#And when he eats bread.. It's just the plain bread. Not even toasted

[ducklikethedaffy2]

Just a regular human man who is super normal and eats bread like ordinary people

[cashmoneyyysstuff]

this is a lil part two for this lil request fic i wrote about katsuki takin' care of a drunk reader ! yall rlly seemed to like it n asked for a part two so, here it is !! hope yall enjoy !

no pronouns mentioned, just pure fluffy katsu, microscopic angst maybe kinda and if you squint HARD (reader gets a little bit upset), soft katsu but he's also an asshat but we love him anyways, mentions of food n eating, mentions of bein drunk, lemme know if i missed sum else !

"ya told me you loved me yesterday."

it's all katsuki utters in the quiet of your apartment as he looks out the window.

you promptly choke on your toast.

you manage to cough down your bread. clearing your throat as you try to speak as naturally as possible. “oh yeah ?”

katsuki grunts in response, taking a sip of his orange juice and smacking his lips before speaking again. still looking at the window and away from you, it makes you nervous. “yeah, thanked me for always takin care of ya, r’something”

katsuki is trying his very hardest to speak casually and he’s praying to every god there is you can’t hear the slight quiver in his voice or see the slight shakiness of his hand when he brings the glass of juice to his lip.

“oh.” your heart beats so loud you can hear it in your ears. you try to salvage the situation and you force out an awkward laugh. “ i mean—i am thankful to you, y’know.”

“ya should be, nobody else could handle takin’ care of your ass.”

“hey !”

you think this is fine. you were drunk and stupid and you’re fine with him brushing off your accidental confession like this if it means it won’t make things awkward. if it means he’ll keep coming over to your house like he owns the place and cook for you because you apparently don’t know how to cook for yourself well enough for his liking. as long as you can keep hanging out with him and going out for drinks and having him take care of you. though, you might not drink as much next time you two go out.

after a minute or two he speaks again “did you mean it ?”

your hand is already reaching for his half bitten piece of toast when you freeze for the second time “did i mean what ?”

katsuki scoffs, smacking your hand away from his toast with two fingers, you let out a little whine “ i know you’re not dumb, so quit actin’ like you are.”

“but i don’t know what you mean !” you inwardly cringe at your dumb response.

“when you said you—“ katsuki cuts himself off with a quiet groan, grabbing his toast and splitting it in half, chucking one of the pieces onto your plate “whatever” he mutters to himself. your heart squeezes when you see the sad frown on his pretty face he doesn’t seem to realize he has.

you don’t know if you’ve still got alcohol in your system, you don’t know if you’ve fully slept it off yet, if you’re fearless or crazy or just plain stupid, but after taking a bite of the toast he’d given you you blurt out something you were sure you would’ve only had the courage to say if you were black out drunk.

“i did.”

katsuki turns to you the moment you finish your sentence, bright red eyes widened as he tries not to let his surprise show, he fails to though. “ you did what ?”

in the back of your mind you want to pout at him because you know he knows what you mean. you know he just wants to hear you say what he wants to hear and it makes you a little grumpy because it’s early in the morning and you don’t look your best at all right now. you’re too embarrassed to even look him in the eye yet his bore into you so hard it feels like a magnetic pull, like you’re being forced to look at him despite your best efforts not to. you want to be at least a little mad but you can’t blame him, you feel like you owe this to him in a way.

“ i did mean it..when i said..” you’re incapable of looking at him as you feel shame creep onto you, clinging onto you like a sweaty shirt, you manage to swallow down the piece of toast“ when i said that.” you trail off quietly.

no sound is made and no voice is heard for at least a minute, but you feel yourself wanting to cry more and more with each second that passes.

you get the courage to look up at him and instantaneously which you never had when you see a smirk on his annoying face.

“that ? that, what ?” he jeers with a grin bordering on evil, sharp teeth on display.

you throw your head back and groan “katsuki, oh my god !” leaning forward across your table you try to pull his nose after you hear him chuckling. he swiftly dodges you, grabbing your wrist and then your other one when you try to pull a fast one on him, unsuccessfully. you grumble as you sit back down and if you weren’t as enamored with him as you somehow ended up being you’d have knocked that stupid smirk off his face. everything seems to be against you, including your heart.

he hums once you’ve sat back down “ooh, you mean when you told me you loved me, right ? s’that what you meant ?” he snickers, shit eating grin on his face. asshole, he’s not even trying to look innocent.

“you’re not funny.” you huff, crossing your arms and glaring at him. “ like, at all.”

“you’re right, i’m not.” he responds, leaning his forearms against your table “ i’m hilarious, actually.”

a part of you wishes you could punch him. hard. another louder part of you just wants to kiss his smug expression off his face, both options sound extremely tempting but one of them more than the other.

“hilariously stupid.” not your best retort, but you’ll take it. katsuki huffs out a laugh as you pout and look off to the side, you’re so fucking cute.

his smirk doesn’t fade as he keeps staring at you but his eyes soften as he leans in to rip your arms away from your chest “ relax, m’just fuckin’ witcha.”

“yeah. haha. funny.” you spit. katsuki starts getting actually worried he’d hurt your feelings and quickly tries redeeming himself. he pokes at your cheek once, twice and you swat his hand away when he goes for a third poke. then he leans forward so he can tickle your side and inwardly sighs in relief when you swat at his hand trying to hold back your laughter. the way he’s leaning against the table is a bit uncomfortable for him but as long as he keeps that warmth on your face he couldn’t care less.

he gets up and grabs his chair, dragging it against the floor causing it to squeak and making you cringe, you let out a noise of displeasure but katsuki doesn't look the least bit phased as he bring his chair to sit next to you.

his cheeks are red, you realize it now that he's sitting so much closer to you. he speaks after a moment of silence "so you meant it, yeah ? when you told me you.." he trails off at the end of his sentence. he's quieter than you're used to. there's a certain hopeful urgency in his eyes that has you shyly nodding your head in response.

he’s looking at you and you’re looking right back

“i meant it.” you whisper.

“i know.” he whispers back after a beat, before pressing his lips to yours.

the kiss lasts about 10 seconds before he pulls away, then leans in again for another, slightly longer one. when you separate your breathing a little heavy. you place your hand on his face and rub his cheek, admiring the way his eyelashes flutter slightly and how the feeling causes shivers to run up his spine. you can't help the goofy smile that pulls at your face and neither can he, you both chuckle slightly.

then you take a breath as if contemplating if what you were about to say was worth it. but katsuki knows you don't care and he's right because you say it anyway.

"we should go out for drinks to celebrate !" you giggle. he playfully rolls his eyes, pinching your side making you let out a squeal.

even though you call it a celebration katsuki knows it'll be the same charade as usual. you'll drink until you pass out and he'll bring you home. he'll help you clean up and take you to bed and have breakfast made for your hungover ass in the morning. but this time, you'll be his. and to katsuki, that's worth so much more than the headache he knows you'll give him.

[amazinglyegg]

What the companions would make you if they had access to a kitchen:

Cait

I'm thinking a nice stir-fry or rice with a shit ton of vegetables and PROTEIN

Of course she loves her protein

Hmm or maybe a lasagna. Nice and dense.

Whatever she makes, there'll be enough of it to go around

She gives off food insecurity to me so I feel like she prefers to take her food and eat alone most days

But you WILL have a shitton of leftovers!

Codsworth

A nice breakfast spread like what you'd see in movies.

French toast, eggs (sunny side up or your preference if he knows it), bacon, several options of cereal in those little fancy cereal dispensers, pancakes or waffles depending on your preference, fresh fruit laid out...

And of course a glass of orange juice

He wants nothing more than for you (and anyone else you're sharing the meal with) to sit down and enjoy while he cleans the dishes and helps out

Just like old times <3

Curie

Baking time!!!!

Cookies are her go-to

Does that thing where you use your thumbprint to make a heart shape and fills it with jam

They come out perfect every time. She leaves them out on a plate and they're gone within a minute

Just be warned she might eat the cookie dough. Would definitely make edible cookie dough just to eat it raw at like 1am

Danse

He's a protein shake and plain hard boiled eggs type of guy

He wouldn't make you a meal, but would mealprep your entire week for you

(It's just plastic tupperware of boiled eggs and like, one whole carrot)

If he HAD to make an actual warm meal it'd probably look exactly like Brotherhood rations

Mashed potatos, plain crackers, and some vague meat in sauce

Deacon

This man lives like he will be killed via sniper if he ever expresses a genuine feeling

So as much as I'd like to say he'd make a meal that's really important to him, he'd probably just grab the nearest cookbook and pick a random recipe

Not even he knows what it's gonna be like until it's made

He also doesn't want to be associated with a certain meal so he'll only make it once or twice. If you want it again then YOU have to cook it!

If he's completely alone and just making something for himself, then maybe a nice sandwich or sub

I don't know why but he just gives off sandwich vibes

Dogmeat

Can't cook

He would, however, oversee the situation and taste test when needed

Gage

Grill dad

He'd make like, ribs and baked potatoes. Nice and filling and also pretty damn messy

Not too big on vegetable but he'd also grill like, corn on the cob or maybe some skewers

Chicken wings perhaps???

Maccready

Weird food combinations is this man's bread and butter (or bread and ketchup)

He WILL hand you a turkey sandwich with ketchup and potato chips in it. And it will taste good.

Or like, steak sushi. Spaghetti on pizza. Mayo dumplings?

He can make basically anything, but he just has some really weird preferences

If you can get over the strangeness it's actually pretty decent

Nick

Toast and black coffee <3

That's it

I mean like he'll make you tea or something if you don't like coffee

Pre-war Nick always had toast and coffee for breakfast in the morning so it's nostalgic to him

Old Longfellow

"Oh he'd make a fish based meal" NO. He lives next to the water he's probably SO DAMN TIRED OF FISH

Chicken noodle soup maybe, but like high quality chicken noodle soup with some nice spices

Or maybe a pot roast??

Piper

Weirdly enough, as much as she loves sweets I feel like she'd be a much better cook than a baker

She'd make a nice well rounded meal with protein, carbs, 1-2 vegetables. Gotta make sure Nat's eating well

Not huge on spices though. Like your mashed potatoes will be buttery and smooth as fuck but you're limited to like basic box gravy and maybe salt and pepper.

I feel like she can and will make an entire turky dinner. Just out of nowhere. There's like 7 different sides and an apple pie Curie made.

Preston

Oh this man will make a MEAN stew

It's his go-to. He can share it if needed, have leftovers to feed himself for multie days, and it's versatile

I'm thinking either radstag or brahmin meat, or maybe a bone stock, but in the past he's made stews out of basically anything, from bugs to deathclaw meat

He also has a soft spot for campfires and would love to roast marshmallows or cook hotdogs or something around a fire

X6-88

Grabs an apple for himself and leaves.

The Institute eats SUPPLEMENT PACKETS there is NO WAY this man knows how to cook

He's probably a picky eater too, and he only likes those packets

He's gonna be living off a diet of applesauce and ensure for a long while

Honestly he might enjoy taking his food (any food) and putting it in a blender. It fixes the sensory aspect of it.

[peppermint-toads]

ghost dealing with his pregnant southern wife’s cravings (aka you introduce simon to tomato mayo sandwiches). tw: pregnancy, a little smut, eating/food, a little vomiting. i didn’t proof read this

ghost loved coming home to you after tedious days doing paperwork on base.

whatever you were going, he’d wrap his arms around you, resting his chin on the top of your head and sighing. he probably smelled like man. gross, sweaty man, but you never commented on it.

when you fell pregnant he loved holding you like that even more, seeing your belly start to poke out as he gazed downward.

one night, he came home to you standing in front of the kitchen counter, arm gently sawing back and forth as you sliced a tomato.

he took his normal position, humming and closing his eyes. when he opened them again, he took in the scene in front of him.

“what is this, love?”

never did he expect you to cook for him, especially when you became pregnant. but maybe every once in a while when he came home particularly starving, he’d steal a bite or two of whatever you were making.

but lately, your meals had gotten a bit strange.

and really, it was his own fault. as soon as you’d so much as hinted at wanting to have simon’s kid, he had you anchored down to the hilt of him as he stuffed you with his cum.

“it’s ummm, tomatoes and sourdough, and mayo.”

you tilted your head back to look at him.

“that’s it?”

you shook your head, hair going staticky on his t-shit.

“salt and pepper, too.”

you watched as his face pinched into a grimace.

“hey!” you scowled. “don’t look at me like that mister beans on toast.”

you turned fully, playfully shoving his chest.

“used to eat this all the time as a kid. everybody kinda did.”

simon cracked as he saw embarrassment creep onto your features, like he’d made you feel gross for craving it.

you were often victim of trying new british “delicacies,” so it was only fair that he return the favor.

“alright, i’ll try one.” he shrugged.

he offered to help, but as always you refuse it. he watched as you slathered a generous layer of mayo onto each side of the bread, setting thick slices of tomato on top, and finishing it with enough pepper to make simon sneeze.

he winced when you handed him his plate, and you were suddenly nervous.

“it might not be that good, tomatoes being out of season and all.”

you both tuck into your sandwiches once settled on the couch, your preferred spot these days.

simon was pleasantly surprised. maybe a little too much mayo, but he was delighted.

you on the other hand, were gagging after taking a bite. it had you making a haste exit for the bathroom, where you found a familiar place on the floor, heaving into the toilet.

when you returned to the living room, sheepish, simon had discarded any evidence of the sandwiches and had put a pot of water on the stove to boil for plain noodles, one of the only things you could stomach recently.

“sorry si, i didn’t mean for that to happen. it’s just—”

you began to choke, suddenly overcome by emotion. he pulled you in tight, your face pressing into his shirt.

“i know love, i know.”

his hand smoothed up and down your back steadily until he felt your breathing return to normal and heard your sniffling stop.

“why don’t you find a movie, and i’ll finish up in here.” he nodded towards the kitchen

you did, finding a movie both of you would like, even though simon never really watched the screen anymore. he was too focused on you, watching your little belly rise and fall with every breath.

[luciathcv]

here for you - sjy

summary: you get sick and just want your boyfriend || warnings: mentions of reader throwing up || genre: fluff || word count: approximately 945 || a/n: i haven't written about my man in over two months omg

I woke up in the middle of the night, sweating. It wasn't me sweating because the room was hot, it was me sweating because my body was hot. Oh god, am I sick?

I tried to fall back asleep but I just kept repeatedly failing. All of the sudden, I felt the immense urge to throw up. I covered my mouth with my hand and quickly got up, going to the bathroom. it shouldn't come to any surprise that I ended up puking.

I was shaking afterwards and suddenly felt achy and had a huge headache. I'm sick of people saying throwing up makes them feel better, it never makes me feel better, I only ever feel worse.

I lie in bed after throwing up, tried to fall asleep, but I just couldn't. So, I finally just ended up giving up and going on my phone, preparing to just stay up for the rest of the night.

Once it hit eight o'clock, I got a text from my unknowing boyfriend, saying "good morning" to me. I texted him back, saying "good morning" back to him before telling him that I was sick.

I saw that he had read the text but he didn't say anything. I just sighed as I went back to scrolling on TikTok, not really knowing why he wasn't answering me but I just let it be.

All of the sudden, I heard the sound of my boyfriend's voice. Great, was I hallucinating now? Turns out I wasn't when the bedroom door opened and my boyfriend actually walked inside.

"Jake, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Couldn't leave my girl suffering all alone." Jake teased with a soft smile. I noticed that he had a plastic bag in his hand, filled with stuff. He put it on my dresser before coming over to me, going to give me a kiss.

I put my hand on his chest, stopping him from kissing me. "Jake, you can't kiss me. You're gonna get sick." I said.

"Shhh, that doesn't matter. I need your kisses and you need mine." Jake told me.

I just smiled, giving in and letting him kiss me. He caressed my cheek as he pulled away from the kiss. He then brought his hand up to my forehead, feeling it.

"You're really hot, princess." Jake said, making me smile because even though I knew what he meant by that, it could've been taken two ways. Jake smiles back at me, already knowing what I was thinking, "Both ways."

"Stop it!" I playfully slapped him. "I know, I think I have a fever. I woke up sweating." I told him.

"When'd you wake up?" Jake asked.

"A few hours ago.." I admitted.

Jake gave me a look, "Sweetheart, you should've called me as soon as you woke up."

"No, Jake. It was really late and you were sleeping." I told him.

"Hey, you don't have to worry about that. I would've come straight to you either way. I told you, I can't let my girl be all alone, especially while she's sick." Jake told me.

"Fine." I pouted and Jake kissed the pout away.

"So, you just woke up with a fever?"Jake asked, wanting to know if anything else was wrong.

"No, I also threw up and I feel really achy." I told my boyfriend.

"Then let me make you something small to eat, you need to eat, even if it's something small." Jake said, caressing my face.

I wanted to reject that but I knew he wouldn't give in so I just let him go and make me something to eat.

Soon after, Jake came back into my bedroom with a plate of plain toasted bread and a mug of hot tea, honey mixed inside of it since he knew you liked it sweet.

He put the plate and the mug on your nightstand before going over, grabbing the plastic bag with the stuff he'd brought in it, and bringing it to where you were on the bed.

You watched as he put the bag on the bed and went through it, taking out some medication bottles and opening them, taking out the pills for you and handing them to you. You sat up in the bed.

"One at a time and drink your tea with it. it shouldn't be too hot." Jake softly instructed me and I nodded, doing as he said. When I finished, I put the mug down. "Was it the tea okay?" My boyfriend asked and I nodded.

"It was good. Thank you, Jakey." I thanked him.

"You're welcome, baby. Now come on, try and eat a little bit." He said as he handed you the plate which you put in your lap. Jake got on the bed and sat next to you, over the covers.

"What if I throw up again?" I asked, nervous that me eating will cause me to throw up.

"Then I'll be here. But, you seriously need to eat, your stomach is empty." Jake told me as he brought his arm up and put it around me.

I sighed as I started eating the bread. I was really thankful for him coming here and doing all of this when he really didn't have to.

For the rest of the day, Jake was taking care of you, he didn't leave your side much but when he did it was to make you some soup and more tea and to help you when you threw up again after lunch in your bathroom.

He was the sweetest boyfriend and you were happy that you had someone there caring for you while you were sick.

ᥫ᭡ link to my masterlist

[emo-batboy]

Battinson and Food

He’s vegetarian and I will hear none of your crap

Depression meals, so many depression meals

I already made a post of his greatest hits here but here's three more:

A whole tub of apple sauce

Instant grits mixed with a hot chocolate packet

And a bowl of croutons

Some meals have actually graduated from the “Depression Meal” category to “Whenever I Can Sneak It Out of the Kitchen” status (because Alfred is appalled every time)

Dick, with the invincible, titanium-lined stomach of a 9yo, doesn’t know why Bruce makes them, but he loves taking bites of Bruce’s weird concoctions.

His favorites so far are:

Cream cheese and jelly sandwich

Spoonfuls of peanut butter (with chocolate chips, that was his idea)

And frozen garlic bread

Diner Food is King. (This is New Jersey. What did you expect?) His go-to order is two eggs over easy, well-done rye toast, grits with syrup and butter, and a fruit cup with no melons from the 24-hour place two blocks east. Hasn’t changed since he was five. Never will.

Bruce can cook food that is edible. Edible.

Like if he tries to make Italian, he can successfully cook the pasta. He can make a basic sauce. He can even plate it.

The tomato sauce is crunchy in some places, yes, but it’s fine :) and it is edible

but Bruce has NEVER succeeded in a baking endeavor, and it positively devastates him every single time

“Baking is science! I love science! I’m great at science. So why didn’t the cake rise when I did everything on the recipe?!” “You need to make it with love-“ “That wasn’t on the ingredients list, Alfred!”

He can handle spice surprisingly well. It’s not like he could avoid it while training all over the world, so he ended up building a tolerance, but his eyes still go unbelievably red every time.

He really fucks with bagels (I mean, what self-respecting Gothamite doesn’t) and he has a very specific bagel order for every possible mood from the great place downtown

The workers at Bagel Kingdom know which moods correspond with which order, and they have a designated spreadsheet taped to the back of the counter so they can work accordingly.

They know he’s barely hanging in there when he gets a toasted blueberry bagel with no butter.

He’s having a good day when he gets a plain bagel sandwich with tomato, provolone, two fried eggs, and hot sauce. In that order. That’s the shit

When he’s stressed, he gets a pumpernickel bagel with strawberry cream cheese to cheer himself up.

The workers of Bagel Kingdom will NOT let you disrespect his bagel.

Bruce almost burnt the tower down when he tried to cook a toaster waffle in the microwave while running on 40 hours without sleep, and he just kept cooking it because it wasn’t crisping for some reason

Alfred needs to force him to eat all the time

(It is definitely because Bruce suffers from disordered eating.)

There was one period of time in which Bruce went days without food, and Alfred (lovingly) threatened to send him to in-patient if he didn’t eat

Bruce said that those gross, mushy, lukewarm blueberries were the only thing he’d tolerate when he was struggling, so blueberries became their indicator: if Bruce can’t stomach blueberries, he goes to in-patient.

He’s gone twice, and Bruce was very mad each time, but he still uses healing methods that he was taught in there so it couldn’t have been that bad.

(He’s also friends with some of the nurses now. He, Denise, and Kayleigh have a group chat.)

Dick once convinced him to test taste different kinds of olive oil to learn the difference between regular and extra virgin. It was absolutely disgusting, and he ended up puking an hour later. Alfred now puts child locks on the kitchen cabinets.

The first time Bruce ever makes a meal that doesn’t look horrid is when he spends two weeks practicing Romani dishes for Dick the month after he adopts him.

He has since perfected three different recipes:

Stuffed peppers

Goulash

Cabbage rolls

(Keep in mind Dick is not vegetarian like Bruce.)

He tried making almond cake like 80 times (which is more like a biscuit but still a baked good) but could never do it right so Alfred makes them instead.

At dinner time, Dick always eats off Bruce’s plate more than his own. Alfred has chastised him several times, but Bruce only encourages him more. He thinks it’s cute. And so does the general public when they attend dinner parties.

One of Bruce's favorite memories of his parents is when he had a bad dream in the middle of the night so Thomas and Martha drove him out to the nearest diner to have a chocolate milkshake at 3 am.

Now, after patrol, if Bruce saw something traumatic or something that reminded him of his parents’ death, he’ll go to that same 24-hour diner and sit for a bit with a chocolate milkshake.

He continues this tradition after Dick becomes Robin. (Even if it took months for Bruce to even consider the idea of letting Dick near harm’s way.)

No matter how hard he tries to keep Dick away from the gruesome stuff, he can’t stop everything. They get milkshakes a lot more than Bruce would like.

But eventually, it turns into a treat whenever Dick does well in school or needs a pick-me-up.

And when they add Jason to the mix, they introduce him to the tradition as well.

They know everything will be okay when they have chocolate milkshakes together.

[id-rather-be-an-outsider]

Fanboys

chapter 2: making friends

summary: follow y/n through her first day of the quarter!

word count: 1932

a/n: hehe I was very happy to make this chapter! I hope you enjoy! comment on the masterlist, send me a message or comment on this post to be added to the taglist!

When y/n’s alarm woke her up for the first day of Fall Quarter, she could already smell something heavenly cooking in the kitchen. As she dragged herself out of bed, she noticed it felt more like floating than dragging. Maybe this is why cartoon characters hover when they smell good food, she thought to herself, and she picked out her fit for the day.

Y/n figured that nothing could go wrong with lavender Nikes, an oversized lavender tank top tucked into pale gray sweats and a cute half up half down hairstyle with a scrunchy. She completed her look with a simple silver chain and matching hoop earrings, and of course she laid her edges, gelled her brows, and used some highlighter, opting to wait on lipgloss until she’d eaten breakfast.

She heard a knock on her door, and Nobara’s voice followed. “Y/n! Want to try my famous breakfast sandwich?” Before y/n could answer, Nobara opened the door, gasping. She eyed y/n up and down, then said, “I think I’m going to steal your style, because how have I never thought of pastels before?!”

Y/n felt her face heat up and she laughed. “If you can fit my clothes, feel free to borrow them whenever you want! But what’s this about a famous breakfast sandwich?”

Nobara blushed. “Actually, it’s not really mine. It’s our friend Toge’s recipe, but I stole it because it’s really good. But come try it!” She leaned forward and grabbed y/n’s wrist, dragging her out of her room and over to the kitchen counter, where Maki was already seated and chowing down, and two plated sandwiches were waiting to be devoured. Nobara sat in the middle seat, and turned to y/n. “Okay, get this. So, for starters, you toast these sourdough bread rounds, right? Then, you put mayo on each bread slice. Then, you put a piece of this super melty cheese on one of the slices. Then you make an egg over easy, so there’s still runny yolk in it, and add that. Finally, you put your lunch meat in the pan just to heat it up a smidge and put that on top, put your other slice of bread on top, and squish the egg so the yolk drips onto your plate and acts as a dipping sauce. I added seasonings to ours, but I didn’t know what you wanted on yours, so I left it plain and figured you’d tell me what you wanted next time. Now take a bite!” Nobara exclaimed, and y/n couldn’t help but see her as an excited golden retriever waiting to be called a good dog.

Y/n bit into it, and it tasted… “Good,” She said, “Way better than any Starbucks sandwich I’ve ever had. Thanks for making me food.”

Nobara beamed. “I like cooking, but I like eating Toge’s cooking more than anything. He’s just a genius at that stuff!” She sighed, seemingly day dreaming. I wonder if she likes that guy, y/n mused. Whoever he was.

In the middle of her morning class – a college success class – y/n’s phone dinged, and she mentally cursed herself for not turning it on silent beforehand. The few heads that swiveled in the sea of students quickly refocused their attention on the professor when he cleared his throat, and y/n mouthed a ‘sorry’ as she silenced it. Who was texting her this early?

When she checked, she noticed the name “tHe GwOrLz ChAt” in her text messages. That’s new, she thought to herself, and when she opened her phone, she hid a smile. It was her roommates.

Somehow, y/n couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous when the other students in her class started gathering their things. She felt butterflies in her stomach, her hands felt shaky, and she felt self-conscious, as if everyone in the room was watching her. Sure, maybe one or two students looked her way, but she wasn’t that famous. Not Lil Nas X famous, not even Em Beihold famous. She was more like… Avenue Beat famous, where she popped off with one song, and then got a steady enough following from that to be alright if she never went viral again.

Were these feelings first day jitters? Hardly. She knew what it really was. She wanted Nobara and Maki’s friends to like her, and if they didn’t? She stood the chance of losing her two new friends, and if their friends only saw y/n for her internet fame? She’d end up distancing herself and lose out on opportunities to spend time with the girls, because that’s what drove her out of her hometown in the first place.

As she made her way down the stairs, her shoes sounded like bricks on the floor to her ears, thudding almost as loud as her heart in her chest. She was so focused on her nerves, staring at her feet all the while, that she almost toppled over when she crashed into someone at the door of the classroom.

“O-oh!” Her voice cracked, “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” She asked the guy, and thanked her lucky stars she’d finished her sentence before seeing his face, because… wow.

Long, jet-black hair, melty dark chocolate colored eyes, and a handsome smile to match, along with a completely unfazed demeanor. When he smiled at y/n, she experienced a blank mind for the first time in her life. “I’m perfectly fine. Are you okay? You seem a little out of it.”

Y/n squeezed her eyes shut and opened them back up, confirming for herself that what she was experiencing was real and that she was, in fact, okay. “No, yea! I’m all good. Just wasn’t watching where I was going. Sorry again.”

He smiled at her again, and this time, she noticed crinkles in the corners of his eyes. Somehow, a normal human feature for literally everyone was only sexy on him. “You’re okay,” he said. “See you around.” And walked away. He’s fine as fuck, y/n thought as she stood there, under a spell.

When he was out of sight, she finally remembered she was supposed to meet up with her friends. She hurried down the hall and out of the building, heading straight to the cafeteria, knowing she’d either spot them outside, or they’d spot her first.

“Y/n!” She heard her name being called, and turned to the right to see her two friends, and a group of guys — all ridiculously hot guys. She recognized each of them based on their descriptions. Yuta had his arm thrown around Maki’s neck and was giving her heart eyes, Toge was sitting next to them eating something, Nobara and Megumi were sitting next to each other sullenly, and Yuuji and Gojo were standing behind them, running around and laughing. From where y/n was standing, it looked like Gojo and Yuuji were the cause of Nobara and Megumi’s soured moods. Maki was waving to her, and Nobara looked up and over to y/n, her scowl being replaced with a smile of relief.

Y/n jogged over to all of them, and said, “Hey, guys! Where should I sit?”

“Oh! Sit right–”

“You can sit next to me, cutie. You know, I really like your music, but I’ve never gotten a tweet back. It breaks my heart, honestly.” Gojo cut Nobara off, tugging y/n by the wrist to sit down right next to him. As soon as y/n had come over, he’d quit his fooling around and had peered at her over his sunglasses, but she’d been too focused on the group as a whole to pay it mind – normally it would’ve left her flustered, but right then, all she was worried about was not making the entire group hate her.

“Oh, really?” Y/n asked him, “I see a lot of tweets from people, so I’m not super great about responding to fans on that account. Maybe uh, maybe I could retweet you?”

He pouted his lower lip. “Not even a follow back? After all I’ve done for you?”

Nobara cuts in. “All you’ve done for her is obsessively like and retweet all of her stuff and then invade her space bubble without introducing yourself, like the heathen you are.”

Gojo scoffed. “That’s called being a true fan. And anyways, I was about to tell you that my name is Gojo Satoru, but you can just call me Satoru. Am I allowed to call you by your real name, or do I have to call you Emile?”

Y/n felt Nobara’s glare and remembered what Nobara said. Never call him Satoru. “You can call me y/n, I’d rather that less people connected my face to my stage name.”

The pink haired boy sat down on y/n’s other side and said, “I’m Yuuji. I always wanted to know, what inspired you to start making music?” When y/n looked into his soft brown eyes, he looked like a sad puppy begging for a treat.

She laughed as she said, “Well, that’s a long story, but music’s always been there for me, and I’ve always connected with it emotionally.”

Yuuji’s face looked like it was buffering as he processed what she said. “I don’t know exactly what that means, but I think I understand half of it?”

Nobara rolled her eyes and chided him. “Then why did you ask her a complicated question if you weren’t gonna understand the complicated answer?”

Megumi said, “You’re expecting too much, Nobara.” His face softened a bit as he said, “I’m Megumi, by the way.” Y/n nodded at him, taking in his words at the same time that she took in his eyes being a deep, dark blue. They looked beautiful.

“And I’m Yuta! I hope we can become good friends.” Yuta said, planting a kiss on Maki’s cheek. “It’s what Maki wants, so it’s what I want, too.”

Maki furrowed her brows and lightly shoved him away. “Don’t say it like that! It sounds like you only care because I do.”

Yuta’s face reflected confusion. “What? I’m just saying that anything that matters to you matters equally to me. That’s not a crime!”

Y/n hid a smile. She knew what he meant, but it was sweet of Maki to worry about her feelings. “I think it’s nice, to have someone who values the same things as you.” She glanced over at the only person who hadn’t introduced himself yet, and her heart skipped a beat. It must be Toge.

He appears to perk up when their eyes meet. “I’m Toge. Nice to meet you.”

Y/n could feel in her bones that she would not be able to address them individually, so she said, “It’s nice to meet all of you, too.” She spotted that beautiful, raven-haired man from earlier heading through the cafeteria doors, and decided that was her cue to get up and grab food from the cafeteria. “I’m hungry. I’ll be back in a few!”

Everybody said their goodbyes, and when y/n entered the cafeteria, she gave a sigh of relief. She couldn’t believe she made it through that without embarrassing herself, especially after her mishap in her morning class. She was disappointed that she couldn’t see her gorgeous classmate, but she was not disappointed at the smell of seasoned food cooking in the kitchens. As she stepped into line and grabbed a tray, only one thought was on her mind:

This year is going to be very interesting.

chapter 1 << masterlist >> chapter 3

taglist: @kfmcykdy

[fixfoxnox]

We’ve seen the 141 react to southern food but what about Roach and Jacksons reactions to british cuisine?

Gonna say a quick thank to the anons who have sent questions involving Jackson y'all know I love him and I love getting to include him

Also before we start I should just say that I'm an American, so my knowledge of British cuisine literally extends to what I've seen in tiktoks and tv. So my apologies if this is horribly stereotypical or wrong, but also I'm an American so it's kinda a national like expectation to make fun of the British, just know its all in good fun.

How Roach and Jackson React To British Cuisine

First of all, before they've even tried anything I know these two are making fun of British food just based on what they've heard.

Roach jokingly replies "fish n chips" in a terrible British accent any time Ghost asks what he wants to eat. Soap lowkey thinks its hilarious but tries to hide his laughter.

(He always fails and Ghost always gets mad at them)

Jackson sends random ass like wack foods he see's online to Price and Gaz like "was this something you ate as a kid?"

One day sends Gaz the recipe for like raisin meat salad or some shit and is like "reminds you of home huh"

So its obviously only a matter of time before Jackson and Roach are forced to actually try some British food by the British.

The first time that Gaz or Price or Ghost looks one of them in the eyes and says "thats it, I'm making you try a Chinese" I think they die a little inside.

Both of them sitting patiently at a table as the boys debate on what to make them. Ghost suggests beans and toast and I think both Roach and Jackson have a little southern heart attack when they're brought out beans on plain bread.

Roach literally can't eat it because of a texture thing with the soggy bread (me too babes) but Jackson tires to power through it

He tries it and Roach swears up and down that Jackson actually starts to cry but Gaz swears that they were tears of joy (they weren't)

They try some other things, and that goes a bit better, but overall Jackson and Roach generally aren't impressed by most of the foods.

Jackson asks at what point which seasonings they used on the food and when Gaz answers back "salt" he dies a little inside (the poor man is from Louisiana you know he's sobbing)

Eventually the British Boys are just like "okay well you know what, fuck them what could we give them to make them gag."

They try black pudding

Immediately disappointed when, upon hearing what it is, Roach and Jackson don't flip out and instead try it perfectly fine

"This isn't bad. Could be a good way to use more of the animals during hunting season"

"Wonder how hard it is to make"

At the end of things, Jackson and Roach decide that the best of the dishes was the full English breakfast and they invite the boys to make it for them again, though Jackson warns he'll be adding more than salt the next time they make it

Then, Jackson, ever the evil man, suggests that he should share some Cajun food with them next.

Roach, despite knowing it may kill them, doesn't say a word

[urapunk]

NOEMI AKAMAI .... character post... I guess?

noemi my sweet sweet summer child

She loves bread. Its an odd obsession but will just eat plain whole slices. Was fascinated watching Juri make toast, it was something she never thought of. Toasted bread wasnt popular on her island, which left her entirely curious. (I will be drawing this)

Smells AMAZING. Everyone thinks shes gatekeeping her perfume but she really isnt. They come from her grandmother in the islands but she often cant read the labels due to never learning how to write in her native tongue, only learning to speak in it.

Her hair is dirty blonde, a really sweet and sandy color that looks sort of brown but sort of tan. Her mother loves it, and would ALWAYS do her hair in a way that was honorary to her culture. Noemi learned how to do these tricky braids her mom did and likes to do it for her friends now. Her mom loves seeing her in her room with mandy while she does mandys hair.

Lots of people think she and luis are of the same ethnicity and culture and all that, but they really arent. They're boths just tan with curly hair, and thats what makes peopke think so.

Bruna loves her to death, they're besties you're honor. They call eachother their wives as a joke, and it always confuses the jocks to see noemi squeeze bruna like she just returned from war. Bruna also knows how to do some of the braids that noemi does, and since noemi cant do them herself bruna helps.

Bruna misses juri like she misses her grandmother. She thinks he wad the best man to ever live other than her dad and he so wishes he wouldve stuck around long enough so she could at the very least convince her parent to take him with her back to the islands for spring break. She so desperately wanted to show him around and to let him meet her grandmother.

Noemi has light brown eyes that she got from her mom, and they look so insanely pretty in the sun that Ms. Philips asked to capture them in canvas one time when the sun was shining through her class room window just right.

Her cheeks are adorably pudgy. Think of it as baby fat that was never lost.

Loves to bask in the sun and tans like a goddess, the way the sun feels so welcoming and sweet like cuddles just fascinates her. There was one spot back in her grandmothers home at the islands, with a couch right under the window. She sleeps there everythime she visits so she can wake up to the sun shining on her. She photosynthesizes.

Feels odd when mandy says something about mot wanting to grow old, noemi thinks its a priviledge to be able to get old grey and wrinkly, because you'll watch some of the most important generations. She wishes when she gets old that she could be just like her grandmother.

Bruna, Mandy, Noemi, and sometimes even Emery all have sleepovers whenever they can. They are THE friends. Honorable mention; christy USED to be in the group until she spread a rumor about Noemi sobbing about Juri.

she loves anything coconut, peach flavored, and sugary, but in a light way where it doesnt taste TOO sweet.

She's a lifeguard in the summer, a lifeguard that Juri seems to stare at. They have a relationship like wendy and squints from the sandlot after their breakup.

<3

[sxnyarostova]

downton downstairs and how they eat their toast:

carson: lightly toasted with a very thin layer of butter on top. look me in the eye and tell me he'd like it done any other way.

mrs hughes: not the biggest fan of toast. prefers scones, but when she absolutely has to eat it, she likes it toasted with jam only. she is eventually influenced by mr carson and puts minimal butter before she slathers it in strawberry jam.

mrs patmore: toast connoisseur; she has to be the one to crisp the bread and will not eat it otherwise. butter and preserves are the way to go. in a modern context she is a marmite lover; not a huge fan of crusts though

thomas: eats it plain with absolutely nothing on it. will put parsley butter if available though (but it never is so the mystery of whether thomas actually puts condiments on his toast remains very much intact). avid marmalade hater.

o'brien: would be gluten-free in a modern context. does not enjoy toast. don't even think about giving her some she will bite your hand off

william: he likes english muffins. if forced to eat toast he nibbles at it until it vaguely resembles an English muffin.

gwen: cuts the crusts off her bread and gets the most bombastic side eye from mrs p. liker of marmalade and heckler of daisy's anti-marmalade stance

anna: does not toast her bread and likes a thin layer of jam, so long as it doesn't overpower that taste that makes bread, well, bread. likes scones more but isn't excessively picky about it. will occasionally pop scrambled eggs onto her toast, and gets mr bates into it.

mr bates: toasts his bread, and puts butter and jam in even quantities. apparently he is a liker of marmalade, but this was only said in response to thomas' denouncement of it at the table. does he actually enjoy it? we'll never know. crust enjoyed. as mentioned above he puts scrambled eggs on his toast every once in a while.

daisy: very particular about how it's done. she wants untoasted bread, lots of butter, and lots of jam, but not too much of either condiment or it'll make her sick. she despises marmalade and would actually cry as a child if someone forced her to eat it. always eats her crusts, and will eat toast as a midnight snack. she's clearly a fan.

ivy: no crusts, no toasting, no butter, and just puts jam. fights with daisy sometimes about their stances on how toast is supposed to be enjoyed. eventually caves and starts toasting it.

alfred: did not inherit his aunt's genes and is a huge fan of bread. he will literally talk to you for hours about baking bread and how much butter is too much butter. will literally not shut up about toast. eats it with what he believes is the golden ratio of butter (it isn't).

jimmy: likes it a little burnt. that's it he has no other preferences

ms baxter: anna got her scrambled egg thing from her. ms baxter is the original inventor of scrambled eggs on toast actually she patented the term

mr molesley: huge toast enjoyer. initially very adamant that it should be eaten with just butter but changes his ways after ms baxter comes into his life <3

[kikker-oma]

I HAVENT EVEN STARTED DAY 29 OF FEBUWHUMP AND ITS MARCH

Alr it’s march now which means…………

NATIONAL PENUT BUTTER LOVER’S DAY.

So here is what I think the chain’s favorite penut butter combos will be:

Time: smoothie with peanut butter, banana, and Lon Lon milk. Go to breakfast when with Malon. He will always want to savor it because he loves it so much but then like 2 hours later it is room temperature pretty much melted (?) and he only got halfway done. At that point Wind would probably steal the glass and chug it just to annoy him

Twilight: peanut butter on almost burnt toast, he toasted it too high one time and now absolutely loves it. Everyone judges him for eating burnt toast and is not convinced he actually likes it but generally does. Bonus points if it’s smooth peanut butter.

Sky: allergic to peanuts will eat it if someone makes it for him because he can’t say no but typically doesn’t eat it for obvious reasons. Surprised he’s still alive

Warriors: will take a slice of plain bread, not toasted, coat it with three times the amount of peanut butter and stuff it down in 0.2 seconds flat as he is used to not having enough time to sit down for a meal ( :( )

Legend: Makes the sandwiches but never eats them. He will only ever eat chunky peanut butter if it is smooth he will hate you. It is also 80% jelly and only 20% peanut butter because it’s “spicy”.

Hyrule: peanut butter and dirt mud pies. No other comment.

Wild: will spend 12 consecutive hours in the kitchen making a perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich with homemade pb and same with jelly. Will get bread from Malon, toast it just right, butter it, and assemble it in the perfect format… only to accidentally drop it on the ground (we all know he’ll still eat it anyway)

Four: He needs structure, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich has to be perfect, a nice layer of smooth peanut butter, with a thin layer of the crunchy stuff on top. He also adds some almond’s for ✨aesthetic✨ he also uses the strawberry jelly that comes in those little packet things.

Wind: If he is not chugging Time’s old have drunken smoothie, he will legitimately reach into the peanut butter jar and scoop HANDFULS out. No spoon. Everyone hates him for it because he literally contaminates the jar for everybody but he does it anyway. Oh if he is “buying” his own peanut butter it’s probably stolen.

Ok I completely approve of Legends peanut butter to jelly ratio😌😌 especially if it's home made jam MMM. Delish

Any time I make a smoothie like Time I also usually only end up drinking half🥲 I wish I had a Wind around to steal the remains 😂

What's your favorite way to eat peanut butter Blare?? I usually eat a spoon of it alone🤗 no bread or sugar for me😭 (I'm on a diet LOL)

[starboybutler]

Poor Boy (CH. 3)

summary: jess and clint go into town.

word count: 4740

warnings: outdated feelings and ideas about homosexuality, usage of the f-slur, sexual harassment, slight sexual content towards the end

notes: chapter three! after this one i'll post the chapters as i finish them on here, as well as on a03. please enjoy this chapter, but heed the warnings!

chapter 1

chapter 2

chapter 3 (you are here)

jess didn't cook often. when he did, it wasn't fancy– he would just make sure whatever he had was edible and then go for it. no seasoning, no sides, nothing.

when he woke up this morning however, he felt a strange urge to try and make something for clint. he thought about how the boy had made him that amazing stew last night, and he would feel a little guilty if he didn't do anything in return.

jess stood from where he had fallen asleep on the floor, groaning as he stretched. he looked back at clint, who was still fast asleep, clutching a pillow to his chest securely. jess gave a small hum and made his way towards the kitchen, scratching at his cheek as he pondered on what to make. he eventually decided on eggs– and maybe some beans and toast too. that all seemed easy enough.

he haphazardly tossed everything onto the counter and got a fire going, pondering as the rusted pan heated up. he's never made this much food before– should he add some salt or something, or just leave it bland?

jess pried open the can of beans and set it lazily over the fire, letting them heat up as he hesitantly picked up the salt and some other seasoning clint had used last night, staring. he set it down, deciding that it would be better if he didn't subject clint to his subpar cooking skills.

he grabbed the can and paused as he heard shuffling from the couch. he turned and saw clint, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes lazily, yawning. jess hums, taking a spoonful of beans and shoveling it into his mouth.

“mornin’,” jess hummed, watching as clint stretched and yawned once more.

“mm…morning.” he said groggily, his eyes still droopy. “what're you doin’?”

jess shrugged and gestured vaguely towards the counter, strewn with seasonings and various other things. “cooking, i guess.”

“need a hand?” clint asks.

“well, i was um,” jess hums, setting down the can. “i was tryin’ to repay you for yesterday's dinner.” he admits, feeling dumb as the words leave his mouth. he looks to clint, who's now wearing that shy, boyish smile on his lips as he runs a hand through his hair.

“you don't have to do that.”

jess shrugs, trying to ignore the slight fluttering in his chest. “don't bother me none.” he mutters, turning back to his workstation. “...you can come help if ya want, i’m not stoppin’ ya.”

clint hums and pads over to the kitchen, observing as jess shovels the beans onto a plate next to plain bread. clint hums, a slight smirk on his lips as jess keeps shooting glances at him.

“you gonna help, or just stare?” jess asks.

“i dunno, i’m a little curious on how you make eggs.” clint chuckles.

“i ain't a cook, alright,” jess mutters, setting his jaw. “i usually eat beans straight from the can. i don’t even eat eggs that often.”

clint chuckles at him, rolling up the loose sleeves of his sleep dress and rolling his shoulders. “i can make the eggs if you want. it's not a problem, honest,”

“nuh uh,” jess huffs, pointing to the single diner chair. “sit. i’m doing the cooking, alright?”

clint shrugged, sitting in the creaky chair and watching as jess grabbed one of the eggs. it was small in his hand, and the older man pondered as he thought of a gentle way to crack it. he shrugged to himself and hit it against the edge of the counter, jumping as the egg cracked a lot more than he thought, splattering against the wood. he cursed under his breath and quickly let the remaining whites and yolk drip into the hot pan, frustrated as it oozed onto his hand.

jess heard clint laugh from the table, and he glanced at him, giving him a mean look. the boy didn't falter, cracking a smile at the older man.

“sorry, sorry,” he muttered, lacing his fingers together. “go ahead.”

jess huffed to himself and dropped the sticky remnants of the broken eggshell onto the counter, rolling his eyes as some of it stuck to his hand. he grabbed the other egg gently, moving to hit it on the edge of the counter. only this time, it didn't break enough. he sighed and pressed at the crack with the tip of his thumb and opening it up, cracking it into the pan successfully. he didn't mind clint’s reaction, but he was proud of himself for not making a mess like the first time.

jess watched the eggs sizzle in the pan, stirring them around so they didn't burn to the bottom of the pan. he wasn't exactly sure when they were done, but they were starting to get harder to prevent from burning, so he took it from over the fire and scooped them onto a plate.

he set the plate in front of clint, who didn't seem put off by the food at all. he smiled at jess softly, scooting his chair closer to the table and grabbing a fork.

“thank you, jess,” he says, stabbing at the eggs and shoveling it into his mouth, humming softly. “not bad,”

jess gives a nod in acknowledgment, adjusting his hat and crossing his arms as he leans back against the counter. he watches as clint eats peacefully, and he feels a sense of pride that he was able to cook a half decent meal for him. clint swallowed a mouthful of eggs, tearing off a piece of bread and dipping it into the beans.

“any plans today?” clint asked, looking up at jess curiously. the older man hummed, setting his jaw and scratching as his cheek as he pondered. there wasn't much to do around the house today. the sheriff had told him to come visit soon. maybe today would he a good day. he wasn't joking about clint being a good help– jess was still sharp and fast, but sometimes he did find himself struggling the slightest bit. clint was younger and definitely faster, so he could be a valuable asset to him.

“i need to go to town today,” he hums, rolling his shoulders. “sheriff ramsey needs my help, promised him i’d swing by soon.”

“can i come with?” clint asks, shoving the bread into his mouth. “i’ve been wanting to meet this sheriff.” he says, muffled by the bread.

“sure, soon as you're done eatin’.” jess hums, stretching out. “i’m gonna go get ready. you eat and get ready too, holler if ya need anything.”

jess wandered to his room and took off his shirt, changing into his usual get up. his jacket was getting a little dirty, but he could wash it after their escapades today. he dusted it off carelessly with his hand and shrugged it on over his shoulders, placing his hat back onto his head securely.

he stepped out into the living area and saw clint sitting idly on the couch, waiting for jess. he was wearing the same clothes that jess had discovered him in– and they were becoming more dirty and worn as the days passed.

“you're wearin’ that?” jess asked, cocking his head to the side.

clint shuffled, his face flushing slightly as he mumbled to himself lowly. “i mean, ‘s all i got,” he says, looking down at himself. “it's not that bad, is it?”

“it's gettin’ pretty dirty,” jess says, humming. “c’mere.”

jess waves clint over to his bedroom, humming as he shuffles through his closet for a decent looking shirt and pair of pants for clint to wear. he settled on a simple light gray button up he hadn't worn in a while and some brown pants. he handed them to clint, who was staring at his feet sheepishly.

“you don't gotta–”

“i’m not letting you walk around dirty.” jess huffs, rolling his eyes. “get dressed.”

clint nodded and shuffled back out to the living room, shrugging out of his tattered clothes and into the fabric that jess handed him. they were a bit big on him, but he just tucked his shirt into the pants and shrugged it off.

“i’m ready,” clint called out, toeing on his boots as jess stepped out, adjusting his belt on his hips.

“alright, its quite a ride so you better be prepared,” jess warned, giving him a once over with his eyes. “no whining.”

clint nodded, followed him out of the door and to the stables where he kept his horse, watching as jess led him out by the reigns. clint hopped on after jess, and quickly grabbed onto jess’s waist as the horse began to run off.

—---------------------------

as soon as they rode into town, jess was greeted by the townspeople with nods and waves. it was still a foreign feeling to him– to be willingly welcomed into a community, but he was slowly getting used to it.

jess gently nudged clint with his shoulder. the boy had fallen asleep a while back, and he was still snoring against jess’s back softly.

“wake up, we’re here.”

clint muttered sleepily, grumpily sitting up and blinking to adjust to the sunlight. he rubbed at his eyes and took a look around the quaint town, giving a small smile as he did so.

“nice little town,” he muttered as jess bought his horse to a stop, stepping down and tying it up in front of the bar.

“real small, but it has a lotta criminal activity.” jess hummed, offering clint his hand to help him from the horse. clint stepped down and stretched out his back, groaning loudly and looking up at jess through his eyelashes.

“you gonna take me to meet the sheriff?”

“yeah,” jess hums, gesturing for him to follow. “c’mon.”

they walk the short ways to the small house on the corner, and jess knocks on the door. not even a second later and a blonde women answers, a smile crossing her face as she sees the older man.

“jess! my, it’s been a while,” she beams, going in to hug him. clint stares, bewildered as he accepts the hug– and even gives her the smallest of kisses on the cheek.

“it sure has, i’ve been a little busy,” he hums, stepping aside and revealing the blonde boy. “this is clint. i found him injured. he’s been stayin’ with me for a few days,”

clint gave a sheepish wave, a boyish smile crossing his features. “hi ma’am.”

the woman extended a hand and clint took it, shaking it gently and pressing a kiss to the top of it. she chuckled softly.

“my, he sure is cute and polite,”

jess rolled his eyes as clint blushed and smiled slightly.

“oh please, you’ll let it get to his head.”

she laughs once more, stepping aside and letting the two men inside of the small house. it's cozy and warm, with pictures all over the walls, and a small dining table in the middle of their quaint dining area.

the woman gathered the previous dishes from the table, stacking them precariously and moving them to the sink.

“will you be staying for dinner jess?”

“if time permits,” he says, nodding towards clint, who was examining the pictures on the wall curiously. “clint here will help me get done a lot quicker, so i’ll most likely stick around.”

“oh, how wonderful,” she sighs. “you almost never get to stay anymore.”

“it's tough work.” he hums.

jess turns as he hears footsteps approaching. he turns to see sheriff ramsey adjusting his belt, tucking his gun into it’s holster safely.

“now now, jess is a busy man, dear.” he tuts. “we can't pester him too much.”

jess cracked a small smile, reaching out to firmly shake the sheriff's hand. “ah, as busy as i can get these days.” he mumbles.

“i hear ya.” the sheriff laughs, patting his shoulder. the older man's eyes shifted towards clint, who was watching jess’ interactions with great interest. “who's this?”

“that's clint.” jess says simply. “found him a day or two ago. he’s gonna help out.”

sheriff ramsey squints and approaches the young man, staring at him intensely. clint found himself shifting helplessly under his intense eyes.the man then laughed and slapped clint on the shoulder, looking at jess.

“i hope he's fast, then!” he jokes, pulling his hand away. clint rubbed at his shoulder where the sheriff’s hand was, smiling nervously as he continued gossiping to jess. “these criminals are no joke. you know that. you sure he can keep up with ‘em, jess?”

jess looked at clint for a moment, before giving a short nod with the smallest hint of a smile playing on his lips.

“i think he will.” he hums, warmly. “he's a pretty clever kid, i’ll give him that.”

“great!” sheriff ramsey laughed. “i’ll go get him some basic gear,” he says. “you ever shoot a gun before?”

“yessir.” clint says, fidgeting with his hands somewhat nervously. “did it all the time with my brothers back home. we’d shoot cans ‘n all kinds of stuff.”

“good. i’m gonna give ya a pistol. it's simple, but the criminals that roam ‘round these parts are more annoying than dangerous. chasin’ them down and hitting them a little should do the trick.”

clint nodded and took the small pistol from the man. he examined it in his hands. it was an older pistol, slightly rusted and with a few small dents near the muzzle. probably from hitting people upside the head.

clint looked for a good place to tuck it, but eventually just handed it off to jess to put in his gun belt. jess handed him a pair of handcuffs and a small, golden badge. clint took them gratefully, bouncing on his heels.

“alright, we good to go?” clint asked. “i’m ready for anything.”

“eager, ain't he?” sheriff ramsey laughs. “jess’ll lead you from here. i gotta help the wife make dinner.”

his wife lifted her head as she was mentioned. she gave a beaming smile, waving at the two men from behind the kitchen counter. “you two be safe, now! i’ll have some sweets for you both when you get back!”

when they got to the jail, clint’s eyes immediately honed in on the large holding cell.

“how come no one's in there?” he asked, idly stroking on of the bars with his finger.

“we gotta go catch someone for there to be someone.”

“that doesn't make a lick of sense.” clint tsked. i thought this was a jail! don't y'all keep inmates overnight?”

“sometimes, if the police are too lazy to come get ‘em. we ain't a real police station. we just hold people we catch ‘round here until they get picked up.”

clint blinked before letting out an ‘ohhhh’.

“so this ain't a prison, it's just a holding place?”

“mhm.” jess affirmed. “we hold ‘em until someone grabs ‘em.”

“man, i was kinda hopin’ for a whole buncha cells so i could mess with some criminals.”

“that's unethical for a sheriff to do.” jess says, slightly amused by clint’s honesty. “they may be bad, but we gotta treat ‘em like we do anyone else. besides, if someone like you harassed ‘em, i dunno if you’d make it out alive.”

clint whipped his head around to look at jess. “whassat supposed to mean?”

jess paused for a quick second. he honestly didn't mean to say that out loud.

“...there's some sick men out there.” he muttered, hoping the boy would leave it at that.

“you're tellin’ me.” clint huffs. before jess could accuse clint of making a jab at him, clint held out his hand. “so where's my gun, sheriff?”

the older man rolled his eyes, but handed clint a pistol. he immediately began to twirl it and pose with it, pretending to shoot at imaginary bad guys.

“man, i’m a natural!”

jess snickered under his breath. if only he knew it were an empty gun.

there wasn't a lot of action that day. however, hess did manage to capture two pickpockets that were stealing from women when their backs were turned. clint was actually a big help- he managed to chase after one of them and pin them down- but not before attempting to fire his gun, only to find out it was empty.

they wrangled the two men into the holding cell, and clint looked as smug as he ever did.

“ha, y'all really thought y’all could run? i’m faster than a rabbit! i ain't run all those races in elementary for nothin’!”

“clinton,” jess warned, digging around in a drawer for paperwork. “don't taunt ‘em.”

“but that's what cops do!” he whined, crossing his arms. “they tease the people they caught!”

“what kinda cops do you have back at home?”

“...they're kinda mean, but they never miss a criminal!”

“they probably just arrest anyone that looks at ‘em funny.” jess hummed, shutting the drawer. “well, we're done for the night.” he said. “let's hit the bar.”

“weren't we supposed to go to the sheriff's for dinner?” clint asked, placing his handcuffs and gun on the desk.

“well, he's gotta come watch these goons.” jess hums, jabbing a thumb at the two captives. “and the missus is probably asleep by now. the bar is a good spot, trust me.”

clint shrugged, following jess out of the door. “if tou say so. i don't really care- i jus’ wanna eat somethin’.”

“i hear ya.”

they got to the bar, and it was far more packed than expected. the tables were filled, and the waitresses were working overtime to get orders out.

jess walks up to the bar and nods at the bartender, who nods in response and leaded the lair to a secluded table in the corner.

“wow. special service, huh?”

“bein’ sheriff has it's perks.” he hums.

they order food and some drinks, and they make drastically different choices.

clint ordered a huge steak smothered in all kinds of seasoning and sauce, while jess ordered a burger, plain. no cheese, no sauce. just meat and bread.

“i don't get how you do it,” clint muses, staring at jess as he bit into his bland meal.

“do what?”

“eat like that! you always eat such bland food. i’m surprised that patty alone hasn't sent you into shock or something!”

jess snorts, setting down the burger and wiping at his lip. “it's always how i’ve eaten food. since i was a teenager, that is.”

clint shook his head in disbelief. “my ma would be appalled! you need more spice in your life,”

jess huffed in wry amusement. “trust me. i’ve had enough ‘spice’ in my life.”

“oh yeah?” clint challenged, setting down his utensils. “like what? crazy ex girlfriend?”

“uhuh.” he replied sarcastically, waving clint off. “nah, more like gang business. settin’ things on fire, stealin’, vandalism– that stuff. didn't have time for dating.”

clint tsks. “not even one girl?”

jess scratched at his cheek in thought. “well now that you're askin’, i did have one girl. name was bonnie.”

“i knew it!” clint laughed. “what was she like?”

“about a little shorter than you. black hair, blue eyes…skinny little thing. met her while i was on the run.”

“and?”

“and what?” jess asked. “it didn't work out. i just wasn’t that into her.” he said, idly picking at the table.

“wh– why not!? she sounds like a real catch!”

“she was.” jess admits. “it just didn't work. she'd try to kiss on me and would get all clingy- and i never really felt anything towards her.”

“psh, if a girl like that were on me, lord knows what i’d do!” clint laughs. “there's no way you weren't into her, unless-”

clint paused for a moment.

jess averted his eyes as clint’s face lit up in realization.

“you're queer!”

jess turned towards him in a panic. “goddamn it boy, keep your voice down!”

clint covered his mouth, but was still as eager as ever. “why didn't you tell me!?”

“it ain't something i just go around telling people.” he huffs. “they kill people like me.”

clint leans forward, a look of hot seriousness crossing his usually gentle and relaxed features. “well, i don't mind one bit, y’hear? if anyone bothers you, just lemme know and i’ll-”

“oh don't do all that,” jess mutters. “i’ve managed to make a livin’ for this long. i’ll be okay.” he hums. “but thanks.”

“just sayin’!” clint laughs. “you shouldn't have to live in fear just ‘cause you like men.”

“you're one of the only people to think that,” jess snorts. “if only more people were like you.” he mused, voice a little wistful. “ah, nevermind. i gotta go to the bathroom.”

jess stood up and made his way to the small restroom in the corner, opening the door and rolling his shoulders to ease the tension in them. he went into a stall and began to relieve himself, mind drifting back to clint.

it's definitely weird to think about someone while using the bathroom- but clint is so different from anyone he’s ever met. he's cheerful and stubborn and kind of a smartass- but in an endearing way. jess often found himself thinking of clint a lot. not just because they lived together at the moment, but because he was so unique.

he's never thought about someone so much before. last person he thought about this much was vince- and not for a good reason. he just didn't know why clint was so intriguing to him.

as jess washed his hands and waved them dry, he stepped back out into the semi-crowded bar and began to head back to their table.

he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a strange, dirty man touching on clint’s waist. his lips were awfully close to clint’s ear, and the younger man looked uncomfortable beyond words.

“c’mon babydoll,” the grimy man slurred, running his hand higher up until he grabbed at clint’s chest.

“i know you’s a fag- it's written all over ya. have some fun with me.”

clint violently turned his torso away from the man’s calloused hands, gritting his teeth. “i don't know you- quit touchin’ me like that!”

“fiesty- i like that.” he grins. “i might jus’ have t’ take ya back to my place.”

“you won't do anything of the goddamn sort.” jess growls grabbing the gross bastard by his dirty collar. “where the hell do you get off touchin’ on innocent boys?”

“hey, it ain't none of your damn business who i touch on.” he grunts. “ain't like this boy’s yours, anyway.”

“oh he's mine, alright.” jess sneers. “now i suggest you walk away nice and easy before i knock your teeth outta your damn mouth.”

“i ain't scared of you, fa-”

jess reared back his fist and punched the man square in the face, hearing his nose crunch under the force of his knuckles. warm blood gushed from his nose in rivulets as he went limp and collapsed onto the floor.

clint stared in awe as jess shook his hand, flicking specks of blood off of his skin. he shakily sat up, eyes big and glassy as he stared at jess.

the older man looked at clint with a stoney expression. “let's go home.”

jess leaves the money they owe on the table before hastily leaving the bar. clint is holding onto jess’ sleeve, obviously shaken up by the encounter.

they reach jess’ horse, and the older man climbs up with ease before reaching a hand out to clint. “c’mon.”

clint puts his slender, softer hand in jess’ large, more calloused one, and pulls himself onto the horse’s back. jess tugs at the reigns gently, signaling the horse to start galloping out of town.

they ride in silence for a few seconds, only the soft sounds of clint’s shaky breaths filling the air. jess decided it was better to let him cry a little bit before they spoke about it. he'd open up when he's ready.

they were about halfway back to jess’ cabin when clint finally spoke up.

“why’d you punch him?”

“what kind of question is that?” jess huffs, slightly amused. “he was touchin’ and kissin’ on ya. that ain't right.”

“but you didn't have to.” he mumbles into the fabric of his shirt. “it's not like we're friends or nothin’.”

jess paused. “what makes you think that?”

“you're jess wade, y'know?” clint sighs. “i heard about you back home. you don't do friends. you’re a loner, right?”

“hm.” was all jess said. it's true, that he was alone a lot, but he was never alone on purpose. he didn't choose his lonely lifestyle, he just got stuck with it. his dad died when he was a baby and his momma got engulfed by the flames that took everything else from his childhood away from him. his friends were never really ‘friends’ either. they were gangbangers, hoodlums– always up to no good. once he realized that, he left them. the only friend he’s really got is the sheriff.

jess didn't realize the horse had stopped until he felt clint’s eyes on him. he turned to look at the boy, who was glassy eyed and flushed in the face.

“i got friends.” he said simply, shrugging. “and i know it's only been…a day or two, but….” he mutters, unsure of how to word this. he was never good with emotions or relationships. “i think we can say we’re…acquaintances.”

clint's whole face lit up. “really?”

“don't get too happy.” the older man rumbled with a roll of his eyes. “we ain't even friends yet.”

“it’s a start,” he hums, practically beaming. “that’s all i can ask for.”

jess hums softly, nudging his horse with the heel of his boot to get it to begin walking again. he can feel clint’s arms tighten around his waist, almost as if he were discreetly trying to hug him- but pass it off as something else.

jess set his gaze forward, trying to ignore the slight flutter in his chest.

they get back to the cabin and put the horse away, and immediately begin to get into some comfortable clothes. they had a pretty tiring day- and were ready to get in bed.

jess heads to his room, changing into a white shirt and his boxers- while leaving clint to get comfortable as well.

jess stretches, groaning as his back cracks in about three different places before heading back out to the living room.

he’s stopped in his tracks by a soft, breathy noise.

curious, jess presses his ear to the door, listening closely for any other noises. after a few seconds of nothing but the shuffling of fabric, he heard another soft whine.

“fuck–”

jess backed away from the door in shock, although he was unsure if he was hearing the right thing. there was no way clint was doing something like that on his couch. Not even yesterday he was too scared to talk to jess much– so this is….

he pressed his ear to the door once more, listening closely to the noises the boy was making.

they were getting faster, and breathier. he was muttering something between each frantic sound he made- and if he focused, he could just hardly make it out…

“jessssss…..”

it was soft and ashamed, and it made jess swing the door open. the boy yelped and immediately put his hands above the blanket. his face was flushed and shining slightly with sweat.

“christ! what’re you doin’!?” clint yelled, panting. “i thought someone was gonna kill me!”

“sorry,” jess mumbled. “didn’t mean to slam it open.”

clint huffed and settled into the couch, pulling the covers to his chin. he was avoiding eye contact, obviously ashamed. jess ignored the urge to ask him about the noises he was making and sat down next to the couch.

“think you’ll be able to sleep okay tonight?” jess asked, getting comfortable on the floor as clint settled down as well.

“yeah, i’ll be fine. g’night, jess.”

“night.”

it was silent, then. jess sighed softly and let his head fall back as he let himself imagine. clint, biting down on the blanket to keep quiet as he touched himself. it shouldn’t have made his cock stir, but…

jess sighed and crossed his legs, closing his eyes and trying to fight off his erection as he succumbed to a dream filled with clint.

[iwasthewind]

I have like 2 questions lol

Do you have any childhood Monoma hcs

What in the ever loving toast crunch is a "Spiral Cat"?

Anon, two hours after you sent this ask, I had half my answers typed out. A plethora of hcs. I giggled to myself as I tapped away. There was a wine glass filled with cranberry juice in my hand. (That was a lie. It was a normal glass with guava juice.) I was happily sniggering and wondering how I'd explain what a Spiral Cat is (is the name not explanation enough? It's a Spiral Cat/j) when something truly dreadful occurred- someone called my name.

I looked up, smiling, my phone in my hands. "I got you a new candle!" They said. I gasped, delighted.

I cleared the tab.

AFSHJSSKSKSK FORGIVE ME, HORROR SLOWLY DAWNED ON MY (BEAUTIFUL/J) FACE AND I STARED, APPALLED. THE LIGHT WAS SUCKED OUT OF MY EYES. MY SKIN TURNED SALLOW. MY BONES TURNED TO DUST.

I procrastinated after that, sorry agsjsjsnsk. Anyway, here you go!

Monoma was one of those kids who tried to act really grown up and it came off as just alarming and/or funny sometimes. He tried to use big words and sometimes either didn't know what they meant, or butchered them- you can guess how that turned out 💀. It's a habit that he didn't really grow out of.

I feel like Monoma really clung on to things that had little value to others.

He wouldn't let his parents discard dying plants, torn clothes, chipped vases or the like. "The plants can get better! The vase looks okay when you turn it this way! I can wear this shirt when I play in the sand!"

He'd get so distressed when they tried to argue that they'd relent every time.

As a result, current Monoma's room back home is completely cluttered with old things. The number of cupboards and drawers is ever increasing, but he refuses to part with any of it.

A handkerchief belonging to a friend-turned-bully. A broken fountain pen that used to belong to someone who was a friend before she moved away. Old notebooks filled with silly drawings and stories. His (now deceased) cat's old collar and toys that he refuses to let the current one use. A half painted vase. A stained friendship band.

Monoma had trouble retaining friends. He 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 them easily enough, but it was difficult to connect with him and they'd usually find someone they got along with better and slowly leave.

As a result, he got along well enough with everyone, but there were no actual, close friends in the picture and nobody to defend him when he really needed someone to. It got a little lonely sometimes. Until it didn't, because-

"It's just bread! Moron!"

A cat. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 Cat. It was an ugly tabby with claws and teeth that were too long, and fur that was too matted and dirty, and a hiss that was far louder than any he'd ever heard before. Everything about it was "too much-" her eyes were too dark, too cruel, she was too plain, too aggresive-

Cats scared Monoma, but for this one he felt nothing but pity.

"I got you bread, Tsundere. What- stop with the face. It's bread. B-R-E-A-D."

He didn't quite understand what trauma was, but he figured it looked something like this.

He never really managed to domesticate Tsundere, and even though he gave in to his parents' wishes and agreed to gymnastics and french lessons, he wasn't allowed to bring the cat into the house unless it rained or snowed.

The cat didn't care about such trivial human boundaries. It was their fault- why leave the windows open?

Tsundere, at this point, was too used to being called Tsundere and refused to respond to any other names.

She hated being touched too much and really was a Tsundere, but when Monoma was sick- it really wasn't too bad- she panicked, was inconsolable and remained pressed against his side, purring and trying to make him feel better. She did not make a move to eat for hours, not until Monoma forced her.

She died two years later (she was old) and it was Monoma's turn to be inconsolable.

Is this how you write hcs I've never actually done this before

Moving on

Monoma watched a lot of Ghibli movies when he was very smol, so most of them flew over his head

He really loved the aesthetic, though

He wanted to dress up as Howl for Halloween, but where could you find a Howl costume for a seven year old? Perhaps if you tried-

His grandmother cackled and dressed him up as Calcifer. He still has the costume.

I honestly feel like his parents were physically very present, but emotionally quite absent in his life. They were also overwhelmingly pragmatic sometimes.

"Consider it, Neito. It may never work out. You cannot become a hero with your quirk."

They never really taught him to socialize, or to differentiate between right and wrong. He had to navigate those waters largely on his own.

As a result, some relationships (platonic or otherwise) were pleasant, some were painful and some were just bland. All of them were learning experiences, though.

He has ADHD. He doesn't know it. His middle school teachers brought it up to his parents, who dismissed it with a flick of the wrist and "it's alright, he can manage."

He couldn't manage. An older Monoma with a diagnosis and medication was royally pissed when he found out they already knew.

"You could have told me! Do you think it was easy?! Do you know how many breakdowns I've had? The difficulties I ran into at school? The issues I've had with my self worth? Of course it's easy for you, but it was 𝘯𝘰𝘵 so for me!"

He loved sweet things with a burning passion

He read the first few chapters of Coraline when he was younger, and only touched the book again when he read it with Reiko in UA.

He accidentally ran headfirst into the world of fanfiction at ten, looked over the edge, underestimated the drop and jumped without a parachute.

He has AO3 (he loves it), Quotev (it's good), Deviantart(rarely uses it), Tumblr (meh, sometimes good) and Wattpad ("why do children keep coming here? I hate this").

Reads fanfiction (and writes it as well) but has a tendency to discontinue or have really long hiatuses

Setsuna keeps harping on and on about a wonderful fanfiction that the author discontinued. Monoma who forgot to update it one time and consequently forgot it existed:

She wasn't pleased when she found out

Oh shoot you wanted childhood hcs

What has this turned into

I'm so sorry I'm vv distracted rn but I feel like I need to post this already (it's been way too long ahzjakksk)

[void-botanist]

🍌☕️🥖🥐🍦 for Sorian, Sidney & Avis :3

Thank youuuu :3

🍌 If your oc would pick a yoghurt or something like it, would they rather 1) eat plain yoghurt 2) eat flavored yoghurt or 3) eat yoghurt with the fruit bits in it.

Sorian: if it doesn't have a flavor, what's the point. He'll make it some kind of flavor himself if he has to.

Sid: fruit bits, but his favorite way to eat yogurt is plain with honey granola. His mom is always like "oh that's so healthy of you" and he's always like "leave me alone it just tastes good".

Avis: she doesn't super like yogurt to be honest but the best stuff is the fruit stuff.

☕️ Does your oc eat anything between lunch and dinner? How often?

Sorian: he cannot deny himself a little treat, even if the treat is just the half-broken granola bar in his pocket. He dissuades himself a bit from taking snack breaks when he's working, but only a bit.

Sid: always. Mostly because he's the one cooking lunch and dinner, but even when he's not, it's hard to break the habit.

Avis: she tries not to, because she wants to have eaten meals that were really worth her time and she thinks that she shouldn't want a snack if that's the case, but sometimes she does anyway.

🥖 What's their favorite kind of bread?

Sorian: he's a big fan of any breads that have fruits or flavor swirls in them, like bara brith.

Sid: brioche, but more importantly, any bread can be the best bread if it's warm and fresh.

Avis: she's a big fan of flatbreads, but her most favorite one is probably just whichever one she's having right now. Still, naan and injera are particular favorites.

🥐 Your oc is given a chance to order a breakfast from cafe - what do they order? Would they actually do that?

Sorian: there is a cafe on campus that he likes to hang around. He would get some manner of savory spiced latte and whichever thing in the pastry case catches his fancy, which is probably a coffee cake or seed bread or filled donut.

Sid: he's more a fan of bakeries than cafes, but he'd still go to one. He'd get a fruit danish or something similar and probably a decaf frappe, because he doesn't really do coffee, but it smells so good…

Avis: cafes are really not her vibe but she'll get an unflavored latte and maybe one of their more substantial options, a sandwich or a breakfast burrito or something.

🍦 Your oc wakes up at night, feeling hungry. Do they go eat? If yes, what will they eat?

Sorian: he's not gonna be able to sleep like this. What he eats depends on what's in his fridge. He'd prefer to just pick up some cold leftovers but he doesn't always have that. Maybe he'll just eat some space Biscoff until he's ready to go back to sleep.

Sid: he doesn't want to get up, because his bed is warm and what if he somehow wakes his parents, but it's better than being hungry. He makes himself a piece of toast with his homemade jam.

Avis: depends on how hungry she is. She will often arse herself to get out of bed and eat something but that something ranges from one (1) slice of white bread made into a ball to an entire can of cold soup. She just wants it to take minimal energy and focus.

Soravis taglist lol: @vacantgodling @kk7-rbs

[lizard-shifter-noms]

Wayward Waters Chapter 9

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Hello everyone! Chapter 9!

time to explore more of the world!

this Story contains Vore, Dont like dont read.

have fun reading!

and as always Reblogs are appreciated! (Also ASK’s are open so feel free to bother me!)

AO3 Link for those that prefer the layout there;

AO3 Wayward waters

——————————————————————————

After surely not enough hours of sleep I was woken up again, 

by Jamie once again having no regard for the stability of my spine and literally walking over me.

“Yo! Wake up! We managed to toast bread! If you're fast it might even not be soggy!”

With that they jumped off and walked out,  leaving the door open as I grumbled miserably into the pillow.

Maan i felt miserable, and not in the way that my body got battered around, instead just, plain miserable.

Instead of getting up I just continued to lay there, I didn't need to eat anyway and I didn't want to get potentially soggy bread again anyway.

After not getting up and instead moping miserably for what had to be at least an hour of just laying there and doing nothing, Akeem walked in through the door I hadn't even bothered to close after Jamie left.

“Are you alright? 

Jamie told me you were already awake but not doing anything”

I just turned my head away and grumbled into the pillow, not even words just sounds at this point.

I heard the wooden floor creak as Akeem walked next to me.

“Do you not feel well? Did you get seasick after all?”

I shook my head, still burying my face in the pillow.

“No, i just feel miserable, i don't wanna do anything today”

Apparently Akeem didn't care about that as I was picked up by the scruff and set back onto the bed in a sitting position.

“Things still have to be done even if you don't want to, imagine where we would be if we never did anything we didn't want to?

Now what's the reason you feel so down?”

“...dunno, i just feel miserable, maybe i need to get better sleep”

Akeem just stared at me, and for the first time since I set foot on the ship actually blinked.

“I do not think that is it, i remember when Yamet was new on the ship he also had a bout of ‘being miserable’ as it turned out he was simply homesick”

Homesick? The very fact I could get that was astounding,  but I wasn't really Missing Kamerasca itself.

“I- uh, I guess? Maybe? But to be honest i never really cared about Kamerasca aside from the fact i was living there”

“Ah it is not the place you miss but the people living there”

That would make more sense.

“Uh, well, yes? I miss my friends, and even some of the Guards from the castle, and i worry because i don't know if they're okay or not”

I had no way of knowing anything right now, 

not if they were okay or even still alive after the storm.

"I am sure that they're alright, they must worry about you just as much as you worry about them"

Fair point, and moping wouldn't help anyone so might as well get up.

"You're right, and laying on the bed all day won't do anything, is there any toast left?"

Akeem nodded and strangely enough actually blinked for once.

"There is, but it is cold by now"

Well that was still better than soggy 

"Fine by me, let's go before Imugi makes everything soggy again"

Akeem had already walked out the door, only stopping for a second. 

"I doubt she can squeeze her head into the kitchen, not that she hasn't tried"

Oh so this time they actually ate in the kitchen, why they didn't do that sooner was beyond me though. 

I followed Akeem to the kitchen and he handed me a piece of cold toast that I ate in a few bites.

Meanwhile I noticed that the windows had a bunch of scratches around it, a new one being added as Imugi’s beak nibbled on the wood.

More of her didn't fit anyway.

Akeem grabbed the intruding beak and shoved it out so he could close the window. 

"We ought to get a better window lock in here, 

Imugi will chew on the wood if she doesn't get a treat,  But we can't give her one as we don't to reward that sort of behaviour but she keeps doing it”

Looking at the beak marks in the wood I did have to agree with him, though a Sea monster like Imugi probably liked the smell.

“Good luck, or try putting something in here she doesn't like”

Maybe if she saw something she wasn't fond of she'd stop chewing on the ship.

“The only thing i know that she does not like is Dolphins,  and we are not putting that in the kitchen”

Fair, also the bread really was starting to get stale,  no wonder they tried to toast it.

“Mhm, that would take up like half the kitchen anyway,  how far till we reach the Island you mentioned?”

Akeem motioned for me to follow him to the deck, which I did, still munching on the stale Toast.

Not like I hadn't eaten worse as a bastard street rat.

Up on the deck I could see that the sail was bunched up at the top and that a very old looking anchor was tossed over the side of the boat.

We were still in the middle of the ocean though, why did we stop?

Confusedly I turned to Akeem who had gotten some sort of ladder and rope from who knew where.

“We are stopping here for a few hours so Imugi can properly rest, there even is some seagrass for her to sleep in this reef”

Oh, right, in the hurry to get Home as fast as possible Imugi probably hadn't gotten all that much sleep.

Poor thing, and now I felt guilty.

Akeem tossed me a towel as well as Shorts that seemed to be made out of a weird silk like substance.

“Wh-”

“Those are specifically made for swimming, since Imugi has to rest you might as well enjoy the ocean for once”

Ah, that made sense, probably?

Before I could say anything else Akeem had tossed the Rope which appeared to have a weight at one end overboard and jumped after it.

Considering he was stone he didn't resurface,  but he also didn't have lungs so he couldn't drown.

Oh so the rope was that he could climb out later, smart.

Taking a look at the swimming shorts again, I decided to join Akeem.

Not like we could go anywhere with Imugi sleeping.

Going inside the ship again for a short moment I changed into the shorts Akeem had given me, they mostly fit at least even if they had to be tightly bound together at the waist with a string.

Putting my clothes in the empty box next to the door I walked over the deck again and looked over the railing.

Huh, the water didn't seem that deep here, and there were corals and fish.

A Reef then, and judging by the looks of it a big one.

Suddenly I was glad that this ship wasn't all that big,  and had a serpent maneuvering it.

With the way the rocks were positioned everywhere they could very well cut open a boat.

Being so absorbed in watching the reef under the boat that I didn't notice a figure sneaking up behind me.

Well I didn't notice until my arm got grabbed by a clawed foot.

“What's up you wuss!? Scared of the water?”

Came the cheerful voice from a blue clad maniac right into my left ear.

“Jamie! You don't have to be so loud! I'm not deaf, though,   keep yelling and I might be, also I'm not scared of the water! 

I wanted to see if i could spot Akeem or something cool”

“The water itself is cool enough already, also aren't those Ronan’s?”

They pointed at the swim shorts Akeem had given me.

Oh so those belonged to Ronan, hopefully he didn't mind.

“Akeem gave them to me, also considering you never seem to get out of that Blue sweater you're not gonna swim at all”

They shrugged.

“My legs are so fucking inefficient at treading water that i really should just stay on the boat unless i want to sink after five minutes.

Really though, with how thin my legs are i need to move them so fast to not go under it sucks”

Huh, hadn't considered that, of course thin, almost stilt like legs with thin toes would not help with swimming.

“So I guess you're just gonna have an eye on the ship then? Nice of you.

“You gonna swim or not? Also, don't you ever take that Bracelet off?”

The bracelet? Well, Since I had gotten it the only time I took it off was when I met Oakley.

“Not really, just like you and that blue sweater, also I am going to swim! I just didn't want to jump into a jellyfish or whatever!”

With that i swung myself over the railing and landed with a splash in the water below.

Fuck! As a human the salt stung terribly in my eyes,  which made me realize that I did not have that Problem as Ardua.

Strange, well that demanded to be tested!

Twisting the gem it was barely a second later that instead of a two legged man a big and green beast emerged.

Carefully opening one eye under water it really didn't sting anymore!

Though everything was still blurred by the water.

How weird! But also useful! 

And as Ardua swimming was faster too, the broad paws apparently not only good for digging in dirt.

Now that my life wasn't in danger or anything else needed to be done swimming through the reef was actually fun!

There were lots of fish and coral!

And swimming on the opposite side of the Boat was where Imugi had made a temporary nest out of seagrass.

It looked like actual grass just under water, it was moving slowly with the gentle waves, well at least the parts Imugi wasn't using as Mattress.

Imugi herself was sleeping on the seagrass so I left her alone and instead went to see if I could find Akeem.

Considering he was stone he had to be walking on the ocean floor.

That sounded kinda awesome actually.

Getting a deep breath of air I dived down again, seeing something blue and yellow dart past me.

Turning my head I saw it was Imik, who had ditched his shirt and revealed that his entire torso was dotted with blue scales that had yellow spots in some parts.

On his back there was also a thin and short fin which fit with his webbed hands and feet.

I briefly wondered what type of Merling he was, 

considering he had no fishtail it definitely wasn't merman.

Needing fresh air I resurfaced, Imik following right behind.

“Hey! Nice to see you swimming! Why'd you change back to the green form? Just because it's got bigger lungs?”

Bigger lungs? Hadn't thought about that but he was correct.

“Well i found out saltwater doesn't sting my eyes like this, 

also less risk of having some fish bite me while i'm fuzzy”

Imik laughed at that.

“Fair! Hey, I think I spotted a shipwreck that got washed up in a cave!”

A shipwreck? Well that sounded interesting!

“Really? Where? I've never seen one!”

“I'll show you! I think i'll need your help anyway cuz i want to explore it!

And if something goes wrong you could probably just smash it!”

Ah, there was the unhinged in his case.

“Uh, sure, where is it? I'll follow you, but i'm not a fast swimmer”

Imik nodded and then darted forward a few meters,  waiting for me to catch up.

That pattern repeated until he led me to a deeper part of the reef with weird rock formations.

They looked like natural long columns had fallen over to create some sort of irregular net pattern over sandy grooves.

Kinda pretty still, especially with the coral.

“Okay see that one groove that's bigger and deeper than the others? 

The ship is in the cave to the side of it!

Oh and don't forget to check the time while you dive! 

You don't have gills!”

With that he dived down, leaving me to follow.

Taking a deep breath I dived down after him,  seeing the cave he mentioned and swimming inside.

Luckily the cave entrance was very large,  which it had to be considering an entire ship fit through.

The floor was sandy and the small gaps in the stone roof let plenty of light in, almost like the pattern leaves made on a sunny day.

Huh, pretty.

Swimming around a bit I caught sight of Imik waving at me and pointing at the side of the old looking wooden ship, making a punching motion.

He really did want me to hit the thing huh?

Considering he was a treasure diver it was no surprise he wanted an easy way in.

Not knowing if that even worked underwater I swam to the sandy bottom right next to it and tried to get a good stance.

Considering it was sand it was rather ineffective but I managed to punch a good sized hole in the wall anyway.

Then I had a better idea and started ripping entire boards away so I could get a look inside too.

There were crates, and the ship had another hole on the bottom where some sand covered stone was visible.

No wonder that thing sank!

Getting low on air I motioned to Imik that I was heading out,  who in turn nodded and swam into the wreck.

No doubt he'd examine the crates for any treasure.

On the way out I saw a piece of wood stick out of the sand, looking like the corner of a crate.

Eh, I still had enough air for that.

Making a slight detour I hooked a claw into the crate and pulled it out of the sand.

Well, half of it, the crate was already broken and then spilled its contents.

The crate had contained a variety of shiny gold coins and some jewelry with gems, though not much, and-

My brain stopped for a second,  not comprehending what I saw for a moment.

What the hell?

There in the sand was another Bracelet,  though this one possessed Blue gems instead of green ones.

It was currently human sized so hooking it onto a claw didn't work,  and I didn't dare shift as I was currently holding my breath.

So taking it into my mouth was probably the only way to take it with me right now, even though it would give me a mouthful of sand as well.

Grimacing, I swam closer and opened my mouth above it, 

taking the Bracelet, and a ton of sand as expected, into my mouth.

Tilting my head down I let as much of the sand trickle out as possible.

Despite that there still was some stuck in my teeth as I swam out of the cave and back to the surface.

Breaching the water I swam closer to the ship,  the Bracelet still in my mouth as the Ardua lacked opposable thumbs.

Nearing the ship, and the ladder they had put out to get back up,  I tried to put the bracelet on one of the steps of the ladder.

That proved to be stupidly difficult as doing that with my mouth was challenging, not to mention the ladder swayed with the waves.

“Need help kitty cat?”

I glanced up to see Jamie perch on the railing next to the ladder.

I gave them a deadpan stare before nodding.

They ignored gravity and instead used their claws to walk on the side of the ship,  stretching one bird-like leg out and then walking on top of my snout.

“I'm guessing whatever you got is bigger than your human mouth and you can't shift?”

Instead of nodding, which I couldn't do as Jamie was literally standing on my head and I didn't want to throw them off, I gave an affirmative huff.

They nodded and used their claws to grip tightly to my snout, leaning over the side and fishing for the bracelet.

First off, Ouch those claws hurt, secondly i could feel them find the Bracelet and yank it out, immediately jumping back on the boat.

“Hey this looks like yours!, well almost it's more blue”

I twisted the gem and climbed up the ladder, seeing Jamie inspect the outer side of the bracelet.

“I think it might be something similar, no idea what it was doing in the shipwreck though, also you shouldn't wear it”

They tossed it to me and I barely managed to catch it.

“Why?

Also if Imik found the ship he's gonna want all the treasure out of it”

I looked at the bracelet and compared it to the one I had,  they looked pretty much the same aside from some scratches and the different gems.

“Oakley told me that people can only wear this if some weird gene got passed down, apparently everybody else just dies”

“Well that's stupid, I want to be tall too!”

They hopped from the railing on my shoulders, making me feel the sharp claws again but this time also the full weight of them.

They were pretty light at least.

“I believe that, but i don't think you should test it, i have no idea How you would die, it might curse you or some shit”

They looked pretty disappointed and jumped to the ground.

“Well you better put it somewhere safe then,  I'm sure we got an empty lockable box for you somewhere.

Hey what do you think would happen if Akeem wore it? 

He's stone, he doesn't have Genes!”

That was certainly a thought.

“Not willing to risk that, he seems the only one with common sense here, but i gladly take the box”

Jamie seemed disappointed but still showed me one of the lockable boxes on the deck, though this one was literally just a hatch in the wall with a small hollow space behind it.

It didn't stand out at all, perfect!

Stowing the new bracelet away I turned to the ladder once more,  hearing someone climb up.

Judging by the yellow mess it was Imik,  and he was carrying a bunch of gold coins.

“Look what i found! We can repair the kitchen window Imugi chewed on now! And there's more! Akeem is putting everything in bags right now!”

Oh so they did find the gold, nice.

“Want me to help? I can carry a lot more at once than you do”

Imik looked up from where he was shoving treasure into a chute I had previously overlooked.

“Sure! That's gonna be one fast treasure hunt!

Oh and you'll get some of it too! For helping!”

With that he Jumped back in,  and not wanting to lose sight and not find the cave anymore, 

I jumped over the railing after him, turning back into the Ardua form.

Imik was pretty fast at swimming but I managed to see where he dived into the cave again, and after taking a deep breath went after him again.

Akeem was indeed walking along the bottom of the sea, just like one would on land,  and was neatly tying up some bags and crates into nets with rope.

When he saw me he waved and used even more rope to tie a big sling, attaching every bag he could before holding out the sling to me.

Oh smart! Without thumbs I couldn't hold it, and I needed my limbs to swim anyway so that I could just carry the rope with my teeth.

Gently gripping the rope he held out, and trying not to bite it,  I turned around and swam out of the weird cave again.

Pretty heavy though, they must have found lots of good stuff in there.

Resurfacing I quickly realized they did not have their crane anymore, how would all this stuff get on the ship?

Imik breached the water shortly after me, apparently coming to the same realization.

“Ah fuck, were missing equipment, well if we do manage to get the gold up there we can use it to get a new crane at least”

Great, but how to get it on the deck now?

Suddenly Even more rope was tossed straight onto my head.

Jamie, of course.

“Yo fuckers! If you tie it to that we can use the winch of the second anchor to tow it up here!”

Well, that could work.

I tried to keep steady as Imik tied a variety of complicated looking knots to secure everything before climbing up the ladder and helping Jamie with the winch.

Not sure if i could let go now or not i just stayed as i was, hearing both of them work to use the winch.

After not too long there was a tug and the weirdly packaged treasure was heaved out and halfway onto the deck.

Swimming back to the ladder I changed back to the more human form so I could climb it before immediately switching back to the Ardua form as soon as I was on the deck.

I walked over to where they struggled to heave the mishmash of rope and treasure onto the boat and leaned over the railing.

Grabbing the tied together chaos I dragged it completely onto the deck, hearing at least two of the crew cheer at that.

“HEAVE HO KITTY CAT! HAHA”

At least one was Jamie.

Shaking the water out of my fur like a dog,  and drenching all of them again, I shifted back.

After shifting i immediately got a stick thrown at my head and turning around it was Jamie,  who due to me shaking the water out had gotten wet after all.

“Dumbass!”

“Sorry, forgot”

They let out an annoyed chirp and walked up the mast,  wringing the blue sweater out as they went.

Imik had meanwhile detangled the winch from the crate mess and tied another rope to it instead.

Oh right, Akeem was still underwater and due to being a statue couldn't swim upwards.

“Should I shift again and drag him up?”

“Nah, not sure if the Boat likes that, but you can help pull since Ronan is distracted, well he shouldn't anyway with the injuries”

Fair, so I grabbed part of the rope and helped Imik to drag Akeem up from the ocean floor.

It wasn't that bad until Akeem was actually heaved out of the water and still had some meters to go to get him on the deck.

Apparently him being out of the water made him heavier?

Whatever, letting go now would undo all the work we had to get him up, not to mention embarrassing.

Powering through it he was on the deck pretty fast and I could literally watch as the water just flowed off him till he was mostly dry.

Living statues were weird.

“Thank you for your help, without the crane getting me out is quite difficult”

Before I could respond a big blue head with a bony beak bonked into the railing, making whistling and chirping sounds.

Ronan immediately appeared from who knew where and hugged Imugi.

“Imugi! Hey there! Have a nice nap?”

The Sea Serpent click-whistled in response and gummed on his hair.

Despite being gently gnawed on Ronan immediately went to coddle her as she clicked happily.

“Hey what's in those crates? 

Did you go diving after Jamie knocked me out?”

Jamie knocked him out? Was that a good idea? He was still injured.

Then again he had been walking around and doing stuff when he shouldn't, so maybe it wasn't that bad? 

Aside from the possible brain damage.

Though according to Jamie he didn't have a brain to damage anyway.

Also Imugi was careful with him,  only gumming on his head instead of his bandaged limbs so at least she wouldn't open any of the strange electric burn marks.

Imik immediately interjected the inane nonsense though.

“If Imugi is fit again maybe we should go back on route? 

The treasure is nice and all and we're gonna have to use most of it to get a new crane but we really should aim for the harbor now!”

Imugi stopped gumming on Ronan’s head and made a clicking sound at Imik before diving into the water again.

The two of them walked to the front of the ship,  probably to toss the towing gear to Imugi again,  leaving me on deck with a living statue trying to sort the rope and crate chaos and a bird legged maniac that sat up in their nest and apparently had no desire to help.

Well to be fair they seemed to basically never use their hands and i doubted untying rope could be done with those stick thin bird legs.

There was a tug on the boat that confirmed that Imugi was back to towing the boat.

Not really knowing what to do now I went over to Akeem and started helping to untie the ropes from the mess of crates,  and earning, what was probably? An affirming look.

It was hard to tell considering his eyes were made out of some orange gemstone but he seemed to appreciate it and started instructing me on what to do.

After not too long Imik came back and helped until everything was untied, and promptly started to drag the crates to the door at the back of the ship.

Oh right, he was stowing the treasure he found there.

Helping to move the heavier crates the day went by fast until the sky, and ocean, was painted a purple and magenta shade by the setting sun.

Apparently time went faster if you had something to do, huh.

Suddenly I got a piece of stale bread tossed at me,  just barely managing to catch it before it fell on the floor.

The one that had thrown it was Jamie, who seemed to have lost all respect for gravity and was standing sidewards on the mast.

“Good catch!”

Jamie Immediately got whacked by Imik.

“Don't throw food like that! Especially on a boat!”

I did have to agree with Imik on that, it seemed rather wasteful, especially if i hadn't caught it.

While I bit into the stale bread the two started squabbling again,  with one of Jamie's bird claws straight up gripping Imiks face.

Apparently that happened a lot so I ignored it and sat next to Ronan on the stairs to the top part of the deck.

“How many times does that happen?” Ronan shrugged, and then winced as his skin moved the bandages.

“No idea, stopped counting, but they never do it for real and like this Jamie doesn't go after me for dumb stuff at least”

“Fair, but you really do dumb stuff sometimes”

Ronan grinned sheepishly and tugged at his own ear.

“I know, but sometimes i get excited about new stuff and then forget the stuff around me”

Well that sounded familiar.

“I know someone with a similar issue,  he keeps spacing out and not paying attention to things that don't interest him, his name is Robin and he's my best friend”

Fuck how i missed all of them, i couldn't wait to get to the Harbor and then home.

“Your best friend? What's he like? Oh and does he have any tips on how to deal with the scatter brainedness?” “i don't think so, as for what he's like, well first off he's ginger” That earned a laugh from Ronan.

“As for what he's like, hmm, well he's the first person to not just see some street bastard halfbreed.

My mother died eight years ago and since then he was the first to be nice to me, for no reason too.

Our meeting was, uhh, Chaotic and he would have had every reason to hate me and fear me but after a bit he didn't.

He loves plants and the Cat that walks around the garden. 

He randomly helps the people near us out even if he doesn't get anything for it.

He loves to make flower crowns for people, 

He even tries to match the colors of them too.

Also he's easily excitable and can hyperfocus on things he likes”

“Sounds like a good guy, maybe if we visit your place, Kamerasca was it? One day we could throw a big party and let everyone meet!”

A big Party to introduce everyone to each other, huh.

“Sure, why not? You gotta keep an eye out for Nea then,  she can, and will, throw someone out a window, 

I'm also pretty sure she already did that at least once.

But i think that would be fun, i don't think Rikaad would mind, 

and Arthur won't either as long as he doesn't have to go on a Boat”

Ronan smiled widely,  showing off his fangs that were a little smaller than mine.

“Sounds like a plan then! 

Wait, who are Rikaad and Arthur? More friends?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, they are Rikaad kinda owns the place we live at and Arthur had really bad Motion sickness”

“Ouh motion sickness sucks, I got it once, Imugi grabbed me by my shirt and dragged me at high speed through the water,  making lots of curves all the while! 

I nearly puked!”

Just hearing that was horrifying.

“Yeah that sounds like something that would make you throw up, why did she do that anyway?”

“Oh yeah! So Imugi used to be really tiny and that was basically the first time she realized she could actually drag me! 

I guess she was excited, haha!”

Oh right Jamie had mentioned that Imugi used to fit in a mug.

Ronan kept on rambling though, apparently I had struck an interest.

“Imugi did all sorts of wild things around that time! 

And also kept bringing me raw fish so i'm pretty used to that now,  Yamet actually combined it with rice and sauce. It's very good.

Oh! One time Imugi fell off the boat and managed to get back on deck on her own for the first time! She was really happy about that! 

And then kept going on and off for like two hours,  but at least we didn't need the crane to get her on anymore!

Then there also was the one time she got something stuck in her gills, I think it was a fishhook? 

It was definitely bent metal though, so I had to reach in and get it out!

I'll tell you fish gills are already weird but because Imugi was already so big and the hook so deep I had to fit my entire arm down her throat!

Heh, so i guess the reason i had no fear when looking at your teeth was because i had to stick my arm into a sea serpent already!

Wait! I forgot! Fuck! Why didn't you say anything?”

Much to my chagrin I knew exactly what he was talking about.

I did tell him i would let him look at the pouch firsthand after all,  he was probably going to cash in on that sooner rather than later.

“Yeah I was kinda hoping you would so I kept quiet about it”

He looked at me with a deadpan stare.

“Well, we still have time till we reach the harbor, and I'm still curious!”

My eyes nervously darted to where Jamie and Imik were still wrangling with each other, how they had not drawn blood was a miracle.

Ronan seemed to catch on for once luckily.

“Oh yeah, don't want to freak Jamie out,  normally someone ends up losing an eye or finger”

Well that was horrifying.

“Well then, uhm, let's wait till they sleep,  minus Akeem because he never sleeps anyway”

I sighed and ate the last piece of stale bread.

“Well, i did say i would, and id rather Jamie doesn't take out my eye so waiting till its night is fine by me”

I also didn't want to freak them out, again, seeing as i had no idea if anyone told them it was fine considering the chaos at the time.

So we talked about nonsense till Akeem dragged both Iik and Jamie inside for sleep.

“Wait, doesn't Jamie sleep in the nest thing normally?” Ronan waved it off.

“Nah not all the time, and if Akeem drags them Inside they actually sleep inside, though that might be due to laziness”

Ah yeah, made sense, so now that everyone was gone I was surely expected to shift into the Ardua form again.

NEXT / PREVIOUS / OVERSIGHT

[vodika-vibes]

Midday Blooms - Lilacs and Daffodils

Years after the Sith took control of Coruscant, the Coruscanti Citizens live on a series of Space Stations surrounding the planet, waiting for the day when they're allowed to return home. When it's safe to return home. The Clones, elite soldiers born of the DNA of Lord Jango Fett, make up the large majority of the fighting force, though not the entirety. And after it comes out that Lord Fett had elected to side with Count Dooku, a fallen Jedi Master, and that both men were pawns of none other than Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, the men are freed from the chips, and any compulsions that would have them turn on the jedi, and the civilians they protect so ably. But even now the war rages on. The soldiers, and their Jedi Generals, rotate three month deployments to Coruscant, in the hopes that one day, they will be able to live on the planet that glitters over their heads. This is very tangentially a war story. Because I cannot write action. But I will do my best. Tagging: @starrrgazingbunny Ships: Marshal Commander Neyo x OC, Marshal Commander Bacara x OC

Nebula Space Station

Bell Manor - 10:00 am

“It’s only a matter of time,” Doctor Dee Bell said excitedly to his daughter as he waved his morning toast around over his head. He either didn’t notice, or didn’t care, that some of the jam had fallen off the bread and landed on his white jacket. “You’ll see, Talia! Someday soon, we’ll be able to resettle Coruscant.”

Talia shook her head in amusement, “Father, you’ve been saying that for years, and the soldiers are no closer to retaking Coruscant from the Sith today then they were when I was six,”

“Bah! That’s only because Lord Fett decided to throw his weight behind Dooku.”

“We’re fortunate that the Jedi figured out his plan before Palpatine enacted it,” Talia pointed out as she took a sip of her tea, and then made a face. Cold, yuck. “Though it’s a shame that Knight Skywalker decided to throw his weight behind Palpatine.”

“He’s an idiot. And he’s on the losing side.” Her father countered, “Why, even Senator Amidala has been denouncing his actions since the day he defected, and she’s the mother to his children.”

He trailed off as he finally remembered that he was in the middle of eating, and he took a bite of his, now plain, toast. And then he paused and squinted at Talia, “Don’t you have a Salon you’re supposed to go to today?”

“...No.” Talia lied, badly. Damn it, she was hoping he had forgotten about the Cunningham Salon. 

“Talia,”

Aw, man. The Disappointed Dad voice. 

“You cannot skip Betty’s Salon, she’s always so happy when you go and visit.”

“Yeah, but she’s awful.”

“She’s lonely.”

“She insults Ophelia constantly.”

“Maybe Ophelia deserves it.”

“Dad!”

“What? I know she’s your friend, but she is a bit of a wild child!”

“She’s calmed down a lot since we were in Finishing School, dad. You know she’s working at her father’s company now, right?”

“Is she really?” Her father looks surprised, “Huh, well. Even so, you should go get dressed for the party. You should wear the purple dress your grandmother bought you.”

“I look awful in purple.” Talia whined, acting much younger than her 22 years.

“Nonsense, you love purple. It’s your favorite color! And you look beautiful in it!”

“That’s worse! Betty will just accuse me of showing her up at her own Salon.”

“Nonsense. Now go and get dressed.”

Talia rolled her eyes, but allowed her father to propel her out of her seat and to the stairs. She supposed there was no way out of it now. Stupid dad actually remembering shit at inconvenient moments.

Still, it wouldn’t take her longer than, maybe, half an hour to get herself dressed and her hair and make-up done. Maybe she would go all out and put fresh flowers in her hair, rather than pulling it up into a fancy updo.

She would have to send Ophelia a message. Her best friend always was good at coming up with ways to make Betty look like the hag she was.

*********

Marshal Commander Neyo was not happy.

In his defense, he was rarely happy. Being a Marshal Commander often came with more responsibilities than rights, and he had spent the last three months on rotation on the front lines.

He was exhausted.

Down to his bones.

All he wanted to do was retire to the apartment the Government gave him, and sleep for the next 9 months, until his next rotation to Coruscant started.

But no.

He couldn’t.

Because Fucking Faie agreed to a fucking Salon.

He didn’t even know what a Salon was. A party of some kind, based on the fact that he was required to wear his dress uniform.

He scowled at the pure white uniform. It was perfect, of course, and covered in medals and awards that meant jack-shit in any real world scenario. He hated it. He was much more comfortable in his armor. Hell, even his blacks would be preferable to wearing that get-up.

“Don’t be such a grouch,” Faie said with a roll of his eyes. He was already wearing his dress uniform. “We’re going to be rubbing shoulders with high class ladies.”

Neyo considered shoving him out the window. He would probably get another medal of service for it.

“Lovely,” Bacara said in monotone, “Just how I wanted to spend my first day decompressing from battles. Schmoozing with the rich and lazy.”

“It’ll be fun.” Faie insisted.

“Your idea of fun used to be reading Reg manuals,” Neyo pointed out snidely.

Faie gasped, “He talks!”

The urge to shove him out the window got stronger. “Wow. It’s sad that you think you’re funny.” Neyo said.

Faie rolled his eyes again. Neyo hoped his eyes got stuck that way. “Look, we finally have rights. We might as well take advantage of them. Besides, Bly is coming too.”

Bacara’s fingers slipped on one of his buttons, “You managed to convince him to step away from General Secura long enough to flirt with rich ladies?”

“Of course not. General Secura ordered him to come.”

Oh. That made sense.

Wait-

“I thought Bly was about to rotate to Coruscant,” Neyo said absently, as though he was commenting on the weather.

“He was supposed to, but General Secura was injured, so her battalion and the Wolfpack switched places.” Bacara replied as he finished buttoning his jacket and made sure that his ribbons were straight, “Hurry up, Neyo. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can make our escape.”

Neyo was pretty sure that was a damned lie, but it was a nice lie, so he finally pulled his jacket on and started buttoning it. Stupid brothers. Always getting him involved in stupid shit.

Maybe there would be good food at this party, if nothing else.

******

Talia stepped out of the speeder and thanked her father’s droid with a kind smile. She had been in luck, mother’s lilac bush was still in bloom, which meant she had been able to weave the delicate purple flowers through her braid.

And they matched her dress and sandals. One point for Talia and none for Harpy Betty.

She cast her gaze around, and a bright smile crossed her face when she saw Ophelia waiting for her. She looked annoyed, though no one else would think that, as her friend had mastered the art of hiding her emotions behind a fan.

Her entire face brightened, though, when she saw Talia. Ophelia snapped her fan shut, and stepped over to her. “Tali, darling, I thought you weren’t coming!” She hugged Talia tightly.

“Sorry, there was awful traffic by the spaceport.” Talia smiled warmly, her gaze lingering on the crown of daffodils that Ophelia had perched on top of her neat, platinum blonde, hair. “You decided on yellow, then?”

Ophelia stepped back and twirled for Talia, showing off her vibrant yellow dress, “Betty told me that yellow wasn’t my color due to my hair,” She said, “So I decided to be petty.”

Talia’s smile became so achingly fond as she regarded her best friend of twenty years, “You’re always petty.” She said, warmly.

“Pssh. You were the one who suggested real flowers, rather than ribbons.” Ophelia grinned, “I already got a comment about my daffodils, from Anne, of course.”

“Oh? What did she say?”

“That it was unbecoming of me to try and show up Betty at her own Salon.” Ophelia rolled her eyes, “I could wear a trash bag, and still show her up.” She hooked her arm with Talia’s and tugged her towards the garden entrance, “It’s because she has the personality of a sewer rat.”

The pair stepped into the garden, and were immediately overwhelmed by the scent of roses. “Ew.” Talia whispered, “Roses, really? And red ones?”

Ophelia leaned in, “I heard that she’s hunting for a husband.”

“At a Salon?”

“Mm. She invited some of the men who recently returned from Coruscant.” Ophelia replied, as she cast her gaze around the garden, “Though I doubt they’re here yet.”

“Oh, Talia you made it-” Betty hurried over and stopped, her gaze locked on the flowers in Talia’s hair, and then her gaze drifted to the flowers in Ophelia’s hair, “You made it.” She finished, sounding very annoyed. 

“There was awful traffic, Betty,” Talia said sweetly, like she had no idea that Betty was annoyed with her, “I suppose it makes sense with so many men returning from Coruscant yesterday.”

Betty flushed, the unheard condemnation heard loud and clear. “Ophelia, I’m surprised at you. Did I forget to mention how washed out yellow makes you look at my last Salon?”

Ophelia smiled winsomely, her yellow fan coming out and snapping open in front of her mouth and nose, “Mother made this dress for me, Betty. Surely you don’t expect me to disrespect her?”

Ophelia’s mother was a fashion designer of some renown. Well, she designed the gowns that the ladies of the senate wore on a daily basis, so “some” renown was rather an understatement. 

“Your mother should know better than to dress you in yellow,” Betty sniffed.

“I’ll be sure to mention it.” Ophelia replied. “Come along, Talia. I see Elizabeth over by the tea, and I’m sure that Betty has other people she needs to greet.”

Talia allowed Ophelia to direct her over to the tea table, where Elizabeth most assuredly wasn’t. The third part of their little trio from Finishing School stopped coming to these events as soon as she turned 18. With her mother’s blessing, of course.

Talia and Ophelia hadn’t been so lucky, tragically.

“Have you spoken to Elizabeth recently?” Talia asked as soon as Betty was out of earshot.

“I have, she’s met a man,” Ophelia grinned wickedly, “A soldier, named Gree. Apparently he’s as sweet as sugar and dotes on her.”

“I’m glad for her,” Talia said loyally.

“I think it’s boring.” Ophelia whispered as she handed a teacup to Talia, and then took one for herself.

“Hm. Have you heard from your gentleman lately?” Talia asked, innocently.

Ophelia looked disgruntled, “He returned yesterday, but he said that he had been roped into something today, so I’m not going to see him until tomorrow at the earliest.” 

“You poor thing. How will you survive?” Talia teased.

Ophelia shot her a look, and then her shoulders slumped, “I haven’t seen him in three months, and I wasn’t even able to greet him yesterday because he has responsibilities. It’s not even fair.”

“As if your father would okay you going to meet a man, any man, on your own.” Talia points out as she snags one of the picnic tables for them to share, “You’re lucky your mother approves.”

“Mother loves him. She’s been designing my wedding dress since I was three, of course.” Ophelia said warmly, “Of course, the moment she finds out that I’m already married, all bets are off.”

Talia laughed. She opened her mouth to say something when there was a commotion from the entrance of the garden.

*******

Neyo decided immediately that he hated roses. He hated the look and the scent. And he really, really hated the woman who dressed herself to look like a rose. Who was simpering over Faie like he deserved anything more than being shoved out a window.

At least most everyone else was dressed in more pastel colors. He saw several pinks, quite a few blues and greens, and more than one pastel yellow. This woman was the only one wearing wine red.

She stood out. And not in a good way.

“Neyo, this is Miss Betty Cunningham. This is her party,” Faie said, his glare practically screaming at him to be nice.

“Nice to meet you.” Neyo replied in a flat voice, everything about his screaming I don’t want to be here.

He took it as a victory when the red woman faltered under his unimpressed stare, and she turned to focus her attention on Bacara and Bly…neither of whom were paying attention to her.

Bly was staring at his chrono, likely wondering how long he had to remain at the party to not be seen as rude when he left. Neyo was sure that General Secura told him he had to stay for at least an hour.

Bacara, though-

Huh. Bacara was staring at something across the garden.

Neyo followed his gaze, and landed on a young woman, dressed in vibrant yellow, with yellow flowers in her hair. A young woman who was well aware of Bacara’s stare, as her face was glowing red. Her companion, a young woman in pastel purple with purple flowers in her hair, looked like she was trying not to laugh.

Neyo glanced over at his brother, who was now playing with something around his neck. That something, Neyo knew, was a wedding band. Something Bacara had admitted to him late one night, after a particularly bad day on Coruscant.

“You’re a fucking idiot,” Neyo hissed, “Go talk to your wife before she implodes.”

Bacara shot him a relieved look, and slipped away from the group of men, and across the garden. Laser focused on the yellow woman, who stood and greeted him with a tight hug.

Neyo was amused to note that the red woman flushed an angry shade of red when she saw that. He decided to take a note from his brother’s book in this case, and make a tactical retreat. 

Neyo found himself near the back of the garden, by a rather large, and gaudy looking, fountain. A fountain that was covered in red roses. What was with that woman?

“It’s hideous, isn’t it?” Neyo turned and flickered his gaze slightly down to regard the young woman standing several feet behind him, she smiled at him apologetically, “The Fountain, I mean.”

She stepped up next to him, her gaze remained locked on the fountain. She smelled softer, like the purple flowers in her hair. It was nice, compared to the overpowering scent of roses. “What is her obsession with roses?” Neyo asked.

She laughed, a bubbly noise that made Neyo want to make her laugh again. “The roses are new,” She said, once her laughter calmed, “Generally you can tell what kind of mood Betty is in based on the flowers she decorates her garden with.”

“And what do red roses mean?” Neyo asked warily.

“That she’s looking for a husband,”

Fuck.

She laughs again, and Neyo’s panic fades a little. “I don’t think you need to worry,” She reassures, “I think you intimidate her.”

“Thank fuck for that.” He paused, “Do I intimidate you?”

She released a thoughtful hum, and then looked up at him with a bright smile, “I’ve never been intimidated by a man in my life.”

That was…unfairly attractive, actually, Neyo decided after a moment of thought.

“Marshal Commander Neyo, of the 91st Battalion.” 

Her smile widened, “Talia Bell. It’s very nice to meet you, Commander.”

“Neyo.”

Delight flickered across her face, “Well then, it’s nice to meet you, Neyo.”

He decided, then and there, that he liked the way his name sounded on her tongue. Plans flickered through his mind, as his entire world shifted a little bit. “So, Talia,” He liked her name. It suited her, “What kind of flowers are these?” He brushed his fingers against one of the purple blossoms in her hair.

She considered him for a moment, and then she motioned for him to duck his head. Talia pulled a single blossom bunch from her hair, and lightly tucked it behind his ear, “They’re lilac blossoms,” She said, “And now we match.”

Well then.

A slow smile crossed his face, “If we match,” Neyo said slowly, his gaze locked on her face, “Then I suppose it’s okay for me to ask if you want to leave.”

She laughed, and leaned closer to him, the scent of lilacs swirled around them. “I know how to get to the back gate open,” Talia said brightly, “And there’s a nice little restaurant not far from here that has the best sandwiches on the station. If you’re interested?”

He was definitely interested. In more than just sandwiches. “It sounds like a good start,” He says instead, “Do you mind if I ditch the jacket at my barracks though?”

She shook her head, and then offered him her hand, her eyes sparkling in the midday sun. “Come on, Neyo. Let’s go have some real fun.”

Half made plans solidified into something solid. Something real.

Neyo smiled and took her hand, “Lead the way, Sarad.”