#yeah two posts are coming to a dash near you

[chefs-other-corner]

Sick Days |Rumi|

☆Paring: Rumi x Zoey x Mira

☆Tags: SIck Fic, fluff, a pinch of angst, a dash of hurt/comfort, and just a shit ton of domestic fluff

☆Sum Sum: Rumi Gets sick, her girlys take care of her   ☆Word count: 926

☆Note: This was BASED AND FULLY INSPIRDE BY THIS POST, The one behind it is called fishsticks231 uhhh idk how to add it so I'll just (bloop) Here it iss ────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

Rumi lost her voice two days ago.

At first, it just hurt. Her throat burned after dance practice, and she figured it was the dry air, or maybe yelling counts too many during rehearsal. She didn’t say anything.

She didn’t have time to be sick.

The Honmoon comeback was hers to manage—had to be. The new choreography. The interviews. The promotional collabs. Every loose end felt like a thread wrapped around her throat.

But now her voice is gone. Really gone. No sound comes out except these weak, breathy exhales that barely count as words. Her chest feels tight. Her hands won’t stop shaking.

And worst of all—her marks are faintly glowing again.

She sees them in the mirror that morning. Pale violet along her collarbone, the same kind of dull shimmer they’d had before everything went bad. She covers them with makeup immediately. Turtleneck on top of that. She doesn’t tell Mira or Zoey. If they find out, they'll worry, and she doesn't want—

Her knees buckle in the hallway.

She catches herself on the wall and stands there, dizzy and panicked, hands trembling harder now. Her skin feels hot, her breath shallow. She thinks she might pass out.

She hears Mira’s voice from the living room.

“Rumi?”

She freezes. Too late.

“What the hell?” Zoey’s voice is sharper. She rushes to her side and immediately catches her arm. “You’re burning up—babe, what is this? Why didn’t you say anything?”

Rumi shakes her head, mouthing nothing, shrinking back instinctively. She pulls at the collar of her turtleneck, trying to hide more of her skin.

Mira sees it. She sees everything.

“Oh my god,” she says quietly. “You thought the marks were coming back.”

Rumi looks away.

Zoey’s voice drops, like the fight drains out of her. “Rumi…”

Rumi starts typing on her phone—I thought I was okay. I’ve been okay. I didn’t want to mess it up. Not now. The words blur from the tears she won’t let fall.

Zoey reads it, jaw clenched. “You’re not messing anything up.”

Mira steps forward and pulls the phone from her hands gently. “You’re sick. That’s it. Not cursed. Not broken. Not dangerous.” Then, quieter: “And you don’t have to go through it alone.”

Rumi’s face crumples for just a second.

Then she nods. Zoey and Mira practically drag her to bed. Rumi tries to protest—tapping weakly on her phone, something about the group’s livestream tomorrow and how she still hasn’t finalized outfits—but neither of them are listening.

“You need to lie down,” Mira says, pushing the blankets back and guiding Rumi in like she’s tucking in a porcelain doll.

Zoey, pacing near the doorway, mutters, “Maybe we should just call that tonic guy again.”

Mira groans, already rubbing her temples. “Please don’t bring him up.”

“He helped!” Zoey insists.

“He sold you a ‘universal healing elixir’ that turned out to be glorified grape juice.”

“Okay, yeah—but Rumi liked it.”

Rumi, still mute and exhausted, blinks at them. Then shrugs, mouthing, it tasted good.

Mira stares at both of them like she’s living with toddlers. “You are not giving her thirty-dollar juice with glitter in it and calling it medicine.”

“It’s not glitter,” Zoey argues, “It’s crushed quartz infused with chakra resonance. That’s what he said.”

“He also said it cured taxes.”

Rumi lets out a breathy wheeze that might be a laugh, and Zoey grins, triumphant. “See? Healing.”

Rumi doesn’t remember falling asleep, but when she wakes up, it’s dark out. Her throat still burns, her body aches, but she’s warm.

Pressed between them.

Zoey’s arm is slung around her waist, loose and heavy, her face buried into Rumi’s back like a sleepy koala. Mira’s curled in close at her front, her hand tucked under Rumi’s jaw, thumb gently stroking at her cheek like she’s still soothing her in her sleep.

It’s quiet—too quiet for a house usually filled with music and movement and half-finished arguments about snack hoarding. For once, there’s no expectation. No tension waiting to snap in her chest.

She’s just… here. Held.

Rumi shifts a little, enough that Mira’s eyes flutter open. She doesn't say anything, just blinks at her. Then, like instinct, her fingers go to Rumi’s collar. She pushes it down just slightly and checks the skin where her marks shimmered earlier.

Still there. But faint now. Calm.

She traces over one with the pad of her finger.

Rumi’s breath catches.

“You’re okay,” Mira whispers, voice low and tired and warm with relief. “It’s not coming back. It was never about the marks. You’re just exhausted.”

Rumi nods, slow. It feels like her throat might close again if she tries to cry, so she doesn’t. She just presses her forehead to Mira’s and breathes through the ache.

Behind her, Zoey stirs. “What time is it?” she mumbles into Rumi’s shoulder.

“Late,” Mira says.

Zoey hums. “She awake?”

Mira nods.

“Tell her I knew it was grape juice and I’d still buy it again.”

Rumi lets out the softest laugh—soundless, but Mira feels it in her chest. It’s the first time she hasn’t looked scared all day.

“Go back to sleep,” Mira murmurs.

Zoey tightens her arm around Rumi. “Not unless she does.”

Rumi blinks slow. She’s still sick. Still anxious. Still scared that all of this could slip if she stops holding on so tight. But right now, they’re here. Not just beside her, but with her. Soft, steady. Anchored.

She lets herself close her eyes again.

And this time, when she falls asleep, it’s not from crashing.

It’s from comfort.

Part Two Part Three

[lovelyahoy]

Dr. Stone: One-shot. Word Count: 8,062.

Warnings: I think i overused the example of 'heart' and 'world', kinda rushed scenarios, and maybe some inconsistencies, Senku might highkey be OOC in the romance aspect but that's okayyy, may be utter trash. (I wrote this back in early June, but kept changing things every time I re-read it. I'm mainly posting this so I can finally let go of this one-shot. Hopefully some of y'all will somewhat enjoy it.)

Summary: Senku and [Y/N] work their way through their rekindled relationship, and he is willing to do anything to bring back the fire they once lit together.

TL: @akiqvq (hi, been a while 💖)

Pairing: Senku Ishigami x Fem!Reader.

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Senku was getting annoyed, having been standing in line for the past two hours with the hot summer heat cooking him alive. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck, and he sighed, seeing the still ecstatic Taiju and Yuzuriha.

"If I had known we'd be here for this long, I wouldn't have accepted that damn ticket." His grumbling wasn't taken seriously, per usual. They had received VIP tickets to their mutual friend's show.

Senku didn't have much to do other than study more, so when they both came into his science club and demanded he join them for the evening, he didn't argue—now he wishes he had put up a fight.

"Sorry. It's my fault." Yuzuriha smiled sheepishly, having stopped by the merch stands to get matching bracelets, effectively putting them further back in the queue.

It took another thirty minutes to finally make it inside, quickly heading over to a drink booth and getting refreshments. Senku gulped greedily, on the verge of passing out.

"So, are we going to wait long for her to get on stage, too?"

"I don't think so..."

Senku was going to commit a war crime, aka leave, like right now. He was tired of sitting around for his friend to sing, something she did for free whenever she came over. Although it was oddly curious to see the security personnel dashing around and the event coordinators looking frantic.

"Oh my! There you are, please, we need help." Senku's wrist was snatched by a panicked-looking dude he briefly recognized, Yuzuriha and Taiju exchanged a glance before catching up to them.

They were led backstage and near a locked door, with staff lingering outside looking severely ticked off. That irked the teen. He knew they didn't have the best work relationship with [Y/N], but they never even tried to hide it.

"Anything?"

"No, she won't open the door."

Senku approached and knocked softly, hearing a muffled 'go away'.

"It's Sen-" The door slammed open, and he was tugged inside, the door closing immediately after. [Y/N]'s makeup was ruined from tears, and she looked absolutely devastated.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything. My manager won't let me use the costume Yuzuriha made me, the microphones are fucked up and no one has spares or a way to fix them. It's a mess!" She hit the mic on the palm of her hand for added effect, crashing onto her vanity seat and trying to hold back more tears. "I wasn't allowed to eat lunch, no snacks either, I'm starving..."

Senku wasn't stupid; he knew there was something much deeper here that affected her, but he wasn't about to worsen her mood by asking. He softly sighed and walked up to her, gently taking the mic from her clutches. [E/C] eyes moved up to meet his own, lips twitching in a sad pout. Her empty hands were soon holding a small bag of gummy bears, one of her favorites. 

"I got this, let's get Yuzuriha to fix your makeup, yeah?" She nodded, sniffling as she watched Senku open the door very little, motioning for the brown haired girl to come in. She did, and so did an energetic Taiju.

It didn't take long for her to get cleaned up, looking better than before. Laughing at Taiju's stupid jokes and comments.

"There, good as new and for the costume, maybe next time [Y/N]?"

"No, yours matches the song's theme. The one Paul picked is so ugly and unflattering." The pair trailed their gaze to the hung-up costume, grimacing at its unfashionable appearance. Ruffles everywhere, bright pink and a clear contrast to the song that was supposed to be sung in harsh vocals.

"Here." The mic was handed back, [Y/N] took it, and observed the bored teen. "A wire was loose, I tied it with another."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Seriously?"

"Uh, yes?"

[Y/N] breathed in deeply, turning in her seat and staring at herself in the mirror. She was fuming on the inside. Fifteen people here, and none of them could fix the mic. A loose wire? She got a headache because of a loose wire.

Senku had taken a step back when her eyes stared up at him in disbelief, he too was surprised her team didn't think to check the most common malfunction. He darted his gaze to see Yuzuriha look uncertain in the newfound quiet atmosphere.

Deeming herself presentable, she slammed open the door once again. Paul stood there with his face flushed red in anger, eyes scanning her attire, and opened his mouth to yell, but got cut off.

"You're fired. Your team is fired, everyone's fired except Vivian and George."

George had been the one to fetch Senku, while Vivian was the assistant manager who did more work than Paul ever did.

"I made you happen! You can't fire me!"

"I will get Vince to escort you out if you don't get out of my face." He was far too close for comfort, hand raised like he wanted to strike her, and [Y/N] would not stand for it.

"Viv, you're my new manager. Any funds you need to start up, let me know. George, you are going to be my head staff, everything goes through you now. Hire anyone you like."

They both hesitantly nodded, a little worried from the shift in attitude. [Y/N] turned to look at the trio with a smile on her face.

"Thank you."

The show had gone on without any further issues, Senku murmured like a whiny brat when Taiju was trying to get him to admit he liked the show—and yeah, he did, but he'd never admit it, at least not to this oaf.

They stood by the empty stage, waiting for the teen singer to bounce over to them. Scarlet eyes scanned her now clean face, no trace of the heavy performance makeup from earlier or the costume. [Y/N] readjusted her tank top straps and pulled her jeans higher.

"I hope you guys enjoyed the show, and sorry, but the VIP perks are no longer valid. As compensation, dinner on me?"

Yuzuriha and Taiju's eyes filled with sparkles, accepting the invitation without a shred of hesitation. The not-a-couple but kinda-couple walked off to the parking lot, leaving the singer and scientist to stand awkwardly next to each other.

"Hey, Senku?"

He mhm'd and turned his head to meet her small smile, hand outstretched, holding a roll of cash. Senku blinked at the money, noticing the bills were all hundreds.

"You really helped me back there, this was supposed to be their pay, but I can't exactly pay people who didn't do their job, now can I?"

When he didn't make a move to grab it, [Y/N] reached out for his small sling bag, effectively pulling him closer to her and sliding the money inside, then zipping it back up. Their eyes met yet again, and Senku felt his breath falter from their proximity, her hand still holding him close.

She then hooked her arm with his, beginning to drag him to their awaiting friends.

"It's too much for what I did."

"I disagree, you saved me from a panic attack. Thank you again."

"...No problem."

Well, he really did need new equipment in the lab, and it wasn't like she was struggling for money. Still, some guilt gnawed at his chest, like he didn't deserve that reward.

As they walked, she kept a firm grip on his arm. Senku had initially thought she was being overly clingy like usual, but the way she kept glancing off to the sides and behind her made him put the puzzle pieces together. [Y/N] was being followed, or felt like she was at least, he couldn't blame her.

"If it makes you less tense, you can help me out during my next show."

He really wasn't tense because of the money; it was her close proximity that put him off, it brought back fond yet painful memories of when they had once been dating.

"As long as you don't make me wait in the sun again."

A laugh left her lips, masking her guilt for not only leaving Senku, but also her fans waiting that long.

"Promise."

...

...

The day was perfect, a sunny day but not too hot, a slight breeze in the wind, absolutely perfect. 

[Y/N] folded her hands in front of her blue sundress as she walked alongside a yawning Senku. It was surprising to see him agree to a walk in the park. Their arms brushed every time they took a step, while he deemed it as something that regularly happened, [Y/N], on the other hand, felt like it was overwhelming her. 

It only took a few minutes to reach their destination, the large bridge above a medium-sized pond. Senku rested his arms on the railings while [Y/N] pulled out a ziploc bag containing slices of lettuce to feed the ducks below. He watched her with a soft glint in his eye, remembering the time he scolded her for feeding them bread when they were younger.

"Hey, are those two okay?" Her soft voice broke his trance. He stared right below, where two ducks had their necks tangled. Senku observed for a few seconds before confidently answering. 

"They're mating." He chuckled at her horrified face as the male duck pulled the female's head underwater. "It's normal, although sometimes neck tangling can mean another scenario, like showing dominance or attacking." 

"That poor girl." [Y/N] sighed in relief when the ducks separated and swam off together, even with the little roughness, they understood each other. "At least we can cross off duck guts from our date list." 

Senku paused, the hand holding his chin up almost slipped. She froze completely.

"So this is a date? When were you going to let me know?" Despite the shaking of his hands, he still managed to tease her flawlessly. 

"Later today, actually." [Y/N] looked straight into his scarlet eyes. "I like you, Senku." 

He huffed out a laugh, covering his mouth and looking away from her. She was definitely bold at times, but he didn't expect this. 

"I guess perfect timing, here." His free hand dug into his pocket and pulled out a small box, holding it out for her to grab. [Y/N] took it and pried it open to gasp at the beautiful hairclip, in a glittery golden star shape. She was too busy staring at it to notice the way he stopped leaning, stood up straight, and got closer.

He gently took it from her hand and brushed her hair back from one side, snapping the clip into place and tracing the same hand down to cup her blushing cheek. [E/C] eyes sparkled meeting a beautiful scarlet, he leaned down just a bit to hold eye contact at an even level. 

"Senku...?"

"I like you too." 

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It had only been a few weeks since the show, and Senku had spent the money the moment his eyes landed on a very amazing chemistry set. [Y/N] lingered in the back of his mind, wondering if she was busy recruiting a new team, if she was holding up, was she okay?

He had some idea of why she had broken up with him last year, but she seemed so heartbroken he didn't try to push it further, going along with whatever she needed in that moment. Ever since then, she'd been more emotionally closed off, bottling everything up and holding on until she exploded.

She rarely visited his home back when they were dating, and now she seemed too busy to even call. Senku wanted to not care, but he did. He really cared for [Y/N], and that made him shudder in slight discontent.

Feelings. He wished he didn't have them. It made it hard to get over her, it was dumb to waste time lingering on what could've been. But Senku didn't really want to let go, for [Y/N] meant far too much to him to simply let go.

Even if that meant staying only as friends.

It hurt his ego when he realized how excited he was to see her next performance. Her voice was smooth yet rough when needed, her dancing wasn't over the top or shaky—no, it was easy to follow and didn't detract from her vocals. Overall, it made the waiting worth it.

Senku rolled his eyes when he almost spilled a toxic chemical. He set it down carefully and took off his gloves and protective goggles. He was far too distracted to be in this lab, risking his hands and life.

He strolled out of the clubroom, leaving his members to clean up after his mess. His ears twitched, hearing a commotion from around the corner, he slightly peeked his head to see somebody cornered against a wall by a handful of students.

Senku was going to keep going on his way, but a desperate voice he recognized reached his ears. He gazed back at the crowd and finally noticed a frantic Yuzuriha trying to get people to back away, her head twisting around to ask for help, but only seeing more crazed kids. Then, her eyes landed on Senku, tears of relief sprang in her eyes, and she motioned for him to get closer.

"They're overwhelming her, and I'm scared she's gonna panic." It took him only a second to glance over the crowd closer and latch onto the [H/C] colored hair accessorized by a star hairclip, the one he had given her.

"Oi." The chatter suddenly froze, heads turning almost robotically to meet the cut-throat voice, landing on the all too familiar cold scientist. Senku didn't say anything else, walking up to them and reaching into the mob to grasp a wrist. The students moved out of the way in curiosity, as the girl didn't protest against his touch like she had against theirs.

[Y/N]'s uniform was disheveled, a result of all the tugging. Her ponytail had completely come undone, and her eyes were filled with tears.

With a sharp glare, the students dispersed quickly.

Senku's hand let go of her wrist and came up to adjust the collar of her blouse, straightening out the red bowtie as well. His fingers reached up to brush away the stray [H/C] strands of hair tickling her face. He was about to tuck the shirt back into her skirt, but decided against touching her any further than necessary.

He stepped away from her to give her much-needed space, and she finally moved, wiping away her tears with the sleeves of her sweater. She sniffled, hiccupping a thank you. Yuzuriha came up behind her and whispered reassuring words while redoing her hair.

"Is it really smart to have a celeb running amongst her fans without security?"

"Viv insisted on attending school, there are no shows planned until George files through all the hiring options and Viv gets set up as a real manager." [Y/N]'s lips formed a pout, "I expected some attention...not full-on chasing me down the halls and reaching out to touch my shoulders and hair..."

"Yuzuriha! We need help stitching this up!" Her friend apologized and rushed over to help her club, leaving them together once again.

"Can...can you stay with me, at least for the rest of today?"

Senku's face was blank, still observing her shaky figure, head darting to the side and even behind her, gulping when she noticed she was standing in front of a window. He realized just how paranoid she truly was, and he finally sighed, extending an arm for her to hold onto.

She took it at the speed of light and huddled closer to him.

"You should bring a bodyguard. They might not mean any real harm, but they can still cause it." [Y/N] looked up to see where Senku was gazing at, noticing another small crowd gathering but not approaching her, eyes bouncing between her and Senku like they were afraid of him.

"Vince would body slam them in a heartbeat if he had seen how they put their hands on me." Senku chuckled when the image of the grown ass man he met when he was a kid, slamming an excited fan to the ground was conjured in his mind.

"Bad for them, good for you."

Like some god-given miracle, [Y/N] and Senku were in the same homeroom, and after providing the teacher puppy eyes, she was allowed to sit next to him. Desk scooted a taddddd bit closer to his.

She did feel bad for being so clingy with the boy, but he wasn't a fan of hers. He never made her feel uncomfortable or care that she was famous. He kept his distance, treated her normally, and it had always been a breath of fresh air from her usual life.

[Y/N] was homeschooled right after she turned thirteen and had released a single that skyrocketed on the Billboard. Her old classmates were far too invasive, causing her to have severe panic attacks, and her father refused to let her stay around them.

At the time, she wasn't busy. Her management focused on expanding her single track as much as they could, which meant more time spent with her friends, specifically at Senku's house. [D/N] liked the leek-haired kid, saying he was smart and good to have around [Y/N], who hated even the simplest of math problems.

"Stop staring."

[Y/N] blinked, snapping herself out of the trance, and before she could apologize to him, she saw him lift his head from his notebook and glare around. Once more, students were blatantly gawking at her.

"Hey, how long can you hold a note?"

"Oh, uhm, I haven't really tried finding out."

Scarlet eyes barely shifted, still glued on the task of glaring at everyone. Senku hated how people couldn't act normally, especially towards another human being.

"I want to do some research with your voice, come over."

[Y/N] chuckled. Senku had a habit of never asking. It's like he knew she wouldn't say no, which made her heart stupidly skip a beat.

"Can we stop for boba?"

"Only if Vince is going to escort us in." She had gathered that he really, really, wanted to witness her bodyguard clock someone.

"You'll see it happen, one day." Senku's lips quirked up slightly, looking a bit evil.

Class went without a hitch, and lunchtime rolled around, dread filled her chest when she noticed no one getting up to head for the cafeteria. Senku was putting away his books when he noticed the stares. He placed the last book into his bag and reached his hand over the desk, waiting for her to grab it.

[Y/N] immediately intertwined their fingers, walking around the desk to reach his side and diligently follow him out of the room. She hoped the school would get used to her presence and leave her alone. Vivian really wanted her to experience school again, and she didn't want to worry her new manager.

"Anything specific you want? They have curry today, I think some apple salad too." He kept weaving through the bodies, keeping her close to him and sending side-eyes to whoever dared take a step near her.

"Do they have anything lighter?" Her head smacked into his back when he suddenly halted. Senku shifted to rest his chin on his shoulder, looking back and directly at her confused face.

"You're eating a full meal."

"I'm not that hungry."

"You always say that. Besides, I wasn't asking." He left it at that, getting in line for two curry plates. His words sounded harsh, but the tone was soft.

[Y/N] bit her lip, trying to calculate how many calories that could amount to. If it was too much, she could kiss her desired boba goodbye.

"And, we're getting you that tea."

"But, Senku-"

"Paul isn't here, he won't be back, and Viv seems like a nice enough person."

She quieted down, letting him guide her while thoughts consumed her. Senku hated her old manager, the very man who would never let her eat anything, scaring a young [Y/N] into thinking a chubby singer would never make it.

Especially hated him because she had stopped going on their ramen dates, as corny as they were, he missed them, and her most of all.

...

...

"Is this what you really want?" Senku's voice was low, taking a sharp notice of the way her head shook 'no' for a fraction of a second before she nodded, her words kept breaking, and it was getting harder for him to breathe.

"Is everything okay?" [Y/N] seemingly cried harder at the question, squeezing his hand so hard it turned red. It began to really hurt, but he couldn't bring himself to remove her grip.

"[Y/N]..."

"I'm so sorry..." That was all she managed to get out, and while she was literally breaking up with him, her hand told a different story, holding onto him like he was her last lifeline.

Senku couldn't ask anything else, not only for his own mental sake but for hers, whereas she seemed more distraught than him, and that was saying a lot. So his last words for now were clear and true.

"I'll still be here, no matter what." She was more important than anything, and it would remain that way, whether he liked it or not. 

They stayed put until Vince had come to pick her up, the ex-couple exchanged one last heartfelt glance before the car pulled out of the driveway and disappeared down the street. 

Byakuya had a hand on Senku's shoulder, the teen was biting his lip to stop the tears, but his dad knew how he was feeling from the simple way his body shook. 

"I'm sure you two will figure it out, you're special to each other." He could only nod, staring at the empty street, wishing she would make Vince turn around and jump back into his waiting arms, yet no matter how much he wished, she didn't.

The last thing she gave was a soft kiss on his cheek, which left a lingering tingly feeling. One he would keep memorized deep in his brain, because he didn't know if they'd ever come back from this. 

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[Y/N] sipped on her Boba tea while observing the way Senku's eyebrows scrunched up in concentration, eyes glued on his computer screen.

"45 seconds, not bad." He muttered, she had no idea what information her held note could provide, but if it made him happy, she'd do it again.

She left him to ponder alone longer, taking this time to look around the room she hadn't been in for a long time. [Y/N] smiled like a giddy child seeing her poster near his bed, the bracelet sold at concerts dangling on his corkboard alongside pictures of them together.

"You got me that corkboard, only fair if it's you and me." She turned away from him, hiding her apple cheeks. Senku smugly snickered, having caught a glimpse of her expression.

The color reddened when she noticed the picture in the middle,  a shared kiss during a picnic date. It was possibly the best date they had ever gone on.

A few minutes later, he let out a deep sigh and stretched, turning off his device and yawning while making his way to the bed where [Y/N] was already seated. As he plopped down, their shoulders bumped together, and neither gave an indication of moving.

"Do you think I made the right choice? Firing Paul?" Her voice came out in a whisper, unsure of the question herself.

Senku took note of the way her hands shook, barely keeping a firm grasp on her phone. His eyes trailed up to see her already looking at him, cheeks slightly puffed out, something she did to try to avoid crying.

"Are you happy he's gone?"

"Yes, but from a professional—"

"Then that's enough." He brushed his hair back, groaning softly in pain when his fingers got tangled. "If you're happy, that's what matters."

The singer smiled at his intense gaze. In what seemed like a split second, she pounced on him, knocking Senku onto the bed and startling him momentarily.

They lay in silence with her head on his chest and both looking up at his ceiling, covered in glowing stars that formed constellations. He could still vividly recall when they would spend nights together doing this exact same thing, yet it felt like forever ago.

[Y/N] combed through his white and green hair, undoing the knots he had accidentally tugged on moments ago, and each time her nails softly collided with his scalp, he had to keep his satisfied noises to a minimum.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"I don't know...being you?"

Senku rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the red that bloomed on his face. They both turned their heads to look at one another.

[Y/N]'s eyes flickered down to his lips, a movement he didn't miss. He was also guilty of glancing at hers, catching a long glimpse of her usual cherry gloss.

She leaned forward, barely hovering over his mouth. Senku wanted it to happen so badly, to have back what he lost and couldn't fight for.

"If you kiss me, there's no backing out this time [Y/N]." He whispered against her lips, his heart squeezed when he noticed the doubt beginning to consume her. She pulled away, keeping her body on his and murmuring a sad 'sorry'.

Instead, once again, he was left with a soft kiss on his cheek.

...

...

"You're out of tune."

[Y/N] puffed out her cheeks when that nonchalant voice reached her ears, her eyesight became blurry as she failed to stop tears from starting up.

She turned around to see Senku finishing up his homework, and the pencil stopped when he felt the mood shift. He blinked, meeting her sad gaze, and all he could do was beckon her closer with the wave of his hand. 

Despite her hurt feelings, she approached him, falling to her knees to be on his level. Senku observed her for a few seconds before gently ruffling her [H/C] hair, her head raised to meet his blank face. 

"Being out of tune is completely normal. It just means you haven't warmed up enough or found the right rhythm." [E/C] eyes stayed wide and teary, lip trembling as she scanned his face. Senku held in a sigh. "I'm sorry, I'll help you, okay?" 

Hearing the apology, she finally gave him a nod. Satisfied with his problem-solving, Senku patted her knee so she could sit down properly. They began with humming, a common way to warm up, a few breath control techniques he saw online, and in the aftermath of twenty minutes, she was good to go. 

[Y/N] hugged his neck, snuggling into his shoulder and squeezing the life out of him. His arms awkwardly stayed close to his sides, not minding the hug but being too shy to reciprocate.

"Thankyouthankyou! Did you know you're my favorite person in the world?" 

"Your mood swings are as mysterious as the moon stalking me." 

"Do you want me to fight the moon for you?"

Scarlet eyes widened, staring down at the girl hugging him. Why did that childish question make his heart skip a billion beats? 

"It's physically impossible to do that."

"But what if you end up liking the moon? Would you like it more than me?"

"First discoveries are always more important, they lead to progress and growth—" He stopped talking when he noticed her confusion. Instead, he exhaled and lowered his voice, slightly embarrassed. "—No, nothing will ever make that happen." 

...

...

Students and staff alike were finally getting accustomed to having [Y/N] attending school like a normal child, greeting her in the morning and keeping a safe distance at all times unless she initiated talk first.

She did feel more comfortable, but not enough to join a club and spend time away from Senku and her friends. They were like a shield, keeping her company and never allowing others to corner her like they did that dreadful first day.

"It sucks that we can't hang out publicly, it's like paparazzi have a tracker on me." [Y/N] and Senku were sitting in the back seat of her bodyguard's black BMW, waiting for Vince to get their ordered food. Originally, they were going to head inside, but there were lingering people with cameras around their necks.

"I've told you many times before, I don't care if they take pictures." He grumbled, rubbing his thumb over her shaky hand. [Y/N] worried he'd be crowded by paparazzi if they saw him with her, Senku could take care of himself, and driving people away wouldn't be that hard.

The thought had made him pause; he hated when people invaded his personal space or bothered him, so why didn't he care when it came to enduring it for her?

Senku snapped out of his head when he heard her scream and shuffle closer to him, practically giving himself whiplash, his scarlet eyes landed on the pressed-up face of a fan near her window. The grown man slammed his palms on the glass, grinning at them like he had just found a rare prize.

The sound of the handle being pulled echoed in the car. Senku reached over for his own handle, keeping a firm grip on [Y/N]'s arm, ready to leave the car from the other side if the man somehow opened it.

Vince rushed over, hearing the commotion and seeing people trying to pull a man away from his car, without missing a beat, he grabbed hold of the fan's collar and yanked him back enough to land a hard punch that knocked him out, all while keeping the food steady.

He wasted no more time and got into the driver's seat, setting the order on the passenger seat and turning his head to check on the kids.

[Y/N]'s knees were curled up to her chest with her head hiding in Senku's shoulder, and his arm was tightly wrapped around her. Her breathing was uneven as she cried, she hated this, feeling like some animal people wanted to swarm.

"I'm so tired..."

"I know." Senku felt the droplets drip onto his blazer, the warm tears made his stomach drop, and he truly could never understand how [Y/N] endured this on a daily basis. "You're okay, we're here, I'm here."

"I should've parked more carefully, I'm sorry, darling." Vince gripped the steering wheel hard, making his knuckles turn white, pressing the gas pedal harder, eager to get them home without further incidents.

"It's not your fault, you already protect me so much..."

The ride to her house was quiet, just small sniffles and the rustling of paper bags. Vince rolled up into the driveway, getting out first and unrolling an umbrella to help them get out, specifically covering [Y/N]'s skirt as she hopped out of her seat, and then Senku's face.

Briefly greeting her dad and mom, they ran upstairs and straight into her room. The singer quickly closed all her curtains and the door. Placing the food bags on the small table in the middle of the room, they both sat down on yellow cushions.

Senku curiously observed her silence, the red, puffy eyes, and her swollen lips from harsh biting. He wondered what her thoughts could be right now, as she unloaded the food and passed him chopsticks.

"[Y/N]." She barely glanced at him, biting into a dumpling. He called her name again, only for her to ignore it. Senku sighed, scooting closer. He gently stopped her chopsticks from reaching her mouth.

She looked up at him in utter silence.

"Talk about it."

[E/C] eyes filled with tears immediately, her lips trembled as his gaze intensified. And that look was all it took for her to break, break down in a way she desperately, emotionally, needed.

"I don't want to be in the spotlight anymore." She took a huge gulp of air in, "I want to be a normal teen, to go to school without people taking my picture or following me home."

They all disregarded her pleas for privacy. They didn't care if she publicly voiced feeling scared, that grown men would sit outside her house camping out as they waited for the right time to snap pictures, to wait for her curtains to move.

Senku kept his lips shut, reaching over to hold her hand like he always did.

"I want to go out on dates with you again, but I can't put you in that situation. They'd pounce on you at the first opportunity, and I would never sacrifice your privacy for my feelings."

There it was again, his heart did that thing, where it hurts but feels so full of warmth. His scarlet eyes traced her features, feeling her hand squeeze his as she confessed something she kept hidden for quite a bit of time.

"And what made you think I wouldn't sacrifice my privacy for your feelings?"

"Because you're you, wonderful you." She whispered, wiping away at her eyes. "I can't ask you to do that, I just can't. You deserve better."

It was easier when she was a mere baby singer, when people weren't that interested in getting her picture. Sure, she'd get the occasional fan during their outings, but never like this, [Y/N] wished she could go back in time and restart everything.

Senku closed his eyes momentarily, taking a beat to gather his thoughts. Truly, he would absolutely hate living a life followed by people who lived for drama, negative or positive. He'd never be alone, all his information out for the world to see.

Yet down that dark path of consequences, there was a small light, [Y/N]. She would be the ultimate pro against those cons, and he knew she'd always be worth it in the end.

"Is this all for me, or do you truly want to stop performing?"

Senku's lip twitched up when her cheeks turned a slight red. it had just dawned on her that she had told him about her lingering feelings. Not that he didn't already know, still, it was making her shy.

"I want a break, a really long one where people forget about me and I can start again when I'm older. To spend time with you and our friends without feeling like someone is lingering around snapping pictures."

Senku paused, hearing the clear emphasis on 'someone'. His eyebrows scrunched up, remembering her jittery self, glancing behind her even when there was only a wall there. Peeking around his home whenever she stayed over, repeatedly checking if his window and door were closed.

"A stalker?" He blurted out when the dots finally connected, his suspicion confirmed when she froze up. "Someone has been threatening you with me, is that why we broke up? Tried harder to hide me?"

[Y/N] slipped her hand out of his and stood up, walking to her closet and digging around the slight mess. A few seconds passed, and she pulled out a wooden box, going back to him by the table and placing the item in his hands.

He glanced at it, at her, then back to the box. The lock came undone, and he filtered through the blurry pictures, scribbly notes, and a purple pen he lost a year ago.

"You lent me this pen..."

She nodded, watching him shuffle through it all. His eyebrow raised when a beaker he thought had been misplaced was there as well, this person had really been prying around.

Some pictures were taken from outside his window, most were non-decipherable, like the culprit was trembling as they took it. But one of these was so clear it made his blood run a little cold.

Her head tucked under his chin, sleeping soundly as his own head rested on top of hers. Arm around her waist, and the other sprawled over his pillow.

The corner of the picture got crumpled as his hand tightened. The person was clearly targeting both of them, but he couldn't ignore how, at the center of it all, was [Y/N]'s underwear peeking from her ridden-up shirt.

"What did they want?" These were old pictures, some just days before their breakup. The notes were filled with threats, mostly against him.

"They said they loved me, that without my music they'd be dead." She gulped, hands balling into fists. "That...they wanted me, and if they couldn't have me, you couldn't either..."

Tears slipped out of her eyes, that stalker situation had gone on for a long while, and no one else knew. The plan was to pretend like Senku meant nothing to her, hoping it would make this stalker back off. To say she failed miserably was an understatement. 

He meant the whole world to her. He supported her dreams and never treated her any differently. The [H/C] haired girl wouldn't be where she was if it weren't for him. Senku was more than a support beam; he was the entire structure.

"I never wanted to break up with you. God, it was so hard, but I was scared of what they could do to you." [Y/N] hiccupped, feeling her throat close up due to the constant crying. "I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark, ending things the way I did."

Senku nodded slowly, letting the information sink in, and placed the items back into the box. He pushed it away and reached out to grab his chopsticks, picking up a still-warm dumpling and pressing it against her lips.

The girl blinked gently, taking the offered food and chewing. Senku watched her eat with a sparkle in his eyes, his hand reached out to wipe her face with a pink handkerchief, and he smiled softly.

"I started to relax around you again because I stopped receiving the notes and pictures, and I thought they gave up. I'm not so sure now..."

"We'll deal with whatever happens next. Together." In the end, Senku was relieved to know it wasn't he who was the problem. So now, he was fully ready to do anything to keep her happy again.

[Y/N] would've cried again if it wasn't for the second dumpling being sent her way. She really missed these quiet little nights where all they had was the company of one another and food, it was nice, and she'd do anything to have the rest of her days resemble right now.

"Besides, I finally got to see Vince kick someone's ass." 

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Senku scrolled through his phone, deeply immersed in his shopping cart contents. He hummed along to the low volume of [Y/N]'s song playing in the background. He was relaxing in the bathtub, the hot water had turned lukewarm already, but he still had no desire to get up.

The tub had been overflowing with bubbles just moments ago, they dissipated over time, and it seemed like [Y/N] was insistent on keeping them going.

"You're going to finish the bottle." He muttered, putting his phone down onto the floor, staring at his girlfriend emptying the bubble maker. Her upper body came out of the water to lean closer towards the bin and throw the empty bottle into it.

[Y/N] splashed down and quickly scooted back into his body, earning a groan as she slammed into his chest. Senku blew away the [H/C] hair strands that poked his face, his hands raising up to adjust her messy bun.

"I missed this."

"What? Seeing me naked or bathing?"

"I was going to say cuddling, but seeing you naked is a bonus too." [Y/N] didn't remember when or why they began taking baths together like this, she didn't really have the desire to have any sexual relations at her age, and neither did Senku.

She saw this as more of a trust thing, and her trust in him was greater than anything.

"I guess you have a conventionally good body."

"Geez, thanks, babe." He chuckled when she looked up at him with a playful pout, and despite the smirk that appeared on his face, his scarlet eyes were soft. [Y/N] missed that gaze. It always made her feel so mushy inside.

Reminding herself they were really once again together, she tilted her chin up to place a quick peck on his lips. 

"Oh my god, I missed that too." Her voice was barely above a whisper, and a hand pressed against his bare chest. He reached up to lay his own hand on top of hers, not even trying to hide the slight redness consuming his cheeks. 

"No more until you sleep." Senku's grumbling was interrupted as she placed another quick kiss, giggling when he reacted too late to dodge her. Senku watched her smile get wider, twisting around to lay against him, he was glad something as simple as a kiss could cheer her up. 

When the girl was tossing and turning in his bed, he had suggested a bath, knowing full well she always managed to sleep in the calm of the water. As her breathing began to relax, she reached up to grab his dampened leek-colored hair, tugging on it softly. 

"Have I told you, you look good with your hair down?"

"Only about a billion times." 

She laughed at his teasing tone, feeling her eyes start to flutter close. Senku's arms slipped off the sides of the tub to wrap around her waist. He kept his head steady, trying to avoid falling asleep. The last time that happened, they both nearly drowned. 

"Can we stay like this, forever?"

Senku's stomach twisted hearing the sad tone she carried. He hated lying to her in any way, shape, or form, and he knew forever wasn't something he could promise. Yet, the limbs around her pulled her closer to his body. 

"Sure." He murmured softly, rubbing circles on her skin beneath the water. 

...

...

The bliss their rekindled relationship had given [Y/N] withered away one Monday morning, when a classmate came up to her with a frown on her face. A phone was placed in her hands, and the singer couldn't believe what she was seeing. 

There, on one of the most popular gossip sites, was a picture of her and Senku only wearing towels. It was seemingly taken right after she had woken up from their little tub date. How the hell could she forget to close the curtains to his room? Why did she get so careless?

[E/C] eyes briefly read the comments, it was constantly getting updated. While this was all extremely dreadful, she was glad to see that most of these people had a clear mind about this. 

'Who tf approved of this article release? They're both underage? Hello???'

'Omg I remember him, he was with [Y/N] when I asked for a picture like a year ago!'

'this is gross'

'im all for drama and sneaky pics, but we're talking about literal children, guys wtf?'

'hope she sues this gossip company to the ground, this is absolutely sickening.'

'wasnt this article on thin ice? swear they posted some priv info about another singer a while back.'

'^ yeah they were given a severe warning in like march, they even fired the author for that week's article dunno why its happening again..'

She shoved the phone back to her fellow student and thanked the girl for letting her know, the bell rang but [Y/N] couldn't stay in the classroom, her feet took off down the hallway and into an empty room, her phone buzzed in her skirt pocket but she was far too busy trying to control her breathing.

This was it. Everyone knew about Senku, and there wasn't anything she could do to keep him partly hidden anymore. His privacy was set to public, and she was to blame. There had been rumors about her dating life, but she always managed to avoid acknowledging them. Unfortunately, this wasn't something she could deflect. 

A special ringtone echoed, and she reached for her phone to see Vivian's name on the screen. Her hand shook as she answered, bringing the device up to her ear.

"I'm so sorry, I'm—"

"Are you okay, [Y/N]?"

[Y/N] paused, hearing no anger or disappointment, only worry. Paul had a strict no-dating policy. He hated when she'd risk being seen with Senku, he would've ripped her apart if he were still her manager. Vivian wasn't like him. She needed to remember that.

"I—I don't know..." She could barely hold herself up, backing up to fall into a chair. "He's never going to be left alone, Viv. I was too greedy." Her cries made Vivian's heart slowly break. [Y/N]'s fans were crazy individuals, but to photograph teens in such a vulgar state, it was crossing a line, a line she would not let slide.

"What if they never leave him alone?"

Senku had been rushing down the halls trying to find [Y/N] right after Taiju had shown him the picture. He expected this stalker to appear again, but definitely not with this bold move. His heart pounded loudly in his ears.

He stopped, hearing crying in a nearby room. Senku slowly opened the door to see his girlfriend on the phone and trying to calm herself down.

"We should've stayed apart..." Hearing that soft whisper of a sentence, Senku reached for the phone and read over the contact name before reassuring Vivian he had the situation covered. Hanging up, he pocketed the device and turned to meet her stunned face.

"Senku..."

He huffed, watching her stand up and stumble slightly. Scarlet eyes narrowed, remembering her last words. He took a step closer to her, it turn making her take one back and accidentally pushing the chair over.

Senku continued backing her up till her lower back hit a table, with nowhere to go, [Y/N] finally looked up. Through her wet eyelashes, she saw his piercing gaze, her hands trembled, awaiting his words.

Except he didn't say anything, reaching his hands out to help her sit on the table, walking closer and standing in-between her legs. Her breath hitched, feeling his cool hands on her thighs.

And before she could open her mouth to ask what he was doing, her lips were captured by his. He didn't give her a moment to adjust, pushing like he desperately needed her to know he was right here.

Senku was here; he always had been and always would be. [Y/N] closed her eyes, feeling stray tears trail down her cheeks as she fully embraced the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck and brought him impossibly closer. He rarely initiated intimacy, but when he did, it always held a deeper meaning. The timing of all of those were like pure sweet sugar to her. 

The kiss stopped feeling rushed, both slowing down to enjoy each other's presence. They separated, with [Y/N] giving soft pecks and Senku sighing in content.

"Still think we should've stayed apart?"

A laugh got caught in her throat. He was teasing her even now. She shook her head, focused on how his lips formed a smile against her own.

"I didn't mean it like that, I want you more than anything in the world." Although shaky, her voice was confident with these said words. Senku was her rock, her other half, her whole damn universe.

"I know, and I promise everything will be okay." He hated how many times he had wiped away her tears, wanting to never see her cry, but he would never think to let another wipe them for her. 

This promise was real, something he trusted himself with to ensure. Because before his love for science, before the moon stalked him, [Y/N] was there first, in his mind and heart.

And weirdly enough, just a week later, they were turned to stone.

︽❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀︾

[E/C] eyes blinked, watching pieces of rock fall from her hands, crumbling away from her legs and setting her free. [Y/N] stood up from the cold ground and looked around, gaping as a naked Senku stood only a few feet away with his back turned to her.

His head suddenly tilted over, sending her a huge smirk, and he reached his hand out for her to grab. She accepted without hesitation.

"Well, not the fix I had in mind, but I guess the stone age works too."

He evilly cackled, guiding her out of the cave and out into the new world. It was miles and miles of nature, no buildings in sight or other people. Everything they knew was gone, and while that included her precious phone and old mementos, this was a fresh start for her and Senku. Away from the public view, because there was no longer any internet.

It had all been wiped.

She was free.

"Senku, I love you." A startled Senku accidentally let go of the vine he was trying to rip out and fell on his ass, he slowly shifted to meet her teary eyes and lips quirked up in a sweet smile.

This time, his heart didn't feel any pain, just a comforting squeeze and warmth. The usual discomfort that overshadowed his thought process didn't take over, because for the first time in what felt like forever, those were happy tears. 

"Heh, I love you more, one billion percent."

Maybe, this time around, she could finally be happy with him, without prying eyes, without sneaking around. This was probably the biggest feeling of relief she had ever felt in her life, and while she was scared of the new unknown, she wasn't alone.

Senku would be here every step of the way, and so would she, for him.

"Now come here, unless you want the monkeys to keep staring at you." 

"I want a dress!"

"Anything for you." Senku teased, waving a piece of vine at her.

He muttered softly when she playfully rolled her eyes with a stupid grin on her face and collected more vines near him. 

"Anything."

︽❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀══��❀︾

[dearly-somber]

tomorrows with you | m.jh

-> pairing. ex-idol!myung jaehyun x female!reader

-> genre. dystopian/post-apocalyptic!au, angst, fluff, s2f2l, (mutual) pining, eventual romance, suggestive near the end

-> rating. 13+

-> w/c. 5369

-> warnings. gun-violence (esp. at the start of the fic), injury (non-gruesome/ life threatening); very vague worldbuilding; non-idol!Jungkook has been used as a stand-in for Jaehyun’s older brother <3

-> a/n. So, yeah. This fic’s working title was “dystopian!au w/ m.jh”, and then I suddenly got a title idea 🤡. Also, this fic was partially inspired by Civil War (2023). Decent movie, though I’d give a hard tw for anyone with war or gun-related PTSD. Please watch at your discretion <3

-> bnd ficlets, oneshots and series m.list

-> started. May 31st, 2024 @ 20:49

-> fin. Sun., Oct. 13th, 2024 @ 22:06

-> edited. Mon., Oct. 14th, 2024 @ 17:59

-> divider credit. @fairytopea, @saradika-graphics

You dash breathlessly into the large company building, your shoes squeaking against the tile as you hurriedly push through the heavy glass door.

Your chest heaves as you clumsily jump ID-regulated turning-gates, yelping as your knees buckle when another poorly aimed shot whizzes past your shoulder.

You don’t stop to face your pursuers, amping up your speed and making a mad dash for the elevator at the end of the hallway.

You scream at another shot, this time more from the pain of the bullet grazing your shoulder than fear (though that’s a pretty big factor, too).

Skidding to a stop in the elevator, you aggressively mash the Close Doors button, falling to the floor and sobbing with relief when it finally closes and the thumping of bullets against metal momentarily guarantees your safety.

You press a random floor number, trying to gather yourself and push to your feet despite how wobbly your legs feel. You aren’t looking forward to the shoulder-pain waiting for you once the adrenaline wears off…

The elevator doors ding open and you waste no time jogging down the long and winding hallways, the carpeted floors muting the rhythmic thump-thump-thump of your sneakers.

You push the door at the end of the hall open just as you hear men’s voices yelling orders back whence you came, a wave of anxious sweat cascading down your hairline.

You try to quiet your gasping breaths as you shut the door behind you, rushing to get your sneakers off and in your hands so your footsteps on the polished wooden floors don’t alert anyone.

The mirrors are everywhere.

You try hard not to look at yourself—the tangled, frizzy hair and mad look in your eyes is too much for you to handle right now.

Your heart-rate picks up as you begin hyperventilating, the sound of doors being slammed open heightening your senses tenfold—

You turn to the door hidden around the side of the room before the person behind it has it fully open.

His eyes are wide and fearful, shaky hands raised in front of him at the equally afraid look on your face.

Despite the bite of fear in your chest, your first thought is puppy.

The door to the practice room slams open and your muscles tense all over. Right as the guy carrying the gun raises his weapon to shoot at you—

You throw both of your shoes at him as hard as you can, using all your strength to launch yourself at the boy, letting him grab your hand and run with you at full speed through what you think might be a dressing room.

He leads you confidently through doors and down hallways, never once stopping to look behind him, an iron grip on your hand.

You wonder if he used to work here and hope you’ll live long enough to ask.

He stops so abruptly you slam headfirst into his back; hard enough for him to grunt and stumble forward.

The men ahead of you turn and immediately raise their weapons to shoot—

Your body moves for you and you yank the boy out of the way just as a shot is fired. Your pulse is deafening in your ears as he course-corrects and leads you down a different hall. Panting as the two of you come up on a metal door with a fire-escape sign flashing dimly above it, the boy hurriedly pushes it open and pulls you into the stairwell before shutting the door behind him.

You’re sweating in places you didn’t know you could sweat, and the brief glance you get at the boy’s face before he’s dragging you determinedly down the stairs tells you he’s not faring much better.

“I can’t—” you wheeze, trying to pull away from him as you lean against the railings, tears prickling your eyes and legs shaking with every step you take.

“You can,” the boy pants, tugging you along.

“I can’t—”

“Shut up!” he yells, his grip on your wrist tightening as he shoulders open a different metal door.

You’re wheezing with every step, blood rushing to your head.

Before he can fully turn the corner, a shower of bullets goes flying into the wall, spraying plaster all over the carpets.

“We found ‘em!”

“Go, go, go!” The boy shoves you ahead of him, the two of you running at full speed. You stumble over your feet and he grabs your hand to pull you into another practice room, this one much larger than the first:

Much larger, completely empty, and with nowhere to run.

“This is a dead end—!” you yell, frantically trying to yank your arm out of his iron-grip—if you can get out fast enough you can leave before they catch up—

“Shh,” he quiets you hurriedly as he pushes at a piece of wall that miraculously parts into what you belatedly realize is a hidden closet.

He rushes inside and pulls you in so forcefully you feel an ache in your shoulder, pummeling into his chest and trying to recover from all the running as he flips the panel back and you’re plummeted into darkness.

Your breathing feels heavy and ragged as the two of you stand chest to chest in the small space, your hands shaking as you wait for the group of men to find you.

You try desperately to breathe through your nose as the stranger’s heart beats against your cheek, his chest heaving as he huffs breaths in through his mouth.

Afraid that you might be heard, you reach up to press his mouth shut and tap the side of his nose, shaking your head with a look you hope he understands. Surprisingly, he does, his breath no longer hammering down against the top of your head as he forces himself to breathe through his nose.

The door to the practice room smacks open and the two of you tangibly jump against one another, your shoulders tensing in anticipation.

“Rats,” a male voice hisses. “You fuckers are terrible shots for letting her get away like that.”

“Not our fault the girl moves like a fucking rabbit,” someone else snaps, the sound of his gun shifting against his back sending a shiver down your spine. “Fucking zig-zagging all over the fucking place.”

“Yeah, well, now she’s been picked up by someone who knows his way around. We could’ve gotten her so easy if you’d just aimed—”

Your knees knock together at the men’s conversation, taking another step toward the boy to press the two of you right up against the back of the closet in an effort to distance yourself from the people on the other side of the wall.

The boy’s hands wrap firmly around your forearms (to hold you still or hold you up, you can’t tell).

“Yah!” A deeper voice than before calls. “Stop fucking around and forget the girl. If we catch the guy, he can tell us where the valuables are.”

Your eyes widen fearfully, on the verge of an anxiety attack when you’re caught off guard by the boy in the closet shoving his face into your shoulder (you have to bite on your tongue at the shot of pain that ricochets down your arm), holding you against his chest like his life depends on it.

You try to push him away by his shoulders but come to a standstill when you feel the heat of his tears against your shirt.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers desperately against your shirt, his voice right by your ear.

Too afraid to soothe him verbally, you wrap your arms around his shoulders and squeeze.

“Forget it,” the first voice says, the sound of his gun making you hold onto your companion tighter. “They’re not here, Gunwook. Let’s go.”

“He’s right,” the second says. “We need to keep moving.”

Gunwook lets out an exasperated sigh. “Fine.”

You keep your arms tight around the boy as you listen for their retreating footsteps, unable to comfortably relax without being certain that it’s not some sick trick meant to lure you out of hiding.

It feels like hours before the two of you finally leave the closet, loud sighs of relief exiting your lungs when you realize that you’ve survived.

You look across the room at the boy who risked his life to save yours, his eyes glossy with a fresh set of tears…

… and it takes less than a second for you to start crying.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“Jaehyun-ah!”

“어?“

“C’mere!”

You’re browsing through the racks of one of the many Everland memorabilia stores, your last stop in the city before you and Jaehyun start the long drive into the countryside.

“What is it?” Jaehyun asks, his boba eyes sparkling curiously. His hair’s gotten a lot longer since you first met: it blankets and curls around the back of his neck in fluffy tufts which make his eyes seem bigger and more puppy-like.

You break into a smile as you take the puppy-ear band from the shelf to stick it atop his head, giggling fondly when you pull back to look at him.

“What,” he deadpans, a small smile pulling defiantly at the corner of his lips. “You think it’s funny?“

You giggle, bowing with the weight of your joy. The faux fur atop his head is nearly the exact same color as his hair. “It looks good!”

He shakes his head with a fond smile, reaching up to take them off but stopping when you whine and hold his wrist.

“Don’t,” you pout.

He makes a move to pull them off again, but you tug his wrist back with another over-exaggerated whine.

He gives in, dropping his hand with a fond but defeated smile. His eyes scan the rack for more headbands and sparkle a little when he spots a certain pair in particular.

He takes it off the rack and places it delicately on your head, tenderly positioning the ears so one is slightly bent before he pulls away with a satisfied smile, petting your hair. “Bunny.”

You roll your eyes, shaking your head at him as he continues to faff with your hair before eventually letting his hand hang by his side.

“Are you ready to go?”

You look around: plushies lay dirtied and torn on the floor with entire shelves fallen over, glass jars previously filled with sweets strewn broken and empty around the looted tills.

“Yeah.” You choose to focus on Jaehyun’s face rather than the chaos around you. “I’m ready.”

It’s a much nicer sight.

He nods, holding his hand out for you to take before walking with you to where you left the car in a small spot of shade near the entrance.

You let go of Jaehyun’s hand to jog around to the passenger side as he climbs into the driver’s seat, starting the car as you buckle in, briefly turning around to double check that your bags are still sitting nice and snug on the backseats.

Assured that you haven’t lost your limited stash of supplies, you turn back around with a grunt, crossing your arms and leaning back to stare out the window as Jaehyun takes off.

“You don’t need the bathroom, right?”

“No,” you say. “I’ll be fine for the next while, I think.”

He nods, taking one hand off the wheel to reach into the center console. You watch curiously as he pulls out a black case of some sort, holding it out to you with his eyes still fixated on the road.

“What’s this?” you ask, turning it around in your hands and unzipping it while sitting straighter in your chair.

“CDs.”

You look at him with bright eyes. “Really?!”

“Yeah,” he laughs. “I found it in one of the drawers in that house we looted last night.”

“And you’re only telling me now?” you gasp, laughing and good-naturedly touching his arm when he shakes his head at you.

“A lot of them were pretty badly scratched,” he explains.

He takes his eyes off the road to make eye contact with you. “I didn’t wanna mention it and then not be able to play it.”

You stare at each other for a moment before he clears his throat again and turns his attention back to the road; always trying to put on a tough act despite being the sweetest person you know.

You smile softly and poke his cheek in thanks, flipping through the CDs until you find the perfect one.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“Let’s stop here for the night,” Jaehyun says, apologizing under his breath for accidentally frightening you as he turns into a different lane.

You sit up straighter, trying to calm your startled heart as you stretch your arms and legs.

As Jaehyun pulls into the taxi lane on the side of the road, you notice his eyes drooping and how it takes him longer than usual to park the car.

“You must be exhausted,” you mumble.

Jaehyun pulls on the handbrake, leaning back against his seat with closed eyes and a sigh. “It’s fine.”

“We should’ve rotated.”

“It’s fine, Y/N.”

You sigh, slowly leaning back in your seat. You look out your window at the yellow-orange sky, feeling weirdly nostalgic for the time before.

“Why were you in the building that day?”

“Hm?”

You face Jaehyun expectantly.

He’s adjusted his seat so he’s lying down, his eyes closed and likely on the verge of sleep.

You stare at his side profile since you can’t stare at his eyes, waiting for a response. “The building, on the day we met. Why were you there?”

For a while he says nothing, but eventually he speaks.

“I worked there.”

“Doing what?”

He scoffs, the corner of his lips rising in a half-smile you haven’t seen since you left Everland. “I was an idol.”

“What?!” You sit up straight in your seat, your jaw hanging loose from its hinges.

“Yeah,” he laughs, still with his eyes closed.

You grin. “Were you famous?”

Jaehyun snorts, slowly opening his eyes to give you the full effect of the humored smile on his face. “No, I don’t think so. We were still rookies when the world went to shit.”

“Oh,” you pause… “We?”

Jaehyun’s eyes seem to lose their light almost as quickly as you managed to flick them on, dimming and dimming until they’re back to the defeated muddy-brown you’re used to.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he whispers, staring at a spot past your shoulder with a veiled look.

“I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head and heaves a sigh, laying back down with his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest.

“We should get some sleep,” he says.

You nod even though he can’t see, turning onto your side.

But, even after you’ve settled in and settled down, you find yourself struggling to fall asleep. Now that no one is talking and the engine is off, you’re starting to hear a light buzz in your ears, every snap of a twig or rustle of a branch making your heart race.

It’s too quiet without any of the sounds you’ve gotten used to. No sounds of people leaving home to work the night shift, no sounds of dogs barking at police-sirens three blocks away… only the sound of your slow breathing and the wind howling outside your partially open window.

You breathe a shaky sigh and turn your back to the door, ignoring the uncomfortable tug in your stomach at leaving yourself so exposed.

Your eyes are well-adjusted to the dark, so you easily make out Jaehyun’s silhouette. You shuffle closer and release a nervous breath.

“Jaehyun—?”

He wakes with a surprised whine, groaning when he sees it’s just you. He stretches his legs and arches his back off the seat with his eyes half-closed. “Y/N…?”

“Sorry.“ You bite your lip and play with your fingers. “I just… I… can’t sleep.”

Jaehyun stares at you, blinking slowly as he wakes up. You can’t make out what he’s thinking, so you sit in the silence while you wait for him to… to what?

What were you expecting?

You watch dazedly as he suddenly jacks his seat further back, leaning back and holding his palm out to you over the center console.

“Here,” he says.

You look at his hand, then his face, then his hand again.

“Just take it.”

Slowly you take his hand, naturally following his (mostly) non-verbal instructions as he guides you across the center console and into his lap, your legs astride his hips and your hands curled up against his sides.

He tucks your head under his chin. You can feel his heartbeat against your chest, aware of each rise and fall of his rib cage as he inhales and exhales against the top of your head.

“Good?” he asks, clasping his hands high enough around the small of your back to be considered respectful, but low enough for it to feel decidedly intimate.

“Y-yeah,” you stutter, wondering if your breath against his neck makes his heart beat as fast as his breath against your hair does.

“Thank you,” you whisper, warm all over and already succumbing to sleep.

Jaehyun says nothing. Instead, he presses his lips to the crown of your head, whispering something into your hair you can’t make out, and you fall asleep to the sound of rhythmic breathing and the soft pitter-patter of his heart against yours.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“You know how to jump a fence?” Jaehyun asks skeptically.

“Sure.” You shrug. “How hard can it be?”

Hard enough for you to roll your ankle, apparently.

Jaehyun is crouched in front of you, gently cradling your throbbing ankle in his hands as he shares a concerned look with you from behind his bangs.

You smile through your pain and reach out to touch his hands. “It’s not too bad,” you lie, even though the furrow in his brow tells you he doesn’t buy it. “C’mon, help me up.”

Jaehyun bites his lip as he contemplates, heaving a sigh before he stands and lifts you up. He wraps your arm around his shoulders and his around your waist, patiently guiding you to the grocery store.

How he managed to jump the fence without suffering your same fate remains a mystery.

“Earth to Y/N?”

“Huh?”

Jaehyun laughs as he sets you down by the register, fondly shaking his head and grabbing a basket from the front of the store. “I’m gonna grab some stuff and see if they have anything we can wrap around your foot.”

“Let me help.”

“You’re injured.”

“Jaehyun,” you whine.

“Y/N.” He gives you a deadpan look. “You can’t hop around the store. Just… wait here, okay? I won’t be long.”

You pout and cross your arms like a child, reluctantly huffing your agreement. His sympathetic shoulder-touch is enough of a consolation for you not to bitch and moan about it, even though you don’t stop pouting.

You watch from the register as Jaehyun moves through the different aisles, wandering from shelf-to-shelf with a concentrated furrow in his brow.

It’s almost… domestic.

You wonder what coming to the store with him would have been like before the country went to shit, easily slipping into your world-before daydream.

You’d have arrived in his car, probably wearing matching shirts—he seemed like the kind of guy to want to do that, you think. You would’ve walked through the doors holding hands, bowing at the cashier with dopey smiles on your faces... You’d probably argue about which piece of meat you’d want to buy for the upcoming family barbecue, and then, after agreeing to a game of Rock Paper Scissors, Jaehyun would pout and whine when he lost…

“Look what I found!”

You jump, loudly clearing your throat as Jaehyun approaches again holding a thick roll of bandaid in his free hand. He sets a blue basket down and crouches in front of you.

“What were you daydreaming about?” he asks conversationally, gently removing your sock (and apologizing under his breath when you wince away,) so he can start wrapping your foot.

“Nothing,” you deflect a little too quickly, nervously avoiding his gaze when he tries to meet your eyes. “I was just spacing out.”

“Yeah…” he mumbles, totally not believing you.

You clear your throat. “You found a lot of stuff.”

“Yeah.” Jaehyun briefly glances at the nearly overflowing basket beside him as he finishes up your foot-wrap, groaning a little when he stands. “It might be because we’re so far away from the city. Maybe the people here weren’t as worried about supplies as the rest of us.” He grabs the basket and hoists you up by the waist.

“Maybe,” you agree, hopping along as fast as you can, occasionally taking breaks to lean against Jaehyun until you finally make it back to the car.

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” you ask as you buckle in. “I feel like we’ve been driving for years.”

“It’s a little late to ask that now,” he laughs, setting the basket next to and on top of the rest of the supplies you’ve collected in the trunk of the car. “But, yeah, I’m sure. My grandma used to live out this way.”

“Oh.” Your eyes widen. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah.” There’s a moment of silence. “We came out once every three or four weeks, I think. She died my freshman year of high school.”

“I’m sorry,” you whisper, reaching over the center console to squeeze his hand.

Jaehyun shakes his head. When you try to move away, he holds your hand in his lap.

“How about you?” he asks as he clears his throat. “Did you have any family outside the city?”

“Not… really?”

He frowns. “How do you mean?”

“Well,” you start, “my parents are divorced, so I moved to the city with my dad while my mom stayed out in the countryside with her family. I didn’t really see them much, and when I did it wasn’t super pleasant.”

“Ah…” This time Jaehyun squeezes your hand, his thumb rubbing light circles against your knuckles. “I’m sorry.”

You shrug. “It is what it is. I don’t even know if any of them are still alive,” you laugh bleakly.

Jaehyun smiles sadly, but says nothing else.

You sigh, leaning back against the chair with closed eyes. “Wake me up when we get there?”

“‘Course.”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

It’s been a crazy couple of hours.

When you got to Jaehyun’s gran’s house (you hadn’t even considered that was where he was taking you), you were met with his family.

His mom, his dad, his older brother… they were all there. You’d watched the reunion mostly from inside the car because Jae’s parents had come out of the house as he was coming around to help you, so you had no idea what words had been exchanged.

They’d all wrapped around each other and when Jaehyun remembered you were still in the car (you’d opened the car door and started maneuvering yourself outside), he jogged to you, his face red and tears still flowing down his cheeks in waves.

“Jaehyun…”

He cried harder at your soft tone, and you pushed yourself to standing so you could wrap a hand around the back of his neck, guiding his head to your shoulder. He wrapped his arms around your waist, holding you against his chest as he sniffled and cried. You petted his hair and whispered assurances into his shoulder, telling him that it was okay and they were all safe and you’re finally together again.

“Y/N, darling, is something wrong?”

You snap out of your thoughts, hurriedly bringing the spoonful of chicken soup to your lips to appease the questioning eyes suddenly trained on you.

“The food is great, Mrs. Myung, thank you.” You smile as you bring another spoonful to your lips. Jaehyun is sitting next to you, his smile slowly returning to his face as he looks lovingly at all his family members spread out across the dining room table.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Mrs. Myung waves off, a smile on her face. “I’m just glad you’re finally getting some proper food in you. I can’t believe you guys have been living off of canned beans and raw noodles for the last… god knows how long!” She shook her head with an exaggerated shiver, very motherly, and you laughed awkwardly to dispel the strange tension in your shoulders.

“We’ve been doing our best with what we have,” Jaehyun says, gently so as not to accidentally hurt his mother’s feelings, though you wonder how much he’s told them about your situation. Do they even know how you guys met?

“So,” Jungkook starts. You straighten your back and sit with your hands in your lap, nervously swallowing down your soup. Jaehyun’s older brother is almost nothing like him. He’s tall, has a full sleeve of tattoos, several piercings and hasn’t exactly been the most welcoming presence since their reunion earlier that evening.

“How did you two meet?”

So Jaehyun hadn’t told them everything.

“Oh, uh…” Jaehyun searches your face, probably hesitant to talk about something neither of you had really spoken about since it’s happening. Especially considering the… less-than-ideal circumstances.

You clear your throat. Despite not really wanting to relive any of that, you do want Jaehyun’s family to like you. So you put on what you hope is a friendly smile and tell them about what happened.

“I was being chased by a rogue group,” you say simply, ignoring Jungkook’s sympathetic frown and the widened eyes on his parents’ face. “I don’t know what they were going to do with me, but I ran into Jaehyun’s old company building and he found me and helped me escape.”

“That’s terrible…” Jaehyun’s mom sympathizes, reaching across the table to squeeze her son’s hand. He squeezes it back before pulling away.

“It’s over now.” Jaehyun says, smiling softly at you and reaching under the table to hold your hand.

“What happened to the boys?” Jungkook asks with a concerned frown. “Were you separated?”

Jaehyun’s grip on your hand tightens, his face paling so suddenly you can’t help but worry he’s about to pass out.

Jaehyun swallows and shakes his head.

“Jaehyun—”

He pushes up from the chair hard enough the legs screech against the floors, effectively cutting Jungkook off. “Thank you for the food, Eomma, but Y/N and I should probably get to bed. We’ve had a long day.”

“Jaehyun,” his dad says gently.

“C’mon, Y/N.”

You push out of your chair and fall into Jaehyun’s side, his arm around your shoulder and yours around his waist as he helps you hobble towards what you assume must be the guest bedroom.

You say nothing as he sets you on the side of the bed to remove your socks for you, glossy-eyed and frowning.

You bite your lip nervously, hesitant to say anything that might make him even more upset than he already is, but you have a feeling if you don’t say anything at all, things might turn out even worse, so you clear your throat and start off small.

“Where are you sleeping tonight?” you ask, watching him walk around to the other side of the bed.

“Here.”

“Here?”

“Yeah.” Jaehyun hesitantly sits on the edge of the bed, searching your face for signs of discomfort. “Why? Do you not want me to?”

“No—I mean, I don’t mind.” You pray he can’t tell how flustered this conversation makes you. “I just… I guess I assumed you’d go to the room with your brother.”

“I don’t…” Jaehyun sighs, raking his fingers through his hair as he sits back against the headboard, your legs touching. “I can’t deal with him right now.”

You bite your lip. “Do you… wanna talk about it?”

Jaehyun looks at you for a bit before shaking his head. “I don’t know. I missed them, of course I did, and I couldn’t be happier that they’re all alive and well and here.”

You carefully cross your legs and turn so your whole body is facing him. “But…?”

He follows suit and turns to face you, grabbing your hands so he can play with your fingers. “But… I just… I can’t deal with it all right now. The whiplash of them being alive, of us being reunited when…”

He inhales sharply, holding your hands a little tighter. “When they’re— they’re not here—”

Jaehyun breaks down, bowing his head as his shoulders shake with tears. Your heart aches for him as you maneuver yourself in a way that lets you get closer to him without putting your ankle at risk, wrapping your arms around his shoulders to pull him close.

You pat his back as he cries into your shoulder, eventually pulling away to hold his face and wipe his tears away with your thumbs.

“We got— got separated and they, I don’t know how it happened but they got— got cornered and I didn’t do anything because I— I was frozen and I didn’t do anything and now— and now they’re all dead—”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Yes it is!” he sobs, his breath stuttering in his chest as he grips your wrists, holding your hands against his cheeks like they’re his lifeline. “I could’ve done something, I might’ve saved them if only I’d done something—”

“Jaehyun, look at me.”

He makes a noise of a wounded animal, and your heart clenches uncomfortably in your chest as you wipe your thumbs under his eyes. “You couldn’t have saved them in the state you were in. The only thing that would’ve happened is you would’ve died with them—”

“That would’ve been better than this—”

“No. Don’t say that.” You exhale shakily, annoyed at yourself for getting emotional when you’re trying so hard to be strong for him. “If you were dead what would have happened to me, Jaehyun? You wouldn’t have reunited with your family. Don’t say that.”

He whines again, shaking his head. “I just… I miss them,” he sobs, “I miss them so— so much and I wish they could’ve b-been here to meet— to meet you. Woonhakie” — he gasps like he’s out of breath— “Woonhakie would’ve loved you,” he wails, curling in on himself.

You hush him again, fighting back your own tears as you bring him back to your chest. You let him cry it out as you rub comforting circles on his back…

•••

You don’t know how long you both sit there, but when it’s done you’re emotionally exhausted and your foot is aching.

You and Jaehyun lay curled up against each other, closer than you’ve ever been before. Your heart pounds against your chest at the proximity, and you find yourself falling more in love with his scent every time you inhale against his neck.

“Y/N?”

“Mm?”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Those things I said.” He swallows, his thumbs drawing pictures against your shoulders. “I’m glad I got to save you. I—“

“I know,” you assure him quietly, feeling your head get heavier. “They were like family to you. It’s a lot to deal with.”

“Still. I don’t want you to think I regret living.”

You can’t tell if it’s the closeness or mental exhaustion of the last month catching up on you, but whatever it is it gives you enough confidence to turn your head and kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Jaehyun. I’m glad we stayed alive long enough to know each other.”

He tenses up ever so slightly before nuzzling deeper into your shoulder. “Me too…

“And Y/N?”

“Mm?” you mumble, eyes already closed.

“I think I love you,” he whispers. “I know it’s sudden and maybe it’s not the right time, but I— I’ve actually felt this way for a while but I didn’t want to ruin everything or scare you off, or—“

“Jaehyun-ah.”

He swallows hard. “Mm?”

“I love you too. Now try to get some sleep, will you? Tomorrow’s going to be a really long day.”

Jaehyun stills as he takes in what you said, and then he turns his face into your neck and shakily inhales, holding you tighter than ever before.

“Y/N?”

“Mm?”

“I can’t wait to spend my tomorrows with you.”

[not-kamenx]

Beyblade X Ep 40: The Other Mask

OKAYYY this episode was really more of a proper “introduction” at Blader Y more than anything else and I was QUITE INTRIGUED AND I’M SCARFING THIS EPISODE DOWN

I don’t know what I was expecting for Robin and his battle with Blader Y, but it was NOT A BURST FINISH AS HE LAUNCHED?

I’m starting to think this story hates Robin because THIS IS YET ANOTHER TIME WE’VE SEEN HIM MAKE THIS FACE 😭 HE LOOKS SO SHOCKED, AND NO WONDER, he was already getting stronger then this random Blader impersonating Blader X just waltzed in and swooped him off his feet. Imagine going against someone who you think is Team Persona’s fan (Robin please never change your thought process that was such a simple conclusion you came to and it was amazing) then getting obliterated by said fan not even a second later. BUT WHAT WAS REALLY NERVE WRECKING WAS HOW BLADER Y SAID “I can’t feel it with you.”

It. IT. What did Chrome say in Ep 38? “I can feel it. I can feel X.”

IF CHROME ISN’T BLADER Y I’M BURNING MY PLANNER WITH ALL MY BEYBLADE X SKETCHES IN IT I’M DEAD SERIOUS THE SIMILARITIES ARE KILLING ME.

But seriously, what does Blader Y mean when he can’t feel “it” with Robin? Well, Blader Y ended up battling a bunch of the Bladers Jaxon has faced off before, as Blader X (Team Phalanx, Titus, Multi, and Blaze). We end up finding out that this dude has been running around trying to copy the results of Jaxon’s battle with the others. Well, the only battle he failed to completely mimic was Jason’s battle versus Takumi, cuz he had to use two Xtreme Dash’s instead of one. But I guess he learned from his lesson because he didn’t make any mistakes after that.

Speaking of Takumi, I really like how he and his team started helping the amateurs instead of breaking their beys! TINY STEPS, WOOHOO!!! He didn’t have to change his personality necessarily but just the way he did things, though I do think he is a bit nicer :D

ANYWAYS THEN BLADER Y WENT TO TITUS but we know the outcome (a tie because of the mimicking) but I also like seeing the thought put into the animation

I MEAN LOOK AT JIAN she’s just lifting these like they’re just some weights this girl is hella strong

but yeah, then after this Blader Y went to Multi (those outfits that were shown before he arrived were all so pretty btw) and defeated her before she RUSHED back to Komaba Sushi and demanded to confirm the fact Jaxon had no relation to Blader Y because he was able to mimic the battle to such a degree.

it appears Jaxon does not really…. Care? (I’ll save that for another post after this one) and she’s like “The B4 MIGHT end up suspecting you when we’re already nearing the title match” which leads me to believe that yeah Jaxon is not possibly allowed to be doing what he’s been doing 😭 I mean IT WAS KIND OF OBVIOUS ENOUGH WITH HOW HE FREAKS OUT NOT WEARING THE MASK AND GETTING NOTICED but still, that just pretty much hammers it down. That is also when he shows mild concern because he doesn’t want to delay a battle

Or it might be because he realized something?

anyways we then switch over to Blaze who’s incredibly heartbroken (he’s disappointed) that he can’t battle with his new bey in production. Then during the battle he questions Blader Y and asks him if it’s possible to reach the fastest realm like Blader X, then Blader Y basically says yes by defeating him. What a guy.

what caught my attention (and Y’s) though was that Blaze said “It was as if I was battling against Blader X himself!”

Blader Y mulls over this for a moment then he starts giggling creepily. I. Yeah he’s a weirdo who let him get a replica of Sword Dran I am so lost (come to think of it maybe he could’ve seen Packun on TV and seen how he replicates Beys and that’s where he got it? But would Packun really take a commission from a guy like that?)

then I ended up losing it when he said “Someone like him… Why?” AND FLASHBACKS TO ROBIN’S FACE WHAT DOES HE MEAN BY THIS DOES HE MEAN ABOUT WHY HE CAN’T FEEL IT WITH ROBIN OR LIKE I DUNNO WHY HE’S ON TEAM PERSONA WHEN HE’S NOT AS STRONG AS MULTI OR JAXON? BUT WOULDN’T THAT MEAN HE’D QUESTION MULTI’S STRENGTH TOO? Or is he being mean and singling out Robin if it were that case?

also AGAIN with the hand placement NEAR HIS HEART

anyways I screamed at the preview BLADER Z WHAT????

[writeastormsblog]

Show Me My Silver Lining (TFTBL Rhys/Fiona Fanfiction) - Chapter 7

SUMMARY: A fan-written continuation of the lives of the Atlas CEO and Pandoran Vault Hunter. Canon-aligned with TFTBL, but not with game 3. What happened after the vault? How does the beloved duo continue growing together? Rhyiona ship including slow burn, fluff, and banter. Enjoy!

(art made by using Canva)

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CHAPTER SEVEN: I Miss You, Too

“This,” Rhys huffed, running beside Fiona, “Was not what I meant when I said we should walk off the food we just ate. This isn’t walking!”

“C’mon, it’s more fun this way!” Fiona beamed, slightly breathy, but not as out of breath as Rhys. “Thought you said you were stronger than me, Atlas. Keep up!”

They ran under the night sky and passed under many neon lights. The sound of sirens and traffic faintly followed from the distance as they headed back to the parking deck, cold air rushing at them as adrenaline flooded their bodies. Once the two entered the parking deck, they stopped to catch their breath.

“Y’know,” Rhys gasped for air. “I was gonna ask if you wanted to see more of the city after dinner, but now— hah… ah…”

Fiona smirked, cheerfully more in shape than Rhys. “That’s a great idea!”

“Hwa— Wait,” Rhys said, raising his hands up, but Fiona playfully shoved him as she spotted the stairwell.

“Look, there we go! Haha, race ya!” Fiona widely grinned, running to the stairs.

“You are unbelievable,” Rhys laughed, helplessly dashing after her. “Hey, no head start! Come back here!”

“You had a head start at the vault! We’re getting even!” She said over her shoulder.

Once they found themselves at the top of the parking deck, the lot vacant of cars but the sky full of stars, the two naturally wandered to the edge and rested their arms on the railing.

Promethea was really beautiful at night. Urban street lights flooded below them, of vehicles and neon signs and lamp posts lining endless sidewalks, and the lights from below seemed to climb to the sky through the windows of many grand, towering buildings. 

“Wow,” Fiona said. She turned to Rhys as he finally managed to breathe steadily. “You good?”

Rhys shook his head, smiling. “I’m great, thanks. Even though you still hold the championship over running.”

“Mhm, and it’s gonna stay that way.” Fiona smirked.

Rhys laughed. “Yeah, I’m not gonna argue that.” 

The two turned their gaze forward, continuing to take in all the lights.

“So,” Rhys said with a small chuckle. “You like the city? I uh, know it’s different from what you normally see.”

“I’m sure the crime rate here can’t beat Pandora’s,” she shrugged, smiling. “And this place really lacks rakks dive-bombing us, but yeah. I guess it’s pretty cool.” She chuckled. “It’s very pretty.”

“Hah, yeah,” Rhys said, but he wasn’t looking at the scenery. 

“Hmm?” Fiona met his gaze, then noticed his ears turned red. “Oh. If it’s getting too cold out, we can head back down soon. I see you didn’t bring a jacket.”

“Huh? I’m not cold.”

Fiona tilted her head at him. “But your ears are red.”

“O-oh, they are? Ah, weird,” Rhys said, casting his eyes away while scratching the back of his neck. “But um, we don’t have to go back down soon. Um, not unless you want to,” he quickly added.

“I’m alright being here for a moment,” Fiona reassured, then paused. She recognized an unfavorable feeling flitting at the forefront of her mind, one that was getting louder the closer they neared the end of the week. She frowned, finally recognizing it was dread. Dread about their week ending, and she felt sad all of a sudden. When was the next time they were going to see each other?

“Um,” Rhys shut his eyes, shaking his head. “So, uh. Y’know how everyone’s been busy?” He peaked at Fiona, shifting from one foot to the other. 

She blinked at him. “Uh, yeah…” She sighed. “I’ve noticed. I’ve only been able to call Sasha two times over the past month. I’ve been busy vault hunting on different planets while she’s been traveling others with August. Staying busy helps me, but…”

Rhys nodded. “You miss her.”

“Yeah.” Fiona chewed the inside of her cheek.

Rhys sighed. “I understand. I mean, I’m busy running Atlas while Vaughn’s running new establishments for the Children of Helios, but I still miss him, too. I uh,“ Rhys tapped his finger on the railing. “I kind of miss our group get-togethers. It was easier to make time to just see everyone at that point. Vaughn, Athena, Janey, the bots, August, Sasha and…” His cheeks slightly reddened. “Y’know. You.”

Fiona raised a brow. “Aww, it almost sounds like you miss me or something,” she teased.

“I- I do.” Rhys coyly admitted. “Miss you. I uh, I just… Yeah.”

Fiona’s eyes widened. He held her gaze, waiting for her to respond. “Oh…”

“Sorry! Sorry, was that— ah, I hope that wasn’t weird to say. You know what? I’m not sure why I said that all of a sudden,” Rhys rambled.

“Rhys.” 

“Ah, hahah, anyways. You’ll be super busy, and I’ll be super busy, and that’ll be super cool.”

“Rhys—“

“It’s super cool! I don’t think about making time to see you or anything now that we don’t have the reason of just seeing each other at get-togethers.” Rhys cringed. “Why did I say that out loud?”

“Rhys!” Fiona huffed. He stared at her, finally wrenching his mouth shut, all flustered.

Fiona opened her mouth, then quickly shut it. She crossed her arms, then uncrossed them. “Rhys, I…” She pinched the bridge of her nose, then mustered a confession. “I miss you, too.”

Rhys’s brows raised. He stood silent as he processed her words. “Wait,” he said slowly. “Did I hear that right…?”

“Yes, you heard it right the first time,” Fiona scoffed. “You’re not gonna get me to say that again. But yeah.” 

A dopey smile crossed Rhys’s face. “You miss me?”

“Nope. Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“All this time! All this time you missed my absolute mind-blowing intellect and awesome jokes and my suave style with top-tier fashionable socks—“

Fiona punched him in the shoulder, suppressing a smile. He still smirked while wincing. 

“Don’t push it. Maybe I enjoy spending time with you, okay?“ She ended up admitting. Fiona shook her head, grinning though she felt her face getting warm. “But don’t go adding all those embellishments. You’ll ruin my street-cred while cultivating an ego I’ve been trying to knock down a peg or two.”

Rhys ran a hand through his hair, sighing. “Y’know,” he shyly glanced away from her again. “Even though all those sleep-deprived hours sucked… I didn’t know the next time we’d get to spend time together like we did this week. I didn’t know how to ask if you maybe even wanted me around when we weren’t just invited to be at the same place at the same time.” 

Fiona’s eyes softened. “I thought you knew I actually had fun being around you.”

“I don’t know,” Rhys mumbled. “You’ve got so much going on for you. Doing amazing things. Being a badass adventurer, and then you come back and see me with our friends here and there, and I’m just, I don’t know.”

“Being a CEO and kickstarting an entire company from the ground is pretty badass, too. I’d wonder why you’d ever make time for me if it wasn’t otherwise for our friends.” Fiona shrugged. “Unless you enjoyed my creative trash talk when we’d play poker or other card games.”

Rhys rolled his eyes. “Hey, I beat you at poker.”

“Once. Out of the dozen times we’ve played.”

He pouted. She grinned.

“So,” Rhys cleared his throat. “Since it might be forever since the next group hangout, would you maybe want to hangout? Like, just us, doing whatever? You don’t have to help me chug coffee at four in the morning. We could, I don’t know. Figure out something.”

Fiona smiled. Relief settled in her shoulders as dread left the pit of her stomach. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Cool. Yeah, me too.” Rhys nodded, and warmth filled both of their chests as they finally acknowledged this.

Fiona tilted her head at him. Without much thought, she added, “Besides, the more time I spend with you, the sooner I could put a face to who you’re interested in, and you’ll never hear the end of it.”

She meant for it to be a lighthearted tease, but Rhys only blinked. “Huh?”

“Don’t think I’d forget,” Fiona continued. “Once I find out who this girl is, I’ll make sure she’s well informed of all your most embarrassing moments. And you won’t go a moment spared of my teasing. I've been curious about this since you told me about how you’re ’interested in someone else.’”

Rhys gulped. “Wh- Who do you think it is? Do you have any clue, I mean?”

“My deductive skills tell me it’s got to be someone you met in the business world while we spent a year out of touch. If it’s not Sasha, and I can’t see it being anyone else we both know, then yeah,” Fiona declared, snickering. But Fiona stopped once something crossed Rhys’s face. For supposedly being good at reading people, Fiona’s brows furrowed as she tried to decipher his expression. Some sort of confusion? Disappointment or relief? A mix of disappointment and relief? “You good?”

“Ah, y-yeah…” Rhys turned away. His shoulders slouched. 

Suddenly struck with guilt, Fiona tugged at her hat. Why did she bring up the ’someone else’? It could’ve been just a nice moment between him and Fiona actually focusing on growing their friendship. Now she’d gone and made it weird.

Rhys cleared his throat. He turned to her again, mustering a smile. “So,” he crossed his arms. “You really don’t know?”

Fiona blinked. “Uh, no.”

Rhys raised an eyebrow at her. The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Well, I guess we’ll see how long it takes for you to find out.”

“Wait.” Fiona stared at him. “Is that a challenge?”

Rhys shrugged. “Maybe it is.”

Fiona tilted her head. He was strangely eager in his tone, and maybe a tinge of anxiousness bordering excitement? Still hard to understand what was going on exactly. What was with the sudden switch up? Fiona squinted. “You’re strange to read, y’know that?”

Rhys laughed. “Good. Then maybe I have nothing to worry about. Or uh, maybe something to worry about. We’ll see.”

[thefreakandthehair]

@eddiemonth prompt, oct 22nd:  First concert | Triumph of King Freak - Rob Zombie | Eager a/n: a missing scene from an older fic, counting stars (when I look in your eyes)! post-canon fix, eddie pov, established steddie, fluff with a dash of angst, mention of eddie's late mother read on ao3 + ao3 masterpost | tumblr masterlist

December, 1988

“Why does your acoustic have that written on it? ‘This Machine Slays Dragons’?” Steve asks as he watches Eddie strum without looking at his hands. It’s a bit mesmerizing, the way his fingers glide along the strings of their own accord. 

The song stops and Eddie slaps the body of the guitar in his lap. 

“This old girl is an homage to one Woody ‘This Machine Kills Fascists’ Guthrie. Ever heard of him?” 

“He did ‘This Land Is Your Land,’ right?”

Eddie claps his hands together and points two finger guns his way. “Ding ding ding, we have a winner. Yeah, he wrote that and a shit ton of other political critique folk music.” 

“I didn’t know you liked that sort of thing. Sounds pretty far removed from Metallica, y’know?”

“Only in delivery. You’d be surprised how much overlap there is in meaning. But yeah, my uh—” Eddie stops and pulls the guitar closer to his torso and swallows the dust in his mouth that’s gathered from years of not talking about his mother. “My mom was a big fan of it. She loved Guthrie, Baez, Dylan, Grateful Dead, Cohen. You name it, she loved it.” 

Steve’s heart tries to claw its way out of his body to run towards Eddie sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, timid smile, and fidgeting hands. 

“That’s really cool, man. She sounds awesome. How come you don’t talk about her more?” 

“It just—I don’t know. It still hurts, I guess. Which is stupid, I was eight when she died so it should get easier, right?” Eddie laughs humorlessly and stares at his strings like they hold answers to questions he didn’t know he had. He wants to crawl on top of Steve, desperate for warmth and comfort now, and looking at him makes the urge damn near impossible to beat back. So he doesn’t look up. 

Steve adjusts his position on the bed, subconsciously making room. “Hell no, that’s not how grief works, Ed. Wish it was that easy but I’ve seen a lot of death personally and with work, and it changes people. You can tell me to fuck off if I’m like, overstepping here but you were a kid. You’re allowed to be sad about her death, and you’re allowed to talk about it.” 

Eddie pauses for a long moment, considering the validation and how much he trusts Steve. He trusts him with his life, his soul, his heart, his  everything. Maybe everything could include his past, too. His voice is wistful when he starts.

“She used to sing Dylan’s ‘Forever Young’ around the house.”

December, 1974

Eddie sits cross-legged on the floor, threadbare couch behind him as he flips through a comic book gifted to him by his Uncle Wayne. The page crinkle with each turn and he traces the illustrations of each villain and superhero, the words a bit lost on him but the pictures jumping off of the page. Varying shades of saturated reds and blues disappear and reappear beneath his pointer finger and grins. He hasn’t read the story yet– he prefers to make up his own first– but he can see that the good guy is about to win. 

Happy endings are just so rare in real life. 

His mom is in the kitchen, singing softly and stirring something on the stove in a corroded aluminum pot. Eddie picks up the delicate scents of tomatoes and peppers, maybe some kind of meat. She’s been in a bright mood today, singing as she cooks, singing as she did her best to clean up the beer cans and bottles that litter the living room. Eddie even heard her singing in the shower that morning.

It’s not lost on him that his dad’s been gone for a few days. Hell, that’s the only reason he’s able to sit in the living room: there’s room for him. 

His dad is always too loud, drowning out the soft soprano of his mother’s voice. Everything she sings sounds like a lullaby, so it’s fitting that Eddie closes his eyes to listen. 

Eddie loves when his mom sings, especially the song she’s singing now. 

May you always be courageous

Stand upright and be strong

May you stay forever young

May you stay forever young

She never tells him, but he feels like she sings it just for him. 

November 1990

Steve hasn’t been this nervous to give Eddie a Christmas gift since that first Christmas of theirs two years ago. Funny enough, the gift then had been related to his late mother, too. Maybe he has a pattern. The envelope shakes in his hands as he sits next to Eddie on the couch– their couch, actually. At least as of a few months ago when they’d put down their down payment on the small, one-bedroom apartment in the heart of Indianapolis. 

Eddie glances over and sees Steve’s right hand nearly crumpling whatever his gift is, his fingertips white and his smile tight. Whatever it is must be time sensitive, since he’s insisted on giving it to Eddie so early. 

“What is it, Steve? You look like you’re gonna shit yourself.”

Steve laughs, nervous and breathy. “I actually might, and we just bought this couch, so. Just– here. Open it.”

He pries the envelope from Steve’s hand and tears it open, Steve having to caution him against ripping it in half and voiding the fucking the gift. Three rectangles fall out onto his lap, full of typewriter style font. 

“Oh shit, concert tickets!” Eddie smiles and knocks his knee against Steve’s. “Why were you so nervous? This is awesome!” 

Steve nods at the tickets. “Did you see who it is?”

Eddie’d been too excited about finally getting to a proper concert, one that he doesn’t have to set up and break down with Gareth, Jeff, and Frank. When he looks down and actually reads the headliner, his heart stops. 

University of Dayton Arena Presents: BOB DYLAN TUESDAY, NOV 13 1990 7:30 PM

“Steve… is this…?” He can’t find the words, buried and lodged behind the lump forming in his throat. 

Steve watches him carefully as he traces the letters with one finger, a habit he’s picked up on over the years, and gently rests a hand on his thigh and gives it a squeeze. “You okay?” 

Eddie nods. “Yeah, yeah, I’m definitely okay.” 

Okay is an understatement. He’s bewildered, he’s humbled, he’s ecstatic. When Eddie tears himself away from the small rectangles that sit on his lap like the gold bars they are, he looks at Steve with wonderment. First, the music box. Now, this. How is he ever going to keep up? 

“I know it’s your first concert but I saw that he was coming around and I just figured it’d be cool, y’know? I don’t know who he’s touring with or anything–” 

He does this, Steve knows. He knows that he rambles when he’s nervous or when he’s put himself out there and for some reason, giving Eddie these tickets feels incredibly vulnerable. Even years later, even after Eddie’s constant reassurance that he could never, Steve would hate for Eddie to think that he’s encroaching on special memories. 

Before he can finish his stream of thought, Eddie kisses him. Just leans over, tickets still in his lap, and claps both hands on either side of his cheeks as Eddie plants one on him. Then again. And again. And again. 

Eddie peppers every inch of Steve’s face with kisses, interjecting in between each one. 

“You’re–” Kiss to the nose. 

“So fucking–” Kiss to the cheek. 

“Perfect–” Kiss to the forehead. 

When he finishes, Eddie rests his forehead against Steve’s and wraps his arms around Steve’s neck, feeling them shake beneath him as Steve laughs. “Always so dramatic.” 

“And you love it. But, wait,” Eddie pulls back and picks the tickets back up. “Why are there three?” 

“Do you honestly think Wayne would ever speak to me again if I got tickets for Bob Dylan and didn’t include him? C’mon, man. Christmas would be so fucking awkward.”

[translucent-at-best]

Scatter-brained...

It's some good shit up in my tagged/me. I forget until somebody goes through it. For those who go through it, thank you for the reminders.

Maybe it's the hometown bias, but Wiz Khalifa has one of the best laughs to me.

While I was getting my hair done, I got a call from Edible Arrangements, saying they had a delivery for me. I didn't know who it could be from, especially since none of the people I've talked to recently have my address. Suffice it to say, for the rest of the retwist appointment, I was racking my brain over who it could be from. And how this person knew that I'd prefer an Edible Arrangement bouquet over flowers any day.

Long story short, when I got home and read the card, it was an early Valentine's Day gift from my dad. I never even considered it being him because he just got out of the hospital last week and, although he gave me Valentine's Day presents when I was younger, that (understandably) kind of stopped once I became an adult.

I'm not big on gifts, but I am very big on being considered and thought about. It was so incredibly unexpected, and I was so appreciative. Still am. At my big, grown age, 2,500 miles away and my dad didn't forget about me for Valentine's Day. I'm blessed, man.

Flesh Hat Man is finally gone from my dash and I couldn't be more ecstatic. Whoever OP was who posted the idea of filtering the tag is, I hope they get their genitals pleasured as often as they want it.

An old wound reared its ugly head today and I didn't even realize it until I was in the middle of reacting to it. I'm glad I caught myself and apologized, but still. I didn't foresee me being in the type of situation where I'd need to apologize for something having to do with that. They weren't lying when they said healing is not linear.

I can't wait to bake for someone I love. The way I damn near jump at the chance to have people eat my baked goods is childish lol. Lord, please send me a somebody who likes sweets.

11 days out from my cycle and my nipples wanna pop up super sensitive all of a sudden. Don't piss me off...

I'm already excited for the next time I make cinnamon rolls. It's been two damn days smh. Future Boo, where you at? Bring Tupperware when you come.

We're all in agreement that it ain't no way Lil Wayne would've lasted that whole Super Bowl performance, right? The catalog is long and the hits were there, but all about that breath control? Yeah... we know better.

[aria-bun]

Macchiato

In which Corvus and Soren catch up... and a bit more Read on ao3!

MACCHIATO

/ˌmäkēˈädō/ (n.)

Espresso with a dash of frothy steamed milk.

——————————————————————

Corvus didn’t see Soren again until after the second semester had started, near the end of January.

Not for lack of trying. Corvus’ professors dropped a heavy amount of coursework on him the moment he set foot on campus. To the point that he hadn’t even been able to unpack his stuff yet.

He barely even saw Opeli. Apparently, she had taken mostly night classes this semester, and they were the equivalent to passing ships in the night. Whenever they saw the other they were either sleeping or running on two hours of sleep and several caffeinated beverages of ones choice.

The christmas decorations were gone, to Corvus’ somewhat sleep-deprived delight, leaving only string lights hanging in the front window, casting a soft glow. The bell over the door rang as he pushed it open, and the first person he noticed was Soren. 

He looked… tired.

Still happy and cheery, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“Hey, Soren.” Corvus gave him a small smile, closing the door behind him.

The blonde perked up slightly, his placid smile morphing into a grin. “Hey bird-man,”

“How’ve you been?” He asked, starting to feel a bit guilty for not visiting sooner.

“Eh, its been alright. Classes kicking my ass right out the gate, so that’s… less than great.” Soren winced slightly. “But other than that, yeah, fine.”

“That sounds about right.” He nodded along.

“Anyways, what can I get ya?” He leaned forward, elbows propped up on the counter.

“Double macchiato, please.”

Soren tapped the counter twice. “Coming right up.” He winked at Corvus.

Corvus felt his face heat up. He wasn’t expecting to have to play the guessing game of ‘Was Soren Fliriting With Him or Just Being Soren?’ this morning, but probably should’ve expected it anyway.

“Soren?”

“Hm?” The blonde looked back at him, filling the cup with espresso.

“Do you want to… go on a walk after?”

“Oh, sure. To where?” He turned his attention back to the cup.

“Just… around.” Corvus chose his words carefully. Talking to people normally was hard enough. Talking with Soren was something else entirely.

Something that should really have a university course dedicated to it.

Soren put the lid on his macchiato and handed it over before untying his apron and hanging it up, walking around the side of the counter with his jacket in hand.

Corvus held the coffee with both of his hands, warming them before nudging the door open with his foot. The snow may have been gone outside, but it was still bittery cold, and the wind was rather unkind this time of year.

Soren stepped through the door, holding it open for Corvus to walk through into the brisk cold.

The two of them started walking down the sidewalk, silent. Silences between them were usually comfortable. Relaxed. 

But there was something different this time, and Corvus wasn’t sure what it was. It was…tenser than usual.

It puzzled him.

“So… How was the rest of your break?” Soren asked, sticking his hands into the pockets of his jacket. 

“Quiet. A bit boring.” He said honestly. It was quiet and boring. He loved his parents, but there wasn’t really much for them to do in the middle of winter, after so many years of their camping traditions no longer put to use.

“Didn’t do anything for the new year?” He arched a blonde eyebrow at him, and Corvus shook his head. He already knew what Soren had done– from the posts on his Instagram, it looked quite eventful. He had been invited by Soren, but it was at Callum and Ezran’s house again. He didn’t wish to overstep.

They continued their walk in silence, and it itched at Corvus. He was used to listening to Soren ramble, and it had become something he enjoyed. But he was silent as well.

Their walking path had led them back to their dorm building, and Corvus held the door open for Soren this time around, before stepping in behind him. The heat warmed his face, a welcome contrast to the cold outside.

They went up the stairs, passing the floor Corvus lived on and two floors up, stepping into the hallway.

“Where are we going?”

Soren stopped, blinking. “I- I’m sorry, my brain totally blanked, we’re at my dorm.”

“I was just following you.” He said, glancing around the hallway.

“Note to self: terrible decision. Don’t follow me anywhere apparently.” He laughed to himself, looking at the door they now stood in front of. 

Kiss him.

Corvus physically flinched at the thought.

What?

A quick glance around the hall did reveal that it was empty. He could kiss him.

He wanted to kiss him.

“I mean, I don’t even know why my first thought was ‘hey, lets walk back to my dorm room’ because now things are weird,” Soren continued on, seemingly refusing to make eye contact.

“Soren-”

“I mean, it isn’t weird! We’re friends, I’ve been in your dorm before. It’s not weird.”

“Soren-” Corvus tried again, looking at him.

“Am I talking a lot? I mean, I know I talk a lot normally but this feel’s like a lot-”

He sighed, pulling Soren closer by the collar of his jacket, and kissing him.

He felt Soren freeze up before fully melting into the kiss, his arms wrapping around Corvus’ waist and pulling them flush against each other.

Soren’s lips were soft against his, a gentle, welcome pressure. Corvus’ hand moved to cup his jaw, and he felt one of Soren’s arms unwind from his waist, and the small click of the doorknob to his dorm, the door opening beside them.

They stumbled into the room, Corvus closing the door behind them with his foot. His head was spinning. Kissing Soren felt… addictive, to put it blatantly.

A small sigh of disappointment escaped him after they separated, immediately making his face heat up. Soren looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh. He appreciated the effort, but the embarrassment was already there and very evident.

“You okay?” He asked, barely containing a small laugh. One of his hands slid up Corvus’ back, rubbing small circles.

“I- yeah.” Corvus leaned his forehead against his shoulder, effectively hiding his face out of embarassment. His hands were resting against Soren’s chest, still having a gentle grip on the front of his jacket.

Soren’s hand moved to the side of his face, tilting it up to look at him. He gave Corvus a small grin. “I’ll admit, that was pretty funny.”

Corvus leaned his forehead against Soren’s, their noses brushing slightly. Soren kissed him, this one a bit more chaste and teasing.

His hands cupped the sides of Soren’s face, a buzzing warmth filling him. Corvus felt Soren tug him down gently onto the bed, both of them now sitting on the edge of the mattress.

Soren pulled away from the kiss, peppering soft kisses on the side of his face. Corvus laughed, the feeling almost ticklish against his skin. He fell back against the mattress, pulling Soren down with him, causing a small, surprised sound to come from him.

Soren looked down at him, one of his eyebrows quirked up. “Hey there.”

Corvus looked back up at him. “Hi.”

He grinned, leaning down to kiss him when the sound of the door opening interrupted.

Both of them immediately turned their heads to look at the door, making eye contact with Gren.

Corvus immediately covered his face, immediately feeling himself flush red with embarrassment.

He heard a small, shocked laugh come from Gren before the door closed. Peeking out from his fingers, he glanced at Soren.

Soren was flushed pink, a mix of embarassment and amusement playing out on his face. “That was…” “Embarassing.” Corvus filled in for him.

He shrugged, rolling to lay beside him and wrapping his arms around Corvus’ waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. 

“We’re never going to hear the end of this, are we.” 

“Nope.”

[ahugedylanobrianfangirl]

DINNER DATE 🍁

a rainy fall day, first date, new York,cute guy!,Aryan Simhardri

authors note: I originally wrote this for my best friend that loves Aryan on paper but.. why not post it for the other Aryan lovers and fan girls if there's a ✨___✨ that's y/n's thoughts btw (this is my first fan fic so it might not be that good. please give feedback 😭🙏)

it was a rainy day "I'm so bored" you say slamming your head into your pillow

"y/n, lunch is almost ready 🎶" your mom said in a sing song voice "coming mom" you say as you run downstairs

"I'm boreddd, there's nothing to do" you complain "Well you can always go the library" "ugh fine since I have nothing better to do, and the library is a few blocks down".

You quickly get dressed and throw on your raincoat and red wine colored converse.

You dashed down the last block to get to the library, as you walked in you see many books but one captured your eye " Percy Jackson 🌊" you read the cover and scanned the book, you walked to the physics section remembering you have a project, you shift your attention a bit and see a tall about 6'5, tan handsome, dark curly haired boy. The supercalifragilisticexpialidocious boy turned to his left, you both make eye contact, he blushed " what's your name?" "y/n" you say in a flustered tone. He says" nice to meet you y/n, my name is Aryan, you have a nice name" "thank you *smiles*" both of you start talking and figure out you both have a lot in common, and you both exchange numbers.

As you and his number to your phone you hadn't realized how much time had gone by it was well pass lunch and your mom would flip if you spent any longer in the library. "Bye, I really have to go!" You yelled as you rushed out "bye, hope we can talk soon maybe later" he said.

You ran the few blocks home, when you reached home your mom was waiting for you at the table " how was it at the library, I'm guessing it was fun I see you have a new book in your hand" "yeah it was a lot of fun'' you say while grabbing the garlic bread dashing up stairs into your room.

You changed into comfy pj's and stared at the ceiling thinking about what had just happened at the library. You fell asleep until

*ring ring ring*

You see a number on your phone you're not too sure if u recognize but you answer

"Hello?" you say to the person on the other line "Hi, y/n its Aryan I would love to hangout sometime maybe get to know you a little more" ✨omg he called✨ you took a breath and thought to yourself as you were in disbelief this was your reality, the boy of your near dream is on the phone with you right now as we speak.

"I would love that too, I come home from school on Friday so maybe around then" you say to him smiling brighter than you had ever before although obviously he doesn't know that "yeah that's perfect because I don't have school that day, where do you want to go then?" you giggled to yourself" uh I heard there's a nice cafe around East Flatbush called Sweet Sundays Cafe" "sounds cool, I'll pick you up around 4:30, this is kinda awkward to ask but what location?, so I'm able to pick you up if you don't mind me asking"

"yeah that's a good time, uh sure it's four blocks down from the library we met at walk two blocks straight then make a turn at the corner it's at the left corner of Duncan donuts is then walk another 2 blocks down it's house 365"

author's note: I'm making random shit up

"ok see you Friday then:)"

Next day 🌞 (Thursday)

As you walked to school with your 6'7 best friend Leah, you couldn't stop pondering about what had happened the other day.

"Are you ok?, you haven't said a word since we've started walking" "huh?, yeah I'm alright"

The whole day all that was on your mind was him,Aryan, you know you have only known him for a day but gosh, you couldn't help fall for his beauty.

It's finally Friday it feels like you've been waiting an eternity for this day, at school that day you stared at the clock, the second it turned 2:40 you grabbed your bags, your friend Leah gave you a concerned look concerning the speed you grabbed your bags to run out wasting no time.

When you opened the door to your home your mom asked "how was your day at school?" "good" you say as you rushed up the stairs into your room "what the hell is wrong with my daughter" your mom said under her breath.

As you were in your room stressing about what you should wear ✨this is my first sorta date maybe I should just dress casual but not too casual ✨ so you picked out a white lace cami, brown Henley to wear over it, dark wash flared jeans, and obviously your red wine converse.

You were busy fixing your hair and putting on a little lip gloss when

Ding ~ Dong

Of course it was Aryan, who else would it be silly "Hi, good evening y/n" he had said with a smil, he had a bouquet of the prettiest flowers you had ever seen, "Hi" you giggled with the cheesiest smile your cheeks were all red.

"Bye, mom I'm going out I'll come back around 6:00!"

Before leaving "you look so.." he blushed hard "beautiful 💗" to him you were the prettiest girl he's ever laid eyes on 💕

It didn't take long for both of you to notice you both really liked each other.

You both strolled down the block, it was a little awkward but in a cute way, as the brown,dark yellow, and red leafs fell from above, a leaf fell in your soft dark brown curls; he looked at you and let out a small chuckle and took it out of your hair which made you smile, he smiled back.

When you both arrived at the cafe you ordered a pumpkin spice latte, he ordered a iced moca and a cookie.

"That'll be $13.50" "no worries" of course he payed for everything like a gentleman.

You both sat at a nice table near the window and started talking and drinking you all's drinks and he gave you the cookie he had just bought "thank you" you had said "no problem:)" he smiled and blushed a bit.

As both of you headed out walking home you were tired of pretending you didn't have the biggest crush on him, you were nervous at first but you took your chances.

"Hey, uh, Aryan" he turned and looked at you; you quickly kissed him on the cheek which just as quick turns into a kiss on the lips, his around your waist passionately kissing you back "I really like you y/n" "I really like you too Aryan" "can I be your boyfriend, y/n?" you blushed so hard you thought you were about to pass out " I would love to."

You both helt hands as he walked you home💗

[deathbxnny]

The end draws ever nearer, but there is still yet one more bridge to cross before we get there 😉

So, we ended the last part on a low note... time to go even lower LMAO.

Going off how it was written, it sounds like you imagine Arlecchino and "Mother's" arguments are typically a blend of a sort of test of wills, with Peruerre fully expecting "Mother" to commiserate through virtue of her position, with some passive-aggressiveness thrown both ways. Well, I think it's time things got changed up a bit with that, yeah? Well there's no time like the present to do that!

So here we are, the tension from the failed home date lingering still days afterward. Now, the other children of the House of Hearth can definitely feel that sense of unease between the two, how you almost seem go intentionally avoid each other, unless circumstances deign you must both be present for the affair, leading to them often going to big bro Lyney to bring up their concerns about what's going on between you two. "Mother" catches wind of this, and decides to confront her wife on it in her office privately. Things start off... not well, but "civilized" enough one could suppose. Then things start to escalate....

Then shit gets HEATED.

Meanwhile, Freminet, who had simply come to deliver a letter from some operatives for "Father" to inspect, finds himself eavesdropping from behind the door, listening to the angry, almost hateful words you exchange. Arlecchino then attempts to gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss you into submission and suddenly-

*SMACK*

Followed by a distressed cry.

Freminet for a moment is almost panicking, thinking Arlecchino had hit "Mother". Which would be so alarming for him, because "Father" had never hit you before, was never physically violent with you. Those thoughts are near-instantly dashed as "Mother", visibly distressed, exits the office, and not noticing her son's presence, go rushing down the hall. Deciding to put the letter delivery to the side for the moment, Freminet elects to go and check up on you. And as he passes by the doorway, he glances into the office, and sees Arlecchino. Hand cradling a cheek, her normally stoic face almost reflecting a hint of... shock, as he passes by seemingly unnoticed to go and comfort "Mother".

It would seem "Mother" lashed out in a sort of act of "self-defense" ;)

X Anon

-----♡

Hey there X Anon!

Thank you for your new addition to our favorite series and sorry again for taking so long to post it... I've been struggling to write with my new medication, so I hope it's still to your liking! I also changed up the ask a bit at the end, which I hope you're also okay with.

Anyhow, you can read the Post HERE.

(Posts have been made separate from each other due to formatting issues!)

-----♡

[stretchyyonko]

- the 3rd draft on my notes HAHAHA

- itallic (you) bold (kaiser) regular (others)

- idk what to put as title 🥹

- idk why I did kaiser tbh pls don't kill me

- words: visors - the helmet face shield

- beware of typos 😭

"Y/N sweetie are you going to school today?"

"yeah, but only to pass this invention of mine, yet I need to try it first, buuuttt i don't know where to try it"

"I'll be home later before dinner mom!"

"Okay then take care sweetie! By the way he's already outside waiting for you!"

"Huh? Who?....wait, it's kaiser isn't it?"

Her mother let out a chuckle as you went outside and saw kaiser leaning on his motorbike scrolling on his phone.

"Why are you here?"

He smirked along with a scoff as he put back his phone on his pocket.

"What else? I'm here to pick you up princess"

"I can manage myself to go to school"

Suddenly you thought about trying on your latest invention.

"Oh wait I can use these roller skates I just upgraded!"

He was confused to what you are saying not until he saw the roller skates you are holding.

"Oh..you mean those?"

"Mhmm"

"Do they go fast?"

"You bet they do" you said with a huff, proudly showing off your latest invention.

Kaiser looked closely on your invention and lets out a smirk.

"Okay put those on, I'm curious how fast can it go, we'll have a race"

She just look at him if he's serious or not.

"H-Huh?"

Kaiser smirked when he saw your reaction.

"You heard me princess, now put those on before I go and put it for you or are you perhaps scared?"

You glared at him as he attempted taunting you.

"NO! I'M NOT!"

"Then put those on, and let's race on the high way, our finish line is the post lamp near to the Berry Cafe"

"Ughh fine wait post lamp? The one near to the Angels Bakery?" He nodded

You sat down on the side walk as you put on the roller skates and kaiser helped you stand up and gave you your pink helmet that he always carry whenever he went to fetch you and put it on.

"Ready?"

"W-WAIT AT LEAST LET ME TURN ON THESE THING"

"fine" he rolled his eyes and it's your turn to smirk as you pushed the on button and started dashing away, leaving kaiser behind dumbfounded.

"HEY! THAT'S A FOUL MOVE!"

"WE'RE NOT IN A SERIOUS RACE IDIOT!" you replied as you gave him the blep expression.

He got triggered and pumped his pace towards you and managed to went ahead from you.

"Woah...not fair your motorbike is sure faster"

"Well you're fine I guess, don't lose to me or else punishments are waiting for you princess" he said and winked at you.

You then pressed on your phone the highest speed for the booster and it indeed went faster and you managed to surpass kaiser's speed.

He got surprised at your sudden dash beside him.

"Tch, you're cute brave enough to match this speed, I like it"

"You're about to loose though..."

He just glared at you and went even more faster. But it's already late cause you already went on the finish line.

The only problem you have right now is you can't stop.

"What? Did the buttons malfunctioned?"

Even kaiser was confused why'd you go pass the finish line. He got a little worried as he drove to you to check up on you.

He managed to catch up on your speed as he opened his visor as he multitask on looking at you and the road.

"WHAT'S WRONG? WHY ARE YOU NOT STOPPING?"

You also opened your visor to properly look at him.

"I-I DON'T KNOW THE BUTTONS MALFUNCTIONED!"

"WHAT?!"

You two are in the middle of a conversation when both of you didn't saw the downhill.

"Wha-WAAAHHHHHHHH!" you screamed from the top of your lungs as you lunged downhill but you managed to balance your body, except it added more speed to your skates.

Kaiser let out a frustrated sigh as he was thinking of how to make you stop.

*HONK! HONK!*

You look in horror as a big truck was coming on its way to you.

"H-Help...am...am I gonna die??" You said outloud as you got stiff while the roller skates shutted down yet the speed is still fast.

Kaiser suddenly thought an idea as he went to catch up with your speed.

"GRABE INTO ME PRINCESS!"

you got off in your trance as you quickly hold kaiser as he hold your waist and the other hand was busy driving the motorbike.

He managed to match your speed and slowed down to the nearby city down hill and stop by to a nearby gasoline station.

"T-Thank you.." you said controlling your tears.

He took off both of your helmets, as he just gave you a menacing look.

"You...you're so careless sometimes"

"S-Sorry.."

He just let out sigh as he parked the motorbike, as you stood there quietly which made him surprised.

"And now you're awfully quiet"

He was about to add another scolding when he heard you sniffing, when he turned he saw you huff your cheeks to prevent yourself from crying.

He let out a chuckle, and went to you wiping off your tears.

"Go on... Talk now princess"

"I-I thought I was gonna die..."

"Mhmm without me you would've been squished by that truck"

He hummed as he calmly wipe your tears looking at you.

"If w-weren't for you I-I..." You're hyperventilating at this point...

He just chuckled and hugged you calming you down, you clutched your hands on his polo shirt as you let out your cries.

"Hush now princess, what matters is you're safe hmm? Now stop crying you look like a douchebag."

You glared at him and wipe your tears and broke off the hug.

"Fuck you, you're not the one who got traumatized today."

"Oh? Still feisty despite of the incident earlier? Love that on you princess"

"Shut up Remy look-a-like"

He looked at you dumbfounded for a while before glaring at you.

"At least I'm a good cook"

"No you're not"

"I basically cooked a Schnitzel for you last time"

"Still, shut up"

"Tch, should've not rescued you a while ago"

"I'M JUST JOKING!"

Kaiser let out a laugh at you change of answers..

Suddenly his phone buzzed, he seemed to got a text from noel noa.

"Princess we need to go back right now..Noa needs me to go for practice"

You suddenly got sad that kaiser is already leaving.

"Can we go to the beach for a minute?"

Kaiser contemplated at first but it's just minutes, it'll not hurt him if he's a minute late right?

"Yeah sure but only for 10 minutes okay?"

"YAAYYY!"

He snorted when you cheered like a kid who their favorite toy.

"LET'S GO!!"

You pulled him on the seashore but hesitated.

"No princess, I'm not going..I'll stay put to watch you here..."

"Tch, bummer"

"Off you go now, you know you only have 10 minutes."

"Oh shit right"

You then quickly took off your roller skate invention and wemt running on the shore as the chill wind blew by to greet you.

You're enjoying yourself splashing on the sea water like a kid.

Meanwhile kaiser was watching you from the distance with a smile on his face, he took out his phone and went to take pictures of you.

He was admiring you from afar his heart thumping freely and he's relieved that you're far or else his secret will get out.

His little secret.

That he's been pinning you for so long.

His only problem is you're dense behavior, despite of his flirting attempts.

But what got him questioning is you not minding him calling you princess or is he delusional?

10 minutes have passed and you went back to him carrying 2 seashells.

"I'm baaaacckk! By the way I just saw these seashells"

"Hmm? Ohh those are very pretty..."

"Yeah-"

"Like you..."

You got surprised at his words and looked at him.

"Wha-"

"L-Let's go back now princess?"

"Y-Yeah"

You two awkwardly went back up as kaiser went to prepare his bike.

"Uhm i'll hold beside your motorbike.."

"You sure princess?"

"Mn"

Kaiser then started the engine of his motorbike.

"You can star-"

You got surprised when he pulled you to him by your waist and gave you a light kiss.

"Y-You-"

"Shush now princess, let's talk about this tomorrow okay?"

You didn't argue further and simply nodded.

"Good girl, now hold tight behind okay?"

"HEY WAIT! DON'T GO ON FULL SPEED!"

"Haha I'm just kidding princess, i'll just go slow this time"

He then started driving in medium speed as you hold on him for dearlife.

He took you safely at home as he then again kissed your cheek goodbye as he went to their daily training.

And yes noa did scold him for arriving late.

Is it worth it? Yeah its worth it.

- uhhh hope you like it mwehet

[chefs-other-corner]

Sick Days |Mira|

☆Paring: Rumi x Zoey x Mira

☆Tags: SIck Fic, fluff, a pinch of angst, a dash of hurt/comfort, and just a shit ton of domestic fluff

☆Sum Sum: Mira gets that dad cold, her girlys pamper her causes shes queen   ☆Word count: 575

☆Note: This was BASED AND FULLY INSPIRDE BY THIS POST, The one behind it is called fishsticks231 uhhh idk how to add it so I'll just (bloop) Here it iss ────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

Mira’s first sneeze shook the walls.

Rumi flinched from the kitchen. “...Is she okay?”

“She’s not,” Zoey said grimly, poking her head into the living room. “She’s got a cold.”

There Mira lay—curled into the deepest couch nest known to man. Five blankets. Three pillows. One very dramatic ice pack strapped to her forehead with a headband. The tissue box was tucked into her armpit like a stuffed animal. She looked pitiful. She knew she looked pitiful.

“I’m dying,” she groaned, eyes fluttering open.

“You have post-nasal drip,” Rumi said, walking in with tea. “You’re not dying.”

“You can’t prove that.”

Her voice was a full octave lower than normal, gravelly and hoarse like she’d been chain-smoking in the woods for forty years. She coughed so violently it echoed through the apartment like a fire alarm. Then she whined, “My lungs are turning into mush. Everything hurts. My bones are tired.”

Zoey crouched beside her, holding a thermometer. “You know your fever is like… 99.3, right?”

“Near death,” Mira whispered.

“Okay,” Zoey muttered, tucking the blanket higher over her shoulders. “Fine. Die in comfort.”

They took it seriously, though. As much as Mira was over the top, she was sick—shivering on and off, head pounding, throat sore. She kept sneezing like she was trying to blow out windows.

Zoey lit a humidifier. Rumi ran out to get lemon cough drops and eucalyptus chest rub. Mira demanded soft socks. Zoey gave her hers.

At one point, Mira made the slow trek to the bathroom, sneezing loud enough on the way there that Rumi shouted “Bless you!” from two rooms away.

Mira croaked back, “That might’ve been my final act.”

She slept for hours after that. Snoring. Curled up so small you’d think she was running from death itself. They let her rest.

But when she finally stirred, she blinked blearily to find the bedside table had been transformed.

Rumi and Zoey had put together a little sick girl shrine.

A tray of soup and rice (questionably cooked, but heartfelt)

A hot compress for her sinuses

A fresh stack of tissues

Two grape-flavored vitamins

And a sticky note in Zoey’s handwriting: “Yes, you’re still alive. No, you don’t get to milk this for a week.”

Mira smiled like she won a prize.

Later that night, still weak but definitely milking it, she dramatically flopped onto Rumi’s shoulder with a wheezy sigh.

“Everything hurts. Carry me to the bed.”

“You just walked to the bathroom.”

“That was in a different lifetime.”

Zoey rolled her eyes, but she was already tugging Mira up by the hand. “Come on, dying swan. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“I can’t stand for that long…”

“I’ll help you shower. You can sit on the bench.”

“You just want to see me sneeze in the nude.”

“…You’re not wrong.”

An hour later, Mira was clean, changed into fresh pajamas, tucked in like royalty. Zoey rubbed vapor balm on her chest. Rumi fed her cold mango slices like she was a sick little sultan.

And when Mira finally started drifting off again—after more whining, three more honking sneezes, and a very dramatic “Can someone please fluff my pillow like you care?”—Zoey sat beside her and combed her hair back with her fingers.

“You’re ridiculous,” Zoey murmured.

“Yeah,” Mira rasped, voice deep and low and halfway to sleep. “But you love it.”

“…Can’t prove that either,” Zoey whispered.

But she didn’t stop brushing.

Part one Part Two

[hephaesta]

Study session...

Question: Where to first?

Response 1: Bug Deema while she's in a good mood.

Response 2: Library.

You give Deema some time to mellow in her feelings before you say, 'Remember Dessa? She had some questions about weather inland.'

Deema cracks an eye open and closes it again. 'She should have her own resources.'

'Well, yeah, ideally... but she said they were hard to come by - most stuff's written by and for us on the coast. She said she does most of the work herself.'

Deema sighs. 'Where is she based?'

'Not far off the south end of the Great Alpine Road, near the mountains.'

She nods thoughtfully. 'She won't find much there. But I have some works by Tiffany of the Spurs that may be of interest. What does she need?'

You flip through your notebook to find the page with Dessa's much neater handwriting. 'Information on heat fluctuation and air flow. And calibrating tools, because they're all built along the coast.'

Deema takes her time turning the questions over in her mind and then, as close to uncertain as you've ever heard her, says, 'I can't help with that.'

'Woah,' you whisper.

'My time inland wasn't extensive enough to give sufficient answers,' she amends.

She sits up. 'Go to the library. Borrow *On Mountain Winds. I gave it up to them after I lost one of their books,' she adds bitterly.

'Sounds like a sore memory.'

She scowls.

'Doesn't this make fun bonding? We're like two investigators.'

'Get out.'

--

The treatise remains out of reach despite your best efforts trawling the library shelves. You admit defeat and talk to a librarian.

He drums his fingers on his desk thoughtfully. 'That doesn't seem like something many people here will have a use for. It may be held in the town archives. Let me have a look.'

He leaves you alone at his desk. You take great interest in the wood grain.

You're close to giving up when the librarian returns with a narrow, pale green book. 'I think this was donated by your...'

'Uh... yeah. We'll bring it back,' you say awkwardly.

'Be sure you do.' You can only hope the amusement in his voice means there's no bad blood.

You resist the urge to swing your legs as he writes out a receipt.

'Thanks,' you mumble as you slip the book in your bag. 'See you soon.'

'Happy reading,' he replies, still amused.

--

Deema's spent the time you were out collating booklets from her own collection. 'Your friend can have these.'

She may be Deema's new favourite. 'And I have this,' you say, holding the thin book between your fingers.

Deema grimaces.

'I think I'll take some notes before posting these out.'

Your plan was to leave Deema alone to read while you took notes but those plans are dashed when she reads out points for you to jot down while you try to summarise the information in her booklets.

It's a small mercy when she announces her fingers have had enough of turning the pages.

[beevean]

What I furthermore find annoying about the current shipping mentality is that characters are not even allowed to stand near each other's vicinity without it immediately being taken as them being shipped and thus the ship being Totally Canon. God forbid they talk. Even more if they do anything the franchise is known for, like shaking/holding hands, bridal carries, stuff like that. Even more if it is a queer ship but again, it's Tumblr, so. Like, I fully understand that seeing your two favourite characters interact is amazing if you ship them!! But I personally always keep in mind that Sega will never let anything be truly canon except maybe some Sonamy here and there, so the two characters interacting in a positive way legit only means they are friends in the comic and nothing more. It'll never go anywhere ship-wise, and honestly? I greatly prefer it that way. The fandom is already tearing itself apart every other day, if one ship got actually canon with Sega's clear approval I think the carnage might just make the internet implode.

Sometimes posts cross my dash that boil down to "you should learn to stop expecting your ships to be canon, stop harassing writers to force your ships in canon, it's okay to simply ship for fun"

and i'm here like

you guys actually expect the game you play with your dolls to become official? Written by someone else?? But why???

I don't even speak from a "canon is stupid and I can do so much better" perspective, but no, I want to have my fun! (then again I mostly engage with dead/finished media so I don't have many expectations anyway...)

Incidentally it's why I don't understand the criticism against Boom Sonamy that "it was never going to become canon anyway". Yeah, I know. I didn't really care personally lmao. I never expected them to kiss or anything, I sort of... imagined that those two were dating off screen, and that was enough for me. Dunno, it's just how I see it.

Anyway, you're right. Sonic is not the kind of series that focuses on romantic love. Look, they tried with Sonelise, and we all know what the reception was. Archie was a completely different beast, and that may have shaped the mentality of some fans :P

Personally I'm like... going apeshit over two characters holding hands depends on the context and also on how popular the ship is. I doubt Sonadow fans are so starved that they'd cling onto "bedroom eyes" that are actually Sonic being the smuggest piece of shit :V hell Sonamy has plenty, plenty of canonical food to eat, you don't need to be like "holy shit Sonic carried her!!". You're also right that Sonic as a character seems to be comfortable with hand touching, so coming from him it doesn't immediately mean he has a crush or anything.

I guess my point is, shipping is supposed to be a fun pasttime. You're smacking dolls together, and it's undeniably a very entertaining game considering its wide appeal, but that's it. It's not representation, canon doesn't automatically elevate it, and you're allowed to dislike a ship for any reason but for god's sake do not judge other people for it.

[hexellent]

So far I've mostly just seen your Tails on display, so I gotta say that's why I followed, but man I gotta gush about how the way you write him is so unbelievably killer. That older portrayal you've got going on is so good, I adore how chill he is. One moment that stood out to me was a post where he was basically like "yeah i recreationally smoke weed, it helps me chill out and get more sleep. what's so crazy about that." and I was so instantly like. Oh yeah, this Tails is good.

You can really see that he's leveled out and come into his own over time. But he still has snark and attitude when it's time to defend against someone or something brushing up against him in a way uncomfortable to him, he hasn't lost any edge. It's only gotten more honed as he's gotten older and gained more confidence. He's so undeniably himself! I legitimately love it!

Haven't been following you long and I'm already beyond thrilled to see you on my dash every time you post. Waggles two big thumbs up.

@skyfcx // Why u here tho-

NOW YOU WAIT A GODDAMN MINUTE THERE BUCKO!! THIS IS SO FUCKING NICE? WHAT?? HOW'D YOU CLOCK THAT MUCH ARE YOU IN MY NOGGIN OR SOMETHING??

FR THOUGH, I've been thinking about Tails as he grows up for some time now, and Tails has been my favorite since I was like 12-13?? So I've always had my feelings on him and how much potential he has as a person. Dude was beyond college level smart at Eight Years Old. But at the same time, he was still a kid. So of course his intelligence doesn't mean he's perfect at everything. And on top of that, being a child of war so to speak, thats gotta leave you with some lasting effects, hence the insomnia.

He's not perfect, he knows that. And mostly accepts that. He gets jealous. He gets rough and out of hand. He has his highs and lows just like anyone else. He won't pretend like he's on some mighty high horse about useless things like drugs or petty brawls. However he still has a strong sense of justice when it comes to the distruction of other people's lives that didn't deserve it. (Sonic's cocky nature also rubbed off on him which is both hilarious and awful depending on the situation LMAO)

I take a lot of inspo on this from Steven Universe: Future, because I always think about how realistically, the hero should not just be chillin after so many near death experiences. And seeing the Post-'Good Ending' thing where Steven basically had to relearn who he was outside of saving the world/galaxy was like my favorite thing.

I applied this to Tails with my own spin on it. Like he's generally understanding of his situation, regardless of how unfair it really is. And while I haven't touched on it yet, he did have to come to terms with Sonic's methods of dealing with villains. Long story short, he's not always a fan, but he understands why, and does not want to change that, because that would mean changing Sonic as a whole, and thats not for him to decide.

BUT UH THIS IS GETTING LONG!! I HOPE YOU KNOW THE ADMIRATION IS RETURNED 100% BECAUSE I LOVE HOW YOU WRITE TAILS!! It's so spot on for his character and how he thinks, I love it sm.

[jlf23tumble]

I read through your larry post and you mentioned the peace ring. Harry wore it last over a year ago in September and on the anniversary twitter larries were waiting for it to come back, they even wanted a harry london walk with him wearing it. That pap walk they would tolerate. When it didn't happen, they turned to louis. He had a show that day and wore a green shirt, olive green, olive like offering an olive branch, like asking for peace, bam peace ring was back! I cringed so hard when I read that but I used to be like that too so I couldn't even be mad. But then I started questioning my sanity and if everything else i believed about clues and messages larry was sending was wrong and made up. probably most of it. But then i think about the louis maison shirt on harrys house release day and I question it again. But I'm chill about all this. Maybe they broke up a long time ago or maybe they're on off, maybe still together, maybe in an open relationship. Whatever we'll never know so why stress about it. I think mostly on Tumblr everyone is more relaxed about it. It's the new larries who don't grasp any of this and think management is still controlling them and larry are blinking more code at us that are annoying as fuck.

anon 2: Not that anon, but thank you for your that brilliant long ask answer you just gave. I joined in this crazy H&L world only last January after I caught wind of the second E breakup and it really felt like "holy shit, there might really be something here, they really might be about to come out, etc." It's been an interesting time so far in the fandom, and I think I'm more in line with your way of thinking recently. Things just feel...meh. There's a weird coldness to the fandom right now, almost a forced belief like you mentioned in your previous answer. I'll always believe there was SOMETHING going on, but to this current day? Probably not. Thanks for your sanity. :)

-----

Amazed anyone read that long-ass answer, lmao, but thank you! As for thinking people on tumblr are somehow more relaxed about it, beg to differ, anon 1, based on a quick lurk just this sec, but kudos to you for keeping that dash locked down! Without much going on at the moment, it's quiet in the deep, so to speak, but make no mistake, it's out there, waiting! Even today, there are people out there saying, ooooh, tons of larry signs at Louis's show near the stage, and you could see how happy he was compared to last night!! Like, it's some kind of GOTCHA, ipso facto, and uh, yeah, that's not cause/effect, bb, but okay! Spread that shit! Live your version of the truth! For real, you can make ANYTHING a reach if you have the arm capacity for it, give me two pieces of something, and I'll stitch it for you, whole cloth, there's a 28 in it, I just know it. It's always so tempting to whip up a sideblog that goes full hog unhinged, like, jesus, it's not hard, lmao