
“I’m your classmate, loser. Think I can’t be nice for once?” His words left you stunned, and you watched him retrieve a sharpie from his bag. He uncapped it, motioning for your arm to move closer to him. However, you found yourself hesitating, which prompted him to raise an eyebrow ever so slightly. "May I?" he asked.
You didn’t know what went through his head, and yours too! Before you knew it, you were extending your arm to him, watching as he concentrated on writing and drawing on your cast. He held it gently, clearly being cautious not to cause you any discomfort. You were undeniably intrigued by his actions, even though his presence was obstructing your view – not that you cared anyways.
Soon, he finished, closing the lid to his marker. The bell rang, almost as if on cue, causing him to hurry out of the classroom. It was as if the roles swapped, he was now the one rushing out quickly. His abrupt exit left you wondering – why was he so nervous? He didn’t know either, maybe he was suddenly being nice with his rival.
As you finally glanced at your cast, your eyes fell on the words he had written: "Hope you heal quickly, loser." Right beside the message was a small drawing of Shin-chan sticking his tongue out. This time you found yourself breaking into a smile, rather than being irritated.
"So you're telling me I could have been writing about your cast this whole time?" Danielle exclaims, her eyes fixed on the doodles now on your cast. She stops, examining the drawings more closely. "Hold on, isn't that Niki's handwriting?" Without giving you a chance to explain, Danielle is already teasing you mercilessly.
You knew you couldn’t argue back with her. After all, how could you explain the decision to let your rival draw on your cast? You gazed at the doodles once more, finding yourself involuntarily breaking into a small smile. Maybe, just maybe, you'd allow him to draw on your cast again.
Yeah, you were totally out of it.
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kayadrake123 · 1 month
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Love 
Tim Drake x Reader long Headcannons
Hey guys! Hope you’re all good. I haven’t posted for a while and I thought it would be nice to make a come back with a long head cannon about you and Tim’s relationship. Here you go! I will be posting more stuff soon!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contrary to belief, Tim is actually a very affectionate person
And he has different ways of showing it depending on who you are
With his siblings he always makes sure to ask them about their interests and to get frequent updates on their lives 
He doesn’t mind them talking his ear off, even though he pretends he does with them by groaning and rolling his eyes 
Might get them a gift here and there
For example whenever he sees a book Jason may be interested in, he sneaks it into his apartment later that night with a note that says ‘hopefully this will make you leave me alone for a while’ 
He’s just kidding of course
With his friends he does pretty much the same thing, but he makes sure to add in a lot of reassuring hugs with them
Now with you his lover, he’s the softest he has ever been. 
He didn’t even think it was possible for him to be down this bad, I mean he’s been in other relationships but NOTHING will ever compare to the love he feels for you
He finds himself being vulnerable without even wanting to because you just have this effect on him where he instantly melts and feels safe in your presence
He has many love languages, but his main three are definitely physical touch, quality time and acts of service
He wants to be near you all the time
You radiate warmth and beauty and he finds himself being pulled towards you, that’s how you met in the first place 
He loves hugging you 
The feeling of your arms wrapped around him as he clings to you brings him immense happiness 
A hug from you can heal anything and everything 
He has a habit of crossing your body parts when you sit next to each other, with or without people around 
What I mean by this is that you’d be sitting next to him in a booth at a restaurant and Tim would make sure to cross your forearms together on the table where your hand is resting and hold your hand 
He drapes one of your legs over his when you’re sitting next to each other on a couch 
Neck kisses. 
He loves the way you squirm when he kisses you there and the beautiful smile that spreads across your gorgeous lips
He loves when you kiss him on random places of his body, such as his back when he’s facing away from you or his arm when it’s positioned above your head
He loves when you drag the tips of your nails across his arm or his back, he falls asleep to that all the time, especially on the hard nights 
He loves giving you massages, anywhere at anytime 
Whenever you guys go on walks he likes to link your pinkies together because he thinks it’s so wholesome and gentle - you’re both very independent but still want to be close to each other even if it’s the slightest touch 
Always opens the car door for you. ALWAYS 
He actually gets upset if you don’t let him do it 
He will hold your bag for you DO NOT EVEN TRY TO FIGHT HIM ON THIS 
Loves that when you do your nails (if you get your nails done) you ask him what colour you should get 
Loves it even more when you listen to him and choose the colour he chose 
Your feet are sore after walking in heels the whole night? He will pick you up bridal style and carry you. No questions asked. 
At galas when he can see you’re getting hot, he’ll grab a fan that he stored in his suit jacket and wordlessly fan you 
He loves laying his head in your lap and when you stroke his hair
Loves when you give him kisses on the tip of his nose 
When you first bit him he was like ???? What are they doing ??? 
But he got used to it and understands that you get a cuteness overload that makes you bite those you love
If you’re also a vigilante he always wants to be your partner on missions and patrol 
Hates when you get hurt like he actually cries I’m not kidding 
Not in front of his siblings (unless you’re dying or the injury is very severe) but later when you get home after confirming you are in fact okay 
Once you got shot in the knee when he was all the way across town from you on patrol
He dropped everything he was going to see you and make sure you’re okay (bailed on a lead he’s been following for 6 months) 
When you told him you were okay he nodded but you knew he didn’t believe you
The truth is Tim heard your scream over the comms and how in pain you sounded - he also knew you were still in so much fucking pain because your body was tense and with every movement he could see you forcing yourself to not cry out in pain 
Hates to see you upset when he gets hurt and will spend the next few days, weeks if he has to, reassuring you that he is okay 
He worships you. 
In and out of the bedroom 
He takes his time with you, kissing up your legs, your stomach, your chest and then he captures your lips in the most desperate and passionate kiss that leaves you breathless and wanting more of him 
He loves the feeling of your body against his, skin-to-skin 
He always picks positions where he can feel your body against his
He also likes cuddling skin-to-skin 
He thinks you are the most beautiful and amazing human he has ever met and he feels so privileged and lucky to have you as his lover 
He loves being loved by you and he loves loving you 
You help him with a lot of things such as his anxiety, anger and his overcompensating 
Tim wasn’t ever really good at letting people love him, with his parents not being very affectionate and loving with him when he was younger 
He’s always been the one who loves and doesn’t get that love back 
But you, you changed that 
You let him know everyday that you love him and that you genuinely care about him and want to be with him 24/7
You’re his best friend and his soulmate and he will love you till his last breath and even beyond the grave
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roseykat · 2 months
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TITLE: Venom Eater
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SUMMARY: Moving on proves its challenges. Not everyone has the ability to accept that what happened, happened - and what was, was. So as you try to lead a new life, single and trying to heal, the journey proves to be far from easy. It’s worse than difficult and more painful than what you could’ve imagined. The only comforting source is that what will be, will be. And there’s no changing that.
WARNING: minors DNI with this post or my blog. I create NSFW SKZ related content and I know I won’t be able to regulate/monitor every potential interaction with those posts so please do not engage with me, my work, or page whatsoever.
TAGS: mentions of breakups, exes, angst, arguments, swearing, smut, slices of life here and there, alcohol (Jisung is drunk but there isn’t much detail on it), confrontation.
WC: 6K+
TAGLIST: @emikisses @linos-kitten @chansbabygirlsstuff @lixiespick @frogieeheart @/fuckthinking @nimx9 @/shishou1687 @inniescandy-01 @konstanceee @/rose13255 @queenmea604
Venom Biter (Part 1) | MASTERLIST
A/N: the long-awaited part 2 to Venom Biter! This was originally meant to be longer but I decided that I wanted to flesh out the plot a little bit more so things will get worse and or better who knows…
There’s never a grey area about what people do after a terrible breakup. It’s always black and white. Whether someone cuts their hair, dyes it, alters their aesthetic, or goes on holiday to escape the reality. 
The gym can make for the perfect best friend to subtly take revenge on someone a person once had.
But your new best friend was Tinder. A platform of opportunities to explore and select at your perusal. Providing you with gorgeous men who were looking to fuck and nothing more than that. If Tinder wasn’t the buzz for you that night, it would be going out with friends - friends that didn’t include ones that you made through Minho. 
These ones’ you would only see about once every three months then band together again as if nothing has changed in the space between. It’s not awkward when you’re around them and so far, it has taken your mind off the past two months. Since then, your connection with Minho has been one of which where-
“God fuck I’m cumming!”
Minho knows he is too when his eyes screwed shut, laying back as he lets you use his cock, “shit, so am I,” he breathes out, watching you roll your hips in a frantic craze to get yourself over the edge. You miss this. 
The way that you squeeze around him is the final straw that breaks the camel's back. Minho swears towards the ceiling, back arching as his dick glides in deeper. Within a couple of seconds, his vision flashes just as white as your insides that he fills. 
The top half of your body flops forward onto his chest, spent from the past fifteen minutes that you’ve been riding him non-stop. Now it’s almost possible to hear the rapid thumping of his heartbeat that violently bashes from within. Not wanting to stay in that position for any longer, you peel yourself back, hopping off his body. 
“I need you out by seven,” you declare, picking up his sweatpants and t-shirt from the floor and then throwing them right at him. 
Minho grumbles but doesn’t flinch, “seven? Fucking hell.”
“Well, I have to go to work so you’re not staying.” 
“I figured that,” he fusses before sitting up. “At least let me use your gym here.” 
You pause for a second to look at him, wondering where he gets his audacity from sometimes, “fine.” 
“Thank you,” he replies then starts donning his clothes as you make your way to the bathroom for a hot shower. 
This is what it’s been like for a while now - a pernicious seesaw effect of meeting up with Minho, sleeping with him (usually in the mornings), and going about your day as if he wasn’t in your guts twenty minutes ago. 
It’s always a good feeling in the moment but after, there’s a lingering icky weight that you’re tirelessly towing along with you wherever you go. You’re not sure if Minho feels the same because even though you’ve talked to him a few times, there’s no talk of each other's feelings anymore. It’s not that neither of you are ready for that looming and tender conversation. It’s just as if there’s no point. 
By the time you were out of the shower, Minho was still on the edge of your bed, fully clothed and ready to leave. 
“I’m not making you breakfast,” you say to him, wrapping the towel around your body a little tighter. 
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t expecting you to,” he responds. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Can it wait until the end of the day, because I need to get ready for work.”
He groans, getting fed up, “surely you can get ready and listen at the same time.” 
You rustle through your drawers for a pair of underwear and bra, “to other people maybe.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“If you want to use the gym, go now,” you instruct sternly, hoping that he’ll just disappear. 
When he detects that he can’t get through to you right now, he gives up. It’s too early to argue, so places his hand on the door handle, opening it for himself to leave and head down to the first floor, leaving you to prepare for another day’s work in peace.
After a quick breakfast, getting dressed and decent, you grab your bags and depart. On your way out, you spot Minho using the weights while you dart past the foyer, briefly thinking about how the time to cut him off is fast approaching. 
You can’t keep doing this. There’s no way to move on if you’re both still latched onto each other's ankles like how kids are with their parents. That need for one another is still present. 
“Who even am I when I’m not with you?” Minho asked you two weeks into sleeping with him again after breaking up. His comment sums up the reason of ‘why you decide to keep running back to each other’.
It’s not a hard statement to understand. You’ve been with Minho for a long time, you’re both still young and haven’t dated anyone else except between yourselves. It’s like being a dog that was never socialised as a puppy, unable to interact with others because it’s not sure how. 
Suppose it’s the fear and anxiety that comes with separating from your favourite person. 
The world and society have become scarier than it previously was and life is not as secure when you’re not with the person who can shield you from those things. There’s no comfort, only pure vulnerability, and what better way to feel protected than to return to a lover even when there’s nothing but a feeble spark that’s left over from what was once a blazing forest fire. 
Seungmin challenges that particular view of yours at dinner with Felix as well after a long day at work. He wanted to see where you were coming from but also because he’s there to force feed you the icy, sobering truth when you don’t want to hear it. 
“If there’s no romance, what’s the point of going back to each other?” he asks. 
“They were dating for years Seungmin, you don’t just get over someone that quickly,” Felix responds instead like he was the one being offended.
Dissimilar to Seungmin, Lix will let you down gently and is afraid to hurt you with the sharp use of words that can be sometimes. 
“Supposedly,” you mutter to yourself knowing full well how fast it was for Minho to just go ahead and fuck someone else after you had broken up. 
“Do you still love him?” Seungmin questions swiftly. 
“No,” you respond promptly. 
“If there was an opportunity to get back together with him, would you go for it?” 
“No,” you answer again. “I couldn’t.” 
Felix blinks, not expecting that answer, “well…then…”
“Then stop seeing him if you know what’s good for you,” Seungmin continues. “Those icky feelings that you get after sleeping with him - not good. That’s the regret you’re experiencing and it’ll never feel any better.”
There’s no crack or fault in his advice. Had you not dished out the truth about the details of your messy breakup before and after, you would’ve still been glued to the same spot. It’s important to have someone humble you, and there’s no better person to do that than Seungmin. 
“Just keep thinking about it, okay? On another note, Hyunjin’s coming back from France next week so we’re having a dinner and drinks,” Seungmin mentions. 
Your mind briefly departs from the subject of your ex, “is he? Has it really been that long?”
“Yeah,” Felix replies, also surprised. “You’re coming right? We’re going to have a few drinks too, and catch up.”
“What time?” You ask.
“Around six,” Seungmin answers. “Does Minho know?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” you shrug, the thought of him returning to your mind once again. “I don’t know if he’d have any interest in going since they’re not friends anymore.” 
Felix recalls that factor, “that’s right. But, if the rest of us are going to be there, we should invite him too, no? Unless it’s too difficult for y-”
“It won’t be difficult,” you reply, punctuating the rest of Felix’s sentence a little too quickly. “He and I can get along for about…ten minutes before things go sour. Plus, I don’t mind not going if he wants to. I can always catch up with Hyunjin another day.” 
“You’re our friend too, remember? Don’t let your asshole of an ex-boyfriend stop you from seeing us. You broke up with him, not us,” Seungmin sends you a powerful reminder. “I’ll have a chat with him so that you don’t have to.”
He has a full understanding that if you and Minho were to attempt another civil conversation, it’ll go haywire and lead to more regret that you don’t need to be feeling right now. It just goes to prove that he’s beyond correct to even assume that fact.
The minute you both try to convey how or what it is that you’re both feeling, tensions boil over. For some reason that tension is only resolved by being bent over the nearest surface and fucking it out together. 
It’s not healthy. 
You go to remind Minho of what he did to you which he hates hearing, not because he denies it but because he does truly feel guilty. His only saving grace to that argument was that you had both technically broken up, meaning there were no ties to one another afterwards. Still, he missed the point of the fact that he hurt you as a result of those actions. It was too fresh to have done that to you.
Even when he recognised that factor, it was hard for him to accept that he actually caused you some form of irreversible emotional harm
However, Seungmin was right in the fact that you broke up with Minho and not your friend which enabled you to leave that dinner feeling a bit better and with a clearer judgement about going forward with a decision to cut all ties with Minho. It wasn’t something to look forward to. 
But what was, is the dinner in the upcoming week. It’s the prime opportunity to see everyone again for the first time in over a month. 
Despite your collection of text messages and calls from the likes of Chan, Jisung, Changbin and others, it was hard to associate yourselves with them in fear that all they’ll do is unintentionally remind you of Minho. It was the same way he felt when he was clearing out his house - not wanting to be around anyone or anything that would refresh his memory of you. 
Now, all you want to do is move on. 
Work had a helping hand in that process. Having been so busy with things piling up, your mind was free from Minho during the day. You were able to focus on tasks instead of wallowing and thinking about whether or not to give him a second chance
If it weren’t for Seungmin texting you the details of the upcoming dinner, work-life would’ve swallowed you up whole and made you forget. 
From Minnie: 6 pm we’re meeting up, Also, just a heads up, Minho said he’s coming. Take it with a grain of salt though bc he might change his mind. 
To Minnie: Thank you :)
You inhale a breath of fresh air. Going to this dinner was necessary whether it was going to be difficult or not. The presence of Minho wasn’t going to stop you from seeing your friends, and with that, you decide to get ready and head straight to the venue. 
The restaurant has a separate open area for functions and tables people can book out. The dim golden lighting brings a warm and cosy vibe to the venue, coupled with a beautiful earthy aroma from reed diffusers distributed around the place and the smell of promised good food. It’s a relatively fancy setting, but not to a degree where you would be denied entry if you didn’t meet a dress code. 
As you walk further down, you can already see Chan and Jisung chatting up a storm in the corner while they wait for the others. It’s a relief that not many people have made it so far in order to keep as low of a profile as possible and to not draw attention to yourself. However, little by little, they will definitely notice you’re there. 
Jisung is the first to spot you, his jaw becomes unhinged as he drags himself out of the booth, speeds over with his face lit up, and throws his arms around you in a bone crushing hug. He nearly squeezes and shifts all of your organs out of place. 
“Do you know how much I’ve missed you?” he exclaims loudly in your ear. 
Chan laughs in the distance at his best friend's behaviour, “let her breathe Jisung.” 
He releases your body for a rush of oxygen to surge back to your brain, “sorry, I just can’t help the fact that I haven’t seen you in a month!” 
“You Facetimed me Jisung,” reminding him of that one and only time you accepted him reaching out to you to see if you were okay. 
“That’s completely different, anyway sit down,” he offers. “I’ll get you a drink.” 
Without wanting to hear any protest from you, Jisung darts off to the bar nearby, ordering a beverage or two. Chan then waves out, ushering you to come and sit before you walk towards the booth. 
“If I had gone another week without seeing you, I’d probably start to forget what you look like,” Chan jokes, patting his hand down on the space of cushion beside him for you to sit. 
“That wouldn’t be such a bad thing,” you respond. 
The second you’re seated, you can already feel Chan’s mind trying to intrude yours. There’s no point in lying to him when he’s akin to one of those Occlumens from Harry Potter, an all knowing person who can hear every one of your thoughts at will. Regardless of the fact that he’s not, it’s his parental nature which exudes that. 
“Going okay?” He asks you. 
You take a deep breath in and sigh out, “I could be worse.”
“You’re still here though,” he responds wisely. “And so are we.” 
Chan never wanted to ask why you never told them or came to them when you first broke up with Minho. They all had to find out through one another then needed to text or ring you to confirm that it was actually real. However, they all knew that you must’ve had your reasons. Naturally, it would’ve been tough to accept let alone leaning on your close friends for support. 
“Thank you,” you respond. 
“Here we go,” Jisung calls out, carefully returning with two different types of cocktails. “They’re both strong as hell so don’t try to choose.” 
“Not that you’d have it any other way right?” you reply, helping him with the glasses as he sits down beside you. 
He pats your head as he goes to sit down and slings his arm around your shoulder, “you know me too well. Anyway, Changbin and Hyunjin are here. He just texted me before.” 
Chan sulks, “what? No! he was supposed to wait until everyone else was here.” 
“To be fair, they were meant to be here twenty minutes ago so Changbin is actually on time,” Jisung responds. “Anyway, how are you missy?” 
“Better now that I’m with you guys,” you answer, giving him a bit of a friendly nudge before leaning into him.
Jisung grins, genuinely relieved on the inside to hear that you are. Not that you have been able to notice, but they were all worried for you at one point. The lack of information regarding your whereabouts or even the state of your well-being was concerning. It was almost like you had dropped off the face of the earth at one point, right up until you finally made the decision to start accepting people trying to contact you. 
Unfortunately for your friends, they had to learn about what you were up to through Minho, and even today, you’re not sure if what he said to them was the truth. Nonetheless, they all knew at the end of the day, if they were ever unsure or suspicious of what he was feeding to them, they were mature enough to come to you to double check. If they were able to get through to you. 
“Good. Now come back and hang out with me because these guys are boring.” 
Chan goes to lift a finger and point across at Jisung to object his statement before Changbin rounds the corner with Hyunjin trailing at his side. 
The last you saw him was some five years ago, just before he went away to an arts’ school in France to study. Now he returns taller with much more cut and distinct features and a head of light brown hair that’s visibly eclipsed his natural jet-black colour. Despite that, he also seems softer or shy when he gives everyone at the table a half smile. 
“Who’d you say was boring?” Changbin prods into the conversation. 
Jisung points up with his beverage in hand, “you and Hyunjin!”
Hyunjin’s eyebrows knit together with worry, “is he drunk already?” 
A bright smile fashions on Changbin’s face when he notices you, “Y//N! Now it’s two welcome home parties!” 
Hyunjin turns to look down at you in surprise, “have you been away as well?”
His question serves as a reminder that he has been relatively out of the loop since he’s been gone – not that you expected him to be fully aware of everything since he probably had better things to do. Hyunjin was still active in the group chat, but none of you prefer to communicate that way when hanging out is the better option. Whilst he’s missed out on a lot of stuff that’s happened, he hasn’t been so oblivious to other things. 
“Not exactly,” you respond awkwardly. “But welcome back by the way.”
He smiles softly, “thank you.”
The get-together officially kicked off when Jeongin, Seungmin, and Felix arrived just before the second round of drinks was ordered. Everyone was happy to have Hyunjin back. Even for you, it was nice to see him again after so long – it was nice to see everyone in general. The setting was reminiscent of old times when everyone banded together. Whether it was at karaoke, dinner, a bar, someone’s house, or at some event, it’s always a good feeling when you’re around them. 
It leads you to feel slightly upset that you haven’t seen them in so long. You’ve missed hearing their laughs, their jokes, and the safety that you feel too. But for a very painfully obvious reason, none of it seems to be the same without Minho. 
“Didn’t show up did he?” Seungmin, who had been chatting up a storm with someone at the bar, walks over and takes a seat opposite you at the cornered booth. Just about all of them were alternating from the table to the bar, and a space they’d found to stand up to talk, or in Jisung’s case, dance by himself. 
“Mm,” you mumble. “Which I’m sure is a good thing.” 
He shrugs carelessly but with a small grin, “for your benefit. Not that I’m an expert in relationship problems but I can speak from personal experience.” 
“That’s true,” you respond, remembering that he has in fact had his heart broken a few times by the same person. 
Luckily for him, he’s ceased the chase and gave an account the other day at dinner of how freeing it was to be his own individual. It’s something you can only hope to achieve at this point – to be liberated from that sticky dependency you have on Minho. 
It’s not love that you feel for him anymore, you’re sure of it. But it’s similar to a violent craving. His skin, voice – oh his voice. Everything about his body has you itching under the surface to have him by your side even though things end in a fiery argument, which is usually how it goes. 
It wasn’t love anymore. It was dependency. A type of separation anxiety that fills you up with this icy cold feeling that won’t go away until you specifically have Minho near you. Still, deep down, you knew you didn’t love him anymore. 
“Is Jisung okay?” Hyunjin ticks his head towards his friends’ direction. 
Judging by the fact that Chan was holding a barely conscious Jisung up was a clear indicator that he definitely wasn’t okay. Never has he been able to handle his alcohol well and it was evident by the lack of control over his own body. 
Seungmin looks over concernedly then looks down at his phone to check the time, “shit, I have to take him home too.” 
He abandons you briefly to help out Chan. Both of them collectively agree that Jisung needs to go home or at the very least be removed from the bar to sober up. They take him to an empty table nearby and ask the bartender for some water. Meanwhile, Hyunjin turns a blind eye to the chaos and talks to you instead.
“How have you been Y/N?” He asks. 
“Yeah, good. You? How was France?”
By the look on his face, it was as if your question brought back a whole heap of good memories to the forefront of his mind, “I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.” 
“That’s good to hear,” you reply. “So have you graduated already?” 
“Three months from now I will be,” he answers. “Why? You wanna come watch me walk across the stage over there?” 
You consider his offer, “what if I said ‘yes’ to that?” 
“Then I’d be over the moon,” Hyunjin emphasises then offers a brilliant suggestion that springs into his mind. “In turn, maybe I can show you around France and all the places I went to.”
“Is that a deal then?” 
“Sounds like a solid deal to me,” he responds and whether he was joking or not, either way, it seemed a pleasant idea. 
During the last hour of the dinner, you spent having an in-depth conversation with Hyunjin. From what he got up to in France, what he wants to do in the future, then covered what you’ve been doing as well
The topic of your ex-boyfriend was difficult to navigate, but you managed it well by diverting to another subject. The last thing you wanted to talk about was Minho for fear that the more you think about him, the more you’d want him. 
Then again, you’re reminded once more of the fact that Hyunjin and Minho aren’t friends. He may not have any interest in him whatsoever. But it’s not like they left each other on horrendous terms. Not like how you and Minho did. Plus, it’s hard to see this fresh shade of Hyunjin in front of you, hating anyone he doesn’t like or doesn’t know. 
The Hyunjin from five years ago would’ve held a grudge, but now you can see by his shift in personality, that he’s let it go. 
When it came down to having to leave, everyone seemed to have their own plans. Seungmin would have the misfortune of taking care of Jisung. Felix, Jeongin, Hyunjin, and Changbin decided to go bar hopping while they were still stable on their feet and even encouraged you to come with them. It took a lot of convincing to tell them ‘no’ after you were set on heading home to the comfort of your own space.  
Seungmin assured Chan that he was fine to handle Jisung, then thought it would be a polite gesture to accompany your side when you decided to walk home, regardless if it was only a minute's commute from the restaurant. 
“How are you holding up?” Chan addresses the elephant in the room. 
His question could be seen a mile away. It made you wonder if that was the reason he chose to walk you home since his place is in the opposite direction. Although he wasn’t confronting you, that’s exactly what it felt like. 
“Somewhat okay, I suppose,” you answer. 
“No, how are you really? We see Minho all the time. In fact, he won’t leave us alone. But we haven’t seen you,” he responds. “You can still hang out with us you know?” 
“I know that,” you almost whine, especially after offering your ear to Jisung just for him to repeat the same words for over two hours. “I’ve been busy.” 
“I guess being busy is a positive.”
“It’s when there’s nothing to do or I don’t feel good and I don’t have anyone around,” you respond and both come to a halt when you reach the entrance to your apartment building. “That’s the hardest.”
“That’s when you call us,” Chan says strictly. “I know you know this too, but all of us would drop whatever it is that we’re doing to come and help you. Not just Minho, even though I had some reservations about seeing him after what he did.” 
The last parts of his words surprised you. Chan actually thought about cutting Minho off too when he found out what happened…
“So he did tell you everything.”
“Everything,” he confirms. “Including everything that you’ve both been up to now. Like how you still see each other now and then – and not for the reasons I had hoped. So why do you keep seeing him when you want to move on?”
Your eyes narrow at him, “how do you even know that I want to move on?” 
“The fact that you still sleep with him but won’t pursue any sort of communication to get back with him romantically, says a lot Y/N. And I know that because he’s told me,” Chan answers bitterly, but not in a nasty way. “Your body might miss him, but I know your mind doesn’t.”
He’s bitten through the truth which you can’t seem to, his elderly brother-type personality forces you to see reason. You’d be offended if Minho tried to initiate a conversation about wanting to get back together, knowing that he’s not in any position to be making requests after what he did. 
“Why are you telling me all of this?” You ask tiredly. 
“I want what’s best for you,” he says. “Yes, Minho too in some way, but I told him he needed to figure out what he did on his own because I can’t help him with that. That’s his punishment.” 
You supress a laugh, “thank you.” 
Your short talk with Chan made you realise how empty your cup had been since you last saw him – since you last saw all of your friends under one roof. It was rewarding and it felt like home to be near them. However, his words weren’t there for you to just defer from. You had to listen to him. He was right in saying that your body misses Minho but your mind doesn’t because the next time he came around, you swore to yourself that it was going to be the last time you saw him.  
But it needed a conversation, one that you weren’t even sure if you were ready to have, too scared to rip that band aid off. 
As you don your bra back on and shimmy on your underwear that Minho almost tore off, you think of all the possible ways to approach this situation, bearing in mind that it does have the potential to blow up. 
“W-We need to talk,” you stammer, wondering if that’s a good way to start. It’s a start, that’s all that matters. 
Minho stares at you from the other side of your bed, halfway through putting on his t-shirt, “okay, what about?” 
Without any warning, you blurted out what needed to - what must be said, “we should stop seeing each other.”  
Heavy silence drapes over the room, except for the cogs working overtime in Minho’s brain, trying to decode your words could almost be heard. You can most definitely see it on his deadpan face. It illuminates the seriousness of the situation compared to what it was five minutes ago.
“Can you give me some more detail about that?” He requests. 
“I just don’t think it’s healthy that we continue to sleep with each other when we’re not going to get back together,” you inform him. 
“You don’t want to get back together?” Minho poses the long awaited question that hurts to even conjure an answer. 
“Be honest, we’d be together right now if you knew that I was serious about it,” you say truthfully. “I’ll never not love you, but I can’t love you in the way that I used to.” 
The sheer surprise of the conversation made Minho realise that he’s been consuming too much of a good thing. That he actually wasn’t prepared to talk to you about this. It’s been creeping around the back of his mind since you both started seeing each other casually but ignored it so as to spend as much time with you as he could even though you weren’t with him anymore. 
“Right.”
“Look, just…don’t go cold on me, because I do want to talk to you about these things,” you plead with him. 
“Such as?”
“Such as our friends,” you start off. “All of us hang out a lot, but I didn’t want our…breakup to stop either one of us from seeing them. They’re your friends and mine too. I’d hate for us to be driven away from them because we can’t coexist anymore.” 
“Fair enough.” 
You can sense that he’s already starting to shut down. An obvious coping mechanism that’s triggered by something he wasn’t prepared to hear. But while the final shreds of his rationality are still with you in the room, you make haste, and dish out the important points he needs to know.
“We might not ever be friends again even though that’s not what I’m hoping for-“
Minho stands up from the edge of your bed, cutting the rest of your sentence off in the process, “if you’re serious about everything that you just said, then I don’t want to see you text or call me first asking me to come over. This isn’t a one-sided deal that only applies to me, you have to stick to it as well.” 
“This isn’t even a deal Minho. I am telling you not to.” 
“What? Telling me ‘not to’ because you can’t control yourself around me? Fine. I don’t know if you realise this, but the majority of the texts between the both of us, are mainly sent from you - you asking for me, telling me how lonely you are, or how much you miss my body. So don’t start handing out instructions when you’re not going to adhere to them as well.”
There’s a viper-like sting to his words that keeps piercing your resolve. A truthful sting that seeps poison into your blood, making you feel sick and cold. He’s torn you off your high horse for a moment, bringing you back down to earth to realise that it’s not just him who needs to see reason as well.
He had a very strong argument.
Minho sighs and tails more information to his tangent, “look I will do whatever it is that you want me to do. But, if this is what you want, then you can’t deny that it will only work one way.” 
There’s an efflorescence of achiness in your chest. A familiar one that you felt in the early days after breaking up with Minho. It was the same one you would feel whenever you’d have to lock the door to the spare bedroom in his house whenever he bought someone else over. 
Heartbreak. 
It lingers when he finally leaves with the promise of never reaching out to you again, at least for sex because there was no way of avoiding him in the future. That fact was impossible to refute. But this is what breakups consist of. Not one hairline shy off of being messy. It could, though, be much worse. That’s as much you had to be grateful for when you have to start from square one all over again.
Changing things up was necessary. You had already moved out from Minho’s, which there was no choice behind, but that meant new scenery. Different places to peruse in your own time that you hadn’t yet ever since you had moved out
It opened up new opportunities to visit some local things, especially on your way back home from work as you decide to call into a small cafe.  
Soft bossa nova plays calmly in the background as you stand and deliberate on something sweet to take home with you for after dinner. If it weren’t for the many niche options to select from, you would’ve almost missed the voice talking from beside you. 
“I heard the matcha bread is nice here.”
Your surprise gets the better of you, almost forgetting how to speak for a split second when you see a familiar tall figure you met once more from the other week. 
“Hyunjin?”
“Hey,” he smiles. “Wanna sit down together?”
You end up ordering yourself a warm drink and a sweet pastry to go while Hyunjin found a small table right in the crook of the cafe. His sudden appearance was rather pleasant, allowing you to divert from your own thoughts for a bit. Plus, it’s always nice to sit and chat with a friend. 
“I thought you might’ve been here to meet up with one of the others,” you say to him. 
Hyunjin nods, putting his coffee down, “I just spent the last couple of hours helping Changbin buy clothes just down the road at one of the shopping centres, so that’s where I came from.”
You smile, “well he trusts you more than the others in that department.”
“As he should,” Hyunjin grins softly. “How are you?” 
“I’m well, I just finished work and was heading home,” you respond.
“I’m not keeping you from going am I?” He asks politely.
“No, not at all,” You quickly exclaim. “The longer I stay, the more of an excuse I have not to do the mountain of things I need to for work.” 
Hyunjin chuckles, “well, as long as it doesn’t get you into trouble with your colleagues.”
“I should be fine,” you hope. 
“You know, when I think about it, you and I never really spoke that much back then,” he points out. “I only just realised that from last week when I saw you again.” 
His comment makes you think back too
Hyunjin was definitely part of your friend group, but not one who you would hang out with individually or with another person. He was just there, almost like he was known to you by association. Aside from the fact that he’s well-mannered and kind, the only aspect of his personality that seemed to have changed is how boisterous he used to be.
Although, that’s to be expected when people mature and cross the bridge from adolescence to adulthood. 
“True enough,” you reply and start snickering when you remember something funny. “But I have good memories of you though. Like when you threw that bottle at Jisung.”
Hyunjin’s eyes nearly pop out of his head, “I remember that. I could’ve killed him with that too.”
“Or when Chan had to pull you up from the train tracks because you fell off the platform and got stuck,” you add on.
“Most of those memories seem to have some type of mortal peril attached to it,” Hyunjin discovers. 
“You were young,” you remind him tenderly. “They make for the best memories anyway.” 
He agrees, staring into a space on the table as he reminisces, “true. So much has changed since I got back. I feel like I’ve missed out on growing up with you all even though we were just teenagers back then and adults now.” 
“Maybe, but we’re still young though and some have more growing up to do than others,” you hint very cryptically at one person who automatically springs to mind. “So don’t feel sad that you’ve missed out when there’s still a lot for us out there.” 
Hyunjin sits a bit more comfortably knowing that. As you both continue to talk, he realises how much you’ve changed yet somehow remained the same. You grew into your features, enhancing what was already there to a finer degree. Your looks were Hyunjin’s first impression of you when you first met as devious young teenagers. 
That was before he discovered that you are as kind and cool as you come across. But you were just distant friends back then. Now, Hyunjin detected a space for that to potentially change. He wanted to get to know the friend he hung out with here and there.
Even though time threatened to cut the starting opportunity short, it was still a start nonetheless, and Hyunjin was confident that there would be other times to arrive as well. So as the baristas begin cleaning up behind the counter and around the cafe, both you and Hyunjin took it as a sign that it was probably time to head off. You both take your belongings, thank the staff on your way out and head into the night. 
“Y/N,” Hyunjin says to you. “We should get coffee again sometime.” 
You nod, “I’d love that. I still have your number.” 
“So do I,” he replies. “What way are you heading?” 
“I’m just literally around the corner, not even a minute away,” you answer. 
“Okay, I’ll look forward to your text then,” he says. 
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kaonarvna · 5 months
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Every now and again, I remember that my disability (EDS) isn't invisible, actually. People are just uncomfortable when they can see it. People don't want to see it. People like to ignore it. Other people just stare at it, and don't even look at me. All they see is a pile of bones and fascia and something to pity.
I've worn a shoulder brace the past week, because it subluxed horribly a week or so ago. Still healing. Visible.
I always have compression sleeves on my arms, full coverage. Bicep to wrist. Visible.
I have soft braces and compression kit for every joint imaginable. Visible.
I'm covered in KT tape. I've worn it on my goddamn face after a jaw sublux, for that little extra support and proprioception help. Tape. On the face. Very visible.
The people I've worked with for years are used to it by now, the good ones, at least. They don't remark when I take a minute to stretch. They know I'll say something if I'm not okay. They know I'm in a constant state of variable dysfunction. They've seen enough, they're used to it.
But then there's people who aren't used to it. People who see me stretch on the ground, watch in discomfort, then they ask someone else if I'm okay. I can hear them quietly mutter it to other staff. I hear them go, "oh, he does that". I can see their discomfort with me (just existing as I need to exist). I can see the discomfort in these new people who aren't accustomed to bodies with slightly different needs, and it's a visceral reminder of being "other". I wonder, how terrible and scary and different I must be, for them to not even have the fortitude to ask me themselves.
And then there are the new people who see it and ask too many questions. The ones who go "but you're so young!" as though my connective tissue has a concept of social expectations for people under (arbitrary age). They go "but you look great!" as though I'm not covered in bruises and held together by tape (nevermind the implication that the disabled must look "bad"). They go "but you never call in!" as though I'm not often two seconds away from doing so, before the fear of losing my job sets in.
...and these are the ones who seem to wish not to see it the most. The ones who ask questions like I should be on display, and as soon as the conversation ends, so does my disability. They'll ask the same questions the next time, and the next time, and the next. It always ends with statements of pity, or something pity-adjacent. If I'm "lucky", they might even make an inappropriate comment about how I shouldn't be working, or sex must be "interesting", or act like I'm some eldritch horror that shouldn't exist.
And I'm reminded of the training I was once made to sit though. A ninety minute training, where you sit and watch the PowerPoint for ninety minutes in a too-small plastic chair, while someone reads the PowerPoint. The presenter started with a cute little "haha I know it's long, feel free to get up and walk around, or stretch".
I did.
I got up, walked myself to the side well out of the way of the tight chair lines, and laid down to stretch (a good spinal twist, loosen things up).
And she stopped the presentation.
She asked if there were any first-aiders present.
She was going to keep going on and on, until I heard someone say, "oh, he's fine, he does that." and a few "that's just (name), he does that". She started apologising profusely, waffling about how she thought there must have been a medical emergency, how people don't usually get up. She seemed baffled by the mere concept that someone would actually need to get up, and couldn't sit for ages. Her statement was entirely performative and insincere.
Today, after the day was effectively done, I laid down on the clean, carpeted floor in my classroom to just...be horizontal for a moment. Find some way, any way, to get my lower back to move and function and not feel like it was being clawed apart from the inside. Relieve myself a little, so I could finish the day without abject misery. And this very-new member of staff sat on the other side of the room, presumably watching me. When I got up, she asked very quietly, "Is something wrong with you?" and all I had the energy to say was "I'm fine". I'm tired of explaining my body. I'm tired of explaining my needs. I'm tired of justifying taking care of myself.
Someone recently told me "You're very brave. I think I'd rather die than live like you."
I didn't respond. I didn't have the energy to break down that she'd effectively told me I should die. I didn't have the energy to tell her that it's not bravery to live "like this".
It's my only option.
I know nothing else.
And I'm just tired. And hurting.
I'm grateful for the few good ones, the ones that are used to it. The people who have stopped asking me if I'm okay when I stretch, or need a little break, or get out the tape and scissors.
They know I'm not okay. That's why I'm on the ground. That's why I'm checking my range of motion, or feeling a joint, or holding pressure on a digit that's come undone. I'm not okay, and I'm trying not to get even worse.
I'm not okay, actually. I'm never okay, and that's fine. I'll never be your version of "okay", and that's fine. I've no choice. Thank you for knowing that I'm not okay, but that that's normal, and that if something was seriously, horribly wrong, I'd do something. Thank you, for just going about your business and talking to me as normal when I'm taking care of myself, instead of sprinkling eggshells on the ground for your own personal crunching.
I'm just tired. I'm visibly disabled if you look for ten goddamn seconds. I'm a person if you look for twenty. I'm a fetish if you just keep staring and staring and asking about my body like you're entitled to my flesh. I just want to sleep for more than two hours without my body waking itself up to remind me it hurts. I'm so tired.
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exo-raskreia · 4 months
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Thoughts & Speculations On Utahime In The Shinjuku Showdown Arc
WARNING: MANGA SPOILERS & HIGH LEVELS OF COPIUM
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There are theories going around about Gojo's potential revival & subsequent defeat of Sukuna. Several are interesting & seemingly possible. However, I've hardly seen any involving Utahime & her potential role in all this. While I shouldn't be hoping for anything in this manga 😩, I couldn't help but get some ideas.
With some of the theories out there, I wouldn't want Gojo to sacrifice part of his power in order to come back. But who knows at this rate...? Would Gege let him come back even more powerful? Or only temporarily before losing all, half, or some of his power? I don't want him to lose an eye or something like that... 😮‍💨
Once he returns, what will be the next step to defeat Sukuna? Gojo may get a new power-up or even has something else up his sleeve that he hasn't revealed yet.
This is why I wonder if Utahime could still have a role to play in this arc. She's the only character involved who hasn't gotten a flashback yet with, or in regards to, Gojo. She hasn't even spoken a word! Does this mean anything? Is Gege withholding something important? Will it come into play at all?
She's barely had any screen/panel time & was absent for 3 arcs spanning several chapters since Shibuya. Gege finally revealed her CT for the biggest fight of Gojo's life against the King of Curses. She helped Gojo achieve 200% Hollow Purple along with Gakuganji, while Ijichi hid them from Sukuna's view with a barrier.
They really come in a set, don't they? Every one of her appearances is related to Gojo. She is bound to him. So you see, we may next see her whenever Gojo is about to, or has already, returned.
Neither her, Gakuganji or Ijichi have reappeared since.
It's been 20+ chapters now & we know nothing of their status. Is this the last time we'll see them, especially Utahime, in action? Do they still have another role to play? They have not been shown to be back with the others at HQ, which implies they're still out on the battlefield.
What have they been doing all this time? Watching the fight unfold? Is it just taking them a while to head back to HQ? Or could it be that they're potentially doing something important?
Chapter 244 showcased a flashback scene with the other characters having a meeting before the fight regarding the possibilities of Gojo's defeat. Neither GojoHime, Gakuganji or Ijichi were seemingly present.
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Unless the two people behind Shoko here could be either of them? The one in black could be Gojo & next to him is Utahime, or could it be Gakuganji?
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If not, this could imply they were doing planning of their own, maybe in a separate room. That planning is the key.
Clearly, GojoHime (& maybe Gakuganji) must've practiced the Hollow Purple throughout the weeks-long timeskip since Gojo's unsealing. But is that all they did? Is there something else that they planned? The fact they're not back at HQ could imply this. It almost seems deliberate that there's no involvement of them with the others... unless Gege really doesn't care.
Gojo told Sukuna at the beginning of their fight that he did some "special training."
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What could this special training be? It hasn't been brought up again. Did it involve Utahime & maybe Gakuganji? This further showcases that Gojo's role isn't over yet.
Now, there are theories that Shoko may heal Gojo with her RCT. If so, could Uta help by buffing her to make it quicker & more effective?
We know so little about Uta's CT. Gege stated singing is a big part of it (unless it's just the chanting?). Could it be used for healing (kinda like Rapunzel from Tangled, lol)? What about offensive abilities? How else would she be a Semi-Grade 1 sorcerer if she can't fight on her own? Is it possible, though? We know she has good reflexes based on her encounter with Haruta at the Goodwill Event. Maybe she's good at hand-to-hand combat & wielding weapons? Heck, can she weaponize her voice like a siren?
When Uta buffs someone, does her cursed energy cover them like a blanket? Does it feel a certain way? Is it visible to other sorcerers or does it become one with the buffed person's own CE so that it's undetectable?
If her CE is visible, wouldn't Sukuna (especially as powerful as he is) have sensed it enmeshed with Gojo's? Instead, he thought Gojo's initial HP was a lot stronger than usual due to a Binding Vow (which we know Gojo didn't make) in chapter 234.
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Since Ijichi made a barrier that hid him & the others from view, Sukuna doesn't know about them. If he couldn't sense Uta's CE, that could also mean she might not have been buffing Gojo after the HP. How long is her full range anyway?
Speaking of Ijichi, Gojo told him he had a monumental task in chapter 222 before the timeskip.
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As then shown in a flashback in 223, it seems it was just to put up the barrier to hide them, Uta & Gakuganji from Sukuna.
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Does this mean that Gojo planned their team-up that early after he got unsealed? 🤔 The flashback here has Gojo in casual wear & the place looks similar to the inside of the Tokyo Tower. Could this mean they were headed to Shibuya Sky, the top of the tower, to practice or simply strategize, & maybe meet up with Uta & Gakuganji?
Still, why did Gojo place such importance to this task? Was it just to establish the trust he has for Ijichi despite his antics?
Was it to keep Utahime safe? Not just about the barrier?
So, I've been having these questions for a while now. Here's where my delulu really kicks in.
Absolute insanity mode. You've been WARNED.
There are theories discrediting the fact Sukuna doesn't know about Uta's CT, that it's NOT why he thinks Gojo made a Binding Vow to achieve 200% HP. I know I'm crazy, but I think him not knowing could come into play.
Other than potentially helping Shoko heal Gojo, could Utahime have a hand in bringing him back? Maybe she could even buff Gojo's own RCT, in the case it's still activated (since Gojo's head's still intact). If Gojo is meant to be truly enlightened upon his return, almost like a god, then wouldn't Uta being a shrine maiden mean something? Shrine maidens dance for the gods, communicate with them, summon them.
DELULU THEORY 1:
This scene in chapter 222 made me wonder if Ino told Gojo about him witnessing the summoning of a dead person (which we know is Toji) in Shibuya, as there's been no follow-up to it yet...
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If it's about Toji, did Gojo get the idea that in the case of him "dying", then his soul could be summoned back into his body? And with no side effects as it's his own body, and/or that as long as it's done immediately upon "death"? Is this something that could have been researched?
Since Ino knows a form of necromancy, could he possibly have a role to play in this as well? With his help, could Uta along with Gakuganji do a similar ritual as the granny who summoned Toji in Shibuya?
If Uta sings or chants for the ritual, could Gojo hear her in the limbo & follow her voice or something? Could she guide him north towards enlightenment, make him remember (or realize) who he is & what he has to do, in the case he's temporarily forgotten? 🫢 (delulu, I know, I KNOW 😩)
There's a song called North Wing by Akina Nakamori, the artist who sang Kinku, which is the song that Uta's CT is based on. It was her 7th single released the year after Kinku (7?! A number associated with Gojo?!). It was then re-recorded years later on an album titled 'Utahime Double Decade' (Akina is nicknamed Utahime, meaning Diva in Japan). The lyrics talk about a woman who boards a plane to meet with her lover. Here's an excerpt:
Love Is The Mystery It calls me Love is a mystery With its mysterious power I’m an Airplane, throwing everything away Like a scene out of a movie North Wing I depart all alone tonight For where he is Someone I once gave up on Teardrops, my heart’s punctuation I watch the city lights from above As they get smaller and smaller I take a midnight flight, chasing the night through the fog As if I were wandering through a dream Love Is The Mystery I spread my wings And cross the shining seas. I’m a little nervous The date paints over yesterday Which was nothing but agonizing for you The foggy city you live in Awaits me beneath the clouds
Let's see. If we see it in Uta's POV, then she might've thought loving Gojo was not worth it (as loving someone like him wouldn't be easy), but something happened that changed her mind, maybe before/during the time-skip, or seeing his "death." She could be headed to meet him, meaning to help him? It says at midnight, so could Gojo be revived the following day on Christmas? It mentions yesterday was agonizing for him, meaning his "death" & the fact of whose body/vessel he's fighting?
What if we low-key see it in Gojo's POV? His love for his students (and Utahime?) will make him choose North to return to them. He'll leave his past behind, making peace with it, & depart all alone, as the others in the limbo are going South. He knows everyone must be sad over his "death" (the 'agonizing' part) but he's coming home.
There is also a sequel song to this called Dramatic Airport - North Wing Part II. The lyrics are about a (the same?) woman on her way to meet up with her man at the airport, reuniting with him at night. So, could we see it as Utahime heading towards Gojo to help him, to be there for him on his 2nd awakening?
(There's this amazing theory here, which talks about the possibility of Utahime helping Gojo reach true enlightenment like Buddha's wife did for him in Buddhist myths.)
DELULU THEORY 2:
If Gojo returns through some other means, then that gives us another possibility. He's the only one who knows the location of Sukuna's last finger. What if Gojo had told its location to Utahime & co. (maybe even Ino)? What if their absence in the flashbacks of everyone else making plans is because they were retrieving the finger? And what would they do with it, you ask?
Could it be they had planned & are currently making the preparations for a ritual like the one I mentioned, in which they'll summon Sukuna into another vessel by using the finger? Or simply give it to someone to swallow? And could that vessel possibly be Yuuji, as he's the only one who can really handle harboring Sukuna?
It's scary to think of what this could mean, though... 😥 I will not delve into that.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Anyway, I know I'm fully delulu & may be burning the kitchen, but I just wanted to get this out there. The theories and speculations are rampant these days so might as well add some more to the bunch.
I know for Utahime, a literal side character, to have a major role in the most important fight of Gojo's life, is too much to hope for. Gege also doesn't have a good streak with giving importance to his female characters (except Maki). Then again...no one expected Utahime, after a long absence, to finally reappear with Gojo the chapter after he got unsealed & having her CT finally revealed for him against Sukuna. Just what is Gege trying to say?
Whatever the outcome, I still have so many questions...
What was Utahime even doing during her long absence since Shibuya? As the main teacher of Kyoto, & all these crazy things happening to her students, not a single peep from her?! Was she training?! Put under protection because of her CT or cuz Gojo would have their heads if something happened to her? Buffing people secretly somehow?
How did she end up teaming up with Gojo? Did he ask for her help, like when he did to investigate the traitor? What did he say? Did he finally fess up & tell her what she means to him? Gakuganji & Ijichi got their flashbacks, Gojo showing them his true feelings/thoughts, so what could this mean for Utahime?! That he trusts her too? That he doesn't find her weak? Did he apologize for his constant teasing? Could he have said something more?
Did she offer to help him? Did he refuse & Uta insisted, giving a sort of speech that shut him up?
Just what happened between Gojo & Utahime during the time-skip?! 😫 Is the fact we haven't been shown yet deliberate?!
I wonder if Gege will ever give us this much, at least... 😮‍💨
While I'd like for her to do more, I just hope Uta will be safe. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her like nearly every other female character in this manga... 😥
LET'S HOPE FOR GOJO'S REVIVAL ✊️
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Would you write for the M6 with an MC who's touch-starved and craves affection? Thanks in advance!
The Arcana HCs: M6 with a touch/affection-starved MC
Sequel is here! M6 with an MC who's been bottling up their affectionate tendencies
~ honestly I don't know why I didn't think of writing this one sooner, these kinds of headcanons are always my favorite to read and now I get to write some! many thanks @lemon-len ^.^ ~
Julian
If you think he didn't notice the way you melted into his touch when he healed you of that vampire eel bite that first night, you are wrong
He totally noticed
Most of it he chalked up to chemistry, but it definitely piqued his interest
He's also a champion at writing off his own impact on people, so the whole time you're unraveling the mysteries of the Red Plague and stealing moments with each other he's assuming it's the adrenaline high
It doesn't become apparent to him until after, when he's checking over all the bumps and bruises you've accrued, that he sees the way you lean into his touch
He's told you he loves you, and he knows you love him too, so he doesn't have to be hesitant (though really, when was he ever?)
Now he's folding you into his chest, wrapping his arms around you as snugly as he can and tucking your head under his chin
You're all surprised and tensed up at first, until he presses a gentle kiss to the top of your head and you melt
He can feel the tension draining out of you and the way your fingers are tying themselves into the back of his shirt, and how you're burrowing into his chest
He's always been "too much" in his relationships as to how much physical touch he likes to initiate, but now he's found someone who wants what he has to offer and it's the person he's promised his life to
You can fully expect him to make you a solemn vow to never let you go uncuddled again
If you thought he was already generous with the PDA, it's about to get waaay worse
Asra
In case it's not obvious, their love language is touch
One of the hardest parts of hiding his affection for you those three years was not letting himself touch you
They already knew it was something you craved, it was obvious when they were your caretaker
But the first time he pulled you into a pillow pile with him to snuggle the familiarity of it rocketed you into inhuman levels of pain, and he wasn't going to risk that again
Once it became clear that you had grown enough to learn about the past and accept their affections, it was on
You have five minutes? cuddle time
There's a seat next to you? He's sliding into it and falling into your lap
You're walking by while he's sitting down? They're pulling you into their lap
You're getting ready for the day? He's doing your hair
You're having a conversation with someone that they're not a part of? They're standing behind you with their arms around your waist and their head on your shoulder, letting you take their weight
He has been known to fall asleep on you in public like this, most notably in the town square during a royal proclamation
If you're each doing your own unrelated tasks, they're either sitting beside you with your knees touching or behind you so you can be their backrest
He also knows how people tend to associate the feeling of different clothing articles with the people who wear them
So anytime they leave the shop while you're asleep you can expect to wake up wrapped in one of their shawls
He fully expects you to let him take your clothes with him on long journeys too, which is fine for the most part except for when it's one of your favorite pieces (you still want to wear that!)
Nadia
Her favorite way to love people is to provide for them
It demonstrates her commitment to being an important pillar in your life for you to lean on
Which is why she is completely tuned in to picking up on any of your needs, so she can satisfy them
So she figures out early on that physical contact is a desired and effective method of showing affection to you, but she can't figure out why you never ask for it
She guesses this could make a fun game, so she tries holding back a little and waiting for you to initiate
And then she watches you slowly withdrawing for a whole day, the confidence you always show in her is wavering slightly, and by the time dinner rolls around you're picking at your food with a face full of hurt and confusion, but you haven't said anything!
That's when it clicks for her that there could be another layer to this
Maybe one of the reasons you cherish affection so deeply is because you know what it's like to live without it
Now she's bodily lifting you out of your chair and dragging you to a more secluded spot to make up for her mistake
She feels awful, she should have known not to trifle with depriving you of something that obviously meant so much to you
She has you reclining in her lap, insisting on feeding you your dinner and apologizing for making you worry
Words are very important to her though, so she's going to ask as many questions as you're comfortable with answering about why you don't ask for affection and how to help you get there with her
Now she checks in with you every day by taking both your hands in hers and not letting you go until you've requested some gesture of affection from her
Muriel
He is so generally touch-averse that it took a long time for him to feel comfortable with giving or receiving any kind of physical affection
This didn't bother you too much until your trip south into the tundra
Because it was so cold down there you were incapable of keeping yourself warm at night, and needed to share a blanket and sleeping space with him
Oh my, that did things for your heart
Every night for several weeks you got to finish a day of uncertainty and training and exhaustion by sliding your back right up against his and melting in the waves of body heat he produces
It got easier as he relaxed around you, sometimes you'd wake up to his arm slung around you in his sleep and then you'd happily suffer through Morga's unimpressed stare as you savored the moment
But he was still so self-conscious of how big and intimidating he was, and you were still too hesitant to initiate contact whenever you wanted it, so things stalled for a bit there
You also have to be careful navigating his own relationship with his body
He's got so much trauma from the physical pain he was put through and the deprivation he endured that he's still learning how to taste the food he eats
Eventually you're able to ask him why he doesn't want to touch you, to which he responds that he's not used to touching someone without hurting them or them being afraid of him
It's progressing slowly, but now you have permission to initiate or invite cuddles, and it's changing the world for him bit by bit, because you're showing him that his touch can be a good and precious thing
Portia
She notices how much you love it when she touches you, but she doesn't really get why it's such a big deal at first
She grew up with a sibling and a grandmother and a town of friends and she does manual work elbow-to-elbow with a multitude of palace servants, touch is normal
Until she's sneaking another chapter of a favorite novel and encounters a character for whom touch is not normal
And now she's drawing connections between you and the character, is this why you relax as soon as she puts her hands on your face or your whole body sags when she hugs you?
She can't imagine a life without hugs and tussles and elbows to the ribs and tripping over other people's toes
As soon as you're both back in the cottage that evening she's pulling you onto the couch with her for cuddles
She's telling you all about the book character and listing all the ways you're similar to them, how you don't touch people often but you melt as soon as somebody does, how the character was that way because they weren't used to being touched
Was it the same way for you? Who gives you hugs? How many hugs did you normally get? Did you also get locked in a tower and use glass slippers to climb a beanstalk out?
You're surprised by the onslaught of questions, but her tone is purely curious and slightly concerned, without an ounce of judgment
Once you tell her more about why you crave affection so much she's determined to give you as much as you can handle
This is her partner in crime, her ride or die, you have always had her back and she is going to watch yours
Besides, she thinks you're the most attractive human to walk the planet, who wouldn't want to cuddle you for hours?
Lucio
He clued in faster than you expected him to
He's not very emotionally intelligent, but he is physically intelligent
He grew up in a warring tribe and spent his youth as a mercenary, interpreting people's body language for strengths and weaknesses is second nature
So here you are, dragging him through mystical realms he's completely vulnerable in, and he's watching you like a hawk
And he picks up on it quickly, any time you two make casual physical contact your guard slips a little
At first he's thinking of ways to use it against you, but your charm gets through to him fairly quickly and he never acts on it
It's the night you spend in the labyrinth that settles his doubts for him
You're stumbling every few steps but you're too hyped up to rest, until he sits next to you and pulls you into his side
He watches the way you tense and then completely relax, falling asleep on his shoulder while he's still holding an open weapon in one fist
He's briefly wondering if he'll have to make a habit of this, pausing everything to guard you so you can sleep
And then he's getting an emotional punch to the gut by feeling just how much trust it takes for someone like you to fall asleep on someone like him
He can't remember the last time somebody trusted him at all, much less this completely
By the time your eyes are fluttering open he's decided he'll be willing to keep watch while you sleep as often as you want him to
He's not shy about showing affection at all, so once you two save the world and start your new life together you can expect to receive some kind of physical affection several times a day
(an extra note from brainrot - this prompt has me inspired for a second one, which would be the M6 with an MC who has a lot of affection to give, but has been bottling it up and is just now getting to share it with someone who wants/appreciates it. Would anyone like to see that?)
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whathorselegs · 1 month
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This is probably going to be controversial take (I mean no harm by it, and its not hate directed at anyone), but the reason Dazai shooting at Akutagawa in Dark Era is so shocking to people is because he did it to a character we've had time to get attached to.
If Dazai had shot/killed/wounded a random subordinate for messing up his plans, it would be in all the PM!Dazai remixes as one of his dark and cool moments. Like when he's repeatedly shooting that guy in fifteen. It's messed up, but it doesn't happen to a character we're attached to, it happens to an enemy, so we swallow Dazai doing it much easier. If Akutagawa had been a random subordinate, people might even say Dazai was right to do it because that subordinate did a dumb thing that led their investigation to a dead end. (This is theoretical example not my opinion, I don't agree with what Dazai did)
I'm not justifying what Dazai did, but it's the framing that makes this so much more "evil" and unforgivable for people than anything else PM!Dazai did. It's stated multiple times Dazai was terrible to his enemies AND his own subordinates. Akutagawa wasn't the exception, he was just the one we care about. (Q too, though I see less talk about that and we're not actually shown what happened to Q)
Yes, it is cruel, no denying that, he hurts Akutagawa to teach him a lesson, that what's the mafia life has taught Dazai is effective. I'd argue though, it's not anymore cruel than what Yosano does to Tanizaki and Kunikida. She literally tortures them, but it's fine because it's played off as a joke and they're healed in the end. When in reality it's Yosano taking out her trauma on her patients and friends, and she's enjoying it. She didn't need her patients to be half dead in the flashbacks, that came after the trauma. She hurts them to discourage them from getting hurt again in the future. (Again, no hate intended, I love Yosano and all her complexities)
Dazai hurt Akutagawa the same way. Except it's never told as a joke. It happens brutally because it is and the show wants you to feel it in those moments. There is plenty brutal things that Dazai does that are played off as not serious. What he does to Ango with the airbag in his car is brutal. Yet its framed as a dark but necessary action, we're supposed to agree with Dazai because it ultimately saves Kyouka and Dazai gets to have some vengeance. It's a framed as a victory over Ango that we're supposed to support.
Chuuya is constantly being brutal in fights. He kills those people in the woods when he goes to retrieve Q and it's not a gentle killing either. He enjoys the fight, he's happy to get his hands dirty, he likes throwing bullets at people. And we accept this because he does it to the "bad guys".
Yet when Chuuya murdered the guards at Meursault, people thought this was out of character for him. It wasn't. These characters simply seemed more like innocent bystanders to the audience so the reality of how vicious Chuuya's actions were, kicked back in.
So many characters do messed up things in BSD, to pin one as irredeemable because of them doesn't make sense when so many characters are guilty of similar actions. People put Oda up on a pedestal just like Dazai does, because he stopped killing and took in some kids, but he was still a murderer, he still shot and maimed people with ease, as long as they were breathing he was fine with hurting them.
Sure, you can certainly say, "I no longer like this character because of their actions." and that's perfectly fine. You have no obligation to like a character, your preferences are perfectly valid. I just don't believe there's meant to be such a thing as irredeemable or truly evil in BSD. Just people who choose to keep hurting others, and those who try to be better than who they once were.
Dazai has hurt literal hundreds of people during his mafia years but that's off screen and to nameless background characters, it's easier to dismiss. The way he treats Akutagawa is a reminder to the audience that all the characters' actions have consequences. That Atsushi's hero was another person's nightmare and that BSD has many characters like this.
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synodic-lupine · 8 months
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Nine and Ten's arcs go hand in hand as a collectively great PTSD narrative imo. I think Ten's wishy-washiness about relationships and inability to fully open up to Rose is often characterized as plain old fear of commitment yet I see that as a progression to another presentation of PTSD. When we first meet Nine, he seems like he's halfway to planning on how to get himself killed. He meets Rose, he heals, he changes, he grows. Then he regenerates into someone with a desire to live and the seeming capacity to just be happy. At the same time, he regenerated for and because of Rose. Recovery that hinges on one person is a tricky thing. When you're with that person it can feel like there's no more work to be done, like you're totally 'fixed'. Every moment with that person feels like the best thing in the world... which makes it significantly harder to open up about anything trauma related. When you're feeling high on a person's presence why would you ever want to think about the bad things? THEN because he finally properly wants to live, The Doctor gets hit with the realization that living a full life means losing Rose in the end and it's downright intolerable to him. It makes him push and pull and act like a bastard sometimes. We get glimpses of who he is without her in the moments when she's threatened. He loses his damn mind any time she's threatened- he gets that crazed look akin to Nine in Dalek more than anything. This is also in contrast to how Nine used to react to Rose being threatened, where he used to still be able to keep it reined in. THEN... he loses her for real and he backslides majorly. We see the effects in Turn Left, that if Donna hadn't been there he would have died right after saying goodbye to Rose. He's more or less back where he started as Nine in the beginning of series one, looking for a way to die. He lives though, and has to accept that no, he's not perfectly recovered and keep on working on it. He opens up about things in ways we saw him struggle to in series 2. Though he's more callous in series 3 and 4, he seems to struggle more with relating to humans, his bastardous tendencies pop up more. He's also a freaking disaster man in series 4 with the number of times he offers or tries to give up his life for others. He DOES make recovery progress through series 3 and 4, just is slow like in real life. All of that makes JE make sense to me in that this is a man who is experiencing turbo PTSD triggering. He pushes everyone away all at once, because maybe being alone will hurt less than losing people after all. Even after all that in the end when he is dying he says he doesn't want to go. He was born into wanting to live and be happy so of course he doesn't want to go.
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emblemxeno · 22 days
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For as good-natured and open-minded as Alear is, effectively he's still extremely young and easily swayed.
While sweet to his friends, he's not at all merciful to enemies, such as outright saying he's going to kill Nelucce for what he's done to Alfred and Celine's family and home. Similarly, he lacks nuance/perspective on Veyle's situation later, thinking that such a blatant switch in personality was just her being a master manipulator this whole time, and lets his anger take control of what he says to her. A classic, good use of dramatic irony.
He doesn't run from things cuz Lumera told him that a Divine Dragon shouldn't run from anything, but Alear took that to an extreme by walking into danger even when advised against it by someone who absolutely knew better-Marth. It's precisely why Lucina and Lyn later have to explain the difference between running away from everything that scares you, and making a retreat when things don't look good. Courage is knowing the risks and recognizing your fear, but rising up to the challenge when it's still possible to win; folly and stubbornness is ignoring the risks as a whole due to getting a swollen head about your own abilities.
Specifically, what's great about this to me, is that Alear is still a work in progress in the story proper. He's compassionate to not want others to experience the pain he has, but not enough to fully grasp the kinds of things people would do because they, their country, or their families were hurt (Zephia, Hortensia, Hyacinth, etc.). He has much general wisdom and good day-to-day advice, but is still susceptible to being full of himself (Chapters 10 and 11). Even after getting a hold of himself when he lost the first six Emblems, he's still not mature enough to see Veyle as anything other than a selfish, monstrous murderer.
When learning he's a Fell Dragon, he sinks into despair, feeling as if he's been deceiving everyone this whole time, even though that perspective logically doesn't make sense. But it doesn't have to! Alear is convinced that Fell Dragons = Bad News, and that it doesn't matter what kind of person he actually is, his heritage is enough for derision.
That's why it matters so much that his friends immediately reassure him of the opposite! Dude, you just spent the entire game learning and growing with us, helping people from royal to citizen, using your power to protect others. You've proven your own version of Divinity, not just because of your hair color, but because of your unending goodness. You're a good dragon!
Alear doesn't have to be all powerful, he just has to be himself; encouraging, calming, inspiring, leader-like. He just has to connect himself to others so they can overcome challenges together. It's also why his interactions with Veyle (and Mauvier as well tbh) are incredibly well done, since now that Alear's been through the process of healing and accepting who he is versus who he can be, he can do the same for his precious sister.
What a lovely character Alear is.
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legendofmorons · 4 months
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hiya! i really like your writing! can i request reactions [from whomever you want] with a reader [platonic or romantic idc lol] who is like spiderman! like, has the sense and webs, and the workload of "who knows how they manage shit". i just think its a fun idea, cause they'd also be a "hero"
Of course you can! This is such a cool Idea! (Is there a hyrule where a spider person is the hero of courage? Maybe.)
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Four
Take a nap
No, really, he tries to get you to sleep as often as possible
He'll try to enhance any weapons you may have
IF you have mechanical web shooters he will be very interested
If you have biological web shooters in your wrist from the mutation he's still curious
Can amd will try to improve your suit so you are safer
Is HORRIFIED by your workload
Don't you know about burn out??
Do you just not care?
Overall he's curious and a little overbearing
But he also understands that you're a hero, and as a hero, sometimes it doesn't matter if you're exhausted.
He'll insist you let him make you metal braces, so some of the work your joints face isn't so bad. (ESPECIALLY if your joints already hurt)
Hyrule
He is excited to learn about it!
He's also not like other people. He just has healing magic, you're a spider person
Neat!
Assuming you have the boosted healing factor that lost spider people seem to have he's relieved
He will always heal you, but it's nice that you don't need it as often
Also very worried about your work load
Always trying to get you to drink more water
If he were aware of more modern culture he'd yell 'hydrate or die-drate!'
Die-drate is not an option as far as he's concerned
Asks about the ability to stick to things. He's very interested in this
Legend
It depends on when he finds out.
He's definitely concerned no matter when you tell them though
If he's not warmed up to you yet he's kind of standoffish about it. If you share he listens bit he won't ask
If you Are close to him though he has SO many questions
How does it work?
What happened to give you these powers?
How much weight can you handle?
Have you always been so flexible?
No matter what your relationship is, if you tell him about the Spiderman upside down kiss thing, he goes RED
He also asks if you catch and eat bugs.
(What? He just knows that's what spiders do!)
He encourages ypu to take some things off your plate.
Sky
Probably the least phased?
He's curious of course
But his life has been so weird. He's met plant penguins, gopher people, and his best friend was a goddess
Asks if you're descended from a spider god
Also asks if you can turn into a spider
He also encourages you to take breaks and indulge in things that make you happy
He's happy to make anything that might help you, but with his skills, mostly in whittling, he's not sure it's that helpful.
He is excited to see you swing around, it's the closest most anyone can get to flying (aside from Sky and Wild)
Time
Immediately concerned
Powers?
Insane workload?
He gets it, mostly
Not entirely his life isn't like your's but he understands the weight power and workload hold
He is curious about your powers
Also very interested in the way your webs are made. Dosen’t matter if it's mechanical or biological
Will have you take to the tree tops when you guys ambush monsters
If you make a hamock/swing out of webs he'll be happy to keep you company
Twilight
Worried
He's not sure how to feel actually
He's curious about how you became a spider person
If he feels close to you he'll ask about it
He's glad you have enhanced healing though. He feels a little less worried
He's still worried you guys are hunting down a shadow
Will be easy to convince to race, you with your webs and him on Epona
Warriors
He is very sympathetic to your workload
He offers tips to help woth burnout
He helps you strategies to battle plans off your abilities
Wars is willing to spar with you so you can improve too
Please let him help with the self care of after the battle.
Probably asks about the effectiveness of webs as emergency bandages
Wild
He's not that phased either. He's met a semi-vengeful horse god
At least you aren't only worried about the safety of the horses
(Don't worry he takes excellent care of Epona and his own horses)
He'll ask about your adventures
He would be excited to have someone else capable of climbing!
He'll happily climb up steep cliffs with you (it can be a race he likes a challenge)
Wind
Excited
He also has a million questions
He wants to see what you can do!
He's happy to watch you swing around but he wants to come with!
Swing around with him and he's just thrilled!
He asks about ypur webs and if they could capture a monster if you strung them up like a real spider web
He also probably asks for stories about your adventures.
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your-local-grubdog · 9 months
Text
Wait actually can we talk about Leaflings real fast. Because. What the actual fuck.
Also sorry if I curse a lot more here than usual but like 90% of my genuine reactions to this topic is "what the FUCK" so uhh get used to it I guess.
Huge thanks to @saihahas for helping me with some image transcripts as well.
Major story spoilers below you have been warned. Ok let's go.
So you're able to just rise from the dead in pikmin 4. No, seriously. You can do that.
At the end of Olimar's side story we get this scene and associated line:
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[Image transcript: White text on a black screen that says "But at that very moment, my life support system failed" END TRANSCRIPT]
Like. He died. His life support system failed. He DIED. And moments later, he was revived as a leafling. He died and came back from the dead. Like, what the fuck????
It even fixed up his injuries he got prior to becoming a leafling. Just a full on revival.
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Image transcript (one leads into the other naturally)
Collin: By the by, Olimar, is there anything you remember from right before or after you became a leafling? Any additional details?
Olimar: Not particularly. It didn't feel bad or anything like that. In fact, it was quite revitalizing.
Olimar: My chronically stiff shoulders and all the injuries I'd sustained during my explorations healed immediately.
Yonny: Hmm... Perhaps leafification has highly restorative effects...
Yonny: This is definitely something worth looking into, eheheh. END OF TRANSCRIPT.
Now we don't know if everyone who was a leafling had to die before hand, though there is a common thread that they were at least unconscious... And had just escaped deadly situations... I think Olimar found them moments before they died and, not knowing any other way to save them, leafed them as well. Something they bear no ill will towards him for - in fact, they're thankful for him.
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Image transcript:
Jin: When I was leafified, I could not stop thinking about the art of Dandori. It was like an endless meditation.
Jin: A leafling appeared in front of me after the ship crashed and I had used up all of my flagging energy.
Jin: My intuition told me they were not a bad person. I also felt as though they were determined to achieve something
Jin: I am afraid I do not recall much of what happened after that, as I lost consciousness. END TRANSCRIPT.
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Image transcript:
Corgwin: I was attacked by a creature, and right before I lost consciousness, I saw something overhead. It was a leafling
Corgwin: They had such sad eyes, but there was more going on in there. Their eyes were full of determination.
Corgwin: I have to believe there is a reason why they do what they do. Turning castaways into leaflings, I mean.
Corgwin: Your time is limited, so think it through! END TRANSCRIPT.
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Image transcript:
Bernard: You need anything else?
Bernard: Even when Olimar was leafed out, he was still trying to RESCUE folks!
Bernard: And there I was with my head focused on nothing but Dandori stuff. HOO, he's one tough cookie!
Bernard: You need anything else? END TRANSCRIPT.
Ok Bernard's conversation doesn't add to the "he found them in deadly situations" point but it DOES show that all of his "victims" think highly of him for the fact that he had saved them and others. (Also, side note, Olimar had sad eyes... Poor bastard thought he was never going home to his wife and kids, was visibly depressed over this, and STILL was trying to save people. Olimar is like, genuinely such a good fucking person God damn.)
Now being a leafling is undead and comes with its own slew of problems. Namely, the fact Dandori takes over your brain (probably the pikmin survival instinct) and the fact you can no longer leave PNF-404. It's not even an air thing, it's not being on the planet that causes sickness, so not even spacesuits can fix it.
But then you're able to cure yourself of being a leafling. And just. Go back? To your normal life?????? Like nothing ever happened. You died and came back. What the fuck.
And to make that point worse. One of the key ingredients is Glow Sap. Which is produced by the Luminknolls. The only other thing the Luminknolls make is uh. Glow pikmin. Which.
“Although they've been named Glow Pikmin, it's not entirely clear whether or not this species is actually a type of Pikmin. These creatures possess the same fundamental behaviors of Pikmin, like carrying things, propagating, and fighting. They also share special characteristics, such as the leaf atop their head. Yet they do not spawn from an Onion but a Lumiknoll, and they are only active at night or underground. During the day, they revert into seeds and enter a resting state. What's even more surprising is that they exhibit no signs of life. When a Glow Pikmin "dies," if that word can even be used, it does not expire in the typical sense. Instead, it just becomes a form of light-or perhaps a photon-and returns to the Lumiknoll. Putting aside my "scientist" hat for a moment...it seems to me that this creature or entity may not be a living organism at all but some manner of spiritual substance.”
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[Image Transcript: a screenshot of the Piklopedia showing the very end of the above quote. END TRANSCRIPT]
And just as some icing on the cake:
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[Image transcript: Louie's piklopedia notes on the glow pikmin. All it says is "Doesn't smell alive." END TRANSCRIPT]
Cool they're fucking ghosts. Sorry I can't be convinced otherwise, they're clearly some sort of supernatural entity at MINIMUM. I just think spirit is most likely. They don't have to be the spirits of dead pikmin... Although... You can convert a Glow Pikmin into normal pikmin via a candy pop bud. I've done it before, I have no video of it but you can go and try it yourself if you'd like. And if they are spirits of pikmin then that means that we can also bring pikmin back from the dead. What the FUCK.
Anyways. I got side tracked sorry. My point was the Luminkolls make two things: Glow Sap and Glow Pikmin, which have similar names and similar appearances and. Are we using ghost juice to cure leaflings???? Which is used to reverse all negatives of being leafed. Which can be used to bring the dead back to life.
I don't know how to end this. I really really don't know how to end this. I just need someone else to scream about this with because it's so. It's so fucking WEIRD like what the hell. It's not enough that they may be humans, noooo, there's also undead creatures (excluding the mushroom guys those freaks have an explanation at the very least). This game is weird as hell but tbh I love it.
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marvelfanfn2187a113 · 6 months
Text
The Good In You
Sam and Dean Winchester x little sister!reader
Requested by Anonymous
Synopsis: you have demon powers, and after Dean goes to hell Sam and Ruby teach you how to use them.
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“And who are you?”
Ruby’s tone when she addressed you made your skin crawl.
“Oh, you’re different,” she continued, unable to look away from you.
“Hey,” you relaxed a little when Dean stepped in front of you. “Don’t talk to her.”
“You knew about this?” She asked him. When he didn’t answer, she continued. “She’s powerful, Dean. More powerful than Sam, or me, or…or anyone. She can—“
“No, she can’t,” Dean interrupted. “You leave her alone, alright?”
“You’re ignoring your biggest weapon!”
“She. Is not. A weapon.” Dean growled. “Now drop it.”
Ruby held her hands up in surrender, but you didn’t miss the way she stared at you over Dean’s shoulder.
“Hey.”
You flinched when Ruby appeared next to you.
“Sam and Dean aren’t here, they went out,” you said nervously.
“I’m not here for them.” She smiled.
“Please leave me alone.” You hated the obvious fear in your voice.
“I’m not here to try anything,” she assured you. “I just wanted to make sure you understand. I wasn’t trying to make you some kind of weapon, I just wanted you to know you have power.”
“I’m dangerous,” you sighed.
“That’s Dean talking,” Ruby argued. “But I think you’re so much more than that. Dean’s just scared of what you can do, but I’m not.”
“Don’t try to turn me against Dean,” you said. But you couldn’t help wonder if she was right. “Please leave.”
“Ok,” she said. “I’m not trying to convince you of anything, I just wanted you to know I’m here. If you ever want to know more about your power, I can teach you.”
And without another word, she was gone.
You didn’t know what to do. Dean was in hell, and Sam had run off the minute that Dean was gone, leaving you with Bobby. You understood, really; he had his own grief to deal with, and he wanted to be alone.
But you didn’t.
“Y/N?”
Speak of the devil.
“Sammy?” You looked up and there he was, standing in your doorway. “Sam!”
Sam laughed softly when you barreled into him. He wrapped his arms around you.
“Hey kid,” he greeted.
“You’re back,” you grinned.
“And not alone.” At the sound of a woman’s voice, you stepped away from Sam to see a dark-haired woman smiling at you. Her eyes flashed black, you you couldn’t help but flinch before you realized.
“Ruby?”
“In the flesh,” she grinned. “Well, a new flesh, but still me.”
“Why…how…” you had so many questions you didn’t know where to start, but Sam helped you out.
“We came to get you because we’re gonna go after Lilith. We could use your help.”
“Oh…” the silence spoke for itself.
“That’s not what I meant,” Sam sighed. “I wanted to come get you, I-I just…I’ve been messed up lately, ok? I thought you’d be better off with Bobby.”
“But now he’s feeling better,” Ruby interjected, and Sam frowned at her. “And we could use your help.”
“How?”
Ruby smiled.
“Im gonna teach you how to use those powers you have.”
You resisted at first, but once Sam assured you that he supported this plan, you found it hard to say no. You couldn’t help but think that this wasn’t what Dean wanted for you, but the magic that Ruby was suggesting was so harmless that you felt almost alright with it.
In fact, it was more than harmless: it was pretty darn wholesome.
“You’re telling me I can heal people?”
“Kid,” Ruby grinned. “You can do whatever you want.” When Sam cleared his throat, she sighed and continued. “But Sam’s made me promise to keep you on the Mister Roger’s side of your powers, so healing it is.”
Using your powers wasn’t as easy as Ruby had thought it would be. You found that you couldn’t heal a thing without her careful instruction each time, and even then it wasn’t always perfectly effective.
But that didn’t matter to you, because it worked. Even though it was hard, and imperfect, you’d done it. You were using your powers, and there wasn’t a bit of evil about doing it. You’d never felt stronger.
And then Dean came back from hell.
You were over the moon when he came back, but when he found out that Sam was drinking demon blood and you were using your powers, the boys had a terrible fight and split, unable to agree on how to fight Lilith.
The one thing they did agree on, was that you wouldn’t be going. Dean would never let you use your powers, and even if he did Sam had decided that you weren’t learning fast enough to be a useful healer mid-battle. So, Bobby’s it was.
Even after Lilith was killed (which Sam and Dean had both refused to tell you about), and the apocalypse started Sam and Dean decided to stay separated from each other, and you apparently.
That is, until Bobby got a call from Dean.
“Bobby, it’s bad,” Dean’s voice was strained, and weak. “I don’t know if-if you’d be able to patch me up in time.”
“I—“
“Let me help.” You surprised both men by speaking up as you stepped into Bobby’s living room. “Dean where are you?”
“No!” Dean insisted. “You’re not using magic on me.”
“Dean, I can heal you.”
“Yeah right,” Dean scoffed.
“Don’t be an idjit,” Bobby interjected. “I’ve seen her do it, she can help you.”
“I said no,” Dean replied.
Bobby shook his head with a grunt.
“Where are you? I’ll come help you.”
Dean rattled off an address, and continued.
“Don’t bring her wi—“
Bobby hung up on him.
“You’re coming,” Bobby told you. “We’re gonna save that boy’s life whether he wants us to or not.”
“Bobby, I need Sam or Ruby. I-I’m no good without them, I need help to—“
“It’s alright, kid. I think I know where they’re holed up, it’s on the way. Let’s go.”
“Where’s Ruby?”
Sam said nothing as he climbed into Bobby’s car, and the three of you set off to find Dean.
“How is he?” Sam asked Bobby.
“Well, from what I understand he’s hanging in there, but I don’t think I can patch him up with bandaids and alcohol this time,” Bobby sighed.
“Well then we better get moving.”
“I said just you, Bobby!”
Your gut twisted at the sight of all that blood—Dean’s blood—pooling around his stomach. This definitely wasn’t a job for normal medication.
“Dean, let her help,” Sam insisted.
“I thought we went over this! These powers—“
“Her powers aren’t like mine,” Sam argued. “She does nothing but good with them.”
“Yeah, right,” Dean scoffed. “There’s nothing right about this stuff.”
“Dean, all she does is heal,” Sam said.
“What?” Dean frowned. “Heal? You can’t heal.”
“I told you,” Sam replied patiently. “Her powers aren’t like mine. I would never let her drink demon blood, or go dark side. She’s never done anything even remotely questionable with her powers. Now stop being such a jerk and let her heal you.”
Dean gave a nod that was barely visible, but it was enough for you. He tensed when you put your hand on his wound, but he trusted you.
“Sam?” You turned to look at your big brother, and he knelt down next to you.
“You’re doing great,” he insisted. “Just concentrate.”
With Sam talking you through it, you were able to slowly heal up Dean’s wounds.
“That was great.” Sam wrapped an arm around you while you leaned against him, exhausted. He rested his chin on your head. “You’re getting better, that was a pretty tough wound to heal.”
Dean looked up from where he had been inspecting his would, as though checking it for sulfur.
“Using your powers drains you, huh?”
You nodded wearily, closing your eyes and letting Sam lift you in his arms.
“We should get going,” Sam said.
You waited in the Impala, slowly regaining your strength, while Sam and Dean talked. You didn’t have to hear their conversation to see the conclusion; they were coming back.
“It’s about time,” you huffed when the two of them got into the Impala.
“What?”
“We’re sticking together now, right?”
Dean’s lip twitched into a smirk.
“Why, did you miss me?” His smirk dropped as he dodged the hand you swung at him. “Hey!”
“Yes,” Sam interrupted before the fight could escalate. “We’re sticking together.”
“Where’s Ruby?” Your voice was quieter now, and you weren’t sure you wanted to know the answer. “How did the apocalypse start? I-I don’t understand why you won’t tell me.”
Dean sighed. He’d been hoping to keep this conversation on pause for a little while longer.
“Ruby’s dead,” he answered, seeing no more reason to beat around the bush. He watched in the rearview mirror as you pulled your knees up to your chest, your head ducked down. He wasn’t around while you were with Ruby, but he’d sensed that throughout your training the two of you had become close.
“Lilith was the final seal,” Sam sighed. “Ruby…she lied to us. She wanted Lucifer set free. I’m sorry.”
You didn’t speak for the rest of the drive, and the brothers didn’t push you. Sam was pretty sure that you were crying for a while, but eventually your exhaustion pushed you into a deep sleep.
“I’d never let her do something that could make her evil.”
Dean was surprised when Sam suddenly spoke up.
“Look,” Dean sighed. “I saw how her power works, and it…maybe I was wrong. I don’t know. I just want her to—“
“I know,” Sam interrupted. “I want that too. I wouldn’t have let her use those powers if I thought they…they’d make her like me. But she’s not. There’s no demon blood, or black eyes, or-or anything messed up like that. There’s just her. And she’s good.”
“I still don’t know if I like it,” Dean admitted.
“Sam is right.”
Both boys jumped in surprise when Castiel suddenly appeared beside your sleeping form.
“Jeez, Cas,” Dean groaned.
“Sam is right,” Cas repeated. “Your sister’s powers aren’t dark. In fact, I can show her how to use them more efficiently.”
“You can?” Sam was surprised. “What do you know about her powers?”
“Well, it’s true that she could use them for dark purposes,” Cas admitted. “So I think only letting her heal is the best strategy. But I see no reason for her to suppress them entirely. That could just lead to them coming out in uncontrollable ways.”
“Cas?” All three men turned at the sound of your voice. You rubbed your face, sitting up straighter and smiling at the angel. “What are you doing here? Are you staying?”
“For as long as I can,” Cas promised. “I want to help your brothers train you to use your powers.”
“Really?” You smiled. “You don’t think they’re evil?”
“No,” Cas replied, glancing over at Dean’s blood-soaked shirt. “No, there’s nothing evil about you, little one.”
“I always knew you were a goody-two-shoes,” Dean scoffed, smiling when he saw how relieved you were at Cas’s assurance that you weren’t doing anything evil.
“And she’s always gonna be,” Sam piped up.
“Gee, no pressure,” you laughed.
“You’re up to it,” Dean replied, and you caught his eye in the rearview mirror.
I trust you, his gaze said.
That was better than anything he could’ve said.
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