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saintsenara · 29 days

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I really want to hear your thoughts on the wizarding world. So I have a question about British wizards' language skills. Canon tells us very little about British wizards and their relationship to languages. We know that Fleur, Victor and Madame Maxime can speak more than one language. (They are not British). However, we do know that there is at least one British wizard who speaks several languages. Percy and Ludo say that Barty senior speaks over a hundred languages. So, do you think British wizarding society has a general opinion about learning languages or is it more about what class a wizard is born into or what their future career plans are? After all, Hogwarts doesn't teach languages to students. I'd also like to hear your thoughts on these characters and their language skills. Do you think they can speak more than one language? Voldemort (parseltongue doesn't count), Dumbledore, Barty jr and Bill Weasley.

thank you very much for the ask, anon! and what an interesting question!

in harry potter, language-learning is one of those things which - since it's not a key aspect of the story - ends up not having any specific worldbuilding. and so it's one of those parts of the books in which the wizarding attitude towards foreign languages just seems to be exactly the same as the real-world british one.

which is - like everything in britain - enormously rooted in social class, and in things [like race and ethnicity] which intersect with this.

you will often hear, for example, that the working-classes don't bother learning foreign languages - but what is meant by this is that working-class people don't choose in large numbers to become proficient in the specific western european languages [french, german, italian, and spanish] which signify that someone is well-educated, culturally-sophisticated, and mentally non-parochial to the british cultural and intellectual elite. working-class people may very well speak one of these four languages - especially african and caribbean dialects of french - as native or heritage language, and they may very well speak urdu, yoruba, albanian, polish, turkish, and so on for the same reasons... it's just that this isn't recognised as something impressive.

but it is certainly true that language-learning for reasons other than heritage generally isn't considered to be particularly important in class-brackets below a certain threshold in the middle-middle- to upper middle-classes.

partially this is for boorish, parochial reasons which align with certain strains of political and social conservatism. uncle vernon, for example, would regard language-learning as woke nonsense and be horrified if dudley came home from school and asked to be given loads of italian novels for his birthday... he would have a similar reaction if his son announced his intention to start playing the violin, take ballet, write poetry, become interested in impressionist painting, or eat the local food while on holiday.

[the grangers, in contrast, appear to come from the europhile wing of the upper-middle-classes - and would, therefore, regard it as horribly parochial to only speak english. we know they go on holiday to france in prisoner of azkaban - and i think we can imagine that this isn't the first time they do so, and that hermione and her parents can all speak conversational french. indeed, if hermione was privately educated prior to starting hogwarts - and all signs point to yes - she would have studied french at prep school.]

but british monolingualism is also partially because the global hegemony of english means that being able to speak anything else isn't crucial for travel, employment, or - indeed - emigration, since brits who aspire to move abroad often want to go to places like australia and new zealand.

and so language-learning has become - like music - an academic subject which seems to be thought of by many brits as "not a key skill" - unlike, for example, something like maths. nice to have if you've got a grip on everything else, but not a necessity... and so, for british children who are educated in state schools [public schools in the us], foreign languages are only compulsory for three school years [years 7-9, the equivalents of years 1-3 at hogwarts]. some schools insist on a language being taken at gcse [exams taken at the end of year 11 - hogwarts year 5, what owls are a pastiche of], but this is not mandatory.

[although it was at my school. slay.]

so it makes sense within this cultural context that there are no languages on the compulsory hogwarts curriculum - the intended audience isn't expecting there to be.

[although it's worth saying that ancient runes - while i know it has a whole fanon surrounding it which makes it a sort of spellcasting system - is a pastiche of latin/classical greek as school subjects, so there is at least one elective language students can study].

of course, it makes less sense that this is the case when we remember that jkr did french at university... and it also makes less sense that this is the case because hogwarts is based on real-world institutions - britain's elite boarding schools - which do prioritise language-learning, since the students come from class-backgrounds which value multilingualism as a signal of cultural status.

[seriously - while i accept that this is anecdotal - it was so striking to me when i was at university that all but three of the thirty-or-so people i ever met doing a degree in a foreign language, whether a european language or not, was privately educated. add in classical languages and that ratio gets worse.]

but i think we can get around this by noting that hogwarts is set up in a way which presumes that its entire student body has had a wizarding primary education - and not only that, but an elite one [since hogwarts does, even if this isn't the doylist text's intention, seem to apply some sort of selection process which means that students who aren't from well-heeled backgrounds stand out enormously]. and then by presuming that the primary curriculum which someone like draco malfoy would have studied [at home, probably with a governess] would have included some sort of language tuition.

i imagine that this tuition would be in a muggle language - non-human languages [like mermish or gobbledegook] seem to be regarded as sufficiently "niche" in the eyes of the population that they wouldn't be taught as a general skill, but either learned in one's own time or as part of the training for specific careers, such as goblin liaison; the fact that barty crouch sr. speaks so many just for fun is a way canon hints at him being a bit... weird - and i imagine that this muggle language would be french.

this is not, however, because i go in for the fanon that all purebloods are of recent french heritage and retain close family connections in france [names like malfoy and lestrange are anglo-norman - which means they arrived in britain a thousand years ago with william the conqueror, and are as meaningfully english as the word "beef" or "monarchy...], but because french is generally considered the most "useful" language to learn in britain because france is literally next door.

[irish is sobbing.]

when it comes to the characters you specifically asked about...

lord voldemort's pre-hogwarts education is a bit of a mystery - in that the fact that the text isn't concerned about fleshing it out means that he ends up being far better educated than would normally have been the case for a child of his background [simply by virtue of not being functionally illiterate...].

even if he went to a moderately well-resourced school by random chance, though, he's extremely unlikely to have formally learned any foreign languages. but the fact that the most common fanon locations for the orphanage are parts of east london which had historically large jewish communities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries means that he'd have had a fair chance of picking up snippets of yiddish while he was wheeling and dealing around each day. east london also had a large irish community, and if the orphanage is a catholic one [which doesn't really work canonically but which is a headcanon i'm nonetheless wedded to], then he'd probably also have a bit of latin.

once he's at hogwarts, i presume he must take runes [since he's heavily implied, like all male characters the series considers to be intellectually brilliant, to have taken twelve owls]. nonetheless, while he's clearly a nerd - and while he loves a language puzzle, since he spends his teenage years coming up with an anagram of his own name [...] - he has a slightly harry-ish preference in canon for only enjoying lots of flicking-through-books research if it's for a tangible goal [i.e. opening the chamber of secrets]. i can't see him scouring textbooks in an effort to teach himself the european languages his posh friends would have learned at home unless he thought doing so would be unequivocally beneficial to him.

indeed, we canonically know that voldemort can't speak german, since when he's on his hunt for gregorovitch in deathly hallows a woman speaks to him in that language and he just defaults to the british standard of speaking louder in english... and i think we can reasonably assume on these grounds that he can't speak french either.

but he must be able to speak albanian fluently - simply out of necessity, since he spends so much time in the country.

and it's also interesting to me that during his ten years in europe after murdering hepzibah smith [so c.1955-1965], he is implied to spend a lot of time in communist europe, even if not in countries which were fully behind the iron curtain [he must, for example, meet karkaroff - and potentially dolohov - in some part of the eastern bloc, and the bulgarian delegation at the quidditch world cup know who he is]. i think it's entirely reasonable to suppose, then, that he must also be able to speak some level of russian.

dumbledore - on the other hand - can probably speak french, german, and italian, which would have been expected of the sort of late victorian young man who was preparing to embark on a grand tour, and which he undoubtedly taught himself in order to keep up his correspondence with the "most noted magical names of the day" [including grindelwald, to whom he probably spoke german].

i also quite like the idea of him as the sort of late victorian orientalist who crops up again and again in british history, who speaks a language like hindi, arabic, or ottoman turkish with a cut-glass english accent.

the various non-human language he speaks in canon - such as mermish - are presumably also self-taught, and the question which preoccupies me the most in relation to these is whether dumbledore can speak parseltongue?

after all, we know it's a language which can be learned by non-parselmouths - since ron manages to speak it in deathly hallows - and so it must have an actual structure rather than just be vibes. and if dumbledore can't understand it, then what the hell did he think was going on in the memory of the gaunts he shows harry?

barty crouch jr. was definitely forced to have endless lessons with tutors hired by his father, who wanted him to match his two hundred languages, but then forgot everything he knew about mermish the second he started school.

i am sure that - even if he doesn't seem to be able to during the canon timeline - bill weasley learns how to speak french fluently the second the war's out of the way. since this is a basic courtesy if your partner and her family is from france.

i am also sure that the three delacour-weasley children are raised to be bilingual, and that they take great pleasure in bitching about the three potter-weasley children to their faces.

the more interesting question, though, is whether bill can speak any gobbledegook.

it's implied that he might through his job - and he's asked in order of the phoenix about whether there's any pro-voldemort talk among the goblins at gringotts, which suggests that he's known to be able to understand any gobbledegook chit-chat he overhears. but it still always strikes me in deathly hallows that the imperialism really jumps out when bill's speaking to harry about griphook:

“I know goblins,” said Bill. “I’ve worked for Gringotts ever since I left Hogwarts. As far as there can be friendship between wizards and goblins, I have goblin friends - or, at least, goblins I know well, and like.”

this really doesn't sound like a man who takes the time to speak to his "friends" in their own language...

the fact that even the good guys treat non-human magical communities with - at best - paternalistic contempt is a really noticeable theme in the series [and, crucially, something which the series doesn't seem to think is a particularly bad thing]. and so i quite like the idea that someone like bill would have a lack of ability to communicate in gobbledegook, and that this would never be something he interrogated.

#asks answered #asenora meta #hard-launching my beef with william “elgin” weasley

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lab-trash · 11 months

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A Few Hot Takes About Elite Force

Bree did not deserve to go to Centium City, nor does it make sense plot-wise

In season four it's jokingly established that Bree is becoming sort of a mom-friend, mom-mentor sort of figure. There is no way in hell that she would've allowed fucking Adam and Leo to run the bionic island. She knows those two knuckle-heads would get into trouble. Don't get me wrong, I love when Adam takes control of the situation and when he takes responsibility for Bob in that one episode, but let's face it: he is not ready for such a large role when it comes to that many kids. Dude is not equipped to be a babysitter. When it comes to Leo, while he is more equipped for the situation, he is very well established to make shit go wrong on fucking accident. We see it time and time and time again, not only in season one, but in season four (read: the whole business card fiasco). She would've known that they would've be able to handle it alone, especially when taking into account that their chaperones would've been fucking Terry Cherry Perry and goddamn Douglas Davenport! Excuse me???? No! She would have not allowed that.

Edit- Also, she just got a sister! I know that she said that the excitement was gone after having to change diapers, but you're telling me that Bree wouldn't want to be a part of her life????

Leo did deserve to go to Centium City, and it would've made more sense plot-wise (especially if they kept it mostly the same story-wise)

Leo, as we all know, gets along great with Kaz. Not only that, but he's a superhero nerd. I guarantee that if Leo just knew wtf the 'secret project' was, he would've been on board faster than the train to Downtown Welkerville. It would've been epic to see him interact with not just Kaz, but Oliver too? Skylar probably would've felt like she fit in more too, because she's definitely one of the boys (not in a pick-me way, in a nonbinary way). It would've been really fun seeing Chase trying to battle Kaz, Oliver and Leo down from playing Topple Tower and whatever other various games. Such as, for example, Leo jumping off the building for Kaz and/or Oliver to catch him before he fucking dies. I know this was more of an Adam and Chase thing, but I still think we should've gotten a prank wars episode, and since it's decidedly canon that Bree is, at best, mid when it comes to pranks, it could've gotten real fucking intense. I love the idea of Oliver and Kaz warning Chase and Leo about Skylar being really amazing at pranks, and then when they don't really notice her being weird or suspicious, they just think it was to mess with their heads (which does or does not work, depending on if you want a Sicillian situation on your hands or not) so they brush it off, only to be bested by the prank master. But I'm getting off topic. The biggest reason that I think that Leo should've gone to Centium City instead of Bree is because of Episode 9 and Episode 10. In episode 9, The Intruder,we are introduced to a character named AJ, who finds Chase and Douglas in the Mission Command (aka, the basement) by mistake. And I know that they often draw comparisons from AJ to Chase, but I think that it would work way better with Leo— Better yet, Leo and Chase. Like Chase, AJ is autistic coded, socially inept, and a tech nerd. But like Leo, he means well. He wants to be a part of the team, even though objectively that maybe shouldn't be allowed. He snuck his way into this family by running into them when he didn't mean to, when he was just exploring where he lived. AJ should've gotten bonding time with Leo. Maybe then, the common headcannon that AJ will/would become Mission Specialist like Leo once was, would be cannon. Next is Episode 10, The Rock. In The Rock, AJ makes a list ranking the most useful/gifted in the Elite Force, to the least. This causes Bree to become insecure when she's placed in the middle, leading her to attempt getting more powers by touching the Arcturian. I will always stand by the fact that this was a fucking stupid idea. But when it's Leo? This idea becomes nearly fucking genius. Leo would likely be placed in a similar place, if not lower, given that only part of him has powers. He is not bionic, he has bionics. And, y'know, he's a superhero nerd; why would he not want superpowers. He also is reckless, which would make sense why he would touch the Arcturian without really thinking about it as much as he probably should. And best of all, this could be a personal secret, instead of a secret between him and someone else, like it was with Bree and Skylar. After all, Leo already has a buffer. His arm. Leo wouldn't need to be endangered to get these powers, he already paid that tax years ago. Leo would finally have powers. Not just partial powers; real, true powers. It makes sense that he would be the first bionic superhero. Leo deserves to be the first bionic superhero.

Edit cont.- I do think that Leo would want to be in Naomi's life too, I understand that. Especially with his dad having been absent in his life, he might want Naomi to grow up with her family around. But at the same time, I really like the idea of him letting Bree have that honour. Like a bit of an emotional moment as they debate who goes to Centium City and who stays on the island/in Mission Creek, and in the end, Leo knows how much Bree's always wanted a sister and decides that she should be allowed to have that.

I have way more, but I can't remember, so this is probably the last one. Ka-Kai-Ra-Ta-Hee-Haw-Mwak-Floopie-Pazoing should've been in Elite Force

They couldn't have invited Auggie Issac back for one episode just to make it feel more like Caldera? Seriously? She is definitely one of the highlights that we get when we visit Caldera in Mighty Med, and without her, it feels disingenuous. Hell, start the episode with a quick video chat with Gus talking about how things are going in Philly and with The Domain, make the universe feel more coherent and put together. And then, if Chase and Leo/Bree see the call, they could later mention how she looks like Gus. And, not only that, but she could help save Skylar. Like, instead of Scarlett just being like 'hey muthafuckas, lemme bring you to ya girl,' it could've had this semi-dramatic, semi-emotional moment with Ka-Kai-Ra-Ta-Hee-Haw-Mwak-Floopie-Pazoing where she explains that she saw Scarlett taking Skylar away. She could've explained the whole rebellion thing to Oliver and his accompaniment. They could've had one of those cross cut scenes where it cuts between Ka-Kai-Ra-Ta-Hee-Haw-Mwak-Floopie-Pazoing and Scarlett explaining what's going on, instead of getting weird feeling, one dimensional exposition from just Scarlett talking to Skylar through an oddly shaped TV. I would've loved to see her and Skylar reunite, even for a little bit. Hell, y'know what, Ka-Kai-Ra-Ta-Hee-Haw-Mwak-Floopie-Pazoing is basically not a pet, which is implied through the numerous jokes of her not responding to things that a normal pet do, and the fact that she speaks english. It would've been epic as fuck if she was like... leading a rebellion army. That would've been so fucking awesome. But that would've been far more difficult to do, and I understand that. But the first part? Cmon, she is the heart and soul of Caldera. She should've been there.

Sorry for the super long post that was basically about nothing, but I was ranting to my friend who knows nothing about the lref universe and I wanted to share these. They're definitely the ones I'm most passionate about— not including how I think that Douglas definitely should've been indited more as their father instead of Donald, especially in Elite Force where Douglas showed up more than Donald did. And that Tasha deserves someone better (and I wouldn't exactly mind if that person were Douglas, but I've been over how I think that Douglas deserves a nice twunk)

Let me know if I should make a part two, and I might rant about a few more things they could've done to make Elite Force better.

Anyway, all in all, thank you for coming to my ted talk.

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chatsurie · 10 months

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Her little light

part 2

The first time had been heart wrenching. Even while getting out of the car her legs had shaken so badly she had feared for that short second that she would kneel over. What an impression that would have been, huh? Especially in front of a five star hotel that only the Elite of Society was able to afford.

It had indeed been a long cry from her run down apartment with it's screeching wood floors and the rattling walls from the incoming trains near the main station.

She remembered checking the picture on her phone multiple times and rereading all the information she had, before she had actually gotten out of the car, the driver shooting her another cautioning glance, as if to say 'don't fuck this up or it'll be your head on the platter'.

The man she had been waiting for, had stood in front of the entrance his phone in his hand, rapidly typing something. She had taken a deep breath, when she had realized that at least the picture had been true. Sure, the agency checked their clients before accepting them, but an agency already being deeply in the illegal network had never seemed extremely trustworthy to her.

The anxiety doubled down, when the stranger and her went into the restaurant with her on his arm.

It was alright. She only had to get through the night. She only had to survive this dinner, looking pleasant like a dumb doll, and would then just have to accompany the man to his hotel. Nothing more nothing less. Just dinner and Sex. And after that she would have a big wad of cash that she could have never brought in while bartending.

Everything would work out fine.

Sex had seldom been a pleasurable occasion for her, even before then. She was used to just lying down and taking what they gave or giving what they wanted.

That night she understood that there was a different kind of humiliation of taking the tip of the table while the client explained to her that he would definitely reschedule her while wiring her agency the money which would then immediately go back to hers, obviously minus the interest.

That morning, after sending her babysitter home, she had slid down the shower wall and cried under the shower head. She had still been able to feel his hands everywhere. There had been marks all over her body. Bites, the occasional handprint from the slaps he had dished out, and her hair still hurt from the way he had pulled on it.

That morning she had prayed to never have to meet this man again.

But alas, it was another bill paid. It was another wad of cash that went into the savings for her little light. Maybe she wouldn't have the life she had always dreamed of having but she would make damn sure that her son would get whatever the hell he wanted. She would make damn sure that her little light at least would have everything he needed.

And maybe some day, when Kiro was grown up enough to understand, and when she had enough saved up to move them to a better place and when she had gotten her online degree, she could become a mother Kiro could be proud of.

Yes. Maybe some day.

What a great dream that had been.

Now, a good five years later, there wasn't even an inch of anxiety left over as she sat at the fine table waiting for one of her regulars.

He had been an intimidating man, when she had first met him. Through the vetting she had done beforehand she had known exactly who he was, what he was and most importantly, who he worked for. It had taken some time until she had been able to engage in completely normal conversation with him, since she had also been quite new to the business at that point and he could be intimidating enough on his own as well.

However after being his escort for a good of four years, she could pride herself in knowing the man quite well. He really was nothing more than another rich Dude with too many connections and own emotional problems to honestly consider Dating.

That was always the best client to have.

“Good Evening, Koko!” Smiling brightly the young woman got up, as the man made his way over to her table. His usual red jacket thing, she never knew what to call it exactly, hung loose over his arms reminding her that he probably hadn't eaten right again.

But that wasn't something she was to worry about.

It was none of her business

“Evenin'.”

His voice sounded a bit gruffer than usual as well as he leaned down to press a light kiss on her cheek in greeting. It was one of those nights then.

The bracelets on his wrists jingled as he pulled away her chair for her to sit in, before taking a seat as well.

She remembered the first time he had done that for her. Up to this point her clients had been relatively well behaved, but Koko had been and still was her best paying client. Surprisingly enough he was also the one who was the most cordial, if she could call it that. When he had pushed away the chair for her the first time she had been so flabbergasted that she had outright told him to not do it again.

The simple raise of his brow had made her apologize for the apparently perceived disrespect immediately and she honestly didn't know why he had decided to meet with her again.

“How was your week, Koko?” She always started with some light conversation before Koko would tell her what exactly he expected from her when it was one of those days.

He only grunted, as the waiter left their table.

“If we ignore the idiots at work that I have to deal with on a daily fucking basis, it was okay-ish.”

Someone was prickly.

As he took a sip from his red wine she felt him scrutinising her in a way that he hadn't since their first meeting. It was the moment she knew she wouldn't like what he would say next. Maybe he finally got tired of her?

He sighed shaking his head and taking a sip from his water, “anyways. How was your week? I hope you bought yourself something for once? Honestly. I don't think I have seen one dress on you that I never saw before. What do you do with all my money?”

If she were any other person his direct call out might have stung the way it was supposed to. Now though, she only made a note to put special attention on the left side of his spine when she gave him a massage later. Koko was rather difficult to handle when that man hadn't eaten, hadn't had a somehow uneventful work day and a tense back to top it off.

“Well, I'd say what I do with my money, Koko,” she simply teased, a flirtatious lilt in her voice as she took his free hand and starting a light massage of his muscles, “isn't any of your concern, as long as I look perfectly the part I need to look. Wouldn't you say?”

“I have a proposition for you.” He started again, after looking her up and down, his tone serious, still not pulling his hand away. It was always a good sign. “First of all, I would double the rate I'm paying usually for the evening in question.” He stopped, letting the information sink in.

Double the rate? That was... that was a lot of money. That was honestly too much. He was talking about 15k for Gods sake. With that money the dream of being able to send Kiro away for college seemed all the closer. He would be able to get the best education there was with everything she had already saved for him. Hell, maybe, just maybe he would even be able to study outside the country when the time came.

What was the catch?

So deep in her thoughts, she hadn't realized she had stopped the massage, until Koko lightly tapped her hand, which made her start up again, though a bit more hesitantly. Koko only started up speaking again, after the fact.

“Second, I wouldn't leave you the whole evening. You'd be by my side the whole time.”

Oh she really wouldn't like that, would she?

“I'll also take it upon myself to send you the correct wardrobe for the evening. The only task you would have is look pretty on my arm as usual and maybe have some pleasant conversation.”

“What is the evening about?” She asked him after a while of silence as he didn't seem like he wanted to elaborate and for a short second she thought she saw something like guilt flash through his eyes.

“It's a simple business dinner with the executives of my organisation. Not more not less.”

What?!

That was it?

15k just for that?

She had to be missing something there. Right?

Wait. His organisation? Wouldn't that mean Bonten? As in the most dangerous Gang in Japan right now? That Bonten?

The amount suddenly started to make sense.

“For what do you need a date for that?” There was a slight accusatory tone in her voice and she withdrew her hand. Sometimes she just couldn't keep her thoughts inside her head.

Koko chuckled, “can't I simply enjoy your presence?”

She bit her lip. That was a sweet deal. But was it worth the potential danger? What if this meeting ended up being the one finally creating the bullet with her name on it? She couldn't let her Son grow up without a mother!

“Can I think about it?” She asked him after a short while.

Koko nodded slowly. “I can give you three days. Then I need to know. The dinner would be in a week. Saturday night at 10.”

If she really did decide to go she would have to find another babysitter. The teenager who usually looked after Kiro, a sweet eighteen year old girl who was preparing for entrance exams had already told her that she wouldn't be able to work next Saturday.

After that conversation was over, some stress seemed to fall of from Koko's shoulders and the answers he gave her throughout the rest of dinner were nothing short of polite and charm.

“Ready to go?” He asked her, as the waiter cleaned up the plates.

It was time for that part of the night, she still dreaded. In all the five years of doing the escort service it just didn't seem to get any easier. Sure it helped that Koko was a regular and surprisingly more gentle than most of her clients, but she just didn't seem to be able to get over the feeling of powerlessness it gave her.

Koko's hand on her back created a steady pulse as he led her outside after paying.

The ride to the hotel was quiet. His hand had wandered from the small of her back to the inside of her thighs in the same way it always did only leaving its place when he needed to switch gears. Funnily enough it were always these car rides that the young woman realized that out of all the clients she had, Koko was probably the most touch starved. He always needed some kind of bodily contact if the surrounding allowed for it.

The hotel the two stayed at was always a different one, always high end, and always in a part of a city she could have never dreamed of stepping in without him. Out of curiosity she once visited Ginza, a part of Tokyo, Koko liked to stay at on her own when she had made the time and just looking at the hellishly expensive shop windows made her feel filthy. And that was after starting to make good money with the whole escorting spiel.

The hotel Koko had chosen this time was another glamorous one. The name did scratch an itch, but she couldn't really explain why.

After Koko had parked and opened the door for her, he gave the keys to a valet who seemingly didn't need a reminder to be extremely careful with his car.

The inside of the hotel was as luxurious as the outside and it honestly didn't do anything to cause her wonder anymore. It was just another picture of what she would never be able to afford, because her first and last concern would always be the well being of her son. That's where her money went and that's where she was happy seeing her money going. If having sex with rich men, could buy her son the best education and a flat in a good part of the city then that was all that was needed.

And who knew. If she really did take this job Koko had proposed, maybe she could finally at least take a step back and restart her own education.

Maybe it really did end up being worth it.

The ring of the elevator, signalling that they had reached the suite pushed her out of her musings violently.

It would be fine. Just the same old, with someone she at least partly trusted. Hell anyone would be worse than Koko. After all maybe she could even consider him a nice acquaintance at this point.

He was careful with her in a way no other of her clients were. There really wasn't a need for her anxiety to spark again.

“How about you finally get rid of this awful jacket so I can get out that painful knot near your spine again.” She whispered in his ear, while letting her fingers glide slowly up and down his back, the cloth of his jacket feeling as expensive as always.

“I always wonder how you know,” Koko answered while turning around, “I think it's your job to take it off though.”

Obviously. Not a penny from his hand without doing the actual work, she thought, suppressing the chuckle that wanted to slip out at that. Instead she started busying her hands on the buttons, kissing down the every speck of newly bared skin while starting to walk him towards the bed.

Maybe she'd be able to finish everything quickly? That way she might be able to get more than four hours of sleep, before preparing breakfast for both her son and the babysitter? The poor girl was probably kept up by the little ruffian for quite some time and it was a Sunday. She deserved to sleep in form time to time.

Was she a bad mother? Sure, the babysitter came only once a week, at most twice but her son had a no good prostitute-

Stop, that was not the time and place.

Koko paid her well enough to deserve at least every ounce of attention she was willing to give. She owed him at least that.

Once his legs hit the end of the bed she finally stripped the jacket off.

“Am I allowed to put my attention on your back now, Sir?”

Koko chuckled, sitting down on the bed, “you know, I might have, if you weren't such a damn tease. Right now, I think there's something else that needs attention. If you really want to massage me, you're going to have to earn it.”

It really was one of those days. He would fight her tooth and nail on every act that wasn't overtly sexual, wouldn't he?

Throwing him a demure smile, she got to work, carefully opening up his velvet pants all the while kissing down his stomach and v-line, slowly ridding him of his trousers and boxer shorts and stroking him a few times, before finally taking him in her mouth, all the while maintaining eye contact with him.

Two hours later, she was completely exhausted lying next to him on the bed. God she was so tired.

Koko's fingers were painting feathery pictures on her skin.

“You know, usually I have to wrestle you back into bed for just a few more seconds of lying around. You sure you alright?”

Sighing she hid her face underneath her arm.

“Oh you know,” she did her best to shoot him a half grin, “just age catching up with me.”

Koko sighed at that. Right. She had forgotten. Age was a bit of a prickly subject with the man.

“You know it's only these tiny moments that you really do look your age. If I were a better man, I would kick you out with some more money and tell you to make something out of yourself.”

But your not,” she whispered, “it's exactly because you are the man that you are, that this arrangement works so well.”

It was that moment. That second, where his hands stopped painting circles on her shoulders and instead went to the back of her scalp, carefully massaging it, that she knew the next conversation would be the dreaded one. It had started around two years ago. After he had helped her get out from her old agency, while allowing her to keep some of her normal regulars, that the conversation first came up.

“You know, I'd be able to care for you without a problem. You would just need to let me. Become my sugar baby. You wouldn't need to do this escorting shit any longer, just to be able to pay your fucking rent, because you know as well as I do, that none of them pay you like I can and do.”

She sighed, forcing herself to sit up, “Koko,” god she was so tired, “we've been over this. My answer will stay the same as it has the times before. It's a no. I appreciate the offer, but I can't.”

The man rolled his eyes shoving his hand through his white hair. “Why not? I don't think I've ever asked.”

The fact that a man like him still asked, was something that deeply surprised her every time.

“Koko, I just can't.”

Maybe she had pushed her luck with him a tad bit too much, because the look he gave her was every bit the one of a hardened criminal.

“That's not good enough. I'd say I've been rather patient with you. I want a fucking reason this time around. And it better be a good one.”

The threat of or else hanging up in the air made her wonder if she should push her luck a bit further. She had never liked to be told what to do. One look at his eyes, completely devoid of all the usual mischief, made her rethink.

“Because you're possessive, Hajime.” She nearly would have told him that sometimes she worried that this whole deal wasn't completely transactional for him, “I can't be dependent on a single man in my life ever again. The moment you drop me, because I have outlived my purpose, I will be alone. Without a network to support me, to fall back on. And since we can't put a date on when you will abandon me, and that you will, I need to use every opportunity I can to make sure I have enough money to live comfortably. So no, Koko. I can't.”

With that she finally got up off the bed. Maybe he finally understood it now.

He was silent, as she went along getting dressed, knowing that tomorrow the money would have been transferred to her bank account. Because that was all it was. Money.

His next words had been drowned out by the elevator doors closing. If she would have heard them, maybe she would have considered trying to cut off all ties with him.

And if just for the purpose of her own sanity.

As she closed the door to her apartment, Silence greeted her. Taking a second to take a breath she just stood behind the closed door for a second before ridding herself of the coat, hanging it up on the hanger and making her way over to the kitchen. Downing a glass of water she finally dared to throw a glance at the clock hanging on the wall. Half past four. Too late again. Maybe if she went to bed now, she would be able to sleep at least for two hours before getting back up again, to make breakfast for her son and babysitter. Kiro sadly still was somewhat of an early riser. But then again, she should probably count herself lucky. There were kids that got up at six instead of seven.

Settling into bed, she tried to forget about the evening. Most of all Koko's preposition.

It sounded all the more enticing the more he asked her. For the sake of her two hours of sleep, she still decided to make it a problem for future her.

She had just finished cooking the pancakes as her little whirlwind stumbled inside the kitchen.

“Mommy! You're home! Look at what me and Hanna-san drew yesterday. She put it on the fridge. Look. It's a gigantic bra- brachiosaurus. I called him Totoro, because Hanna-san told me he would protect me!”

Smiling the woman had turned around, first to Kiro to raise him up, “it's Hanna -san and me, Kiro. Remember. First you call the other person,” and snuggle him against her. Then she finally turned to the fridge.

Yeah, painting was absolutely not his strong suit, she thought as she looked at the picture. Without his explanation she honestly would have been unable to say what it was.

“Totoro is beautiful, dear. Just as precious as you. Did you sleep well?”

After breakfast and sending home a still sleepy but thankfully happy Hanna, Kiro helped her cutting up some fruit to take with them to the park. She had never thought that she would love listening to all kinds of information about Dinosaurs as she did, as her son talked her ear off.

An hour into playing hide and seek at the park, Kiro finally decided to go play by himself on the playground situated inside the park, allowing the young woman to finally sit down and take a sip of her energy drink infused coffee. Days like this made her remember why she did everything she did. She really should call Koko tonight and tell him that she would accept the dinner with his organisation. If it meant seeing more smiles on this tiny face she would fight the world for her little light.

“My, I didn't expect to see someone this pretty today. May I sit with you?”

Surprised the woman turned her head around, taking her eyes off her son and at least staring at an overwhelmingly tall man dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white shirt. His lilac hair falling into his sharp face she did have to agree that he was rather pretty.

“Sure,” she slowly said. There was something about this man. She had seen him somewhere before, “be my guest.” With that she turned back around, taking another sip of her coffee, while watching over Kiro again.

“Autsch, that hurt my ego just the tiniest bit, sweets. I've never been shot down this quickly before.” The man beside her started up again, a teasing hurt in his voice and she turned back around to him.

“Sorry,” she started clarifying, “I'm not-”

The man interrupted her, “interested? Yeah I figured. Damn. Your man must be happy.”

“I don't-”

“You don't have a man?! Now I feel even worse.”

Fucking! Could he stop interrupting her? He was thinking so fast her sleep addled mind had trouble keeping up.

“Sorry. Do we know each other?” She asked again, her tone taking on a sharper tone, finally looking him up and down. Her eyes instantly fell onto the tattoo on his neck. The same one Koko wore.

He was another executive. Had Koko? No. For what would he send another executive to her. And if he did want to observe her or whatever, he would find someone more inconsipcous than this man

He grinned. “Ah,finally. The question I was hoping for. We don't yet, dear. I'm Ran. Pleasure to meet you.”

Telling him her name, she turned his name over in her head a few times.

Ran. Was he the one Koko complained about constantly? No, that place took a man named Sanzu if she remembered correctly,

“Can I help you somehow?” The woman asked, her voice still as sharp. She had not went out today to hold conversations with another gangster. The goal today was spending time with her son.

“Just wondering what a beautiful woman such as yourself is doing here all by herself.”

Before she could answer, her son came running over. “Mommy! Look! I found a worm.” Grinning brightly he held the poor animal right into her face as he came to a halt in front of her.

Shaking her head lightly, she kneeled down in front of him, in order to become eye level with him. “Kiro,” a strict tone in her voice, “what have I told you about picking up random animals?”

The little ruffian had the nerve to look the slightest bit sheepish, as he put the worm back into the ground, “to always be careful with animals and con- consider that the smaller the more, uh, fra- fragile they are?”

“Exactly. That's my sweet boy. Now what do you not do when you find a worm?”

He bit his lip the slightest bit, leaning his head to the side while thinking, “that I shouldn't run with it? And instead be extra gentle?”

Stroking his hair, she grinned at him, holding her hand out for a high five. “Exactly.”

As Kiro looked up at his mother, he suddenly started to realize that his mother wasn't actually alone. Shying away, he quickly hid behind her, clutching her legs, as she stood up again and peeked around her to look at him.

“Aww, now who is that little man?” Ran asked, cooing at the child.”

Taking on a protective stance, not trusting the man in front of her, she took a little side step to be completely in front of Kiro.

“That's my son. Why don't you run a long dear. The swing is free now. I'll come over in a second.”

With that Kiro nodded at her, threw a last glance at Ran and took off towards the swings.

“He's very precious. No need to be so protective though. I wouldn't hurt a child. Nor you. At least as long as it isn't consensual?”

Rolling her eyes she put her hands on her hips. “Ran-san. I am not interested. My plate is full enough, I do not need another man in my life. Now, please move along!”

Ran sighed as if the load of a thousand worlds had just been dropped on his shoulders.

“Alright. I get it. It's been a pleasure to meet you though. I'm sure you're a great mother by the way. I would have killed to have one as attentive as you. You two have a nice day.”

That did have the effect of making her blush. It wasn't all that often, someone complemented her on her education skills. Heck, most other mothers she had the misfortune of talking to just turned up the nose after finding out she was a 24 year old single mother with a five year old child.

“Thank you. I really appreciate it. Have a nice day as well.”

When they left the park in the afternoon she had nearly forgotten about Ran again. Instead she got to making dinner, while helping Kiro set the table.

Looking at him now, she knew that her decision had been made the moment Koko asked her. She would take him up on the offer.

Taking the burner, he had supplied her with she simply dialled the speed dial. It only rang about two times before he accepted the call.

“ What is it? I'm quite busy!”

Was he still annoyed with her? She had expected him to sulk a bit after their last conversation but she hadn't thought that he would still be angry. After all the last few times he hadn't been either. So why now?”

“Don't worry I'll make it short. I just wanted to tell you that I accept your request for the dinner meet. That is if you really do not leave me alone there.”

There was a short silence on the other end and then a light chuckle. “Awesome. That's great to hear. I'll tell the boss then. I'll pick you up at your place. Just write me the address.”

Hurrying before he could end the call, the declined, “No, Koko. Just tell me where I should come and I'll be there when you want me to.”

Koko sighed, “I'll still need your address. I will send you a dress. Can't let you come with the same thing you always wear for me.”

Gnawing at her lips she mulled it over. Somehow she had always known that the sense of privacy she had tried to put between her and Kokonoi would be teared down by the man in time. First it had been the higher pricing he had ensured to give her, then it was the agency he thankfully rid her off, then came his insistence on being the sole provider and now it was her address. She was getting more and more tired by the day. Everything would be so easy if she would just let him.

“Sure,” she answered hesitantly, “I'll send it to you. Anyways dinner's nearly done, I better get back to cooking. Have a nice evening, Koko.”

That Saturday she got ready in the bathroom being extra meticulous with her Make up and hair. Deciding to put it up into a well thought out more traditional style. It reminded her a bit of the style her own mother had always forced her into when they had went to important functions. The hair ornament she put in after much contemplation the only thing left that still reminded her of her previous heritage.

Just as she had put on the red dress, embellished with gold accents, surely to match Koko's dress robe, her bell rang.

She didn't have the kinds of friends that would just drop by on a whim. Especially not on a Saturday when they knew she would be working. So then who else?

Surely he wouldn't, right? She had explicitly told him to not pick her up?

Even before she could completely settle down and think it over once more, she could hear the door opening.

Kiro!

“What the?” She heard an erringly familiar voice as she quickly made her way through the hallway.

“Sorry Kid, I must have the wrong number.”

“What are you doing here, Koko?!” She asked the man sharply as she came to a halt in front of the door, pulling Kiro behind her once more, turning around to him.

“Can you go to your room and think about what you wanna take with you to Granny tonight? Maybe Chihiro?” Kiro had recently started to get crazy for Ghibli movies and had promptly named all his most precious cuddly toys after characters he liked.

Kiro nodded slightly insecure, throwing a few glances between his mother and the strange man, before running to his room.

“What are you doing here, Koko? I told you I'd come on my own?!” She asked him again, while pulling him inside the apartment and leading him inside her kitchen in order to not let anyone see him standing on her door step. What if her landlady saw him and thought she was in heavy debt and decided to finally use that reason to evict them.

“I still need to tell you about a few things tonight, so I thought it better to pick you up,” the man defended, leaning on the kitchen counter while throwing a confused glance to where the boy had ran to, “i didn't know you had a little brother.” He finally decided to breach the subject

Turning her back to him, she reached up to get two glasses out of her cupboards and filled them with water. One she put down next to Koko, the other stayed in her hand the cold grounding her just the slightest bit.

“Because he isn't. He's my son. Kiro.” She finally told him after deciding that there wasn't anyway she wouldn't be having that conversation with him.

Koko's eyes nearly immediately fell down to her right hand. Surely searching for a ring on her finger.

“Does your, sorry I don't see a ring, does your boyfriend know that you do what you do?” He actually had the nerve to sound angry. As if it was any of his business.

“As a matter of fact,” she told him, voice pitched higher, already wanting him to just leave her sanctuary and just leave her the fuck alone, “he doesn't. And even if he did he wouldn't care, because he is not in the picture any more. Now. If you're done judging me for my poor choices in life, maybe you can tell me what was so important for me to know that you decided to blatantly disregard my privacy and come here, even though I told you not to.”

Looking just the slightest bit sheepish he took a sip of his drink taking a look around his kitchen.

“Ya know, when I came here I was honestly a bit worried. This shithole might be in a better part of town but with the money I give you, you should have been able to afford better than this run down flat,” she wanted to interrupt him at that. Who did he think he was to come into her home and disrespect everything she worked for? One sharp look at her made her close her mouth acting as if she had just needed to take a bit breath, “I honestly thought you had some kind of addiction or maybe you were in trouble with a few shark loans but surely you would be intelligent enough to tell me and let me solve the problem for you,“ he went on, taking a few steps towards her, “It didn't even cross my mind that you might have a child that you're spending on and saving for. If you would have just told me, I could have helped you with that, ya know?”

Crossing her arms in front of her chest she glared around him. She hated when he looked at her like that. Like he was able to give her the world and more with no remorse for the repercussions and hurt he would cause other people and maybe even her.

She hated it so much.

The last time someone had looked at her in this way she had ended up a single Mother.

“Anyways, “she tried to deflect, “what did you want to talk about? Wasn't my only responsibility tonight to look pretty on your arm?”

Koko rolled his eyes pulling her shortly against him, “Sorry. I did mean to tell you that you look simply ravishing.” He gave her a little kiss on her head, while she tried wrestling free from his embrace. What was going on with him today? His moods changed so fast and it very nearly gave her whiplash.

“Your deflecting again. What did you want to talk about?” She asked into his chest after accepting that she wouldn't get out of that Constrictor grip he had on her.

Koko finally let go of her, and with his expensive cologne not blocking of the nerve ends to her brain she finally felt like she could think freely again.

“I wanted to-,” he stopped himself before starting a new sentence. It was the first time she had seen him do that, “Actually, no matter anymore. We've wasted enough time. Lets get, Kiro was it, to his Granny?”

Seizing him up and down she tried finding out what he was concocting in his head before nodding slowly. She was getting paid for this. So simple politeness it was.

“Wait here.” she told him, while going to get her son.

As she helped Kiro pack the last of his stuff for the night, she could hear Koko rummaging through her flat. It made a pit open in her stomach. There was a reason, why she had never accepted his requests for driving her home. She didn't want a customer to invade her privacy even more than she already let them. She didn't want to give them more of a fantasy than she already gave. She didn't want Koko to think of anything more than the employer, employee relationship they had.

A relationship that was slowly sizzling out and warping into something that she wouldn't have any control over.

“Who is this man, Mommy? Are you in love with him? Is he going to be my Dad?”

Kiro's words made her halt and old insecurities came back to light so suddenly she nearly fell over. His father wasn't in the picture any more. After getting her pregnant and being put in front of the choice of his families inheritance and his son, he had chosen. Kiro had never even seen a picture and since he had started elementary school, questions had come in. Questions she didn't know how to answer.

“No, Baby.” She told him carefully, sitting down and pulling him onto her lap. Koko could wait. Her son would always be her top priority. “That man in the kitchen is Hajime Kokonoi. He's a friend of mine.”

Kiro nodded slowly, before asking: “Then if he's a friend, why are you mad at him?”

She laughed a little bit at the question, stroking his hair. “You know, how you are angry with me sometimes, because I did something you didn't want me to do? Or how sometimes I get mad with you? With Koko it's the same thing. I can be angry with him and something he did and still be his friend. Okay?”

“Name?!” She could hear Koko call from the kitchen.

With a last cuddle she pulled Kiro into her arms and got up with his backpack in the other hand.

“Now then, lets get you over to old Granny, before Hajime tries kidnapping me, shall we?”

After having thanked the older woman and saying goodnight to her little ray of hope she finally followed Koko outside to his car where he was already waiting for her. The pleasant smile that had been settling in her face almost instantly replaced with a cold anger.

“You know,” she told him, after getting into his car and fastening the seat belt, “I do not appreciate my privacy being invaded in such a manner. Don't do it again.”

Koko rolled his eyes as he pulled out into the street. “Well, I don't like having to wait, yet here we are. Seems we'll just have to live with it.”

Grumbling she settled back into the seat not even throwing a glance down at her thighs as his hands settled back on them. Instead she just grabbed it and tried pushing it off her.

“You've got to be kidding me,” Koko grumbled, his hand not leaving her leg, “you never had a problem with it. What's up with you today? You do understand that I'm paying you, right ? And especially tonight, with my co-workers not knowing that you are a fucking escort you'll need to play a doting girlfriend. So settle a smile on your face and just be okay with my touch. Know your place.”

It nearly made her cry. Koko had never made her cry before. But how often had she pondered over exactly that. Doing the work she did may bring in good money, but it made her feel worthless. Oh how far had she fallen. The exiled daughter of a multi million enterprise.

Just as his hand left her, she made the decision.

Tonight she would play along. As perfectly as her mother did at those functions. She would be the proper eye candy she was supposed to be, doting on the man next to her in the way everyone expected her to. And after tonight, she would tell him that she was done. After tonight, she would cut all ties with him.

It would hurt as hell. He had become a friend after all. But the way he had started to behave just couldn't go on. He had started making her promises that tasted of the golden cage she knew all to well. One that she, unlike her mother, would never end up in.

So, as his hand settled on her thigh once more, she let it rest there.

It would hurt for some time, but it was better this way. There had been building something between them, she long since didn't know how to categorise.

Yes it was better this way.

“You know Koko,” she whispered, just loud enough so that she knew he could still hear her, without letting the tremor sound through her voice, “you've been a dear friend to me. I'm honestly thankful for all the help you've given me.” Instead of answering he simply gave her thigh a little squeeze.

As they pulled into the parking lot, she fixed a happy smile onto her face, checking her appearance in her hand mirror. It needed to reach her eyes.

Think of Kiro. She thought. The smile needed to be softer.

Think of his first steps. Think of last Christmas.

It worked.

As Koko opened the door on her side and pulled his hand out to help her out, she knew she wore the softest smile she had ever worn.

She could see with just a bit of satisfaction how the sudden change threw even him for a loop for a short second.

When Koko lead her into the well lid VIP lounge the first man to catch her interest was the man sitting at the head of the table. He was obviously the leader.

Mikey.

With his black clothes and sunken in appearance he made a stark difference to the other smart dressed men. But even then, he just exuded something she couldn't quite place her finger on. What she did know though, was that it made her tremble.

He had to have a mother out there, right? One that would surely cry if she were to see her son in such a state. She knew she would if Kiro would ever have such an empty look in his eyes.

Next to him must have been the second in command. He had a crazy look in his eyes and the way he seized her up, nearly made her run and hide behind the treasurer. Yes, that was Sanzu for sure. He looked just crazy enough to drive Koko into a fucking frenzy every time they interacted.

Before she could move on to the Guy Koko had once explained to be Kakucho, a movement in the corner of her eye caught her interest.

“Ran-san?!” She couldn't stop herself from calling out upon seeing his lanky figure in the chair. That's right, of course he'd be here tonight. How stupid of her to not remember. He might cause her a few problems in this charade then.

“You know him?” Koko asked her the tiniest bit flabbergasted a question lying on the tip of his tongue. Maybe she wouldn't have found it to sound as offensive if she wasn't still angry with him.

Shaking her head free, she quickly turned to Koko explaining: “We ran into each other at the Park.” her voice was just a tad bit sharper. Just because she was an escort didn't mean she slept with every man she knew.

With that she turned back around and into a deep bow. “I'm so happy to be able to finally meet you all. I've heard so much from my boyfriend. I'm (Last Name), (Name). Feel free to address me in a familiar manner though please. It's a pleasure.”

One after the other introduced themselves after that and for a short moment, she wondered why Koko had wanted her to be there today. Before she could get suspicious though, Ran had made space for her and 'her boyfriend'.

“What a surprise,” he started, a challenging shimmer in his eyes, “I didn't think I would see the spitfire again. Though if I remember correctly, didn't you say you didn't have a man? And now you're here with my dear friend Koko. Makes me worry for him just the tiniest bit. “

She had been right on the nose with this one. He was a difficult one.

A soft grin settled on her lips, as she put one of her hands on Koko's thighs. “I'm sorry Ran- san, but if my memory serves and it usually does, because it is quite good, you never let me finish my sentence. You just assumed. Maybe I just wanted to tell you a second time that I'm not interested, because of the wonderful boyfriend I already have.”

And that was how the evening went. On more than one occasion she had the feeling of being interrogated for something. Challenged in regards to something. The only question was what. What had been Koko's end game as he brought her there, to a dinner that had nothing to do with work.

“When did you two meet each other? And since when are you,” he stopped as if he had to think about a fitting word, “ together?” Rindou asked, a lilt in his voice she couldn't quite place once more.

“We met three years ago. At work actually. My employer introduced us and we just kinda hit it off. What can I say. Hajime is just a perfect gentleman.”

She didn't let her growing frustration show. Instead she listened to the stories they told, feeding Koko with food from time to time, massaging his hands and playing every part the of brainless Bimbo she knew Men like this preferred most of the time, while only taking kitten sips from the glass of red wine situated in front of her.

Another trick her mother had taught her by letting her watch how she handled business dinners with her husband.

Only ever drink so much that you aren't seen as impolite or prude but never too much so that your glass hopefully doesn't get a refill. This way you stay as the one vigilant person in the room, as the other members drink.

Knowledge is power.

“Tell me, (Name) what do you do for work?” Kakucho asked after that. Out of the corner of her eye she saw some of the men straighten just the tiniest bit. Did they really not know? Tonight there had been just a few too many innuendos.

Prepared for the answer she finished chewing before answering him, with a teasingly annoyed glance at Kokonoi: “well, this one would love me to not work at all, I can assure you. But if you need to know, I'm just an assistant. Nothing all that fancy you see. I just remember dates and organise them.”

As the evening dragged on she started becoming tired. After all it wasn't like being a mother was an absolute cakewalk.

At some point after having been asked a question twice, Koko squeezed her arm in an overly affectionate manner, before pulling her a bit into him and addressing the rest of the men in the room. “I think my Darling is starting to get tired, so we better get going. Come on, careful. I'll help you up.”

Still a bit drowsy she slowly got up and bowed towards all of them again.

“Don't you think we should invite them over for a dinner party at our place, Dear?” The question had been out before she had had time to think about it. It was simply another mannerism her mother had installed in her. “When you go out with important colleagues of your husband, you invite them over for dinner.”

And maybe Koko looked a bit too satisfied after the initial surprise. And maybe if she had been just a tad bit more awake, she would have noticed the light nod Mikey had given towards Koko's direction, then maybe she would have seen the nightmare that was brewing on the horizon coming just fast enough that it would have allowed her to grab Kiro and run.

Back inside the car both adults took a deep breath. “That was beautiful. Damn. I knew you were skilled. But this skilled? Shit. I owe you a fucking raise.”

Her eyes still closed,the younger woman only mumbled: “Take care Koko. You're nearly overthrowing me with money while I still distinctly remember Takeomi asking for a pay rise just as few hours ago.”

Koko laughed, as he fished for the certainly expensive blanket he had in his car and gave it over to her.

“Let's get you home first. We'll need to talk again tomorrow, but I really want you to know that I'm absolutely proud of you. You were absolutely beautiful today. That's my girl.”

Silence settled into the car as she slowly fell in and out of sleep. When Koko reached her place he quietly got out of the car, jogged around to the side the younger woman was still sleeping in and carefully first searched for the keys in her handbag, before lifting her out of the car with ease.

It wouldn't take much longer anymore, the treasurer told himself. He only needed to be patient for maybe another two weeks at most. The trap would close around her the moment the deal with the Chinese would go through. And without knowing it herself she had helped him significantly tonight. She would be able to play the perfect part during that dinner, maybe even sweeten up the deal just the tiniest bit. And the moment the dinner would find its end, he would give her something to drink that would just make her fall asleep before taking her home with him.

She'd finally be safe,

The only problem, the only unknown in this equation was Kiro. But he would find a way to make it work. And if it meant buying another house somewhere further away where they could all live together under his protection and control then that would be it. If he thought about it further, maybe that son of hers might even become a blessing.

Only time would tell.

When he reached the bedroom, he carefully put her on the bed.

“Come on now. You gotta wake up for at least five minutes.” He whispered, while also helping her out of her black pumps.

The fabric made him wrinkle his nose. Yes. It would be far better when she finally lived with him. She would never have to wear something so cheap ever again. God it was disgusting.

“Honestly, if I were a better man, maybe I'd understand why you save everything for your kid. But get yourself some damn shoes, woman.” He quietly sneered, as she slowly rowsed from her sleep.

“You still here, Koko?” her voice was a little rough and the man suddenly realised that it actually was the first time he saw her after waking up.

The man laughed lightly as he helped her sit up. “I do need to talk to you tomorrow morning, so I just figured I could stay over for the night. Maybe even help you a bit with Kiro?”

She must have been half asleep still, because she only nodded at him, around five seconds after and then proceeded to slowly get up and walk towards what he assumed to be that bathroom. He heard her rummaging around for a bit and then there was an abrupt silence that lasted a few minutes.

“You alright?” He asked as he walked to the bathroom door to knock.

Another few seconds and the door opened slowly. She was blushing slightly and fumbling with her hands.

“Could you- could you help me with the zipper?”

Kokonoi smiled, turning her around with careful fingers.

As he opened the zipper his hand wandered down with it tenderly caressing the slowly appearing skin. It really didn't matter how often her saw her naked. She was a picture for the gods every time.

Placing a singular kiss upon her neck he abruptly build distance between the two and left the bathroom, closing the door in the process.

He only needed to be patient for a few more days. Then she would be his and there was nothing she could do about it except accept it.

When she woke up the next morning the woman felt surprisingly warm. Her blanket felt softer than usual and the smell was somewhat familiar.

“You woke up earlier than expected.” A grumble could be heard above her and in surprise she wanted to quickly roll over only to be held back by the waist.

That was in fact not her blanket lying above her. That was a very tired sounding Koko.

“What are you still doing here?” She did remember him getting her home and helping her change. But why had he not driven home? And how was it possible for her to be so out of it yesterday night? She had never been this tired in her life before.

“We still need to talk about the Dinner party you offered.”

The what now?

The dinner party?

She offered?

Wait. Yeah. There was something.

Fuck. Autopilot had just taken over at that point and she had done what she had always done. Fuck!

“Koko. I did not know what I was fucking talking about. Can't we just say I was too tired to know what the fuck I was saying?”

Koko's lips drew into a teasing smile, before answering:” Don't worry. I know. I was just pulling your leg a bit. There is something I need to talk to you about though. In about one to two weeks Bonten will close a deal with a Chinese group. We want you there.”

We? So it really had been a test then?

She sighed, falling back into her bed. She didn't dare look at him, as she uttered her next words.

“I'm done, Kokonoi. I don't want to do this anymore. You've been a great friend, a great client but I can't do this anymore.”

Koko stilled next to her for a short second, his hands finding their place around her waist pulling her against him as he sat up.

“Why?” He sounded genuinely hurt.

“Because of exactly this,” she whispered in a tiny voice, gesturing to his hands around her, “I feel like you want more. Hell you even explicitly told me you want more now, for two years straight. And I simply can not do that. My priority is my son and he always will be. You need to let me go.

She could hear his tooth clashing together and felt his grip getting tighter.

“Just do this one last job for me. After that I'll leave you alone. I'll never ask for your service ever again. Just this one last thing.”

Struggling to turn around she finally looked at him. He looked so hurt. And she was the reason for his hurt.

“Will my son be safe?” She asked after some contemplation.

Koko sighed. “If everything goes to plan they will never know you have a son and will never see you again. Nothing more nothing less.”

“Fine.” She finally agreed. She could at least do this one last think for him.

He nodded, placing a soft kiss on her hair. “Thank you,” and then with a playful grin she knew was to underplay his emotions, “that way Mikey at least won't skin me alive.”

With that his arms disappeared around her and she laid back onto her back staring at the wall.

It really would be the last. After that she would cut all ties.

“We can't have that.” She teased back and in turn accepted that he didn't want to deal with his emotions right now.

“Thank you.” The man whispered, leaning over her and stealing a kiss he quickly deepened after realizing she reciprocated.

He build a small distance between them, before asking with a sad smile: “You think you can indulge me one last time?”

Once his plan would be set into motion she would probably hate him for some time. He'd have to take what he wanted now to tide him over.

Gulping she nodded pulling him down to her again.

As she tried rolling them over he put a determined hand on her stomach. Tonight, she'd be under his control.

Leaning down his mouth wandered from her lips to her cheeks, down her neck. She'd finally be his. With that thought, he started sucking on her neck in various places. Finally everyone would know, that she was a taken woman. There wouldn't be anyone else anymore.

One hand found it's place on one of her breasts, carefully stroking the little nub and drawing the most beautiful sound from her mouth.

“No- no marks, Koko.”

She felt him grin at her skin. “You're mine. Everyone should know it. I'll do whatever I want with you.” With that his mouth wandered down and unto her other breast.

He could feel her slowly rubbing her thighs together.

If only she knew what she did to him.

Finally coming out of her stupor the younger woman let her fingers wander over his chiselled chest. Going down, down down.

God, she would drive him crazy one day. He was already straining against his pants, aching to be outside of it's confines.

And then her hand was finally where he wanted it. Slowly stroking him for just the tiniest bit, before ridding him of his pants. God, her hands felt so good.

“You're doing great, Baby. Just breathe. Let me do this for you.” Her voice was sultry in his ears and nearly let him forget everything around him.

“Keep your eyes open, look at me baby.” She ordered, slowly pulling his face up by his chin.

She was blushing. God she was so fucking precious. They had had Sex so many times already and she was still blushing every damn time.

Her face did remind him of something though and with great difficulty he took the hand pleasuring him off him.

“What did I say?” He asked her a slight warning in his voice?”

With a pout she rolled her eyes. “That you wanna be in control?”

He grinned, in turn grabbing her chin and making him look at him. “Very good. And what are you doing right now?”

“Taking control?”

God, that pout did things to him.

“They are a conservative bunch then, I take it?” The woman asked, staring down at the expensive ring Koko was holding out to her with clear dislike.

It was the day of the dinner and since the morning her stomach was simply screaming at her to pack her bags and run. Something was terribly wrong, but she just couldn't figure out what it was exactly.

Koko rubbed the back of his head, before taking her hand with slight force.

“Yeah. A woman wouldn't be allowed at the table otherwise. You'll have to try and get his guard down a little. Be nice to the leader, treat the other executives with respect. You can joke around with them the tiniest bit but don't show them the smart head you have on those beautiful shoulders.”

She nodded along to his explanations, trying not to mess with the expensive cloth draped around her arms and shoulders.

“Let's get this shitshow on the road then.” She mumbled, mostly to herself.

“Hell yeah, that's the spirit.” Sanzu suddenly called behind her. Turning around she realised that the rest of the executives as well as Mikey had arrived.

He was dressed up as well tonight.

So this was the big occasion everyone was making it out to be. Straightening her back she settled a smile on her face.

It was just another mask.

Just another day.

When the six Chinese men arrived, the executives stood up, as she was following Koko's lead she observed the room.

Mikey stayed seated. Bonten probably had the upper hand in this deal then and they probably wanted to keep it this way. All three of the new men, however had a certain glean in their eyes. They would probably be playing a trump card tonight then. She would have to soften them up, before they played it.

“That went much smoother than I expected,” Ran joked as he sat down on the couch, the others promptly following leaving her standing in the corner.

Her mind was racing. She had expected a lot this night. But not Human trafficking. She really had gotten herself into deep shit today.

Mikey's glances in her direction were the ones that concerned her the most.

“You were good, honestly. I don't think they would have been this agreeable if they wouldn't have had such eye candy coming after their beck and call,” Rindou agreed with his older brother.

“Come on. You must be exhausted. Sit down.”

Gulping she slowly shook her head and then addressed Mikey with a sharp bow.

“I am exhausted, actually but I also have a son I need to get home to, so if you'd please just excuse me?”

It sounded much more like an insecure question than she would have liked it to.

The hand suddenly falling on her shoulders made her shake visibly.

“You know as well as we do, that we can't just let you go, after everything you heard tonight.”

Her lip was starting to quiver. What had she thought as she had agreed to this?

Exactly. She had thought about nothing but the nice stack of cash she would get.

“Koko, please,” she turned around to him, “you can't be serious. You know I'd never tell anyone about this.”

Koko smiled, pulling her into a strong embrace.

“I know. But I simply can't let you leave my life. And if keeping you and your son within my walls for the rest of yours means keeping you, then that's a price I'm willing to pay. You should have just agreed to my proposition. I would have let you keep your freedom for just a little while longer. Maybe at some point you even would have agreed to marry me out of your own free will. But you didn't. Instead you said you wanted to leave. It's not something I will ever accept. Your mine now and I won't even let you take a step without me allowing it ever again.”

Her intuition about wanting to break contact had been right.

She had been absolutely fucking right!

“My son?” She croaked out, only now realising. He was supposed to have a happy life. Go to a good school. Meet his peers. Make friends, get a nice girlfriend of boyfriend or whatever. He wasn't supposed to be holed up here.

What had she done?

“Already on his way,” Koko whispered into her ear, stroking her back, “we'll be one happy family.”

As he let go she nearly sank to the ground her legs threatening to give up on her. Only the realisation that she needed to be strong for her son, for herself and because of the other men still watching everything she was able to get back up.

Her mother had always told her that her pride would be her downfall one day. Well, Kokonoi Hajime did not know what would hit him.

Turning around she looked at the white haired man. “What do you plan to do with my Kiro?!”

He shrugged, grabbing his champagne of the table where he had first placed it.

“We'll see. If your agreeable, then he won't think anything different. I'll just be his father. You'll be my wife he'll go to the schools you always wished he would go to and everyone will end up happy. You just have to do what I tell you.”

Everyone would be happy, huh?

Turning around she zeroed in on the open bottle of wine, Ran had opened to celebrate the done deal. With her head held up high, she strode towards it, looking everyone dead in the eye at least once.

After having grabbed the bottle, she turned to Koko, taking a huge sip.

“You're sleeping on the couch tonight!”

He wanted her to be his happy wifey?

Then fine. She would fucking do that. If him being happy meant her son being safe, if him getting what he wanted meant her son getting the life he deserved, then heaven be damned. If him wanting to play fucking family, then she would take on this role. What was another mask after all?

She was back in the golden cage. Only this time it felt like she had given the keys out of her hand herself.

#Koko x reader #Tokyo Revengers #Ran Haitani #Mother reader #esort reader #light threats #kind of kidnapping #yandere kokonoi

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ecoamerica · 2 months

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youtube

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

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

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mountmortar · 4 months

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i started thinking about lyra in my sharedverse again so i'm going to drop some ideas about her just because <3

okay so when she becomes champion i think her first order of business is making friends with everybody in the elite four. and lance. this means that at every possible opportunity she's popping up behind bruno or will or karen or koga like a demon in the night to be like HELLOOOOO <3 CAN I HAVE YOUR NUMBER? and on more than one occasion it's led to screams being heard across the entirety of the indigo plateau because. Holy Shit

i also think she eventually starts wearing a cape like lance along with whatever her new champion outfit is because she loves a good swoosh of a cape. lance is in tears about it

she's a social butterfly and i know this in my heart and it serves her well jumping between being the new champion and also being a pokéathlon star. she keeps promoting her grandparents' daycare every time she's on the radio or TV until they have to call her like Hey Sweetie. We Love You. Please Stop With The Promotions We Are So Overfull

and on a similar note once kris becomes the leader of the battle tower she's constantly trying to get her to do collabs of every variety with her and kris is like yeah i'm not coming down from this tower. sorry. i live here now. they are polar opposites when it comes to being in the public eye to the point where the press aren't even allowed past the ground floor of the tower. if they want to see her they'll have to battle their way up same as everyone else. lyra thinks this is a bad business practice (but finds it funny all the same) so she's also constantly promoting the battle tower as well

lyra does take breaks though!!!! sometimes she goes to bother silver in the dragon's den and when gold disappeared for a. while. trying to get red to come down from mt. silver she ditched the entire plateau to go tackle him for disappearing in the first place once he finally calls her to say that he's alive

and of course when she caught sight of the awkward guy in red behind him and realized he was a strong trainer she instantly wanted to battle him. and when she realized he was the previous champion who defeated team rocket a couple years ago and then vanished she REALLY wanted to battle him because the champion seat was hers now (thank you very much) and she wasn't about to let him steal it out from under her

(she won. obviously. and then used red as bait to try and lure kris down from the battle tower to compete in the pokéathlon with her. it almost works until kris is like "Actually if he's so strong he can fight his way up to the top like everyone else too. No special privileges <3" and lyra's like FUCK I ALMOST HAD HER)

(red does in fact manage to get all the way to the top until he loses to kris as well because he's doomed to forever lose to the johto protagonists no matter the universe)

since getting blue's phone number is a hgss exclusive thing and you have to visit daisy multiple times to do it i like to think that she and daisy hit it off wonderfully. and lyra is the one who blue eventually calls to do his "wah wah i miss red you look just like him" spiel. which means that once she connects the dots and realizes red is The Guy Blue Was Sad About she grabs red by the arm and marches him to viridian city and bursts into the gym like HEY BLUE IS THIS THE GUY YOU WERE CALLING ABOUT

(gold is following behind the entire time. extremely amused about all of this but you would never be able to tell because of his resting bitch face)

and of course sticking with hgss-exclusive things: lyra is the one who experiences the celebi event (though i like to think she does it by herself instead of with gold because i think it's something more for her to experience. y'know)

because lyra wasn't the "main protagonist" (AKA the one silver was rivals with) in this universe (the "main protagonist" of the sharedverse is kris. they're all protagonists in their own right though) i don't think she'd know silver all too well outside of being That One Guy Kris Is Friends With (for some fucking reason) Who Hangs Out In The Dragon's Den And Also Stole A Pokémon (Or Two??? Kris Was Unclear) but after experiencing the celebi event i think she swings by the dragon's den a LOT more often and actually tries to make genuine friends with silver. no matter how prickly he is at first

eventually they have their hgss double battle against lance and clair together (though i'd imagine the dialogue being a bit different than it was in the actual game because the sharedverse is based off of gsc and not hgss and everyone knows how i feel about how hgss butchered every single character. but i digress) and that's when they really start to hit it off!! eventually silver starts challenging the indigo plateau a lot more because that's their version of hanging out. until she manages to drag him to her grandparents' daycare and make him play with the baby pokémon

(word of this gets back to kris and she finally leaves the battle tower just to come over and laugh at him for being swarmed by baby pokémon until silver finally tackles her and they start [play]fighting about it. and then lyra gets her azumarill to hit them both with a hydro pump and that stops them real quick)

lyra and gold compete in the pokéathlon together sometimes!!! and during lyra's first trip to mt. silver he comes with her and points out all the best spots. including where he first met red at the summit. they have a battle up there that ends in a tie and laugh about it for hours afterwards. and lyra admits that sometimes just hanging out on a mountain with a friend is just as fun as running around the indigo plateau

she eventually does catch celebi as well. she knows she has to be responsible and all especially now that she's champion but she does allow herself one (1) time travel prank. and it's glorious

and as for the hgss arceus event. Well. That's for her to know <3

#i don't talk about her enough. she's an absolutely crucial part of the sharedverse and i love her dearly #trainer lyra #sharedverse

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queeniesrose · 11 months

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This is inspired by a post that was done a few years ago on a friends blog where they did for the SWSH leaders were reacting to thirsty tweets. This post includes characters from different games, so it’s not for just one group. This is a NSFW post. And no, I will not explain what anything means. This post will read like it is for a youtube video. The host of the video will be you, the reader.

Also! Arven will be included in this post. Please see this post and this poll, both on @pokenimagines (A Pokémon blog I help run when we both aren't burnt out) to get some insight on why he is included.

Master Post

Warning: This is NSFW so if you’re under the legal age or uncomfortable with content like this, please skip over this one!

Thirsty Tweets: Pokemon

As soon as the video starts playing, the viewer can see the host on screen. It wasn’t long before you said in the video, “On today's episode of Celebrity Thirsty Tweets, we have Gym Leaders, Elite Four, a Champion, and a Professor! Sit back, relax and enjoy the video!” The screen fades to black with a rendition of ABC by Jackson 5 playing. Soon the first person and their corresponding tweet is on screen.

I want to give him the most astonishing, atrocious, shameless, violent, rude, disrespectful, toe curling, sheet gripping head he's ever had. @GalarChampionLeon

It takes Leon a full minute of opening and closing his mouth before he could form a response. His cheeks turned a scarlet red. "I- I. Well that's certainly something. More power to you if you can accomplish that to someone." He looks down as he runs a hand through his hair. He chuckles, before he looks up at the camera, "Some of these fans are real imaginative."

LISTEN HES ALL PURPOSE FLOUR 👅👅👅 @Elite4Larry

As soon as Larry finish reading out the tweet, he lets out a deep sigh and shakes his head. "I am flour because I am bland? I will give you that. At this point, being a stressed and depressed adult will do that to someone." He pauses for a moment to think. "If you're into all purpose flour, guess I'm the guy for you."

Ayo fine ass girlboss spotted. Come here madam. I would like her to put me on a leash. @Elite4Rika

Rika smirks as she finishes reading the tweet. "Awe does someone want to be my pet? Does someone need to go on some walkies?" She lets out a hearty laugh, shaking her head. She leans back in her chair and rest her arm on her knee. "Sounds like a many of you need a badass domme in your life."

Rika can break me, while Brassius can breed me. @Elite4Rika @Truleewoodo

"I can do more than just break you sweetheart." Rika says, winking at the camera. "Tell me when and where. Safe word is Mushu."

Brassius leans back into his chair, smirking at the camera. He takes a few moments before he says anything. "You want me to breed you darlin? Is that really what you want?" He asks, leaning forward, "Have you been good? Only good darlins get to be bred."

@ProfessorSycamore is so hot. I wanna climb him like an Arceus damn jungle gym.

Sycamore's face heats up instantly. "That doesn't sound very safe, now does it?" He asks, "Although, I don't think you care about your safety from your tweet. Which is very important! Being safe in all situations is important! Even in kinky situations." He rubs his cheeks a little bit as he attempts to hid the fact that his face is going a tomato red.

THAT DUDE ON TEAM STAR CAN GET IT TOO!

Who, @Guacamole?

IS THAT HIS NAME?

Giacomo sighs and rubs the side of his face. "You make one joke!" He exclaims, "One joke! One joke about being able to use different words for my name like what happens with Bramblepatch Scratch-n-Sniff! Then you get called Guacamole and that becomes what people call you! But yes, I can definitely get it! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!"

I once made my dildo dent in half, you wanna see my gorilla grip @DragonRaihan?

After he finishes reading out the tweet, he looks up at the camera with a confused look on his face, "I- how the fuck did you manage to do that?" You could see the gears turning in his head as he tried to work out how that happened. He scratches his head after a few moments, "Ya know, I'm not gonna try to figure out the logistics of that."

I ain’t here to be your toaster strudel. I’m here to be your Twinkie. Pull out and I’ll kill you. @FarmerMilo

"Oh my!" Milo exclaims, going as red as a tomato. He raises his hand to point at the screen as he starts to speak again. "There will be no killing happening around here! I am a good farmer boy." His eyes go wide and he smacks a hand over his mouth at the realization of what he just said implies in context to the tweet. Your laughter could be heard from behind the camera.

@EliteFourRika could step on me multiple times, spit on me, and call me worthless and I WILL THANK HER.

Rika moves the mike closer to her mouth, leans forward, and stares straight into the camera, before she starts speaking. "So you would thank me? That's it? What else would I hear darlin? Would I hear you begging me for those things?" She asks, her voice deeper than normal. She chuckles, "Y'all are really going feral, aren't ya?"

Anyone think that @Truleewoodo needs a nude model? Think he'll model nude for a class?

Brassius starts shaking his head and tisking at the camera. " There will be no classes that I will model for. There will also never be any media of myself nude that will be made public." He leans back and scratches his head, before he continues. "BUT the only exception to that would be a private session where I would allow my significant other to artistically capture my nude self in their preferred form of media. This would be for their consumption and their consumption alone.

I just want him to cook me a meal and tell me I was a good boy. Is that too much to ask? @Arven&Mabostiff

Arven looked at the camera with a shocked look, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "I- I. No that's not to much to ask! Quite honestly, I would love to cook for someone, other than myself, mabostiff and my other Pokémon." He said as he got a bit of a distant look.

The camera fades to black, before you appear back on screen. "And that's all for today folks! This has been today's episode of Celebrity Thirsty Tweets! See you next time!" You say before your video outro plays.

#Pokemon Requests #Pokemon x Reader #Pokemon Imagines #Pokemon Headcanons #Pokemon Scarlet and Violet x Reader #Pokemon Sword and Shield x Reader #Pokemon Scarvio x Reader #Pokemon SwSh x Reader #Spicy Queenie #Pokemon XY x reader

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celestialholz · 1 year

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Today in meta: Mister Milquetoast himself.

Hassel, Brassius, if you could stay in your lovely lawnside Artazon house for TEN DAMN MINUTES whilst I talk about someone else, I'd appreciate that. Love you kings, stay gay, I'll be back for you real soon. <3

Instead, it's the Celestial meta debut of this bitch!

You know him, you love him, it's Larry, and I wish to strip him down to his ATOMS he's so interesting, but I'm going to start simple: birds. The dichotomy of birds.

Let's take a peek at his Elite Four squad - I'm not going to analyse the gym one, because it's half a team, but you'll see that it matters anyway in a minute.

This is his lovely team:

Now, you probably know what I've said before about the penultimate slot in a full team, and especially Hassel's - how it's meant to represent the heart and personality of the trainer. And that rings perfectly true for our favourite salaryman, too, if we take a look at Staraptor's Scarlet dex entry:

That's Larry, solitary and resilient against whatever the world throws at him. And of course, Staraptor is Normal/Flying, both of Larry's specialties. Even the Intimidate ability is relevant, as according to his official bio on the Pokemon website, Larry becomes 'unsettlingly still whenever he is lost in thought, much to the worry of people nearby.'

... But what intrigues me is the ace switch between teams. What was Staraptor's slot in the gym is now replaced with Flamigo - a lovely representation for Staraptor in that penultimate slot, certainly, but the birds themselves are a world apart.

If we take a quick glance at Flamigo here...

... We see that he is the entire opposite of Staraptor - he only flourishes in a group. And we see that in Larry, too - as lone wolf as he is, when does he truly come alive, hit his peak of battling strength? When he's surrounded by others - when the crowd gathers for his gym battle towards its conclusion, when Rika and Poppy watch on and support him in the Elite Four.

And so, pasting all this together, if the penultimate slot in the party is the heart of the trainer, what does that make the ace?

Potential; what the trainer could be... for better, or for worse.

If we take the examples I used before in the meta I linked above, of champions:

Cynthia's ace is the ultimate in trainer nightmare fuel, Garchomp. Without the goodness in her heart, without her academic curiosity for the ancient past being channelled into research... well, we know what happens. It's this fucker.

Cynthia has the potential to be this guy, and I think we're all pretty fucking thankful that she isn't...

Wallace's ace is a Milotic. Said to be the 'most beautiful of all Pokemon', and able to calm violence simply by its presence, Wallace without a League structure would be a Contest master, which is something he also excels at: and he's got the perfect pal to do it with. He values physical beauty, exuberance, and charm, it'd be a simple switch.

Steven's ace is a Metagross. Destined as he is to take over the Devon Corporation when his father eventually retires, without his battle prowess and fascination for fossils, in another life he'd run the technology company with quick intellect and good business sense.

Even in the very League Larry is part of, this checks. Poppy's is Tinkaton - a little girl, vastly too powerful for her size, has the potential to be an utter nightmare of a child without having an outlet for her strength; Hassel's Baxcalibur is him without Brassius - partly the emotional distance of Ice, and part the heritage of Dragons. It's no coincidence that Bax's signature move Glaive Rush bounces double damage back to itself the turn after - a deeply appropriate sentiment for the man who feels too much.

... And so, where does that leave us with Larry?

It leaves us with a man wearing a facade - unsurprising, when he gives you the TM for it. It leaves us with a man whose genius and vibrance is swallowed by corporate life, who actually LOVES the thrill of being cheered on. It leaves us with a man wants to overcome his own weakness, a man who wishes to Fight AND to Fly... it leaves us with a man whose ace has Scrappy, which will allow him to strike Ghosts - something his 'normal' team can't do. It leaves us with a showman, and...

... it leaves us kinda sad, really. This man is the only character in the series who has managed to master two separate types, and it's for the worst of reasons, but... we do see those glimmers of brilliance, and we do see a Terastillised Flamigo - a Pokemon known for silly movements and power, much like his masterful trainer with the very silly throw, who is now pure Flying.

Pay attention, Larry dear. Maybe you too can soar. <3

#larryposting #larry pokemon #mentions of many people including...#cynthia #hassel #brassius #wallace #steven stone #and even a little bit of #ephemeralartshipping #because it is even a celestial meta otherwise #pokemon scarlet and violet #team analysis #flying types! and I'm sad now!

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hoenn-pride · 1 month

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"Celebrity Justice:" An Analysis/Interpretation of the Media and how it relates to the Justice System in the Hoenn Region and perhaps the Pokemon World more broadly

This is something I've had in place in my worldbuilding for a very long time, so the analysis that's going to follow is what mostly applies to my fic series, The Dead Sea Trilogy, but what I have built in my world is rooted in things we see happening in the games, the anime, the manga, etc etc etc.

I have had this ongoing hypothesis that justice and law enforcement in the Hoenn region, and also Pokemon more broadly, is actually extremely reliant on public image.

For starters let's just mention that justice and law enforcement in the Pokemon world seems very similar to how it is in superhero stories. The police are present, in theory, and take care of the mundane things. We see characters like Colress and Ghetsis get arrested in the anime, Looker very explicitly works for the International Police, Officer Jenny exists. The police are very much a thing.

And yet, like in superhero stories, there are bigger fish to fry that the police need assistance with. This is when the bigger heroes ten year old kids and people like the Elite Four or Champion come in. From the manga we know that being a Dex Holder is something of a status position. The Elite Four, Gym Leaders, and Champions seem to be capable of some level of law enforcement and are often seen as the protectors of their respective cities. In this sense, the Pokemon World also becomes like the Wild West: Gym Leaders and the Champions are the sheriffs of their individual towns, and whatever the sheriff says is law. Law enforcement can then slightly vary town to town depending on what the Gym Leader permits. (Hi Giovanni and other criminal gym leaders/elite four members).

The Pokemon World is not keen on killing and physical violence. Sure it happens in the manga, but almost nowhere else do we ever see humans attacking one another. Everything is sorted out by proxy of a Pokemon battle, which for the sake of this conversation I’m going to be referring to as dueling. The Pokemon World has an established vigilante justice system combined with mundane law enforcement, also reinforced by a pretty intricate and universally respected dueling system. Dueling was a bigger thing historically that settled interpersonal or even larger disputes, and we see that actively being applied in all Pokemon media, but especially in the games.

If we take the conceit of the games seriously and accept the series of events not at face value for what they are: methods of the game that are designed to empower the player and help them progress, and instead consider why, culturally, even the biggest, baddest supervillains pretty easily back off once you defeat them in battle, a couple really interesting possibilities emerge. The first is of course evidence pointing to a dueling system that is so universally accepted that not even the worst criminals will violate the laws of a match. If you lose, you step aside. Everyone respects this social contract and when it’s broken (in people like Ghetsis) it can really demonstrate who is the worst of the worst. Yeah you tried to take over the world,we’ve all been there, but then you refused to step down after a match? Majority of the biggest crime leaders in the world wouldnt even think of doing that. Giovanni’s defeat sends all of Team Rocket into shame and hiding. Pokemon battling is actually a really big deal. It’s a hobby, yes, people do it for fun and friendship, but it is also a way to settle mundane disputes like someone stealing someone else’s lunch money and also to take down the biggest criminal organizations in the world. This then makes it very clear as to why Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, the Champions, and a couple of really powerful ten year olds are able to casually enforce justice. They have a lot of bargaining sway in the world because their battling skills are unrivaled. And in a world where majority of conflicts are settled by duels, this gives them an incredible amount of social and political power.

This however also is why it makes complete sense that not everyone is as good at it as you are. Most people are just battling their friends for fun or trying to get back at their bullies for stealing their lunch money. The everyday person may only have one or two gym badges they tried to get for fun, own a handful of local low-level Pokemon (remember, not everyone is traveling the world to get badges like you are), and may not even know all the type match ups. Not every town even has a gym. The player character is always depicted to have an unnatural talent, and they are able to keep up in the biggest justice enforcement system in the world. This has some interesting implications for how leveling and strength works in the "actual" Pokemon world then, as it certainly couldn't be a numbered thing, and that's a part of it i'm still actively trying to work out in my mind.

Alright, so now let's get into how this relates to Hoenn more specifically.

Because the dueling system is so universal it also then actually makes the law enforcement system incredibly localized, as justice will often be determined by who has the biggest Pokemon. This makes the justice system in every region slightly unique. And from what we have observed in the anime, manga, and games, I have a theory that Hoenn's justice and dueling system is a little bit more depending on public perception than most.

What do I mean by this??

I mean how Team Magma and Team Aqua are allowed to exist. Yes the dueling system implies that criminal teams can exist just because they're strong. But I mean the way in which Team Magma and Team Aqua are allowed to exist. They seem to be a defining feature of the region, as synonymous to the image of Hoenn as McDonald's is to the United States. If you are going to travel to the Hoenn region, you are going to see some nonsense Team Aqua and Team Magma are getting up to.

And the International Police, which exists, has not been allowed to or able to step in, despite how clear and obvious Team Aqua and Team Magma are about each of their goals. Moreso, I think, than other evil teams. There are likely laws and regulations about when and how Interpol is allowed to step in. But they clearly have not been allowed to intervene in Hoenn, and I have some suspicions as to why.

Archie and Maxie, as well as other evil leaders, are celebrities on par with the Elite Four and Champions. They may not be part of the League, but only the League seems to be allowed to handle them. And in Hoenn, there is evidence that celebrity status puts you on another level of untouchable that, when combined with the dueling system already in place, strongly discourages local governments and even the International Police from stepping in unless someone's life is in danger.

Hoenn was the first Pokemon region to have any real, strong emphasis on the presence of the news and media. Gabi and Ty were introduced as fun and interesting recurring characters you can answer silly questions for throughout your playthrough and then see your answers appear in real-time on the TV. You can get updates on outbreaks of Pokemon in the region, tips for battling, and other local and constantly-changing events in the region by checking any one of the various TVs in peoples homes. You see how the world changes around you by interacting with the news in Hoenn again and again throughout the games. It is a subtle, but actually really key thing that makes the region of Hoenn seem like a real, living place that carries on whether or not you log on to play that day.

TV Mauville/Hoenn TV are a living, changing feature in the games and other media. Archie in Pokespe actually owns Hoenn TV and is therefore able to control what people see about Team Aqua, and run a lot of propaganda against Team Magma. The media is a thing used to control and publicize throughout the region.

Hoenn was the first region where Pokemon Contests were introduced, another way to gain very flashy fame and social status and yes, even make your way into the news with your beautiful and spectacular Pokemon. Think of celebrities like Lisia and Wallace.

Hoenn is the first time in the Pokemon games we see celebrities, and this makes me think their emphasis on them means that celebrity culture, the paparazzi, and media, is actually a really big deal in Hoenn.

Now, when you combine that with the fact that the Hoenn region is home to one of the biggest, most public and sensational disputes of all time, you can start to see why Team Magma and Team Aqua are allowed to do essentially whatever they want.

Team Aqua and Team Magma bring business to Hoenn. They probably even encourage tourism as people flood in from other regions hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever insane thing they're doing that week. News stations and especially tabloids make money off running features on them. Evidence and theories on Archie and Maxie's past. Maxie paying people off to run good press. Team Aqua making headlines for well, being pirates. Two old friends turned bitter rivals now warring across the entire region over some mysterious dispute? Man, what a scoop!

So it's not necessarily that the police can't do anything about them. It's that the rest of Hoenn doesn't want them to.

And so that's why, even when things go to shit, they are held responsible for their actions... somewhat. But in the case of my fic, the fallout is also highly publicized. And then of course all the sensation around Archie and Maxie becoming A Thing. Over the course of their very public dispute, they became central to the national identity of Hoenn, as American as baseball and bald eagles. As Hoennian as Wingull and... water.

Public image plays a role in how they are brought to justice. If they are just thrown in jail with the International Police, when then, there's nothing left to report about! And this has been a big thing in Hoenn for years! We can't just drop it! We're still selling shirts about it!

What I'm saying is I think, in the Pokemon World, and in Hoenn especially, people kind of know that organized crime... helps.. the economy and the social system around them, and so they permit it to exist, even after these criminals are busted. Combine that with the lack of physical violence, the dueling system, and a justice system that's a combination of the wild west and vigilantes, and well my friend, you've got yourself a case of some real Hoennian Celebrity Justice.

#oras #pokemon #hoenn #rse #team magma #team aqua #the dead sea trilogy

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prince-kallisto · 1 year

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Paldea Elite Four & Geeta Robot Theory

Okay, the AI Robot theory for the Elite Four has intrigued me a lot. The idea is that the Elite Four and Geeta are all AI Robots like Professor Sada and Turo. Some may dislike theories like this, but I personally enjoy them, even if I sound like a tinfoil conspiracy theorist haha. A theory can combine several ideas at once of course- these characters can represent many different things while still being themselves.

It all started with Larry and Geeta. Larry is the Normal-Type gym leader AND an Elite Four member, but his extremely “normal” behavior has been suspicious for some. The way his head is turned around in the map and how his gym in Medali is the closest to Area Zero. It is also the only area where you can change your Tera Type. Turo and Sada mention that the only reason AI is so incredibly complex is because of the crystals in Area Zero. Hm. Additionally, Larry has rectangular pupils, which is rather unusual compared to other characters. His “Facade” is meant to represent the adult work-life, but also could be interpreted that his Facade is pretending to be a normal human- after all, he makes it clear how much he dislikes Geeta and his jobs. Also, some people have mentioned how the route along Medali is full of ‘disguised’ Pokémon, like Zorua, Sudowoodo, Ditto, Applin, Foongus, etc. No what if you think Larry is just a normal guy or if he’s kinda sus, all of these factors almost feel like a cry for help, he is tired of his Facade.

Geeta, on the other hand, has Glimmora, a Pokémon heavily implied to be related to the Terastallization phenomenon. Glimmora is also ONLY found in the depths of Area Zero, and Geeta is the ONLY trainer in game to have it. In one of the journals, it states that Area Zero is inhabitable for human life, and explorers who go down there tend to meet awful fates. So how did Geeta get her hands on one? Hmm. Geeta’s design has always made me suspicious from the start- look how oddly stiff and robotic her pose is. Her personality is also very dominating and strict- everything has to be followed a certain way, almost like a code.

But what about Hassel, Poppy, and Rika? Evidence gets a little weaker from here, but there are some interesting oddities about them that I’d like to point out.

Hassle’s eyes have surprisingly attracted the attention of many players- they are very unique and a bit chilling, despite how earnest his personality is. It might be a stretch, but Hassel’s ace Pokémon, a Baxcalibur, is known for its Cryogenic breathe that can even freeze lava. Cryogenic air can be used more many things in science, but Cryogenics is mostly known for the preservation of humans and animals, by freezing them in time to revive them in the future. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a Cryogenics lab somewhere deep in Area Zero

Poppy has definitely struck me as odd, because she breaks so many assumptions I had about the Elite Four. Despite being a literal child whose likely under the age of ten, she has a career as an Elite Four member. She is certainly a prodigy, but how is it allowed? Nemona is a prodigy in her own right, yet a young child like Poppy was able to be an E4 member. Also, Poppy’s big key necklace/purse is likely meant to be a reference to being a “latch-key kid,” signaling her independence. But what if it’s more literal- a key to something in Area Zero?

Rika is tricky, the only slightly suspicious thing I noticed is one of her Pokémon is Donphan, one of the only two Pokémon who have BOTH Past and Future Paradox forms (the other being Volcarona) , AND it becomes a Titan Pokémon in its paradox form because it escaped from Area Zero. Future Donphan, Aka Iron Treads, is said to be a weapon of mass destruction from aliens. Hm. I’m really stretching it, but there’s an art sculpture from an unknown artist in Artazon called “Paradoxical Popper.” Popper has many usage in slang, but there’s also Jalapeño Poppers, which are Chili Peppers. Rikka’s name in Japanese is Chili. I feel like I’m losing my mind, but it connects too well? A lot of emphasis on Paradoxes.

This is something important to keep in mind- all of the Elite Four members correspond with a Titan Pokémon, with rather ominous titles. Larry with the Open Sky, Poppy with the Lurking Steel, Rika with the Quaking Earth, and Hassel with the False Dragon.

PLUS, there’s is a suspicious reoccurrence of the number Four throughout the game. The four ruinous (legendary) Pokémon, four lighthouses, four symbols in the title screen, four missing entries in the Hall of Fame, and four circles in Area Zero. Are these meant to hint at something with the Elite Four? I don’t really know, but feel free to check out the awesome thread by TheSkabbRabbit on Twitter if you want to know more about the Area Zero Puzzle, I was so delighted to see so much interesting evidence I never thought of before.

With all this evidence combined- what would it mean for the story if they were all AI/Robots? I have no idea! The Elite Four seem pretty happy (or at least neutral if you’re Larry) with their current lives, they aren’t the type of characters to be planning Evil Plans behind your back. Perhaps they were all created for a purpose- likely connected to the mysterious Disk Pokémon that will definitely be in the DLC. They were all given incredibly different forms (age, appearance, personality, etc) to deter suspicion. Maybe the E4 are guardians in some way to the secrets of the Disk Pokémon, with Larry guarding the gates to Area Zero, Poppy having a key to unleashing the Disk Pokémon, Rika with connections to paradoxes, and Hassel’s cryogenics. But whatever their original purpose was, they seemed to have moved on, simply wanting to live normal lives. The entire thing with AI Sada and Turo was that they went against their creators wishes to protect Paldea.

Geeta, however, is strict and follows protocol. She wanted all of them to be a part of the Elite Four so they have a position of power and ability to roam Paldea without suspicion. She is said to have “strong-armed” all of the Elite Four into joining, even Poppy. It’s a bit of a meme of how unusually weak her team is, how would she persuade any of the E4? Perhaps her way of strong-arming them was to threaten their very existence, much like Turo and Sada’s. Once the E4 strays too far from their intended purpose, they suffer the consequences by being erased. Yet Geeta has no ill will, she is simply following her duty. The Disk Pokémon has a lot of cosmic-horror/heavenly vibes, perhaps Geeta genuinely believes she is doing the right thing for the sake of humanity.

But what do you guys think?! Writing this theory really makes me excited for the DLC, there are so many unanswered questions. Even if the Elite Four aren’t AI Robots, I have the gut feeling that they know more than what they’re letting on. There are a lot of suspicious things going on, so any theory goes at this point until we get official answers.

#pokemon larry #gym leader larry #elite four larry #pokemon poppy #elite four poppy #pokemon hassel #elite four hassel #pokemon rika #elite four rika #pokemon geeta #champion geeta #kallistopost #guys please believe me I’m not insane I have evidence #but I don’t know what it means haha #theory post #long post

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ghostly-shenanigans-in-progress · 1 year

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Facts and Junk for the Ghostly Pokémon au

Because making character designs and stuff for about 8 gym leaders plus Danny and co. are understandly taking later than expected.

The Amity region is well known for its phenomenon with shiny Pokémon frequencies being higher than any other region to date. It’s high for all types except for ghost types of which hold a significant meaning to the folklore of this region. As the stories tell, those shiny ghost type Pokémon are considered to be the reincarnations of previous loved one and ancestors that actively search for their descendants that have become trainers in order to protect and help them achieve their dreams through their journeys.

Those of note with shiny ghost types on their teams are Danny, Tucker, Sam, Valerie, the gym leaders, elite four and other side characters of note I won’t reveal just yet.

Due to the shiny phenomenon, this has obviously made the region a popular target for Pokémon poachers, and other illegal gang activities to visit, displace or destroy the environment these Pokémon reside in to make bank.

As a result, entry for any outside trainers and tourists is limited and extremely difficult to receive due to the extensive rules enforced by Amity’s game wardens and guys in white. Secondly, the severity of Pokémon attacks and frequency of mass outbreaks in this region are also tied to the security of this region being so tight as this region is very dangerous for newcomers who have not been raised and taught how to deal with this environment.

To improve safety precautions and travel between cities, the Amity region has massive national parks built near each major city or town that’s overlooked by the game wardens and park rangers. Trainers are able to transverse as they please but off the trail areas are off-limits unless the trainer has ranger status or earned the equivalent with earning all the gym badges or receiving the required number of bounties that are enforced by their boards in each park.

Danny’s Ace partner is a shiny Mimikyu he named Phantom or Spooky. He’s had him before he started his journey at age 13 after his parents’ strange machine of which would harness the power of space time distortion portals which naturally occur in their region popped this little guy out. Since he felt bad for displacing Mimikyu from its place, he promised to do the means necessary to return it back to its home. (But in the end Danny realizes he gave Mimikyu its home here with him than to his previous trainer in the future *wink* *wink*).

The most popular gym leader is Ember in the region. Her concerts are always sold out in her city and getting past her in the gym leader test takes forever to schedule.

There’s actually a former monarchy that is in charge of the elite four isle and grounds for the area. These people are Dorathea and Aragon but also the champion, Godric Pariah, who are the last of the royal dragon trainer lineage.

Clockwork is the professor you meet in your journey but is unknowingly the past champion of the region years back. He collaborates with the Fentons in their ghost Pokémon studies and their connection to the recent frequency of the space time distortion events and sleeplessness among the region’s Pokémon as of late.

The enemy/antagonists of this series is Team Nocturnal. The group has a front through a company of which helps trainers treat the recent sleeplessness issue that’s been affecting Pokémon and now people too. Supposedly, the success rate for treatments have been high but the frequency of previous patients coming back to the facility is oddly high despite it. The CEO of the company hasn’t commented on the success but rather insists that routine treatment is what helps prevent a relapse into the sleeplessness disorder.

Another gang you could run into in the region is team Shadow. A biker gang ran by Johnny 13, and Kitty which travels throughout the cities to cause havoc and fun whenever they feel like it. Oddly, they are more benevolent than aggressive with their actions. Usually, helping trainers through government roadblocks set by the national parks or giving them items to heal Pokémon’s status conditions and such. Despite this, they’re often the headache for the head game warden who has struggled to bring them to justice. The team gets their name because of Johnny’s Gengar, Shadow, who is their mascot next to Kitty’s smoochum.

The alliance with Team Shadow is one of several ways trainers can proceed to all park areas without having all badges in tow or escorts. Another is through collecting bounties and earning a ranger rank through the national parks’ system that allows trainers to help conservation and protection of the ecosystem under the surveillance of the park rangers. It’s a faster but more dangerous route to gain full access to the areas. Though, those who take this path eventually become park rangers in the future.

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candycryptids · 2 months

Note

I don’t really know much about your OCs yet apart from a little bit about Tuesday but I’d like to give that question about favorite/comfort food back to you! You can answer for any OCs you want tho, of course! 🫶

🥺 yeah that’s entirely my bad I write stuff but it ends up scattered to the four corners and tucked into Random Tags (trying to do better but alas,) ALSO THANK YOU 😭

I haven’t fully worked out with solid confidence if Tuesday is ever allowed to actually eat or not (gears whirring) but I do have non-xiv au’s where he’s not a robot (and instead just Chuu’s brother lmfao) and in THAT situation his comfort food is Garbage, like, fast-food Cheeseburger With The Works, big soda, and French fries. He becomes a puddle of chronic agonies on the couch and watches How It’s Made. Lmfao. (His favorite food is probably Ramen, though. It’s a bitch to make really good at home so it becomes like a special occasion thing.) IN XIV if he ends up able to eat food (I have justifications-) his favorite food would. Likely end up being things with texture and sensation over taste. Like Grapes (regular or frozen) or like, those really fancy hors dourves (finger foods???) that you KNOW the elite Ul’Dahns (and eulmorans) probably eat at fancy dinner parties. (That aside, he does enjoy cooking, the act of creation is fulfilling and relaxing)

And cos I mentioned Chuu here’s a quick bonus answer

Chuus go-to food is Archon Loaf (optionally dipped in tomato soup.) you can at it one handed, the soup makes it marginally less chewy, and she doesn’t have to stop to eat as many meals cos it’s so nutritionally dense. — Comfort foods end up being things that are really familiar. Garlean MRE’s (made ready to eat) are nostalgic, but if she’s frustrated/stumped on a project she wants a finger food that you can eat a billion of in a row (like. Yknow. Potato chips? But I can’t think of an Eorzean equivalent rn ;w; )

#Waaaaaah /)////(\ Ty for asking #I’ve been trying to just send random asks out every once in a while cos it’s fun and I think it’s important to the tumblr culture eheehee #ffxiv Tuesday #ffxiv Chuu #ask game #Tuesday Gears #Chuusday Gears #doesn’t help the tagging probs that they used to be tagged w/ different last names #and I changed them to reflect what is closest to actual canon ndnrjfjs

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polluxhale · 6 months

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November DWC Day 4 - Attention

tw: brief murder in 1st paragraph

Pollux silently emerged from the shadows behind the Druid of the Flame currently protecting and shielding the flame ward, covering the druid’s mouth with a gloved hand from behind while expertly driving his dagger into the jugular. It didn’t take long for the druid to fall dead at his feet, at the exact same time three others did as well, thanks to the rest of Pollux’s team.

The four members of the Elite Forces placed explosives along the ward before stepping back to shoot a flare up into the air, signaling it was safe for Alexstrasza to destroy the final ward. The four melded back into the shadows and headed towards their rendezvous point a safe distance away from the incoming blast.

“That was easy.” Gaz remarked as they watched Alexstrasza ignite their explosives with a breath of flame, destroying the ward in a fiery eruption.

“They’re unorganized…” Pollux’s attention darted up towards the sky in search of other dangers, mainly Fyrakk. Unorganized, yes, but also completely unpredictable which made the whole situation extremely dangerous. He prided himself in often being able to predict what his enemies might do, but with this particular one it was almost impossible.

“Do you think it’ll work?”

The portals to the Emerald Dream had been blocked for nearly a week at this point, no one was able to enter and no one was able to leave. Supplies had been cut off, as had any extra aid. It wasn’t a good position to be in, but eventually a possible solution had been found. It was now or never, especially since Fyrakk had become more and more agitated with impatience. There was no telling what he would do next.

“It’s all we have right now, so let’s just hope the portal goes back up and reinforcements are able to get through…in time. If not, we’ll go to plan B.”

“What’s plan B?” Baen smirked at Pollux, almost anticipating the answer. Pollux grinned in return, flourishing daggers in both hands, “Today is a good day to die, my friends.” With a sharp whistle, four dragons emerged from the skies and landed just long enough to pick up their respective riders before heading back towards the battlefield. It was time for him to get his hands extra dirty.

@daily-writing-challenge

#story #pollux #dwc2023 #novemberdwc2023

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sugarwithtea · 2 years

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truth or dare || ksj

pairing : seokjin x reader

genre : angst, fluff, ex-best friends to lovers

rating : pg-15

summary : You and Seokjin meet each other again at a college reunion, him igniting the feelings of first love inside you after not meeting him for 4 years after an unexpected seperation. He still doesn't know the reason for it and you have never dared to tell him the truth. Maybe this time, you play the game courageously. Maybe not. Who knows?

word count : 6.3k

warnings : swearing, alcohol consumption, flashback scenes, kissing, miscommunication (i mean, ofc), crying, mentions of body insecurity, first love themes, jin being indecisive as fuck, peer pressure (if you can say it so then), this ain't a warning but his appearance is a bit fancy!! overall - it's seokjin being a hazard for all of us.

author's note : thankyou to the loveliest @gimmethatagustd for requesting this fic with this dialogue prompt <33 love ya jai :) and thanks to my love @highly-functioning-mitochondria for beta-ing it :))

mood : this love (taylor's version) - taylor swift

seokjin's aesthetic/moodboard

sugarwithtea m.list || taglist form (for future fics)

"I still don't really understand what happened between us."

The golden lights casted a beautiful shadow over the main dance floor, elegant and royal. The waiters weaved through the buzzed crowd of elite looking adults, your ex classmates, to be precise, quite skillfully.

Your eyes scanned the crowd to take in the stark differences, if any, in your classmates' appearances. It had been four years since you last met them. You had been in contact with a few of your friends from college, but had lost most of them eventually. Some faces greet you with a friendly smile which you instantly return, while some just dismiss your presence as you do the same.

Taehyung had been keen on bringing you to your college reunion this time, one that happens every two years. You don't know why they hold a reunion every two years. Presumably, you had missed the first party and had then met an absolutely enraged Taehyung as he had failed to spot you at the location it was held at.

So now, here you were, leaning against the bar with a champagne flute in one of your hands and the other nervously twirling your hair. You were not specifically excited or even scared to meet someone, except one person.

Kim Seokjin.

Even the mere thought of his name brings heat straight to your face and you cower behind the glass, taking a sip from it to hide your sudden blush.

You and him went way back to your childhood days. Both of you became friends as you were neighbours and then went on to become classmates in college. He had always been your support system and safe place when you went through the ups and downs of your life, your best friend.

He had also been one more thing.

Your first love.

You were never able to act on your feelings, always too scared to break the friendship or distance yourself from him. You confidently believed that he didn't reciprocate your love, that his love was just platonic, not because he dated other people frequently. No, he rarely did that. The only girlfriend he ever had was one in the last year of highschool, when you weren't classmates yet, just neighbours and friends.

The thing which made you believe that he never loved you, and will never love you, was an incident that took place during your last year.

— 4 years ago —

"Where are we even going, Heejin?"

"To the gym." she delightfully responds as she drags you across the corridors, heading towards the gym.

"What for?" you exasperatedly groan.

Her eyes sparkle with mischief and a slight bit of adoration as she answers.

"Jinyoung is there. The boys are practising for their next match. Might as well catch them in action, yeah?" she winks at you as she pulls you inside the gym, pushing open the doors authoritatively.

Loud laughter greets you as soon as you step inside, followed by incoherent mumbles and yellings of excited boys. All of them fall to deaf ears for you, except for one.

Seokjin's.

The fact that he was the captain of the basketball team had completely slipped your mind. His windshield laugh only allows you to know that he might have made some stupid joke or pun, and is now laughing heartedly at it.

Your lips, who seem to have a mind of their own, form a smile at the sound of his happiness. You can imagine his crinkled eyes, full lips stretched into a proud grin, his handsome face contorted into pure mirth and his shoulders shaking from his joy.

The realisation that you loved him had dawned on you long ago, and the feelings just increased every time you saw him, heard him or thought of him, with an aching feeling inside your heart.

You were not so sure about what he would reciprocate if you opened up your heart to him, but still were hopeful. His actions were the ones of a best friend, but there were some moments where you felt like maybe even he was in this a little too deep, if not as much as you were.

You and Heejin settle behind the door that seperated the lockers from the main court. The laughter soon died and suddenly Jinyoung spoke up.

"Jin, your turn! Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

A series of ooh's followed his choice and both you and Heejin held your breath in excitement for what's to come next.

"Okay so," started a lanky boy who had been leaning against the lockers all the time, with mischief in his eyes.

"Who'd you fuck? Y/N or Hana?" he ended and everyone present in the gym went quiet at the question.

You could hear your heartbeat up in your ears and your eyes were as wide as saucers as you registered Heejin staring at you with the same surprised reaction, while gulping to watch your expressions.

"What the fuck?" Seokjin gasped out as the fog of shock faded slowly from around everyone present there.

All the boys except Jinyoung and Yoongi started the usual series of laughter and noises as their anticipation for Seokjin's answer rose steadily, two of them even having the nerve to clap him on the back in a friendly, nonchalant way. The lanky boy was now grinning from ear to ear as he stood straight, standing as tall as Jin and advanced towards the middle of the group, directly in front of Jin.

"Aww, seems like someone is scared that his best friend will be upset if he disagrees to fuck her." he says in a mocking, high pitched tone while jutting out his bottom lip to mimick a dramatic pout.

Laughter breaks out almost immediately and you try to hide yourself from the girl beside you. These were college boys, immature and insensitive. You could not take their words seriously and let them affect your thoughts.

"Oh, or wait." the same lanky boy, whom now you recognised as Woomin continued, "Don't tell me you are hesitant because you want to have sex with her?"

Silence spreads once again while some of the boys morphed their expression into one of disgust, mumbling shocked profanities under their breath or to each other, inaudible to you, but quite obviously those not in your favour. A string of ‘what?, really?, oh my god seokjin no!' were passed through them which made you want to run away.

Jin stood in shocked poise even when Woomin walked up too close for him to be comfortable, looked him straight in his eyes with a sly smirk as he opened his mouth once again to spew utter nonsense.

"Tell me, Seokjin. Would you fuck Y/N or not?" he asked in an almost whisper.

"I'm not answering a shitty question like that." Jin spoke through gritted teeth while his whole form was on the verge of shuddering.

Woomin stepped back and spread his arms in an authoritative manner, still looking at him in the eyes.

"If you don't then we'll know it's a yes."

Jin's eyes grew as wide as they could while he took a small step back, his whole body language shouting "DEFENSE MODE! DIE OR SURRENDER"

Woomin and the boys doubled down in laughter, him hitting his knee with his hand while one tall guy, taller than Seokin, says,

"Not Y/N Jin. Not her." as he scrunches his nose in disappointment and visible disgust at the thought.

Your heart dropped to your feet when you saw Jin feeling all attacked and hesitant, even considering answering this shitty question to save his pride or erase his cowardness.

He regained his footing as he straightened up, eyes still wide as a toddler's and lips trembling to form an answer.

"I won't."

If you wanted to run away before, now you want to bury yourself right then and there especially when a whole team is having a conversation about you with Heejin not so sneakily trying to glance at you to gauge your reaction.

"Why?" Woomin oh so smugly questions and Seokjin had to stick his chin up, if ever so slightly with hesitation visible as daylight in his form to get himself and his answer approved by his beloved team.

Of course Jin won't fuck his bestfriend, why would he? You think. He might reason it as you being his best friend and your dynamic being platonic, leaving no space for y'all to think about sex with each other but what he says next has tears welling up in your eyes as you try to hold them back from falling.

"I would never fuck someone like her."

You couldn't stop yourself from running away from there while choking on a sob. You didn't care anymore what Heejin thought about your reaction, you wanted to be away from everyone.

You kind of knew that Jin always thought of you platonically but never in a million years would you have thought of him referring to you like this, as if you were some untouchable, unfuckable being who only spewed disgust from others when she went in front of them.

The tears were unstoppable as they dampened your pillow, one that you had stuffed your face in as soon as you reached home and shut the door of your bedroom to save yourself from the prying eyes of your roommate.

You were never confident about your body. You knew you didn't have the model figure but you also didn't regard it dismissively with contempt and disgust. You weren’t fat but you weren't size zero either. Your heart broke when you thought of people regarding you like this for your appearance.

You pinch at the flesh of the slight cellulite forming on your thighs and cry out louder. You knew you were being insensitive with yourself, blaming yourself for a natural cause. But, you never knew why he disregarded you so easily. It could have been your body, it could have been your personality, it could have been you.

Haste and anger lead to the worst decisions ever.

The same happened when you decided to distance yourself from Jin to get over him and to also process your feelings and thoughts about the most childish game you had witnessed.

You stop the waiter to get your fifth glass of champagne as Taehyung rambles on at your side about his latest encounter with Namjoon and Jimin at the Annual Business Conference, both of them working as Regional Managers for two leading companies when Taehyung himself worked as the CEO's personal assistant of a major tech firm. Both of them were unable to attend the reunion and thus Taehyung was giving the details about their whereabouts to you.

You spot Yoongi a second later, striking up a conversation with the DJ of the night, who was doing a lazy job at hyping up the crowd, given the low beat and soft tone of the music he played.

You nonchalantly glide your eyes over the crowd when suddenly Taehyung pauses his ramble causing you to look at him. He donned his boxy grin as his eyes sparkled up with recognition. As you follow his line of sight, you spot your worst nightmare, or maybe your best dream.

Seokjin gracefully strides over to you in his full glory. Wearing a black shirt with a few buttons open at the top, covered by a black blazer, while his shirt was tucked into black slacks which impressively showcased his thighs, he looked like a fucking god. His hair was side parted, one part fell onto his eyes while the other was swept back with the most beautiful mullet. He had let go of a tie and one of his hands was in his pocket while the other held a champagne flute.

Dionysus might have been ashamed of the sight in front of him. Seokjin looked alluring, especially with the alcohol in his hand, he gave a complex to the Greek god himself. His plump, full lips were in a dashing smile as his eyes crinkled at the ends with joy.

As if like a strong gust of wind, all the college days come back to you in a jiffy. You were reminded of the days you both spent sneaking out of your houses to have a walk at the park, the day you both were delighted to know you got in the same college, when you stayed with him at the skating park till nightfall and talked about everything, when you cheered for him from the bleachers during his games, when he comforted you during your first breakup, bringing tubs of your favourite ice cream and watching sappy romance movies with you all night. When you realised you were in love with him, the night of your college fair, everything.

You also remember the days when he tried to talk to you but you merely made an excuse or ran away. You remember how your hangouts and meetings kept on decreasing till they stopped completely. You remember how he still smiled at you whenever you ran into each other and never showcased any annoyance or sourness, you remember it all.

He quickly engulfs Taehyung in a hug as he excitedly shouts his name. You notice how his biceps flex through the blazer as he wraps an arm around Taehyung and quickly pulls your eyes away, gulping down the remainder of your champagne.

You are the next one he will greet, of course. You know he is still a gentleman and that he never stopped considering you as a friend. He lets go of Taehyung and soon speaks.

"Hey man it's been a long time, yeah?"

"Says the man who’s holed up in his office at every opportunity he gets."

"Says the man who works for the CEO but when I ask if he'd like to be CEO, he declines."

"What the fuck does it even mean?"

"CEO you know — C each other."

You could not stop the laughter bubbling in your throat as it came out in a giggle when Taehyung groaned while facepalming himself at Jin's stupid pun.

"Oh my god that was so lame, Jin" he says.

He laughs his legendary laugh as his eyes land on you and not to be dramatic or something, but your breath truly hitches when you see those beautiful orbs stare right into yours. All traces of laughter vanish from his face as a dashing smile takes its place instead.

"Y/N" he breathes out almost in a whisper, while tilting his head a bit so as to truly look at you. He smugly takes your hand in his and leaves a soft kiss on your knuckles as you stare at him in awe, jaw slack due to surprise and a blush creeping up your neck and cheeks at his actions.

"Kim Seokjin at your service, my lady." he says as he bows down gracefully, your hand still in his. You furrow your brows in question at his sudden odd behaviour but still can't stop getting all flustered at it. He notices your state and pulls you in for a hug with the same hand.

The music seemed to have gotten slower and as you crashed against his chest, still in a shock, your senses went into an overdrive. His cologne fills your nose and the hand that finds solace around your waist burns into your skin. Your eyes widen but soon, you relax within his grasp. Trying to calm down your breathing, you cancel out, or try to cancel out your feelings creeping back in your mind. You also try to ignore the erratic beating of his heart, mistaking it as your own.

"Jokes aside, Y/N." he whispers with a laugh and tilts his head down, unconsciously sniffing your hair.

"I've missed you." he mumbles into your hair and you unknowingly wrap your arms around his torso which had been lying limp by your sides.

He missed you.

You realise the meaning of his words, Seokjin has missed you. All this while when you thought that maybe he would have forgotten a girl like you, he says that he never did. But of course again, you guys have always been friends, even though distant after a point. So you try not to overthink his words more and mumble a small 'same' as you detach yourself from him, fighting your heart who wants to stay there forever.

He settles in the space between you and Taehyung and smiles wistfully at the crowd and basically, everything. He looks at you again, with nothing but softness in his eyes.

"It's been so long since we last heard from each other, right?"

"Yeah, it has been."

"I think since graduation?"

Before you can even open your mouth, Taehyung jumps into action.

"What? You both haven't talked since graduation?" his eyes were all owlish and eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Yes. I tried to find her contacts but was not successful and I asked you once but I guess you forgot? So I didn't pester you more." he says with a light apologetic smile that makes your heart sink.

He had tried to contact you but you hadn't, even though you very much wanted to locate him and run into his arms.

Taehyung reasons his lack of response as his short term memory and thinking he has already replied to the message when in reality, he hasn't and expresses his concerns on technology and it's increasing disadvantages when Seokjin shuts his mouth up and stops the conversation from going further downhill, thanks to him being a Computer Engineer and coming up with advances that made Taehyung go tight lipped at once.

The flow had changed, you were no longer the one they were talking about and you were glad that you were spared from giving a reason for not being communicative with Jin. You try to focus on their conversation but soon zone out when you realise that they are having an argument on who's better, Mario or Luigi.

The moment you are truly pulled back into the conversation is when you felt an arm drape itself around your shoulders and you realised that Jisn was pulling you into him, if only ever so slightly. Your cheeks go pink at his action and you once again hide behind your glass, taking a sip from it casually.

"Taehyung tells me that I am not a crazy Harry Potter fanboy. Y/N, kindly enlighten him." he laughs in his full glory as he brings you a bit forward and looks at Taehyung smugly, as if to tell him he has already lost the debate.

You scoff amusingly at his words and start enthusiastically.

"Oh Tae, you should've seen his bedroom when he was in high school. Completely decorated with Harry Potter posters and a print of the Marauder's Map pinned near his desk. He had almost transformed his bed into the classic four poster gryffindor dorm bed but then thought better."

Taehyung defensively glares at you as Seokjin victoriously smiles at his flustered state.

"But I- umm- I, was right. He is not a fanboy anymore, he is a fanman."

"Oh no." you groan.

"Oh my god that was so lame, Taehyung. Worse than my dad jokes."

"I, for one, second this notion." you say and immediately high five Seokjin as he brings up his hand. He unknowingly flexes his fingers right after he lets go of your touch.

Taehyung whines like a child and stomps his foot.

"Ugh, you guys always gang up against me. I think I'm gonna go find Yoongi." and with that, he leaves the both of you at your own mercy.

Seokjin glances around the whole area and resorts to sipping from his drink as you nervously do the same. You could feel your hands get sweaty and your body on the verge of shivering as you shuddered with the anxiety and awkwardness of being alone with Jin, neither of you speaking a single word. It's as if he sensed your thoughts exactly at that moment and turned to look at you with a lone smile.

"So," he begins,"How have you been?"

"Great, a lil busy but, yeah."

"I sensed you were busy." he chuckles while shaking his head and looking at his feet, your insides aching once more at the sight.

You know why he thinks you were busy. It's because you never sought him out, never tried to find him, never tried to do nothing. Little does he know, it's all you've ever wanted, but the shrivelled up rose in your heart extends its thorns, caging you whole, not allowing you to act on your instincts, but on your overthinking abilities. But now standing face to face, you have to put up a front and answer him.

"Yeah, well. What about you?"

"Same."

And you both fall back into that silence once again. This time though, it's less unnerving, slightly calming, and a lot suspicious. It feels like the calm before a storm. You don't know yet in what way it will greet you, but you can feel it coming in your bones, anxiously twisting your fingers to try and come up with a conversation starter, when Jin eventually breaks the ice, the storm beginning with a heavy downpour.

"To be honest," he says while leaning back against the bar and cocking his head to look at you, still with softness, grace and adoration, no malice.

"I still don't really understand what happened between us."

Your mind shuts down and goes into an overdrive at the same moment. You knew this question was due some time but you had no idea that time would be so soon. Now that the question lingers in the air, you don't know how to reply to him. You can't let your feelings come to the surface so easily and you definitely can't let him know your childish decision, a result of an immature game. The only resort left is nonsensical, but you go for it anyway.

"What?" you laugh inquisitively, feigning confusion. "What are you talking about?" you ask, putting up your best act.

It's like even after all these years, Seokjin can see right through you and your facade. He shakes his head and lets his hands fall down to his side.

"Don't play coy with me now, Y/N. You know what I'm talking about."

Busted.

He looks at you expectantly, as if you were going to give him the whole world, which you wish to, but can't. You can't come up with any reasons for your departure from his life. You know he had tried to get you back, but it was you, it had always been you.

"I think we just weren't that good of friends."

He laughs mirthlessly, still not discarding his softness though.

"We were the best."

You indeed were, but these hands of yours had to let him go free or else you would have fallen in a ditch so deep, the hands you held then would have been of no help. He had left a permanent mark on you, glowing in the dark were his words and your memories with him. You were that good with him.

"I had to watch you leave." he says, pausing your thoughts. "Watch you leave me."

He laughs again, but sadly.

A bubble of anger starts rising in your stomach at his statement. He had to watch you leave but shouldn't he have been happy that you left? You mean, you were always the weird one and he is better off without someone like you.

"You were better without someone like me anyways." you mutter the words under your breath, a little too loud though, scared of what might happen if he hears them but still eager to let him hear them.

"What?"

"Nothing, Jin. Why are we talking about things which happened so long ago?" you laugh it away.

"Because they matter to me." he stands straight now, towering over you handsomely. Exerting a sense of dominance, but softly.

"I don't want to discuss the past right now."

"No. What did you mean by someone like you?"

You groan like a kid.

"Someone like me." you vaguely gesture towards yourself, doing a once over with your hands.

"Huh? Why do you say it as if it's a bad thing to be like you?" he is utterly confused which only confuses you more. Wasn't he the one who had found problems in you? Why is he acting so vague then?

"You tell me."

"Can you stop beating around the bush?" He runs a hand through his hair in utter exasperation and lets it fall limp at his side in a tightly clenched fist.

"Leave it." you say a little too loud so that a few heads turn in your direction.

Seokjin gently takes your wrist in his hand and directs you towards the empty hallway leading towards the exit. He stands in front of you as your back faces the wall, a mere inches away from it, but you stand confidently and he never tries to overpower you.

"I just can't leave it." he gulps and if you didn't know better you'd say he looked nervous.

"Tell me, Y/N. What happened?"

The memory of that day still stings you painfully. It's not in your best interests to recall it, especially in front of the person who stars in it. You close your eyes and laugh mirthlessly. It's an irony that he has to be the one to ask this question and not the other way around. So, you dare to say the truth after all.

"Oh I'm sorry. I meant to say 'someone like her'" you make air quotes around and open your eyes just in time to catch his face, drained of all colour and eyes as wide as possible.

His lower lip quivers and he takes a step back in mock defence, the stance taking you back to the day when he was asked the dreadful question, poised similarly, in shock and ever ready to defence. It's just a second's difference then, that you find his eyes have glossed slightly, and he tries to not catch your eye.

"You- you, I- how do you know that?"

"I was there, Seokjin."

"What?"

You smirk mockingly and look up at him. His eyes are blown out as you stare at him, holding your gaze for a long time before breaking a little.

"Me and Heejin, we were in the gym that day."

You render him speechless, thus continuing with your revelation.

"She wanted to sneak up on Jiyoung, when we - " you gulp and look away from him.

"When we caught up on your little game and it was your turn."

"And you-"

"I did. I heard your answer."

Your heart is already racing at a million miles an hour and the speed threatens to increase itself when you look at him. He is on the verge of tears, truly shaking. Embarrassment flows through him as he refuses to meet your eyes. You feel your heart break and you almost extend your hand to him, to hold him.

"I, I am sorry, Y/N." he finally steadies himself and reciprocates your gaze. "I didn't mean it."

"You mean, you wanted to fuck me?"

"That was a shitty question which I didn't want to answer, but was compelled to."

You notice how he doesn't deny your assumption but you keep it to yourself, after all, it's time you know the truth behind the words he had dared to speak out loud.

"So, you said the truth, right?"

"Why would I think of you with contempt, Y/N?" he fists his hair and pleads to you with his eyes.

"I don't know, you tell me."

He takes a deep breath and sombers up his expression, still showcasing guilt and embarrassment.

"I was a young, immature, frat boy, then. You know how it works. The boys in my team considered themselves to have a certain standard that everyone had to match. I needed them to be in my favour, I was the captain. So I panicked when Woomin asked the question and replied what would have been in their best interests."

"In their best interests? What do you mean?"

You hold your breath for what's to come next as you can visibly see Seokjin tremble in front of you, contemplating giving you the answer or against it.

"Seokjin." you whisper slowly, and nod your head.

He exhales shakily and takes one of your hands in his. He starts speaking while looking down at your hands and rubbing circles on the back of it, soothingly.

"They didn't like you. Always ridiculed me for being friends with you. I ignored them most of the time as my attempts to change their thoughts had failed, miserably. That day," he sniffs and you look up to see a lone tear threatening to fall out of his eyes and mark his sadness, "I tried to dismiss them at first. But when I had no other option left, I had to say what I thought they would agree with."

You unconsciously grip his hand tighter at that and he looks up at you.

"That was the stupidest, shittiest move I had ever made and I still regret it. But you know they say, college is the place where your minds are the most indecisive. Mine was. And I came under the decisions of my peers. I am sorry."

You don't even know how to react to him, or how to conceive his words peacefully. The fog was clearing out each passing second but he still stood amongst its core, trying to shout for you, waving his hands around to lessen the mist. You open your mouth and close it again, wordlessly. Gulping audibly, you still don't retrieve your hand from his.

"You could've said anything else."

"I know." he squeezes your hand.

He doesn't say sorry once again, as he knows it's pointless. He now takes your other hand in his free hand.

"Y/N, please understand. I would never, even in my wildest dreams, have thought those things about you. Never."

You laugh and look at him now shedding tears. He was crying and you had not broken yet. You mindlessly free one of your hands from his grip and bring it up to his cheek, wiping away the stray tear. You realise your action and go to take your hand back when he keeps his palm over yours, holding your hand right there.

You stare at him wide eyed as he softly leans into your touch, relaxing at it. His eyes are pleading with you, asking you to understand him. He was driven by peer pressure. You could see the disgust written all over his teammates face at your mention, then. Of course, you had forgiven him a long time ago, when you were no longer an immature college student. But watching him plead for forgiveness so earnestly stirs your heart.

"Jinnie," his face lights up at the nickname you've called him by since your childhood,"I get it. It was childish of me for running away from you due to this reason, I am sorry. I, I just couldn't face you after knowing you thought of me with such contempt. It was," you look away and stare at the thin glitter lining on his suit, mumbling your next words almost quietly,"heartbreaking."

"Y/N, look at me."

You look at him and your world shifts. He is staring at you with tears, adoration, love and a fading loneliness. Your past swims in them and they crinkle to form his handsome smile when he looks down at you.

"Keep your heart breakable, but never by the same hand twice. I don't want to be the same hand again. I promise, I will never break your heart."

You smile at his words and rub your thumb over his cheek.

"I won't break your heart either, ever."

These words felt so intimate, you didn't know what he was thinking of. Your words were the result of your evergreen love for him, his words, maybe not?

"I tried to get you back, but failed."

Ah, yes. The time you avoided him like the plague.

"I was scared of many things, to be honest. Almost all of them were me and my mind thinking the worst case scenario and dwelling over it. I needed to be away from you. It has helped me, broke me, healed me, but with scars."

His eyebrows form a crease.

"I don't understand."his voice breaks.

"I - " you shake your head and close your mouth. You can't tell him that you love him. If you do so, this time he'll be the one to run away.

He lifts your chin up delicately. He was crying. Not in the way that only some tears marked his beautiful face, but in a way that made it hard for him to breathe. He leans his forehead against yours and closes his eyes, letting the tears fall down steadily and you immediately intertwine your fingers with his.

"I was a mess when you stopped smiling at me. I was a mess when you stopped talking to me. After college I tried again, but was never able to reach out to you." He laughs,"I guess, I was scared too. Scared of you not acknowledging me once again and me going into the wallowing state. Though, I never left it. Maybe because I know that I still, I," he pauses and gulps audibly.

"I love you, Y/N."

What the actual fuck?

He loves you? The man you have loved your whole life loves you? Your jaw drops to the floor and you search his eyes for some kind of joke but all that stares back at you is love. He closes them and that's when you realise he might be waiting for some kind of reaction from you.

"Wha- you- how…you love me?"

"Always have."

He renders you speechless, all you could do is stare at him wide eyed. His confession stirred your insides to an extent that it was hard for you to stand up straight, or process the happenings around you.

"I loved you but didn't want anyone to know about it, as i was scared. That you'd run away from me, that I'll lose you. Well, for my bad luck, it did happen eventually." he chuckles sadly and continues.

"But I can't afford to lose you again."

Your face lights up with joy and contentment at his words and you finally let out a sigh of relief. Atlast, your question of years has been answered. The fog has cleared and you see yourself standing with him, position same as that of now, except none of you are crying. You know it's finally the time you let out the words you've been meaning to tell him since years.

"I love you too, Jin." you mumble so quietly he might have almost missed it if not for his attentive listening when it comes to you.

"You, you do?" He looks so happy and expectant.

"It was the main reason why I had to go away from you, to get over you."

"Oh my god, we were idiots."

He pulls you flush against his chest and hugs you tightly while kissing the top of your head.

"Not anymore though." you mumble into his chest and you swear you could hear, rather than see his smile. Pulling away from him, for a second only, you wrap your hands around his neck and stand on your tiptoes, your lips hovering over his.

"Kiss me, Y/N. Please."

And you press your lips to his.

He takes no time in kissing you back, moving his lips against yours slowly as you sigh into the kiss. Sparks fly around you and you melt into him immediately. His lips are soft, just as you had dreamt of so many times. And they taste sweet, just like you had expected them to. Your senses go into an overdrive and you start moving your jaw against his with increased vigour. He senses it almost immediately and presses himself to you as your back hits the wall. His tongue glides across your bottom lip and you give him access to your mouth, tasting his mouth for the first time, ferevering the sweet taste and —

"I always knew you both would end up together. Oh my god."

You both break away from the kiss and snap your heads towards the source of the voice at the same time.

Taehyung was standing there with a hand grasped over his heart, to feign adoration and surprise. You can feel a shy smile creeping up on your lips as you look away from him.

"Go away, Tae." Seokjin grumbles at him playfully.

"Oh yeah, sorry. Carry on, lovebirds." he giggles like a schoolgirl and disappears as quickly as he had appeared.

You and Seokjin look at each other for a hot second after his departure before breaking into laughter. You clutch at his biceps and he holds your waist as you both keep on laughing heartily. None of you know why you are laughing. Maybe it was because of the encounter with Taehyung, maybe it was because of the irony at how things had turned out, or maybe it was because you both were finally so happy you couldn't control it.

Happy tears well up in your eyes and your chest and stomach start aching by the intensity of your joy.

"My lungs are aching, oh god. I need to stop laughing." You say, while laughing.

"Well I think then we truly do be-lung with each other."

And, you laugh again. This time it goes on and on while you look at each other, full of love, adoration, respect and promises.

After all, you both had dared to tell the truth and are now revelling in its bliss.

taglist : @nuniah @kittykooyoongi @highly-functioning-mitochondria @jeonkookiesworld @haliiimede @jjkeverlast @aliimac (if the tag doesn't work then please note that I wasn't able to tag you)

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