#and if that was the case it’d probably be impossible for him to not put together that eda ‘the owl lady’ was probably his mother

[acidsoju]

LOSER

genre: romance, slice of life, college au, non idol, fluff pairing: smitten boy! soobin x reader warnings: kissing, skinship, soobin's a fool (for you), alcohol use word count: 4.6k summary: when soobin’s a loser who’s also a lover.

“Dude, close your mouth.”

Kai closed his friend’s mouth with a slight push beneath his chin. Soobin blinked a few times, landing on reality as he gulped loudly enough for Beomgyu to hear it at the end of the table. A sighed scaped from his lips as he watched carefully at your laughing self, just in the complete opposite side of the cafeteria.

When did exactly this little crush on you began? If he still recalls… It was exactly two years ago, on your first day at uni. Heavy rain was forecasted for that day, yet it seemed like you hadn’t checked the weather at all as you walked down the hall leaving a trace of waterdrops behind. You were drenched from head to toes, just like you had taken a shower with your clothes on.

Still, Soobin forgot about your drenched self as soon as his classes started. He didn’t see you around probably because you weren’t majoring in photography like him, but law.

He did see you again at the end of the day. He was the last one to leave from his class, taking his sweet time at picking up his stuff and walking to the entrance. Just there, you were sitting on the floor, sheltering yourself from the rain under the roof; all your attention dedicated to the book in your lap and, apparently, no umbrella at all.

Why weren’t you going home? Were you waiting for the rain to finally stop? The answer was: yes. Yet to your luck, it’d been forecasted to rain all night long, too.

She obviously doesn’t know. Soobin thought, twirling the umbrella in his hands. Should I offer to walk her home?

He should have.

Instead, an umbrella appeared in your vision so suddenly. You looked up at the boy, how tall, who was pointing at you with the umbrella and looking away, his ears furiously red. Was he giving you his umbrella? You thought that was the case, so you smiled sweetly at him.

“It’s okay, I can just wait till the rain stops.”

His eyes shifted to you, half his face was covered by the turtle neck of his very puffy jacket. The only thing barely visible were his dark and big eyes, but they also were camouflaged behind a thin curtain of black hair.

“It won’t.”

Oh, that was really bad luck. Walking down the rain two rows in a day? You’d probably wake up tomorrow with a sore throat.

“Still… I can’t just take your umbrella.” You mumbled, tapping your fingertips against the pages of your book. “Thanks though, that’s really sweet.”

“Just take it.” He replied, almost whimpering. Soobin bended down enough to put his umbrella over your book, his eyes flickering into yours maybe less than a second. You got up, furrowing your eyebrows.

“Really, I can’t. It’s yours.”

“I don’t need it.”

“What? But you’ll get soake-

“I’m waiting for someone, so just take it. Go.” Liar.

“B-but”

Before you could protest any more, Soobin turned on his heels and walked back inside. His loud heartbeat was the only thing he could hear. He was sweating; he felt so hot yet outside was so cold it made it malfunction even more.

Ah, yes. That was when his tiny crush on you started.

Now, two years later, you both had never crossed paths again. You had tried to find him the next day to return his umbrella, but with only a pair of eyes to recognize him, you soon gave up.

Would things have been different if, maybe, he decided to be the protagonist of his life and walk you home under the rain?

“Yes.” Kai said.

Soobin bit down an annoyed groan and fixed the pair of glasses sliding over the bridge of his nose.

Soobin was awkward, socially awkward. If you didn’t tell from that time you met him, then you were blind. It was really hard for him to get close to people, yet not impossible as he shared his lunch time with Kai and Beomgyu.

“You’re gonna burn a hole in her.” Kai told him, looking over his shoulder at the girl that had his friend so enchanted.

“Let him be, he hasn’t seen her since last semester.” Gyu said, only focusing on munching his food.

It was true. Last time he saw you had been four weeks ago, on last semester’s day. Of course, he followed you on social media. He could spend a really long time staring at a random story you’d share. Yet, nothing compared to the real thing.

Little did Soobin knew that he would have the chance to see you really up close in the class he dreaded the most, ‘classical civilization: literature, philosophy and politics’. Just the name of the course made his head hurt already, still as to why had he chosen such a class? The answer was very simple: credits.

“It’s this seat taken?”

“Ah.”

You waited for a response, completely ignoring the strange automatic sound that scaped the boy’s lips when you stopped at the free seat next to his. Soobin shook his head and adverted your gaze, feeling his ears burning up. God, they might actually melt.

Soobin sat on the edge of his seat, trying to put as much distance as he could from you as if you had some kind of disease he might die if you were too close. Thankfully for him, you didn’t seem to noticed.

Class started and went on for about two long hours, yet Soobin couldn’t concentrate at all. All his attention was on whatever movement you would do; the way you wrote down whatever you thought was important, the way you would nibble at your lip when you concentrated too much, the way you’d pull the strands of hair that bothered you behind your ear, the way your eyes flickered in his direction and spoke something he didn’t hear.

What?

“Uh?” He blinked a few times.

“I asked if you want to come to my place.”

What the fuck?

You must have noticed the perplexed look on Soobin’s face because once you had picked up all your stuff and turned around to face him again, you cracked a big laugh. Soobin only could wish to be buried alive.

“We’re partners, silly,” You stated obviously. “for the assignment? The one we had to bring in two weeks?” You smiled very amused at the boy. “Were you daydreaming all class?” Yeah, because of you.

“Sorry…” He mumbled. You shrugged.

“It’s fine. But we’re still partners,” A piece of paper appeared in Soobin’s vision. “here’s my number. As I said, you can come to my place to do this. If you’re free, maybe we could start... this Friday?” You adjusted the strap of your bag in your shoulder and checked the time in your cellphone before rushing to the door. “I’m y/n, by the way. Gotta go, see ya, partner!”

Soobin sat there looking down at the piece of paper laying innocently on his desk and the neatly written numbers on it next to a ‘y/n from LPP class :)’. Was this really happening or it was only a product of his imagination?

“So have you texted her yet?”

“… No.”

“Oh my god.”

Gyu snorted, his eyes never living the big screen in front of his face as his fingers quickly shifted over the joystick.

“She’s probably thinking you’ll ditch on her.”

“What? I won’t!” Soobin exclaimed.

“We know” Kai said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “But she doesn’t. You said she caught you on cloud nine all class?” Soobin nodded. “She’s probably thinking you’ll ditch on her.”

“But that’s not it…” He whined not liking the idea of you taking the wrong impression of him. He nibbled down on his lips, thoughts rushing in his mind; he looked up at Kai with eyes full of concern. “What should I do?”

“Text her, dude!” Gyu stated the obvious. “She’s waiting for you to do it, literally.”

“God, okay, alright.” Grabbing his phone from the coffee table in front of him, Soobin searched for your contact and opened the empty chat. His fingers stopped mid-air and he looked at Kai, panicking visibly. “What do I say?”

“You should start with a simple ‘hi’”

“That’s lame.”

“Gyu, shut up.”

“Hi? Hello? Hey? Howdy?”

“Just hi is enough. What do you think about ‘I'm Soobin from LPP class’?”

“Oh, that’s good.”

“Ha! Give me the phone.” Gyu snatched the phone and started tapping at the screen furiously; a big, devious smile on his face.

“No! Don’t do anything-

“And… send!”

“… stupid.”

Kai approached Gyu and looked over his shoulder to the screen, shrugging he gave thumps up at Soobin while smiling.

“It’s not that bad.”

soobin: hey there stranger!

soobin: this is ur boy soobsoob

soobin: soobin from lpp

you: hii

you: i was thinking you might’ve ditched me

you: btw you sound so different over text ???

Gyu laughed out loud like a maniac at your response, while Soobin groaned annoyed. Maybe she’ll think she’s being catfished!

Soobin managed to properly answer you by himself once he locked himself up in the bathroom.

soobin: hey sorry bout that

soobin: my friend kinda stole my phone from me

soobin: just when i was going to text you…

soobin: sorry

you: its fine

you: no wonder it felt like it wasnt you

you: anyways im glad you texted me!!

you: so?

soobin: ?

you: are u free this friday?

you: come to my place if you are

you: or we can go somewhere else if you’d like

soobin: …

soobin: your place’s fine

you: kayyy great ill send u the location later

you: gotta go now

you: kinda busy

you: byebye

“Bye bye.” He mumbled letting out a sigh of relieve. Talking to you over text was easier than in person, of course. Yet it still made him so nervous.

“You got yourself a date!” Celebrated Kai when Soobin walked back into the living room. Gyu cheered.

“It’s not a date.”

“You’re meeting up just the two of you?”

“Yeah.”

“At her place?”

“Yes.”

“Sounds like a date to me.” Said Gyu.

“Right?”

“We’re just doing this assignment!” Soobin exclaimed, red in the ears.

Friday came over more quickly than you expected. That morning you had woken up especially early to clean up around your house at least a little. The perks of living alone were that no one told you to when to clean up. The bad thing was, no one ever told you to clean up. And as a student living on its own during college days plus working some shifts at night at a grill meat place, time was something that became scarce.

You had just finished getting dress after your quick shower when the bell rang and your phone screen lighted up with a text from the boy outside. Behind the door, Soobin nodded at you and fixed his bangs with his hand, covering almost all of his face with it. You held the door opened for him and let him in.

“I set all up in the kitchen for us, ” You told him motioning for him to follow you. He obeyed quietly and followed your footsteps into the quite cozy kitchen. “I have water, juice, tea and also coffee, which one you want?”

“Um…” He hesitated, feeling the sudden pressure in his chest built up at the attention-your attention all on him. His cheeks warmed up and he mentally cursed when his voice cracked a little. “A tea, please.”

While you poured the tea for him, he put down a cute little box over your table caughting your attention. You sat down after placing a steaming cup in front of him, while he took the seat in front of you. He thought you looked so cute eyeing curiously the box.

“My mum works at a bakery and told me it was impolite to come over with my hands empty.” Wow, he had actually spoke so casually to you. He was so proud and felt so grateful to his mother when your eyes shone after he said that. He carefully opened the box revealing all kinds of patisseries.

“God, I’m so lucky having you as my partner.” You simply said, not really meaning anything behind the words, after tasting the sweets. Soobin smiled trapping his bottom lip under his teeth and giggled softly. “This is so good.”

Time flew once you two starting working on the assignment. At first, Soobin felt so shy to ask you about things he didn’t know but when you caught on the fact that he was short on his Greek and Roman’s basics, you started explaining to him all about it. And he started to like it so much; not really all the democracy's birth and development part, but he liked hearing you talk about something you clearly knew so well and enjoyed.

“Hey…” He said after checking the time on his phone and realizing you had been already three hours working non-stop. Your eyes left your computer’s screen and fixated on him. “What time are you parents coming back?” Your eyes went back to the screen.

“They’re not” You simple answered. “I live alone.”

“Ah, that’s nice.” Replied Soobin, not really processing your words. Once he did, his body froze. Sure, he knew you two were alone till that moment but he was so sure some responsible adult was supposed to come back and watched over you. Now that he knew no one was coming, he couldn’t stop his shameful thoughts as his mouth felt so dry.

“Are you okay? You’re so red”.

“It’s suddenly so hot?”

“Oh, let me get you some fresh water.”

You stood up and filled a glass of water for him. But you didn’t notice the boy getting up and following you so fast behind you, that when you turned around you ended up crashing against his chest and the water ended up all over him. You mouth molded into a perfectly ‘o’ shape watching the drenched cloth stick to his body, while Soobin’s face exploded red. You could almost picture the steam blowing out ofhis ears.

“S-sorry.” You stumbled on your own words while looking up at his face- oh, you were so close. Soobin’s breath got caught in his chest at the sudden proximity; your pretty eyes looked up into his so intensely. He gulped, his hands itching of nervousness-- itching for some contact.

“Bath…room?”

“Down the hall, second door on the left.”

When Soobin got out of the bathroom, you were waiting for him in the small hall with a t-shirt in your hands.

“I’m sorry ‘bout your shirt. You can change into this one if you want.”

“It’s yours?” He questioned holding the shirt in his hands, really curious as it was right his size.

“It was my brother’s, but he doesn’t know I took it.” You showed him a small, playful smile that melted his heart.

Soobin used the shirt he burrowed from you almost for a week, which, Kai thought, was pretty disgusting. Yet for Soobin, the shirt with the scent of you became his small reminder of you at home.

Both of you met up at your place a few more times after that day and finally submitted the assignment when you finished it. After spending so much time with Soobin, you had gotten closer and used to being around him; you got to know him more and learnt a few things about him like how he knew how to make those delicious patisseries he’d brought that one time, or how he had a hedgehog pet and how cute it was curled up in his big palms, and how cute he was.

“Should we go out to celebrate?” You asked him the night you finished working on the assignment. Soobin hummed delighted, clearly liking the idea of going out with you somewhere to enjoy some time, besides the time he'd spent with you doing homework. That’s how both of you arrived that night at the grill meat place you worked at sometimes.

“I’ll cook it.” He said taking over the grill and the scissors. You happily hummed waiting for the food to grill and grabbed a few bottles of soju. When he looked at you pouring down the alcohol in two glasses, he panicked. “M-Maybe we shouldn’t.”

“Please? We worked so hard, we deserved it,” You showed him your amazing puppy eyes and his hand trembled, the scissors visibly shaking. "perhaps you're bad with alcohol? Okay then, I can drink for you.”

“Don’t.” He stopped you before you could swig down the drink and took the glass from your hands, tilting his head back as it invided his mouth. You whistled impressed while his faces twisted in disgust.

That night you both enjoyed the fancy meat and drinks all paid thanks to the employee discount you had. That night you also discovered that Soobin was, in fact, really bad with alcohol.

His cheeks were flushed, as always, but his demeanor was somehow different, not really in a bad way. His eyes didn’t avoided your gaze like usually and instead it fell heavy on you, heavy eyelids from behind his glasses that slipped from time to time down the bridge of his nose.

“Maybe we should take some fresh air to sober up, don’t you think, silly?” You said, helping the boy out. He walked funnily beside you, his head turned in your direction not really looking where he was walking. “Eyes on the road, Soobin.”

“You’re so pretty…”

“You are so drunk right now.” You said, hiding the blush in your cheeks. He whined, his hand grabbing your sleeve’s end and tugging softly at it, wanting you to look at him more.

“You’re so pretty.” He repeated, in a more demanding tone, a pretty pout in his lips.

“Please, watch where you’re going, Soob- hey!”

“Agh… shit.”

You looked down at the poor boy who’d fallen to the floor after tripping on his own feet. He hissed at the pain in his palms against the cold pavement. His glasses had fallen off his face and he suddenly felt the urge to cry out of embarrassment or pain, maybe both.

You got down on your knees in front of him and tried to grab his hands but he whined at the burning sensation in them, pulling away from your touch. His palms were scraped and red. He managed to sit properly and looked at you with trembling lips. Just then you noticed the tears piling up in his eyes.

“Are you okay?” You asked softly while carefully grabbing the unscratched back of his hand and scanning him for some blood or whatever. He sniffed, trying to contain the tears but you being all worried about him made him feel even more vulnerable.

“I’m really sor-sorry.” He started sobbing and the tears rolled down his cheeks. You gasped and tried to wipe them away. You touched him with such a care, like you were scared he might break at any moment. His eyes closed at your sudden touch, so warm, but the tears didn’t stop rolling down his cheeks.

“What are you sorry for, dummy?” You whispered softly, holding his face in between your hands, wiping the tears away with your thumbs. His skin was really soft, you thought.

“You’re right, I am a dummy!” He cried out loud. You panicked even more. You had dealt with drunk people before due to your job, but never had you ever tried comforting a six-foot tall, full-grown baby crying his heart out.

His eyes flickered open and stared at you from behind the tears. His eyelashes wet because of the tears looked so pretty but you felt a little bad thinking that while the boy in front of you cried, the tip of his nose red and his lips gasping for air occasionally.

“You’re so pretty, sob- you’re so pretty it hurts…” He said, almost in pain. You stayed silent, humming at his words encouraging for him to keep talking. His hands softly grabbed each one of your wrists. Your hands were frozen in his face. He looked up at you like some abandoned puppy. “It hurts really bad, y/n”.

“Sorry…” You mumbled under your breath.

“No, I’m sorry I’m such a coward dummy” Soobin pouted. “I shoulda have walked you home that day! But you were so pretty, y/n. Fuck, so pretty and I panicked.”

You had absolutely no idea what this man was talking about, yet all you did was heard him carefully, nodding slowly at his words. You watched him scan your face and bit down on his lip so hard that you feared he might hurt himself even more. Sighting, you grabbed his glasses and placed them back on his face, carefully pushing the hair falling over his eyes away.

“I think we should go back to my place, ‘kay? I’ll make us some warm tea and you can crash if you want, what’ya think?” You spoke at him with such a delicacy that he felt his heart squeezing.

“I’d like that…”

Somehow, you managed to bring Soobin’s drunk self into your place once again. Just after stepping his foot in, he started taking off his coat then his sweater and then stopping while grabbing the end of his shirt, after you had ask him to stop, blood rushing to your cheeks, eyes looking away.

You had Soobin drink the warm tea you made for him while sitting on your couch, him stealing quick glances in your direction from time to time and giggling to himself.

“You’re so pretty.”

“You’re pretty too, dummy.” You answered grabbing the empty teacup from his hands and putting it away.

“Am I a dummy?” He asked knitting his eyebrows, tilting his head slightly to a side.

“Yeah…” You heard his weak ‘oh’ while he looked down at his red palms. “But you’re a cute dummy. Let me help you with this, okay?”

“It burns!” He whined, pulling his hand away from the cotton you had dip in alcohol and were using to clean his palm. You groaned, annoyed, and reached for his hand getting so close to him that he found himself cornered between your couch and you. “S-stand back”

“Gotcha!” You grabbed his wrist and pulled from it, not actually thinking he could pull back which was exactly what happened and why you ended up falling against his chest. You felt him shiver against you, still his hand quickly grabbed your back trying to support your astonished self.

“So-sorry!” You squeaked, your face burning up.

Soobin had sobered a little since the warm tea, but he felt so comfortable being taken care by you he just ended up acting like a little kid. You looked up and couldn’t help it, the way his pretty eyes looked into yours made you so weak, you leaned in a little closer and more planted a quick kiss on his chin.

“????” Soobin covered his reddened face with his free hand, not really getting what you had done. On his chin??? Your lips??? Were so soft??? Do it again??? You analyzed his reaction and grinned softly, before placing another peck on his cheek.

“Are you sober up now?” You asked, playfully brushing the tip of your nose against his warm cheek. He nodded furiously. Then you took a step back and put some distance between yourselves, which he thought was really sad. Then you extended your open palm to him. “Let me see your hands.”

Reluctantly, he let you disinfect his palms. He would hiss and whimper when it really burned, but then shut up after you’d place a kiss on his bare palms. By the time you finished your little task, he wanted to feel your lips on another place. You looked up and smile sweetly at him. What had made you kiss him so many times? Maybe the addictive softness of his skin or maybe the way he’d shake under your touch.

“You feel better now?” You asked him, stroking his soft, ruffled hair. He hummed at your touch and closed his eyes, enjoying it. You nibbled your lip, eyes going down at his own. “You’re so pretty.”

He gasped quietly, surprised, and gulped realizing you had gotten closer to his face. You looked so calm, so relax, so unbothered while he was sure he looked the complete opposite; a nerve wracked, reddened loser.

Again, you pecked his chin, slower this time. Then you went up brushing your lips on his skin until you reached his cheek and placed down another kiss. He sighed, fighting to keep his eyes opened. His hands coyly placed themselves on your waist, mentally fighting not to just embrace you against him completely.

You softly kissed his forehead before going down and placing a kiss on his nose. His eyes looked at you pleadingly from behind his glasses, his lips slightly parting open when you brushed yours against his.

“Soobin, you’re so pretty.” You whispered, placing down your forehead against his. “Can I kiss you, pretty boy?” He nodded.

When your lips kissed his, Soobin felt like the whole oxygen in his body just vanished. The warmth from your lips rushed all over his body. You felt his hands tightened the hold in your waist and pulled you closer, sneaking through an eye you watched him; his eyes closed, his eyebrows softly furrowed. His lips were ten times softer than the skin of his cheeks.

When you tried to pull apart, he pulled you even closer not letting you go. His whole arm hugged you down by your waist, while his free hand cupped your cheek. He finally let you caught your breath after pecking a few more times your lips. One, two, three, four, he didn't want to stop.

You gently caressed his face and he, mesmerized, couldn’t stop looking at you.

“Do you like me, Soobin?” You asked him. He nodded enthralled. “Since when?”

“That time…” He nibbled down at his lip, feeling so embarrassed. “It was raining like, so much and it didn’t look like you had an umbrella.”

You tilted your head. “What? You mean that was you?” You smiled thrilled at him and found so cute the way his cheeks turned red at the remark. Giggling, you planted a kiss on the corner of his lips which made him look at you with those pleading eyes. Looked like he didn’t like being teased. “I still have it, you know? The umbrella.”

“Keep it.” He said, eyes fixated on your smiling lips. You giggled once more and attached your lips together again. He hummed happily and kissed you eagerly. That was how both of you spent the rest of the night, laying down on your couch, he embracing you, you kissing him when he gave you that look, he kissing your cheeks, you kissing his chin, until both were defeated by sleep.

“God, I can’t stand it.” Gyu groaned at the sight of his friend watching at you with his mouth hung open while you just talked. You would stop in mid-sentence, smiled and kiss his cheek, and then continue talking about whatever.

“I think they’re cute.” Kai said. “He’s kinda clingy, tho.”

“We are literally here.” Soobin said, his arms hugging your waist and his chin resting up in your shoulder while you finished your lunch.

“I think they’re jealous.” You said mockingly. Soobin nodded in agreement.

“You should dump him, y/n.” Gyu said.

“Oh, but he’s so cute?” You brushed your head against Soobin’s only gaining the fake throwing up sounds from Beomgyu. Then Soobin reached your ear and whispered, concerned in his voice:

“You’re not dumping me, right?”

#txt #you #txt soobin #soobin #choi soobin #soobin x reader #txt x you #tomorrow x together #tomorrow x together x you #choi soobin x you #choi soobin x reader #soobin x you #soobin x y/n #hueningkai #beomgyu #kai #x you #x reader #txt fic #txt x reader #txt fanfic #txt scenarios #txt post #soobin au #yeonjun #taehyun #tubatu #tubatu au #soobin scenario

[therhythmafterthesummer]

https://www.tumblr.com/therhythmafterthesummer/723756900577099776/i-dont-know-if-you-have-a-anon-or-not-but-id

Thinking about this….. if you done this…. would you share 🥹🥹 pretty please 🙏🥹

Always ready to read your any of works 🥹🥹

Hope you’re having a good day or have a good day

i gotchu, bb.

thanks for sending this ask. hope y'all enjoy !

Pairing: Werewolf!Chan x Human!F.Reader (one of the main pairings of my WereRoomies series. you don’t really need to read any other instalment to understand/enjoy this piece). | Word Count: ~2k | Themes & Warnings: fantasy/supernatural AU · smut · roommates to ??? | this piece takes place before these two got together · allusion to the reader being chubby · self-pleasure (both parties are getting off, but not engaging with each other) · voyeurism · improper use of supernatural abilities · Chris’ inner wolf won’t shut up · mentions and hints of: fingering, knotting, breeding, etc · Guilty & Moping Christopher · self-loathing

minors do not interact.

Chris would’ve never thought he’d be this weak. He was usually very good at ignoring this attraction he felt. A couple of months of you living here with him had practically trained him for it. However, a handful of nights a week, it was almost impossible to ignore.

He shouldn’t have been surprised, really. It was only natural that someone your age would indulge in one of the most primal needs an animal could have, and, of course, like a proper human, you had tools to deal with all that. 

The first time it happened, he almost dropped dead right then and there. It took him a moment to notice back then. He was so sleepy he thought he might’ve been hearing things, but, after a few moments of that faint buzzing sound resonating through the walls, the first quiet moan gave it all away.

It was almost embarrassing how quickly he started to get hard the moment he realised you were a few steps away, getting off. Chris had covered his face and ears with his pillow in a desperate attempt to not hear. Having enhanced hearing didn’t make it okay to eavesdrop, especially not during such intimate circumstances.

That night, he had to stop his hands from moving multiple times. He refused to get off to the sound of your quiet whines, to the buzz of the toy… He refused to even start imagining the scene you’d be painting in your room. He tried to distract himself, watching cute videos on his phone, or putting his headset on to try and muffle the sounds travelling through your shared home.

He’d succeeded for the most part, but after you were… finished, he heard you going through the motions of leaving your room, going to the bathroom, and then back to your room… He needed to drink something, his mouth was dry and his senses were on edge, plus, a cold shower was more than needed, considering his traitorous cock just wouldn’t go soft.

He had to wait almost twenty minutes to leave his room, just in case you were still awake. Honestly, the moment he stepped out of his room and went into the bathroom, he was almost winded by the smell of your scent in the hall. It wasn’t your fault, it probably just lingered there from when you had walked through here earlier, but, God, it wasn’t helping his problem one bit…

Regardless, Chris had been able to keep himself in check that night. No boundaries were broken, and that was enough to ease his mind.

However, even if he’d succeeded, he wasn’t really prepared to deal with this on the regular.

Every night he heard the buzz, it was a night spent in agony. Sometimes he’d just stay in his room, headphones plugged in, playing a game on max volume. On other nights, it’d be so incredibly difficult to hold himself back from doing something he’d regret, so he’d just leave the flat altogether.

He’d go to Changbin’s, or Minho’s, or Jisung’s, or anyone’s, as long as he got to be away from you and your goddamn scent and the alluring sounds coming out of your room.

He should’ve known that this couldn’t last. Chris was bound to break, and the tortuous workday he’d had today, coupled with just how incredibly exhausted he was, seemed to have lowered his inhibitions enough for his hand to mindlessly find its way to his crotch as soon as he heard that godforsaken buzz.

“Oh, shit…” Chris mumbled under his breath, leaning his head back against the headboard of his bed.

What was he doing?

Well, he knew what he was doing, but why was he doing it?

Using his supernatural hearing for this was beyond creepy, immoral, you definitely didn’t deserve it. But, God, how could he not do it when you sounded just so… pretty?

He couldn’t think straight, not when sparks of pleasure were running up and down his spine with each stroke of his hand, not when he tightened his grip just right. If you were to have your hands on him, would you hold him like this? He’d be more than delighted to show you what he liked. He just knew that you’d be able to perfectly mimic the pressure that made him dizzy, that you’d work him up diligently, that your hands would feel a hundred times better than his did.

Chris could hear the faint buzz in the distance, the quiet whines and sighs, the muffled moans… He could picture it all in detail. You, sprawled on your bed–that bed he himself had laid on many, many times before… platonically–legs spread, a hand on your breast and the other holding a toy between your legs. 

What toy were you using? Was it a dildo? A bullet? One of those trendy suction ones? He selfishly hoped it wasn’t a dildo. A dildo wouldn’t be enough for a girl like you, he was sure. His fingers would be much more suitable. He’d prep you so well, stuff you with as many of his digits as he could, touch you however you liked to be touched, using the bullet or the suction toy on your sensitive clit…

But he wasn’t there right now. You were on your own, playing with yourself and your toy. His mind really couldn’t decide on which one it would be, the mental image he had kept shifting between devices. The only thing that was a constant was the look on your face, all blissed-out, with your eyes closed and your mouth slightly agape.

Would you be teasing your nipples? Rolling them between your fingers? Pinching them? If you weren’t, he’d gladly do it for you. God, the soft flesh would just feel incredible in his hold, he just knew. The sight would surely be heavenly.

Lick, suck, fuck, perfect tits just for me…

After spitting in his hand, Chris brought it back to his aching cock, smearing the saliva all over himself before he tightened his grip and pumped. Oh, how he wished it was you. Your hands, your mouth, your cunt, or even your thighs… He’d take anything you were willing to give him, he just knew you’d look so, so gorgeous while you choked on him, while you took him in any and every single one of your holes…

His spit and the pre-cum spilling from his tip helped lubricate him, each stroke produced an obscene squelching sound that just joined the quiet sounds you were making in your room. The buzzing increased, your whines became more frequent, and Chris just sped up the motions of his hand in response.

What if he just barged out of his room and went straight to yours? Would you let him take you? There was a small, very idiotic part of him that believed you would. You’d open your legs further, let him settle his body between them, and plunge himself right in while he kissed you. You’d be so warm around his cock, tight while you adjusted to his size, he was simply salivating at the thought.

Perfect, perfect cunt that’ll take her alpha’s cock like it was made to… mine, for me, for my cock, for my knot… to be stuffed to the very brim with my pups…

Chris’ chest was vibrating slightly with his contained growls, the thought of kissing you, fucking you, claiming you, and scenting you in one of the most obscene ways possible had his instincts on edge. His inner wolf wanted you, of course he did. He was just another part of Chris, who was already absolutely crazy about you. Every single part of him knew just how well you’d take anything he gave you, how well you’d do for him.

His logical mind wouldn’t let him leave his bed, though. He’d risk too much by acting purely on his wolf’s instincts. Instead, he just sped his strokes, matching the rapid pace you seemed to have set for yourself. Was your toy at top speed? Or was there still more? He wanted to find out. He wanted to be the one to use it on you, to have you moan his name in his ear and squirm under him.

Just the mere thought of you saying his name got him so, so close. There was nothing more that he wanted right now than to have his pretty roommate crumbling in bliss, he just knew he could make you feel so incredibly good if you just gave him a chance.

Pleasure mate, satisfy mate, scent, mark as mine, mine, mine, mine, mine….

All of a sudden, the quietest of moans left your mouth, and you started gasping for air. He could practically smell your scent, floral, fresh, aroused, satisfied…

Oh, he was so doomed…

“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…” Chris mindlessly swore under his breath, speeding the movement of his hand, thrusting into his grip as the telltale signs of his orgasm clouded his senses.

Biting down hard on his bottom lip, he let his climax wash over him. His cum was warm, thick, and creamy since he hadn’t unloaded for days now. He had to make a conscious effort not to growl like the fucking horny dog he was while he got the expanse of his torso drenched in his release. It felt like he was coming for an eternity, and, by the time he had milked himself dry, all noise coming from your room had stopped completely.

Chris heaved a sigh, and his ears started ringing. This was just what he needed after such a long, strenuous day at work. He felt his frustrations quickly evaporate, replaced with the rush of endorphins only a good wank could release into his system. He laid there, panting, his head lolled to the side as the bliss of his orgasm relaxed his muscles, and for a moment, he felt like he was floating, even sleepy.

He was deep in bliss, light, satisfied…

But then, dread started to seep in.

“Oh, God, what’ve you done, you fucking idiot?” Chris reached for his discarded shorts on the floor and used them to clean up the mess he made. When was the last time he came this hard? There was so much cum…

What a waste…

“Shut the fuck up, dude”, he shook his head, like that would eliminate the thought.

How was he going to look you in the eyes tomorrow? You were his roommate. His female, very much human roommate that had trusted him enough to move in with him, and this was how he acted? By secretly listening in to you pleasuring yourself in the privacy of your own room? You had no idea what he was, that he was capable of doing this at all, so of course you would go ahead and make all the noise you wanted within those four walls. It was your right, but he had to go ahead and be disgusting about it. How could he do this?

His skeleton almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the door to your room open, only to hear the bathroom door closing a few seconds after.

Would you be just washing your hands? Or would you be washing your toys as well…?

Chris shook his head again. He had a serious problem…

With a sigh, he plopped on his bed, and decided to wait until you were done so he could go to the bathroom himself and clean up properly.

Squish, knead, hold tight… Must cuddle mate, make sure mate’s satisfied, happy…

He flicked himself on the forehead, right in the middle. He was capable of keeping his instincts in check, goddamn it. Why was his subconscious slipping like this?

As he laid there, staring at the ceiling, with the phantom of your scent lingering around him, he figured it was time to accept that he was incredibly attracted to you. Physically. Enough for him to become a desperate mess and lose his composure just at the thought of you masturbating a few metres away from him.

He knew, of course. He knew since the very first moment he saw you. But this was odd for him. Chris typically didn’t feel attracted to people in this way just out of nowhere. The fact that he’d known you for a couple of months already seemed to have made everything so much worse. You were nice, funny, kind, and, quite possibly, the most beautiful person he’d ever seen… He, very clearly, had a crush on you. What was he going to do about that?

When you finally retreated to your room, he didn’t dare leave his bed. The last thing he wanted was for you to start worrying about whether he’d heard you or not.

He heard you, alright, but you didn’t need to know that.

After twenty or so minutes, he finally made his way to the bathroom, and your scent still lingering in the room almost made his eyes roll to the back of his head.

Flowers… Fresh flowers… Mate’s scent…

While he cleaned himself up, Chris tried his best to ignore whatever instincts were running rampant deep inside him. His inner wolf was a horny idiot that was making him do stupid things whenever you were concerned. But, by association, that meant that he was a horny idiot who had just had a mindblowing orgasm thinking about his roommate. Thinking about you.

When he finally tucked himself back into bed, he couldn’t help but feel like he was the absolute worst person on earth. You didn’t deserve this, for the disgusting, horny werewolf you didn’t even know was a werewolf to be disrespecting you like this. He needed to do better.

But, God, why did you have to be so pretty? And so… his type? He was sure he didn’t have a type before he met you, but the more he had to be around you, the more he realised you were certainly his type.

Soft mate, squishy mate…

Sighing, Chris laid on his side and reached for one of the spare pillows on his bed. His senses were immediately flooded with your scent. That was when he remembered you’d laid your head here earlier today. No wonder he could smell your scent so vividly. 

Your smile had been so big when you’d started talking to him about your day… The memory had his heart skipping a beat, and his stomach sank. 

Hugging the pillow tight to his chest, he curled himself into a ball under the covers.

Kind mate, perfect mate…

Once again, Chris ignored whatever fuckery his instincts were trying to tell him. He reminded himself that you were his roommate, essentially a friend at this point, and as such, he was supposed to protect you and make you feel safe. It didn’t matter how pretty your moans were, how he wanted to get drowned in your scent… None of that justified what he’d just done. He couldn’t break your trust like this ever again.

Chris certainly needed to do better. So he swore he’d never ever do this again.

He just won’t do this again…

…Right?

© therhythmafterthesummer 2023. all rights reserved. do not repost or translate my stories.

Author's Note: aaahh, this was so much fun to write. ngl, i'm kinda tempted to write a drabble with this scenario again, but after our dearest, prettiest pack mum has already found out about Chris' condition... special thanks to @notastraykid for providing her valuable insight, opinions, and ideas💜

tagging everyone that wants to be tagged in my wereroomies instalments. if you don’t want to be tagged in little ask responses like these let me know ! If you want to be added to the tag list, you can fill in this form. be aware that you must have an indication that you’re an adult in your blog if you want me to tag you in my works

@comet-falls · @princelingperfect · @iadorethemskz · @kileidoscope · @maknae00 · @compersian · @dundullresident · @vitrealisbunny · @yeetfellx · @minnysproutgriffinteddy · @oiminho · @binchangf · @leedunno · @luxsonny · @shutupandstoptalking · @akimi-youngblood · @mamieishere · @straylightdream · @4kwp · @bintificreads · @seo--changbin

in purple: can't be tagged. if you see this, please check your visibility settings or i'll have to remove your user from the taglist, and won't be able to tag you in any future stories. if you've been removed and want to be re-added, you can either DM me or send the form again.

#stray kids supernatural au #stray kids fantasy AU #stray kids werewolf au #bang chan smut #stray kids smut #stray kids fanfiction #bang chan fanfiction #bang chan fic #bang chan x reader #chan x reader #skz fanfic #skz fanfiction #stray kids fanfic #werewolf chan #werewolf bang chan #✨🌙✏

[cutthroatcarnival]

A Cinnamon Mask

Warnings: A panic attack happens, and a character being poisoned in the past is strongly alluded to.

1/3 fics!

The fire in the hearth crackled, filling the comfortable silence. The Chain had stopped their current trek through the snowy land of Hebra to rest, and Wild had guided them to the Hebra Trailhead Lodge, which was luckily devoid of its common patrons, allowing all nine of them and their various gear to fit inside the small cabin.

Wind had commandeered the bed, wrapped in various extra blankets with the remnants of a spicy elixir in the bottle he held. Being from a tropical climate and constantly under the sun, the pirate was not acclimated to cold weather. Next to him was Sky, the knight happy to be resting under a roof, even if the cold had little to no effect on him. A perk of growing up and living on an island in the sky.

One. Two.

The others were faring better than the sailor, even Legend, with his lack of pants. He claimed to be used to weather extremes, and refused to elaborate further. Sat on either side of him were Hyrule and Four, the two seemingly content to help him repair rips in their clothes.

Three. Four. Five.

On top of the barrels next to the hearth was a pile of Time’s armor, the man in question slipping on the warm doublet Wild had offered over his own tunic- the cold metal of his armor would do no good to keep Time warm. A quiet conversation with Warriors and Twilight was held as Wild piped in from where he was making something in the pot.

Six. Seven. Eight. Counting himself, 9.

Time adjusted the warm doublet, it surprisingly fit, with no tightness around his shoulders, a common issue for him. He kneeled down to reach his pack, digging around to find the thick blanket that had been packed (but knowing Malon, she probably put an extra one or two in).

A sharp whistle broke through the quiet atmosphere, demanding attention to the hearth, where Wild stood with six steaming mugs and Twilight behind him with three.

“I made us some hot chocolate, it’s a recipe I learned from Uma in Hateno,” appreciative murmurs rose, “And don’t worry, Twilight didn’t do any of the making.” That drew a few laughs from the heroes as the two proceeded to pass out the drinks.

Nodding his thanks, Time wrapped his hands around the mug, feeling both the warmth and the craftsmanship of it. Must be one of the mugs Sky carved, judging by the intricate patterns and steady lines.

“It smells good,” Wind took a sip, “and it tastes good too! I don’t think I’ve ever had this before!” The sailor’s hands were wrapped tightly around the mug, likely attempting to leech the heat out.

“It’d be a mite strange if you’d’ve had this before, being from a warm climate and such.” Twilight was nursing his own mug, as he sat down next to Sky.

The conversation flowed easily as Wild’s hot cocoa loosened the grip of any remaining cold, at some point turning onto the topic of stories from their adventures.

“There’s no way! That’s impossible!” Four shouted, face painted in complete disbelief.

“It’s not impossible, I’ve done it! When we next get to my Hyrule, I’ll ask Gor Coron and see if he would be up for another round.”

“You’re telling me you sumo wrestled a Goron? The people that are partially made of rock? Those guys?” Legend seemed skeptical, his left eyebrow lifted up.

Twilight struggled to defend himself as the younger heroes ganged up on him, poking and prodding for answers, or in Legend’s case, trying to get him to “tell the truth”.

A choked whine snapped Time’s attention away from the conversation, his ears flicking as he turned to face the direction of the noise.

He was met with a wide-eyed Warriors, staring down at the mug that rested in his tight yet trembling grip. In one motion, his grip loosened and the mug clattered to the floor, spraying the (now cold) hot cocoa across the floor.

Another choked off whine, and Time slowly advanced towards the captain, keeping his hands in view, as if he were approaching an easily-spooked horse. One foot stepped on a creaky floorboard and Warriors’ head whipped up, still wide-eyed, but Time could better see his expression.

Pure and utter panic.

Watching him carefully, the elder hero noticed that the younger had positioned himself into a position where he could both attack and defend, likely done subconsciously. Time raised both his hands up, showing he was unarmed.

“Captain… what happened?” In a flash of blue Time was knocked to the ground, and Warriors had effectively cornered himself, the panic in his eyes brighter. The war hero trembled as he brandished his sword.

A pair of calloused hands helped Time back upright, “Why did he attack you?” The rancher mumbled, gaze locked onto the captain.

“He’s panicking, that’s what. Something set him off.”

A few heads swiveled to the veteran, who only shrugged and gave a non-committal noise.

Warriors was muttering something, and Time strained his ears to try and catch what he was saying.

“Poison… trust… cinnamon…”

The rest was too mumbled to understand. It seemed his descendant had also heard what Warriors had been muttering, as he tilted his head in confusion.

“Poison? Cinnamon? What is he-“

“Fuck.”

All 7 heads snapped to the veteran, whose ears were pinned against his head, a look of recognition in his eyes. He growled.

“He thinks his drink was poisoned.”

“What?” Wild stared at Legend, a quizzical, yet worried, expression adorning his face.

“Cinnamon. It’s used to mask the taste and smell of poisons.” Legend explained.

“How do-“

“Not the time, Rulie.”

Time wracked his brain for something, for anything, when he landed on a moment a few weeks back, when he and the captain were up for watch.

Shit.

“I know what happened,” several heads turned to look at him, “he thinks we tried to poison him.” He turned his eye back to Warriors, the panic still evident in his gaze.

Again, he shuffled forward, palms held upward in a placating gesture. Warriors pressed himself further into the corner, his breathing picking up and hitching on every other breath.

“Link.”

The utterance of his actual name snapped Warriors partially back into reality, gaze now finally realizing Time.

“There you are. Link, listen, we aren’t trying to hurt you.”

Time advanced forward again, now within reaching distance of Warriors, and he slowly descended onto his knees, the joints creaking in protest.

“Can I touch you?” He waited until Warriors processed the question.

A nod.

Settling his hands on the captain’s knees, he started tapping an easy rhythm.

“Steady yourself. In for 4… hold for 7… out for 4…” Warriors copied his directions, breath hitching a few times, but steadily evening out.

“There we go. You’re okay. What are 5 things you can see?”

“You, the bed, the others, Sky’s shield, mugs.”

His rhythm continued.

“Good, now, 4 things you can touch?”

“The floor, my sword, my scarf, the wall.”

The breaths evened out more.

“3 things you can hear?”

“The fire, the wind, and creaking wood.”

Warriors’ eyes lost their panicked sheen.

“Almost there. 2 things you can smell?”

“Fire, and- and cinnamon.”

Time kept up his tapping.

“1 thing you can taste?”

“Nothing. I think I burnt my tongue.”

A quiet sigh of relief flooded through the group, who chuckled at Warriors’ comment. Time breathed deeply out his nose, stopping his rhythm and instead gripping at the captain’s knees. A scarred hand rested over his and squeezed.

“Better now, Captain?”

Another squeeze.

“Thanks to you, old man.” He chuckled and stood up, joints clicking as he went, offering Warriors a hand and pulling the hero up.

“So-“

“Shut up. Don’t apologize, damn it.”

“Legend…”

“No, Wars. You had a completely valid reaction to something. Don’t go fucking apologizing for it.” The vet snapped, crossing his arms tightly. Warriors crossed the room and set a hand on the pink hair.

“…Nice to know you care, pricker bush.” His hand was a blur as he messed up the vet’s hair, who squeaked and batted at his arm.

Time watched as they laughed at the two’s antics, a small grin on his face.

Warriors wasn’t fully okay, his hands still held a slight tremble and his eyes still a tad too wide. But Time knew that with time (ha), and his brothers, that the captain would be as right as rain sooner than later.

#tw panic attack #linked universe #linked universe chain #lu chain #lu warriors #lu legend #lu time #lu twilight #lu wind #lu hyrule #lu four #lu wild #lu sky #lu fanfiction #linked universe fanfic #linked universe fic #cross posted on ao3 #based off of my own headcanon #hurt/comfort #fluff #mars writes

[faejilly]

Alright so ask box meme time! Garrus or Grunt?

[make me choose] oh look, you got me to write more Weaver! I've been wanting to do that, thank you. 💙💙💙 (In this case, you got first impressions of a cop from an Earthborn Shepard... 😅)

Vakarian makes Shepard feel old.

He’s probably about her age, though she’s not as good at reading turians as humans, for obvious reasons. (It’d taken her for fucking ever to figure out how to deal with humans, honestly. Which… is not a thought to help her feel less ancient.)

It also doesn’t help that he is systematically doing the absolute worst thing to make a good impression with her every time they’re in the same room.

She thinks she’s managing to hide that opinion.

Except maybe from Executor Pallin. Something in his eyes looks exactly as exhausted as she feels. (It's disconcerting to realize she identifies more with the politician-policeman than the reckless idealist, considering she's usually regarded as more of a reckless idealist herself.)

For all Pallin is the head of C-Sec, he's remarkably straightforward and pragmatic. Enough so that he doesn't ping against her instincts as cop, but Vakarian does.

And she’s (embarrassingly) still enough of a street kid to hate that.

A hypocritical street-kid, considering she’s basically Space-SWAT whenever Alliance Command sends her on a pirate-sweep.

Apparently the space part makes a difference to her lizard brain.

Vakarian’s also in space though?

No, her lizard brain doesn’t buy that.

Her lizard brain’s a fucking moron.

Do turians have lizard brains? She’s afraid that Vakarian doesn’t even have lizard sense. (She can suddenly hear Litty laughing in her head, ‘but common sense isn’t, you should know that by now,’ echoing out of a past Vakarian keeps reminding her of, a past that she thought she'd put to rest, a past she knows she'll never completely let go.)

Not helpful.

Every time he opens his mouth, she has to consciously resist the urge to sigh and knuckle her forehead or pinch the bridge of her nose. The physical pressure will not actually relieve the mental pressure, no matter how much it feels like it should.

But seriously, who introduces themself only to immediately complain about failing at their confidential assignment while very much in public?

Who follows that nonsense up by going right for an entirely unnecessary headshot in a hostage situation?

That had almost made her want to headshot him.

But she hadn’t. Because she has impulse control.

Doesn’t she?

Certainly more than Vakarian.

That’s not saying much.

She doesn’t have a problem dealing with the arrogance of people who are actually as good at their job as they think they are, but he seems to have no idea that he’s entirely failed to convince her that he might be one of them.

Despite all that, recruiting him is the right decision.

It is, she knows it is.

They need to make it clear this isn’t just a human vendetta. He’s Turian and Citadel and Police and makes this whole impossible situation reputable.

Closer to reputable?

But probably only to people who haven’t met him. He’s loud and brash and pulled out a sniper rifle in a med-clinic on the Wards.

He made the shot.

He took the shot because he saw it and he felt it and he wanted to protect Dr. Michel a hell of a lot more than he cared about himself.

He rushes into things because he cares.

Damn it.

That’s familiar.

He still makes her feel old.

#jilly answers #spacemomnephmoreau #mass effect #weaver shepard #garrus vakarian #jilly writes #me1 #me ot #make me choose

[angelsdean]

wanna preface this by saying if my tone comes across as biting, i did not mean that! especially not to you! i feel ok sending this in bc i agree with your takes on s8/9

anyway lol! maybe a spicy take but…

if we’re blaming dean for kevin’s death, then we’ve gotta blame sam for charlie’s and benny’s, cas for mary and jo and ellen and anna and bobby and sam (s5) and honestly i love you cas but i could probably go on :/

but seriously, i don’t actually *blame* them for these deaths bc while dean/sam/cas’s actions helped create the situations that got each character dead, their actual deaths were on other characters’ choices or even their own (sam, benny). the blame game is just too simple for how complicated spn is. like if you blamed them for every death that occurred after a sequence of events that included their actions, for every death that they were indirectly involved with, it’d just be impossible to count. and that’s just not productive or fair imo yk 🤷‍♀️

yea i definitely get what you're saying. there are a lot of factors playing into things, and chain reaction domino effects that lead from one character making a decision to another character way down the line killing someone. that doesn't necessarily mean the first character is responsible for the death or should be the one that is blamed for it. they couldn't have foreseen how events would transpire. however, i do think, like you said, these situations are more complicated and nuanced. and in some scenarios the "blamed" character did play more of a part in the death of another character. but i don't think in the case of kevin's death dean should be shouldering the blame or responsibility here at all.

like, the stuff with blaming dean for kevin's death feels unfair imo because well, when dean made the choice to let gadreel try to save sam (and sam still !! had to say yes himself!) dean didn't have all the facts. he thought gadreel was ezekiel. he thought this was a friend of cas's that he could trust. he didn't know he was opening the door to someone with ulterior motives, who might try to hurt people he cared about. and secondly, kevin's death was coming, one way or another, because as @aliveboydean says in this post, metatron wanted him dead and wasn't going to stop until he was. so if gadreel hadn't gotten him, metatron very likely would have killed him.

to address another seemingly similar situation where i come away feeling differently: sam and charlie. i have to say i kinda do "blame" sam for charlie's death, because he roped charlie back in. she really would not have been there or been in that situation or been a target for the Stynes had sam not specifically invited her to come help them. and while it seems like charlie and kevin's deaths are comparable, a key distinguishing factor is that one would have been safe had they not been in that specific situation that another character (sam) put them in, while the other always was in danger simply for being who they were. charlie's death is different from kevin's because kevin was always in the line of fire, always had a target on his back by simply being a prophet. so many people wanted to kill him, he wasn't uniquely in danger being around the winchesters. and he wasn't put IN danger solely because of dean's actions. he was always in danger, the whole time. no matter where in the world kevin was, people were going to be out to get him. and i'd argue he was safer in the bunker (and therefore around sam and dean) than anywhere else in the world. dean had no way of knowing gadreel would kill kevin! but charlie was just a regular person who no one cared about killing. if she hadn't been brought in at that time and made a target for the stynes she...most definitely would still be alive.

SO, i think at the very least dean is definitely allowed to blame sam in-world and be pissed at him. (tho sam is obvs still not the one that killed her. but i can understand if dean felt resentment toward him for her death). but. yea i kinda do see sam as more responsible for charlie's death in this case than dean with kevin's because the scenarios and key factors are different. that's what i feel a lot of people don't get when they want to issue blanket statements of who to blame for what and who did worse. there's nuance! and two seemingly similar situations are not always a 1:1 comparison. (this isn't directed at you, just a general sentiment abt fandom)

(and i think a similar situation for cas is mary's death. and i fall somewhere in the middle for him. he knew jack was dangerous at the time. he should've said something. he's still not the one who killed mary though and he couldn't have predicted that outcome)

#anyways thank you for the ask #and while i did kinda disagree a bit there i still mostly agree and get what you're saying #replies #kevin's death #charlie's death #long post

[icequeenbae]

It's spoiler time~~~

With the next milestone approaching, there's something a little different but not really coming! I will share a short excerpt to give you a taste hehe

The story is gonna be called You Bet Your Ass! And it's total filth in case you didn't know lmao Trust me to write BBH PWPs all day

Warnings: smutty content under the cut, language, rip Baek's butt

He had probably hoped that Saturday would never arrive, but it did. And even then, he had yet to muster the courage to take on his punishment with dignity.

But it’d been an hour, and you were getting tired of watching him huffing and puffing, crying about the injustices of life and his poor asshole. He was buck naked the entire time too.

‘I’m also cold… Why is it so cold in our house? Can’t we afford heating? I should try and earn more money…’

You sighed.

‘Baekhyun, it’s not gonna work.’ You stretched your arms and legs before sitting down next to him. ‘Either quit it or let me do it for you.’

‘You? Do it for me?’ He shook his head. ‘Impossible. I’d like to preserve at least some dig-’

‘Lie flat on your belly. Right now.’ You ordered strictly.

‘Yes, ma’am.’

You smiled at his sudden obedience. He obviously trusted you to help him get it over with, but preferred to be strongarmed into doing this. To preserve some ‘dignity’.

‘Just relax, baby. You’re way too tense.’

Climbing on top of him, you poured some of that massage oil onto his bare back. You ran your palms up along his spine smoothly, and Baekhyun grunted like an old man.

‘God, you are just one giant knot.’ You muttered, putting a little more force into it.

Another muffled grunt escaped his mouth, this time sounding a bit more like a moan.

‘Here, here, grandpa. You can entrust yourself to me. Both your back and your butt.’

He grumbled into the pillow, and you could not make out his words. Instead, you went up his shoulders to knead the back of his neck. This spot was always sore, and he did not surprise you by suddenly going tense and groaning loudly before deflating into a lax mess.

‘You know what, Y/N…’ He mumbled between sighs of contentment. ‘You can fuck me in my ass right now and I won’t object.’

~~~

A/N: Wooohoooo~ I hope this got you a liiil bit excited for what's to come! We are just about a dozen ppl away from this release 🙃 700 let's gooo~

As usual, you can check out my masterlist in the meantime <3

#baekhyun #byun baekhyun #baekhyun smut #exo baekhyun #byun baekhyun smut #baekhyun x reader #baekhyun fanfic #baekhyun scenario #icequeenbae fics #fic spoiler #tease mode on #follower milestone

[fideidefenswhore]

What if Anne Boleyn had lived to see Mary come to the throne? Do you see Mary doing everything she can to get rid of her? Would Anne suffer from the same fate as Thomas Cramner?

Mm, that's a popular AU to be sure, but I think the political realities would have been rather more complex in such a counterfactual.

First, I'd have to ask the circumstances of them both surviving and Mary coming to the throne-- has Henry had his marriage with Anne annulled, with her being exiled from court? Or has Anne been Queen throughout the remainder of his reign? Has she had a son? Has there been any alteration or reversal to the Act of Succession (1534)? Has there been any alteration or reversal to the Act that declared Anne regent for her children, should Henry die? Have all her child/ren died, or has Elizabeth merely been married abroad (ie, is she currently living at the French court, wed to whichever prince or duke)? Does Mary have a husband, and if so, who is he, and what wealth and power and claims (to the English throne, or others, or merely title) does he have?

Assuming the second, and assuming Mary, as a sole femme, has a successful coup regardless (so, perhaps Anne attempts to assume regency with Elizabeth but is overthrown), again, the political realities are going to be complex. Edward VI's death happening in such secrecy and him altering the succession to make Jane Grey his heir without the approval of Parliament were circumstances that were to her advantage; all bolstered the rhetoric and justification of her coup, accession, and reign (based on the Act of Succession of 1543, even though she reversed her illegitimacy therein). The Marian myth was that John Dudley, out of pure ambition and greed, usurped the royal prerogative (of both HVIII and Edward VI) and forged an altered succession to place his daughter-in-law on the throne (and, as you mentioned, Cranmer as well).

So, in these altered circumstances, Mary's task would be near impossible. How could her propagandists argue that Anne had done the same, when all she had done was adhere to Acts of Parliament which were very well-known by the people? What would the justification be for her arrest in this scenario, much less execution? Historically, after his arrest, Mary petitioned the Pope at the time to have Cranmer excommunicated (likely, she didn't want to have any parallels with her father drawn in the case of the execution of Bishop/Cardinal Fisher) before his execution. In this, she succeeded, and being thus excommunicated, Cranmer was no longer Archbishop of Canterbury upon his day of execution. I would imagine that she would attempt the same in this counterfactual with AB and Cranmer both, and whether she was successful in securing their excommunications might then inform her actions.

Edit: Tbh, what I conceptualize for this scenario would be more like a succession/civil war for the throne with two female claimants (so, Mary and Elizabeth/Anne’s regency), similar in nature to that of Princess Juana vs Princess Isabella in the 1470s (it would be … very difficult for Mary to argue Elizabeth wasn’t Henry’s child had these Acts of Parliament remained and Anne herself remained Queen, though, as Isabella did for Juana re: Henry IV of Castile, since she didn’t really manage to do that even in the aftermath of Anne’s adultery accusations, and she certainly tried) and I think it’d be a toss-up as to who would emerge the victor. Reason being, as I was just reminded of answering another ask, Anne was the greatest landowner among all the Tudor consorts. Mary I was also a great landowner by the time Edward VI died, because the council was at pains to ‘buy her goodwill’… this backfired, though, because it strengthened her base of power (Jeri L. McIntosh has done some fantastic work in this subject, btw), and played a huge part in why her coup succeeded. Simply put, landowning was power, was wealth. That’s probably what it would come down to, had she been granted as many lands during the beginning of the regency council for Elizabeth or whatever son AB might have had.

Another thing that would tip the scales would be if Mary received foreign aid via Imperial forces, but given Charles V never supplied any in 1553…

And again, excommunication, although Elizabeth or whatever son probably wasn’t going to be excommunicated as a minor (just like Edward VI wasn’t), maybe Anne might have been? This could also be a factor in whether or not Mary received foreign aid from any Catholic powers. Although, yk, HVIII and Elizabeth I both were excommunicated and yet they were never ousted from their thrones.

Anyway! Something to think about . Thanks for the intriguing question ☺️

#purplefictionlover #and of course; the advice of her councilors.... #philip ii didn't want elizabeth to be executed; altho if she were already married i don't know what his feelings about the whole thing woul #be (assuming he's become king consort in this AU as well) #i don't know what he would have felt or thought about AB in this scenario altho certainly he does not seem to have #done anything for cranmer.

[masterqwertster]

Little ficy-fic for Ashton's conviction in finding/gathering the rest of Bells Hells

Anything is Possible

They’re not an optimist.

Ashton has been fucked over far too much for him to consistently believe in the best case scenarios. The world’s too fucking cruel for that. 

But they’re not a pessimist either.

Life sucks, but it’s not all bad. Double down and put in the work, and things can get better. Maybe not in the form he expected better to take, but it’d get there. Gods fucking knew he didn’t expect a better life to look like a powder keg crew of delightful weirdos after the Nobodies left him behind.

They like to think they’re a realist.

Roll with the hits and make the best of things. It’s what he’s fucking done since the day it all went wrong and he lost everything as a little kid. Get spat out by a portal in the middle of nowhere? Start walking and looking for people. Get picked on? Start fighting back and showing what a bad fucking idea that is. Get left behind? Pick up the pieces and carry on. Never let it happen again. Ever. 

But sometimes people need faith.

To believe in something to the point that it just can’t be false. Even if, maybe, it is. And it’s a fucking terrifying thing. Especially when it’s all they’ve got.

Ashton won’t lose any more of their people.

It’s a simple thing. It’s an impossible thing. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do to make it true.

Whatever it takes, they’re going to find the rest of Bells Hells. They found Laudna, locked away in some nightmare realm, set her free and brought her back. They’ll do it again and again for the rest of the crew if they must. 

And Ashton’s been thinking about it: the galaxy of every iteration of his life that Imogen saw in his head. 

Every fucking possibility of him, and it all exists in a semi-tangible form. Whatever the fuck that potion instilled in him, it’s that fucking potent. And he’s probably wielding it in fucking clumsy ways compared to the full extent of what it is, but it is still his to wield at all. So he will. Ashton will use all that possibility waiting in his broken head to make what he wants possible: finding all their people, bringing them all together again, like they should be. Nothing else matters.

Ashton’s decided: Anything is possible.

#MQfic #critical role #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #ashton greymoore #cr3 #cr c3 #cr campaign 3 #bells hells

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

https://www.tumblr.com/twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat/747570756649730048/httpswwwtumblrcomtwentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat

oh this is actually very tragic though :(((………….. because it means that for suguru to pursue the ‘right’ path, reader has to sacrifice so there will never be a way to stay on the same reality together TT

but!! i think that if reader defects before suguru it would actually be a huge twist 🤔 suguru realizing that reader was going through the same inner crisis as him… at the same time as him… starting to feel guilty about it but now it’s simply too late. him snapping out of it sounds like something he would do— not in a optimistic manner or something, but resembling more a grey character?? hmmmmm like ‘i’m aware this reality sucks, it’s unfair to all of us and the new generations… but i saw a dear friend becoming a servant of such principles and, while i do not condemn reader for their actions, i recognize that is not the optimal way to start a change’ (idk if it makes sense… it’s like putting in a mixer nanami’s and shoko’s reactions after geto’s canonical defection… ??? lmao sorry, i just woke up from a nap TTTT)

also, absolutely loving the inferiority complex factor in here! because i believe that with a powerful duo like stsg, it’s really impossible to not feel like there is a whole mountain of distance that keeps them almost unreachable……… mostly so after the star plasma vessel incident :33 really seated for this fic, i believe you will do amazingly!! 🫶🏼🫶🏼 (btw yes, i sent another anon some time ago but dw! it’s probably old by now and it was a long nonsensical rant so feel free to ignore it ^^)

—🐟🐟🐟

🐟 ANON!!!! you get it…..

that’s exactly my thought too!!! in the same way that suguru is doomed to fall in canon jjk, reader is doomed to fall as long as suguru moves forward. the two of them can’t stay on the same path together :(((( or. well. they will stay on the same path eventually since it’s a fix-it fic of sorts, but suguru avoiding his own defection almost guarantees that reader will defect in his place.

and!! it’s also connected to their inferiority complex…. it’s a parallel to stsg in many ways because in canon, suguru breaks down because he’s isolated and forced to watch satoru grow stronger without him — but in reader’s case they’re all alone and forced to watch the both of them move forward at a speed they can’t possibly catch up to. i don’t know if reader is necessarily special grade, at least not in high school… so it’s just this ugly feeling in their gut that keeps growing :(( i also have a ct planned for them that makes it worse bc. it’s sort of similar to suguru’s own ct in that it’s based on the collection of curses. so the stronger suguru gets, and the more curses he absorbs, the more reader’s potential diminishes. i think they eventually develop a learned helplessness of sorts because of that….. :((((

AND YES . i also think him snapping out of it makes most sense. i think this au’s suguru will be a lot better off than canon sugu, but his own doubts are basically unavoidable— and i think that if reader defects before those doubts grow too big to control, then suguru will have a moment of enlightenment. seeing them turn their back on him, refusing his help, and also seeing so clearly that they aren’t happy. it’d basically ruin any hope he might have that the choice could do him any good.

i also feel like suguru would have a similar realization to satoru, but instead of realizing that there are people he simply can’t save, i think suguru’s thoughts are more along the lines of… i can’t save them the way i am now, so i have to grow stronger. which is obviously a huge motivator for him to become a teacher and work harder!! i don’t know if teacher!suguru still has that ”protect the weak” mindset, but i think he’s matured a lot from his past self. he recognizes the cruelty of the world but he knowns he has allies he can count on, and he’s desperate to save you eventually.

(this is just a sidenote but!! i think suguru is a lot more spiteful than satoru is. after reader dies (before they get the chance to bring you back), i imagine him having a moment where he tells satoru that he can’t help but hate yuuta a little. for hurting you. and i don’t think it ever really goes away, as much as he treasures his students.)

BUT YES . sorry for rambling phspdhs i just….. love this au a whole bunch. and i’m so happy it has your approval 🐟 anon!! 🥺🥺 ilysm, thank you for stopping by <3333

#i LOVE your old ask btw so i’ll definitely answer it!!!! #sometimes i have to wrestle with my brain to answer longer asks but it has everything to do with my own faulty neurons #and nothing to do with you!!! i adore your asks i hope you know that <333 #and that suguru concept is just… too good #but yeah!! ily 🐟 anon!!! i hope you have a wonderful day/night :33 #ask tag ✩ #🐟 anon !! ✩

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Shuu Maniac [Epilogue]

CHAPTER MASTERLIST

ー The scene starts in the Vibora’s castle

*Flip*

Zweig: ...

Vibora A: Zweig-sama! You should simply throw this stupid letter in the trash!

Vibora B: I wonder just how much those Vampires must ridicule us before they are satisfied...!? 

Vibora C: I believe we can  confirm that all ties between the Vibora and the Vampires have officially been cut!

Zweig: ーー Hold up. 

...I believed we would be able to discard this as a case of one individual’s independent decision to trespass, however...

By confirming that this man is indeed an official messenger, we should assume that the message he delivered is a direct reflection of the King’s opinion. 

Vibora A: ...In other words...?

Zweig: ‘The Vampire clan does not intend to fight the Vibora’, is how their King feels.

...However,  he then decided to wage war regardless, out of consideration of the trespasser. 

...What an admirable, noble King.

Vibora B: ...I see, if you put it like that...

Zweig: When you think about it, the man in our dungeon would beg us to hear him out day after day, remember? 

It appeared to me that he was very eager to serve his King. ...I suppose his warm-hearted personality earned him a great amount of loyalty and trust from his underlings. 

...I believe I might have been mistaken when I feared that the new King was too unstable and unreliable to hold the throne. 

ーー Everyone! The Vibora shall establish an alliance with the Vampire clan!

Vibora C: ーー !

Zweig: Following the reign of Karlheinz...and the former leader Burai, let us strive for an unwavering hegemony in the Demon World!

ーー Any objections? 

Vibora A: ...If that’s what you believe. 

Vibora B: ...Yes, we shall follow your lead. 

Zweig: ーー Very well. 

ー The scene shifts to the dungeon

*Cling*

Yuma: ...

( Thankfully, the guards haven’t found out ‘bout this knife, it seems... )

( They’re completely unwillin’ to listen to me...Havin’ already set their minds on wagin’ war ‘gainst the Vampires. )

( I guess I was too naive to think I’d be able to convince them. )

Haah...I won’t achieve anythin’ by just bein’ locked up in here...

( If it does come to a war, I’m sure the Vibora will try to use me as a shield. )

Knowin’ that, I’ll be a burden to them no matter what I doーー

( If such an outcome is unavoidable, maybe I should just ーー die? )

...

Haha, I’m really not thinkin’ like myself...

( ...It’d be no fun to die a loser like this. )

If I can at least return a blow, I might have been helpful to them...

...

ー The scene shifts to the bedroom at Eden

Yui: ( I couldn’t sleep well... )

Haah...

( To lose one’s feelings...is that even possible...? )

( To no longer be able to smile joyfully when you’re happy, or to lack the ability to become upset when something infuriating happens... )

( And no matter how sad you are, you’d simply remain straight-faced and go on with your life without shedding a single tear. )

I would...never be able to do that. 

( For a human who has always experienced emotions, it’s impossible...to ask them to get rid of them... )

( While Shuu-san might seem a little cold at times...it’s not like he doesn’t think or feel anything. )

( He has things he enjoys...or which he has a hard time dealing with. )

( He’d never be able to just get rid of all of that... )

But then what should be doneーー

ー Shuu walks up to her

Shuu: ...

Yui: Ah...Shuu-san...

Shuu: ...No need for you to worry about this.

Yui: Ehーー? 

( Shuu-san...Does he know that I heard everything...? )

( He’s saying this because he realizes that I’m probably worrying over it... )

...I’m sorry, for listening in on you...

But...When I heard that the world might be in danger, I got curious...

( Shuu-san is so kind to say that despite knowing that I listened in on them... )

( I guess it’s really impossible for someone like him to simply numb his emotions... )

Shuu: I mean...It does make sense why you’d be worried about it...

Yui: ...Is it true...?

Shuu: ...

Yui: It’s unreasonable how you would have to throw everything away to save the world...

Shuu: ...Even if you say that, if I don’t, everyone on Earth besides us two might be eradicated. 

If there’s even the smallest possibility of that happening...It’s up to me to do everything within my power to prevent it, right?

Yui: ...!

( Shuu-san...He wants to get rid of his feelings. )

( But then...He’d also lose his ability to love or hate, right...? )

...In short, that means...the two of us would no longer be able to be together, right...?

*Rustle rustle*

Shuu: ...

Yui: Shuu-san...! Don’t just look away, tell me the truth...

Shuu: ...

...The Old Man loved Christa.

At the very least...Much more than he ever did my Mother or Cordelia.

Yui: Eh...?

Shuu: However ーー He gave her up. All to...preserve peace in the world. 

Yui: I...see...

( He might have made the right decision but... )

...Still...!

Do you truly believe that you’ll be able to do that...now that you’ve learnt to experience human emotions...? 

( Karlheinz-san might have never had those to begin with. )

( However ーー Shuu-san is different. )

Can you...get rid of who you are...? 

Shuu: ...Even if I can’t, I have no other choice, do I...!? 

No way I’d let the Old Man have what he wanted...!

Yui: Shuu-san...

( I want Shuu-san...to be able to choose his own path in life. )

( But if he does that...The world might come to an end... )

( If he wishes to save the world, then just like he said, he has no other choice but to toss aside his feelings... )

( Right now, that is the only solution... )

...

( What should he do...? )

Shuu: ...

ーー Follow me. 

Yui: Ehーー?

Shuu: ...Just do it.

ー He walks away

Yui: Ah...Hold up, Shuu-san...!

( Shuu-san...I wonder where he’s headed all of a sudden? )

ー The scene shifts to the plaza

Yui: ( The plaza...? Why did we come hereーー? )

Child A: ーー You’re ‘it’ next!

Child B: Eeh? ...Wait~!

Child C: Hehe! You’ll never catch me!

Yui: ( Fufu...Such energetic kids... )

Shuu: ...

Yui: ( He’s...watching them closely. )

Shuu: ...Let’s go. 

Yui: Eh? ...S-Sure...!

ー The scene shifts to the vendor area

Yui: ( Waah...So many people... )

Child D: Hey, hey, daddy! I want that one!

Father: Hm? Which one? 

Child D: The big one!

Father: Eeh? Didn’t you ask for something similar just the other day? 

Child D: No way~! This is the last thing I’ll ever wish for!

Father: You say that now...but you’ll use the same argument again next time, won’t you?

Child D: I won’t~~!

Yui: ( Seeing these kinds of things really takes me back to my own childhood... )

Shuu: ...

ー The scene shifts to the main street

Yui: ( This whole time...He’s just been remaining quiet while watching the people around us... )

( ...Is this what he’s trying to show me...? )

...

Demon woman: Honestly, I’m baffled you managed to get a reservation for a full-course meal at this restaurant.

Demon man: Yes. ...But you told me before how you wanted to try this place’s menu, remember? 

Demon woman: ...Thank you...! I’m so happy...

Demon man: Fufu, don’t mention it. Consider it my way of thanking you for everything you do on a daily basis.

Demon woman: Please stay with me forever, okay...?

Demon man: ...I’d like to ask you the same.

Yui: ...!

( Together...forever... )

...

Shuu: ...

ー The scene shifts back to Eden

Yui: Shuu-san...

Shuu: ーー The residents of the Demon World all have lives of their own. 

Yui: ...

Shuu: ...You should think back to the people going about their day in the human world as well.

Yui: ...

Shuu: ...I honestly wish I could just turn a blind eye to all of it and pretend I didn’t see it.

See nothing...hear nothing...Then you have nothing to worry about.

Because by doing so...It makes it so much easier. 

Yui: ( Shuu-san... )

Shuu: Howeverーー That kind of behavior already made me make a big mistake once.

...Can you confidently say that you do not care what happens as long as it doesn’t affect us?

Can you claim that you don’t give a damn about other people’s lives as long as you come out of it alive? 

Yui: ( No way... )

( When he puts it like that...There’s nothing I can say... )

...

ー They can hear footsteps in the hallway

Kou: ーー Azusa-kun, you’re too slow!

Azusa: Hold...up...Kou...

Kou: We can’t! If we don’t hurry up, Ruki-kun will find out that we forgot to buy the thing he asked for!

Ahー ...We have to make haste or else the store will be closed! Come on, Azusa-kun, chop chop!

Azusa: I’ll be...right there...

ー They run off

Yui: ...

( Just like Shuu-san said before... )

( Everyone...is living their own life... )

( We all take it for granted. )

( Of course we do...I used to as well. Right now, I still don’t believe it... )

...

( If the world will come to an end like Shuu-san said... )

( If that happens...Would they all die...? )

Shuu: ...

Monologue

If Shuu fails, 

to become Godーー 

Then just like he said,

every single person living here,

as well as their lives...

could all be lost.

Personally, I would never be able...

to rob these people of their lives,

or the moments of happiness,

which come so naturally to them.

Nor would I ever want to. 

If possible, I want to avoid that. 

I want to make it so,

that the world can stay the way it is.

...But does Shuu-san,

truly have to sacrifice himself,

for that to be achieved? 

Is there really...no other way...? 

Shuu: ...I don’t have to decide right here, right now. 

But...that time will come eventually. 

Yui: ...

Shuu: Right nowーー Taking care of the issue with Yuma and the Vibora is top priority on the list. 

Yui: ( I wonder what will happen to this world...and to us? )

( I don’t know... )

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #shuu sakamaki #lost eden #diabolik lovers translation #leshuumaniacepilog

[ribbondee]

An Interesting Arrangement Chapter 6

Cyli approached the safe house, the HQ of the Neo Resistance. It wasn’t anything remarkable, but that was probably for the best. It was simply an abandoned warehouse, well perhaps not abandoned in the sense that they were using it.

She went up to the huge metal door, and rapped on it. “Password”, came a voice she would know anywhere.

“It’s me, Cyli.”

“No password, no entry.”

”Spiral!”

“No password, no entry.”

“Please don’t make me say it…” “No password no entry!”

“Ugh fine… Betrayus is a ****.”

"Correcta-mundo!"

The door slid open, and there was the tall red Pac Worlder who had a priceless shit eating grin on his face. “You know I hate that kind of language, man.”

“Yep!”

Cyli entered the building, the door being shut and locked behind her. Everyone else was already there, gathered around a round table. The Neo Resistance only had 10 members, but that wasn’t likely to change anytime soon. Recruitment was difficult to put it lightly- people were too afraid to rebel which was understandable yet frustrating. 

She took her seat at the table, and it was time for the meeting to begin now that everyone was gathered. The leader stood. They had founded the group, and it was easy to see why. They were a large and tough Pac Worlder, and her name was Radia. Radia Cumference. Yes, Cumference. 

From what everyone knew, she had originally served as Betrayus’ second in command during the war, but defected after she stopped being in denial about the monster Betrayus had become (she had been blinded by love for her childhood friend, apparently). It was also known that she had managed to avoid being executed, due to being impossible for Betrayus’ forces to catch and had been in hiding ever since. She had become somewhat of an urban legend, with Pacopolis youth spreading stories about how she might be still alive or how they had seen her and such. 

Radia cleared her throat, and went over to the white board that was stationed a few feet away from the table. “So as we all know”, she began, “getting new members is tough, especially since we’re sworn to secrecy and people are too scared. BUT! That ends tonight. Our numbers may be few, but so was the case with the original Resistance.”

“But they lost”, said one of the members.

“QUIET! Be that as it may, they never gave up and kept fighting to the bitter end. It was a close fight too, so who says we can’t put up a good fight as well?!”

“But-”

“I SAID QUIET! Do you want freedom or not?!”

“I do.”

“Then shut yer yap and listen. I have an idea, but it won't take just some average Pac Worlder to do it. No- I need someone tough and tenacious, someone who’s good at keeping a secret. What’s this plan you may ask? Hehe, here goes. I need one of you to enlist in that bastard’s army and act as a spy.”

Everyone around the table gasped, one of them nearly fainting. “Oh don’t give me that. This little operation just might be the key to taking him down! Now can I have a volunteer?!”

One person raised their hand- just one. Radia sighed, her expression softening. “Look kid, I know your heart’s in the right place but-”

“Please”, said Cyli, “I can do it!”

“You’re a tough cookie, but also so young. It’d be a shame to put a kid through this. I probably shouldn’t have even let you join…”

“But-”

“No buts except yours back in your place! My word is final. Now, would anyone else like to volunteer?”

No one raised their hand, they all just looked at each other awkwardly. Radia groaned. “Look at you all. I’ve gone across Pacopolis looking for the finest fellas with fighting spirit, and I got a buncha weenies! Meeting’s over. If anyone changes their mind, I’m all ears.”

Well, that was that. Cyli was angry, but knew better than to argue with someone like Radia. She simply decided to head back to the Maze High dorms, feeling foolish for having so boldly offered her services when she already knew deep down she’d be rejected. 

She made it back, and climbed back up the rope and shut the window behind her. Good, it didn’t seem like anyone had noticed she was gone. She plopped down on her bed, groaning. 

Before she knew it, in spite of her rushing thoughts, she had managed to fall asleep with no idea of just exactly what was to come the next day…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Look! A surprise appearance from another one of my OCs!

I don't like this chapter as much as the others but I can't think of any way to improve upon it. But still, at least it's done. As for what the final word in the password is, I'll leave it up to interpretation.

#pmatga #twisted fate au #pacman and the ghostly adventures

[odsfinest]

When the Ayra is Sus

This sinking feeling deep in Shannan’s gut upon being told that she was here. Larcei’s naïveté and optimism that one day Ayra may return was farfetched on a good day, and on bad days, it was impossible for the elder Isaachian to listen to her. Not for anger, but for the deep sorrows that were once again manifesting inside him. Though it hadn’t only been Larcei that’d piqued his interest. 

Overhearing about this black-haired, blunt, incredible swordswoman initially gave Shannan hope, but considering just how many people came and went from the officers academy didn’t really inspire much confidence or drive to seek her out. Hearing of the harsh nature and unforgiving attitude did lean into his interest, but there was still this nagging feeling. Every time before he’d gotten his hopes up, they died quickly. Every. Single. Time. 

Yet here he was, combing through some of the files he’d managed to get access to, checking through names. Nothing. She was supposedly newer here, so maybe it’d make sense that she wasn’t on the list yet. Still, if she is here, somehow, Shannan needs to find her.

He’d carefully check the grounds, choosing to start with the places she’s least likely to be. Checking the guards barracks, the church, the mess hall... it’s pretty quiet this late in the evening. Then, some of the classrooms, glancing around even the Golden Deer and Blue Lions halls. He could try the dorms, but he already knows where she is (probably). Carefully, he approaches the doors to the training grounds, having only put off this area for the sheer fact that he wasn’t ready to see Ayra again. If she was anywhere, it would be here. 

Slowly, the doors creak open to stone courtyard, and he can already hear the clicking of boots against the chiseled squares beneath them. Each passing moment, the sound of his heart beating in his ear gets louder and louder. His breath is hastening, yet as his eyes finally set upon the woman he’d given up finding so long ago, he is perfectly still. There is no scream or cheer, there is no excitement. Only a heavy swallow.

“Ayra,” he calls out, afraid that somehow, this is just some bad dream he’d wake up from any second now. He can’t find the power to lift his feet and move closer, standing by the door in case he needed to remove himself for accidentally confusing her with someone else. “Is that really you?”

@regnalastra​

#regnalastra #ic #support: ayra #threads: When the Ayra is Sus

[problemswithbooks]

So I saw that there was a new set of villains profiles, and I was so happy to see Stain was included. I was even more excited when I saw this!

Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but even untranslated it’s easy to see that it gave us Stain’s height and birthday. It might sound kind of dumb to be excited for this little amount of info, but until now those were always mysteries. In every game, or side property where Stain was involved those lines where left as Unknown. Stain never got one of those little profiles like the other villains and Heroes so we just didn't get that basic information. Until now!

I have to say I was surprised by his height. He’s 182 cm which is just under 6′0. That’s tall no doubt about it--but a lot of fics and HC’s put him at 6′5 or something. People thought he was crazy tall, but he’s kind of just normal tall. For reference this put’s him as shorter then Tensei by a little bit and only barely taller then Tenya. Yet, due to his scary aura he came across as huge, which I find funny.

His birthday being June fourteen also makes it impossible for him to have been in the same year as Aizawa. That theory died out after the Oboro backstory we got, but I remember when it was a possible speculation--that Stain had been in Aizawa’s class and he’d seen Stain drop out. This info finally puts that idea to bed though, as Stain being thirty-one at the time of his arrest means he would have needed to have a birthday sometime in April to have been apart of Aizawa’s class year. It also means Stain’s now thirty-two and had his birthday in prison--poor guy. 

As for the untranslated bit, I ran it through google and it seems to be something about what side he’s one, or maybe what his goals are. Either way it seems Hawks wasn’t sure, and thought they may have changed after he finished his profile or something. As with google translate, it was very unclear and wonky writing. 

Either way I’m so happy to have this basic information on Stain now. I’d still like Hori to do a little profile on him if he shows up again. I was kind of bummed we didn't get one when he showed up to talk to All Might. Especially when I saw that Star and Stripes’ pilot got one in this latest volume. Those sometimes give their favorite things, which in Stain’s case will probably be All Might or something, but it’d still come with a new sketch, which would be nice.   

#bnha #mha #Chizome Akaguro #hero killer stain #I really want to see what the full translation says #I hope it'll have some more interesting stuff #but I kind of suspect it'll be pretty much everything we already know #Still I'm a sucker for more content so i'll still be happy to read it over #I do hope we get a little stain profile from Hori though at some point #so many characters have them #ones who don't even show up that much #so i think he deserves one #its just a pity that he showed up back before Hori did profiles on villains

[tower-of-erinyes]

the line between deception and loyalty || zenith || trial 2.4 || re: dante, akihiro

There’s a moment when he looks a bit at Akihiro with his pointed finger and… really? Is now the appropriate time for dramatics and smugness? Does everything have to be a performance? Which says a lot considering his own job but, he decidedly does not make any comments as Dante finally decides to speak.

… Which, they don’t really make much of a better case for themselves either, what with them clearly not taking any responsibility for the events there. It’d probably be for the best to let them squabble it out some other time. Assuming neither of them were responsible.

But they do bring up a good point, mainly about Beni’s single arm, and how it was essentially impossible for him to even think about overpowering Kesley to begin with, because now a thought occurs to him from that statement.

“Okay, so we can agree that Kesley’s strong. If he was fighting for his life, he would’ve left injuries. And not a lot of people would be able to escape unscathed, even if they were evenly matched.”

Aka, he’s witnessed Kesley wreck an entire office simply because he needed to let off some steam. The only reason why Zenith would know this is because he participated with him in that. My god. Yet, he continues.

“But looking at everyone else here, I don’t see any obvious injuries, unless, someone’s hiding their injuries or bruises under their clothes. I’d say we can also rule out that this was willing either, judging from the last expression on Kesley’s face. It didn’t look like it was something that he was doing to himself, because he wouldn’t have looked so shocked or surprised otherwise, but…”

There’s a pause, as he’s trying to put his two brain cells together. A hand scratches at his hair, before he finally finishes his thought.

“It could also be interpreted as a look of betrayal too, don’t you think?”

So someone else can put this together for him, could they? Someone who could’ve let Kesley’s guard and trust down far enough to have reached within close proximity, but also someone who would’ve been able to not be injured in the process.

#submission #zenith

[fruitycasket]

Movie Night

Summary: Chase goes over to Henrik’s house to watch a movie.

Word Count: 3,444

Notes: Yet another case of “I liked it when I first wrote it but now I don’t know”. It’s up on my Ao3, too (RottenFruitz) but I don’t feel like linking it right now.

Chase got Henrik’s text in the morning. Really early in the morning. Four AM. He didn’t see it until eight, of course: Hey, we should hang out again today. Can you come over later? We can watch a movie and eat something.

He squinted at the message for a long while, mostly because his messaging app was so bright against the darkness of his room, but also because he was considering the offer. It was one of many Henrik had been sending him since they’d reunited. He accepted sometimes. A lot of times he didn’t.

Chase's instinct was to be suspicious. Guys like Henrik didn't hang out with guys like him, even if they'd been close friends before. But just as he had typed out no, i don’t think today is good, he hesitated.

No, no Henrik is nice. Tentatively, he told himself Henrik enjoyed his company. Henrik wanted to get to know him. Henrik had missed him. And now, with Jack comatose and Chase in a worse headspace than ever before, he wanted to make sure he was taking care of himself.

His thumb hovered over the send button.

You’re a terrible friend, he chastised himself, All he wants to do is check up on you, to talk, to have fun. It’s not like you have a lot of time left to put it off.

Chase changed his response: okay, i’ll be over at like 3pm or something

Henrik was pleased with the answer: That’s fine by me. I’ll get us burgers and sodas. They’re on me.

And he was buying food? Again?

Chase sat up and rubbed his eyes. This wouldn’t be so bad after all, something to eat other than sandwiches and microwave dinners would be nice. There wasn’t much else in his fridge, aside from the milk, eggs, cheese, and ham Henrik had bought for him upon seeing how barren it was.

Still, he could’ve gone without Henrik holding it over his head, trying to use it to entice Chase over to his house or out to a restaurant when he wasn’t feeling up to it. It was… whatever. He was willing to trade food for a favor but if that was what Henrik wanted out of him, why not just say so up front? Must’ve been worried Chase would refuse the food. Like he would ever be so stubborn.

Chase spent the next six hours loafing. Lying in bed, slowly getting dressed, having a bite to eat so he wasn’t completely starving, playing video games, then scrolling through all his social medias until he was in so deep he was only roused by a familiar nausea.

It distracted him for a second. He thought maybe he could ignore it, that it would go away on its own like it sometimes did, but it kept coming in waves. First mild and annoying, then steadily growing urgent and painful until the telltale pre-vomit wetness in his mouth was impossible to ignore.

It felt like he’d eaten a thousand pounds of food in the span of thirty minutes, like his stomach was too full. He could hear it and feel it, something heavy in his abdomen, roiling and churning, crawling up his throat like it was alive. Reflexively he touched his upper lip. His fingers came back bloody.

“Ah, shit,” Chase grunted. He stood, abandoning his phone to sprint into his bathroom and vomit.

He had pretty much nothing in his stomach. Once the butter-sandwich had come up it was nothing but acid and blood.

And it was not normal blood.

It was viscous, dark, writhing, like a bunch of oozy slugs all glued together by their own slime, restlessly swimming over and around each other.

The first time it’d happened he was too intoxicated to think much of it. It was probably a fever dream or a hallucination.

But then it happened again, and again, and the blood was real, the nausea was real. And sometimes it oozed from his eyes and nose, and then he realized.

He was dying. That had to be it. He felt fine, but no fine person throws up blood every now and then, and definitely not in such large amounts.

He went to a doctor. They didn’t find anything wrong, by all accounts his health was perfect (liver and brain aside), and with no way to predict when he would start bleeding and throwing up, he couldn’t show them what was going on. For all they knew, he was just hallucinating it.

After that, Chase decided not to tell anyone. He couldn’t bring himself to. He didn’t know when it would kill him, but even if he had, he wouldn’t have said anything. Why would he? So everyone could spend the next however-many days leading up to it being miserable?

It was part of the reason he changed his mind. Henrik ought to have some nice memories of him that weren’t from highschool. He wasn’t fond of who he was then, more so than who he was now. And if Henrik was going to lose two friends so close together…

Chase grimaced. He stared into the blood at the bottom of his toilet bowl. His muddy reflection stared back with red eyes and huge pupils. It was almost smiling, the shimmering lines crooking his mouth upward as if it was amused at his impending death.

He hated that stupid face and its stupid smile and its stupid whispery voice. Not that it actually talked, but he imagined it did sometimes. It had nothing to say today, though.

Chase cleaned his toilet to the best of his ability, then changed clothes just to be safe.

It was time to go to Henrik’s house.

Before he could think of an excuse to duck out, Chase left his apartment.

The trip there had him antsy. Every time he got the chance, he checked his text messages to make sure he really had been invited.

Henrik was too nice for a beat up person like Chase, and so was his house. It was weird sitting inside it, even Stacy’s place wasn’t so… pristine (but that was probably because Henrik didn’t have kids running around). Wouldn’t it be suspicious for the neighbors? Would they even care? He inspected his head scars with the pads of his fingers. Why would they be suspicious? They make me look cool, he told himself, And they’re conversation starters.

Yeah, really terrible ones, the cynical part of him sneered, You want to tell Henrik how you got that ear blasted off?

No. No he didn’t.

Chase got to Henrik’s front door thirty minutes late.

He took a breath before he knocked. Positive thoughts, Brody, positive thoughts. You're not going to screw this up. You're not going to puke blood all over your friend's house. You're not bothering him, he asked you to come here.

The door opened and out stepped Henrik, smiling. “Chase, I was worried you wouldn’t show. Come in.”

“Sorry,” Chase stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed behind.

“Don’t be, that you came at all is good enough.”

Yeah, right. Chase tried to ignore the thought. “Um, cool. So, like… the movie and the food and stuff…”

“Oh, of course,” Henrik led him into the living room and patted his nice leather couch, “You just sit and let me get everything.” He looked… sort of angry? For a second. “And I’m guessing you didn’t eat breakfast, either.”

“I did eat something, actually,” Chase said a little angrier than he meant to, “A sandwich.”

“Oh? Good.” Henrik was already in the kitchen by the time he said that, so Chase couldn’t get a read on whether he was being serious. His voice was sort of flat, and with a kitchen wall between them and no facial expressions to read…

He thinks you’re a child, that you can’t take care of yourself. And he’s right.

Chase grumbled. No, good things only. Nothing’s wrong. He meant to be nice, obviously.

Henrik returned with two warm, unlabeled paper bags and two bottles of soda. “I just ordered what you had last time,” he said as he handed Chase his food, “And I figured we could find something to watch while we ate.”

“Oh, sure,” Chase said. He ate as soon as the bag was in his lap.

Henrik sat beside him and grabbed a remote to turn the TV on, but he never took his eyes off Chase.

“What?” Chase’s face got warm. Oh god, he was eating like a pig, wasn’t he?

“Nothing, it’s just. I thought if you’d had breakfast you’d be less hungry.”

“It wasn’t a big breakfast.”

“Mm,” Henrik leaned back, “I’ll find something while you do that.”

Chase started staring at the carpet. He ate slower this time, savoring every bite and sip until he was left with an empty plastic bottle and greasy paper bag.

By then, Henrik had picked some random underdog sports movie and was looking at Chase again. “That wasn’t really the first thing you ate today, was it?”

“You can’t take my word for it?”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Henrik furrowed his brows, “I’m just worried about you. You’ve been avoiding me.”

“No, it wasn’t, I mean,” Chase stuttered, “It’s not about you, I just like time by myself sometimes.”

“Of course, I know that. But with work in the way, it’s hard to check in on you all the time…” He took a sip of his own soda.

“Yeah, I get it,” Chase tossed his trash onto the coffee table and made himself comfortable. “I can take care of myself, though.”

“You can, but I don’t know how often you do,” Henrik sighed, “How about we forget it, for now?”

Chase noticed his shoulders were tense and relaxed. “Yeah. Let’s just hang out.”

They didn’t talk for a while, but Chase was fine with that. He was reminded of years gone by, where he and Henrik and Jack would pop into a fast food place and eat in silence for a little while. If it was rainy or cold outside, all the better.

The movie faded into background noise as Chase kept thinking, not about anything in particular, and not about anything particularly bad. This was nice, he was right to come. He was comfortable enough that he could’ve fallen asleep.

And he had to go and make it awkward.

Chase spoke before as he thought and regretted it immediately, "You didn't really buy me food just to force me into hanging out with you, did you?"

Henrik stared at him, took a sip of his drink, then spoke, "Well, no…"

Part of Chase was relieved, though he couldn't put his finger on why. "What'd you want, then?"

"Chase," Henrik frowned, "I was just being nice. Did anything I say earlier make you think"—

"Nah. I mean. Um," he was making it worse, "I'm just not used to it, that's all. Thanks."

“You’re welcome.” Henrik paused to look him over. There was a minute twitch in his face, nothing Chase could really pin down as one emotion or another. Concern, maybe? “Don’t fall asleep now.”

“But I’m not…” but he was. Chase was drowsy.

It occurred to him that this was unusual, how could he be so tired so suddenly, at three in the afternoon?

But he was always tired, wasn't he? He'd sometimes spend days off in bed for hours, too winded to move from the moment he woke up. This was just unfortunate timing, and, well he couldn't drive home.

Chase didn’t like doing it, not to someone he’d only just started properly hanging out with, but he wasn't too proud to ask to sleep on the couch than risking sleepily stumbling his way home.

"Henrik?" Chase found he was so tired his words slurred, "I'm really... you wouldn't mind if I...?" That wasn't a full sentence, he had to—but he was nodding off, he was too tired—he could barely keep his eyes open, much less lift his tongue.

There was a hand on his shoulder and a comforting voice and the feeling of being laid down, and then Chase was asleep.

Chase woke up in an unfamiliar place, a part of Henrik’s house he’d never seen before. It was chilly, and he was tucked into a warm, soft bed, in a sparsely decorated but otherwise nice room. It even had a bathroom.

Why wasn’t he on the couch?

His first thought was that Henrik had taken him to a guest room to spend the night. He would have been fine in the living room, but whatever.

Chase reached for his phone to see what time it was. It was nowhere to be found, not in his pocket or anywhere in the room he was in.

Okay, well, maybe Henrik had it charging, or something… Chase looked for any outlets in his room and found none, so his phone would need to be left in a different room to charge. He calmed down at the discovery. Henrik was just being nice, that was all.

Chase went for the door, turned the handle, and the door—the door, it—

The door didn’t—it wasn’t opening.

Why wasn’t it opening?

Chase was confused at first. He tried to unlock it, but there was no lock on this side of the door. He stepped back, took a breath, tried to think of a logical, not terrifying explanation.

Maybe the door was stuck. Maybe Henrik had company over, and he didn’t want some washed-up highschool friend sitting on his couch making things awkward. Maybe he thought Chase would try to steal something.

Chase tried the door again. His heart started to race. He knocked.

“Henrik!” he shouted.

No answer.

“Henrik?”

Nothing again.

Maybe he wasn’t home.

That was weird. Why would he lock Chase in a room and then leave?

He clung stubbornly to his last line of thought. Maybe he really was trying to keep him from stealing something while he ran an errand. Henrik was being begrudgingly nice to poor old Chase Brody, and had panicked when he suddenly had to stay over, and then locked him in this room to keep all his valuables safe.

A dick move, a majorly dick move, but okay.

Chase could handle that, he would just wait until Henrik got home and then leave and never talk to him again. That was all. That was easy.

He looked for a clock. There was none. And there were no windows, either, so no way to tell time based on the sky. He looked for anything that wasn’t a nightstand, a bed, and a rug, and found nothing.

His heart raced now.

He tried the door again. When that didn’t work he kicked it, hard. And then he screamed, “HENRIK!”

Silence.

Chase kicked the door, again. Again. Again.

It didn’t move an inch.

He should be able to do this, he was reasonably strong, wasn’t he? Maybe he was still full of drugs.

Chase paused.

Drugs.

He rubbed his temples as he recalled everything that had led up to this. He thought about Henrik’s insistence over the past week or so (“Chase, you should come over today! No, only today. Today’s the only day I’m free. Please? It’s been so long!”). He’d even brought up the groceries, after a point (“And after I paid for that food, you owe me one.”). It was never about a movie and catching up and getting close again.

Chase slumped against the door. There was no point in fooling himself, he knew exactly what had happened.

You’re a dumbass, Chase, he pressed his palms against his eyes, Did you think he really liked you? That he helped you for no reason? That he didn’t want something from you?

If it had been anyone else, you would have known. If it had been anyone else, you wouldn’t be here right now, you’d be home.

He tried the door one last time. Tried to open it, tried to break it, tried to scream for help.

Nothing.

It was like he’d had a bottle smashed over his head. He stumbled, dazedly back to the bed to wait. He hadn’t told anybody he’d be going here. Why would he? Henrik was… he was supposed to be a friend.

He tried not to think of why he was here, of what Henrik would do to him when he came back, if he’d ever get out. 

He failed.

Not only did he fail, he started thinking about Bri. He thought of what she would do when she realized her dad wasn’t coming to visit like he promised to, when she realized he wasn’t just nursing a hangover for a while—when she realized he was really gone.

Would anyone even look for him?

No, not for anyone living, anyway. They would think he’d…

That he’d…

Chase was distracted from the thought by the sound of a door nearby opening. Tentatively, he stepped towards his door and listened.

Footsteps, somewhere above him at first, then moving down, coming closer, growing louder until Henrik’s shoes cast two narrow shadows in the space between the door and the floor. Chase stepped back. His breath caught in his throat.

For a moment he thought he could escape. Maybe if he pretended to be asleep, he could wait for Henrik to open the door and escape. He started to tiptoe back. His head was light as air, deprived of oxygen, but he refused to breathe until he had gotten to his bed.

One, two, three, Chase counted in his head, four, almost, almost… five…

“Chase?”

Shit.

Chase didn’t answer. He froze, afraid that his footsteps would give him away.

“You’re awake.”

Fuck.

Maybe it was just a good guess? Maybe maybe maybe—he kept fruitlessly hoping Henrik would open the door to check anyways.

He knew. He did not open the door.

“Don’t make this hard, please,” Henrik stepped closer and sat down. Almost his entire shadow filled the space between the door and the ground.

Chase gave in. Henrik was still his friend, right? Well, this wasn’t what friends did to each other but Henrik could still consider them friends, and if he behaved, he might let him go. “Henrik,” he said.

“Come sit by me.”

Chase listened. “Okay. I’m here now.”

“How are you doing?” Henrik asked.

Chase glared. He balled his hands into fists in his lap as he spoke, “Fine. A little tired, I don’t know.” He paused. “Did you…?”

“I… I put sedatives in your food,” Henrik seemed to be fidgeting behind the door, “I’m sorry.”

Chase knew it was true, he’d already figured it out, but hearing it come from Henrik’s mouth still hurt. The apology didn’t soften the blow.

“Can you unlock the door?” Chase asked. He winced immediately after. Too soon.

“No.”

Chase stood. “Why the hell not?!” Then he realized he was in no position to be getting snippy with his captor and corrected his tone, “Was it something I did?”

Henrik mumbled for a moment, then raised his voice, “I know you’re sick.”

“What,” Chase would have laughed if he wasn’t so scared, “You—you what? That’s why you did this to me?”

“Yes. it might seem cruel”—

“Henrik,” Chase cut him off, “Let me out. I’m sorry I lied to you but I just didn’t want you to worry, it was stupid, I know.”

“No.”

“This isn’t funny, Henrik!”

“I don’t think it’s funny,” Henrik said. His tone was even, clinical. “I want to help you. I know how this ends, Chase, it ends with you like Jack, and I can’t let that happen.”

“You don’t know that! I-I don’t—but, why? Why can’t you let me out?” Chase’s voice shuddered and broke in spite of his effort to control it.

“You’ll run away. You won’t get help.”

“I won’t run, I’ll go to a doctor. Henrik, please. What about Brianna? She'll wonder where I am, she’ll be worried!”

It took a long time for Henrik to answer. “No.” Chase didn’t know what else to say.

“I’m not going to do anything tonight, I’ll just feed you and let you settle in.”

Chase almost replied snarkily (“I feel so honored.”) but he clung to hope that Henrik really was planning to let him go. Good behavior would get him out faster. Might get him out faster. Would… hopefully get him out faster…

“I’m going to make you better, I promise. It’ll take time, but you’ll thank me when it’s done.” When Chase was silent again, Henrik sighed. “I’ll talk to you again later.”

And then, his footsteps were getting farther and farther away… 

And then he was gone.

#chase brody #henrik von schneeplestein #fanfic #uhm #kidnapping #blood #mild gore #this one is... I don't know how I feel about it

[moonrisecalamityretreat]

public enemy || hanji || trial 3.3 || re: futaba, yuriko, sayuri, loic

Hanji sort of just shrugs when they're scolded-- talking with their mouth full rather simply felt more convenient than wasting time chewing and swallowing before they could talk. And it'd be even more of a time-waster if they said something sillay in response, so they move on. Now, they're pulling up an intricate looking lock puzzle, something a lot less noisy to work on than the ghost cube.

"Hm. I reckon th' responsibility o' th' case rests in th' fact that the culprit failed to save Rowan. Responsible fer not keepin' 'im alive, rather than fer actively killin' him, eh? So it ain't matter if it was an accident of another person's or the shitty carriage. We're jus' lookin' fer whoever was there with him last."

Which probably sounds more terrible than finding a killer, but just like always, that wasn't Hanji's concern, and it never was.

"A plant, huh... I'd be surprised if who dun'nit wou'dda been in any stable mindset to even think 'bout plantin' shit in such cryin' hysterics. But t'entertain th' idea, I'm inclined t'believe that, since th'blood smear was aligned towards enterin' th' lounge, the makeup wipe was most likely th' plant. They were cryin' remember? There's even proof of tears." Because i licked it "Maybe they had a wipe on hand, an' anyone would wanna hide th'fact they were cryin' if they were out an' about.

But th'key here was that, 'cos they were cryin', they wiped their makeup away, and 'course, you'd wanna redo it as soon as possible so no one could tell y'were cryin', yeah? It'd make more sense fer sum'un in a hurry t'go to their own lounge to do that immediately. In such a hurry t'conceal yerself before th' body gets found-- a body that was announced with a death scream, mind you-- you prob'ly wouldn't notice y'left behind blood at all. Especially if th' body was found as fast as it did; maybe they only didn't see th' smear 'cos everyone was called to th' crime scene as soon as they were done reapplyin'. So if there was any plant, it'd be th' make-up wipe."

Of course, this could be wrong-- they weren't the killer after all, so they wouldn't know at all how it went. But this was the fun of mysteries, wasn't it? Putting yourself in the killer's shoes, and thinking about how another human would've acted in such a situation... This game was fun, it just sucked that real people had to die. This all would've been better off just being a video game concept.

"Th' evidence wouldn't make sense th' other way. I'd much sooner notice I dropped sum'n on th' ground on my way out, and I'd be too busy prioritizin' my appearance an' washing off th' blood off'a me to even think about smearin' it on th' opposite wall, while it's easy t'look at a wipe in yer hands and see it as an opportunity.

Blood couldn't have been planted after reapplyin' either, or that'd mean they did their make-up with a stinky nasty blood finger. It's easier t'plant a wipe in this case than blood, 'cos it could've been dropped before or after goin' into a lounge, while th' blood could've only logically been placed before, 'til it's washed off their finger. Andunder the assumption th' culprit was prioritizin' cleanin' themselves up over planting, th' latter seems unlikely."

Between the soft clinking of the lock puzzle in their hands, they huff, as if talking had already become tiring.

"So. We're lookin' fer sum'un who has waist-long hair, knows Japanese, and wears makeup, eh? That's three people. But we still need t'pay attention t'the tone o' the apology. To those not familiar wit' th' language, 'suman' is rather casual compared t'the more polite 'gomen' or 'gomenasai'."

After all that, they never point out who those three people were. Instead, they just close their two cents with something unrelated.

"Let's not complicate this case by bringin' AEDS into it. The bitch who lurks said an AEDS comeback is impossible, remember. 'Cos 'everyone forgot same time', as they said.

We'll benefit more from lookin' at th' evidence an' buildin' a timeline, than entertainin' wild what-ifs."

#ch3 #hanji