#3 Never ate a mango

[rashomonss]

The brothers and the Human Realm

a/n: so ik ‘jealous much’ won the poll but it’s still not done yet so have this instead!

context: a part of me still finds lessons 40-43 funny because the brothers have never really been to the human world that much, and they don’t really know how certain things work. Take the slow cooker and ice cream truck for example. So these are little headcanons I have for when all of y’all are together in the beginning of their stay in the human realm.

enjoy <3 , also these are in no specific order

you all are hopeless…

Solomon and MC would so fuck with the brothers while being in the human realm.

For example they’d take Lucifer to the shadiest mexican restaurant possible then after they finished eating they would tell the waiters it was Lucifer’s birthday and watch the Avatar of Pride sit there with a big ass sombrero on his head as they sang happy birthday to him.

MC later took a picture and sent it to Diavolo who then made it his lock screen.

Satan and Belphie tried to electrocute Lucifer by throwing a toaster in the bathroom while he was in the middle of a shower. This happened after the fact you told them not to put water on the toaster because it could electrocute someone. 

Beel ate an entire bottle of ibuprofen liquid gels because he thought they were hard gummies.

Beel also ate the food and cake shaped wax candle melts you had bought for Asmo as a gift

Beel lastly ate your whole brand new container of melatonin and it knocked him out for 15 hours straight. Needless to say Lucifer was very concerned for his wellbeing, and Belphie soon questioned if you had anymore.

Belphie and his brothers were never taught stranger danger, because who in their right mind would be a danger to them in the Devildom?

So after you had explained to him what an ice cream truck was he vowed to go to one with you.

However when a creepy old man in a white van offers him candy he believes it to be the same as the ice cream truck so he gets in the van.

When the brothers relay this information to you, you begin to lose your shit explaining how that was not in fact an ice cream truck he got into but instead a kidnapper van.

The brothers don’t know how to eat certain human world foods.

Such as a banana, watermelon, mango, pineapple, kiwi, avocado, cherry, dragon fruit, papaya, onion, etc.

So when you first buy one from the grocery store and leave it out before cutting it they automatically think it’s some weird shaped human food and bite into it eating the skin or seeds and all.

After they tell you about the weird but delicious taste of it you ask if they cut it or spit out the seeds before eating it, and when they reply with a puzzled look and a no your heart drops.

Thank god they’re demons. You then proceed to buy the same thing again this time cutting it up in front of them so they know what parts to eat of certain things.

Expanding on the cherry part, did y’all’s parents ever tell you not to swallow watermelon or cherry seeds because if you did a cherry tree or whole watermelon would then grow in your stomach??

I know mine and some of my friends parents would tell us that when I was younger to make sure we didn’t swallow any seeds.

If they didn’t then oh well, anyway…

Continuing with Solomon being an ass, he would so tell something like that to the brothers. If he happened to see Beel swallow a cherry whole he would then proceeded to tell Lucifer not to let him do that.

And when the oldest asks why Solomon would then go onto explain that if he swallows cherry pit then a cherry tree will then grow inside his stomach.

Of course this freaked out Lucifer so for the next hour he tried getting Beel to spit out all the cherries he ate.

You would have to organize their fridge and pantry in the new house because they don’t know which human world foods need to be refrigerated or not.

After you arrive at the house you spent a good three hours explaining to them not everything can go in the pantry because some of it will spoil after you open it.

Then you proceed to gag when you pulled out an expired chunky milk container from the pantry.

They find the concept of drive thru or fast food places astonishing. The fact that you can just order wait in a line for a few minutes in your car then get your food is crazy. They do however all panic though when you get to the front and they don’t know what to order off the menu.

Car washes are also something they found themselves favoring. You would turn up the music as you slowly pulled in and joked by telling the brothers you were going on a ride of sorts.

Which in turn shocked you when they did believed you as the car wash stared. Each of them were staring out the windows with starry ���eyes as different colors of soap were thrown on your car.

You laughed to yourself as they all admired the way the soap blended together, Asmo and Mammon found themselves taking pictures of the whole thing. While Belphie was telling Beel how this looked like a starry sky.

And Levi went on to tell Satan how this reminded him of an anime scene. Lucifer also found himself sitting quietly in the passenger seat enjoying it too. (Lucifer is a certified passenger princess, fight me on that)

Each brother questioned you on how this was possible and you replied with smile. After the car wash was over and you drove through the dryers they all asked if you could do that again, to which you replied smiling “maybe some other time”.

Lucifer watered the fake succulents and plants you put around the house for two weeks straight until you said something.

They love watching true crime documentary’s to the point you’d have to physically pull them away from the tv.

It happened one afternoon while a few of them were relaxing in the living room and you were looking for a channel to watch.

Deciding there was nothing interesting on you put on an old true crime documentary and began watching it. As the brothers heard the story of the crime from the tv they each became immersed in it.

Telling you things such as “how could humans do that to each other?” or “wow humans are more brutal than we thought” or even adding in their own comments on how they could have made the crime worse.

It became a guessing game between all of them to figure out who killed who during each episode you watched.

Much to everyone dismayed Satan was the one who won every time.

Meanwhile while they were all immersed in the tv you noticed Lucifer standing behind you, arms crossed also watching tv. You told him to sit down and watch with all of you but he denied, claiming he wasn’t really interested in stuff like this anyway.

Yet he never moved from that same spot each episode.

Each of the brothers have made something explode in the microwave.

Lucifer stained it red when he went to reheat pasta, but he put it in for to long and it exploded. Mammon overfilled his ramen thus causing it to leak then explode.

Satan and Levi also happened to be reheating takeout at the same time, but both of the containers were styrofoam and exploded. Levi got annoyed and Satan threw the microwave at Lucifer.

Asmo put some skincare product in there because he found something online about a certain hack, and it exploded causing the microwave to smell like burnt strawberries.

Beel put too much food in the microwave causing it to all melt together then explode.

Belphie put a coffee in there to reheat and it exploded, but he was too lazy to clean it up so he just left it. Lucifer was then next to use the microwave and got coffee all over him.

You made all seven of them watch the entire twilight series as a joke but ironically they all actually enjoyed it.

Satan even went out and bought the books, and finished all of them in about 2 hours

Bonus

Solomon distracted Diavolo for 3 hours straight by making him watch 5 minute craft videos.

Diavolo then proceeded to break things to try these said crafts which caused Barbatos to have a meltdown.

Barbatos destroyed an entire sidewalk because he saw two rats run across it into the sewer.

[yunniestars]

peach mango pie 🥧

pairing: kinich x chef!reader tags: fluff, kinich is a bit grumpy here but we cool, based off that one tiktok i saw around 4 months ago but i forgot where it is now, implied insomnia, not proofread (i think i've never proofread my works help), the title is based on what i wanted to cook for a while already and i did (i'm actually eating it right now)

as a hunter, kinich usually suffices with just meat and berries he caught in the wild. he doesn't care about the quality as long as it is edible and it fills up his stomach (not too much though to avoid feeling too full). ajaw has complained multiple times about this but kinich reprimands him that they can't just slack off during a commission to cook a 5-course meal, much to the dragonlord's rage.

which is why when he met you, ajaw was ecstatic. you would always give so much treats to the point kinich reprimands you to not spoil ajaw too much.

jokes on him, though, kinich is guilty of being spoiled too. you always make sure he eats 3 meals a day while also checking if the food won't be a hindrance to him when he goes out for commissions. nevertheless, though, kinich is super grateful for your kindness.

so whenever kinich comes home after a long day, he would always await for whatever meal you had prepped up for dinner and hug you tiredly. in exchange, he does the dishes so you won't have to carry the burden of cooking the meals and doing the dishes.

kinich is thankful, he really is, but there's just one thing that concerns him.

୨୧

it's 3 am and kinich woke up from a bad dream. it was you leaving him for some fontaine boy, without even telling him the reason of why you broke up with him.

he was looking for your presence, about to panic because you weren't there, but then he started to smell something from the kitchen.

"oh god not again."

he immediately gets up and the moment he steps out the door, he sees you holding a tray of red velvet cookies. not only that, but he spots another tray which seems to be bagels stuffed with hotdogs.

you turn to see him looking at you with an expression that only you know that means "disbelief". he looks nonchalant, but really he's just ??? about why you're baking at 3 am AGAIN.

"good morning," you smile and take a bite off a cookie.

"why are you cooking at 3 am again? can't sleep?" he approaches you with slight worry. he's concerned about how you'd suddenly wake up at ungodly hours in the evening just to bake.

"mhm," you nod and let him embrace you. "and i was craving for the bagels we ate last week."

kinich sighs while ruffling your hair. "you couldn't wait till morning?"

"i felt the wayob telling me to do it now."

he chuckles and caresses your face, wiping the velvet crumbs off your face. "you probably misheard the wayob. you need to sleep, love."

you sigh and rest your head on his neck. "not tired..."

as you say that, kinich rolls his eyes because every time you say that, he ends up carrying you back to the bedroom while you sleep. which was what was happening right now, before he could even get the chance to tell you about it.

he sets your body gently on the bed, caressing your sleepy face and admiring how peaceful you look despite of the amount of desserts you baked just now.

kinich then sighs. that's another thing he has to worry about. where is he supposed to store the newly baked desserts when there's still 5 boxes from last time?

well, he'll just clean up for now and struggle it alone. what matters is that you're getting the amount of sleep you deserve right now.

"sleep well, my dearest."

[ written with love, yunniestars. ෆ ]

a/n: rahhh thanks for reading!! im really thankful for each time u guys read my work, it gives me lot of motiv hehe. one question though, how do u guys think kinich will say "love"? like the equivalent of "mon coeur?

[ichorai]

i was just a kid ; marc spector.

track one of BROKEN MACHINE.

pairing ; marc spector x vigilante!gn!reader

synopsis ; khonshu wanted you dead. marc just wanted you.

words ; 6.6k

themes ; action, mild angst/fluff, vigilante au, thief au

warnings / includes ; blood/injury, cursing, mentions of human trafficking/sexual assault but not at all graphic, marc is basically chasing after reader for half the fic, we're traveling the world in this fic baby !!! khonshu being Annoying, reader doesn't know marc has DID and thinks he's crazy, a steven cameo !! and one (1) mention of spider-man and daredevil <3

main masterlist.

NEW DELHI, INDIA.

The street market was crowded, bustling with chatty tourists, loud salesmen, and traveling vendors. The air was heavy with the sweet, saccharine smell of fresh mangoes, intertwined with the faintest trace of turmeric, ginger and garam masala from other stalls you hurriedly passed by. You would’ve given anything to stop and try some of the food, if not for the terrifying white-suited fucker hunting you down.

The bleeding cut on your cheek he’d given you from when he threw his crescent-shaped boomerang in your direction throbbed. You’d barely been able to duck away in time. At least here, in the busy street, he couldn’t risk hurting anyone else by striking you long-range. 

At least, you hoped so. You weren’t entirely sure how far this bastard was willing to go to get you. Sure, you’d made a lot of enemies in the past, but, to your recollection, you’d never met any moon-caped supers keen on taking your life before.

You were quick to duck through the tight-knit throng, panic setting in when you realized the market was thinning away—you were near the end of the street, and you no longer had the advantage of cover on your side. 

With agile steps, you sprinted into an alleyway, glancing up the side of an apartment.

Then, you began to climb. You scaled the small grooves in the bricks, expertly balancing your weight just right so you wouldn’t fall. You’d done this a million times before, with much smoother surfaces to climb—after all, that was the bare minimum required of a thief. 

You hauled yourself onto the rooftop, laying low so he wouldn’t be able to spot you from ground level. 

Only—he wasn’t on ground level.

A shadow loomed over you just as you crouched by the rusted air conditioning unit, and you had but a millisecond to roll out of the way before his foot came crashing clean through the metal.

Well, fuck me, he can fly, you wryly thought. 

“Glide!” the man behind the mask gruffed as he grabbed your arm and shoved you against the crumpled AC unit, the searing hot metal digging painfully into your skin. “I glide, I don’t fly!”

“I said that out loud?” you panted with a hoarse chuckle, before quickly twisting and kicking his knee, brandishing a sharp dagger from the utility belt loosely secured around your hips. Up close, his suit appeared to be fashioned from a multitude of bandages, not unlike the cheap mummies from old nineties halloween movies. “Sorry, would it be weird for me to ask why a toilet paper cosplayer is trying to murder me?”

The man offered you no response, only diving forward and landing a good punch to one side of your jaw, which made your vision go blurry with disorientation for a moment. 

There was no way you could best him with strength—you needed to get away from him. 

With quick, nimble fingers, you pulled two smoke bombs from your belt and threw them onto the ground. Large plumes of ashen white immediately ate up the space between you, and he was left blinded for a couple of seconds. You tugged a grenade out a moment later, pulling out the pin with your teeth before tossing it in his general direction and throwing yourself off the opposite side of the building, where you’d spotted a plastic-woven tarp over one of the stalls by the edge of the market.

You’d crashed straight through their booth, fruits and drinks spilling all over the street’s asphalt. The vendors started cussing at you in a language that was foreign to your ears, but you knew they were saying foul things nonetheless. With a groan, you pushed yourself up, ignoring the searing pain that ran down your leg and began running back into the crowd. 

The explosion on the building had blown Marc back several meters, and he cursed beneath his breath as he pushed himself back up. Just as he was about to set back off to track you down, Khonshu’s bellowing voice made him halt in his motions.

“Let them go,” the God rumbled. There was an undertone of mild disappointment that laid stagnant beneath his voice, as if he’d just lost a game rather than a target. “We have more pressing matters at hand. Ammit’s followers are stealing more souls in Cuba.”

Marc’s brow furrowed. “Let them go? You want me to go to Cuba? That’s halfway across the world! I can finish the job, they can’t have gotten too far—”

“We have more pressing matters,” he repeated himself, this time with an edge to his voice. A headache pulsed angrily through Marc’s temple. 

“Why’d you want them dead so bad? This target—that person, were they a follower of Ammit? Huh?” 

Much to his frustration, Khonshu ignored him completely, merely brushing past his avatar. “Go to Havana,” the bird-skull rumbled over his shoulder. “I’ll meet you there.”

And with that, he disappeared.

ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN.

A final stream of smoke fell from Elena’s lips as she pulled the cigarette away, dropping it into the floor to stub with her boot. She fixed you with a neutral expression as you made your way to her, though the unmistakable affection in her molten brown eyes gave her away. 

“Took you long enough,” she said, glancing at the large black cloak you were wearing. Her demeanor gradually shifted into one of a more somber variety. “Verdict’s been decided. The court decided not to charge—all those police that beat my friends to death… they’re walking away free of consequence. The government’s gone to shit. Everything is more expensive now—riots are breaking out over fuel prices, which means more people are getting killed. Nobody is willing to help anymore.”

You nodded grimly. “What can I do?”

There was a dark glimmer to her eyes as she squared her jaw. “You’re going to help me burn down government buildings. I don’t know how many, but… as many as it takes for them to change.”

A hint of a grin graced your lips as you regarded your past-lover with a nostalgic kind of fondness. “It’s the first time I see you in years and you’re already throwing me headfirst into war.”

She offered you a shrug and a wry smile. “Don’t kid yourself. You live for this kind of shit.”

“Yeah, I guess I do,” you hummed distantly. “Where do we start?”

It was pandemonium. 

Everybody was yelling—the protestors, the police, the civilians watching from the sides, the sparse firemen as they tried to put out the massive, roaring flames that were greedily swallowing the government building in its entirety. You had to admit, you were rather proud of your handiwork—absentmindedly wondering if Elena would be happy with it, as well.

Before you could dwell on it any longer, a foreign hand tightly seized around your wrist and began to drag you back away from the crowd. Your gaze wildly swiveled around in confusion to the man yanking you along, noting his heavy-set furrowed brows and his frustrated scowl. With as much strength as you could muster, you dug your heels into the ground and halted his motion, pulling against him with all your might. He didn’t relent, only staring you down with dark eyes that held the warbling reflections of the fire you set behind you. 

“Who the fuck are you?!” you barked, starting to get more frantic as you fruitlessly attempted to get him to let go of you. 

And when he spoke, it finally dawned on you.

Well, fuck me. It’s that bitch that chased me down in New Delhi. Wonder why he isn’t wearing his super suit… probably not to attract attention like last time. The news was all over him.

“You’re just getting more people killed,” he husked, clearly talking about the fire you’d caused, before brandishing a dark karambit knife, one that you swore gave you a cut just by looking at it. “No wonder he wants you dead.”

Fear wove down your spinal column when the blade poked your lower stomach in warning. “I’m sending a message,” you growled in reply, lips curled over your teeth in a snarl as you bristled. “And what about you? You’re gonna fix the problem by killing me? I don’t even know you! Some hero you are—those people protesting out there? They’re better than you will ever be.”

For a moment, his pupils darted back to the rioting crowd, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his features, and you used the short-lived distraction to your advantage. You expertly kicked the knife out of his hand and landed a quick blow square in the center of his face, feeling his nose break beneath your knuckles. 

Not wanting to push your luck—you remembered how fast he was during your last encounter—you gave him one final shove, sending him sprawling into a trash can with a groan and a muffled curse.

By the time he forced himself back onto his feet a second later, you’d already disappeared into the shadows.

Fuck. Khonshu was gonna kill him.

PODGORICA, MONTENEGRO.

Marc still wasn’t sure why Khonshu wanted you dead so badly. Then again, he wasn’t sure about anything when it came to Khonshu. 

But he knew one thing for certain—if Marc truly wanted you dead, then you would’ve been six feet under weeks ago. Which meant… he wasn’t actively trying to kill you because he didn’t actually want you dead. All the others that he’d killed for Khonshu felt like they’d deserved it—rapists, abusers, pedophiles… and though Marc didn’t know you very well, he knew you weren’t anything like the people he’d killed before.

Marc didn’t know what he was doing. 

Jaw clenched, he pulled the cap lower down his face, shoving his fists into the pockets of his jeans. He followed not too far behind you, silent as a wraith, watching as you merrily strode down the streets of Podgorica. 

Finally, when you stopped by a little coffee truck to order an iced latte, Marc stepped forward to stand beside you.

For the first minute, you idly tapped away on your phone, smiling down at the screen briefly before pocketing the device. You glanced at him, thinking nothing of the person beside you, assuming they were just another civilian—

Then you froze.

You knew that face.

After all, you’d broken that very same nose less than a week ago. Strange, it looked just fine now. 

Immediately, you hunkered down into a defensive position, backing away from him with quick steps. Then, you ran, sprinting away so quickly that Marc could’ve sworn a trail of dust kicked up beneath your feet.

The man in the coffee truck incredulously yelled out after you, followed by a string of what Marc could only assume was a creative litany of Montenegrin profanity. 

Dropping a few shillings onto the truck’s counter, Marc grabbed your coffee and ran after you, shocked at how far you’d managed to get in such a short amount of time. 

There was no denying that you were a fast runner—but as the old tale went, the quick hare would always get overly confident. You slowed down to a moderate jog when you glanced behind you, Marc nowhere in sight. With a relieved sigh, you turned the corner and slumped against a building, wiping the sweat from your brow with the back of your hand. 

Damn, you’d kill for that iced coffee right about now.

As if on cue, Marc rounded the corner, catching you by surprise. You were just ready to turn tail and run away again, but his hand shot out and held onto your wrist, not unlike he did in Astana. 

You spewed out a myriad of curses, ranging from calling him an ‘insufferable cucumber-dicked motherfucker’ to ‘smooth-brained, butt-faced swine’, wildly trying to get him to let go of you. If you weren’t violently bucking against him with all the grace of a panicked mare, he would’ve laughed at the creativity of your insults. 

“Stop, I just want to talk!” exclaimed Marc, dodging when you pushed yourself forward to try and wrap your hands around his throat. 

“Last two times I saw you, you tried to kill me!” you breathlessly spat. “Sorry if I don’t quite trust you now!”

“I’m unarmed,” he gritted out, stepping back slightly to allow you to scan your gaze over him. Though you didn’t want to admit it, you knew that if Marc really wanted to kill you, you would’ve been dead long ago. “I just want to ask you a couple things. And look—I brought your coffee!”

A low hiss fell from your lips. “I’m not answering jack shit.”

With that, you lunged forward and shoved him hard—so hard that he stumbled into the jagged brick wall behind him with an oomf. The iced latte sloshed right out of its cup and spilled all over his chest. His head struck painfully against the stone and his vision went blurry for a moment, expression faltering. 

You stepped away, watching him with cautious, narrowed eyes. 

After a long, pregnant pause, the man blinked in a dazed fashion, seeming confused. 

“What? Where am I? What’s going on?” he said, accent suddenly… British. He fixed you with a genuinely miffed gaze, appearing slightly frightened at your withering glower. 

You didn’t stay to answer his question. 

As you were turning on your heel to run away, you faintly heard him mutter to himself, “Where the bloody hell am I?”

Crazy bastard.

VALENCIA, SPAIN.

Your knuckles were split. Blood dribbled down your fist, a mixture of yours and the man whose face you were caving in.

One of your hands was bunched into the collar of his shirt, holding him down as you rained punches on him. The sickening sound of his bones giving way with your strikes didn’t deter you, and you only snarled and hit him again as he blubbered out prayers in Spanish. Blood-flecked spittle dripped from his busted lips. 

“Who are you praying to?” you hissed, releasing his collar in favor of wrapping your hand over his throat, squeezing tight. The dull green of his eyes flashed with panic, legs flailing weakly. “The gods will not listen to the likes of you—I’ll make sure of it.”

A strangled wail erupted from him. 

And just as you were about to land another punch, you found yourself being shoved away from the man, and promptly lifted off the floor with the scruff of your shirt collar, shoving you against a wall. You began kicking and twisting blindly, cursing furiously when you saw the man you were beating up scurry onto his feet and haggardly sprint away.

Your struggling was of no avail, and you weren’t at all surprised to see the same person that’s been trying to track you down for months now. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snarled, brows heavily furrowed and dark eyes stormy with anger. “You were about to kill that guy!”

“He deserves it,” you bit out, glaring back at him with just as much intensity. “The fucker’s been stalking a friend of mine and sexually assaulted her daughter.”

There was a beat of silence. Marc’s cross expression seemed to drain away, but he still bore a stern face as he slowly let you go. You slid down the wall and got back onto your feet with a wince. 

“Why have you been following me?” you huffed, dusting off your pants. “You think I don’t know that if you really wanted to kill me, I would be dead by now?”

Marc squared his jaw and leveled his gaze on you. “Someone… close to me wants you dead. I want to know why first—he won’t tell me.”

“Sounds like you shouldn't be all that close to him, then,” you snorted derisively. 

“Not for a lack of trying,” the man dryly replied. 

With a scoff, you stepped forward and wiped your bloody knuckles onto his shirt, leaving a damp trail of darkening crimson. “There’s way too many reasons a person would want me dead,” you whispered, one hand patting his chest. The other trailed down, down, down…

To the high-rise potted plant beside you. You grabbed a fistful of dirt.

“See, he’s not exactly what you’d call a person—”

Before Marc could finish his sentence, you chucked the dirt straight into his face. He inhaled some of the soil and doubled over, pounding on his chest as he coughed it out. With a growl, he frustratedly swiped the remaining flecks of dirt out of his eyes, blearily looking back up. And, to none of his surprise but much of his dismay, you were already gone.

OSLO, NORWAY.

“Why aren’t they dead yet, Marc?” grumbled Khonshu in that grating, gravely tone of his. Even though the God had no eyes, Marc could still feel his stare burning straight through him. 

With a frown, Marc was quick to respond, “Because you haven’t told me why yet.”

“You’ve never needed a reason before—always blindly following my orders,” the bird-skull crooned. “What makes them so different?”

There was a bitter taste to the back of Marc’s throat. What made you so different?

“Because I don’t know if they deserve it, alright?” he retorted, crossing his arms to glare up at the tall figure. “You can’t just expect me to kill everyone who mildly inconveniences you.”

Harrumphing, Khonshu snapped back, “They are naught but an inconvenience—they are a disruption to the very balance of nature. Y/N has taken justice into their own hands, and that is a very dangerous thing for a simple mortal to do.”

Marc cast his gaze away in frustration, pacing back and forth. “But that’s exactly what you make me do.”

“Yes, because you are my avatar,” deadpanned the God. “And Y/N is not. Though, they might as well be because you are being a fool.”

He could feel one of his eyes twitch. There wasn’t ever a conversation Marc could remember where Khonshu didn’t insult him. 

“They’re doing what they think is right,” defended Marc. “They’re not hurting people just for the sake of it.”

“That is not for them to decide!” bellowed the God, which made him step back just a bit. “They have done terrible, unimaginable things in the past—though mistakes some may be—and they will continue to make them. Take a look for yourself.” With that, Khonshu swept his arm out, gesturing to the large bank across the street, large windows giving him a clear view of what was going on inside.

His heart dropped down to his stomach when he saw you. 

You were wearing a mask that covered the entirety of your features, except for your eyes and your mouth. The rest of your body was shrouded with simple, dark clothing, suitable for running. 

And, most notably, you had a gun in your hand, pointing straight at the trembling woman working behind the counter. Your mouth was moving and you gestured with lax, calm movements, despite the explicit terror written across the woman’s face.

Marc’s brow furrowed. Damn it. 

He watched as you snatched the bag of money the woman slowly slid over, and hightailed out of the bank with the gun still gripped tightly in your hand. You ran the opposite way, before disappearing down another block. Glancing over at Khonshu, only to see that he was nowhere in sight, Marc huffed out a sigh and began sprinting after you.

One downside of Oslo was that their buildings weren’t exactly the easiest to climb—which meant that you had to stick to the ground and trust your speed. 

Marc wasn’t as fast as you without his suit, that was for certain. But with his suit—he could glide. 

And so that’s how the white-caped figure dropped straight down in front of you out of seemingly nowhere, which elicited a shriek of surprise from you, nearly dropping the bag out of shock. You had pulled your mask off long ago, shoving it into the knapsack shrugged over your shoulders, along with the gun. 

This clearly wasn’t your first time doing this.

“You,” was what you incredulously breathed out, eyes wide. “You must be obsessed with me or something.”

Not in the mood to play around, Marc growled out, “Why are you doing this? Give the money back. It’s not yours.”

“Who said it was for me?” you countered, upper lip curled in contempt. You tilted your head at him, eyeing his suit with interest, before returning back to your scathing disposition. “Not that it’s any of your business, but this money’s for the small orphanage a couple miles from here. They’re barely getting by with the money the government gives them. I have a kid there I know.”

With bated breath, Marc willed the suit away, leaving him in a dark sweatshirt and a pair of woolen pants. He eyed you suspiciously, still not too sure if he should trust you.

Sensing this, you rolled your eyes and unzipped your bag. “If you don’t believe me—check my gun. It’s blank.” You fished out the small weapon and handed it over to him with the end pointed towards you so he wouldn’t think you were going to shoot him. “No bullets.”

Marc didn’t need to check it—by now he knew you were telling the truth. But he looked into the chamber anyway, finding it void of any ammunition. 

“Can I go now? We both know you’re not going to kill me. The cops will be looking,” you said, voice a bit more gentle than before. He noticed that the anger on your face had melted away, leaving only urgency and another tumultuous emotion that he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

When he offered you no response, finally relenting, you nodded once to him, a glimmer of gratitude behind your irises. And with that, you began running again, effortlessly disappearing into the shadows.

“Fool,” thundered a rumbling growl from somewhere above him. Marc looked up, but the bird-skulled God was nowhere to be found.

COLUMBUS, OHIO.

Damn. Nothing hit harder than classic, greasy, American cheeseburgers with a side of curly fries and a milkshake. You shifted eagerly on the sticky red leather of the booths, shooting the waitress who’d handed you your food a flirtatious smirk and a ten dollar bill, which she took with an equally salacious wink.

You grinned down at your food before taking the first bite into the burger, a muffled noise of content falling from your throat.

“Am I interrupting something?” said a frustratingly familiar voice, the man sliding into the seat across from you. “It sounds like you were just about to have the greatest sex of your life—with a cheeseburger.”

You pointedly glared at him, though it lacked any true heat. After about a dozen deliberately slow chews, you finally swallowed down the food. Marc looked like he wanted to say something else, but you merely held up a finger, slurping on the paper straw of your milkshake. He pursed his lips with a mildly aggrieved look.

Finally, you tilted your head at him. 

“Is there something you want from me?” you asked him casually, reaching to the end of the table to grab a napkin and wipe at the corner of your lips. “Because I’m not in the drug business anymore, if that’s what you’re looking for. Or is it something else, hm?”

It seemed that Marc hadn’t completely thought this through. Sure, he’d planned out what he roughly wanted to say to you, but now that you were right in front of him, he found his tongue running dry. He fumbled for words, fists clenching and unclenching by his knees. 

“I don’t want to kill you. Or hurt you at all, for that matter.”

You scoffed, remembering the instances in which he’d hurt you plenty.

“I just… I want to know your side of the story. I want to know why you do what you do,” he said, a bit quieter. 

For a moment, Marc thought you’d just tell him to piss off. But there was a gradual shift to your features, going from obvious irritation to gentle curiosity. 

“Alright. I’ll cut you a deal,” you said, popping a curly fry into your mouth. “I tell you about my tragic backstory, and you tell me all about this… thing that’s been wanting to kill me. And before I start—I’m gonna need your name. I can’t keep mentally cataloging you as the toilet paper man.”

And for the first time since you met him all those months ago—Marc laughed. It was deep and gratingly genuine, coming from the very bottom of his chest.

“Well, first of all, it’s not toilet paper. It’s the ceremonial armor of Khonshu’s temple. And second, it’s Marc. Marc Spector.”

“Ceremonial armor of whose what now?” you balked. 

A hint of a smile graced the corner of Marc’s lips. “Khonshu—Egyptian God of the moon. I’m his avatar. He’s the one that wanted me to kill you. He called you a disruption to nature—said that you were wrongfully taking justice into your own hands.” As he spoke, the smile began to wane away, and he regarded you in a more serious light. “I want to know why he thinks that.”

You stared down at your plate of fries, stunned. An Egyptian God wanted you dead? You knew you pissed people off, but Gods too?

“And if you don’t like what you hear?” you quietly asked, lifting your gaze to meet his. “Will you drag me out of the diner and strangle me to death?”

Though you could tell he didn’t like saying it, Marc’s face was set in stone when he leveled with you. “I’ll give you a head’s start.”

Another beat of silence. You picked up another fry and popped it into your mouth. The plate slid across the table as you nudged it towards him. 

“Alright, Marc. Settle in, have some fries, order a milkshake—it’s a long story.”

And you told him everything. You told him about your childhood—rumbling stomachs, nimble thieving hands, falling off of buildings when running away from cops. You told him about your teenage years—pulling off heists, brokering deals with gangs, breaking nearly every bone in your body being reckless. You told him about your early adult years—falling in love with Elena, getting more comfortable as a vigilante, as you liked to call yourself, meeting other superheroes and helping out on occasion. Marc seemed to recognize Spider-Man and Daredevil’s names when you mentioned them in passing, his eyebrows arching up closer to his hairline. 

You told him that you now spend your days traveling around the globe helping people. 

By the time you were done spilling your entire life story, your fries and burger were cleanly polished off. 

Marc was silent for a long time, as if unsure what to say. 

“I was in love once, too,” he said in a tentative manner, gaze trained on the table. “Her name was Layla.”

“Oh, yeah?” you curiously said, sipping on the last frothy remnants of your milkshake at the bottom of the glass. “And how’d that work out for you?”

There was a sad glint to his eyes. “Not so good. We’re divorced now.” He cleared his throat before you could press him about it. “What happened with you and Elena?”

It was now your turn to stare out the window in a despondent manner. “Same as you. Except we were never married. My lifestyle was… too much for her.”

Marc nodded in understanding. “Yeah, me too.”

The two of you stared at the glossy table in silence.

“You still in love with her?”

You lifted your gaze to meet his. “I love her, yeah—I always will. I’m just not in love with her anymore.”

The man across from you hummed. There was a newfound understanding between you two—unspoken, but the both of you could feel it. 

“Do you still love Layla?”

A ghost of a smile graced his features, but it was gone just as quickly as it came. “Not in the same way I used to. But I do.”

With a final slurp of your straw, your drink glass was emptied. “Seems like we’re a lot more similar than first meets the eye, huh?” 

Marc fixed you with a loose, awkward smile. Without another word, he pulled the bill of his cap lower down his face, and slid out of the booth. It seemed that he wasn’t going to be strangling you tonight. 

You didn’t look back when he walked out of the diner, the bell hooked by the doortop tolling with his departure.

YEKATERINBURG, RUSSIA.

The bird skull was saying something. His bony beak was moving. You could feel the vibrations of his thundering voice beneath your feet. And yet—you had no fucking clue what he was talking about.

You blinked up at the God with wide eyes. 

“Could you repeat that?” you winced out, having not picked up a single word Khonshu had said in the past three minutes. The God grumbled, and somehow glared at you despite having no eyes within his bony skull. Beside you, Marc let out a muffled snort.

“You insolent buffoon,” the bony figure snarled. “Have you not been listening?”

Despite the bristling God in front of you, you found the entire situation to be amusing. “Sorry, it’s just… your head’s really big. It’s kinda distracting. Just paraphrase yourself—I don’t need all the terms and conditions.”

Marc’s shoulders shook with silent laughter, but he immediately sobered up when Khonshu rounded his pointed beak to him, back straightening. 

“This is a gravely serious matter—!”

“You know what else is serious?” you snapped, pulling your thick woolen coat closer to your quivering body. “Catching hypothermia! Did you really have to pick Russia of all places? We couldn’t have met on a warm beach in the Caribbeans, or something?”

If Khonshu had eyelids, you were sure they would’ve been twitching with repressed agitation by now.

A deep baritone of a sigh fell from the lanky God. He leaned his weight against his crescent-tipped staff, as if willing his own patience to hold steadfast. 

“I said—” he started again, watching you cautiously, “—that I will be letting go of your past sins. But only because my avatar is so keen on you, and because you show a consistent effort to rid the world of evil. However, if you slip up so much as once, I will personally see that to an unkind descent into the afterlife. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal!” you harrumphed, tucking your frigid nose into the collar of your fur coat. “And I did those things to people who deserved it—which is exactly the same as what you do, you bony hypocrite! Can we go inside now?”

The God grumbled something unintelligible, though you suspected it had something to do with your impertinence, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

“You’ll get used to him,” assured Marc, placing a hand on your back to lead you back inside. “He doesn’t get any better but—you’ll get used to it.”

“That’s reassuring,” you dryly responded, teeth beginning to chatter. As soon as the two of you started to walk back to the small little city hotel, you elbowed his side with a playful grin. “So… you’re keen on me, huh?”

Marc gave you an unimpressed look. Snowflakes danced with the wind and landed in his neatly-combed curls. “Khonshu had to believe that I liked you—the last thing he’d want is a sloppy, grieving avatar.”

“Mmh, I don’t know…” you said, tapping your finger against your chin in thought. “He’d probably like that, considering he’s one manipulative son of a bitch. Maybe he just secretly likes me and wants to keep me around.”

“Yeah,” snorted Marc. He halted in his tracks, forcing down a smile. “That, or I blackmailed him.”

Your eyes widened, frost clinging to your lashes and brows. “You blackmailed an Egyptian God?”

“Let’s just say that he’s had a sticky romance with the Egyptian Goddess of love—ironically, she’s one of the few beings that he’s genuinely terrified of. I threatened to get in contact with her avatar if he didn’t absolve you.”

You kicked at a small build-up of snow by the sidewalk, an excited gleam to your irises. “Crazy how even the Gods have petty dating drama to gossip about,” you commented, turning to him. His nose was tinted a faint shade of red from the cold, bits of white frost freckling his hair and his clothes. “Thanks for not killing me, by the way,” you added as an afterthought, fixing him with a warm smile. 

“Just keep out of trouble,” he gently reminded, mirroring your soft grin. The two of you were now standing in front of your dingy little motel—and Marc apparently had something to attend to halfway across the world in Cuba. 

So this was goodbye. 

For now, at least.

Without thinking, you leaned forward to press your cold lips against the warmth of his cheek, the tip of your nose grazing his cheekbone as you laid a hand on his shoulder. 

“Thanks,” you whispered when you pulled away slightly, breath misting into an opaque fog. Marc was regarding you with an expression that bordered on fondness, which was certainly a new look that you found yourself craving for more. “I haven’t really properly talked to anybody in ages so… this was nice. Goodbye, Marc.”

With that, you turned on your heel and headed into the hotel, grateful for the blast of warmth from the overhead heater, though you could still feel Marc’s burning stare bore holes into your back, even as you turned the corner and disappeared from his sight.

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA.

Blood, everywhere.

Gunshots in the distance.

Snarling men rounding the corner—human traffickers.

Your dagger glinting beneath the hot Ethiopian sun.

A man screaming as you sliced his throat. 

Gurgling.

Red on your hands. On your clothes. On your shoes. 

Two successive punches—one to your stomach, and the other to your face.

Pain blooming beneath your skin.

A fist around your throat.

Squeezing. 

Choking.

Dark spots dancing about your vision.

Your nails clawing into their eyes. 

Air.

Gasping for breath. 

Wheezing.

You desperately parried away another assailant’s knife.

A song of steel against steel.

More gunshots flying every which way.

You dove behind large metal crates. 

Sand in your shoes.

Copper on your tongue.

Crashing. Yelling. Cursing.

Your fingers flexing around the hilt of your dagger.

Bated breath.

You looked around the crate.

Marc fucking Spector.

A ghost of a smile on your lips.

Your name being called out—surprise in his tone.

“Fancy seeing you here!” you shouted.

Marc’s fist curled into one of the traffickers’ collars.

“It’s been a while!” came his mildly amused reply.

A grunt. A punch. A groan of pain.

His white cape fluttered with the wind. 

“You down for a burger or something later?”

You spoke calmly, as if you weren’t currently strangling someone with a long power cord. 

The man fell limp in your hold. 

“Sure—I could go for a burger,” he called out, 

Blood trickled down your nose and grazed your lip. 

You wiped it away with the back of your hand.

The last of the traffickers was struck down with Marc’s crescent boomerang. 

A breath of relief. 

Drenched in blood (most of which was not yours), you made your way to Marc.

“You clean up nice,” he joked.

A roll of your eyes.

“Oh, shucks, Marc,” you simpered with a mischievous grin, dragging a bloody hand down his face once he retracted his mask. 

He grimaced in disgust, but didn’t push you away. 

A laugh fell from your throat, hoarse and echoing.

You looped your aching, bleeding arms with his. 

“Let’s go get that burger.”

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

“Ow—ugh, Marc, could you go any faster?” you barked through the dirty cloth wedged between your teeth, glaring up at him with watering eyes. You’d endured pain far worse than this, sure, but Marc was taking twice as long stitching you up than when you’d do it yourself. Though, admittedly, whenever you had to patch yourself up, it was a rather shoddy job and often left a much larger, gnarled scar than it would’ve, had you properly taken care of it. 

The man above you shook his head, dark curls hanging loosely over his forehead. “Stop moving and maybe it’ll hurt less,” he replied, the tip of his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth as he worked on your stitches. “You know, just because we work together now and I heal quickly doesn’t mean you do, too.”

With a grimace, you tore the cloth from your mouth, chucking it somewhere across the small motel room to freely speak to him. “It was just a mistake,” you replied, nearly doubling over with a strained groan when he punctured the skin of your abdomen with a small needle, where the deep gash resided, one last time. “I timed myself wrong. Happens sometimes.”

Marc let his eyes roam over your exposed skin, brows divoting ever so slightly upon seeing the multiple other scars littering your body. They were memories of your past, and you weren’t ashamed of them. 

“Doesn’t look like it only happens sometimes,” he murmured, tying off his sutures and cleaning off the last bits of flaking, dried blood on your stomach before binding the open wound with thin bandages. 

“You worried about me?”

Marc didn’t spare you a response. He busied himself by putting away the medkit and tossing the discarded, bloodied clothes into the bathroom sink. When he came back to sit on the bed beside you, you had gingerly moved positions so that you were propped up against the creaking bed’s headboard. 

“How are you feeling?”

“Shitty,” you whispered. “England fucking stinks.”

Marc chuckled, a small smile curling his lips upwards, though you noticed that it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

The two of you sat in silence for a while. 

“Thanks for stitching me up,” you told him.

“Thanks for not dying on me,” he replied. His hand sought yours and your fingers laced with his. “I know we’ve only been working together for a month by now, but I’m starting to really like you.”

With one last painful shift, you moved so that your faces were only inches away. You paused when your lips were just a hairsbreadth from his, giving him time to yank you away if need be. 

But he didn’t. 

His lips met yours with a tender sort of sadness, pouring months of frustration and anger into the embrace. A warm hand came up to cradle the back of your head, angling you closer, wary of your newly-stitched wound. 

Forehead resting against his, you gently pulled away, finding solace in the fact that he chased after your lips just a bit, before cracking his dark eyes open. 

“We shouldn’t do this,” he mumbled, gaze darting back down to your parted mouth. 

“Okay,” came your broken reply.

And despite it all, he threw all caution to the wind and kissed you again. Again, and again, and again—far into the night, until the two of you passed out on the stained sheets of the motel bed, limbs intertwined and your nose pressed against his throat, where you could hear the soft thrumming of his heartbeat. 

Unbeknownst to the two of you, Khonshu was hovering on the rooftop, finding himself rather glad that his avatar had finally found someone he could trust—even if that someone was the very bane of his existence. 

“I need a new avatar,” the God harrumphed to nobody but himself, knowing full and well that he wasn’t letting go of Marc Spector and his… counterparts any time soon. 

[lovedrruunk]

'Mango Letters ♡⸝⸝💌⊹˖➴

Venture (Overwatch) x GN Reader

[Established Relationship!]

Authors note!!!; DID U MISS MEEE??? also...IM SO SORRYYY!!!! BUT I THINK IM JUST GONNA START WRITING WHAT I WANT :((( i realized im sososo bad with requests like genuinely ughhhh!! Ill def do some every now and then tho! Anyways im just clearing out my drafts cuz I’ve come to the realization that this is literally tumblr and my posts don’t have to be perfect lmao, enjoy!!

75 days 18 hours 46 minutes and 3 seconds. That's how long it had been since you've seen your partner Sloan. Being with them you knew how devoted they were to their work and how much it required them to travel but on pretty days like this one when the weathers just right and the flowers are in full bloom and the sunset is the perfect hue of orange, you couldn't help but wish they were by your side.

And although they were thousands of miles away they always made sure to send you physical manifestations of their love.

Through love letters of course!!!

It had been a tradition ever since they had started going on longer expeditions for them to send you things in the mail. So there in your shared closet in a cute little shoebox on the top shelf, laid all their feelings on coffee stained papers. Little crystals the same color as your eyes, maps with all the places they wanted to take you, polaroids of them doing silly faces, and your favorite part, the sweet scent of mango that came with it all.

And so although they weren't by your side, their feelings were. Their longing, their excitement, their thoughts, all in the palm of your hands covered in all types stickers and doodles.

Sitting outside on the porch of your shared home enjoying the calm breeze you smile holding the most recent letter delivered. Inhaling deeply catching the hints of mango as you carefully open it.

Dear Beloved,

It's been so looong!!! I can feel myself aging without you! Hope this letter finds you well! Notice how I used "beloved"? Fancy huh? Arn't I just the most romantic partner ever? (don't answer that.) This is my fifth time trying to write this and it's annoying the crew so this is my last chance before they jump me... It's just so hard y'know!? It has to be perfect. Perfect for you. Is that cringe? That was cringe sorry! I miss you lots and I think about you all the time... You'd love Petra! A camel ate my shemagh... but It's whatever. I'll buy a new one tomorrow, I'll get one for you too so don't worry! Now that I'm thinking about it the days seem to be going by pretty slow and I'm not sure if I like it much. Like I said I miss you a lot and it stinks being away from you for this long. Can't you just book a flight over here? Can't you do that for me pretty pleaseee? That's ridiculous? Okay just say you hate me and never want me to come back, just say you don't love me at all and want me to get stuck in a cave foreva. Just kidding! or am I?... (I am! >ᴗ<)

I like to imagine you’re missing me really bad counting down the seconds till I get back, which by the way I am too so don’t feel the need to deny it! I can see it now… You all shriveled up like a raisin crawling on the floor going “sloannn… sloannnn…” because of how bad you miss me hehe. Just kidding again! It’s probably the opposite let’s be real… I’m going insane without you seriously, I started talking to the hieroglyphics yesterday and the crew even caught me tasting some rocks earlier (sos!!!!)

But speaking of, they’re rushing me to “turn the lights off already” what a bunch of buzzkills ammarite? Promise to show up in my dreams okay? Who am I kidding, you’re always there regardless. Sweet dreams ᥫ᭡ᥫ᭡

p.s they really wanna meet you!

p.p.s take care okay? I’ll be home before you know it!!!

Yours truly,

(so romantic!!!)

“(๑´>᎑<)~*”

[machiavellli]

Lip oils recommendations🍒✨

@gufu-vire I’ve always wanted to this, thanks for the opportunity 😌

From the most expensive to the cheapest…

I. Clarins Lip Comfort Oil - 30$

I’ve tried those two shades (Cherry and Pitaya) for months now and those are simply amazing. 1. The color is so pretty and it absolutely doesn’t get into the lines of your lips. 2. Very hydrating, I have crusty dry lips and I can use this on a daily basis without having my lips dry at the end of the day. Also the container doesn’t leak! Lovely soft candy smell too! My only complain is the price…worth it yes, but so expensive. Wide range of shades. 9.5/10

II. Gisou Honey Infused Hydrating Lip Oil - 28$

I would eat those for breakfast. They are so shiny, so tasty and the colors are beautiful. I’ve only tried those two shades, Mango Passion Punch and Watermelon sugar, and oh my if they have a good taste and smell, never had a lip oil smell THIS good. Also, this is so hydrating, really. Your lips are going to be SO SMOOTH (so comfortable), it works just like the most hydrating lip balm you could possibly find. I am so glad they did this tinted version, because I couldn’t bare the smell of the original one (it smells like fried food and even if that hydrating, I couldn’t use it😭). The best lip oil I’ve ever had (I only had those for a week, but I’ve been using them constantly, but in case something goes wrong in the future, I’ll do an update here). Also very expensive, but shut up and take my money for this. And again, SO SHINY OMG. 10/10

III. CLINIQUE Almost Lipstick - 25$

This is not actually a lip oil, like, not totally, because it is still emollient like an oil and also I wanted to talk about it since it was everywhere last year. The color got me obsessed with berry lip tints, it changed my idea of “ideal color” forever. Still, I expected so much better. I have dry lips, as I mentioned before, and this isn’t hydrating enough and for a product of THAT price it isn’t really acceptable. My lips always crack after not even thirty minutes, the trick is to put underneath a basic transparent lip balm and voilà, but you know…in italy I payed even more than in the us for this product and I was disappointed (30€ which is way more that 25$). The black honey from clique was a cultural reset and I shall try one day the liquid form, hopefully that will be more hydrating. Still, the color on the lips is so beautiful yet natural. Not sentenced. 7/10

IV. Pacifica GLOW STICK Lip Oil - 11$

This is what the Clinique one should’ve been. I originally bought this because I was searching for a dupe of the black honey and, oh my, if I striked right (I bought this one before the og). The effect on the lips is the SAME, you can’t tell them apart, the shade is Crimson Crush. Also, this one really does the job, it is hydrating, not as much as other presented here before, but it works well and the price is good! Not sentenced. There are also other very cute shades. Also I think that a stick lip oil is genius. 9/10

V. NYX FAT OIL LIP DRIP - 9$

This one almost feels like a lip gloss from how glossy it is. Also the shades can be either sheer, a slight tint, or also almost a full color. I have the shades Status Update and That’s Chic and I used them a lot this summer. The color doesn’t last too long, but it a lip oil what do you expect, it’s transferable. Not sentenced. Can get in the lines of your lips. Very pretty overall, very good price and also great shade range (I want to try some more of those uhh). Container doesn’t leak! A very solid 8/10

VI. Essence hydra kiss LIP OIL - like 3-4$

Lovely lip oil, the formula is very comfortable and soooooo hydrating. An awkesome every day lippie and colors are very nice. I have no complains except one: the container leaks. I can’t bring it anymore with me because it has become all sticky on the outside, thankfully we had a long run before this, I’m almost out of it anyway (I ate it gnam😀) . Not sentenced. Otherwise, sooo good! 7.99/10 for the container not the product

VII. Essence Cranberry tinted lip oil - also 3-4$

This lip oil is THAT GIRL. Amazing, so surprised the first time I tried and now look at us, at the second empty bottle, hoping to find another one somewhere, since it is hard to find it in store. So hydrating and you get the cutest tint!! Essence never does one wrong when it comes to shiny lips and I love them for that. The container doesn’t leak!! Not sentenced. 10/10!

Thanks for coming to my ted talk hihi🫶

[sticktopia]

Happy Accidents (RocketPrincess AU)

When a drunken one-night stand leaves Mango with an accidental pregnancy, he has to figure out how to keep his secret safe. Turns out, it's easier said than done when the baby's other parent is literally his boss.

⚠️Warning: Mpreg⚠️

Chapter 3

“Dad.” Mango groaned as he felt someone shaking him. Slowly, Mango opened his eyes to see Purple kneeling next to the bed. The scent of a rich broth filled his nose.

“Hm? Purple…?” Mango rubbed his eyes, clearing away the blurriness of his vision. Purple smiled softly as they held up the tray.

“I made you dinner.” Mango hummed and nodded. Mango slowly sat up. He felt a little better, but he still felt very low energy. Purple placed the tray of food over Mango’s lap. Inhaling the scent of the broth was already making him feel better.

“Thank you Purple.” Mango said with a weak smile. As Mango went to eat the soup that Purple made, he noticed some pills laying on a napkin. Mango looked at Purple with an arched brow, silently asking for an answer.

“U-uh, I… I went to the Pharmacy and got… the medicine for you…” Purple quietly explained. Mango sighed.

“Purple I don’t-“

“Please dad? It isn’t even for the baby. It’s for you. The note said you’re low on code and that’s why you’re tired. So you need to take the medicine.” Purple pleaded with their dad. Mango sighed. The kid was right after all. The code supplements were more or less for him, not the baby.

“Alright. I’ll take it.” Mango said, taking the pills and downing them with the glass of water. Purple smiled and hugged his dad.

“Thanks dad.” Purple said happily. Mango chuckled and ruffled Purple’s hair.

“Alright kid let me eat now.” Purple nodded and left the room. Mango sighed as he ate his food quietly, though, Mango couldn’t really finish it. His appetite diminished halfway through his meal. His mind wandered back to the baby in his belly. He knew his boss was the other parent. There was no doubt about it. Mango never slept with anyone else. And that night was a little over a month ago.

Thinking about everything made Mango’s head hurt. Pregnant with the boss’ child; how dramatic. It was like he was the main character in a cheesy romance novel. Which made his head hurt even more.

“I need to do something about this sooner rather than later.” Mango grabbed his phone and started typing, before he heard the door open.

“Oh Purple. I-“ Mango’s voice stopped in his throat when he saw who was standing at the door.

“Daddy…” She softly called. “I had a nightmare. Can I sleep with you?”

Mango stared in disbelief. He didn’t know what to do or say, there was no way that this was real. There was no way Gold was standing there at his door right now.

“G-Goldie…?” Mango whispered. The ten year old quietly walked up to the side of the bed, peaking over the edge.

“Yeah?” Mango gently reached out to her. His hand connected with her hair. It was just as soft and smooth as the day he lost her. Gold smiled and nuzzled into his hand.

“I-is that really you?” Mango whispered, reaching out to his daughter. Gold reached up, allowing Mango to pull his little girl into his lap and hold her tight. Mango cried as he held Gold in his arms.

“Daddy. Why are you crying?” Gold asked. Mango sniffled and shook his head.

“I-I’m just… I love you Goldie… I love you so much…”

“What about the baby in your belly?” Mango froze as she asked the question. He looked down at his daughter. Her deep blue eyes stared up into his expectantly. Mango knew this was a dream. It couldn’t be anything else. But it didn’t feel like a dream. It felt more like a memory.

“The… how did you know…?”

“I heard you talking about it with bubby.” Gold said shyly. Almost like she was guilty. Mango sighed and pet her head.

“What else did you hear?”

“I heard you say you don’t want the baby… why not daddy?”

“I don’t have money, baby. I can’t buy you all the toys you want. Or the clothes you want to wear. Or the food you want to eat.” 

“But the other daddy has a lot of money. Why don’t you ask him?”

“I can’t ask him.”

“Why?”

“Because… he doesn’t know about the baby… and I don’t know if he wants the baby either.”

“Well, I want the baby.” Mango was silent for a moment.

“You… want the baby…?” Gold smiled and nodded vigorously.

“Yeah! I wanna be a big sister! I can hold the baby and feed the baby, and the baby will love me!” Gold giggled happily. Mango cried a little more.

“Gold… my little Marigold…” Mango wept as he held his little girl. Gold held onto her father as well.

“Please Daddy… can we keep the baby? I want to keep the baby…” Gold whispered. Mango sniffled and cried.

“Ok… ok Goldie…” Mango then felt a hand on his shoulder. Mango opened his eyes with a soft gasp and looked up to see Purple’s worried face. Mango tiredly stared at Purple for a second. Looking down, he saw that Gold was gone, replaced by the blanket.

“Dad?” Mango looked back up at Purple. “Are you ok Dad?”

Mango sniffled and wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Y-yeah… yeah I’m fine… I’m fine…” Mango muttered as his hand went to his belly. He looked down at the phone sitting on the tray above his lap. Picking it up, Mango saw he was about to make an appointment with a doctor. He looked back at the blanket, thinking of Gold once again. He then deleted the page and sat up with Purple’s help.

“Are you sure? You were saying some weird things. And… you mentioned Gold….” Purple carefully said. Mango hummed and nodded.

“Yeah… yeah she-I dreamt about her.” Mango admitted as he moved some hair out of his face. Purple sat next to Mango and leaned on him. Mango’s arm instinctively wrapped around the teen, pulling him closer.

“So, what happened in your dream?” Purple asked curiously. Mango hummed as he thought back to the dream. He remembered Gold. He held her in his arms and cried over her after all. But the things she said, he could not recall.

“Mm, more or less a memory than a dream. Goldie had a nightmare and came to sleep with me.” Mango simply explained.

“Hm. That’s cute.” Purple mumbled as he leaned on Mango sleepily. Mango picked up his phone to look at the time. It was 10:30 pm. The whole day had gone by now. Mango glanced down at his sleepy son. Guilt suddenly filled his heart as he remembered that Purple was supposed to hang out with their friends that day. Mango sighed and scoot over, allowing Purple to lay down. That unfortunately woke the teen.

“Dad?” Purple tried to get up but Mango gently pushed him down.

“It’s ok Purp. I’m just using the bathroom. Go to sleep.” Mango fibbed. Purple seemed to take that as an answer. Lying down once more and closing his eyes. Mango tucked the teen in and exited the room. Mango sighed as he found his bag and pulled out the blueprints. Looking them over, Mango hummed.

“Just one wouldn’t hurt would it?”

Chapter 2-(Chapter 3)-Chapter 4

[soleilnomoon]

Sooo.... there's no way I could ever resist submitting a request in one of your events. +_+ Been hurrying to get up from bed for this, I hope I'll still catch a slot :D so excited you're doing this!!!!

Can I please have some mangos and strawberries, with a Mai Tai (Ace)? <3 I'd love to listen to any combination of the songs #3, #9, #39, #43 (sorry, but this SCREAMS of Ace; also any variant of it, like talking to a 3rd person about it), #38 (couldn't resist the combination). OMG. It's soooo hard to choose....! There's so many combi-ideas! +_+ I absolutely love this! Thank you so much for doing this event! :D

omg hiiii 🥰️ that pic is killing me 😭😭 lmaooo *shakes u* so i rewrote this like 10x i think, but it’s finally done and i am v excited for you to read it. also i’m so happy you requested, you always pick good prompts lmao anyway, ty for being patient 😊 as u know i’m slow as hell when it comes to writing �� also the fluff almost killed me!!!! 💗

3.5k words (pls pls i know i know!!!! it's not my fault, i blame ace), fem reader, nsfw, 18+ mdni; fluff (it's there i promise, somewhere) & smut (and angst that u didn't ask for <3); modern au! feat. ace being a menace as usual, reader in denial (serious serious denial) of her feelings, reader's a lil shyyy ok, public sex, (slight) public exhibition, public sex, choking, rough sex, hand job, oral (m receiving), ace being shirtless is a warning, childhood frenz 2 lovers (who am i), mutual pining, reader is foolish & needs to be honest, ace needs to calm down but he never will. idk! probably more stuff idr yk the vibes. (if u see spelling errors/grammar mistakes, no u didn't bb 💕)

a warm breeze wraps itself around your arms and legs, languid and loving — a heavy embrace that unjustly suffocates, with a light sheen of sweat that belatedly appears on your forehead. your denim shorts ride up higher on your thighs the more you move around; for some reason, you just can’t seem to get comfortable. loud music wafts from your parents’ house through the open sliding doors, the beats catchy and mesmerizing, lulling you into a much more relaxed state as you continue to lounge on the hammock in the backyard. another breeze glides along your skin, making you roll over onto your back, the rope from the hammock rough but comforting.

to keep yourself from spiraling, you close your eyes and soak up as much of the sun as possible. your lips are a little red and sticky from the popsicle you ate just a few minutes ago; it helped to cool you down for a bit, but the heat is relentless and oppressive.

after graduating from college, you left home and traveled for a few years; you’ve always had that itch, a desire to roam about freely without having anything — or anyone — tying you down. it’s why you left so quickly; it’s why you didn’t say goodbye properly; and it’s why you’ve been on edge all afternoon.

you groan loudly before covering your face with your hands.

“this is so stupid.” your words are muffled and strained, your frustration rising along with the temperature outside. it’s simple — all you have to do is casually strike up conversation with him and act like nothing’s changed.

so easy, right?

you desperately want it to be, but the universe has a penchant for bad jokes and the punch line is currently on its way to disrupt your life.

“he probably won’t even come by anyway,” you continue to mumble before dropping your hands. a frown climbs onto your lips afterwards. the idea that your parents might actually be wrong, that he isn’t going to come by like he promised he would, is all too much for you to deal with.

and suddenly, you feel like you can’t breathe; the air grows thick enough to choke on, an obnoxious thudding growing louder and louder in your ears—

but before you can succumb to your unfortunate demise, someone pinches your nose, disrupting the chaotic flow of thoughts pummeling into you one right after the other. squirming around, you stare, wide-eyed, at the last person you thought you’d see today.

despite pressing his lips together, it does nothing to stop him from laughing at you — not maliciously, but he really can’t help it. your look of genuine shock and confusion is cute. really, really cute. adorable, even. maybe it’s because he hasn’t seen you in so long, or maybe it’s because he’s been waiting for a moment like this to pop up so you both can finally have that one conversation you keep running away from.

you are wholly unprepared to see ace this soon; words rush from the pit of your stomach up to your mouth, ready to fling ace’s way without restraint. but, as always, you hold back. you’ve gotten quite good at biting your tongue, at stamping out certain emotions; it’s better, easier that way.

no one gets hurt, right?

right.

with a sly smile, ace slides his sunglasses away from his face, upwards onto his hair; you were in such a daze that you barely heard him walk over. which worked out fine for ace, because he could look at you freely without you hiding from him like you usually do — a thing he hopes you’ve grown out of in the time you’ve spent apart.

if you thought you couldn’t breathe before, you’re definitely gasping for air now. lips parted, you inhale deeply as a completely different kind of heat surges through you faster than you’d like. he pauses for a moment before gently swiping his thumb along your plush bottom lip.

an insidious thudding echoes loudly around your ears, and you realize, in fear, that it’s the sound of your heart — beating erratically at his proximity and touch. talking feels impossible, so you remain silent and stare at him in disbelief.

it feels like an eternity passes before ace smiles again, your eyes track the way his lips slowly curve upward, bringing about that familiar dimple in his right cheek. something possesses you to reach up to touch his cheek, the tips of your fingers barely grazing his skin when you realize what you’re doing. you snatch your hand back quickly, a light-headedness descending upon you right after.

on impulse, ace leans down until his lips ghost over yours, the familiarity of the gesture triggering a memory so strong that goosebumps unceremoniously prickle your skin without remorse. you remember exactly how skillful his mouth is; you remember how your limbs were tangled with his; and you remember how you almost blurted out a hidden truth that you refused to admit to. he’d gone still, nearly statuesque as an unreadable look morphed onto his face; fear of rejection had you scrambling away from his embrace, nearly out of breath as you darted out of his bedroom without looking back.

remorse finds its way to you again, but your thoughts are too scattered to properly feel it. if you don’t figure something out soon, you’ll give in to him all over again — and you simply can’t do that.

however, ace has a way of diverting your plans with his whims and spontaneity.

“hey, pretty,” he says, voice low and husky, with a hint of that mischievous and boyish charm he’s well-known for; his hand on your hip is practically scalding, his thumb coasting dangerously on your soft stomach, but you don’t push him away. a soft whimper dares to slip out of your mouth when his grip tightens and you’re so sure that he’s going to kiss you — but he doesn’t.

ace straightens up and sticks his hands into his pockets, all innocent-like, completely disregarding the fact that he’s the reason why your heart is beating loud enough to rattle your bones. his cologne lingers — a rich and heavy, spiced scent with hints of blackberry — and you get drunk from it, mind a little hazy. you’re in too much shock to feel any sort of shame, and if he wasn’t so intent on teasing you for a bit longer, he would’ve already succumbed to the temptation of kissing you.

he really just meant to say hi, but you were being cute while talking out loud to yourself, your voice traveling further than you probably wanted; it was the sight of your exposed legs — curvy and soft, skin glistening almost flawlessly under the sun — that really fueled his audacity. since you’re prone to running, he did the only thing that made sense: invade your personal space. it’s the only way to keep you still long enough to talk.

or, so he thought.

“w-what are you doing here?” you ask in a panic, moving around on the hammock, eyes widening again as you shamelessly stare at his chest. he still has that peculiar habit of walking around shirtless, which is your justification for why you keep looking at him like that — his abs look more defined than before, but you refrain from touching him again.

ace completely ignores your question and instead says, “you’re hot.” he tilts his head a bit, that sly grin finding its way onto his lips again when you stumble over your words.

“i—what?”

you sit up and climb off the hammock with clumsy and hurried movements. thankfully he has the decency to not laugh this time, but that pesky dimple resurfaces, and you have to ball your hands into fists and sink your nails into your palms to keep yourself from saying something unnecessary and embarrassing.

“why are you—” you cut yourself off, take a deep breath, and try again, “i don’t understand.”

is he joking? he has to be, there’s no way he’s forgiven you for leaving him like that; and even though he called you pretty earlier, you’re sure that’s just his way of wanting to rile you up for his own amusement.

and while you’re not entirely wrong about that, he was being serious.

he lifts his chin and motions to your chest; sweat glides down your neck and sneaks in between your cleavage. you realize, then, that he meant that you literally looked hot. pressing your lips together firmly, you decide against speaking and opt to march past him instead. you don’t get far, if anything ace only allows you to move a few feet away before wrapping a strong arm around your waist and pulling you back.

your mouth dries and you try to wiggle out of his grasp, but he doesn’t let up.

“you’re hurting my feelings, y’know,” he says quietly, his lips grazing the shell of your ear. you bite your lower lip before rolling it in between your teeth, contemplating his words. you know you’re being ridiculous, and you know you owe him an explanation — your cowardice nearly wins out, but you settle down and sigh softly.

“you’re right, i’m sorry.” for so many things, but you keep that bit to yourself.

ace only laughs again at your austere demeanor. “just kidding, i just want to be selfish right now.” something about that sets your skin on fire, although it probably doesn’t help that ace places a kiss on the side of your neck before you can respond to him properly.

suddenly, all that fight that you had — that determination to avoid him completely — leaves your body. on a sharp inhale you turn around and look up at him curiously, to see if he’s actually being serious or not; ace stares at you intently, adoration saturated in lust clouding his vision. he holds onto the back of your neck and kisses you, his tongue playfully licking your bottom lip, grinning at how sweet you taste.

you shiver and open your mouth for him as he kisses you again, slow and sensuous, your legs nearly giving out from the intensity. his hand travels down your back, its descent searing and playful; you kiss him back with fervor and enthusiasm, lips moving against his as if this is a common occurrence for you two.

his tongue swirls around yours and when his large hand moves lower to grab your ass, you nearly lose your mind. there’s an intense, unavoidable ache in between your thighs as you cling onto him desperately, whimpering softly against his lips. he told himself he’d take it slow, but the way you’re reacting to him only confirms what he’s always known: you want him just as much as he wants you.

it’s in between heated tongue kisses that ace suggests a change in location. dazed and slightly confused, you feel yourself nodding as he tugs you along with him, anticipation making you stumble over your sandaled feet. he has half a mind to just carry you back inside, but you eventually keep up with his long strides. you hide behind ace when your parents step outside, boisterously chatting with a few of their guests as they sit at the table on the deck underneath the large awning. you’re glad they barely take notice of you — they’re halfway drunk already — and ace laughs at your demure behavior, prompting you to pinch his arm playfully and shushing him. it’s your feeble attempt at sneaking by without anyone interrogating you.

when you successfully make it back into your house, you let out a sigh, embracing the cool air.

“that was close,” you say out loud and at ace’s puzzled expression, you motion to your parents outside, “they almost saw us.”

he blinks slowly and lifts a brow. “so?” ace has never been one to hide like that, so he’s unsure why you want to.

“what do you mean ‘so’?” your face burns as soon as the words leave your mouth; you’re not sure why you’re feeling bashful, but it becomes harder and harder to look at ace. maybe it’s because you’re so aroused that you’d let him fuck you in the kitchen without complaint, or maybe it’s because you can’t come to terms with your feelings for him.

or, maybe it’s a combination of both.

either way, ace doesn’t know why you care.

sighing loudly he walks out of the kitchen, fully expecting you to follow — and you do. you’re unsure if you’ve said the wrong thing; actually, you know you’ve said the wrong thing, but before you can apologize, ace pushes you against the wall, hands placed on either side of your head as he cages you in.

“who cares if anyone sees?”

he’s right, you know that; it doesn’t make it any less embarrassing. but when he presses places a kiss on your neck, you melt — heart beating faster than necessary, making you dizzy with want. you place your hands on his chest, his muscles firm under your soft touch; ace inhales sharply when you bring your hands lower, his cock stiff and heavy in his shorts, an irritating reminder that his self-restraint is dissipating quickly.

later on, when you reflect on this moment, you’ll chastise yourself about how impulsive you both were — fucking in your hallway while your parents entertain guests not even forty feet away — but for now, you just want to indulge in the fantasy and not think about anything.

ace grabs your wrist clumsily, suddenly remembering himself while halting your movements. you blink at him, confused and anxious; maybe he changed his mind about everything? maybe this was payback for the last time you were together — and, if you’re honest, you can’t exactly blame him. swallowing hard, you relax your face and opt for a more neutral expression.

normally much more forthcoming with his wants and desires, ace hesitates, momentarily, dark brows furrowed as a frown settles onto his lips.

“maybe we shouldn’t…,” he closes his eyes and presses his forehead against yours, inhaling deeply, your perfume immobilizing him temporarily before he speaks again. “you deserve better than me.”

you sit with his words for a moment but it’s not long before your hands work at tugging his shorts and underwear down. he looks at you, light brown cheeks flushed slightly when he notices the way you’re staring. you knew he was big, but goodness — still, you don’t let that deter you, and wrap a hand around his cock and slowly stroke it. ace lets out a quiet groan and it encourages you to move your hand faster.

with a soft peck on his lips, you say, “that’s not for you to decide.” which is all you’ll say on the matter. your feelings for him were too big for you to handle before, but now — now that you’ve been forced to confront your own damn self, a belated sense of clarity falls over you. it was never easy to convey your feelings into words when it came to him, but you’re very sure that he’ll understand you now.

ace’s hips jut forward when your grip around his cock tightens; he lets out a low hiss, doing his best not to be too loud since you’re so adamant about not getting caught. pre-cum spills from his slit, down onto your hand; a fascinating sight that has you sinking to your knees without much thought and replacing your hand with your mouth.

at that he moans much louder than he means to, but once your plush lips wrap around the thick head of his cock, he stops caring.

“fuck,” he breathes, leaning against the wall for support as you flick your tongue against his slit — a dangerous move, but one that you make with the full confidence that ace would, in turn, fuck you like you’ve always wanted him to.

you run your tongue down his length with gusto, as if his cock was an addictive summer treat. and, maybe it is, because you open your mouth and bob up and down his length. you use your hands for what you can’t fit in your mouth, moaning around him as you press your thighs together. your mouth is sinfully warm and wet — forbidden, almost; he grabs a fistful of your hair, holding you steady as he thrusts his hips forward.

holding onto his thighs, you slacken your jaw and keep your tongue flat, arousal building as he fucks your mouth. he knows he should be gentle, but he’s reached his limit and you’re being so compliant — he can’t really help himself. not that you mind, your panties are already damp from your slick arousal; his movements are rushed and purposeful, but you enjoy the way he’s seemingly lost control of himself.

you gag around him, breathe deeply through your nose, and ignore the tears that spill down your round cheeks. ace moans your name and your heart expands pitifully in your chest, warmth traveling all along your body. he knows he’ll never last if he keeps this up, so he pulls out of you without warning. you nearly fall over but you hold onto him, looking up at him curiously, long lashes tantalizing and mesmerizing as your tears start to dry.

he pulls you up to your feet and kisses you again with a hand wrapped around your throat; he gives it a teasing squeeze and you moan against his lips. it doesn’t take long before you unbutton your shorts and pull them down with your panties — your thighs trembling with each passing second. you wrap your legs around him possessively when he picks you up; the kisses grow more urgent and sloppier, your heart threatening to kill you mercilessly with how hard its beating.

this must be what dying feels like, you tell yourself, although when he rubs the tip of his cock in between your slick folds, you buck your hips forward and beg him to stop teasing you.

since he’s not that cruel, ace lines the head of his cock with your entrance and inches forward; sucking in a bit of air, you hold onto him tightly, and when you relax, ace thrusts into you. the moan you let out is absolutely indecent, your pussy a lewd, greedy thing that swallows his cock without much issue. with long strokes, ace knocks his hips against yours, a strangled cry slipping out of you unexpectedly. ace kisses you again and again — an attempt to keep you quiet — but soon, his strokes get shorter and frenzied as he fucks you harder, almost like he wants to incapacitate you with an orgasm.

you wouldn’t mind going out like that, especially when ace is fucking you like that, balls slapping against your ass loudly, mouth hungrily searching for his while you harshly drag your nails down the back of his neck. he doesn’t mind as the pain is minimal, and he likes the idea of you marking him the way he’s marked you.

it becomes increasingly difficult to keep quiet, but you’ve long forgotten why you needed to keep quiet in the first place. your saving grace is that your parents and their friends are more intoxicated than you originally thought and are in their own world as they laugh and dance outside. somewhere down the line, you lost your common sense — you suppose it happened when ace came to find you earlier — and because of that, you let go. your cunt squeezes around him tightly, your arousal coating the length of him; ace angles his hips and his cock reaches a spot that’s deep enough to make you babble at him incoherently.

he laughs and drops a playful kiss on your lips, his hands gripping your ass as he powers into you. a flash of white robs you of your vision, a liquid heat swirling around your lower abdomen as you cum hard with his name in your mouth. hips rolling forward, he bites your neck recklessly and your orgasm intensifies.

“oh, fuck, fuck, fuck. yes!” you chant without restraint, throat hoarse, voice raw. he breathes unevenly, thrusting feverishly into your puffy pussy, his own orgasm finding him shortly after.

ace groans as he presses open-mouthed kisses down your throat, your whines saccharine and enticing; there are so many things he wants (and needs) to say, but he pushes that aside, deciding to enjoy this moment with you instead. you pant lightly and hold onto him, heartbeat slowing until it matches his. you should probably hurry up and get dressed, since there’s no telling when someone will come through that hallway, but you can’t be bothered right now. you’re much more interested in the way ace kisses you again, leaving you breathless and terribly in love.

if you were privy to his thoughts, you’d know that he feels the same way and has felt that way for a long, long time — and sometimes he feels like he loves you a little too much. still, you feel much lighter now, sighing softly as you arch against him; the intimacy of it, surprisingly, doesn’t scare you, and now you wonder if maybe you were thinking too much about everything before. it seems that your problem has always had a simple solution, but you’re just glad that ace pushed you to figure it out. it isn’t something you’d normally do, but for ace you have a tendency to think and act impulsively without warning; he likes that side of you, and hopes that you’ll keep acting like that in the future.

[ayeyolooo]

SPENDING TIME <3

Yolo note:this is my first time writing something on here and I don’t know how to work it😭 as well. So please bare with me. :)

Warnings?: cussing, the ‘n’ word dumm playfighting? It’s cute stuff Lmaooo

Please excuse my grammatical errors <3

Summary: you and hobie are at home due to miguel giving you both a day off. You’re just spending time with eachother and enjoying every minute if it.

“Baeeee get your iPad and come lay next to me.” You called from your room. Today miguel allowed you and hobie a day off from task and you were so happy. It has been a while since you and hobie had time to spend with eachother. “ ‘m coming luv g’me a sec.” He said walking to your shared bedroom with two big bowls of fruit.

“Sit here baby.” You said patting the spot right next to you. “ ‘on it,darlin’ .” he popped a grape into his mouth as he grabbed his big pink iPad. Yes,he brought a pink one just to match yours. He huffed as he laid on his belly next to you. “What are we doing n/n?” He asked as his accent grew stronger. “Playing roblox.” You said smiling widely. “Darlin’ what is a roblox?” Hobie asked jerking his head back a little.

You just chuckled before rubbing his back. “I’m going to show you now.” You said with a giddy smile. “Here, open this app.” You said pointing to the roblox app. Your acrylic nails clicked and clacked with every two you took of your iPad. “ ‘k what do I do now?” He asked with a confused tone.

“Click sign in and just fill out the information.” You said dressing your character up. “ ‘m done luv,what do I do now? Wait why is my character that hideous grey?” He asked feeling offended. You just laughed. “You have to dress your character up,here I’ll get you some robux.”You said sitting up and grabbing your purse to look for your card. Hobie just raised an eyebrow at you. “What are you doing’ ?” He asked. “I’m getting my card?” You said digging through your purse. He snatched your purse from you and tossed it in a nearby chair. “No luv I don’t want you to buy me anything.” He said purchasing his own robux.

“Okay.” You said chuckling. As hobie laid down on his stomach you sat up and dug into the fruit bowl. You slowly turned towards his butt and smirked. Hobie felt like you were about to do something weird. You were quiet,s little too quiet. “Absolutely not y/n.” He said not even looking up. “Oh come on you dont even know what I was about to do.” You mugged him. “Y/n I know you like the back of my hand, you aren’t slick.” Hobie said looking through the item shop. “But your butt looks so fattt.” You whined. “Stop being weird luv.” He said not phased by this. (He has to deal with this every day.)

“But it’s okay for you to grip and grab mines?” You mugged him. “Sure is.” He said looking at his character with a proud smirk. You just grabbed a chunk of his butt before laying back on your stomach. Hobie just sighed. “Y/n,y/n what am I goin’ to do with you?” He asked turning to look at you. “Love me, feed me,never leave meee.” You said with a big smile.

He just laughed and ate a piece of mango that sat in the giant wooden bowl. “Okay so friend me, then we can play.” You said placing your iPad down and clasping your hands together as you looked at him. He had a puzzled look on his face, “luv, ‘m sorry. But I don’y know how to do that.” He said looking at you. “Ohh I forgot sorry pookie.” You said pecking his lips and grabbing his iPad. When you pecked his lips you felt the cold metal from his piercing touch your warm plumped lips. “There you go.” You said with a warm smile. “Your my friend now.” Hobie just smiled at your kid like attitude. “Wanna play a scary game?” Hobie shook his head yes,and smirked. “Wait Nevermind. I don’t like scary games. Wanna play fashion famous?” He tilted his head as he looked over at your iPad and shrugged. “Of course my pretty girl.” He said smiling and laying his head on your shoulder for s brief second.

“AHAHAHAHAHA I BEAT YOUUU.” You giggled in gobies face as he just straight faced you. “Watch ‘m goin’ t’win this round watch.” He said determined. Spoiler he won, 5 times. You only won 3 times, “hahaha who’s the winner now.” He asked in a playful competitive tone. You just rolled your eyes and mugged him. “Alright you riding my shi now.” His eyes furrowed. “Riding your what luv?” He asked placing his iPad down and looking at you. “MY DICK.” You went closer to his face. “Luv, don’t get me started with how you can’t go all of the way down on mine.” He said with a smile.

“Oh you thought you ate that huh?” You mugged him. “Don’t know what that supposed’ to mean but I think I did” he said sticking his pierced tongue out at you. You scoffed. “How dare youuuu!!” You jumped on his back and began to fake punch him. “Mhm gotcho ass Nigga.” You said pulling his hair too. He flipped the both of you around and had an amused smile on his face.

His iPad fell on the floor with a clack,but you two didn’t worry about it because one it had a good case on it and two,it wasn’t a long fall. So even if it did have a case it wouldn’t have broke.

His guitar pick that hung around his neck dangled in your face as he grabbed a pillow and began to attack you with it. “Got ya’ love.” He said play fighting with you. You tugged on his hair which made him come down as you began to fake fight him. “Mmhm I’m beating yo ass.” You said kicking him off you and keeping a hold on his hair as you continued to play with him. He grabbed your waist and picked you up and slamming you on the bed. “HAHAHAHA.” You kicked your feet because hobie started to tickle your neck. “OKAY WAIT PAUSE.” You said trying to get a breath. “Na’ pause for wha’?” Hobie grabbed your foot and dragged you to the end of the bed.

He began to tickle your feet as you were dying of laughter. You were laughing so hard to the point where tears were coming outta your eyes. “Bae pleaseeuhhhhh.” You begged as you kicked. “Mm.” He said letting you go. You took a breath before jumping back on him. He caught you, having his hands hold the back of your thighs for support. “Bro you’re so fine.” You said wrapping your arms around his neck as he held you and just looked at you. “I could say the same thing to you babe” he smiled up at you as you leaned in to kiss him.

He dodged it and dropped you on your bed before running out of your room. Your jaw dropped as you ran behind him. He had on socks which made it harder for him to run on the dark wooden floor. You ran to the living room and looked around seeing no one there. The back of your hairs stood up and you caught chills on your arms,you turned around seeing hobie trying to jump scare you. “Caught yo ass.” You said dashing after him.

He ran ran to your shared bedroom and his under the covers. “Bae you not slick.” You said trying to pull the blanket off of him,but he kept a grip on it. You kept pulling and pullikg until he let the blanket go which made you fly backwards. You sniffed,and pouted rubbing your arm. “Ow..” you mumbled rubbing your elbow,and knee. You looked up to hobie with tears in your eyes and he immediately picked you up and held you. “ ‘m so sorry.” He frowned and wrapped you in an warm embrace. You smirked ti yourself seeing that your plan was working. “AHA GOTCHO ASSS.” You said turning around and leaning over him and hitting him with a pillow.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

“Ohh you’re no fair.. I like it.” He smiled. The both of you were tired from running around and playing around with eachother. Hobie took the empty bowls back to the kitchen, cleaned them and placed them where they belonged. You were laid down in your bed with your back against your headboard looking for a movie. Eventually you found one making you place the remote in its place and turning your bedside light off.

Hobue made his way back to the room and immediately went in between your legs having him lay on your chest. You wrapped him in a protective hug and rocked him back and fourth. “My baby.” You mumbled pecking his forhead multiple times. He just wrapped his arms around your waist as he closed his eyes listening to your soft and gentle heartbeat. He loved the way you held him, he obviously would admit it but you knew,and you ain’t have a problem with holding your man.

ꕥ

“My baby,my baby,you’re my babyyyy.” You repeated that TikTok sound and just rocked him back and fourth. “You smell lovely.” He mumbled in your chest. Your cheeks went hot. “Thank you baby, so do you.” You said playing with his cartilage earring. “ ‘m sleepy.” He mumbled as he used one of his hands to interlock your fingers together. “ you’re always sleepy hobie.” You frowned. “Because when I’m with you I feel at home and safe.” He said getting comfortable before kissing your lips and drifting off to sleep.

[nonbinaryeggrolls]

Battle of the Larynx II

Miguel O’Hara x afab!reader

Pt. 1, Pt. 2. Pt. 3, Pt. 4

Synopsis: Having Spider-Man as a boyfriend was becoming increasingly more difficult, and his reoccurring absence is tearing you apart

Warning: ANGST, mentions of breakups, self harm (not eating caused by depression)

MINORS DNI. AGELESS AND MINOR BLOGS WILL BE BLOCKED

And they talk without thinking

They bark while they're shaking

With teeth that are round and dull

And they yell while they're chasing

While I'm steady pacing

My syllables hit the floor

How stupid, selfish baby

Don't you battle with my larynx toni—

Macie: “Melanie Martinez? Weird choice for a heartbreak song.” Your coworker and close friend critiqued while snatching the earbuds out of your ears

Y/N: “I like it, and it’s helping so leave me alone.”

Alchemex was quiet and slow at 8 AM, the only tasks you had assigned were to organize itineraries and pick up lunch for your employers. Once that was done you used the time you had to yourself to sit at your reception desk and wallow.

Macie: “Here, eat this.” she said handing you a container of vietnamese spring rolls and mango slices she brought from home

Y/N: “I’m not hungry Mac”

Macie: “Yes you are, you’re just saying that so you don’t have to feel anything other than sadness, but I’m not gonna let you sit at your desk all day and sulk. So eat something, please.” You took the food and ate it while she watched you like a hawk to make sure you got every last bite. She was right, making yourself miserable wasnt helping you but it was the only thing you knew how to do right now.

It’d been 3 weeks since you pushed Miguel O’Hara out of your life, and for those past 3 weeks you have been an absolute mess. You could barely get 2 meals down, your sleep schedule was ruined, you had no motivation to complete any tasks, and you avoided your friends and work almost entirely. It probably wasn’t a good idea to use nearly all of your sick days just so you can cry and mope about a guy but it is what it is at this point. You were fortunate enough though to have friends that wouldn’t stand for you ruining yourself while you recovered from heart break. Today your coworkers unanimously decided they needed to save you from depleting all your sick time and practically dragged you into work today.

Macie: “C’mon, tell me what’s on your mind babe.” She took a seat in her chair next to you

Y/N: “It’s just…why hasn’t he called me? Why hasn’t he tried to come back to our apartment? I just fuck I feel stupid but I wanted him to fight for us and he hasn’t at all.” Tears pricked from your eyes and you let your head fall onto your hands

Macie: “Well, why do you think he hasn’t reached out?”

Y/N: “Because he’s a little bitch that doesn’t care about me.” You cross your arms like a stubborn child

Macie: “That’s possible, but what is your heart telling you?” She asks

Y/N: “…He’s doesn’t know how to apologize for everything, or if I’ll accept it.” Macie nods in agreement

Macie: “I’ve never met Miguel other than passing him to get to the vending machine, but I’ve listened to you cry on my couch about him on multiple occasions. It sounds like this isn’t his first screw up, but it is the worst and I’m sure he knows that. It’s very possible that you two are done for good and I think he’s scared to face that…or make things worse.” You shrug in reply, “Be honest with yourself, would you have even listened if he came back immediately?”

Y/N: “No…I probably would’ve told him to fuck off.” You chuckled

Macie: “See. Maybe this time your taking from him is a good opportunity for the fog to clear, you can figure out if it was just your anger that pushed him away or if you actually want to break up with him. No one’s saying you have to forgive him but don’t write his hesitance off as not caring just yet, I have a gut feeling that he’s just afraid right now.” She pulled you into a much needed hug and ran her fingers up and down your back

Y/N: “…It hurts so bad Mace…I miss him so much and I don’t want to”. You sniffled

Macie: “I know babe I know, if it makes you feel any better you look really hot today even with runny mascara. He’s an idiot for fucking up with you so badly.” She said while planting a sticky lip gloss kiss on your forehead.

Macie helped you fix up your makeup in the bathroom and you both returned to work, luckily the front desk foot traffic is always slow with only phone calls and e-mails to keep you busy. It wasn’t a lot but it was enough to keep your mind off of everything.

Miguel wasn’t doing any better than you were. It wasn’t like him to talk without thinking, he was always so stern and calculated with everything he did in life, it was what he was known for but that night it was as if he lost all control. He felt horrible about everything, everything he said to you he wishes he could apologize for but he was terrified that it wouldn’t change anything…or that he might make things even worse.

Miguel’s world came to an abrupt halt since you shut him out. He was bitter and angry and lashed out on his fellow colleagues far more than he usually did. Even his favorite variants couldn’t shield themselves from Miguels wrath. Yelling at Miles or Gwen was routine, but yelling at Peter Parker (Earth-13122) was unheard of and it showed just how badly your absence was effecting him.

Nowadays if it wasn’t for missions or to go into headquarters it was rare for him to ever leave his room— well what was supposed to be a room. All of his belongings were still permanently relocated at the apartment that you both used to share, meaning his old apartment was long gone. There was no place for him to go back to when you kicked him out, so that meant the twin size mattress in Peters guest room that was far too small for his tall figure was what Miguel had called home for the past month.

The clock read 10:34 AM when Peter went downstairs to Miguel’s living space, Peter knocked and poked his head into the guest room

Peter: “Miguel?”, Peter looked in to see a semi asleep Miguel. “Cmon man get up you need to eat something. MJ made French toast, you need food with your depression.”

Miguel: “I’m not hungry.” He sighed and rolled over to face the wall. His appetite wasn’t important to him especially if it meant watching Peter and MJ canoodle at the kitchen counter the way you and him used to. Peter stepped back into the hallway, a worried MJ was motioning him to go back and talk to Miguel.

“Go talk to him!”

“I don’t want, to he’s gonna yell at me!” They both whispered, low enough for a regular person not to hear but it was enough for Miguel’s heightened sense to pick up. Choosing to ignore them, Miguel covered his face with the pillow trying to drift back to sleep until he felt a small weight crawl on him and start tugging in his hair

Mayday: “Uncle Mickey! Wake up Mickey! Come eat breakfast with me!”

Needless to say Maydays cuteness was enough to get Miguel out of his cave. He ate breakfast in silence and by the end Peter had convince Miguel to return back to work, saying it would help him take his mind off things. Mj lent Miguel some of peters old dress clothes from when he was 4 sizes larger, the pants flooded of course but that’s what happens when you’re a foot taller than most people.

It was raining in Miguel’s dimension when he returned, making the drive to Alchemex that much more depressing. It didn’t even register to him that you would be working, he panicked about what he would do or say when he sees you.

Miguel: “Lyla are you there?…” No answer, “Lyla?…Okay I’m sorry.”

Lyla appeared on an illuminated orange screen

Lyla: “Sorry for what? Use those big boy words.” She mocked, arms crossed and turned away from him, refusing to look at him until he gave a proper apology

Miguel: “I’m sorry for yelling and for being a dick for the last few weeks. Okay?” He sighed

Lyla: “See. Was that so hard?” He growled in annoyance but was honestly glad to have her talking to him again, even if she was just a combination of zeroes and one’s she was helpful, “Still having lady troubles I see?” She teased

Miguel: “God, shut up.” He grumbled

Lyla: “That’s it goodbye—

Miguel: “No! No I’m sorry.” He groaned and sank in his seat at the red light rubbing circles on his temples, “What the fuck am I gonna do Lyla? She probably hates me.”

Lyla: “After everything you said I wouldn’t be surprised if she did, but Peters right Miguel you need to just apologize and actually EXPLAIN yourself. Stop acting like such a tough guy and open up to her already. You keep her in the dark all the time and let her wonder if she did something wrong or if you even like her, maybe if you were actually honest with her she’ll understand. And even if she doesn’t understand you STILL owe her an apology. That part’s non negotiable.” Lyla criticized with no intent of being gentle. For an AI she actually gave genuinely good advice.

But he wasn’t ready to see you yet, he wasn’t ready to say what he needed to say, had no idea what he was going to say. So when he made it to Alchemex instead of going through the front entrance like he usually did he opted for the back entrance where the delivery trucks usually are. Stunned faces met his along with whispers and other greetings. A few, “Welcome backs” and handshakes from his fellow geneticists, too many faces and none of them was the one he wanted to see…

Miguel barely got any work done that day, instead he chose to spend all his time pacing back in forth near the second floor ledge. Though his office was on the top floor, the second floor had a view that peered past the large glass staircase and directly over the receptionist desk. So throughout the day he made a routine of getting up every 30-40 minutes to go to the second floor bathroom so he can look over at you on the way back to his office. He couldn’t stop himself from trying to catch a glimpse of you, he got warm each time you smiled at a new person entering the building. It was fake of course, he’d seen your real smile and it was breathtaking. This on the other hand was a plastered in customer service smile accompanied by forced laughs.

Around the the 12th time he went to go check on you he froze when he saw you weren’t at your desk anymore, but it was around the time of your lunch break so he suspected you were in the cafeteria. It was kind of pathetic the way he felt himself rush to the elevator with urgency to get to the food court but it was what he was doing.

The area was busy, filled with lab coats and other Alchemex staff. When he finally located you he stopped in place. You were smiling, genuinely smiling, with some idiot employee he had never seen before. He was leaning against the wall talking your ear off as you bought a soda from the vending machine, and he was far too close. Miguel’s eyes darkened when he hugged you goodbye, holding you a few seconds to long.

“Do you know that guy over there? He’s been staring for a while” Your coworker asked, nodding over to Miguel who stood by the elevator door glaring through angry brooded eyes. You stilled as you met his gaze that softened the longer you looked at him

Y/N: “No…No I don’t.”

Macie: “He just stared? Ew that’s creepy.” She giggled, “Whatever just ignore it, he hasn’t made an attempt to talk to you so don’t even entertain schoolboy behavior like that.”

Y/N: “Yeah, but you should’ve seen him he looked like he wanted to murder somebody...I hate that I thought it was kinda hot.”

She slapped you on the back of the head bringing out a string of giggles amongst the both of you. You took her advice and decided to just forget about the interaction and try and get through the rest of today. You sifted through emails and answered phone calls for the next few hours until a younger boy, no more than 19 years old, walked up to the front desk.

Y/N: “Hi there! can I help you?” You questioned

“Got a Grubhub delivery for Miguel O’Hara.” He held up a closed Thai food bag

Y/N: “Oh okay you can go up that elevator on the left, it’s the sixth fl—

“Customer requested no contact delivery so I guess this is on you guys. Okay bye I’m gonna leave now, remember to tip, thanks!” the rude little bastard plopped the take out bag on the counter in front of you. You’re heart practically plummeted to your stomach at the realization. Miguel knew what he was doing, he knew that if he requested no contact that meant the assigned assistant for genetics department had to deliver it. These snooty scientists didn’t want a random person walking through their building, it happened all the time just never with Miguel. Fuck

Macie looked over at the bag then back at you, just as flabbergasted as you were. Begging her to deliver it for you was no use, she was the assistant for the botany department and could get in huge trouble if she did. Reluctantly you made your way up to the floor his office was located on, the walk from the elevator to his office door felt like an eternity but you swallowed your fear and knocked.

Miguel: “Come in!” He sounded nervous, he looked like it too when you opened his door to see him already standing in front of his desk. Miguel looked disheveled and tired

Y/N: “Here, is there anything else you need Mr. O’Hara?” You deadpanned and handed him the bag. You weren’t surprised to see that he threw the bag away immediately, it’s not like his intention was to eat anyways.

Miguel: “Can I talk to you? Please?” He asked, you sighed and nodded in agreement closing the door behind you to give you both some privacy

Y/N: “Okay go ahead. Talk.”

Miguel: “…Who was that you were talking to?” he asked in a slightly desperate tone

Y/N: “That’s the first thing you have to say to me?” You scoffed

Miguel: “Please just tell me who he is…”

Y/N: “Who? I’m a receptionist I talk to a lot of people.” you lied knowing exactly who he was referring to.

Miguel: “The guy in the cafeteria, with the black hat. Who was he?”

Y/N: “That’s Anthony. He works in security for your department. But I guess you wouldn’t have known that, it’s not really a job that contributes anything to this world, is it?” Miguel winced at the sting of his own words being thrown back at him

Miguel: “…I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have said that.” he said in a tone barely above a whisper

Y/N: “Great, thanks I’m gonna go back to work now.” You dismissed his shitty excuse for an apology and turned to leave

Miguel: “Y/N I’m trying to say sorry to you!” he said almost begging. He was willing to beg if that’s what it took to make you listen

Y/N: “You’re always sorry! Every week it’s a new apology and honestly they’re all starting to sound the same and Im so tired of it!” you shouted

Miguel: “But I—

Y/N: “No I am talking, you are listening!” you silenced him, “You made it clear how you felt about me and I’m not going to keep myself in a situation where I’m just a fill in for someone else.”

Miguel: “…What are you saying?”

Y/N: “I don’t want to be with you any—

Miguel: “Please, please don’t say that N/N.” He practically leapt from his desk when you turned to leave without saying anything. It didn’t matter how many times he said your name it didn’t stop you, not until he physically blocked the door with his own body

Y/N: “O’Hara MOVE!” you demanded. The sound of his last name being said again signifying just how detached you we’re becoming

Miguel: “No. I want to fix this please!”

Y/N: “Find a new replacement then!”

The two of you went back and forth for what seemed like hours, his pleading was relentless. You’d never seen this side of Miguel before, he was unhinged and desperate it was like watching a child have a breakdown. But it wasn’t changing your mind, you deserved better.

When you reached for the door handle once again that’s when all of his words came spilling out.

Miguel: “You’re not a replacement! You’re not a joke or useless or anything stupid I said! I didn’t mean any of it I was just tired of being painted as the bad guy so I wanted to make you feel worse than I felt! But…I am the bad guy Y/N, Im a selfish fucking moron and I ruined a perfectly good thing just because I was scared we were getting too close and that would mean I might forget about Dana and Gabriella! So every time you wanted a date night or wanted to bring me to a family dinner or even just wanted to be around me I made excuses, because every time I did those things I felt myself forgetting. But I’m sorry! I’m sorry for saying terrible things to you and I’m sorry for making you feel worthless, I’m sorry for being so fucking stupid throughout this entire relationship, I’m sorry Y/N….”, He looked down ashamed, he sounded so small and vulnerable something he had not been in a very long time. You froze in place, taking a moment to process everything.

He finally looked back up at you and you stared at him with wide blank eyes. Whether it confusion, sympathy, or hatred he couldn’t tell, but your silenced scared him.

Miguel: “Please… say something.” He begged

Y/N: “Miguel…you’re grieving and I understand that, I think in some way you’ll always mourn the loss of Dana and Gabriella. But we can’t continue this at the expense of my own feelings, I need to know that if we were to keep this up you’re not going to keep hurting me during the process of you healing.”

Miguel: “I understand, I’ll do better I promise.” He felt a wave of relief surge through him. He leaned in to try and hug you but he tensed again when you rejected it, placing your hand on his chest and pushing him away.

Y/N: “I…I think we need a break Miguel…” His shoulders dropped in disappointment

Miguel: “So that’s it? We’re done?”

Y/N: “No…no were not done, I just can’t be around you right now. Just because I sympathize with your pain doesn’t brush over the fact that you just admitted to neglecting me on purpose all this time. I can’t ignore that. I need some space, and I think you do too...”

Miguel: “Y/N…”

Y/N: “Bye Miguel…” You opened the door and exited to see concerned faces all staring as you walked by. It didn’t matter what they thought, today would be your last day anyways. You left your name tag on the front desk and gathered your belongings. Miguel watched from his office window as you got into your car and broke down in the drivers seat before leaving the parking lot

Lyla: “Miguel…are you okay?” she interrupted, watching him stare emotionless out of the window

Miguel: “No.”

Lyla: “…Do you wanna talk about it?”

Miguel: “…”

[leeflings]

I like to think that Julia and Damien were friends that previously to the reboot and had a big falling out!! even though they only had one scene together (technically two,, finale) I just think their personalities would mesh well together :3

this oneshot is set during the party after the finale! bowie and priya both hosted it together since they’re the winner/runner ups!

—

Comfort.

—

“Okayy, I’m here for the party, buttknuckles!”

Julia exclaims as she steps in, the group of former contestants turning to her with mixed reactions. Chase ran up to her and gave her a high five, gladly welcoming her in. “Heyy, Julia! It’s good to see you made it! Oh- you should try the cake! It’s suuuuper good!” The dark brunet laughs, taking another piece of cake from the table, scarfing it down as he goes over to Ripper.

MK, the kleptomaniac, gave her a half glance turned glare, before returning to sipping on her soda.

Wayne and Raj greeted her as well, the former more welcoming than the latter, since he didn’t have a boyfriend who didn’t hate her guts yet. “Yooo, Jules! You made it! I was just telling Raj that I was getting worried about you, come on!” The dirty blonde led her to the large table with a clean white table cloth draped over it, with dozens of plates of food on it. Wow, they really wanted to celebrate this much over the several grueling weeks they all had shared together. In a way, she found it cute, in the other, she just saw it as free food.

Sure, she would have preferred to win the money, but free food is fine, she supposed.

Julia was about to take a small bowl of cut up mango, before an arm stopped her. “Nuh uh, no way I’m letting you in here.” Bowie’s voice sounded stern, and annoyed at the same time. “This is a No-Julia party from here on out,” He crossed his arms, looking down at the influencer with a raised eyebrow, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“Uhm. Hello? This is a party for every contestant, buttknuckle. I don’t know if that finale gave you brain damage, but I was one of them!”

“You’re insufferable and such a liar- I can guarantee you that almost nobody wants you here!”

“It was for the game, what, have you never even seen a show like Total Drama before? And don’t act like you weren’t fake too, you voted off Chase and lied to Emma’s face! Who would do such a thing to their best friend- oh right, you.”

That, got the attention of Emma, who at this point had been talking to Damien, the both of them were too engrossed in their conversation to even notice what was going on. In the corner of her eye, she saw the two turn toward the chaos at the table.

“You little..”

Julia watched as her arch-enemy winced, while his boyfriend put a hand on his shoulder, and he grumbled.

“You’re still more fake than me.. but I guess you can stay. Only because some people here actually like you, but also because it’s Priya’s party too.” Julia’s purple-grey eyes briefly shifted to Wayne’s, then briefly over to Damien, to whom avoided her gaze. As she expected.

“Thank you.”

She smiled at Bowie sweetly, before taking her bowl of chopped up mango, and the party slowly resumed to what it was before. The music was bumping loudly in the large room, the disco floor lighting up the room brightly, while some of the boys played video games on the big tv screen.

—

Time went by, and things got sort of overwhelming for Julia, in a way. Don’t get her wrong, she likes parties — she danced a lot in the first hour of the party— but after everything that happened before joining the show, her father and the Internet basically isolating her,, yeah, this party was bound to be overwhelming. She stood next to the wall, leaning against it as she surveyed her peers in the room, her eyes slightly narrowed.

“Okay, Julia.. you got this. It’s just a stupid party with all these stupid buttknuckles.” She took a shallow breath in, and let it out quietly. She ate her fruit in peace, growing more uncomfortable by the minute. She had been here for two hours at this point, and the party had yet to show signs of stopping.

She was Julia Holland, the girl of the hour. The biggest villain of the season. The girl who powered her way to fourth place, and could have won if she never pointed out the damn coins in that pond. A stupid party really shouldn’t make her feel awful, it shouldn’t.

But unfortunately, it was.

So, she decided to step outside for just a moment, to let all her frustration out. Julia put her bowl of fruit on the table, and walked out the door without anybody noticing. She was just tired of everything that’s been happening these past few weeks. Losing all her followers, getting exposed on international TV— getting thrown into a pit of firey bees or whatever that was, but the quips MK, Bowie, Emma and the rest of the cast threw her way never bothered her. At least, almost never bothered her. She guessed she never did that well in overwhelming situations like this.

There was this time where her father tried to get her to make friends with girls her age. It normally either ended up with a fight, or the other girl crying. Sometimes both — but in her opinion they absolutely deserved it.

Then there was the birthday parties her mother embarrassed her at. God, that struck her young, fragile ego hard.

Soon, she felt a few drops of rain hit her face, snapping her out of her thoughts of the past.

Oh, buttknuckles.

—

Damien watched the other teens play video games on the big screen, causally sipping on a soda, MK right by his side. While Chase and Ripper were busy fighting and yelling at each other, he looked around the party a bit.

Zee was telling Caleb and Nichelle a story, likely on how he lost his leg.

Scary Girl was standing in the corner making a skull out of a random assortment of food from the main table. Weird.. and scary…

Emma was talking to Wayne and Axel. Probably complaining about Bow- oh no no, she was smiling. All was good, then. Probably

Raj was talking to Bowie, like the cool gay nerds they were. He couldn’t deny that they were cute, even if he himself wasn’t really into all that lovey-dovey stuff.

He saw everyone, except for Julia.

He turned to MK, his right eyebrow gently raised in curiosity. “Hey, MK- have you seen Julia? She’s like, gone. Do you think she’s okay?” He heard MK laugh, which was fair.

“Yeah, no. I don’t care about Julia. She probably thought she was better than some crummy party. Besides, why do you care about Julia of all people? What, you like her or something?”

“What? No, gross! I’m not into romance or anything like that.” Damien’s eyebrows furrowed briefly, before he answered MK’s previous question. “I care because - ah, I don’t know .. sure, Julia isn’t the greatest person ever, but she’s still a person.”

“Influencers aren’t people. Julia definitely isn’t, let’s face it Damien.” MK said, only turning away when the TV said ‘PIZZACHASER WON!’, the two of them watching Chase cheer loudly while Ripper started to scream as if his kidneys had been ripped out of his body. Damien cringed at the sudden loud noise, glancing at MK to realize she had magically put on a pair of soundproof headphones. Damn, he could really use those right now. Oh whatever.

He walked away from the loud noise, rolling his eyes as he held his drink close to his chest, looking down at the floor. Soon, he bumped into somebody.

“Oh! Crap, I am so sorry-“ He looked up, seeing that he had spilled some of his soda on Raj. He turned, and so did Bowie and Priya- (Priya? When did she get here?), the hockey player looking at him with a smile and apologetic eyes. “Oh- don’t worry Damien! It happens all the time to me and Wayne-“

“Wayne and I.” Bowie and Priya briefly cut in at the same time.

“Same thing, guys!” Raj giggled, wiping some of the soda into his shirt by accident as he tried to get it off. “Ah shoot..” Damien heard him mumble, and stared at him for a second with concern, before brushing it off as he asked his question. “Have you seen Julia? Like, since the party actually started..” Raj blinked at him blankly, before glancing back at Priya and Bowie, and Millie who just appeared next to them. “Uhh… no? I mean I saw her likeee… I don’t know! I saw her after we played Just Dance and it looked like she wasn’t having a good time, which kinda sucks. It’s a party, you know?” Damien simply nodded, looking over at the front door.

“I’ll be back, I’m just gonna get some fresh air, it’s too loud.” He laughed lightly, and walked out of the door.

—

He walked onto the porch, closing the door behind him. In front of him, he saw a blonde with her head in her hands, shaking from the cold as the sky rained down on her. “Julia?” He asked, walking over to her slowly, sitting down next to his old friend on the staircase, the rain gently beating down on the two. He set his soda down next to him, his gaze focused on the weeping blonde. “..Jules?” He asked quietly, his eyebrows knit together in concern.

The quiet cries of the girl stopped as soon as he put his hand onto her shoulder, and he quickly pulled it away. She lifted her face from her hands, and there he saw the mess of makeup on her face. Her mascara was running down her face, and her lipstick was slightly smudged.

“What, are you gonna make fun of me, Damien?” She glared at him, a small sniffle coming from her. “This is so embarrassing.” She grumbled, the man hummed lowly, “What? I wasn’t gonna make fun of you, I’m not like MK or Bowie.” He said as he took off his yellow hat.

“Not yet.”

“Not ever, Jules. You know that.” He took off his jacket, draping it over Julia’s shoulders.

“No, I don’t!” Julia raised her voice, snapping at him, sitting up straight as the rain danced on the pair. “I don’t know if you’ll be like them — you should be mad at me, Damien! You have every single right to be mad at me! I don’t understand why you’re not!” She jabbed her index finger into his chest, right where his heart was. “I. don’t. get. you. Why do you suddenly care now?? Why do you care about me crying over some STUPID party?! Why can’t we just leave each other’s lives and move on already??”

“I care because I miss you! I care because I miss our friendship, Julia. I care because I know- deep down inside you, is the girl I once knew when we were kids! I moved on, Jules!” He frowns, looking the blonde right in the eyes, pulling her hand away from his chest. “You're the person who can’t.” He paused, watching her eyes widen before she looked away.

“..I’m sorry, Julia, but I’m telling the truth. I’ve moved on from everything, I’ve got friends, I got accepted into the college I always talked about— I-I even learned that I don’t like romance! And what have you done? Make a fake persona to gain views and popularity.” His brows furrowed once more, but it wasn’t out of concern, it was out of anger. “You .. were never that obsessed with yoga or nature or anything like that. What- what happened to you, Julia?”

“I don’t know what happened to me.” She said in a stern voice, “Ever since we stopped talking, my life has turned to shit, Damien! I tried to contact you but you never responded, not once! So then I tried to fix things with my father, do the meditating crystals and yoga like he always preached about, that sort of bullshit. I made myself something I could do to forget about you.. and then we both signed up for this fucking show, and my whole career I built up for myself vanished in an instant! I lost my followers, my sponsors- my dad’s trust! The million dollars was the only thing I had going for me then.. and then I lost that to those stupid buttknuckles.”

Damien stared at her for a long moment, soaking in the information that she just spilled out to him, actually speechless for once as Julia continued.

“I should have won the million! Not Bowie, not Priya, me!”

“Do you think I wasn’t salty too, Julia? You’re not the only one who lost.”

Julia froze at his cold tone, immediately shutting up. Damien sighed, giving himself a moment to relax.

“..I get it, though. Why you did what you did, I get it. I’m honestly just glad you weren’t actually a hippie granola girl, you know?” Julia looked up at the sky, letting the rain fall onto her face, washing away some of her messy makeup.

“…Yeah.”

A long moment of silence washes over the two, listening to the loud music blaring from inside the building, contrasting with the cold rain.

“I’m.. sorry.. for ruining our friendship.”

Julia says quietly, ashamed that she even had to say sorry in the first place. This was so unlike her. So vulnerable. She let her walls down once since the start of the show, and he doubts she’ll ever do it again.

Damien looked over at his old friend once more, a small smile on his face. “It’s alright, Julia.” He wrapped his arm around her, his yellow hat in his other hand. The two were so engrossed in their little heart to heart, they didn’t even realize that the front door was open. Bowie, Priya, Millie, and a few others were listening and watching this whole scene play out.

“Are you two done?” Bowie asked, his tone slightly annoyed.

Damien cocked his head towards the front door, giving Bowie a mean glare. Bowie’s brows raised slightly, never having seen him so mad before. Besides the finale, that is.

“Oookay, then.. I’ll just leave you two to it.”

The door shut, leaving the two childhood friends alone at last.

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine, there’s nothing I can do about it now. If they want to make fun of me, then so what? I don’t care.”

Damien laughed lightly, feeling some nostalgia tug at his heart. “That’s the Julia I know. You never cared about what anybody thought of you. You’re tough, strong..” He trailed off, but only for a moment.

“And you’re my friend, Jules.”

Julia rolled her eyes, “I forgot how cheesy you could be. And whatever, I guess.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He laughs. “..I’m always here to comfort you, Julia. Like we promised when we were kids.”

The rain slowly stopped as the minutes went by.

Julia let herself smile softly as wrapped her childhood friend’s jacket around her tighter.

Finally, she felt comforted.

[liviavanrouge]

Cheshire Union Birthday Vignette(Early Release)

Cheshire: Yippee, I can't wait for the interviewer to arrive! Birthday, birthday, birthday time~~

Cheshire: I wonder what this "Magical Birthday Dice" is and who it chose for me

???: Don't be too disappointed alright!?

Cheshire: Huh?

Livia: HII!

Cheshire: *Beams jumping around Livia* Livy! Livy, Livy, Livy!!

Cheshire: Livia, it's you, you interview me! Yayyy!

Livia: *Laughs* I brought you a gift too! I hope you like it!

Cheshire: *Perks up as Livia pulled something out of the bag she had*

Livia: Here you go!

----

----

Cheshire: *Takes the gift, looking at the small creature moving around inside* Woah..

Livia: Your first pet!

Cheshire: A-A pet!? For me!

Cheshire: W-Wow! A pet for me, I've been reading books on pet care! I've even been given a few by Mama Aolani!!

Cheshire: I'll take food care of them, I'll give them my entire life!

Livia: Haha, no need to go that far you know..

Livia: Besides if you ever need advice don't be afraid to ask me, I have lots of pets

Livia: Even though my servants Gran Gran gave me takes care of them, I still take care of them as well you know!

Livia: Don't be afraid to come drown me in questions, Cheshire

Cheshire: I will, I will!

Cheshire: Besides, you've taken care of me so you must know a lot

Livia: Not rea-

Cheshire: Besides I trust you immensely! You've never steered me wrong before you know! So whatever you tell me to do, I shall do it with ease!

Livia: *Giggles in amusement* I-I see~

Cheshire: We begin now? Yes?

Livia: *Giggles* Of course...

~~~~~

--Part 2--

Livia: Shall we begin the interview?

Cheshire: Okay!

Livia: If you could pick any student from Night Raven College to be your sibling, who would you choose?

Livia: You cannot choose anyone from your dorm either!

Cheshire: Hm, a sibling, then-

Livia: Not me either.

Cheshire: *Pouts* Alright...

Cheshire: If I have to pick someone, I would have to...hmm...someone as a sibling, who to choose.....

Cheshire: I'd have to pick...actually this is kinda hard, I like everyone in this school..

Livia: Take your time, no need to rush

Livia: It is hard to pick someone~

Cheshire: I'd pick....Azul

Livia: Nice- AZUL!?

Cheshire: Yeah, Azul!! He's a really cool guy, and I like Jade and Floyd as well! Everyone from Octavinelle is really cool people~

Cheshire: I'd like to get to know Azul better to, it must be fun running a restaurant~

Cheshire: Besides I get along with Azul, he teaches me how to write at times and I find the way he runs the restaurant interesting, he could honestly teach me a thing or two

Cheshire: I haven't eaten much food back in the lab, it was the same thing every single day only on holidays or workers birthday did we get something different

Cheshire: The food was so boring so it feels great to see and try new foods you know!

Cheshire: Azul would probably be suspicious of my interest at first but I know I can convince him

Livia: Wow

Cheshire: Yeppers! Hehehe! I might also get to sample any new dishes for the lounge~

Livia: *Laughs* You are such a foodie!

Cheshire: It's the way I am~

~~~~~

--Part 3--

Livia: Next question!

Livia: If you were to join any dorm other than Pomefiore, which dorm would you choose?

Cheshire: Other than Pomefiore, hm, I never thought of that before you know

Cheshire: A different dorm, let's see...

Cheshire: I'd probably go for Heartslabyul!

Livia: Why's that?

Cheshire: Trey of course! Hehehe, he gives me lots of sweets to try out if he can't find you or Riddle to taste test them

Livia: Ugh, if they don't have fruit I wouldn't have been able to eat them in the first place you know...

Cheshire: I know but they were topped with fruit, they looked so delicious!

Cheshire: I mainly ate the strawberry and mango tarts, they were really delicious, and I asked for more but he said the rest were for the Unbirthday Party being held in the dorm

Cheshire: But if I move to Heartslabyul, I can eat all the sweets I want at the Unbirthday Party when it comes around, hehehe~

Livia: You're such a glutton, hahaha!!

Cheshire: *Laughs beaming* I know~

Cheshire: I don't mind being a glutton if it means getting to eat lots of new food combinations

Cheshire: Food is life you know, you know!

Livia: *Chuckles* I guess so, Chi!

~~~~~

Livia: Welp, that's the end of our interview!

Cheshire: Awww boo, how disappointing...

Livia: Hahaha! Don't worry about it, ready for your "Good Fortune"?

Cheshire: Yeah, yeah!

Livia: Then...HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHESHIRE!!!

~~~~~

---SSR Groovy---

Cheshire: *Laughs, kneeling down as he wiped some of the cream from his cheek, one eye closed as he gazed up at a smiling Livia offering him a napkin*

@anxious-twisted-vampire @yukii0nna @writing-heiress @zexal-club @marrondrawsalot @abyssthing198 @teddymochi

[return-to-twisted-wonderland]

OK HOLD ON IM VERY HUNGRY SO FOOD STUFF-

peridot

fav food: chili

least fav food: applesauce

honeycrisp

fav food: pork tenderloin

least fav food: shrimp

sundew

fav food: mangos

least fav food: pasta w/o sauce

SUNDEWS HAS A BACKSTORY-

the people who raised her worked a lot, so she was left alone when she was able to be left alone to save money. However, they never left her ingredients for anything. There was only pasta, so shed have pasta(typically with olive oil and some random seasoning, but sometimes they were out of olvie oil). She doesnt hate pasta per say, but she ate so much of it and it brings back memories of loneliness

Also the woman who raised peridot forced him to eat applesauce a few times for the fruit part of it. However, he loves chili bc that bitch’s mother makes really good chili and so he ended up loving her chili because she was so cool and it was great

Honeycrisp has to hold back the urge to puke for most seafood, but shrimp is the worst and he gags whenever he eats it.

Idk im just hungry :(

-🍋 anon :3

So Honeycrisp hates seafood, form the sounds of it. Also, poor baby Sundew, she's giving me Matilda vibes.

[pretty-house-pretty-garden]

Fam Lovemail For Owen/Mi Papá Henry!! (@confetti-and-confessions)

Today it's been 1 year since I met my Owen canonmate!

Neither of us knew of Outsiders yet then...

We met through fnaf, actually :)

Mi papá, Henry. Who I had been looking for for years. He doesn't even really remember me in his canon there but he still claimed me as his kid gladly.

He took me in. I felt so fuckin lonely. I was coming from a situation where my life felt like it was falling appart- and yet... he made it all better.

For the first time I found someone who wasnt only my father from media but acted like an actual father. He was a real dad. He cared and he held me close when I cried and suffered the aftermaths of probably the worst months of my life.

He didnt have to. But he did. He even said a couple times he wanted to. He said he'd be there for me whenever I needed him. And I never understood how serious he was about that... I- I still dont, not fully..

But I know he means it. He's always been there for me no matter how fucked up I am. He's never turned me down for being "too much" for him.

And I wanna be there for him aswell. I hope I'm doing a good job <:]

Star's one of the best people I have in my life. I never wanna loose dust and I hope we stay together many many years more!!

Star makes me so so happy, so much so that this year I expected fathers day excited. So much so that I made a gift for dust and waited excited to give it to dust that day

I just love you so much dad!! Thank you for being there for me.. really, thank you do much ♡

here's a few sweet memories from our shared medias:

FNaF: times I got in trouble for following Mikey and his friends into stuff. I wasn't scared of talking to you and calling for your help... while the other 4 were scared of their parents finding out I needed to tell you as soon as possible, ask for help. I also remember sometimes after school you'd take Charlie and I to this one little store of sorts.. I'd always get a box of orange juice and we'd get a family package of cookies :D! You would also sometimes buy some gummies without us noticing and hide it in your room, you'd give us some without mom knowing after dinner every once in a while... hehe.. when she found out she'd just ask for her share aswell <3 I know when I was older I did something similar and bought the same brand of juice anytime I found it available.. it reminded me of home, of you <:] ♡

OutsidersSMP: you taught me how to start a fire out of just sticks and stones... how to tie a knot... let me stay in your house whenever I felt lonely or was having a bad time sleeping, remembering stuff about people I lost... you always protected me when I went in the maze even when I didnt listen to you... we cooked together and even baked sometimes... we'd make strawberry "pie"/tart... and mango smoothies! Also!! Just hugging !! Mostly in private at first cus u didnt want people knowing you were a hugging person hehe <3

Empires: I remember the first time I called you dad.... it was an accident and I was super embarassed... BUT! You made me feel less awkward about it.... and I felt better.. eventually it became the norm... it was super nice. I remember when you gave me some beautiful copper earrings shaped like wheat.. the glowberries made me so happy too!! I loved surprise gifts and tried to get you some too sometimes <3 Like sunflowers along with the usual food delivery :) ! I also remember when you visited me after the duels with Xornoth.. you were really worried.. hehe.. oops- oh and when we reunited.. You were the only person who remembered me after so many years.. the only soul that stayed the same.. <33

Hatchetfield: I remember going out for soft serve ice cream with you!! Specially as a kid, and then we went years later with Richie and we both felt like little kids again :)!! We also ate burgers at home and made you watch anime with us... hehehe it was the best day ever!! Thank you so much for being always there for me uncle Paul ♡

FAITH: a specific timeline where you saved me.. I genuinly felt so physically sick and wasn't even sure how I was still even alive. But you took care of me. I remember weeping and letting out howls of pain. And you would feed me, somehow. Sit next to me despite how terrible I looked. I think once you could tell I felt ugly and scary after seeing myself in a mirror, cause soon after you offered to do my hair, brush it and put accessories on it, even got me a new dress... it made me feel like a normal real girl one more time. Thank you, Father. ♡

I could keep going on and on for hours, but I hope you understand at least a bit of how much you mean to me ♡

cause there's not enough words in this world or any other to express it well <3

[wilted-rrose]

I love fruit

Bananas, grapes, crunchyy grapes!!!! blueberriesss, raspberries, mangoes, kiwis, plums, figs (actually ive never had one</3), mulberries, thimbleberries, and sososososo SO many more

have you ever had thimbleberries??? They’re a wild berry, I once found some on a bush and ate them, and wowwwwee!!!!!! They are like so good and yum \(^u^)/ the texture is kinda raspy but soft at the same time and have a really unique sweet flavor, if you’ve never had them you better go find some and collect emmm!!! or grow your own :0 I grew strawberry once the flowers were very pretyy

Anhyyywayy fruit is so perfect it’s so refreshing and juicy and sweet and delectable and there’s so many different textures and ones to choose from, and they grow on perfect little bushes or trees, like cherries omgg cherries! Cherriiiessss they would be sm better if they didn’t have a pit UnU bbut I still love themmmmmmmm

[kikuism]

ooh i can think of a few!!

top 5 summer fruits 🍉🥭🍓

top 5 books full of yearning 📚

top 5 characters you loved during childhood/middle school

(also my dumb ass is on desktop and i misclicked the unfollow/follow button like a fool when i went to send this 😭😭😭)

yay jenna ☺️

top 5 summer fruits:

1) peaches. it's so rare to come across a truly delectable one but Nothing tops a perfectly ripe peach....

2) mango. she's a classic

3) plums

4) watermelon. so refreshing!

5) cantaloupe

top 5 books full of yearning

ooohhh this is a good question and now that i think about it, as much as i adore pining and yearning and longing, i've never read a book that was just filled with those things. also it takes ALOT for me to get invested in a romance....so i'll list some relationships in books where the pining was really good

1) ‘adam lived in an apartment located above the offices of st. agnes catholic church, a fortuitous combination that focused most of the objects of ronan’s worship into one downtown block’. she was insane for that line

2) the song of achilles :( their young tender love the tragedy of it all

3) i loved whatever kaz and inej had going on.....the bathroom scene still lives rent free in my brain. i love how entrenched he is in violence and filth and how he falls for someone who in his eyes is basically divine....it's such a good dynamic.

4) hfkshfh this is sooooo old but the first characters i ever cried over were leo and calypso from the percy jackson series.....the agony of her wanting him to stay but him having to leave.....her loneliness.....cursed to stay banished on the island forever only for an outsider to wash up every thousand years or so and for them to eventually leave.....wow......i ate that up like it was a five course dinner like something shifted in my brain chemistry. and that dynamic heavily influenced my vampire au. to this day i'm on the hunt for something else like it

5) i can't think of a fifth one help. the romances i like in books are SOOOO far and few in between

top 5 characters you liked in childhood/middle school:

1) toph! she was everything to me as a child

2) shun from bakugan.....we won't talk about it but i've always loved the emo boys.....

3) frodo baggins. yeah that's right...not aragorn or legolas or sam or gandalf. i really admired how he carried the ring despite it all and i Loved how it was corrupting himbgjdkdhcjdjfhf sorry i Loveeee a cursed object that corrupts the wearer 😌 i guess i also felt a kinship with him since he's rather quiet and timid but he tries his hardest.

4) strawberry shortcake 2003!!!!! that's my GIRL

5) oh this is OLD old but i loved ruby from max and ruby....eldest daughter.....

[tinytourist]

Guanabana Gang

On Friday morning, our chauffeur Stacia transported us to La Fortuna. As we approached where we thought our Airbnb was, we lost service. The directions were not at all clear, and our hanger won out, so we quit and went for lunch at the first place we saw.

It turned out to be everything we needed: fresh dragonfruit, maracuya, and guanabana juice accompanied by fresh ceviche, garlic shrimp, and wait for it…more fish. We hopped on the wifi, downloaded the map, and successfully found our Airbnb!

After checking in, we went to the Don Olivio chocolate tour. Immediately upon arrival, we were greeted with bananas, papaya, and chocolate fudge. To say the least, we were already into it. We took a quick look at the surrounding fruit trees and saw a two-toed sloth named Maria munchin’ on some hibiscus leaves.

We saw pink bananas AKA bird food, green-rinded oranges, guanabana, and cacao, and we took shots of sugar cane rum. Our guide cracked open the cacao and gave us each a bean covered in a sweet mango-flavored coating. At the end of the tour, we sat down and somehow consumed hot chocolate and pure hot coffee with a bit of fresh vanilla extract.

On our way back from the tour, we stopped at a local grocery store where we got some local coffee and an assortment of road trip snacks including ceviche-flavored plantain chips, which we ate for dinner because we were too pooped to go out.

The next morning, we had some of that 100% Arabica coffee, and Stacia & Jess were twitching, but it helped us get on the road by 7 am! Less than an hour later with a few bumps along the way, we were at Arenal River canyon for our canyoneering/zip-lining adventure.

We did 4 repels through waterfalls, 2 zip-lines, and 3 jumps into the water. Stacia was the most scared with me at a close second but only for the free-jumps. Frances took everything like a champ. Our lunch was included at the Mistico Hanging Bridges Park where we got a spectacular view of the Arenal volcano, saw an anteater, and got a huge plate of Costa Rican almuerzo.

Back at the BnB, we relaxed by reading in the hammock before getting dressed up and listening to our old college playlists. We hit up downtown La Fortuna and got two excellent tangerine ceviches because what is a meal in Costa Rica without ceviche?? We then got a drink at Lava Lounge, where we listened to some sub-par live reggae and hung out with a pregnant cat.

The next morning, we all woke up at our leisure and went to Mirador El Silencio for our morning rainforest hike, which included a trail with a great view of Arenal along volcanic rocks. We said “¡buenas!” to a few cows on our way out and then headed to the Ecotermales Hot Springs.

This is Arenal’s only truly natural hot springs, and it felt like paradise. We ate a wonderful buffet of fresh food and Stacia announced “I’ve never been happier in my life” as she held the bare chicken in her hands.

It was a little hot outside to be jumping from hot pool to hot pool but luckily we found a cooler spot and some shade. We left feeling completely relaxed.

For dinner, we went to La Street where Stacia and Frances split a huge taco platter, and I got fish with hearts of palm and mashed potatoes with a gooseberry on top. We ate until we could eat no more, and then we walked it off. Frances dove into a hearts of palm rabbit hole and learned that we should avoid single-stemmed hearts of palm.