#<— even if it’s just a small cameo they’re there !! <3

[darlingcloudie-9]

MY GOLLY ITS BEEN A WHILE HI. Uhhhhhh happy birthday Muichiro and Yuichiro Tokito i know that it’s a late celebration but uhhhhhh. happy birthday goofies 😋😋

[littlespacereader]

hi id love love love if you could do wanda!caregiver and a reader whos about 9-11 years old. reader has been really stressed due to school and processing trauma, and after a week of not attending, wanda persuades them into being a kiddo with her all day to relieve some stress :3 i have no nicknames i hate, but an absolute FAV is "angel."

I’ve never written for Wanda before!! I was so excited for the opportunity! I really hope you love this story as much as I did writing it! Enjoy!!💞💞

A Little Love From Mama🥣

Caregiver! Wanda Maximoff & GN Little! Reader

Tags- hurt and comfort, hugs, cuddles, forehead kisses, cooking together, drawing, small cameo of Vision at the end

There’s been a pit in Wanda’s stomach for weeks now. Slowly but surely she could see the stress and trauma eating away at her little one.

In and out of the Avengers tower they would go, giving a small quiet goodbye to Wanda and the rest before attending school. Then dragging themselves back home to the tower looking even worse than before.

She knew school had been their biggest stressor. Between the other students, the workload, and the social aspect of it all, it was taking a toll on their mental health.

Wanda didn’t want to push them or make things worse, but her motherly caregiver instincts couldn’t help herself. She made them lunch, giving them a small kiss on the forehead beofre they left and gave them a warm hug when they returned.

But even these small gestures didn’t help the inevitable.

Eventually they started missing classes, then missing days at school. At first Wanda wasn’t too worried, maybe they needed a mental health day just like some take sick days.

But that day turned to days that turned to a week. She knew she had to step in, she couldn’t hold back another minute.

The Avengers went on a mission abroad, leaving her the perfect opportunity for her to take care of Y/N alone.

A small soft knock to their door, “Y/N? Can I come in?”

Silence, then “I…*sniffle*…I thought you were on the mission?”

“I decided I didn’t want to go. Can I come in Angel?”

Angel, a nickname reserved for Y/N when they’re regressed. It holds a special meaning between the two of them.

It already seems to have taken its effect onto Y/N as they softly yet with a broken sob say, “Yes Mama.”

Wanda immediately enters the room to find, Y/N sitting on their bed, knees up to their chest, crying.

“Awww Angel come here,” she takes a seat on the bed and opens her arms to Y/N who gladly reciprocates.

Wanda wraps them in a tight hug, one arm holding them close and tightly against her, the other rubbing their back. All while Y/N cries in their arms.

“I know sweetheart I know, it’s been a lot recently hasn’t it?” She asks getting a small nod.

“You don’t need to worry about a thing right now. It’s time for Mama to take care of her sweet little Angel. Okay? Does that sound good to you?”

Y/N break apart but only slightly to look into Wanda’s eyes. There she can see the change immediately, now she’s got a Little in her arms. They nod their head, looking so desperately in need of some love and affection.

“There’s my sweet Angel.” She smiles, leaning forwards to places a soft kiss to their head.

“Let’s get you changed into some clean comfy clothes and then we’ll see what we’re going to do for the rest of the evening okay?”

Another small nod but this time accompanied with a smile. It’s been a long time since Wanda’s seen them smile.

Without even moving, using her powers she opened their closet and grabbed their favorite pair of pajamas, bringing it over to the two of them. She then helped them change. While she knew their headspace was older, she figured the extra comfort would be welcomed.

And welcomed it was. She ended it by brushing their hair and placing another kiss to their forehead for good measure. “There we are. All fresh and comfy.” She smiled back to them.

She stood from the bed and took their hand in hers, “Now how shall we spending our evening together?” She asks as they walking from Y/N’s room into the tower.

“We could play legos, we could play make believe, we could watch a movie and snuggle up together.” Wanda began listing options to help her little one.

“C-Could we…” Y/N started to say.

“What is it Angel?” She stopped and turned to them, carding a hand through their hair.

“Could we cook together?” Y/N suggested shyly.

Wanda’s face brighten up with the suggestion. “Of course we can Angel. I’d love to.”

They walking into the small kitchen together. Y/N took a seat and the barstool as Wanda rounded the counter, standing across from them.

“Now what dish would you like to cook chef?” She winked.

Y/N smiled, “Can we cook one of your family recipes?”

“Of course we can.” With the flick of her wrist pots and pans started flying out from the cabinets. Then the ingredients started to fly from the fridge.

“We’re going to make a Sokovian dish called Chicken Paprikash. So first I’m going to need you to help Mama cut the vegetables.”

A small cutting board and a plastic knife floated over to where Y/N was sitting on the barstool. “Now, I want you to be extra careful with the knife okay? It’s not that sharp but it could hurt my little Angel.”

“I promise I’ll be careful.” Y/N said, so happy to be helping out.

A green bell paper floats over to Y/N, landing on their cutting board. “Could you cut that up for Mama? I’ll get started on the chicken while you do.”

Y/N eagerly nodded and began working on cutting their bell pepper up. They worked in comfortable silence. Wanda humming a small song while Y/N focused on their work.

“Mama?”

“Yes?” Wanda lifted her head.

“Where’s Papa tonight?” Y/N asked about Vision.

“Papa went on the mission tonight. But I’m sure he will be back later to see his little Angel again. And won’t he be so surprised to learn that you made dinner!”

Y/N gasp and looks back at Wanda beyond excited. “We gotta save him a bowl!!”

“We definitely will. We can’t leave Papa out.” She smiles. Even though Vision couldn’t taste anything nor did he eat, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t appreciate the gesture.

Y/N helps put all the cut vegetables into the soup. Wanda floats over the lid, covering the soup and letting it simmer and cook.

“Now we have to let it cook on its own for a while. But, in the meantime, maybe we could play together or draw?”

“Draw!! Let’s draw something!” Y/N jumped from their seat.

“Go ahead and get your markers while I clean up. I’ll meet you there Angel.” Wanda explained as more things started to float.

After a couple of minutes, Wanda join Y/N at the table, coloring a picture together. Wanda praised every picture, promising to put it on the fridge.

Both of their head lifted to the sound of the timer going off. “The soup!” Y/N smiled.

“It’s all ready,” Wanda smiled back, “Clean off the table while I grab us a bowl.”

Y/N nodded, starting to put their markers and papers away. After they were all cleaned up, Wanda had returned with two bowls.

Together they sat at the table enjoying the meal they made together. With the first spoon full Wanda gasp, “Y/N, I think this is the best chicken Paprikash I’ve ever had!”

Y/N’s whole face lit up. “Really?!”

“Definitely! I couldn’t have made it any better myself. You’re truly a talented cook! You truly are a Maximoff.” She smiles back, seeing the Little beaming under the praise.

They enjoyed their meal together, sitting right beside one another, talking and laughing together. The worries and stresses of school long forgotten.

~~~

Vision returned back to the tower late at night. Quietly arriving off the elevator at his shared floor with Wanda and Y/N. The light were off so he assumed they had gone to bed.

That was…until he saw the television still playing in the living room.

He made his way over, to find Wanda and Y/N sound asleep cuddled on the couch together. The tv plays Y/N’s favorite cartoon, and mixed with the low lighting must’ve lulled the two to sleep.

Vision smiled at the sight, happy that Wanda was able to help Y/N. He grabbed their bowls of snacks and their drinks, bringing it back to the kitchen to help clean up while they slept.

He walked over to the fridge, seeing the outside now decorated with new drawings. He opened the door and inside sat a bowl of soup with a note:

Dear Papa,

I made this bowl of soup with Mama today! I saved this bowl especially for you!

Made with love,

- Y/N xoxoxo

[lunisoular]

Hello!!

I wanted to ask if you had any asl brother fanfictions??

I'm literally not even close to those episodes but I've seen so many spoilers and art about them that I'm already obsessed lmao

It's totally cool if you don't have any or just don't want to share, it just seems like you would know some good one lol

Hope you have a good day! 😁

SO SORRY FOR THE LATE RESPONSE tumblr hasnt been notifying me lately

there’s so many fics i’ve gone insane over i’d be overjoyed to share !!!!!

i don’t know if u or anyone else want to avoid major spoilers, but just in case, i put a red star (*) next to those that have them 😗

light up, light up - taizi

aaah taizi has so many great fics but this is one of my favorites; u can go thru all their op works to find more i didn’t list. it’s focused around sabo and is like a role reversal. definitely teared up

a little murder never killed anybody - loserlife592

family reunion !! asl expresses their ways of affection and boggles some minds. so cute……..

a song to bring you home - taizi

canon divergence—not sure how much u’ve seen, but it’s definitely still worth the read. it’s wonderful and cute and makes me ILL

without you by my side - capisback

ace and luffy get into a small scuffle; ace figures things out eventually. brotherly love….. oh im dead on the floor it’s wonderful

fish day (it takes a village) - hyperbolicreverie

luffy drags ace and sabo to a festival. they have fun, there’s cool villager dialogue that never fails to satisfy me, and cuteness

*all for one - missmungoe

okay i have a fair amount of alternate marineford fics but damn it i am nothing if not a sucker for good endings. read if ur fine with slight spoilers lol !! good bonding moments

soft and quiet and peaceful - whirlybird70

snow day….. just some nice fluff. can never go wrong with that

where the wild things are - space_ghost_with_the_most

FRIEND GHOST HAS LOVELY FICS !! u should check them out !!! 23k words of feral jungle children asl and it’s WONDERFUL

light up the sky (with you) - whirlybird70

luffy once again drags ace and sabo to have an adventure, this time with fireworks !! + makino cameo. it’s so cute the way they’re written…. !!

bedtime rituals - poisonstain

sweet n soft sickfic…… the series is about something different, this is a flashback, so u can check out the other fics in it if u’d like !

signal lamps - cowboy_emoji

ace and luffy catch fireflies, dadan and luffy talk a bit about ace. luffys his weirdly perceptive self; dadan continues to deal with them. love <3

*take a step in mine - soccersarah01

another alternate marineford—if ur fine with spoilers, it’s good ! it takes a sec, but sweet asl reunion <3

*time moves through you - lampalot7

technically only ace and luffy but i’ve reread this one so many times. it does have both marineford and gear 5 spoilers tho, so keep that in mind if u want to avoid them. time travel, little luffy cameo, AUGH it’s all so cute

*there is thunder in our hearts / you were always gold to me - taizi

these are also both alternate marineford + the latter gear 5, sorry 🫢 i think u get the gist by now

put your faith in what you most believe in - taizi

taizi just has lovely asl fics it’s insane. sickfic, sabo worries, but they both feel better in the end <3

here in spirit - lampalot7

GHOST ASL FIC !!!!! i’ve loved it for a while, and it inspired a few aspects of my own ghost au. made me cry……. god i love ghosts

close calls (or, monkey d. dragon’s no good, very bad day) - isntitlupintic

dragon’s perspective and focuses a lot on him, but there are some sweet asl moments !!! dragon saves the day !

[studio-of-woof]

Honest to god it has been a while. Ok. Let’s do this.

BEHIND THE CIRCUS. EPISODE 3.

So I’d like to imagine this episode was very resourceful for props and CGI. Even in a Roger Rabbit esque universe, some things just gotta be done by people you know?

Pomni and Kinger got to work together more in this episode which was good for both their in-character relationship and out-of-character relationship. Before episode 3 they haven’t really spoken much offset.

[Pomni Interview]

“Both Ragatha and Gangle had told me that Kinger is like, the dad of the cast. Now that I’ve worked with him one on one I see what they mean by that!”

This was also the episode that Kinger’s wife, Queenie, watched go down from behind the cameras, seeing as she was mentioned in the episode. Kinger wanted to bring her to the studio and she was thrilled to see her husband absolutely nail his role, and it was nice to be important to his character, even if in the show she’s canonically dead.

[Kinger interview + Queenie]

“I recall Goose asking during the pilot’s production if I was married. I brought up my wife and she asked “Would she like to audition?” I asked for what? And I was told that my character had a wife who abstracted. I called up Queenie, asked if she wanted to be an important plot point- [chuckles]… and she said yes! So we managed to get a portrait of her for the hallway before that scene was shot.”

“I did get paid for my cameos before anyone asks. I got paid.”

“Yeah best to- clear that up. [laughs]”

“Yeah no- I totally didn’t get paid for being an important part of my husband’s character.”

“You- You get paid in exposure and that’s it!”

“[Laughs] You’re canonically dead, there’s your exposure!”

Now Martha and Ghostly, coming in from The Haunted Regions of ToonTown. Ghostly is a small streamer over on Twitch and is good friends with Goose. Martha and Gangle worked with each other on other projects so they’re familiar with one another. Others have even stated Gangle could do impressions of Martha, given how their voices are so similar.

Gangle was the one who brought up Martha to the directors and managed to get her the role when she auditioned. Baron Mildenhall was voiced by Tim Alexander.

[Martha Interview]

“So… sorry if this comes off as a personal question but, do you have a husband?”

“No, I never married, honestly Tim’s character, Baron, pretty much says why. I’m just happy being within my own company.”

The Angel was done using a large, mechanical puppet which was then overlayed by a CGI model. It’s body was animated using a mocap suit.

Now, Zooble and Caine’s side plot was a lot easier to record. It was mentioned in previous interviews that Zooble isn’t too fond of how they look. They’ve been vocal about it and has encouraged people on social media to find their own identity and be proud of who they are. So when they were acting the scene out, there were some genuine emotions coming out where their character self mentioned that they don’t like their body. After that scene was shot, Zooble had to take a few minutes to recollect themselves a bit, with some genuine comfort from Caine now that he wasn’t in character.

[After scene]

“You did really good! You feeling okay?”

“Yeah just- just need a moment. I’m alright.”

“Hit close to home?”

“A little, yeah.”

“Well hey you did really really great out there. And also someday I hope you find the parts you’re looking for.”

“Man— you’re too sweet, the fuck?”

“[Laughs]”

[During production]

“So there’s a trophy room in the mansion. And there’s creepy head mounts of the main cast- you guys.”

“Ohh my lord.”

“What the fuuuhahahuck?”

“DUDE I swear I saw that exact Jax head in my nightmare once!”

“… HUH??-“

“Gangle what-“

“[Laughing hysterically]”

“I’M NOT KIDDING— Jax I’ve told you about that nightmare didn’t I??”

“You did- you did.”

—————————

“Isn’t this the part where Jax gets tied up?”

“This is the part where Jax is tied up-“

“Oh my god I forgot. I’m getting tied up- Goose what have you done?”

[Gangle, Goose and Ragatha laugh]

“You do realise what the internet’s gonna do with this.”

“To that, I deeply encourage it.”

“Ohhh I’m gonna be seeing a lot of twitter notifications.”

“People will be tagging you.”

“SO MANY NOTIFICATIONS.”

————————————

“I have a shotgun.”

“… and I want the front seat—“

[Pomni giggles]

“… whuh?”

“It’s- its-“

“Is this a reference to something I’m apparently too old to know?”

“It’s- it’s from Vine! You’re never too old to reference Vine.”

“I probably didn’t see it then. They really need to bring it back.”

“Right??”

——————————

“Man I’m glad there’s like, cushioning in that vacuum. Have you ever been inside a normal vacuum? It’s hard and uncomfortable.”

“I- I can’t say I have. I’m not a ghost!”

“You’re in a- a very tight space. You’re gonna want it to be comfortable if you’re gonna be in it for a few minutes to shoot a scene-“

“Yeah? Yeah?”

“And like- even then it depends on the kind of ghost like- me? I have no issue, I’m small- but if we’re talking like. If we’re talking Martha, she’d have to really fit herself in there.”

“I see.”

“Right.”

—————————

“That- That jumpscare from Ghostly? I wasn’t told that he was going to do that. I was legitimately frightened. I wasn’t too mad though? As a toon you can’t really fake the “eyes popping out of head” trick. They had to get an authentic scare out of me. I just had trouble getting them to go back in, even Kinger was confused. But I mean, it worked for the scene so we just ran with it.”

“And what about the effects you all have when holding your breath? Does that actually happen to you or was it post editing?”

“No it does. That all happens. I’d tell you what happens to Jax when he holds his breath but seeing everyone’s interpretations is funnier.”

“I will never tell.”

[armageddon-generation]

The Bear Season 3 is a bridge season that feels weird on purpose, but also has some big problems: A review/ramble

Season 3 is clearly a bridge season, and suffers from having been written & shot alongside season 4. As a result, unlike the seasons 1 & 2, it doesn’t feel like a distinctive or complete chapter of the restaurant’s life. Just half of one.

This is partly because there’s no ‘end-goal’ like in S2, or clear progression/visible improvement to the restaraunt like in S1. Season 3 is about stagnation. Most of its storylines are left unresolved- the review, Sydney’s job offer, Tiff & Frank’s wedding, Marcus being inspired by his mother’s death, Tina and the dying farmer’s market, Carmy’s conflicts with both Claire and Ritchie. All these threads will roll into Season 4, and Season 3 suffers from that.

PACING, FLASHBACKS AND TONE: FORM REFLECTING FUNCTION

HOWEVER. This being a ‘bridge’, character-focused season isn’t inherently bad. Individual episodes of The Bear still tear when they want to. Episodes 1, 2, & 3 are a very strong setup for the season and establish good momentum. Episodes 6 & 8 are fantastic character pieces, and 8 in particular made me bawl. Even the finale, though bogged down by masturbatory celebrity chef cameos, was a strong episode.

The problem is all the stuff in-between. The actual day-to-day running of the restaurant feels hollow and empty now. There’s a distance between the characters and it feels like they don’t interact as a group anywhere near as much.

Part of this is absolutely deliberate. People joke about S3 'method acting' its way into bad reviews to reflect the restaraunt, but losing steam and the connections between characters is genuinely a formal reflection of the kitchen crew's moods, as the day-to-day grind of running the restaurant wears them down.

The use of flashbacks in 3x1 is excellent, but Season 3 quickly becomes way over-reliant on them (episode 9 especially, oh my god). Again, this feels like a conscious choice to reflect Carmy’s state of inertia/the fact he’s perpetually trapped in the past. It makes sense, but that doesn’t give the show a pass for being boring, and 3x9 was the first time I’ve ever felt genuinely bored by this show.  

FUCK THE FAKS & NEGLECTING POC CHARACTERS

My other problems are much more clearly the fault of the show; I do not give a flying fuck about the Faks. Neil is cute in small doses. The brothers are great as soundboards for other characters; Theo getting Sweeps to talk about his backstory in baseball, the brothers comforting Donna at the end of 3x8 Ice Chips, or the haunting argument finally forcing Carmy to talk about Claire.

But on their own? When they’re just bouncing off each-other? These guys aren't half as funny as the show seems to think they are. And their scenes drag on so long. For example, the B-plot of 3x5 Computer wastes half of an otherwise strong episode with pointless fucking around, propped up by a pointless celebrity cameo. I do not Give. A. Fuck about haunting, Mr. Cena, why the fuck are you here.

The aggravating time-wasting is made worse by The Bear continuing to neglect and underuse its POC characters. This is the second season in a row where I’ve felt Syd only got the bullet-points of an arc. She is the LEADING LADY. Ayo is now the show’s biggest breakout star. USE HER.

I really enjoyed Tina's focus episode, but unlike Forks and Honeydew last season it doesn't move the plot forward, and unlike Fishes the flashbacks don't contextualize Tina''s actions in the present because she's barely doing anything in the present, despite the show setting up her struggles in the kitchen early in the season.

Meanwhile, Ebra got crumbs again and Sweeps got a single scene, which is tragically at least better than he had last year.

Marcus’ arc this year is a fascinating microcosm for the show’s themes, but it barely gets a second to breathe because we have to cram in another five minutes of the Fak brothers arguing about that time Neil got taped into a cardboard box. It’s ridiculous. And then they showcase Nat being all protective of Marcus in an episode he’s barely in, when she barely interacts with him. It feels unearned & disingenuous, using Marcus as a prop for a Hell Yeah gotcha moment.

I liked Josh Harnett though, that casting had purpose, and both Chef Terry and Luca were used excellently.

CAMEOS

The surprise celebrity cameos this year felt distracting and indulgent in a way last year’s didn’t. In Fishes the slew of cameos were a dramatic tool meant to disorient the viewer. This year, John Cena is here to distract you from how pointless this B-plot is, and we've brought in a bunch of famous chefs to tell you direct-to-camera why cooking and the service industry are so important.

The chefs in particular are bizzare after season 1 spent most of its time telling us how evil and toxic the fine dining industry is. But now it's actually just the fault of a few bad apples, and these guys are really rad actually?

CLAIRE

Much has been said about how Claire was an underwritten archetype for Carmy to project onto. Now, I don’t much give a fuck about shipping in this show, but it’s clear Claire & Carmy’s romance didn’t connect with most people. It felt hollow. At the time, I thought this was deliberate, like the tone and flashbacks this season; Claire’s writing reflected Carmy’s perception of her as a saintlike childhood daydream who could deliver him from all the stresses of his life.

But this season, not only does the show refuse to let Claire go, it doubles down on objectifying her as a prop for Carmy’s self-loathing, trapped in his memory.

Again, this might work thematically if I knew Claire as a person, or was at all invested in their romance, but I don't and I’m not. As it stands, the multiple extended flashbacks with Claire feel like futile attempts to plug the holes in Season 2's weakest storyline, and drag their episodes down. If we’re supposed to root for Carmy to find happiness outside the kitchen, this is having the opposite effect, and it’s made worse by it all being left unresolved by the finale.

Either do something with this character or move on, because right now every time Claire appears I clock out emotionally, and that’s not her fault, it’s the way the show treats her.

CARMY THE ASSHOLE

All this contributes to an overriding problem that I again think is deliberate, but risky; Carmy isn’t likeable this season. He causes his conflicts with Ritchie and Syd, to whom he has passed down his generational trauma. Carmy's menu is the biggest thing dragging the Bear into bankruptcy. Carmy has stopped working to resolve his familial trauma like in seasons 1 & 2, just as Nat starts making headway. He functionally doesn’t exist outside the kitchen, entirely preoccupied with the past & a girl the audience doesn’t care about.

Unlike previous seasons, the few times Carmy is called out for his bad behaviour he doesn’t make much effort to listen or improve. Again, I get that this is the point. Carmy is on a low, self-destructive ebb, and hopefully when things start resolving in season 4 he’ll snap out of it. But him dragging the show down with him has consequences.

EPISODE COUNT & FINAL THOUGHTS

A lot of people are saying that S3 only had enough plot for 2-3 episodes, and while I think that’s disingenuous- The Bear has always been a character-focused, vibes-first show- I do think it should've returned to the 8-episode count of season 1. You can consolidate the same amount of ‘plot development’ into fewer episodes while maintaining the deliberate sense of inertia. Cut back on the Faks and flashbacks to give more time to the kitchen crew, and many of the complaints would disappear.

Anyway, all this to say that The Bear season 3 is not Bad like some are saying, but it is a step down from its first two seasons. It feels like it’s got lost in its own head and lost a part of itself along the way, and while a lot of that is deliberate- formally reflecting Carmy’s internal conflict- it exacerbates existing problems (underwritten POC, Claire) and creates several new ones (celeb cameos, overusing flashbacks, unresolved plotlines) previous seasons were able to sidestep.

[wqxianwriting]

how to make a golden retriever happy.

SLIGHTLY proofread | f!reader | poly relationship with nick & charlie though reader isn’t dating charlie | pretty damn long i got ahead of myself, sorry :,) | they’re so cute but im so bad at details fr | lunch date, walks, stargazing w fireflies & movie night! (you got headbands to wear… guess what movie charlie is having y’all watch rn) | what is stargazing | author questioning what color sonic’s eyes are | theres some crying at the end and a mention of breaking up but its just those negative thoughts actin up, theyre all okay :) | angst/comfort? | not many kisses unfortunately but THERE ARE SOME, like three scenes… two? | there is cussing, not much | nick & reader flashbacks

#%a/n%#;; first request done! thanks for it, they mean so much to me. i didn’t wanna make it too long but here we are lolol, hope it’s enjoyable though 🥹💜 also ntm on your family details but your mom does appear and she has a “set” personality! no one else appears though so you can imagine the reader’s family how you want, though it is mentioned your mom is married. also note, since reader is a lady she goes to the same school as like, elle darcy tara (and probably imogen too, right?). meant to post this yesterday but i wanted to add some stuff at the end haha, sorry sorry this is a whole ass wattpad book fr, feel like i wrote so much and nothing at the same time. hope you enjoy if you give it a read thought fhdhdj

OH YEAH last thing, the emotions in this story is kind of a whiplash 💀 one minute they’re happy the next theyre kinda sad or bittersweet so- hopefully the pacing doesnt seem bad… BE WARNED. shouldn’t be too crazy. okay thats it this time do enjoy

character(s):

nick & charlie (heartstopper)

elle & tao cameo

reader’s mom omg she’s a sweetheart, charlie’s parents are mentioned/super small cameo, nick’s mom also has a small cameo/is mentioned

darcy, imogen and sahar are very briefly mentioned!

The sweet sound of the school bell rings throughout and the school and every single student sighs in relief of the noise. You glance up at the clock on the wall before looking around the classroom where students are packing up their bags while talking noisily to one another.

You allow yourself to recline in your chair, left arm reaching back to where your backpack dangles off the seat and slide your hands into the side pocket, grabbing your phone.

Nicky Ricky Dicky: I’m alive!

Char: you live! i live too :) wanna walk together today or are you both busy? (gonna pick you up bestie)

Y/N: i’ll meet you outside (ty loveliest)

Char: awesome!!! nick?

Nicky Ricky Dicky: Sorry aha, I need to go home quickly today but I’ll be sure to join tomorrow!

This makes you pout and you can imagine your bestfriend having the same expression because the sad emoji he wrote in the group-chat even makes you sadder.

Char: ☹️

Y/N: don’f worry charlie

Y/N: Don’t*

Nicky Ricky Dicky: Sorry :,)

Char: It’s fine! Do what you have to do… we gonna facetime tonight though?

Char hearts your message ‘don’f worry charlie’.

Nicky Ricky Dicky: No promises but I’ll do my best. 😠❤️

Nicky Ricky Dicky: i gtg now, love you both <3

Y/N: lym! ❤️

Char: love you! ❤️❤️❤️

Y/N: three hearts 🥹

Char: y/n. STOP. come outside before i die

Y/N: omg… such a drama king like okay

You write and yet, you’re quick to jump from your chair and snatch your bag before sliding it on your shoulder. You push in your chair and skip out into the hallways where you see Elle. “Heya, Elle!”

She smiles warmly and waves goodbye to her friends before stepping in sync with you. “Hey there, Miss, didn’t catch your name.” You bump her shoulder and she bumps you back. “What’re you up to?”

“Charlie’s gonna come pick me up, hopefully via bike… mines broke the other day.” You sigh and she gives you a look of pity while trying to bite back a grin. Then she perks up.

“Not Nick?”

You shake your head, rubbing a hand against your temple. “Mm-mm, you ever just get a feeling something is off?”

Elle nods, turning her face away from you and her hands grip onto the handle of her bag that bounces against her legs. “Yeah, just putting it out there… graduation may be on his mind, I know its on mine and it’s been kicking my ass to be honest,” You wrap an arm around her in comfort and she hums in appreciation. “Just all that weird stuff, weird thoughts and anxiety…” Then she pauses, raising a hand and flicking her wrist. “Okay- not weird, but you know.”

That makes you snort, “Yeah, I get’cha… maybe, but we’ve always been open about that kind of stuff, I just don’t understand why it’d be a issue… I mean, we’ve talked about it many times before so it’s kind of odd, I guess?” You and Elle share a look of confusion before shrugging.

“Maybe it’s been having more of an impact y’know? You can speak easily about something when you’re not there yet but… graduation is coming up and everyone is worried about the future. You know how things don’t hit you till it’s happening literally next week or something? Maybe its hitting harder.”

Your heart clenches in pain at those words. She’s not wrong, there is a high chance it’s staring to affect him more… hitting harder than you’d know. You nibble on your bottom lip in concern and furrow your eyebrows,

“Well. If he’s being an idiot and isn’t gonna come to us about it then I’ll beat him up.” You place your hands on your hips, lightly joking to disperse the tense air between the two of you. Of course he isn’t being an idiot but you refuse to let him stress on his own. Elle chokes out a laugh in surprise.

“Oh god, he better run, she’s scary when she’s angry.” One of her hands let go of her bag and she hold her stomach while laughing a bit more. “Wouldn’t that be a sight?”

You scoff, “Like we haven’t argued before.”

“You argue about literal video games.”

“Stop.” You laugh and push at her shoulder. “Oh, and Elle, you know I’m your friend and if you ever need an ear to lend about college talk or need help to get your mind off of it to just relax, you got me.” She stares at you for a few beats before cracking into a grin.

“Thank you, Y/N. You know you got me too.”

Outside the school building you’re quick to spot two familiar figures by the gate. “Yes, he’s here!” Your arms raise in celebration then instantly flop down, “There’s no bike…!”

Elle calls out which makes the two boys stiff in seconds.

“Get your butts over here, Mr. Xu and Mr. Spring!” They awkwardly crane their necks to your direction and simultaneously sigh in relief – probably thinking you were teachers.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Tao exclaims as you and Elle once you’re right infront of the two, gesturing to his heart. Elle is quick to place a hand over his chest – Tao’s cheeks lowkey reddening but you decide not to point it out for his sake – and her eyes widen a bit.

“Tao, your chest is gonna shoot out your chest.”

“See?”

“That is the goal, sire.” You finger gun at him and he smacks your hand away lightly with an exasperated look. It makes you giggle. “Elle is just feeling a little silly today.”

“It’s my agenda.” She grins before engulfing Charlie into a hug and he squeaks in surprise before squeezing her back. “Hello, Charlie!”

“Are you sure your heart isn’t pounding because you’ve gotten your daily dose of Elle?” You whisper while stepping in line next to Tao, facing your head to your other friends but you can see him tense at the corner of your eye.

He pinches his nose bridge, mumbling and you catch some of the words, suspiciously sounding like him saying he’s gonna fight you. His cheeks bloom a rosy rose so you take the win either way and smugly smirk at him.

“Hi, Elle!” His muffled laugh catches your attention, making you and Tao smile at the interaction before you wrap an arm around the latter, making him eyeroll, of course he does, but he wraps an arm around your shoulder and gives you a light squeeze in response.

“We best be off on our merry way,” You speak up, checking the time as the two friends let go of eachother. “I wanna stop by that new shop that opened a few weeks ago… Is that fine, Char?”

He gives you a thumbs up and Elle speaks, “Let me know how their desserts taste, I’ve been wondering but honestly they don’t look that good so…” She stares at you with a grimace before shrugging.

“Noted~” You say in a singsong voice before wrapping your arms around Charlie. “I’ll call you later, enjoy your afternoon date.” You and Charlie give the couple teasing grins and they take the bait, looking away in shyness but Tao takes the initiative and connects their hands together. It makes you melt.

“Shut up.” He groans, snapping but tone very much unthreatening adding on the fact he’s trying to cover his flustered face with his free hand.

“Yes, yes grumpy old man, we’ll see you later.” You and Charlie waist no time to start down the road with waves.

“Bye!” He shouts.

“I’m not a grumpy old man!” Tao stomps his foot, comedically. Right. How could you make that mistake?

“Bye, Y/N and Charlie!” Elle laughs with a wave and tugs her totally-not-grumpy boyfriend off in the other direction. You watch their hands tighten around eachother, squinting in amusement when Tao’s scowl instantly softens into a lovestruck gaze.

“Ahhh, young love.”

“You’re starting to sound like the old one here.” Charlie snickers, hands coming up to hold onto your forearms that are still bounded around him.

“You wound me, Char.” You squeeze him and he huffs. “I literally think the same when you and Nick are interacting, it’s so,” You make weird noises, fingers wiggling. “Y’know? Very sweet. Very cute, I even have some photos of you latching onto eachother while sleeping. Wanna see-?”

His brain feels like it’s shutting down, lightly smacking your arm when you lift it as to grab your phone. “Stop it.” You could practically see those animated stars swirling around his head and laugh.

You relent and unwrap your arms with a cheeky smile. He glances at you before hiding his face in his hands. “Ughh, whatever. You act like you don’t jump Nick the minute you see him.” Yeah, that’s crazy. You feel your own cheeks flaring up.

“You must be blind.”

“No, no, no. Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Lie!” He exclaims in a joking tone, uncovering his face and poking you in accusation. You lean away, losing your balance and forcing yourself to lean on your tippy toe. Your other foot comes down onto pavement with a stomp and you twirl like you’re dancing. Charlie definitely notices this misstep, doesn’t say anything but you see his shoulders shaking in silence. He’s laughing.

“I never lie?” You pick off the conversation.

“Was that a question?” He tilts his head back at you.

“No?”

He stares at you, eyebrow twitching and you puff out your cheeks like a frog, looking anywhere but in his direction. “You’re awfully cheeky today.”

“How am I being cheeky?” He gives you a look like you’re being ridiculous.

“Charlie Spring is a little cheeky today, my oh my, what have I done to deserve this.” Then you raise your voice in a slight yell, “Ahhh! Who is this?! This isn’t my Charlieeee…!” Your arms reach for the sky.

“You’re an idiot.” He takes the chance and poke you again which makes you yelp. You narrow your eyes. He runs off, you chase.

That was last week. You haven’t seen your boyfriend in a couple of days and it’s concerning. He responds hours late to your messages, doesn’t even respond in your group chat with Charlie, his calls barely last ten minutes and you literally haven’t seen this man in person. Charlie tells you he still shows up at school but his eye-bags are pretty bad.

“Is he avoiding me? I’m confused.” You frown, balled up on Charlie’s bed and feeling very mixed. A little annoyed, a little sad, and alot of worried. Charlie sets down two mugs on his bedside table and sits next to you on the bed. His rests a hand atop of your head and lightly taps it.

“No… I don’t think so. I see him at school and he tries to act normal but even he doesn’t respond to me like that outside of school.” The scowl his face makes has deepened and you’re quick to wrap an arm around his leg in comfort. He lets out a weak smile but it’s quick to fall off his face. “I’m confused too…”

You both stay silent, it’s nearly deafening. “I don’t wanna force him to tell us anything – I mean, he knows he can come to us if he needs it but if he’s really stressed about school maybe we can help give him some space to not think about it. Even if its only for a bit, you know?” Charlie listens to you mumble while tugging at a loose thread on his sweater and nods slowly, eyes lost in thought.

“Should we go somewhere?” He tilts his head back to look at the ceiling before his gaze travels around his room’s walls, hoping to find an inkling of inspection.

“That sounds fine.” The somber feeling in the room lifts a bit when you start to grin. You shift onto your back, raising your right arm in the air and sprawl out your fingers. “We could go out, do something and eat… I kinda wanna stargaze, is that weird?”

He lets out a chuckle, glancing down at you with a teasing glint in his eyes, “Wow, you’re such a romantic, Y/N. I’m shocked.” To which you scoff.

“Well, duh. Who makes all the date plans?”

“Okay, no, that’s because you say we’re bad at planning dates – you refuse us to even be involved.”

“Charlie, Nick brought you to a dog park as a date.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“You both stayed there till nine.”

He full on laughs now, bumping you with his knee and you smack it back in retort. “No judgement though, I would do the same but that was for the whole day! Who stays at a dog park from Eleven to Nine?” He continues to laugh until they turn into giggles.

“Maybe… we’re unique.”

“True that. You didn’t even bring baby Nells, shaking my head.” To put emphasis, you shake your head and your friend has to gasp out for air. “Don’t die, now.”

“Whatever whatever.” He brings his hands to his face and rubs his cheeks in circular motion to calm himself. His face is flushed and he exhales slowly before reaching for his phone. “Do you want your drink?”

You remove your arm from his leg and sit up properly, holding on your hands and he complies, placing the mug between them. “Thank you~” You lean on the wall, flopping your legs onto Charlie’s before crossing them at the ankles – to which he sighs in annoyance and it makes you grin. “What’re you doing?”

“I’m gonna search for places to go that is nearby but not too close… you have a place in mind for stargazing?” He grabs his own mug that is black and littered with yellow stars, how ironic. You nod sleepily, slowly sipping your preferred drink and tap at the cup absentmindedly.

“Yeah, it’s near my house.”

He flicks his eyes towards you for a second.

Then goes back to typing on his phone.

“You mean it is your home.”

“Maybe.”

You smirk, he sighs and you both go back to planning. Nick honestly better be willing to get his ass dragged out of the house by his lovely girlfriend and boyfriend because money is involved and you both would be damned if he just wallows in self despair, alone.

So, that’s what happens, you fill Charlie’s parents in on needing to steal your bestfriend during the weekend and some of the plans involved like a movie night. They agreed to let him stay over for the night but he must call every few hours or atleast text.

Your parents love the boys and were completely down with the idea. Of course you also secretly called Nick’s mum and she had filled you in on a couple things that made you a tad bit more nervous to see your boyfriend.

Seems like your assumption was correct (more like Elle’s). “Lately he’s been talking about colleges, right… he’s planning to go on a trip sometime this month to check them out but he seems stressed, it’s been worrying me. You know though, kids probably don’t want their parents all in their business, haha,” She laughs softly and you can hear running water cut off on her end – probably washing something – “He knows he can come to me so I’m just letting him have his space. It’s lovely you and Charlie want to ease his mind! Glad he’s with and friends with two sweethearts,” This makes your face flare up in embarrassment but your chest puffs with pride.

“Of course, and I know he appreciates you being patient and understanding with him. The thing we don’t wanna do is pressure him… I just hope this can help take his mind off of the stress and you know… relax?” You grimace a bit, tugging at the end of your sleeve as the phone sits between your ear and shoulder.

“I get it, mhm. Thank you, Y/N.” Her voice is still soft but gets even more sincere with a hint of emotion. Had you feeling emotional too.

Saturday is quick to arrive and you stare at your reflection with determination. Brushing down your outfit, you admire your date look a bit more before turning around slowly and snatch your bag off the bed which is filled with random necessities that you may or may not need along with your wallet.

“Alright, Nick Nelson, prepare yourself for the best date you’ll ever be on.” You puff out your cheeks, grab you phone of the charger and exit your room. “I’ll be off, Mother~” You hum once you reach the end of the staircase and spot your Mom on the couch with a paper in hand.

“What is with the formal address?” She chuckles behind her hand, standing up and following you towards the front door. “I’ll see you later tonight with Nick and Charlie, right? Enjoy yourselves.” She smiles, wrapping her arms around your head and you hug her back with a gentle squeeze.

“Oh! Wait.”

She quickly unravels herself from you and speeds down the hall to the kitchen. Your eyes stare down the direction she went for a few seconds before deciding to slip on your shoes.

“Okay, here you go.” You’re standing with the door open by the time she comes back and she gives you a picnic basket. It’s not super big but you have to grab it with two hands. Less from the size, more from the weight.

“Mom. What did you pack in here?” You huff out a laugh, going to open the lid but she stops you.

“No, do not open it. It’s like… a wedding. You can’t see your spouse or it’ll be bad luck!” She speaks with a finger raised and you cock an eyebrow up. Whatever you say, Mom is basically your expression and she seems to notice because she places her hands on her hips with an exasperated look. “Just trust me, I’ve done it before and it was bad luck all day.”

“Mhm, mhm, right.” You nod, half listening and backing up on your porch. She follows, hand on the doorknob with a soft smile and she pinches your cheek with her other hand. “Thanks, I love you.”

“Love you too, honey.” She full on grins now and waves. After your ‘see you later’ promises, you’re quick to dart down the street and across the roads to a nearby park where Charlie said he’d meet you after picking up Nick. It gives you enough time to unload the nice lunch packed for the three of you and hopefully buy some refreshing popsicles or ice creams before they arrive.

Seems like luck is on your side though – maybe your Mom was right – because the minute you finish laying out the huge blanket in a nice shaded area you hear the sound of someone ringing a familiar bell sound. You turn your head so quick it nearly gave you whiplash and your eyes widen at the person walking along the park’s path, pushing a white squared cart decorated with photos of different types of cold treats.

You take your bag and phone, dialing Charlie’s number while speedwalking across the grassy field. It takes two rings before you hear his voice.

“Yes, partner in crime?” His voice comes off as staticky for a moment.

“What the hell are you doin’, your mic is scuffed as hell…”

“I’m walking!” You could imagine the eyeroll Charlie would do and bite your cheek to not laugh.

“Are you with Nick?” You continue to talk but smile in greeting when the ice cream seller stops at you coming over. He says hello and you wave before looking over all the choices on the cart.

“Yes. We’re grabbing drinks right now, you okay?”

“Yeah! I’m at the park, set up the picnic – though the food is still in the basket,” You glance back at your spot and after making sure nothing seems out of the ordinary you look back at the cart. “You remember those ice cream cart things? You want something?”

It’s silent between the two of you as Charlie ponders, in the meantime you point to your desired choice and the guy nods with a smile, opening the ice cream cart before digging around in the pile of cold desserts until he finds the one you want.

“Do they-“ He cuts himself off with a chuckle and you perk up at his voice, “Do they um,” He snorts this time then sighs to calm himself, “The ones with the bubblegum eyes. I wanna try one.”

You laugh a little, thanking the ice cream man as he sets the packaged treat in your hand. “Do you want the sonic one or something?”

“Whatever you spot first or whichever is given. Oh wait- Nick-“ You zone out a bit as he speaks to the blond and point to the blue hedgehog. The ice cream man continues his search. “He said he wants the crybaby ice cream.”

“Oh god.” You sigh in adoration, tilting your head back to the clear blue sky. “Weren’t they, like, terrible the last time we tried them?”

This time you hear Nick’s cheerful voice and he scoffs, “Okay, no. That was because for some weird reason you and Darcy wanted to put warheads into the mix.”

“Thank you,” You say to the nice man, grabbing a ten and a five dollar bill as a tip out of your wallet with a smile. You then put all the treats into your bag along with the wallet, waving the man bye which he returns and goes on his merry way. Your focus goes back to the two boys. “Ah yes, I remember the part where your face went sooo red. Hilarious, I have videos I think.”

He groans in prospect and you hear muffled giggles erupt from Charlie. “Why do you do this to me?”

“What are you talking about?” You tease and he groans again.

Charlie then speaks up, sounding way closer to the phone. “Alright! We’ll see you in two-point-five seconds.” You hum in response and say your goodbyes before hanging up the phone.

You reach the blanket again, flopping on your tush and take the ice creams out, aligning them with precision on top of the picnic basket. Charlie doesn’t disappoint because not two minutes later you see two familiar figures walking down the park path, one of them pointing towards your general direction and ditching the path to the grass.

You could feel your heart pound from… nervousness or excitement? Maybe both and it makes you grin, waving at the two. They get closer and Charlie waves awkwardly with a hand that has a drink in it, to which you notice his other hand also had a drink… and one of Nick’s. The blond’s other hand is carrying headbands of some sort and a bag is hanging off his arm.

“Char told me to get these while we were in the grocery store.” Nick speaks first when they get to you, he lifts the hand with headbands. “I decided not to question it.” You raise your hands and he carefully sets the accessories in them. Ah. Barbie headbands.

“Charlie…” Your brows pinch in amusement but also bewilderment. “What have you decided?”

He chuckles mysteriously, lifting a foot off the ground to point at your hand. “Put those down and take your drink, please. My hands are freezing.”

“Oops.” You comply and take the cup. The two eventual settle down with Nick in the middle and you quietly take a nice sip of the beverages. “Thank you.”

The boys nod and you glance at Nick, noticing the shadows of bags under his eyes. It makes you frown for a second, “So, what am I doing here on this lovely day.” Before you could inquire, Nick speaks up first, eyes shutting in contentment and a pretty smile adoring his face.

You lean back on the palm of your hand, eyeing Charlie and he meets your gaze. “Can we not want to hang out with the one and only, Mr. Nick Nelson?” You speak with a teasing tone, leaning into his side. His smile goes wider and he opens his eyes to meet yours.

“You make me sound like some big shot.”

Your eyes narrow.

“Well it was hard to reach you… so…” His gaze falters along with his smile, nervously tapping the top of his cup. “Not to pressure you, you know that but Charlie and I will always be there to listen if you need it.” You poke his arm gently and you spot Charlie’s hand sliding into Nick’s.

“Yeah.” Charlie nods, squeezing their hands, “But if not, that’s fine too. Y/N and I wanted to just, relax with you. Spend some time together.”

That makes Nick let out a shaky laugh and a wobbly smile. “Thanks.” He pauses. “Really. It’s just been, crazy?” He nibbles at his bottom lip before sighing and flops on his back, leaving his cup between his crossed legs and dragging the two of you down with him – which makes you all share a laugh.

Charlie rests against his boyfriend’s chest – facing his direction and you flip onto your stomach to play with both of their soft locks. “What has?” You ask softly.

He’s silent for a bit, tapping his fingers on your back with his free hand. “I’m not sure, school? Life? …Me? There’s no exact reason, everything just seems to be crashing down in my brain and it’s annoying to say the least.” He sighs heavily, “I’m probably just having that kind of month where everything is just feels like alot.” He frowns and you move the hand in his hair down under his chin, gently squeezing his cheeks and he chuckles.

“That’s perfectly fine, it happens.” You move the hand to trail up the left side of his face and place your palm over his forehead like you’re checking his temperature and it makes Charlie join in, prodding at Nick’s neck gently.

“There’s a lot going through your life right now, perfectly understandable why it feels overwhelming and such. Thank you for talking to us about it.” Charlie speaks softly.

“Of course. I don’t,” Nick pauses, opening his eyes with a flash of worry, “I don’t want it to feel like I’m shutting you both out or anything, or if it feels like you’ve done something wrong. I feel less weird thinking I’m overreacting, haha…” The laugh comes off flat but from the reassuring smiles from his lovers, he feels at ease.

“You’re not.”

“Nuh-uh.” You and Charlie speak simultaneously, denying such thoughts. It makes Nick laugh which sounds less forceful.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to talk about everything right now since I don’t even think I’m done… accessing everything but really, thank you. You both are my anchors.” If you didn’t tear up from that, your heart definitely did. Charlie gets up off Nick, letting go of the blond’s hand and tilts his head back with his hands over his face.

“Same, Charlie.” You cover your own face and lay flat against the blanket.

“I…” Nick trails off with another laugh and he sits back up which catches both of your attention. “Can we eat though, I’m getting a little hungry.” He gives a shy smile and you also sit up.

“Oh shit, what if the ice cream melted?!” This realization has the three of you shooting towards the basket, grabbing the packaged delights and simultaneously sigh in relief. They’re not melted… yet.

“Should we just eat these first and then eat the actual lunch next?” Charlie bites back a laugh, already opening up the plastic and pulling out the bubblegum eye Sonic, wasting no time to put it in his mouth with wide adorning eyes.

You and Nick watch him in amusement before opening your own. “I wanted this lime popsicle they usually sell but there were none.” You sigh before eyeing Nick’s container of airhead ice cream. He opens the top and it reveals the swirls of… red? Or pink and green.

“That’s funny, we saw those while we were at the store. There were these coconut flavors too.” Nick reminisces, plucking the taped but wrapped in it’s own plastic wooden spoon off the side of the ice cream container.

Charlie hums before looking down at the bitten into Sonic, “Why does Sonic have green eyes? Are they actually green?”

You all stay silent.

“I thought they were black or brown?” You speak in confusion.

“Right? Even blue….” Charlie tilts his head.

“Technically all of those are correct though they turn red as well… It’s the different franchises, I guess?” Nick furrows his brows in thought, scooping into his sour treat after freeing the wooden stick and eats away, wincing here and there. You watch with amusement.

The lunch date you can say with absolute certainty was very successful. You all catch up on things that have been going on and different shows you’ve been watching. Sharing ice cream, stuffing yourselves full with your Mom’s cooking – there was even a drink war? All you knew was one minute you were nearly done with your beverage and the next it’s being tossed in Nick’s direction as you try and run away from Charlie’s retort from you getting him seconds before. Ah, can’t forget the classic kisses shared under one of the many trees at the park and the newest photos stored in your ‘Nick & Char ❤️’ album, like the picture of Charlie ‘painting’ Nick’s face with whip cream. Where the fuck did you get whip cream from? Ask your mother.

Around the time you were all packing up, a teenager around your age ran up with their four other friends and inform you there is a nice walking trail – pointing towards the area where the park path splits, one continuing into a circle around the whole field and the other going into an area with rows of trees.

“Y’think we’ll get jumpscared? Like a haunted path or something.” You joked.

“They said there’s a nice stream down the path.” Nick smirks at your joking, placing a hand on your head and you puff out your cheeks, feeling them heat up a bit.

“Ah yes, you can take a nice swim in it when I push you in there, Y/N.” Charlie hums, quick to dart his eyes away when you flip your head in his direction.

“You’re so evil to me?” You watch him with wild eyes, mouth agape and he laughs.

“Do you think we’ll actually able to get in?” Nick ponders and you flip the wild gaze to him now.

“With us three, I’m sure we can pull it off.” Charlie responds with a menacing grin, mischief all up in his eyes and you’re playing ping pong with your eyes, flitting back and forth between them.

“I’m gonna be arrested today, huh…” Your boyfriend and bestfriend just giggle like evil people.

In the end, you three didn’t get in the stream’s water but there were some fishes so you decided to feel them the crust that Charlie didn’t eat from his sandwich and take some more photos. Nick had picked Charlie up bridal-style, getting dangerously close to the water and you record it all.

“Don’t drop me!” Charlie tightens his hold around Nick, fear and excitement in his tone.

“This takes me back to the beach…” Nick ignores his boyfriend’s pleas and spins around carefully.

“Do not reminisce while I’m in your arms, please and thank you?!” He exclaims and it makes you full on laugh, an arm over your stomach while watching the whole exchange happen.

It’s not long before it turns from afternoon to evening, you three return back from the area with Nick and Charlie debating on if they saw a deer or not. Charlie saying it was definitely there and Nick saying it wasn’t there.

“Carl Grimes flashbacks…” You hum and Charlie puts you in a headlock.

“Do not. I will cry right here.” He pouts and pulls at your cheeks, ignoring your protests. Nick watches with a soft gleam in his eyes, rocking the picnic basket back and forth with a hand.

You all walk down the sidewalk side by side once Charlie lets you go, talking about random things before Nick realizes the direction you’re going.

“Are we dropping Y/N off?” He frowns.

It catches you and Charlie off guard. “What? What makes you think that?” You raise an eyebrow. Nick points ahead and your house in slowly coming up in view. Ah.

“Ah.” Charlie speaks your thought and you both share a laugh. “No, we’re not dropping her off.” Charlie stretches his arms with a grunt before eyeing the bag strapped around Nick. “You brought pajamas and clothes for tomorrow, right?”

Nick nods, pursing his lips. “Still confused about that.”

You scoff in amusement and place a hand on your forehead with an endearing smile. “Nick…”

“Don’t worry, you’ll understand soon.” Charlie gives him a thumbs up, paired with a wink before darting ahead of the two of you. Nick flicks his gaze to you in question but you put on an act and shrug.

“What he said,” You pause for a moment, eyes burning into Nick’s, “Do you like stargazing?”

He moves closer to you, closing the gap and tugs your hand in his. The question makes him look up at the sky for a moment. “Mmm. Never tried it before? What counts as stargazing? I’ve… been in the car on trips and looked out the window…?” You give him a perplexed look which he returns.

“Alright, well-“ You chuckle, “That can… technically count? I guess? Just… Yeah.” You give up midway, tugging Nick along when you get closer to the front of your house where Charlie awaits. “You’re on your phone while you’re on a date? Tsk tsk.” You tut your lips in disapproval and Charlie startles.

He rolls his eyes, flipping his phone to the two of you bounding up the steps. “I was texting Saha- oops, hold on-“ He cuts himself off, flipping the phone back around with a nervous smile.

You glance at Nick before moving your hand to cover his eyes with your other hand. He gasps in surprise but doesn’t question it any further, grinning a bit. Facing back to Charlie you mouth the word, ‘Barbie?’ and tilt your head in confusion. He nods.

“You’re silly.” You remove your hand from Nick’s face and flatten your hand, tapping Charlie’s forehead in a chopping motion. He rubs the area with a laugh and you knock on your front door.

“Did you forget your keys?” Nick giggles when you give him a look of shame.

“Maybe.”

Your Mom is quick to open the door, grinning widely. “Welcome back. Hello, Charlie and Nick.” They wave in shyness and she scoots back to let the three of you in. “What’s the plan next, soldier?” She bumps the door closed with her hip and loosely crosses her arms, raising an eyebrow at you specifically.

“Gonna go in the back for about an hour…” You trail off, taking your shoes off in the most complicated way. With your feet, or the heels per-say. When you finish you take the basket from Nick and walk to the kitchen with your mom as the boys finish taking off their own shoes. “To stargaze.” You finally finish when Nick’s ears are out of reach.

She pats you on the back with approval, “Attagirl. How was lunch?”

“It was fun! We spoke a bit, ate and went down a trail.” You bounce your head to the side while listening the activities before pausing. “He seems more… energized?” Your lips purse.

“Was that a question?” She leans against the counter, one arm coming out of the self-hug and she combs her hand through your hair. You give her an awkward look and she breathes out a laugh. Tapping the crown of your forehead, she moves away to the fridge with a soft smile. “Well, if he seems to be uplifted,” She eyes you before taking out three water bottles. “That’s great news, no?” Then sets them infront of you on counter.

“You’re right but… I don’t know. I just feel like I can do more,” You huff. “But that’s dumb because of course I can’t, this has to be something Nick figures out and all I can do is support him.”

“Honey, that is doing more for him. Supporting him is the biggest help you can five someone, along with what you’re already doing. Taking him out, letting him have space to clear his mind and being a safe net. Same thing with Charlie, no?“ Her hands latch onto your shoulders and give the muscles a gentle squeeze. “I know it feels like you want to do so much more but, there’s only so much.” You tilt your head back and look up at her with a half-smile before relenting.

“You’re right.”

“A mother is always right.” She lets go and moves towards the stove, giving you a smug side eye… which you return with an unamused eyeroll.

“Yes, yes. My mother is always right. Sometimes.”

“About ninety-nine percent.”

“Ninety-five…” You lift an eyebrow and give her pointed look. She has a spoon in her hand when she looks over you and points it to her chin in thought, it’s just a bit though.

“Ninety-seven. Take it or leave it.”

You scoff in amusement before scooping up the bottles, “Whatever you say, ma’am. We’ll be outside.” She hums in understanding and you exit out the kitchen, walking into the dining room before reaching the living room where the duo waits.

“Pleasure for you to join us.” Charlie smirks and takes two of the bottles from your arms with a nod of thanks.

“Be welcomed.” Nick muses with a grin and cracks open the bottle, taking a quick refreshing sip.

“What is this speech? I hate it.” Your face scrunches up in disgust before gesturing to the sliding glass door. “Shall we?”

“Look who’s doing it now…” Charlie stares at you cheekily. You give him the finger, he returns it.

There are slides in a shoe rack near the door and you three take a pair before stepping out. Nick’s eyes widen in wonder. Your backyard has a big blanket – similar to the one from the picnic – sitting in the middle of the area that has a plot of grass and lanterns that hang off metal rods sit nicely around in the grass that have curves at the end, doing nicely as handles. What surprises you are the little bugs that fly and flicker with a yellow-green gleam in the air.

“Since when do we get fireflies?” You speak first.

“Since forever, Y/N.” Charlie poked your back and you jump, flipping around to get him back but he’s already slipped behind Nick.

“You little…”

“Ah, ah ah, you have to be nice to me.”

“Says who?” He’s being ridiculous.

“Says me. Your bestfriend.” He peaks around Nick’s side – who, mind you, is still focusing on the backyard’s look – with a teasing grin.

“I’mma beat you up.”

“No!” He lets out a laugh when you lunge towards him, twirling out of your reach and running around with you flailing behind.

It felt special to Nick. The orange-red sky turning into it’s pitch dark blue color, stars twinkling down on you three with a full moon bright. His eyes are stuck on his two partners, the fireflies swirling around them out of disturbance but still they still decorate the backyard with green-yellow hues, not ready to leave. He remembers this conversation you had in this backyard a year ago…

“Do you think fireflies come around this area?” You were sitting on a bean bag, legs tucked beneath yourself and were practically sunken into the ‘seat.’ Charlie had insisted you to put it on the concrete side of the backyard so you did and now your face is hidden behind Nick’s switch in your hands.

Speaking of who, Nick is currently soaked wet, wringing out the ends of his shirt and Charlie wraps himself up in a towel. It’s late night, pitch dark but they wanted to play with water balloons and your Mom happened to be out of the house to pick up dinner.

“Maybe…” He leans back to look at the sky. “Why? Do you like fireflies or something?” He looks back down at you. The question has you silent for a couple of beats before you set down the console. He watches you with an amused twinkle in his gaze, puffing out his chest in pride at seeing you in his sweater. Charlie had been wearing it earlier and you both traded before they brought out the balloons.

“I mean, I have never seen any so, maybe, maybe not.” You shrug, unfolding your legs and stretching them out with a groan. Your socked feet slap down against the concrete and you sit up a bit. “Don’t you think they’re kinda special though? My Mom said it’s like they’re glowing up your night, dancing around you and stuff.” You eye the floor. “Appearing on specials occasions like they know,” You lean back into the seat with a sigh, “Said that’s how she got married. Isn’t that crazy?”

Charlie purses his lips, tilting his head to the side before smiling, “Sounds magical. They’re the ‘true love’ bugs.” His smile widens into a grin.

“Exactly!” You snap your fingers with a nod, bumping your heel against the stone pavement.

“I’m sure they do appear out here though, don’t they come out at Midnight?” Charlie shivers while speaking, hugging the towel around himself tighter. You sympathize with a playful grin.

“Maybe. But well, you boys should get inside and warm up. We’ll try next time.”

“Nick! Are you gonna come and lay down?” He snaps out of his head, eyes darting to you and Charlie lying on the blanket though Charlie is trying to tap out from a leg lock you have him in.

He snorts in surprise, not missing a beat and closing the distance. “How the hell did this happen?”

“Nick! Help me~” Charlie wails before pinching your thigh, making you yelp and quickly let go.

“That is cheating!” You exclaim, rubbing your leg with a wince.

“All’s fair in war.” He snickers, reaching a hand out to Nick who takes it and sits down between you two.

It’s a nice silence between the three of you, you’re not sure who laid down first but you eventually followed. Nick has his arms wrapped around the two of you and you’ve glanced up at his face which shows contentment. You even met his gaze while peeking and it caught you off guard with how much his brown orbs were filled with much love and affection.

You reach a hand out towards Charlie and tussle at curls, making him whine in protest but lets you continue anyway. “I’m not good with constellations so you’re not gonna be getting that during this stargaze adventure.” You mumble against Nick with a laugh and it makes the other two chuckle.

“Nah, that’s alright… I’m happy with this…” You and Charlie freeze at how soft Nick’s voice sounds. Serene. Content. More than happy but not quite ecstatic. Filled with much love directed towards the two of you and it has your heart pounding.

You sit up on your elbow, making Nick’s arm slip off of you and he eyes you with suspicion. “Actually…” This would be way more comfortable on your knees so you sit up, tuck your calves beneath you and cuff Charlie’s face into your hands. It’s nearly laugh worthy of how quick his face turns a deep red and how you felt it happen under your touch.

You lean forward, careful not to face-plant into him – that would be awkward… and painful – pressing your lips against him. You both move into a soft but passionate rhythm. Your thumb brushes against his dusted cheeks, pressing hard against his lips one final time before moving back with a dazed grin.

He returns it, chuckling shyly before meeting Charlie’s intense gaze. You choke back a laugh with the swiftness of your friend sliding up a bit, hand softly cupping the side of Nick’s face and sharing their own kiss. Also very slow, and passionate. Your tilt your head up towards your house, eyeing the sliding door and sigh in relief to not see your Mom near it. By the time your gaze returns you’re meeting with the two boys staring at you with flushed faces.

“Oh my god, you’re so red.” You laugh.

“Shut up?” Charlie hands an arm over his face, probably burning up a bit more from the teasing.

The fireflies have died down, some still hanging around but you notice most are gone and a smile tugs at your lips. “Wanna go inside now?”

Charlie removes his arm with a sharp inhale and the two nod. “Do you need to bring the blanket in?” He points to the cloth when you all stand and you’re quick to shake your head.

“Nah. I’ll grab and wash it tomorrow,” You stretch your limbs, hearing some pop. “I need new bones…”

Nick sticks his tongue out in playful disgust, “That sounds horrific.”

“Wouldn’t that be crazy though? If we needed to trade in new bones when we’re old and seniors.”

“Y/N.” Charlie’s eyebrows bend and he grimaces, “Why do you come up with the most freaky scenarios.” It’s not a question.

“Yeah, like the apocalypse one from before.” Nick pitches in with a frown that falters into a smile.

You all step into the living room after you’re done turning off the lanterns and have grabbed your bottles, “Because my brain is so amazing that I just think of things you would never think of.” You make a gesture to your brain before wiggling your fingers like you’ve done a magic trick.

“Or so you say…” Charlie glances somewhere else before meeting your eyes, “Less would never think of more, shouldn’t think of.” He flicks his hand towards you, thumb and index finger out in a finger gun.

“Hey, these could be real life events soon to happen.”

“Yeah the bones theory would happen when we all become immortal.” He chuckles and you roll your eyes.

Then boom, jumpscare. Your Mom appears just as you’re settling on the couch. A screech leaves all of your mouths and she stares in shock with mild confusion and amusement.

“Hello to you three, too.” She giggles, walking over to the glass door, tugging the lock between the handle down and pulls the thick curtains down. “Enjoy stargazing?” She turns back around with a soft smile.

You three shift your gazes away. Apparently it wasn’t just you that still had the intimate moment in the back of your brain, huh? “Yeah, thanks Mom.”

If she noticed the slight awkwardness building up, she doesn’t mention it nor show it and instead clasps her hands together, “That’s wonderful! Dinner is finished so feel free to grab whatever you want. I’ll be upstairs if you need me.” She fills you in on her own plan for the night which is pretty much staying in her room so you all have your own time. She then tilts her head, eyes spacing out until she perks up, “And then there’s brownies that are baking, should be finished soon. I set a timer so when you hear it please take it our for me, Y/N.”

You nod before frowning, “Why does it have to be me?” Apparently she didn’t understand from the confusion crossing her face. You then point to Charlie and Nick.

Charlie looks offended, “We are a guest?” but his tone is light.

“You practically live here? Your clothes are in my closet, mind you.” Nick and your Mom choke out a laugh while Charlie flares up, flustered.

“Nick’s are too?!”

“Which is why I included him in my pointing?!”

Two people are bickering, two people laughing at the scene. It doesn’t take long for you Mom to calm you both down, “It doesn’t matter who, it doesn’t matter if it’s all three of you. Please just don’t let them burn.” She chuckles a bit more before rubbing her hand against her collarbone to calm herself, “Have a great time. I’ll be in my room.” You all wave her ‘goodnight’ and she retreats upstairs.

You three share a silence. Then Nick speaks,

“…So what exactly are we doing? It seems you both are full of surprises today,” He wears a teasing look which makes you and Charlie look away.

“Don’t worry about it, mister. You enjoy the ride.” You talk first before nudging Charlie with your leg. “You put the movie on, I’ll go make our plates and...” You eye Nick for a moment not knowing what he should do.

“Nick, I put the backpack in Y/N’s room, could you go get it while we set up? Oh! The headbands too.” Charlie pitches in and grins at the mention of the headbands. You and Nick blink at him before standing up to dart down your own paths.

While you’re making the plates the oven timer does go off. You take a toothpick from one of the drawers, flick on the oven light, open the oven – making you flinch back from the heat – then poke the dark chocolate fudge goodness. It has baked all the way so you grab oven mitts and drag the pan of brownies out of it’s cooker, sets it on the stove and flick turn the oven off.

After making sure everything was set in the kitchen you grab two plates and exit the kitchen, back into the living room where the movie is paused on the TV right before it begins. Charlie stands up and helps grab the two plates, letting you dart back into the kitchen again for the last one just in time for Nick to return.

“Do you want drinks? We got juices, sodas, water, you name it.” You peak your head out behind the dining room wall and the two boys pause midway in putting on the barbie headbands. You bite your lip to hold back a laugh.

“Do you have that tropical mix?” Nick speaks and you nod, he points at you in affirmation of the drink then finishes adjusting the plastic accessory around his hair.

“Root beer, please.” Charlie speaks next before his eyes shine open and wide, “Do you think we can have floats…”

Your eyebrows perk up, “I think we have vanilla? But you’re not getting that till the brownies cool down.”

“Oh, they’re out? Thank Barbie.” He holds his hands up in a prayer.

You stare at him, very much unamused and he gives you a cheeky grin.

“I’ll have tropical juice for now then.”

With a thumbs up you return to the kitchen once more, grabbing three tall glass cups from the cabinet and grab the carton juice out the fridge. You fill up two cups before staring at your own. After deciding your choice of drink, you put everything away and startle while turning around and seeing Nick in the doorway.

“Sorry,” He smiles apologetically, walking up to you and grabbing the cups filled with juice that is his and Charlie’s. He catches you off guard once again, planting a soft kiss on your cheek before bounding off to the living room again.

“What the fuck.” You stand in oblivion, feeling your face heat up. You decide you won’t unpack that tonight, flicking off the kitchen light and rejoining your movie mates.

Nick and Charlie had switched spots to where the blond was in the middle like he had been all day and your boyfriend pats the free spot next to him. You comply, setting your cup on the table while sitting and you lean into Nick with a soft smile.

“You forgot this, kind ma’am.” Charlie grabs the plastic pink band and you lean forward. He puts it on carefully and leans back with a self-satisfied expression, grabbing the remote with a quite cheer. “Are we ready for the best movie night ever?”

You and Nick watch him with amusement, “Yes, Charles, we are.”

“Not Charles, I will fight you.” He shivers at the name.

“You call me Nicholas?” Nick speaks. It makes you laugh.

“It’s your real name.” He grins.

“Is Charles not your real name, Char?” You lift an eyebrow and he rolls his eyes, still wearing the grin.

“No, it is ‘Charlie “Char” Spring’.”

You let out an insufferable sigh.

“Y’know, Y/N has called me ‘Luke’ before.” Nick leans his head back with a scoff. This makes you have a full on belly laugh which makes Charlie react the same way. “Yes, yes laugh it away.” He sighs like he’s in pain.

It takes five minutes to calm down. You wipe a precious tear away, “It was on call too and he hung up. Would not answer for like, an hour.” You inhale deeply at the memory before laughing again.

“Should we start calling him Luke as a nickname?”

“Please, please don’t.” Nick squeezes the arm wrapped around Charlie’s waist with a pleading look.

“Awwe you can’t do that.” He pouts, reaching up to pinch Nick’s face.

“Dho wha?” He sounds funny with Charlie tugging at his face.

“The puppy eyed look. The doe eyes.” You bat your eyelashes at Nick when he eyes you from the corner of his eyes before rolling them.

“We’ve gone all dahy withosut this, nowh yuu wanna shtart?” Now he’s the one doing the insufferable sighing.

“It’s a daily mission.” Charlie nods, a serious expression crossing his looks – putting on an act. He then lets go and grabs the remote again, “Movie time!”

“Movie time!” You cheer afterwards.

You three are silent for a bit as the movie plays, you and Charlie cuddling into Nick. He plants soft kisses down your face and you flush a bit. Then he moves to Charlie, repeating the action, who giggles quietly and eyes Nick with a shy look. It makes you laugh under your breath and Charlie doesn’t miss it, pointing to you with a brow raised and expression saying, ‘Don’t laugh at me when you’re acting the same.’ You look away.

“Hey,” Nick suddenly speaks up and the two of you look over. “Thanks for today. It really helped calm me down…” He continues to train his eyes on the TV but his ears burn from you and Charlie giving him your undivided attention. “And reassured me about a few things…” He purses his lips.

“Reassured?” Charlie asks quietly, as if afraid to make Nick snap his mouth shut and not speak again.

Nick sucks in a breath and you shiver from his fingers crawling up your arm. You watch Charlie lift his own hand and hold the arm wrapped around him.

“Yeah. Since everything felt like it was crashing down, I don’t know. It kinda made me feel… negative? About certain stuff. Between us. Not that I’m not happy, I’m more than thankful to be with you two but just like, how you both felt towards me…” His pursed lips flatten and your brows bend at the way his eyes dim.

“Breaking up with me for example because maybe you felt neglected or such. It made me so scared to think about I stopped responding to both of your messages most of the time and barely wanted to call because you know, what if one day you just went, ‘Yeah I don’t think we should be together,’ such and such.” You both stay quiet to let him speak his mind and you hate that he ever thought such things.

When Nick stays silent you take a sharp inhale, meeting eyes with Charlie’s glossed ones. The sight breaks your heart. “Nick…” You start off carefully and he looks over to you with so much exhaust. Slowly, you cuff his face – the same way you did outside – brushing your thumbs against him cheeks. Your right hand moves down, playfully you press your thumb against his bottom lip and smile gently.

“I’m sorry that you ever felt that way. It’s far from the truth, sweetheart.” He lets out an airy chuckle and you watch with adoration. “Y’know brains come up with the craziest scenarios when you’re stressed and it’s annoying, and stupid.” You huff, left hand moving against his cheek and he leans into the touch. Your thumb and index finger latch onto his ear and you pinch it lightly. “Do you know that, that would never happen unless you came to me asking for such a thing?” You pucker out your lips.

He watches you in a daze before laughing. “Do you know that would never happen?” Then he turns to Charlie with a soft look. “And you, Char?”

Charlie rubs at his reddening eyes and inhales. He then nods, opening his mouth before faltering. You both give him and moment and he closes his eyes in frustration before heaving out a sigh. Concern is evident in both of your expressions but Charlie opens his eyes with a new look of determination, straight at Nick.

He smacks his hands against Nick’s shoulders which makes the latter’s mouth hang open in surprise. “Nick. I love you. A lot. It hurts to know that you were dealing with these emotions, but know I’m not blaming you. How could I? It’s not your fault. Never feel bad for needing to take your time to sort out your own feelings and what’s going on with yourself. We’d never blame you for that because in the end, you know we have you, right?”

Nick nods and you can see his own eyes get glossy as well. Charlie then looks at you, “I love you too, Y/N, don’t tell Tao but you’re my bestfriend.” He chuckles, wiping at his eye again and you wipe at your owns.

“Hey, he can be your guy bestfriend and we wouldn’t have to fight over titles.” You wink, before leaning to Nick and kissing him softly. “I love you both, very much so. I’m glad you were able to talk to us, Nick.”

“Was that your goal today?” He grins in a joking manner, tilting his head in the crook of Charlie’s neck while entangling his fingers with yours.

“Did it work?” Charlie sniffles a bit before laughing. You laugh as well, “This is ridiculous we’re supposed to be watching Barbie and now we’re sobbing.”

“I give up.” You throw your head back, side eyeing the TV.

“Nooo, don’t give up.” Nicks chuckles before sitting upright. “We can still watch… we should probably eat too.” He points to the lonely plates on the table.

“True.” You and Charlie agree. You three take a moment to collect yourselves with a few embarrassed laughs here and there before settling back down.

“What’s in the bag, by the way?” You gesture to the backpack under the coffee table as Charlie rewinds the movie back to the beginning. He glances down.

“Snacks.”

“It’s good.” You hum in approval, taking a bite of your food. The three of you enjoy the movie and dinner, later on making those root beer floats paired with the brownies. Charlie had explained to Nick that he was texting Sahar about the Barbie Movie and she told him she went with Imogen. Apparently, Imogen gives the movie a 2/10 because she messed up her outfit at the theaters.

“That’s terrible.” Nick stares at Charlie in shock but it doesn’t last long with the way his lips curve into a smirk, “That’s not her real rating though, is it?”

“Of course not, she loved it.” Charlie laughs.

You’ve been quiet this whole time but suddenly loll your head to face them. Nick already giving you an exasperated look when you got their attention. “Nick. Your new name in my phone is Ken Nelson.”

[emelinstriker]

Nezha ♡ A Special Stranger Pt.3

Art drawn by me- I also got more Special Stranger Nezha art under ‘#special stranger nezha’ o3o

I did not mean for it to be 3k+ words long but here we are- Just you and your husband's 3rd wedding anniversary. Oh, and Wukong is having his usual random cameo appearance for the fun of it. Can't have a Special Stranger Nezha one-shot without Wukong.

♡ Part 1 | ♡ Part 2 | ♡ Part 3

ⓘ Reader is IMPLIED AFAB

♡ ~ Fluff ~ ♡

"I'm home!" You called out as you shut the door behind you. You weren't actually sure if your husband was home yet, but you always made sure he wasn't alerted when you came home. Sure, not many would dare intrude the home of the Third Lotus Prince and his spouse. Even less now that you two moved into a small house in the Celestial Realm... You told him you preferred a house similar to your old home, and Nezha was all to eager to move from the Celestial Palace into your now shared house in the clouds. The possibility of an unwanted guest was still there though. Even if you did help some celestial workers to pass the time and not be home alone. While you didn't get along with all of them, there were a few that were very kind and understanding despite your mortality status.

Either way, you did not get a response. Usually you would feel just a little disappointed that he was still in the middle of upholding his duty... However, today it felt more like a blessing. Because today was special as it was your third wedding anniversary, and you still wanted to decorate your home a little to surprise Nezha.

You had three official surprises ready for your husband of three years, and you were very confident in that he'll love each and every one of those presents... Though, the way you planned on actually presenting them varied from being comedic to anti-climatic. On purpose for stronger emotional responses, of course.

Thus, your plan began as you set the table. But as you were placing your plates, you heard a knock coming from the front door, followed by a very familiar monkey's voice.

"Hellooo? Anybody home?" You rolled your eyes and decided to check the door.

And while you were waiting for Nezha's arrival, your husband was patrolling around the Celestial Palace. Any form of movement was appreciated over being cooped up inside one building all day. Especially today! He actually did ask the Jade Emperor if he could perhaps take this one special day off, but he told him no. He said something about 'an annoying menace to the Celestial Realm' approaching. Negotiation was a bust as well since his offers kept on getting shot down.

So he was understandably grumpy while on duty. The Celestial Armies were mostly avoiding their superior after merely just glancing at his annoyed expression that practically screamed 'I'm so done with life right about now and won't hesitate to throw someone off the top of the Palace'. Not even his phone was able to help speed up time.

Little did he know that the Jade Emperor put him on duty on purpose. Because he knew you had things planned and that you needed just a bit more extra time... Though, one thing Nezha knew about was certain celestials' gossip. He was aware of just how many deities looked down on you like a pathetic parasite, unworthy of the Third Lotus Prince's love and affection.

Speaking of which, while on patrol he overheard another conversation about your 'controversial marriage'...

"Can you believe they've been married for three years now? I still don't understand why our beloved Prince would ever marry a mortal human... Especially a commoner! They're not even of nobility", he could hear one maiden say to another.

"Right? The nerve! They are most definitely only in on it to have a god as a husband to feel more powerful than others", the other one added.

Honestly, this didn't help his mood. And his expression turned more into anger. Usually he would much rather just avoid confronting them and let gossip be gossip. It's all just lies anyway. But with his already pre-established grumpiness, his body acted faster than his mind. His wheels ignited as he zoomed over towards the maidens, halting right in front of them, fire-tipped spear in hand.

Once he was in front of them, already making them feel absolutely panicked at how hostile he suddenly appeared, he spoke up with his commanding voice. "Silence. I do not appreciate you talking about my partner like that. I am not expecting you to see what I see, but I am expecting you to respect them and their presence. I choose who I love. Is that clear?"

Damn, he wasn't even trying and he still looked absolutely intimidating. The maidens quickly nodded with a 'Yes, Lotus Prince!' before hastily walking away. Nezha scoffed before returning to his patrol route. Those two did not help his mood at all.

And his mood didn't exactly get any better until he was summoned by the Jade Emperor again. Sure, he had to show way more respect towards him than the maidens, which automatically makes him seem less agitated, but his mood also got a lot better once he was told to take the rest of the day off. He questioned why he would give him the rest of the day off if there supposedly was 'an annoying menace to the Celestial Realm'. The Jade Emperor only responded in a vague way, basically saying 'So like, the menace has appeared but did a major pitstop and isn't actually being a menace today to be honest, lmao. Can you believe that?'

Of course, Nezha immediately took this opportunity. Though, he couldn't help but furrow his eyesbrows at the Emperor in confusion. Why didn't he give him the day off from the beginning? Pretty sure the Celestial Realm could handle threats for this one day without him in the frontlines. His home was within the Realm anyway, so getting him to join an important battle wouldn't have been a problem.

Besides, pretty sure at least the higher-ups, including the Jade Emperor, all knew about how important this day was to h-

...Wait.

Suspicion hit him as he flew over to your shared home. Opening the door, he noticed how dark it was inside. But one look at the golden clock ticking on the wall was all he needed to determine that you should be home. Quickly checking his phone's lock screen, he didn't see any new messages from you about you being out a little longer.

"Blossom, I'm home", he called out. But he didn't hear a reply so he closed the door, weapon still drawn by his side... But then someone else turned on the light.

"Surprise!"

Suddenly, you popped up from behind the nicely decorated table with a box wrapped in colorful papers in your arms. A bright smile was on your face as you placed the present on the table. Nezha lowered his weapon at the sight as his guarded expression was replaced with a gentle smile. "Oh- Wow, I did not expect you to plan anything behind my back."

You crossed your arms before leaning with them against the table while he approached you, making his spear disappear. "Oh please, it's our third wedding anniversary! And I labeled you my Special Stranger like twelve years ago. And you didn't think I'd show how much I cherish being with you?" The Lotus Prince moved around the table and pulled you in for a quick kiss before placing his forehead against yours, all the while still keeping you pressed against his armored chest.

"Well, not necessarily. I just thought you and I wanted to come up with what we wanted to do today together", he said softly while lovingly staring into your eyes.

You rolled your own eyes in amusement. "We can still figure out what to do, sweetie. I merely planned this part to give you my presents." After you pulled away, you slid the wrapped box over to his side. "Open it up!" He carefully picked up the present and examined it for a bit before ripping up the paper wrapping, revealing a shoe box. You insisted that he should open it already, so he did. Nezha gasped. In the box was a cap, a similar one to the one you gave him all those years ago. The main difference however was the text and the slight change in color to more of a pink tone, fitting for his armor. The text now read '(Y/N)'s Lovely Husband'.

"Aw... Thanks. But I don't think it can ever beat the Special Stranger one", he commented as he adjusted the cap on his head.

"What even happened to that cap? I haven't seen you wear it in a long while", you asked as you sat down at the table, grabbing a particular fruit from the bowl you placed in the middle.

Nezha shrugged as he sat down himself, "Nothing. I just don't want it getting more dirt onto it, or let it get damaged. So I usually just keep it hidden away in my work room. If it came down to it, I would protect that cap like you and the Jade Emperor." He then leaned back into his chair, his gaze lingering on the delicious food you spread out on the table... But then he heard you munch on something. Curiously looking up to see what it was, he nearly fell off his chair.

There you were, casually eating bits of a peach that looked way too much like a peach of immortality to be a regular fruit from the Mortal Realm. Panicked, Nezha immediately stood up. "WAIT, DON'T EAT THAT-"

Amused, you raised an eyebrow at him as you took another bite. "Why not?"

"That- That's not a normal peach! W-We can- We can find a way to turn you mortal again! I promise! Just-!" You swallowed the piece before cutting him off with an innocent smile. "Nezha, I'm fully aware that it just turned me immortal. This is my second present for you!"

His eyes were wide open as he blinked in shock, "Wha- Huh??" You couldn't help but snort at his absolutely confused and flabbergasted reaction.

"I know our relationship had a timer on it with how I would eventually die of old age. So, I've thought long about it and decided that I don't want to ever leave you," you grinned at him. "And the peach Monkey King brought over as anniversary present earlier today just seemed like a convenient and yummy way. At least I don't have to take a gamble with gaining another way of immortality anymore!" Then you took another, but this time smaller bite.

Your husband forced himself to close his mouth before moving around the table again to pick you up in his arms and placing a passionate kiss on your lips. Once you two pulled away, you booped his nose. "Now you won't be able to get rid of me so easily, sweetie."

Nezha let out a wholehearted chuckle as he lightly kissed your own nose. "I wouldn't ever dream of it."

When your loving moment was over, you insisted that your husband try the food on the table before you showed him his third gift. You told him that he would be extremely ecstatic about that one, just to hype him up more. In general, your dinner date was calming and definitely raised his mood by a lot. Almost as if him being put on duty for this day never happened.

While talking about whatever happened to the two of you today, Nezha suddenly had a thought pop up. "Wait- Wukong gave you that peach, correct?" He asked while you nodded in response. He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he furrowed his brows. Taking a deep breath, he continued after letting out a long sigh. "...Nevermind. The guards should be able to deal with him if he's trying anything reckless while I'm off-duty. I guess that's what the Jade Emperor meant by 'annoying menace'." He then moved his hand away to look at you. "I do not wish to ruin our anniversary by attempting to remove him from the Celestial Realm."

You took a sip of your drink before shaking your head. "That wouldn't ruin our anniversary. In fact, if Monkey King is legitimately causing havoc, I wouldn't mind you doing your job. Besides..." After propping up your arm against the table and placing your cheek on the palm of your hand, you grinned rather smugly in his direction. "I would get to watch you use your abilities in the name of authority. And I would get to reward you for your services after~"

Oh fuck. You were highly aware of how much control you had over him and his desires.

Nezha's face turned red at the implication. If you were saying that to him some years prior to your marriage, he would be a babbling mess and would barely be able to form his sentences to respond. But now, after having spent years with you and even having intimate times together, he was a lot more confident in laying out his responses with a smirk. "Oh? You're tempting me, blossom~"

You both simply gave each other a rather inviting look before something you remembered caught your attention. "Oh right! Can't forget to show you the highlight of the presents!"

"And becoming immortal is not the highlight?" Your husband raised an eyebrow at you as you opened a cabinet. "Actually, nevermind. You having three presents already makes me feel bad because I only have one...", he sighed quietly to himself.

You rummaged for a bit in the dark depths of the cabinet until you pulled out a basket with some colorful fabric. "I got you some new clothes!" You excitedly placed the basket in front of him on the table and then placed yourself next to his seat.

Nezha looked at the basket, then looked at you, then back at the basket and said, "...These look small." He then picked up whatever was on top of the neatly folded pile. "I, uh, don't suppose they shift to the wearer's size? I, uh-" He stopped himself as he examined the pink sweater with lotus patterns. After reading what was written in the front, his mouth hung agape. Then he turned around the piece of clothing in disbelief, showing you the text. You, of course, laughed at his reaction before nodding to confirm his thoughts.

'Daddy's Special Baby' was written on the tiny sweater.

Suddenly, you felt yourself being picked up and spun around like crazy in your husband's arms. He was laughing in pure joy. But the fact that he still had his wheels on didn't help your dizziness. "I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER!" Nezha stopped twirling around and gave you a rather quick, yet strong kiss on the lips. "This is the best gift ever! I love you so, so much, blossom..." And as he trailed off, you noticed tears gathering in his eyes, which surprised you.

"Aw, sweetie..." You brushed your thumb against his cheek, trying to wipe away the two tears that started rolling down.

"I'm sorry, I just... I-I never thought I would ever start a family of my own..." Nezha then pulled away before summoning some sort of necklace in his hands. "Now I feel horrible because I only have one gift for you. But I hope it suffices." He then handed it to you before wiping away any remaining tears himself. You immediately took notice of how it looked more like a charm.

"It's not much by any means, but it does its job well. This is an ancient relic that makes the wearer seem invisible to demons. You can view it as a lucky charm too, it did save lives after all."

You tilted you head in confusion, "Wait then how are you able to see me- Aren't you technically a demon too?"

"Well, yes, but I'm also unaffected as I'm a deity of the Celestial Realm myself", he responded while doing a so-so motion with his hand. "Pretty sure others referred to as demons, like Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque, are unaffected by it as well. Though, the Demon Bull King and his son on the other hand..." He let out a chuckle at whatever he was imagining. "Let's just say you can not only be a lot more safe, but also have some fun messing with certain demons."

You gasped before holding the charm tightly in your hands with a smile. "That's so cool, I love it! Thanks, sweetie!"

Suddenly, a loud crash came from upstairs.

Alerted by the sound, Nezha told you to put on the necklace and wait by the table in case it was a demon attacking. He swiftly summoned his fire-tipped spear and flew his way upstairs with his wheels lit up. You couldn't exactly make out any noises from all the way by the table at first. But then you heard muffled yells from your husband and muffled laughter from another male voice.

Quietly making your way over to the bottom of the staircase, you tried to make out the conversation. You weren't able to hear the context, but you did hear part of the argument.

"You can't be serious! We were having a moment!"

"Let's be honest, Nezha, you two being sappy isn't the most entertaining for me right now-"

"And you decided it would be a good idea to destroy my vase??"

"Duh, so I can ask how the gift exchange went. I may have only given your partner a gift, but the outcome of them using it should count as double-gift!"

"While I must thank you for that, I also have the urge to punch you so hard right now that you get knocked all the way back to Flower Fruit Mountain."

"Pfff- How about this: If you can catch me, I'll give you a freebie and you get to punch me however hard you want! You could see it as a friend's anniversary gift to you! Later, Nezha!"

Then you heard a loud boom as you felt the floor shake beneath you. You weren't exactly concerned after having heard he intruder's voice however. A few seconds later, your husband came back downstairs. You gave him a rather amused expression. "Huh. I thought he already left a while ago... I think we jinxed this."

"Oh, we absolutely did", he agreed. But then his annoyed expression turned to a smug one. "So, since we jinxed this... Does the offer of the reward for stopping Wukong still stand?" You rolled your eyes at him before nodding. You could see the sudden determination light up in his eyes as he made his way over to the front door. "Well, I'll be back soon. Oh, and make sure you don't hurt yourself upstairs, by the way. There's shards lying around. I love you, blossom!" He blew you a kiss with a wink before swiftly speeding out of the door and taking into the skies.

> Masterlist <

[niki-phoria]

hi! i have a request for jay or sunghoon:)

i was thinking of a high school au where one of the boys are in the basketball team for their school. they have a rival school and jay/hoon also have a rival component (it can be someone from enha or txt) and they both want y/n🤭🤭 y/n can be close to both of them since they’re a reporter for their high school and have followed all their games since they report them

so basically i was thinking it ends where like jay/hoon win the game and they get the courage to confess from the rush of winning<3

just an idea i got, btw i loooove ur fics 😭😭

blonde mullet hoon >>>

pairing: basketball player!sunghoon x school reporter!gn!reader (they/them pronouns used) genre: fluff word count: 1.7k

includes: high school au, poor basketball knowledge, i forgot what a dunk was and spent like five minutes googling it (is it even a dunk ??), blushy hoon, enha teasing hoon, txt cameos, chose beomgyu as hoon's rival but it's a good rivalry like they're friends they just play for different schools yk

a/n: choosing hoon for this bc this man will not let me live in peace /lh thank you so much for requesting !! it means so much that you enjoy my writing <33 this was such a cute idea, i hope you enjoy it :))

additional note: i used to be part of the yearbook club for a few years so i had to take pics of volleyball games so i have a little bit of experience with this i am aware that you don't scroll through cameras but i couldn't think of another word for it okay

requests open !! read my rules first

the referee blowing the whistle is your cue to prepare to start taking more pictures. you keep the camera close to your face, snapping multiple pictures at a time. beomgyu dribbles the ball, effortlessly guiding it along the floor as he runs to the other side of the court. he jumps, grabbing onto the rim and forcing it down through the net. 

cheers erupt from the crowd behind you. you continue on, photographing his team rushing to where he is. they wrap their arms around each other, jumping in celebration. a small smile spreads across your face at the joy that radiates from all of them. 

nearby, sunghoon sighs, leaning down on his hands. though his team lost the point, that’s not the reason why his lips quirk downwards into a slight frown. he leans forwards onto his hands, subtly looking at you through his fringe. 

“it’s okay hyung,” sunoo says, patting his shoulder. he drops his voice, leaning in as if they’re strategizing. “talk to them after they finish. you know they always make time for you.” 

sunghoon hopes the audience assumes his flushed face is from the game. their cheers quiet down when the referee blows the whistle again, announcing another round. sunoo squeezes his shoulder before he makes his way back to his own position. 

sunghoon glances over at you again. this time you notice him, smiling and raising your fist in a small ‘fighting!’ gesture. he nods, leaning back onto his knees. he takes a deep breath, letting himself refocus completely on the game. everything else seems to fade away - the audience cheers, his coach yelling, the pressure from everywhere around him, even you and how nervous you make him. he lets the tension relax from his shoulders. 

he isn’t park sunghoon, star basketball player constantly pinned against choi beomgyu who needs to live up to his reputation. he’s a teenage boy playing the sport he fell in love with secretly hoping it impresses the cute reporter standing at the other end of the court. 

“sunghoon!” the ball feels light in his hands as jungwon passes it over. he dodges kai’s blocking attempt, running past yeonjun and taehyun as he jumps, shooting for the hoop. he scores. 

the audience all but explodes. elation spreads through him as he pants. the referee holds her hands up, announcing their win. beside him, beomgyu holds out a hand. “congratulations,” he smiles.

sunghoon takes it, letting beomgyu pull him into a quick hug. “you too.” he quickly bows at soobin before his team swarms him, all of them trapped in a giant group hug. he laughs as they repeatedly pat his back and shoulders. 

“good job everyone,” jungwon pants. “we all did well.” 

“let’s get cleaned up,” heeseung smiles. “we could all use a shower.” 

sunghoon looks over his shoulder to where you’re standing. beomgyu is leaning down to look at your camera as you scroll through the various photos you’ve taken during the night. little pangs of jealousy sting him. “i’ll be right there.” 

he ignores the teasing “good luck” from jay, pushing his hair back as he makes his way over to you and beomgyu. beomgyu notices him first. “hey sunghoon.” 

“hi hoon!” you perk up immediately, stepping towards him to wrap him into a hug. he wraps his arms around you, relishing in your touch. your actions ease some of the jealousy that still lingers. “great job out there today! you were incredible!” 

sunghoon laughs, shaking his head. “thank you.” 

“i was just showing beomgyu some of the photos from tonight, do you want to see?” he glances over at said boy, a silent question passing between them. 

“you go ahead, i should get cleaned up anyways,” beomgyu smiles. “besides, it’ll be a long bus ride back home.” 

“i’ll see you later, gyu,” you call as he leaves. 

“see you hyung.” beomgyu gives him a small wink before he exits the gym. 

now mostly alone with you, sunghoon leans over your shoulder as you scroll back through the variety of pictures from the night. he can recognize some of the moments from them - beomgyu’s dunk, him leaning down on his knees, his winning shot, beomgyu’s high five, and his team celebrating. 

“i was thinking of using this one,” you murmur, moving back to a specific photo. it’s of sunghoon in mid-air during the winning shot of the night. even he has to admit that he looks good in the shot, even without editing. “mrs. lee wants the headline piece to be about the game tonight. i was hoping you could help me with basketball terms.” 

“of course,” sunghoon smiles. he hadn’t realized how close you’re standing until you look over your shoulder at him. your back is nearly against his chest. he blushes, refocusing back on the camera in your hands. it feels intimate but neither of you move away. he clears his throat a little awkwardly. “are you coming to the game tomorrow night?” 

“looks like it,” you sigh. “mrs. lee wants to assign me to sports.” 

“and that’s… bad?” despite your disappointment at the idea, a small part of him is excited at the possibility of being able to spend more time with you. 

“just not a huge fan of the screaming,” you shrug. “at least i’ll have you with me.” 

sunghoon can’t help the smile that spreads across his face. he’s grateful that you don’t comment on how quickly his ears redden, though he’s sure you can tell. “yeah?” 

“yeah,” you smile. “you make everything better.” 

he’s saved from the embarrassment of his blush deepening further when the door swings open. “sunghoon,” his coach calls. “the showers are open if you’re ready.” 

“yeah, yeah,” he nods before turning back to you. “so, i’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“you’ll see me tomorrow,” you confirm.

the giddiness builds in sunghoon as he leaves for the showers, letting the cool water calm him down. he washes up quickly, rinsing the sweat from his body and hair before throwing on an old pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt he brought with him. 

niki, jake, heeseung, and jungwon have already finished showering when he exits, rummaging through his bag to put his uniform away. “that was an awfully long talk with y/n,” niki says. “did you finally do it?” 

sunghoon purses his lips, pretending to continue looking for something in his bag. “no.” 

jake sits up, looking over at him. “really? you should. it’s really obvious they like you.” 

“sunoo said that too,” he sighs, sitting down on the bench next to them. “do you really think so?” 

“like jake said, it’s pretty obvious.” heeseung chuckles. “they flirt with you pretty much every time you guys interact.” 

this makes him pause, looking over at his friends. “do you think they know i like them?” 

“you look like a lovesick fool whenever they glance in your direction,” niki laughs. “i’m sure they know already.” 

“ah,” he playfully swats at niki’s shoulder. 

“i think you should confess, hyung.” jungwon says, setting his phone aside. “you guys would be cute together.” 

sunghoon turns away, looking down at the ground. he lets their reassurances calm his nerves, thinking back on the interactions he’s had with you. all of the little things he brushed off as your friendly personality or shared experiences. with a final sigh, he nods. “alright. they asked for help with their report. i’ll ask them then.” 

heeseung pats his shoulder again. “that’s my boy.” 

sunghoon rolls his eyes, silently grateful for the push into finally telling you about how he feels. 

sunghoon is standing on the court across from beomgyu with a ball in his hand again sooner than he thinks. he can see you snapping photos in the corner of his eye. the rest of the game hinges on this shot. the scoreboard on the wall shows a large white timer, slowly counting down. only 30 seconds left. 

he takes a deep breath, willing his nerves to calm down. everything feels like it’s going too fast and too slow at the same time. suddenly all of the eyes on him are no longer friends and classmates. they don’t feel comforting and excited. they simply increase the pressure he feels all around him - like he’s drowning. like the air is slowly being stolen from his lungs. 

“hoon!” your sweet voice breaks him out of his anxiety induced trance. he looks at you fully this time, eyes meeting yours. you raise your fist once again to cheer him on. “you can do it!” 

sunghoon smiles, taking a deep breath. finally, he jumps, forcing the ball through the air towards the hoop. it spins as it bounces against the backboard before falling down through the net in a single fluid motion. 

the audience cheers slowly come back to reality. he waits for the referee to blow his whistle, the timer letting out a loud ring to announce the end of the game. this time he doesn’t wait for his friends to swarm him or to congratulate the other team. he acts purely on instinct, running over to you and wrapping his arms around you in a tight hug. you laugh, clinging onto his shoulders as he spins you around. he pulls back, looking down into your eyes. “i’m so in love with you.” 

your smile grows even larger before the words register to him. before he can react himself you pull him down, so your foreheads touch. “can i kiss you?” 

still somewhat in a trance, sunghoon nods. euphoria bursts through him when you finally lean up to press your lips against his in a sweet kiss. he brings a hand up to cup your cheek, coaxing you even closer and deepening it. you smile against his lips, pressing a final peck against them before pulling away. 

you’re both panting by the end of it, smiling at each other. “can i call you mine?” sunghoon finally asks. 

“i always have been.” unable to hide his excitement any longer, your - now boyfriend - pulls you into yet another kiss. 

[operation-cursed-sweet-tooth]

Part 2 collab with

@sunburnt-pengin

@rynandstuff

@geszti12

Cameos

@toonirl

@photographyace

Tysm for the patience and assistance for this part ^^ it’s been fun to work on it ✨ hopefully from here I’m able to keep up more “consistent“ updates if I don’t burn out too often

Will note from here on I’ll be posting YouTube links for the music!!

⚠️BLOOD AND GORE WARNING!!⚠️

Rookie? Are you alright? You look awful… no offense-

Sheesh- you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today, buddy?

*groan*

I haven’t slept at all…. Like… for 2 whole days I think…? I’ve lost track of time again…. And I have a really bad tummy ache….

Has it even been 2 days….? Or has it been 3…..

Have… either of you seen where Ma is….? I didn’t see her in her office…. I wanted to ask her something….

I’m afraid I haven’t quite yet myself, Rookie… what is it you wished to ask? Cause do note you were called into HQ today so it’s not likely you’ll be let off now that’s you’re already here… if that’s what you’re planning to do-

I- …. Ugh… ok I get it- I’ll just…. be in the lobby then…. Just please don’t send me out today…. Please…. I’m really nauseous….

No promises Rookie… you know I can’t take your word for that after having used that excuse many times already….

Oversleeping or under sleeping won’t be taken for excuse either that’s your own fault

I lost my EPF phone… I only knew I was called in because it was sent to my regular phone too…

*sigh* I’ll look into that later- I asked you to quit losing those so often- they’re not exactly cheap to replace

I know… I’m sorry, G- *sniff* I’ll… be in the lobby…

Ugh… everything’s spinning again…. I need to just go home….

Don’t ya think that was a little harsh of ya, G?? I mean he looked pretty sick to me-

I’m not risking another dumb prank from him today…. I’m already not in the best of moods…. Im anxious…. I feel like something will go wrong again this week I’m not taking chances-

Ugh you’re worrying way too much…. Just try to relax a little will ya, old man?

I’m not old…. I’ll try to calm down but I just… can’t do that right now….

Whatever ya say✨ I’ll be back in my studio working on my next costume, don’t stress yourself a bald spot while I’m gone *snicker*

Ugh… she’s just too optimistic about things…. She needs to try and be more serious about this-

Excuse me sir…. Urgent….

Hmm? Oh, Byte- what’s the issue?

No time to go into detail…. Case folder came in….

Case… folder…?

We can discuss later if you’re able to, sir- I must get back to my work….

W-what do you mean case folder-?? Byte-!

As if I couldn’t get more stressed…. What’s… this even about this time….? Please just be a missing jacket or something….

Well…. ‘Disappearing Act’ doesn’t sound too bad…. Maybe my guess is onto something?

What’s with this note… I don’t have to take something this silly to another room… what’s so bad about this that requires me to do so-

GHA-?!

Oh god-!! Holy shit…

No…no no… this… I-I’m just seeing things again… this has to be a joke right-???

*nervous laugh* yeah that’s it- this just a sick… twisted joke-

Gary? Is everything alright, dear?

YES-! *clears throat* y-yes ma’am everything is perfectly fine!

Wait…

Arctic-! I-I thought you were still busy-

I’m taking a small break from that… needed to get something to drink-

What do you have there, dear?

J-just the paper! Nothing to worry about ma’am- I promise-

Oh? Just the paper? Then let me see it if it’s one of my papers-

Shit… no no- it’s ok! It’s uh… one of Sam’s papers-

Gary….

Move… you’re testing my patience….

What’ve you been hiding from m-

Well that’s a new one- what’s dat alarm mean?

Nothing good….

A red alert…? Oh dear…. What could probably have happened this time- it’s not Herbert again right??

H-huh?! What’s a red alert mean-? What even happened!

I’m not sure but I don’t think we’ll have to wait long to figure it out…

*groan* oh cmon…. No noise please…. My headache…. Oh this is gonna make me even more sick….

Head spinning again….

Oh my- c-calm down everyone! It’ll be ok- please don’t go into a panic, mates- please-

Gulp no-! Don’t you even think about taking a bite out of the door!

Flare, it’s ok- just try to ignore it ok buddy? I know it hurts your little ears…

GHA! Blast no!! Stop that now-!

Oh cmon… I just got started…. Did G have a panic attack or something?

Whatwasthat?!?!

Red alert! All top agents report to the lobby this instant! Not a drill!

!!GORE WARNING!!

[deus-ex-mona]

ok ngl i think there’s way too much overthinking when it comes to the hw’s gen 3 timeline (esp when it comes to hiyori’s story, bc let’s face it: it’s gloriously messy)

and so, my spicin’ hot, incredibly dumb take is: there are 2 separate ‘verses of hiyori’s story. 1: a princely love interest au with asuka in the novels, and 2: the canon story with nagisa

‘verse 1: let hiyori have her prince, please!!

the novel ‘verse is fairly straightforward, i’d say, with nonfantasy (nonfan) leading smoothly into heroine ikusei keikaku (heroiku), especially since ascana + maeda were established as cameo characters in nonfan. and heroiku even has an mv!!! so that should be how the canon story is supposed to go, right?

‘verse 2: oh but, the mvs say… what?????

fast forward to the dark ages (read: the [redacted] anime), and the timeline has become ✨a hot mess✨. asuka was booted from the plot (along with his fellow streamer idol bf), nagisa has been slotted in as hiyori’s love interest(?) for a grand total of, what, 30 minutes of total screentime, only to be never seen again, and yujiro’s police encounter has been revealed to be because… he (aged 15) snuck into a bar to rescue his younger brother???? but, no, this isn’t about yujiro. let’s put him aside for a sec.

anyways, with nagisa’s (honestly objectively forced) introduction into the main gen 3 plot, there came a new pair of songs to the love series lineup: heroine wa heikin ika. (heroika) and suki na ko ni usotsuita. (sukiuso).

first off, heroika: the plot of heroika mainly draws from the [redacted] anime, from the second half of ep 6 all the way to the end of ep 7, along with a small background exposition of nghy’s middle school life (in hiyori’s pov, nagisa’s a well-liked hero who even has a fanclub, and she’s just a background character in comparison… but, wait, everyone seems to think that they’re dating?? why???? there’s no way!!!!!!), so there seems to be kind of an assumption that the viewer has seen the episodes in question, as hiyori doesn’t touch on her makeover at all.

but the main point of it is that hiyori doesn’t know what it means to be in love, which is. y’know. pretty different from her attitude towards love in heroiku.

and next: sukiuso: sukiuso is the complementary song to heroika, giving exposition to background events in heroika (the “your skirt didn’t suit you” scene from nghy’s childhood, the mention of hiyori’s makeover, the reason for nagisa’s tokyo visit, the confession that hiyori was having a crisis™️ over in heroika) amidst nagisa’s whipped fawning over hiyori for 3 minutes and 47 seconds.

put heroika and sukiuso together, and you basically have 80% of the picture about the good parts in eps 6-7. there’s less lxl involvement ofc, but this isn’t about them.

and, following the [redacted] anime’s lead, heroine tarumono! (herotaru)’s plot comes in rather easily after nagisa’s return to izumo. chizuchan puts up pictures of hiyori’s lxl-given makeover for the asuka confession nagisa meet and greet, chizuchan and hiyori duke it out in the halls, then they make up, and now they’re closer than ever. yay for friendship!

[i assume heroine to idol (heroidol) happens somewhere around here in an unspecified time, in which hiyori realises just how charming idols like lxl are, probably after working with them for quite a while. fly high, hiyori… i hope you don’t see their repaint dance…]

and so, hard cut to a year later, in kimi wo kawaikusaseta no wa doko no doitsu (kimikawaii) we see hiyori, as a second year, return home to izumo! she’s looking cuter than ever, and now it’s nagisa’s turn to have a crisis™️ about what in the world happened in the time they were apart.

but, either way, as of the time of this post, heroine no hero is coming out soon™️, and from the title and jacket illustration, hiyori, our all-loving heroine, has finally realised her feelings for nagisa in their uni arc!!!! huge win!!!! nghy for life!!!!!!!

but wait, you say, two songs have been forgotten!!!

and to that, well~~~~~~

koiiro ni sake: the creators have mentioned multiple times in supplementary media (magazine interviews, ymk’s fanbox) that hiyori and yujiro were never meant to be a couple. they’re just a pair of gen 3 students that appeared to indicate that a new gen was about to begin. that’s all. koiiro is not, and never has been, evidence for yhy canon.

heroiku: this. this is pretty much the song that throws all of the timeline theories into disarray, from ascana’s appearance, to the possibility of 2 lxl makeovers, to hiyori’s longing to fall in love with a prince that just… turned into genuine confusion about what it means to love.

and to that, this is where you need to prepare the pitfall traps as i say… heroiku… is the theme song for ‘verse 1: the au novel ‘verse with asuka. granted, it has nothing to do with the current main timeline, but it’s a fun little song that gave us hiyori content when we needed it the most (back when all we had was the nonfan novel and mv). it’s hiyori’s very first solo song, her second trio song with her 2 besties (for the 4th special ed), and it showed us how she landed the unfortunate job as lxl’s manager.

so, all in all, i think hiyori’s story song/mv-wise goes:

[1st verse of heroiku (becoming the manager of lxl)] -> [helping out in the filming of the nonfan mv (not actually seen in-mv)] -> [heroika/sukiuso] -> [herotaru] -> [sunny party (and probably heroidol)] -> [kimikawaii] -> [herohero]

…or so i think. it’s pretty choppy, but it makes more sense (to me) than hiyori going from “can i become a heroine if i fall in love with a dashing prince?” to “hahshdjshsjajsjajsjsja w h a t is love??? tell me julieta~~~” in just a matter of weeks/months…

i know the thought that they released an au before the canon story is pretty weird, but… these are the same people who came up with ultimate puu, so… y’know~~~ stuff gets weird around ‘ere~~~~~

but i dunno for sure~~~~ the hw timeline has always been weird, between novels, anime adaptations, and even within the mvs (even sometime within the same mv) themselves~~~

just look at the summer session mv for instance. gen 1 has always been the most straightforward gen, and the summer session mv has. like. 3 timelines going on all at once (nacchan saying that haruki returned to japan [when he only left after they graduated], mochiaka fireworks confession [???], and the harucouple scenes seeming to take place while they were in high school [as seen in the harucouple anime]). also, the summer session novel takes place 2 years after they graduated, so there’s now a 4th summer session timeline thrown in. cheers!!!! and that’s not even counting the summer session 2021 novel, which has both flashbacks and flashforwards! yay!!!!

…and so i genuinely think it’s best to just roll with the most recent official media as they come. no need to overthink anything; just sit back, relax, and enjoy the nghy~~~~

that’s all. thank you for reading this unnecessarily long essay (if you did), and goodbye~~~~~~

[unbreakabledawn]

👀👀 8 & 9 for the WIP ask game??

8. Something Borrowed (Something Black)

aka "Dawn Can't Stop Making Borrower AUs". i've talked about this both on my blog and on the discord server before - this is the borrower!bruce with borrower!batfam fic <3 my doc has nearly no prose yet (i want to finish my other borrower fic first), just a jumbled mess of notes

Bruce lives in the walls/floors of an apartment complex in Metropolis, with his kids (Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian, Cass). there's a large colony of borrowers living elsewhere in the building, though most of them keep to themselves (some of them might feature in a cameo...)

despite the warning from the landlord that they've had minor problems with vermin in the past, Clark signs the lease on a new apartment once he sees how cheap the rent is. between his job at the Planet and his duties as Superman, he doesn't spend that much time at his apartment anyway. after a couple weeks settling in and with no trace of any vermin, Clark has put the whole vermin issue out of mind

meanwhile, Bruce and his kids are cautious of the new human who just moved into the apartment above their nest. he keeps weird hours, he sometimes leaves in the middle of the night, and he has atrocious taste in snacks (no matter how much his kids beg, he will not let them borrow a Twinkie. it's disgusting)

Bruce trained all of his kids in the art of borrowing and they have a perfect record of never being Seen. they go borrowing in teams of twos or threes - fewer borrowers means less noise and it’s easier to hide. they might go as a larger group if they’re going for a high risk item, like something on a tall shelf or in the human’s bedroom

it all goes pretty well, until Clark discovers the tiny tenants beneath his floorboards. which is catastrophic for a borrower; they believe humans to be cruel and monstrous beings who hunt borrowers like vermin. and Bruce isn't afraid to face off with a human despite the fact that Clark is a hundred times his size. he'll do whatever it takes to protect his family, even if that means uprooting their whole lives, their home, getting as far away as they can and start over somewhere the human won't find them. Clark just wants to help them tho :(

um and then Clark and Bruce fall in love and Clark becomes a step-father to half a dozen tiny kids the end

9. waiting for the sun to drown

this is a fun one! and by fun i mean heart-wrenchingly angsty. pre-relationship superbat where Clark contracts a mysterious illness and Bruce has to move heaven and earth to find a cure. featuring Kryptonian bio worldbuilding and an endless amount of medical inaccuracies. excerpt below:

-

“How are you feeling?”

At that, a small frown appears between Clark’s brows. “Like I got pummeled by Darkseid,” he says, which to be fair is exactly what had happened. “Can you turn the generator up? I need more juice, I think.”

Bruce moves over to the control panel and considers calling the doctor back in. Clark’s check-up had been clean, but they might've missed something, so maybe they should run a few extra tests to be on the safe side—

Bruce pauses. Huh. “It’s already on max,” Bruce says slowly. “It still feels too weak?”

Clark blinks his eyes open. He must’ve heard the trace of alarm in Bruce’s voice, and his expression becomes marginally clearer as he tries to focus on Bruce. “Oh. No, it’s fine. I took some heavy hits, that’s probably why.”

-

[wip ask game]

[stardustdiiving]

Ok I think if I were to rank the lantern rites I personally participated in it would be

1) 2023 lantern rite

2) 2022 lantern rite

3) 2024 lantern rite

Thoughts on this year’s lantern rite (2024) under the cut (vague spoilers)

This year’s was the weakest to me :( I liked how the previous years they made an effort to get most of the Liyue cast involved but there was barely anyone this year not to mention we end the quest in Fontaine❓❓I like the fontaine cast but also I am a little sick of fontaine after 3 consecutive patches of it in a row I’m not really interested in being there for lantern rite….that’s the peak Liyue event and I’m very biased bc I LOVE Liyue

I feel the previous two years they did a great job of giving new Liyue characters focus, having other region cameos etc without it being overwhelming and making lantern rite feel too small & concentrated on specific things. I like ga-ming’s little plotline and how he and xianyun being there build a theme of parental bonds but No Liyue harbor friend group gang??? Even in passing? It felt so empty 😔 and I was happy to see Xiao because he’s my favorite but honestly him being there without alot of the Liyue cast spread out just felt kind of forced to me JDJFNJFFN

I wonder if maybe they should’ve done what they did for 2022 where they dropped the Shenhe Jade chamber rebuilding quest at the same time for Ga-Ming so we have more screen time to regulate to the overall cast and not just him? IDK!! At the very least I wish most Liyue characters got a proper cameo in the main cutscene, I think they’re in the background but it’s so easy to miss…they don’t even have to talk I just want to see them walking around!! I was a little ok with it but after the 4th part was just like. 80% fontaine characters I was like MAN. WHAT…. Just kind of underwhelmed . Oh well

I had fun with it…but I had such an ABSOLUTE blast with the last two years this is just a little disappointing. I just came out of this one wanting to go rewatch 2023’s. It had everything. Liyue cast harbor gang. Fun cutscene with everyone. Xiao. Venti’s cameo was handled in a fun way. They gave me the insanity of a zhongvenxiao dinner party . ADEPTUS YURI. fun cameos with like everyone in a way that felt pretty intuitive. I loved it omg. The main plus I can think of for 2024 lantern rite is I’m a big fan of the teapot furnitures. That is all……..

[strawberryshortpace]

THE MARVELS

Review w Spoilers

3.75/5 💜💜💜

Firstly I really enjoyed this movie, it is such a fun watch. I saw it November 9th in an almost packed theater and I will say the reactions of the people around me made the movie even better (especially since I was sat between 2 old white dudes who were laughing their asses off at almost the whole movie, brought me so much joy)

Onto the actual review: I think the action sequences were wonderfully done and absolutely stunning to watch (especially when the 3 are using their powers to purposely switch).

The comedy aspects were beyond hilarious (for the most part, there were a few towards the end that I felt were bits that got dragged out just a little too much).

They’ve definitely improved on some aspects I feel like the MCU was failing on lately (namely including multiverse aspects and bringing characters from different projects together. Tho that short scene of the Skrulls being on the ship after their escape and Val’s cameo felt very out of place, like just them all immediately leaving made me question why they didn’t just explain their departure through dialogue or some other way)

All the performances were excellently done and they all seemed to work their characters around each other very well. I loved seeing the 3 girls bonding through learning to use their powers together and building a relationship in the process. However I feel like the emotional bonding between the 3 was poorly done. I feel like the few scenes we did have addressing all the emotions that were between them before they even met were too short and never showed more than very small progress being made. I think they could have either dragged those out a little more or added a few more, it’s not like the run time is too long and they needed to cut them down for time reasons.

And finally Kamala’s family. They’re getting their own little section and everything. I absolutely loved them in both the beginning and the end of the movie. They’re all absolutely hilarious when they’re on screen, BUT when they’re on Fury’s ship in that middle section of the movie I feel like they could have done more with the characters. Like I wish we had seen more of them poking around the ship or interacting with the non-humans and kinda getting in the way as Fury is trying to solve all the problems that are happening on his end.

[joshuahyslop]

BOOKS

The last 10 books I’ve read:

1. Hallelujah Anyway - Anne Lamott This book should have actually been in the last list of books I’ve read, but I missed it. I’m a bit scatterbrained sometimes, so I keep lists. I have several different lists of “books I’ve read” to try and keep track of where I’m at. Needless to say, I sometimes forget to update one (or more) of the lists and then forget which one is most up-to-date. Anyway. I read this recently, too. I loved her book, “Bird by Bird” but I read it ages ago, when I was at a very different place in my life, spiritually. I forgot that she was so religious and, therefore, found this a little tedious. It wasn’t bad, it just didn’t arrive in my life at the right time like, “Bird by Bird” did. Also, there’s a fantastic album by Hiss Golden Messenger called “Hallelujah Anyhow” and that also got me interested in this book. MC Taylor has recommended books to me in the past and, though he didn’t recommend this one, I wondered if there would be some kind of connection between the two. I didn’t find one.

2. Porno - Irvine Welsh There it is. I finished the sequel. I think if I’d read Trainspotting when it first came out I would’ve been far more interested in reuniting with the cast, but as I went directly from book one to book two, I found it a bit boring. The characters are all pretty well put together and the writing is still good. It’s just the storyline itself that didn’t intrigue me. Simon, aka, “Sick Boy” is now the owner of a sketchy club and decides to try to make a porno film in his establishment to try and go as legitimate as possible. All the other characters kind of play into it, but it’s not as engaging or interesting as the first book. Also, Irvine Welsh’s attempt at writing female characters was, in my opinion, pretty lacking. It wasn’t my favourite but I’ll be speaking on and off in a thick Glaswegian accent for the next while.

3. Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Webber and Rolling Stone Magazine - Joe Hagan I’ve always been curious about Rolling Stone magazine. I remember watching Almost Famous for the first time when I was around 17 and falling absolutely in love with the music and that specific time period. I’ve been inspired by that era for a long time and Jann Webber (as a character and the actual person) have small cameos in the film. I remember listening to The Cover of The Rolling Stone by Dr. Hook when I was a teen and dreaming of gracing its cover myself one day. I was always curious why Rolling Stone Magazine existed at the same time as The Rolling Stones and if there was a connection and, it turns out, there really was. I won’t spoil it for you but I was really disappointed. The book itself is well written and engaging but Jann Webber seems to be a very narcissistic power hungry person who had no problem throwing family and friends under the bus if it meant even a smidge more celebrity or power or money for himself. In the same way, it seems he used the magazine as his social club and it was mainly a way for him to become some kind of self-elected gatekeeper of fame. Kind of sad, really.

4. Under the Banner of Heaven - Jon Krakauer I’ve read a bunch of books by Jon Krakauer and I’ve enjoyed them all. Into The Wild, Into Thin Air, etc. They’re captivating books and they’re always very well researched. I was very interested in this book because it’s a true crime story and one of the reviews on the back compared it to “In Cold Blood” by Capote - another true crime story that I was also captivated by. Without really knowing what it was, I bought it from my local used bookstore and dove in. It’s kind of two books in one. Book one deals with a grisly murder committed by two brothers in the 80′s, and the Mormon fanaticism that they embraced which lead them to commit such a heinous crime. Book two explains the history of the Mormon religion. It’s a fascinating look at human nature, at religion, at fanaticism and at the evils that can be committed in god’s name. Not at all a read for the easily disturbed, but a fascinating book if true crime is your cup of tea.

5. Black Wings Has My Angel - Elliott Chase I have a very long list of books on my “to read” list. In fact, I have several “to read” lists scrawled in many different places: on my computer, in a journal, on the back of a receipt, kind of everywhere. I don’t remember where I heard of this book, but I know it was on more than one of my lists. I took a trip over to Vancouver a week ago to do some recording and while I was there I stopped at one of my favourite bookstores and asked one of the clerks for some recommendations similar to Hard Rain Falling and Fat City - both of which I’d read (and loved) after they’d been recommended by the same clerk previously. He grabbed several books and I saw this one in the pile and called it out with excitement. It’s been out of print for a long time but the good folks at New York Review Books have recently reprinted it. I read it in a day and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

6. A Good Man Is Hard To Find - Flannery O’Connor Flannery O’Connor was a fantastic writer. That said, it can be tremendously hard to read her stuff. It’s not how gritty and bleak things are in her stories; it’s not the seemingly infinite amount of unhappy endings, it’s the racism. It’s interesting because she was a highly religious person but her stories and her characters are often non-believers or hypocrites. It’s like she was able to be one thing in life but then able to write from a separate, if not opposite stance. She points out religion’s and society’s flaws and makes you question their motives. She points to the unbelievability of religion and the narrow-mindedness that so often goes hand in hand with a religious outlook. For that, I love her stuff. However, the same cannot be said of her views and her writing on race. The blatant racism in her work mirrors her own personal outlook and it is very hard to get past. And I don’t think it’s appropriate to try to just, “get past” it. You can’t sweep it under the rug. I think it’s important to acknowledge, even though it’s uncomfortable, the two sides to this particular coin. She was a great writer, of that there is no doubt. She was also an avid racist. There’s no doubt there either. But I do think it’s possible to simultaneously hold these two facts and enjoy the art while condemning the artists viewpoint, morals, humanity, language, etc. It requires reading with a critical eye. It means reading things you know you will disagree with, but I would argue that there is great benefit in doing so. Not only can it help you deepen your own understanding of why you believe what you believe, it can also help strengthen your conviction and your grasp of the world and of humanity and of its flaws. For a much better, far more articulate view on O’Connor’s racism in her writing, check out this article from the New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/06/22/how-racist-was-flannery-oconnor

7. In A Lonely Place - Dorothy B. Hughes This was another book in the pile of recommendations from my favourite bookstore. I also read this in one sitting. I’d never heard of it before but it’s fantastic. It’s a fictional story about a murderer in the LA area and from the beginning to the end it’s an exciting read. It’s one of those books that are hard to put down. It’s under 200 pages but it’s a great cat and mouse story. At times, the main characters relationship reminded me a bit of Raskolnikov and the detective from Crime and Punishment. It’s all a game of words. I really enjoyed this one.

8. Why I Am Not A Christian- Bertrand Russell This is a book of essays and some are far more interesting than others. I thoroughly enjoyed the title essay, but essays such as “The Fate of Thomas Paine” were less enjoyable. I’d never read anything by Russell before this. I wasn’t really even aware of him. But, in reading Jon Krakauer’s book, “Under The Banner of Heaven”, I was moved by some of the quotation’s he’d used as introductions to his chapters. More than one quote from this particular book of essay’s was employed. So I picked it up and dove in. It reminded me of Christopher Hitchens’, “God Is Not Great”. It’s clear that essays and philosophers like Russell, if not Russell himself, had a large impact on people like Hitchens and I, for one, am thankful for that. Regardless of where you fall on the pro/anti-religion argument, this is a good book to read. It’s always good to reflect and deepen your understanding of what you do or do not believe and why. Books like this can certainly help to achieve that.

9. The Great Spring - Natalie Goldberg I’ve read a few books by Natalie Goldberg before. I often find that I really enjoy her writing but she comes across as quite cold and even, at points, rude to others. Not all the time, but often enough that it stands out. Still, writers don’t have to be friendly. They don’t have to be anything at all, besides human, I suppose and not all humans are always friendly. It’s beside the point. I like her style and I like her writing so, that’s that.

10. The Innocent Man - John Grisham I might be on a bit of a true crime kick. Under the Banner of Heaven got me into it, I think. This is an absolutely crazy story. After reading it I discovered there’s actually a Netflix docuseries about it. I haven’t checked it out yet. I think I will, but if it stays close to the book it’ll be hard to watch. Not only because of the heinous crimes committed but also because of the complete lack of justice served. It’s a captivating story and at times it’s hard to believe it’s true.

more soon, -joshua

[onlyswan]

hello… tulip anonie here and she’s not okay :’D your latest drabble gave me so many feelings and now i’m still trying to cope here, a few hours later </3

i kid you not i actually have been having this question that i wanted to ask you this past week and i just haven’t got the chance to so it was just sitting on my notes app. I wanted to ask :

in that drabble with his ex, you mentioned that “he almost lost you once, and he won’t let that happen again”. was it when he forgot the movie date? or was it something else?

listen- i knew that their love is not fragile BUT BOY I COULD NOT BE MORE WRONG. but he was so scared in that frogotten movie date drabble and you never really mentioned their worse conflict than that one, so i couldn’t help but assume it was that one so i wanted to ask you 🥺 and my patience (more like lack of time 😅) just did me a great favor <3

—

*sigh* this drabble ruined me yet heal the wounds that i didn’t even realize were there.

“then why are you giving up on me? am i becoming a burden?” — he has never felt this much loathing for himself and his weaknesses.

and suddenly all the drabbles about oc being insecure hit me all at once, i want to hug them so bad, protect this little bean at all costs please jungkookaaaa 😭❤️‍🩹

“all the other people waiting in line for ___.”

i seriously needed to pause after i read this and cried into my pillow.

“you already own this book but this one got a different cover, see? it’s hardback? they say it’s a limited edition.”

as a book lover i can’t explain how this NOT little gesture means. i love him i love him i love him.

this is my favorite excerpt:

fuck giving you space. he wants drown himself in you and never come up for air. he selfishly wishes to be the first and the last person you fall in love with.

“i tried living without you like you wanted- but i can’t-” you hiccup in between small sobs on the other line. “i love you, jungkook. i can’t live carrying around all this love with me. it’s too heavy…”

ARTEMIS AT THIS POINT HOW CAN I READ WITH TEARS IN MY EYES

i really really trully love oc. all this time i thought oc and jk are equally lucky to have each other’s love but after this, i can’t help but think that kookie is the lucky one.

“going to build a life with you. i’ll build furniture, and they’re going to be ours.”

artemis… my hopeless romantic ass really can’t take this. how am i supposed to find love after this?

ooooooh and the tannies cameo in this one?!? you represent their characters and relationships with jungkook perfectly. couldn’t ask for better interactions :’)

oh!! and i listened to All your days by Shallou. That song reminds me of jk and oc after this drabble. And the vibe also feels like relief and peace and yearning and it has been my favorite song for a long time and now it reminds me of iw!couple and i can’t help but love it even more ♡

have a wonderful day artemis! thank you for existing 🤍

-🌷

hello my dearest tulip anonie 🌷🫂

yeah i’m sorry it took me quite some time to reveal it 🥺 i wanted to explore oc and jungkook’s personalities more myself before i wrote it, make it feel like a puzzle piece that completes a picture. not sure if i succeeded and i was still nervous to post it but i feel like i did it at the right time :")

AHHH I LOVELOVELOVE WHEN U SHARE UR FAVORITE PARTS

broke my heart imagining oc ask those questions. please do give them a big hug i’m sad they didn’t get any while going through all that 😭

taehyung was so real and so sick for that HONESTLYSFHFDHHD i went 😖 every time i read it while editing

OMG THE BOOK :((( i have a tiny secret about it i don’t know when i’ll be able to subtly reveal 🧐

i really really trully love oc. all this time i thought oc and jk are equally lucky to have each other’s love but after this, i can’t help but think that kookie is the lucky one.

jk will definitely agree with you in this one though >:(

hehe thank you so much my love i had lots of fun including them in this one it felt like the perfect opportunity 🥹

TULIP ANONIEEEE THE LYRICS OF THIS ONE </3 it fits them so right thank you for sharing your favorite song i will be listening to it lots :") and for everything really! ilysm 💗💗💗

[asachuu]

(3/10)

Part 2: what exactly is Rimlaine?

[List of all parts]

[Part 1]

I’m counting on the fact that some people reading this might not be too familiar with this ship, or perhaps they’re wondering why it gained some noteworthy popularity after Stormbringer’s release to a point I would find this an important essay to write, just in case. For this part, I will try to explain the very basic concept of it, where it seemed to originate and why I think it appeals to others. While detailed recollections of light novel events only come after this section, I must also give a fair warning that from this point onwards, I do expect people to have read both 15/SB novels, at least to understand the vague context of what I will be talking about, or to simply not mind spoilers.

Rimlaine, for those who aren’t that aware, is a ship between Arthur Rimbaud/Randou and Paul Verlaine from BSD. It had a fairly small, niche audience since the release of Fifteen, but has gained quite a fair share of liking compared to its early days since Stormbringer came out. Granted, it’s absolutely nowhere near the levels of ships such as Soukoku or Shin Soukoku, but it certainly is more noticeable nowadays due to SB practically introducing Paul to the story properly, especially if you enter spaces centered around these two light novels or the two characters involved.

Now, what makes this ship appealing to people? In a certain way, I don’t quite know myself. I have never even considered it might be taken this way by the fandom back when I read the first light novel and I wasn’t able to change my mind down the line, either. However, I am somewhat familiar with the “concepts” it seems to portray and have seen some similar, much more beloved equivalents to it in other pieces of media, and I’ve also heard it be discussed many times to a degree I believe I have gained some possible understanding of the community, and thus will try to assess it this way without looking at it through my own lens. A far more detailed assessment will only be in further parts, though.

From the beginning, at the time of Fifteen being the only novel featuring Arthur and a cameo of Paul at the very end in it, the main thing I noticed was that it being so close to an actual, canonical relationship made a handful of people simply accept it as such, which became quite a prevalent talking point in this topic back then. As is obvious from the start, Bungou Stray Dogs is a series with characters based on actual authors, and many noticeably take up more traits after their real-world counterparts than simply sharing a name or their abilities being referred to by titles of their books. In the case of Arthur and Paul, one of these traits could have been the real-life poets’ actual relationship, but this was never confirmed in the story itself, nor even truly mentioned to begin with besides the pair having been “partners” at one point in time. This, unsurprisingly, caught some people’s attention– a few of those simply took it as a fact regarding the BSD characters despite no actual evidence of it, all while another few have not done so explicitly, but still began thinking of it this way due to the implications it had, no matter what the story itself stated and how the characters referred to each other, even back then. Either way, from my personal experience, the vast majority of people interested in the ship at the time always brought this up in one way or another.

I should also mention that a much smaller number have unfortunately seemed to blur the lines of reality and fiction in this area to almost unsettling extents, which I will talk about in a part entirely dedicated to the pair’s real-life counterparts, as it comes hand-in-hand with this topic.

So then, if the real people were in a relationship, isn’t it only natural to assume their namesakes would be too? At least, that’s what I think some of you might be asking now. To that I say yes, but even this has its nuances. I will elaborate on it a bit further later, but the real relationship was nothing short of a toxic, abusive mess, and had the fandom at the time wanted to see something depicting precisely what it was, that would be mostly understandable and not something I would fight against, given what the BSD series is about and how it creates its characters, but I presume many people simply saw the words “were in a relationship” and thought no further of it, especially that it was a queer relationship— a thing I’ve seen a lot of folks wish for in their respective fandoms for a sense of comfort, happiness or visibility. Still, that changes absolutely nothing about how destructive it truly was, and there is nothing wrong with wishing to see the true time it was supposedly based off of, even just to some degree that would have also fit in with the actual plot of the media itself, yet it seemed to me that this was the opposite of the case. The instances I saw someone genuinely not sugarcoat anything or erase whatever information was available to everyone back then regarding both the real and fictional worlds were so rare, I could count them on one of my hands alone.

Now, our lack of canonical information changes vastly in Stormbringer, a novel following Fifteen, released three years afterwards. In it, we get an actual look into Arthur and Paul’s backstory, as well as their time spent together. Personally, this novel only furthered my own views even more, but there are now some points– or rather, fictional tropes– people are relating this ship to. In some way, they do serve as a fair summary of it. I’ve heard it be described as tropes related to a character hating the whole world, yet only loving a single person in it, or two characters who ran out of time and missed their opportunities, even a very skewed “enemies to lovers”, and so on. I suppose I can see some of them too, except only as a mere recollection of the events, nothing else. All these outlines and some more I haven’t mentioned can absolutely be done right, even in the context of romantic ships, this is not to imply something is inherently wrong with them– unfortunately, however, Rimlaine doesn’t strike me as an example of that whatsoever. For some of these, there really is a thin line to be walked between making a tragic, yet healthy friendship/romance/etc., and making something which should not be put on a pedestal in any way. I’m not quite sure where the intentions lay with this pairing as I am not the author of the BSD novels themselves, if there even were such intentions in the first place as I believe it was meant to follow its real-life inspirations, but I’d say they must have been far closer to the latter category, to which they ended up falling entirely either way.

I will add a minor side note here, one I’m continuing from the previous part, I am placing no fault on the creator of BSD nor on anyone else who happens to create this type of content, no matter what it is, as that is a thing I and many others have also done ourselves. Creating a story is one thing, and whether we like it or not, these stories do exist in real life as well and shouldn’t be a secret, taboo topic, but actively taking that story and romanticizing it yourself is another matter, that of which is the part I do not condone.

Nevertheless, following this novel, Rimlaine gained its fair share of popularity, no longer being the ship with fans so far underground one would have to actively dig to find a lot of them. Since we got their canonical interactions, at least to some degree, people could see the way they talked together, worked together and so on. For me, that’d be a major thing I’d closely assess even just thinking about it if this was a pairing that I was already uncertain about, but I don’t think that was the case for many others. I believe, or rather, wish to believe the actual point of interest from there on came from the used tropes themselves and the tragedy it all was destined to be from the very beginning, not so much from the true dynamic between the two. Now, I certainly am not opposed to reading, watching or playing things which are intended to cause nothing but sorrow and I can also see where this appeal comes from, too, but that still doesn’t quite clear everything up. It was intended to be a tragedy, and that’s about it— whether it’s “beautiful” or “lovely”, as some have called it, is solely up to the reader’s personal tastes and opinions, however I absolutely do not believe there’s anything about it to be romanticized, which is what seems to be happening instead of mere appreciation of the story or proper acknowledgement of what occurred to give inspiration to it.

With that said, all the context for my statements, if necessary for the reader, will be provided in the next section in detail. Now, let me begin talking about the novels themselves.

[Part 3, 3.1, 3.2]