#And yet i'm like hmmm but is that the whole truth?

[lovesitcomsandgaystuffs]

Sano: I am 17 years old

Haru: Sano is 17 years old

Tanamai-sensei on her Twitter: Sano is 17 years old

Me: Interesting, but how old Sano really is...

[linkemon]

The good, the bad and the dirty (Aomine Daiki x Reader)

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you’re interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

"— ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇᴀᴛ ᴍᴇ…— ᴅᴀɪᴋɪ ʙᴇɢᴀɴ, ᴀꜱ ɪꜰ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴊᴜꜱᴛɪꜰʏ ʜɪᴍꜱᴇʟꜰ. — …ɪꜱ ʏᴏᴜ? — ᴛʜᴇ ɢɪʀʟ ꜰɪɴɪꜱʜᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ." ᴀ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ᴀᴏᴍɪɴᴇ'ꜱ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇꜱ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴍɪᴅᴅʟᴇ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟ ᴀɴᴅ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟ. ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴄᴀɴ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʙᴀꜱᴋᴇᴛʙᴀʟʟ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ꜱᴇɴꜱᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ…

Aomine stopped on the gravel path. He listened for a moment. There were strange noises coming from the gym. Momoi had once told him that it was haunted. For a moment, he had actually believed her but then he met Kuroko. The boy, with his enthusiasm for training and his ability to distract attention, had unconsciously acted like a real ghost. Daiki had laughed off the silly rumors the next day but now he wasn't so sure if there wasn't some truth to them. He checked his phone to make sure he hadn't mixed up anything:  

Tetsu

I got sick. I won't be at training today.  

So no. It should be just him here. He looked around nervously. The schoolyard was empty. There was no one who could accompany him. The whole team had already gone home. He licked his lips nervously. He could actually leave but he shouldn't chicken out...He won't. Probably...

— Shit! I'm coming! — He gripped his ball tightly.  

He wasn't a wimp, after all. People in middle school shouldn't be afraid of a made-up ghost. Surely someone was just making fun of him. He lifted his head proudly. He quickened his pace, afraid of changing his mind at the last moment.  

Aomine gently opened the door and looked around the room. The strong halogen lights illuminated the room. It gave him courage.  

A girl ran through the middle of the court. She dribbled skillfully towards the basket. He breathed a sigh of relief. She was certainly no ghost. You could even say she looked very pretty. Especially considering her curves. Aomine had long since stopped caring about how others viewed his perception of the opposite sex. If a woman had large breasts, he saw nothing wrong with admiring them. A compliment like any other.  

He stood in the doorway for a moment, watching her practice. She seemed to be honing her basic skills. Crossover. Right. Left. Throw. Then the reverse. And so on and so forth.  

At one point the ball bounced off the basket and rolled right at his feet. Daiki picked it up and twirled it on his finger. It spun for a moment. He sent it back towards the student. He had to admit she had quick reflexes because she caught it correctly.  

— Hi! — she called, dribbling. — Did you come to practice too, Aomine-san?

Shock must have shown on his face. After all, it wasn't every day that he met a stranger who knew who he was.  

— How do you know my name? — He stepped closer.

— It’s hard not to know a member of the Generation of Miracles just by going to Teikō — she said.  

He probably hadn't realized how recognizable he was until now. His career was just starting to take off. He had a feeling that one day he would go far but it seemed that everything happened faster than he thought. Kise was the one who could boast about his popularity. Female fans were running after him everywhere. They begged for his autograph, a photo together or left him gifts. He didn't envy him. They could be awfully annoying.  

— I'm in the basketball club, so I watched your games — she added.  

So he was wrong after all. It wasn't his five minutes of fame yet. Maybe that was for the best.  

— Hmmm…— A low growl escaped his throat. — How about one-on-one?

He was convinced that she would refuse. Most people were afraid to play with him. If they saw him, they should have sensed defeat. Years of street basketball had instilled in him wild instincts. He had developed reflexes to a superhuman level. He wasn't afraid to admit that he was good. He knew his abilities and constantly pushed the boundaries of what held him back. This discouraged many people who saw no point in competing with him.  

However, to his surprise, the girl put her ball aside and with a smile stood ready to fight.  

— I’m [Reader]. — She held out her hand.  

He shook his hand, feeling the firm grip. She certainly had no shortage of strength.

Daiki wasn't entirely sure how it worked. Could sports be some form of communication that only a select few could understand?  For some reason, that seemed true. This game seemed to say more about the person he had just met than words could.  

She had the drive. She put her heart into basketball. It was obvious to him. Especially since Tetsu was his friend. And he embodied that attitude. There was a stubbornness to the game. Not as fierce as his own but more thoughtful. The girl was weighing her options.  

After a few minutes, he understood what it was all about. He knew why she had been practicing the basics that evening. She had a real talent for throwing. Maybe not as big as Midorima's but still big. Everything went perfectly if he didn't have time to defend. No matter how weird the angle she took. She scored quite a few points. But she couldn't compete with him. Since they were competing seriously, he decided not to give her a head start. Her feints were poor. It was also hard for her to keep up with her murderous pace of running. He suspected that her passing was also mediocre. However, he didn't have a chance to see them because it was just the two of them. So he shamelessly exploited these weaknesses to finally gain a crushing advantage.

He waited for the moment when she would break down. For that familiar expression that he saw more and more often on the faces of his rivals. For a moment of revelation when she would understand her own shortcomings in the face of his skills. But she didn't stop. Even when she fell, exhausted, she got up and continued. Someone might say that he should stop then. But he saw the will to fight in her eyes. He recognized that hunger for a worthy opponent. The same one that consumed him so he couldn't stop himself.  

He felt warm but not because of the sweat glistening on his tanned skin. It was some kind of happy feeling, manifesting itself in the area of ​​his belly. When she smiled, something inside him fluttered, wanting to come to the surface. He wanted to continue, eternally untiring. The more he thought about it, the sillier it seemed. Could this be love at first sight?  

Damn it! — he thought. He really got distracted and she took the ball from him. She barely managed to score another point. He couldn't help but feel a smile creeping onto his lips. This was real basketball. The kind he liked. 

He wasn't an idiot. He liked her. Maybe love was too strong of a word but something about her drew him in. From her looks, to her mannerism and passion she exuded. He wanted to spend more time with her. To get to know her better.

— I’ll come over and watch your game sometime — he said casually.  

He said this while jumping to the basket. He preferred to have his back turned. He didn't consider failure. But just in case, it would be better not to see her face if she refused him.  

The girl stopped for a moment. They were just resuming play after a point but he could see that something had changed in her posture. She seemed to stiffen slightly.  

— I would love to invite you but I'm not in the starting lineup. — She hit a three-pointer.

That surprised him. Had the female Teikō gained strong players in such a short time? It seemed to him that they were still looking for them. The semester had only just started. She should definitely be there. True, she seemed average against him, but he was different. Besides, her mistakes were easy to correct quite quickly. And with such accuracy, the team would certainly go far.  

— Why? — The boy was really curious.

He expected her to shrug off the question. Satsuki usually did that when he asked her what was going on. She often said it was none of his business and that he shouldn't meddle in other people's business (unless it was Kuroko, which was a different matter entirely). But she wasn't Momoi.  

— The coach and captain don’t think someone my size can play — she said bluntly.  

This wasn't what he expected at all. What was he supposed to say now? That he was sorry? That it was idiotic? The girls he'd been hanging out with up until now probably wanted to hear that. They usually liked to tell each other that they weren't overweight. The last time he'd told a friend she'd gained weight, she hadn't spoken to him for a week.  

— I know that look. — [Reader] rolled her eyes in a showy manner. — Don't say you're sorry. I don't need comforting. I know I'm fatter than most of the girls on the team and I know my limits. But that doesn't give those two bitches the right to look down on me. I'll make it to the starting lineup and show them they were wrong. — With that, she returned to the game.  

He didn't know what shocked him more. The fact that she had just called the teacher a bitch (from what he had heard about her, she deserved it) or the fact that she was accepting a fact that most people would have a hard time accepting. She was indeed wider in some places but he didn't see that as a problem. Especially with her playing. If she pulled herself together enough, she would get a promotion sooner or later.  

— Women with curves are attractive!  

She gave him the middle finger and he smiled. She was definitely refreshing compared to his previous friends.  

— What? I'm telling the truth!  

She shook her head and dribbled toward the basket.  

He knocked the ball out of her hands, then outpaced it by a step. He jumped into the air. It might not have been a perfect dunk. He still lacked the height and strength to do it right. Still, he hung in the air for a moment. He watched with glee as the orange streaked through the rim. He knew he was showing off like a brat but he didn't even try to fight it.  

— I'm sure you'll get in. — He looked into her eyes for a moment. He wanted her to know he wasn't teasing. He really meant it.  

[Reader] pushed back her sporty ponytail. She didn't say anything. She just started playing again. They spent the entire evening like that.  

Suddenly, the ringing of his phone pierced through the squeak of his sneakers. He was about to close the flap when he saw the screen: Mother. That meant trouble. She had shouted at him as soon as he answered. So much so that he had held the device away from his ear. He was supposed to come back earlier today to help her carry the heavy bags. He tried to defend himself but the clock in the ward clearly showed that it was way past time. He hung up in the middle of a tirade. She wouldn't tell him anything new anyway. All he could do was run home as fast as he could.  

[Reader] was laughing on the side the entire time. She was clearly having a wild time watching him get lectured.  

— Thanks for the match! — She grabbed her backpack from the floor.  

— Thanking me for stomping you into the ground? — Aomine grinned.  

She hit him in the arm. It didn't hurt, although she had a lot of strength. It was just that his muscles were so developed that he didn't feel much.  

— I'll get even next time. — The girl uttered a curse in her mouth.  

— Who said there would be a next time? — The boy raised an eyebrow.  

It seemed as if they were good friends, even though they had only met that day. It felt strange. Especially since all the girls he had been interested in so far had only been distinguished by their looks. He had never managed to connect with any of them. They accepted that he was interested in sports but none of them saw in it what he saw. It was as if they understood the general idea but did not know the essence of his passion.  

True, he had Satsuki with him. But he couldn't look at her as anything other than his younger sister. They lived close by and had known each other since childhood. Besides, she made gooey eyes at his best friend. She understood, to some extent, what was going on in Daiki's head but he hadn't met anyone outside his usual circle of friends who understood him in ages.  

They headed for the door. [Reader] didn't say anything since he'd dismissed the idea of ​​repeating the meeting. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

— If you ever want to train together, I'm already helping my teammate. We hang out here almost every day at this time. You're welcome to join. — Aomine scratched the back of his neck.  

Kuroko probably shouldn't mind. If he knew him, he'd probably be happy about it. Especially since they were very similar in some ways.  

— Really? — He felt as if her whole face had lit up. But it was possible that it was just the moonlight coming out from behind the clouds.  

— Yeah — he murmured in confirmation.  

— Well, see you then! — She ran away happily. 

Aomine was eating the burger and stuffing himself with fries. Crispy bun, juicy meat and some unnecessary vegetable additions. That familiar taste brought back memories. And a big cola. He took a sip through a big straw. The dark, cold and sweet liquid was bubbling with bubbles. He felt just like he did at the beginning of middle school. Only better. That's what he kept telling himself.  

Because now it was late at night. Dark and quiet. No one bothered him. There was only one employee on shift at Maji Burger, minding his own business. He didn't even look in his direction.  

When he used to come here, he was surrounded by noise. Colleagues fighting over who would order first or who owed whom money. It seemed as if the warm afternoons had disappeared somewhere far away. As if they had happened years ago, even though they hadn't. He didn't miss it. He couldn't because he had chosen it himself. That loneliness that, as if to spite him, made itself known at moments like this.

Daiki leaned his head against the window. Neon lights illuminated the uninteresting views. He glanced at the table. He had ordered way too much food. He wouldn't be able to finish all of this and the money would be wasted. Why had he done that in the first place? He hadn't come here with the boys in a long time. They'd seen each other at games but only official ones. He didn't want to meet up with them, so he avoided them like the plague. Besides, from what he knew, they'd stopped spending time together. They weren't a team, just a collection of individuals. And now each of them had graduated from Teikō.  

The soft bell above the door chimed. He didn't care until he heard a familiar voice. He froze with the burger halfway to his mouth.

[Reader]. She was the one who was getting her shake from the lighted counter. He didn't believe in gods but at that moment he was praying that she wouldn't notice him. Which was awfully stupid, when you think about it. Why should he be afraid of her? It didn't work out. That was all. They didn't really have a way to break up. They never officially announced that they were a couple. They didn't care about things like that. When they got to the dating stage, everything in his life started to fall apart. He told her that it wasn't going to work out. She accepted that and they were really good friends. Until he pushed his friends away too and their contact became much less.  

— Can I sit here? — She unceremoniously slid into the seat across from him.  

— If you want — he grunted quietly.  

— Middle school’s over. Time flew by, huh? — [Reader] played with her straw. Like she wasn’t entirely sure what to say.  

He didn't blame her. It was awkward sitting like this. Like old times. They barely saw each other. He didn't even know what exactly she was going to do now. She was going to Shūtoku but that was all he knew. After she made it to the first team, she started playing in official matches. They would surely welcome her with open arms. He told himself that he wasn't interested. And yet, he caught news about her from the ever-chattering Satsuki. And, as he looked through his phone, he followed her social media. Deep down, he knew that if he really didn't give a damn about her, he would have stopped absorbing this knowledge at every opportunity a long time ago.  

— Yes, very quickly — Aomine agreed.  

There was an awkward silence. It rang in his ears, a merciless reminder that things are different than they used to be. She used to sit right next to him. He put his arm around her, which she playfully shook off. Then he would tell some unfunny jokes, arguing about what strategy to adopt for the next match.  

She still looked as beautiful as the first day he had met her. There was still that fire burning within her that he so desperately lacked.  

He looked at the table.  

— Do you want a burger? — he asked, holding the bun out to her.  

— Wow, my favourite! Thanks!  

He cursed himself mentally. He had unknowingly bought the one she loved the most. In fact, all of the items on his plate were Generation of Miracles' preferences.  

It was probably the first time in a long time that she was happy about something he did. Because she certainly wasn't happy with what he had become. He regretted some of it but never completely.  

They ate in silence for a while. He chewed slowly. It seemed to him that he had lost his appetite. The morsels got stuck somewhere in his throat.  

— [Reader]...are you mad at me for...? — he cut off unsure. — You know... — he finished lamely.  

How many different things were hidden behind that statement. He stopped training. He left her and Kuroko to themselves. It didn't matter that they were already doing great by then. He stopped spending time with them. He missed matches. Both his and hers. And then also regular meetings and conversations. He neglected everything they had built together.  

It scared him how sentimental he sounded. And yet he wanted so badly to know what she thought about it.

— I'm not, Aomine-kun. I'm sad but I'm not mad. I understand you.

He was overwhelmed by how much basketball ruled his life. He loved it. Most of all, the feeling of competition that he no longer experienced. The better he got, the less there was left for him to discover. Practicing made his opponents seem even weaker. Daiki stood on the court and yawned. Every flip, double-tackle, feint and dunk stopped making sense. It was a vicious cycle. And the only way he dealt with it was not playing. So he pushed away everyone who had anything to do with the damned sport. He started with the team. Then his managers and friends — Satsuki. Ending with Kuroko and [Reader].

With horror, he realized that he was accusing them of something else. He was jealous. They enjoyed this discipline. It was something he had wanted but had not been able to achieve for a long time. They still had a long way to go. They enjoyed the game. While he had burned out. Of that once brightly burning passion, there was only a smoldering fire. That made it all the harder for him to see them. Even though he had been closest to them throughout his time in junior high school.  

— The only one who can beat me…— Daiki began, as if trying to justify himself.  

— ...is you? — the girl finished for him.

So she really understood him. She was probably one of the few people in his circle who did.  

— I'm sure one day you'll meet someone who'll be your perfect rival. — [Reader] looked deep into his eyes. For perhaps the first time in a long time.  

She was so similar to Kuroko but also different at the same time. That's exactly what his friend had once told him. For a while, he had truly believed him. He had played, trying to see when things would get better. Only, they never did. And then the coach had made him an offer. He didn't have to train anymore. As long as he showed up for official matches, everything was fine. That was when he finally gave up hope for change. He was tired of waiting forever. The promise he had made to the boys in the gym seemed like a last resort. Now that they had gone to different schools, they were his only chance to feel at least a part of what he used to feel. But he was certain that their skills wouldn't be enough to pose a threat, let alone defeat him. That thought had been weighing on his mind for a long time.  

— I’m going to make it to Nationals — [Reader] said. — Maybe then you’ll consider me a worthy opponent. — A slight smile played on her face. She seemed absently present as she sipped her shake. — Then let’s play one-on-one like the good old days.

He didn't know what to say. He wanted her to become strong enough. On the other hand, he probably couldn't believe she was capable of doing that. Because in his opinion, no one was. Young Aomine would have believed in her abilities without limits. The older one had a problem with that because he didn't trust anyone or anything anymore. So he looked down, going back to eating.  

— Thanks for the burger. I think it's time for me to go. — The girl stood up from her seat.  

She took a few steps away, then, as if on an impulse, turned around.  

— You can always call me — she added and with those words she left.  

— One more time, Tetsu!

The boy had misplaced his hands again. Aomine had to go over and fix them. He had to push the ball out in front of his chest if this was going to work. He shook his head.  

Daiki couldn't believe he was teaching his friend the game the day before the match. But he owed him something. To him and to Kagami. After all, they had made him look at basketball with excitement for the first time in a long time. With a passion he hadn't felt since before he went to Teikō. It was amazing that losing tha match could fill him with such hope. Finally, someone who was a real opponent had appeared. What's more, Seirin wanted to repeat the match someday.  

He finally allowed himself to smile while playing. This was the sport he was born to play. He was bursting with happiness. No more lying on the roof. Now he would get back to training. And the next time he met someone better, he would crush them into the ground. He had a purpose in life again and it was wonderful.

— I have one more favor to ask of you — Kuroko announced, trying to hit the basket again.  

— Oi, don't you think that's an awful lot of favors? — Aomine replied, amused.  

The blue-haired player tilted his head. He already knew that he wouldn't let him go. There was that annoying determination in his gaze. It lit up the darkness of the night around them.  

— [Reader] won Nationals. — He aimed and threw again.  

— I know — Daiki yawned, watching the same move over and over again. They had been practicing all evening.  

— I thought you said you weren't very interested in her life. — That was his friend. He always made it to the point, paying attention to people. And now he'd caught him at his word, too.  

— I somehow know — he muttered, turning his back.  

The bare branches of the trees behind the pitch weren't all that interesting but he pretended they were. Just for the sake of it.

— I think you should call her. — Tetsuya's voice was quiet but it reached his ears.  

He didn't answer. He felt like he was listening to his conscience. The truth was that he had watched the entire match. Aomine had also sent her a congratulatory text message but that was almost nothing. Especially since they had only seen each other a few times since they entered high school and usually by accident. Apart from that, they had exchanged holiday greetings. That was what their relationship was based on now. It was his fault. The girl had tried to renew their friendship a few times but basketball had still been an invisible wall between them. Even though they didn't talk about it, it had taken up such a large part of their lives that it had become a burden. It was hard to avoid it. Plus, they couldn't spend practice together like they used to.  

— She won’t answer — Aomine said.  

After all, she was probably celebrating with the rest of the team right now. They deserved it. But would she really reject him? He wasn't all that sure about his words.  

— I think you're wrong. — Kuroko wasn't called the Phantom Player for nothing. He had appeared right next to him when he wasn't expecting him. He couldn't help but flinch.  Maybe he was partially a ghost after all?  

— What are you doing? — Daiki asked, seeing him rapidly clicking away on his phone.  

His friend shoved the screen under his nose. He dialed her number. The contact icon blinked quickly and brightly.  

— Hang up! — Aomine panicked.  

All he got was a shake of the head. A moment later, the phone was shoved into his hand. He was about to press the red receiver when his hand froze a few centimeters from the target. He couldn't do it. Especially not after the loudspeaker boomed out:  

— Hello? Kuroko-kun?

He missed her voice so much. It didn't bother him that some noises, crackles and toasts could be heard in the background. Probably the female part of Shūtoku was happy about their victory. What mattered was that she was there.  

It took him a moment to recover.  

— This is Aomine.  

— Hey, why are you calling from Tetsu's phone? Is something wrong? Shut up, girls. I can't hear anything. — She tried unsuccessfully to reduce the amount of noise that interrupted the conversation.  

— No, Tetsu's fine...— the boy reassured her. — I'm calling because... I'm calling to congratulate you.

He took a deep breath. Since when had he been afraid? Especially of her. He should just say what he had wanted to say for a long time but had lacked the courage to say.  

He mentally cursed his friend. It always turned out that he was right in the end.  

— I know, I saw your message. I even replied to you. — The girl laughed quietly.  

— I'm not done.. I'm calling to apologize. For everything... I'll do it better when we meet again... And I want to say that if you still want to play with me someday, I'm ready.  

For a moment, the only sound on the other end was background noise. He wasn't sure if he had done the right thing. Maybe he should have used different words? Or done it at a better time? His heart was pounding. He was so nervous that he held his breath.  

— Are you on the field now? — The question caught him completely off guard.  

— Yes, in front of the stadium — Daiki confirmed, not understanding what she was getting at.  

— You better be in shape. I'm going to win! See you in twenty minutes. — With that, she hung up.  

Aomine looked at his phone, feeling a smile spread across his face for the umpteenth time that day. He already knew this was going to be a good match...

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.154 Didn't see it coming

Mama gives us quick hugs when we arrive, then rushes upstairs to get back on grandma duty. Alessia has never been sensitive, so I'm not surprised she isn't trying to help Mama during her time of need. I hope, at some point, she'll start considering others' feelings and needs before her own. I know better than anyone how important fitness is, but I haven't done my morning yoga in weeks, and I go for a jog when I can. She's not a child anymore. She can't stay in the pool all day while Mama takes care of everything. What will she do when Mama's gone? Instead of dumping the responsibility on her, she needs to learn how to do motherhood and get those trade secrets from an OG while she can.

Since Desiree hadn't met her cousins yet, and the point of this visit is to spend time with Mama, I take her upstairs to get acquainted. She doesn't know who they are or what she's doing in this house, but she seems to enjoy the coos and babbles from the other babies. Breanna is chilling on the play mat, so I set Desi in the empty crib, and for once she doesn't fight or cry. She actually smiles. Is she communicating with her cousins? Perhaps this is the beginning of a beautiful alliance. Mama asks me to watch them for a few moments while she tends the garden, so of course I agree. There's an odd calm in the room. I don't think I've ever been around when all three triplets were satisfied. Grandmas are so magical, I tell ya. I take a moment and gaze at them. Just like Des, they are getting too big too fast. Bre and Arvin might look like their no-good daddy, but they sure are beautiful. Lex is Alessia's mini me. Did she name him that because it sounds like her name?

We didn't eat breakfast because I wanted to get to the house as soon as possible, so I go downstairs to put something on the grill. I don't know why, but I've been really into the grill lately. Maybe that whole man and fire thing has some truth in it. Mama had changed her clothes and hadn't made it to the garden yet, so we walk downstairs together. Well, I go down first and she follows, rather; she's a lot slower these days. As I head out the door, I tell her I'm going to put something on the grill. "Okay. I love you," she says. There's something a little extra warm and fuzzy in that one. Even though she says it all the time, it seems kind of odd for her to throw that in there, so I turn around to say it back. I expect to see her shining face, instead, I see the life oozing out of her.

I stand there for a moment, shocked by my mother's lifeless body on the floor. I did not see that one coming. Like, at all. I'm not ready! Why did it have to happen so soon?! I mean, I know "soon" is a construct of my own mind, and it's just her time, but still! Seeing that hurt. It really really hurts.

"LESS!!!"

The grim reaper shows up, looking like we interrupted his beach vacation or something, and I beg him to give her more time because she has four young grandchildren, and she is a full-time caretaker of three of them. My sister needs her. I plead. I implore. I grovel. When I'm out of reasons for him to revive her, he pulls out his tablet and scrolls through the names, taps on her profile when he sees it, and reads the details of her life. It must be an interesting read because he lets out a "hmmm" now and then, giving me hope he finds something that will convince him not to take her away.

"She's had quite a life," he said, making me even more hopeful. "But my hands are tied. She has no unfinished business. It's her time to go, dude."

Less finally comes in from outside as he tells me this, looking every bit as shocked as me. Sophia starts bawling immediately.

"Sorry for your loss, folks," the reaper says. "Now, if you would excuse me."

He gently side steps us, inching towards Mama's body, and a panic runs through me. I can't watch this. I can't watch him take away my mom's soul, so I rush to the living room to let him destroy what's left of our family.

[pttucker]

⸢And everyone lived happily ever after.⸥ I always hated that phrase. However, the current me dearly wished for that phrase to become true. [Constellation, 'Demon King of Salvation' has reached his ■■.] [You have become the 'Oldest Dream'.] The disappearing lights in the distance resembled the Constellations that still remembered me. And with that, my endless voyage got underway. [Your ■■ is 'Eternity'.]

I was this close to making a reaction post about the supposed "miracle" that happened and why the worldline wasn't collapsing despite Oldest Dream no longer dreaming.

I mean, I was certain it was because Dokja was maintaining the dream and maybe he himself hadn't realized it yet, what with him literally being Oldest Dream. Guess he had one final trick up his sleeve.

I will say that I'm super amused that my theory of him being an avatar and not knowing it was apparently 100% correct but in a manner I completely did not expect. If I have to pick, I wanna say that the moment he chose to break himself apart was right here:

That left only three people behind. "Kim Dokja." It was unknown who among Han Sooyoung and Yoo Joonghyuk called that name out first. The former asked with a questioning pair of eyes. "We are getting off together, right?" [Someone has activated 'Lie Detection Lv… '] That prompted Kim Dokja to smirk softly. "Of course. We should." ['Lie Detection' has confirmed 'Kim Dokja's' words as truth.] "Let's go."

Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky. Dokja scheming until the very last second. Sacrificing himself for his companions One. Last. Time.

Though not as much of a sacrifice as before; he'll still get to "read" about them just like he loves and technically he will also get to live with everybody in a big house just like he wanted. So while part of me is clenching my heart, it's overall a happy ending.

And I looooove that we've circled back to Dokja's ■■ and why it has both the meaning of Eternity and Final Chapter.

I'll admit that I'm still a little fuzzy on what exactly happened with Secretive Plotter, the 999ths and Oldest Dream. I guess they reached the epilogue of their stories and this is the epilogue of Dokja's story? So now they're off in an entirely different worldline once again?

And it seems we have 34 chapters of epilogues to go through now! As well as ongoing side stories! The latter of which I still need to figure out if anyone is currently translating into English.

I'll admit when I heard that ORV had ongoing side stories I wasn't certain what exactly they'd be about but it appears we've still got a lot to wrap up even after the happy ending and you can't tell me that at least in one future side story (or maybe one of these epilogues) Dokja doesn't meet himself again or at least realize that he's missing half his memories.

...Or perhaps his companions will realize something fishy is going on, what with living right beside him and Dokja not remembering a whole 50% of his life. Hmmm.

A tale of this new world continued to flow on. But then, just as the subway's doors closed, Han Sooyoung looked behind her with a slightly unsure, hard-to-read face of someone that left something behind. Even Yoo Joonghyuk looked back, too. The only person who didn't was Kim Dokja. Han Sooyoung and Yoo Joonghyuk's gazes ran into each other, and they began growling at the same time. "What you looking at?!" "I should ask you that, you basta…"

Well, if nothing else, I do dearly wish to see more of these three idiots together. I love that both of them refused to get off the train until they were certain Dokja was coming with them and they both seemed to sense that they'd just lost something.

And I do wonder how exactly the world is going to go on after all of this mess and if they really will try to take Joonghyuk's sword from him. (Not a good idea.)

I mean, they seem to still have all of their abilities and stats? I think? So they're just supposed to live in normal, modern day Korea as if nothing happened while having superpowers??? And I assume most of the world's population is gone unless that was miraculously rewritten.

Or...???

Guess I'll find out.

[the-froschamethyst4]

“Who the hell calls themselves Soap?”

𖤐Pairing: Soap x F! Assassin! Reader

𖤐Pronouns: She/Her

𖤐Warnings: kidnapped, some harsh language, mentions of blood, violence, knives and guns

𖤐Summary: Soap is in a mission and ends up not watching his 6 and ends up getting himself kidnapped by the enemy

——————

——————

Soap didn’t know where he was. He just knew he was in a small room, tied to a chair and one single light beaming down on him.

Soap doesn’t remember what happened that led him to be here, he just remembers being a mission and now he’s here.

He pulled at the rope around his wrist but they were tight and are leaving rope burns on his wrists.

“HELLO!!?” Soap finally called out, but it just echoed in the room with him. “This is some bullshit,” he mumbled and kept pulling at the rope.

He dropped his head wishing to get out of the ropes, but he had nothing on him to free himself, he only had on his Combate boots, camo pants and dark green shirt, he knows he's sweated through, the room was hot and unbearable to be in.

He heard a loud and deathly scream coming down the hall it sounded like Ghost.

"GHOST!! LT!!" Soap yells, he jumps in the chair getting it to move but a heavy metal door opened, and Soap stopped to see someone standing in front of him.

Blood dripped from a knife in their hands.

"Who the hell are you? What the fuck did you do to LT?!"

"I got rid of him...he wasn't talking," the voice sounded like a woman, she stepped in the light, her face was hidden due to a mask, and she was dressed in all black. She wiped the blood off the knife.

"Now...you're going to talk or if not...you'll end up like your LT, do you understand?" She asked, leaning down to Soap's face.

"I will never talk."

"If you say so...but remember....I starved you for 24 hours, you have been stuck in a hot room also for 24 hours and you'll talk long enough," she scoffed and walked out.

"Wait..." she stopped and turned back to look at Soap.

"Yes?"

"What...what information do you need?"

"Hmmm~ not sure yet...I'll go ask enjoy yourself, a bit longer," Soap could feel her smirking under her mask.

"HEY WAIT! COME BACK HERE! I'LL TALK!!" But she already walked away. "FUCK!!"

---------

Soap was still in there for probably 5-6 hours and the lady hasn't come back yet. Soap was panting due to the hot room, he felt sweat trickle down his forehead, temple and chin.

"Come on...let me go...I...I'll...talk...but I don't...know...if I have the right...information....for you..." Soap pants. "...Come on...please...I'll do...anything...just come back...and let me...speak..." He felt dazed like he may pass out.

But the door opened, and the same woman came in, she had a bucket in her hands and dumped it on Soap to keep him cool and stay awake.

"You want to talk? So fucking talk," she tosses the bucket down and sits on it while looking at Soap waiting for answers. "How many are there of you guys?" She asked.

"...20...some...belong to...Shadow Company...the...the head mastermind is...Comm...Commander Phillip...Graves...he has a...whole aircraft...filled with...around...20 or so...then...my team...."

"Phillip Graves is not on our radar do you want to tell the truth and tell us the right amount or are you going to lie again?"

"I'm telling...the...truth..."

"You're not, so you wanna try again?"

"I...I..." Soap's head went backwards.

"Hey...HEY!" She smacks him but he is asleep. "Fuck," she mumbles.

---------

The woman stayed in the room till Soap woke up which was about an hour later. He looked around his eyes still not adjusted to the room; he could barely make out the woman's figure.

"I am...telling the truth..."

"Fine then...let me ask another question. Why are you after us?"

"Because you guys...are selling...illegal drugs and trying to...smuggle them into the United States...that's why Commander Phillip Graves called...us to come and put a stop to you all-"

"Put a stop to us, you sound like a hero, but you're not, you're the one tied up in a chair for not watching your six and got your ass kidnapped, you're not a hero..." She said.

"But you killed my LT...and I'm going to kill...every...single...one of you..."

"Can't do that if you're weak, John MacTavish."

"How do you know who...I am..."

"We found a file on you, your code name is Soap, which is utterly stupid, who calls themself Soap? We found about 6-7 others that were with you when you guys infiltrated our base...we've currently killed 4...John Price, Alejandro Vargas, Kyle Garrick and Simon Riley." She smiles.

Soap's blood ran cold when she told him about killing half of his team.

"Again, we just need a few answers from you and...we'll let you go, till then you stay here..."

"You...you-"

"You what? What will you do? Huh? Nothing, you're stuck...come to your senses and give us answers," she said.

---------

"TELL ME!!" She slammed the knife into Soap's hand.

"GAHHHH~!!!"

"You have told me nothing that I can use come on, Soap, fucking tell me WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU TRYING TO STOP US!? HOW MANY PEOPLE?! YOU'VE TOLD US NOTHING!!"

"I'M DONE TALKING!!" He yells back.

The woman took her mask off so Soap could get a good look one last look of who's about to kill him. She grabbed her gun from her waistband and pointed it to Soap's head.

"Okay, Colonel Y/n that's enough..." That voice sounded like Price.

"Price?"

"Aww come on Price, we've barely began," the door opened, and Price and Ghost came into the room.

"What the fuck?" Soap said.

"This was training Soap," Ghost said.

"And you didn't do so hot, you said you'll talk but allowed me to torture you...you have some sort of death wish?" She asked.

"Well, it's not like I had some sort of choice."

"You did...talk and walk free or die, you kept choosing die..." Price untied Soap from the chair.

"This is some bullshit..."

"Yeah, it was..."

---------

At the Mess Hall everyone was eating and laughing about how Soap wanted to talk but ended up getting tortured instead. Price jokes with everyone that Soap was acting tough, but the moment Colonel Y/n came in he would back down like a scared little dog.

"It's not that funny," Soap said as he picked at his food.

"Fuck yeah it was," Ghost said.

"Oh, I'll talk, I'll talk," Alejandro mimicked Soap's voice the best he could.

Everyone laughed including Y/n, she smiled when they talked about her torturing methods.

"My hand still fucking hurts, by the way."

"I was told to go all out," she said with a smirk as Soap look offended and looked at Price.

"So, if she shot me-"

"She wouldn't have, we would have stopped her before she could, that's why we stopped it so she wouldn't get carried away and did shoot you," Price said.

"And what if you didn't stop her in time?"

"I would have called it," Y/n chimed in.

"I'm done," he said getting up and storming off.

"What a baby," Ghost said, taking a sip from his bourbon.

[thyfleshc0nsumed]

Hmmm I'm actually a bit stuck with Savos. He got a bit too powerful too fast, he's already in the mid twenties. I think he actually out levels Fen, who I've played on wayyyy longer.

I originally meant him to be like a temple faithful, a true believer, but he's too cynical I think. The New Temple is ... Complicated. On the scale of their whole society, their faith is a cudgel. It justifies whatever it needs to justify. Less than 100 meters from where their God King sits is a prison called the Ministry of Truth. A short walk outside the holy city of Vivec are slave plantations. Their saints became venerated for their roles in race wars.

Yet the faithful cure the sick, serve the poor. From the true believers, humility is required.

And I think Savos is a believer, but a believer in the Tribunal's might, not their aspoused ideals. I don't think it's so conscious, the hypocrisy--his and the Temple's--is not so apparent to him. He just knows that what he pursues is not a life of delivering potions to the poor or individually smiting the heretic.

Which makes him difficult to roleplay, especially as he has increased in power. He has found an artifact from the House of Troubles. Why should he not use it? Because ALMSIVI has warned against it? Because it might lead him to temptation? The entire Temple is built on might is right. Did Azura not tell Seht, Vehk, and Ayem that what they were doing was wrong? It only became right through their ability to wield power and make it right. If your gods are hypocrites, then how can you believe in anything?

[otomiyaa]

Ginnyyyy 😞

So like, I'm not very ticklish all over, my sides are like 5/10 but I'm ticklish enough elsewhere. And I'm very good at holding back reactions, so all my friends just think I'm not ticklish 😔

The thing is, my thighs are so incredibly ticklish, I'm talking like 12/10, but it's not really a "normal" spot cause like you're not really just gonna grab a girl's thighs and tickle them, are you?

I'm guessing they're ticklish cause whenever anyone accidentally pressed on them I feel incredibly squirmy and like my whole face screws up and I just firmly grab whoever's hand it is, so I think they assume I was uncomfortable 🤨

I've never really been tickled there, so I'm just assuming they're ticklish and not just like, sensitive, but I'm curious as to what it's gonna feel like 😖

Um... Do you have any advice on how I can ask one of my friends to try and tickle my thighs? It's so awkward ahhhhhh 😭😭

Even though I feel incredibly awkward I'm the kind of person who's got the neutral expression all the time and speaks very nonchalantly so I can imagine whoever I ask is gonna be either very shocked or very teasing.

Sigh, do you even think this is worth it?

Ty for your time I'm so sorry 😭

Aaaahh, any advice, apart from... directly asking them? (what I would never dare to do but it is the best choice).

Hmmm, if you don't want to go the embarrassing route of simply asking them to tickle your thighs, then maybe:

Bring up the topic first. How? Maybe you can tickle your friend, are they ticklish? Try to be bratty? Provoke them?

If they try to tickle you, react like a non-ticklish person would react which might frustrate them. Then admit that you have found out recently that your thighs might be ticklish, and maybe your friend would like to try? That way the tickle fights can be fair again 😎

If it can't be brought up naturally because your friend doesn't try to tickle you / already knows you're barely ticklish on your sides etc. or if you are not a good ler (like me, hi), you can try to bring it up casually by for example referring to a YT video or an article you saw recently. Example below. Then say you kinda need your friend's help in confirming your tickle spots (OR SOMETHING).

Or back to the simple yet most embarrassing way, tell your friend the truth without stories around it: you've noticed your thighs get all tingly and are curious if maybe this is your tickle spot, and you'll need your friend's help to confirm it 😈

Sorry if that all sounds too fictional, I am a trash fic writer after all....

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 105

Dirty ass voice actors! Yes indeed! XD

Nord VPN? Oh gods help us ... what the sweet fuck is THIS shit? Wow ... Liam, that is DISTURBING ... is that a Ferris Bueller reference, Sam? That was yet more weird shit from the most cringe of all the sponsors, definitely ... and yeah, I'm with you, Liam. That WAS unsettling ...

Marisha: "This is unhinged." Matt: "Now? Only now? To be honest I kicked it all off with dirty ass voice actors ..."

Oh yeah ... spin the bottle ... yeah ...

So ... yeah ... the cliffhanger ... so IS THIS really Liliana or not? Because we were DEEPLY suspicious ... something feels OFF ... The Shrine of Gilded Gifts? Hmmm ... DO WE believe this? Do we TRUST IT? I don't know. I don't LIKE IT, certainly ...

Wait ... the Weave Mind ARE here? "Terraforming"? Hmmmm ... I mean it makes sense, but ...

A memory? OH!!! Oh shit ... oh yeah, that makes a twisted kind of sense ... and yeah, SHE IS ridiculously OP'd ...

Okay, so if this IS real ... wow, this is SERIOUS, then ... of course SHE WOULD totally make a stand, definitely. It's for her little girl, she's definitely made it clear Imogen means more to her than anything else ...

History check? First roll of the evening ... Nat19 for a 23? ASHLEY JOHNSON ... very nice ...

The Pravienier ... interesting ... and NO, Chetney, that is NOT real Elvish ... XD ...

So, is it a trap or for real?

CAN THEY check in with Ira? I thought the connection was still TRICKY between here and Ruidus ...

"A hot spider"? Oh boy ... I mean yeah, Laudna definitely WOULD agree with that description of Ira, but still ... XD

Good point ... WHICH leyline nexus?

Recruit potential allies in the Seelie? Yeah, that has potential too ...

Whoa! There ARE Judicators here? Crazy ... that is ... a little disconcerting ... O.O

I love how Orym-wise 24 is considered LOW in Perception terms ... LOL

Okay, so ... a bit of pre-game prep, then ... hmmmm ... what to do? Yes ... work out what NOT TO SAY, definitely ... "the back door and your mom" ... yeah ...

Telepathic Bond? Smart move, Imogen ...

Taliesin: "What symbol is that?" Liam: "That's a pie." Taliesin: "Oh, that's a WHOLE pie. Now I'm hungry."

They have Monopoly in Exandria?

Is Fearne leaving her options open? That's interesting ... is it just because Braius is very large and hot? (I mean that DOES go a long way ...) Meanwhile Ashton is cracking up and I love it ... I think he's as curious as the rest of us on this, but then that's just the chaos gremlin in him ... XD "The little warrior"? Oh boy ... I mean HE IS hot too ...

Wow ... yeah, I agree ... IS THAT a redirect for Braius onto ASHTON? That should be interesting too ...

All the shippers are going INSANE right now ... LOL

Oh dear ... who was THAT sneaky individual? Could that be a problem? Apparently he looked a bit like Dorian ...

OH SHIT!!! Is it Dorian's DAD?!!!

Super fancy platinum golems? Fascinating ... OH!!! The silver dragon! Wow ... that is IMPRESSIVE ...

A tiny bit of pee comes out of Dorian when he casts See Invisibility ... O.O

Carkonos? Of the Fire Ashari! Aweome!

Athudashionus? Oh, the DRAGON?!!! Awesome name ... the whole room is Zone of Truthed? Cool ...

20 is the save to beat that shit? Crazy ... but Dorian Nat20s that shit, so ...

Thankfully, that was not Bolo ... XD

VOX MACHINA are going for the Malleus Key? Sweet! That's a potentially awesome one-shot I wouldn't mind seeing them play sometime ...

And the Mighty Nein are going after the Weave Mind ... sweet! That would ALSO be cool ... oh yeah, the Bright Queen would DEFINITELY be fully in support of THEM ... XD

Bells Hells for the final mission ... because nobody has a CLUE who THIS LOT are ... and now EVERYBODY is looking right at them ... oh boy ... O.O ... eep ...

Orym: "Time is short!" Ashton: "And so am I ... sorry, just couldn't hold it in!" Orym: "Careful, there's a lot of halflings in this room."

Oh yeah, Ashtong definitely ISN'T going to be finding it easy to hold his tongue right now in the face of THIS ... nice one, Dorian ...

Wow ... is Braius SERIOUSLY going to bluff and say he's a cleric of the Platinum Dragon? O.O ... oh fuck this is BOLD and seriously ballsy ... "and we have a guy who makes chairs" LOL ... ah yes, Seedling IS now a Vestige, after all ...

Gift of Gab? Oh dear ... that could have been so cool ... crap ... way to fumble the pass, Braius ...

Religion check ... well, I mean HE DID once serve the Platinum Dragon, so he COULD name a Saint ... come on Riegel ... The Fallen Saint? Saint Graham? Oh yes ... I mean that one DOES seem to fit with Braius' backstory ... and this boy clearly knows NO FUCKING SHAME AT ALL ...

A Deception check? Really? HOLY FUCK this is risky ... yeah, that really does sound like a HUGE FUCKING EPIC FAIL to me ... O.O ... yeah, good luck reading THAT mind, Imogen ... yeah, that sounds ... WORRYING ... hmmmmm ...

Oh, this douche is going after Laudna? SERIOUSLY?!!! You better fucking not ... but our girl is NOT one to just wither in response ... Persuasion check? Okay ... NAT20!!! IN YOUR FACE you stuck-up ASSHAT ...

Wow ... and then THE MATRON HERSELF comes to back her up? Oh that is SWEET ...

The Titans' powers? Oh boy ... Ashton KEEP YOUR FUCKING COOL right now ... oh shit ... all right then ... this might as well just fucking happen then ...

Yeah no, that was actually pretty good, actually ... Persuasion check, but using his STRENGTH modifier because it's Strength of Character ... okay then ... andc now Fearne's stepping up to back him up too ... even more okay than ... hmmmm ... O.O

And now they're just gonna do what they do, then ... Ashton is now Raging, and it's the Time-Bending thing ... oh boy ... and now he's HULKING OUT ... fuck, this is a WHOLE MESS OF CRAZY SHIT all unfolding at once right now ... wow ...

Meanwhile Fearne Flames On and does her thing too ... which is just all kinds of fucking HOT, of course ...

Now they're BOTH making Persuasion checks ... but VERY MUCH with advantage, then ... oof ... Ashley just COMPLETELY fucked THAT roll ... but at least Tal managed to hold up HIS end ...

So ... did that work? It's unclear ... ummmmm ... O.O

Fuck ... come on, Dorian ... get it together ... you're COOL ... and you're like VERY MUCH the heart of this crew ... YES!!! Use your words! Bard it up!

Oh, is he gonna GENUINELY Bard it up right now? YES!!! Do that! Express yourself THROUGH SONG!!! Oh ... oh, yeah, that's pretty impressive too ... that's really cool ... Coriolus? The great Equine Dragon? Sweet!

Liam: "Orym totally blue-screens." I fucking BET HE DOES ...

And now it's Chetney's turn ... oh boy ... well, he DOES have a long memory, I'll give him that ... maybe you should just WOLF OUT ... "tiny sexy breath" ... dear gods ... yeah, that's right. That's right, he DOES wolf out ... perfect ...

All that and Travis rolls a 12 on his Persuasion check ... oof ... Laura: "But it was so good!"

Come on Kiki ... bring it home for them all ...

Whoa ... a whole bunch of big fancy titles ... and yeah, OF COURSE the Saviour Blade makes his mistress DAMN FUCKING PROUD ...

Does anybody challenge? Oh fuck ... this could still go SO BAD ... O.O

Whoa ... so they actually PULLED THAT OFF?!!! Thank fuck for that ... I'm fucking DEAD y'all ...

Oh that musical cue was VERY WELL TIMED, Matthew Mercer ...

Fuck ... is Chetney a father? Is THAT what the fuck is happening right now? Bloody hell ... XD

And here comes Dorian's daddy, just as we expected ... AND NOW Mercer chooses to call it a break? YOU MONSTER!!!

"Bronte" ... oh yeah, I had all but forgotten Dorian's real name ... I still MUCH prefer Dorian Storm, though ...

Oh, I really don't like the way he said "it is your nature" ... that sounded all kinds of judgy and disapproving in THE WORST of ways ...

Fuck ... this just got unexpectedly emotional ... and doeshe even KNOW about their loss yet? I wonder how Dorian's even going to BROACH that subject ...

Shit ... he just dropped it ... he got angry and he DROPPED that bombshell ... meanwhile I can already see EXACTLY what his father's REALLY thinking, what he's gonna say ... yeah, I guess THAT ONE right on the nose ...

Honestly, I don't think Dorian REALLY needs to make an Insight check even if the Zone of Truth IS still up ... that sounded very honest to me and he IS a parent and he is going to play it AS SAFE AS HE POSSIBLY CAN ...

The sword? Holy shit ... his father's most holy ceremonial blade ... that is RIDICULOUSLY generous ... Gambolcleft the Vortex Blade? Holy shit ... sexy sexy scimitar ... very nice ...

Dorian (giving up the Gambler's Blade in return): "Here, a drunk old man who died while pissing gave this to me."

The acceptance Dorian's been chasing his whole life? Wow ... that was awkward and I was NOT fully convinced he was REALLY entirely selfless there, but still ... it was BLOODY EMOTIONAL too ...

Meanwhile with Chetney's Maybe Baby ... oh, so he's JUST A FAN ... Matt Mercver you FUCKING GIT ... that was SO MEAN ... I love that ... XD

Scalebearer Waylon ... hmmmm ... he's adorable, I swear ...

"THE C-POPPERS"?!!! Holy shit ... Chetney has a bona fide FANDOM ... I am DYING AGAIN I swear ... LOL

Oh wow Imogen ... poor sweet Imogen just got COMPLETELY BLANKED ... oof ...

Highbearer Vord comes to speak with Braius ... oh, this could be fucking awkward ... O.O

The Platinum House in Zadash ... ah crap ... here we go ... WHOA, he still has his old PD symbol? That's kinda heartbreaking ...

PIKE has come to his defence? Oh my sweet Lil' Monstah! We love you SO MUCH you darling wee lass! That's my girl! :3

Essentially he's just getting A PASS. That'll probably have to do ... wait ... is he getting an ACTUAL ARMOUR UPGRADE?!!! Holy fuck ... O.O ... bloody hell, this is some LEGACY SHIT right now ... Truthbearer? SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT ... O.O

Taliesin "He made the gift of a holy relic like an epic burn." Yeah, the Highbearer is kind of being a bit of a troll right now even in his grace and I love it ...

Shit ... that's a LONG PAPER too ...

Laudna wants to go with Chetney to see his fanboy's impressive collection of C-Pop Industries works ... wow ... this is gonna be a fucking TRIP ...

"How much Orym LOVES Dorian" ... Liam O'Brian out here feeding us more crumbs right now ... the slowburn game is FIERCE right now, damn it ... AND the wee man is swooning over the silver fox, too ... XD

Awwwww ... Ashton and Dorian are so sweet ... Ashton: "Stay soft. We need it. We lost ours." :3

Keyleth is being really kind to Imogen too ... and now she's letting HER know the truth about her mother in return ... yeah ... I mean if ANYONE can be understanding about THAT it's the Voice ... and now Imogen's just UNLOADING EVERYTHING to her ... wow ...

Keyleth: "Do you trust her?" OH BOY ...

Oh shit ... so Keyleth HASN'T talked to the other members of Vox Machina about this shit yet? FUCK ... that's ... BOLD ...

Still in full-blown FIRE GOD FORM, Fearne is now passed out in a chair ... O.O

I love how they were expecting another Keyfish there ... LOL ... that PERFECTLY derailed the moment, guys ...

So we have A WEEK to make arrangements ... okay ... so what to do, then?

Matt makes Laura do a random D20 roll ... what's THAT FOR, Mercer? I don't trust you at all ...

Yes. Ira for the Fey Realm shit. And Nana Mori. Very smart ...

Liam! Stop looking at other characters on your iPad right now!

Chetney, what are you doing? Nat19 on a Persuasion check? Nice ... he is a SNARKY LITTLE SHIT, this guard ... but that SEEMS to have worked ... an audience with the Bright Queen, then. DO NOT lose your head, Chet, I know she's a hottie ...

Oh, she is a TRICKY one. I love that ... XD ... Marisha: "Are you gonna fuck the Bright Queen?" Travis (as Chetney): "Who says I haven't already?" Matt: "She does."

Aha ... so she might still be willing to help ASHTON in this, at least ... okay ... oh, so ... is she trying to get Chetney to BETRAY Ashton instead? Fuck ... O.O

Liam: "That woman could dropkick you through time." Travis: "I'm well aware of that."

Full-on GOD MODE kiss between the two titans ... and Ashton takes SEVEN POINTS of Fire damage ... XD

Now ASHTON'S going to talk to the Bright Queen ... this will be interesting ...

"The smallest bead of light" ... ooooh, okay ... and it sounds like Ashton could actually PUNCH A WHOLE IN REALITY if he really tried ... wow ...

Chetney: "Is my calendar clear?" Ashton: "Is you collander what?"

Going after Waylon, then ... meanwhile Fearne is trying to establish if this is, in fact, A RUSE ... OH!!! WHISPERS!!! Nice ... I wonder where THAT'S going ...

This tiny wee man is TOO CUTE ... he's like A TOTAL NERD ... and now he's geeking out over the toys Chet made for the others ... a "macabre twist"? Oh my gods ... LOL

The "Chateau de C-Pop" ... oh boy ...

Holy fuck it's REAL. This kid is a MEGAFAN ... this is levels of nerd reserved for the genuine obssessive LUNATICS among fandom ... I would not be surprised if this guy has his own late mother stuffed in a rocking chair down in the cellar ... likely a rocking chair created by Chet himself ...

The safe ... of the safe ... that's the best of all ... and the egg ... sweet fuck what is THIS mad shit? O.O Oh my fucking GODS that is pretty fricking AWESOME actually ... Chetney you are a fucking GENIUS ...

THERE IS ANOTHER ... oh my fucking gods ... LOL

"An apprentice?" Waylon FAINTS. Of course he does ...

I'm sorry ... HOW MUCH?!!! O.O

Are there any fakes? Oh wow ... I am INTRIGUED ... where the fuck is this going? A perception check? Oh boy ...

Drixlitch ... GRRRRRRRRRRRR ...

Fuck ... Chetney MADE FUCKING BEDS ... this is getting truly BIZARRE ...

Chetney: "I create ... because I am." AGAIN. I'M FUCKING DYING. XD

POP-CON?!!! Dear fucking gods ...

Wow ... Braius just made it truly surreal ... I am now truly DEAD again ...

D&Dbay? Fuck ... XD

Matt: "And ... THAT is where we're gonna call it a night." Fuck ... that is just TOO MUCH for one night ...

Travis: "If we stay here ... what if I die in my sleep?"

[skubean]

If you write for ten can you pls write one where the reader learns piano just to play with ren and ren is happy bcs of it 😭?

hi anon, thank you for the request! ren's actually one of the few that i used to watch, and i definitely loved this idea esp after the piano handcam stream SHASHAHSSDH. also losing my mind rn bcs ren's coming to nijigen but i'm too anxious to go to cons. anyways, hope you liked this <3 !

learning the piano for ren zotto!

summary: you decided to learn the piano for ren after seeing him play one day, and it comes of as a shock to the man, especially when it's something he's very passionate about.

notes: gender neutral reader, mentions of being in a relationship, just some fluff as per usual! slight mentions of misunderstandings but plenty of fluff afterwards.

it's not a surprise to you anymore everytime you come home and hear music coming from his room, or his studio. you know ren's passionate about music, and you've always been his #1 supporter. you've been there when he was working on songs in his studio and he's always letting you be the first to listen. he loves music, you know so. but lately, you've been so busy that you haven't had the time to indulge in his interests that you could sense ren being hesitant around you. when you asked him if anything was wrong, he shrugged it off and said that he was just worried he was bothering you with the noises, eventhough you've reassured him that you don't mind. the lack of communication probably got the best of you because you both ended up having trouble talking after some time, especially with how hard it is to see each other (since you're too busy). you know ren loves music and you know it's something that means a lot to him, and you want to cheer him up! also, as a sort of apology for not being able to be around after you've been so busy. so one morning, you wake up feeling the warmth of his body engulfing you in a hug as the bright shades of outside shine on you face. you groan before turning around to face him. ren was still sleeping, with his face squished against the pillow, mouth slightly opened. you giggled, and nestled closer into his chest, before feeling him squirm and hug you closer. "mmm.. don't go yet, love..stay with me some more..", he says as he basically locks you in his arms. "okay", was simply what you responded and nuzzled closer to him.

silence. that is until ren grabs you with a smile on his face. "wait, really? you're not busy anymore?", he asks you as he cups your cheeks and plants kisses all over your face. hearing him laugh made you laugh too as you shook your head explaining to him how you're done with whatever was keeping you occupied. truth be told, ren never wanted to pry into your business, so he never really asked what was causing you to be so busy. but, one thing for sure is that he's hella glad he has the whole day to spend with his beloved s/o. "well, actually. i was gonna show you something", you said as you dragged ren into his studio where his piano was in. ren, puzzled as he is, follows you behind until he sees you sitting in front of his piano with the brightest smile he'd ever seen. you signal ren for him to stand near you as you clumsily open the piano, and attempt to play his song, 'blue sugar'. you were so focused on getting the notes right, that you didn't even notice how serious you looked, only relaxing after hearing ren laugh. you were embarrassed, but it helped you relax. you could sense ren coming closer before he scooted next to you and played alongside you while he sang. it was amazing, how you felt so happy, and how endearing the whole entire thing was, especially seeing how relieved ren looked after you were done. here you were, two grown ups, just woken up and being all giddy in front of the piano. "what's this? when did you learn to play, y/n?", ren faces you as he plants a soft kiss on your cheek before pulling you closer. "hmmm..i don't know, maybe i was so busy learning the past few weeks, maybeeee", you exclaimed as you see the gears turning in his head. so that's why you've been so busy, he thought. he couldn't hide the soft, warm feeling engulfing his chest. he loved you like crazy, the things you'd do for him, and how just a gesture like this was enough to prove to him how much he's addicted to you. you both spent the rest of the day cuddled up in his studio as he teaches you more about piano, more so as compensation for not learning with him beforehand. (he was pouty you learnt it from someone else). needless to say, ren zotto loves music. but, he definitely loves you more. so imagine the look on his face when his favourite person learnt how to play his favourite instrument all for him.

a/n: sorry this ended up being a little self-indulged sksksks i wrote this without any drafts so it might be a bit loopy. <3 beanz

[slowburningechoes]

Me again 😜

Can I get uh virgin spencer that admits he’s a virgin at truth or dare and then sees the reader naked for the first time by accident at like a Christmas party at readers house and then read they make love while lovers rock by tv girl plays in the back preferably on vinyl with pet names like love and praise kinks and some soft sex

Love you fr merry Christmas 🙏🏽🙏🏽

merry christmas to you as well! full bau christmas party + 1 on 1 spencer goodness here we go! i included the song in your other request since it felt more fitting, but this title is a lyric from baby its cold outside! cw: virgin!spencer x bau!reader, exhibitionism, praise, oral sex (f & m), love making, unprotected sex (safety first pls), piv intercourse, loss of virginity word count: 3.4k

bound to be talk ❆

"You seriously want to play 'truth or dare', Derek? How old are you again?" you tease, slapping him playfully on the shoulder.

"Hey, now! I just figured it'd be a good way for all of us to get to know the newest member of our team and for you to get to know us," Derek responded, raising his eyebrows as he sipped his old fashioned that Rossi had made.

Emily rolled her eyes before sitting her glass down on the coffee table, "Oh, what the hell. Let's do it.”

You were suddenly glad you bought extra lounge chairs for the living room when you moved in three months ago, but it still wasn't enough for all seven members of your team, which left Spencer and you seated on the carpet.

"Who better to start with than the hostess herself?" Rossi insisted, winking at you playfully.

Penelope cozied into the couch and agreed excitedly, "Yes! Yes! Truth or dare, y/n?"

You ponder for a moment, anxiously considering whether it would be better to risk having to do something proposed from the mind of the ever creative and chaotic Penelope Garcia or spill potentially your deepest darkest secrets. "Truth." Who knows what she would come up with for a dare?

"Hmmm... who do find most attractive on the team? Be honest... as long as its not Chocolate Thunder here," she jokes, patting on Derek's thigh beside her.

"Play nice, hot stuff," Derek warned, pulling her closer to him.

"So?" Penelope inquires, not forgetting her original question.

You look around the room and see your teammates eagerly waiting for an answer, a very tipsy JJ trying to hold her giggle back against the rim of her wine glass. Spencer, seated next to you, was the only one not staring at you as he tapped his fingers across his thigh.

All eyes on you, your heart begins to beat a little faster and you blurt out your answer, "I think I'd have to choose... Spencer."

The room bursted into suggestive "ooo"s and teasing comments from everyone except Hotch who observed with a half grin on his face.

"Get 'em, pretty boy!" Derek hollered, raising his glass to cheers Spencer but he did not reciprocate.

Spencer's face was flushed a bright pink and he dodged everyone's eye contact with a bashful look.

"Why don't you give him a kiss?" Emily suggests, half out-of-it from all the red wine.

"No," you oppose, trying to play off the whole situation as Penelope started to motion in agreement with the suggestion. "No, you can't do a truth and a dare in the same turn!"

Penelope sighed, "Fiiiineee. Reid is next!"

"Truth," he lets slip before the game's question can be asked, not wanting to play into the kissing dare.

"How's that love life of yours going, then, Reid?" Derek proposes in a joking tone. "Get laid yet?"

"I-," is all Spencer can say.

"Come on, Morgan, don't be mean!" JJ insisted, slapping Derek on the shoulder.

"I'm not! I genuinely want to know!" he argued back. "Maybe our new friend could help him out."

"Derek!" you scoff before looking back towards Spencer who had pulled his knees up to his chest and under his chin. "How about a different question, hm?"

"No - no, I'll answer," Spencer mumbles, just loud enough to hear. "No, I haven't. I'm just waiting for someone... special."

"Oh, well that's sweet, pretty boy," Derek chuckles.

"Not everyone wants to have a different woman every night," you say.

"You callin' me a dog?" he responds, surprised by your assumption.

"Not at all, just some people have more feelings tied to sex than you do."

The game continued without another tense moment, but Spencer remained quiet through most of it - practically taking himself out of the game entirely. You were worried about him. Even in the short time you'd known him, you had never seen him be so reserved, only exchanging brief words with Hotch before he left the party early to be with Jack. He even downed an old fashioned when he hated liquor. The rest of the team was too tipsy to acknowledge the changes in his behavior, but you were sober enough to still be observant. As the party began to wind down and your teammates flowed out of your apartment to catch an Uber home, you decided to go ahead and change into your nightwear.

Your room was dimly lit as you entered it and placed the needle down to play your Christmas Essentials vinyl. You were relieved to be getting out of your dress as you unzipped it. You shimmied the dark red fabric down your body and kicked it off from your ankles. As you worked down your festive tartan cheeky underwear down your thighs, your bedroom door suddenly swung open.

Shocked, you attempt to cover yourself before even looking to the doorway, grabbing your emerald silk robe beside the mirror and draping around you. But your attempt was in vain, there, standing in the doorway with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, was Spencer. You both stood there for a moment, looking at one another and then at your body and back up again.

"I-I'm so sorry, y/n," he babbled. "I thought this was the door to the bathroom. "I thought this was the door to the bathroom."

"Oh, t-that's alright. Its the one on the other side of the hall," you point to the door opposite yours.

But he didn't move. It was almost like he couldn't, like his feet were glued to the floor.

"Are you alright?" you ask, moving closer to him. Your step made him take one backwards. "Spencer..."

"Yeah, I uhm - I should really get going. I'm sorry again," he rambles, turning to head back down the hallway and towards the door.

"Wait," you lean forward and wrap your hand around his wrist, pulling him into your room. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

Spencer didn't speak for a moment, actively trying not to stare, darting his eyes from your face and to the ground frequently.

"It's nothing - really," he attempts to reassure you, cracking a fake half-smile.

"You can't lie to a profiler, Reid," you tease, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He was quiet once again and then glanced down at the hand you had placed on him.

"It was about Derek's question earlier," Spencer mutters. "T-thank you for what you said... sometimes its hard to talk about."

"It was nothing," you smile. "I understand how you feel. I'm not much for hookup culture, either."

"No," he looks down again, avoiding your eye line. "I don't think you fully understand - I'm a... a virgin."

You were surprised to hear that Spencer was a virgin - after all, you did choose him as the team member you were most attracted to. Despite his awkward nature and his tendency to ramble, you were shocked no one found them as endearing (and a turn on) as you did.

His insecurity was visible as his strong shoulder shrugged inwards and he chewed lightly on the inside of his mouth.

"Spencer," you move your hand to cup the side of his face, bringing his golden brown eyes to meet yours, "that's nothing to be ashamed about."

He placed his large hand on top of yours. "I know - it's just a little embarrassing to talk about with the team... especially Derek."

"Well, it shouldn't be. I know I haven't been around long, but I hope you feel safe talking about these kinds of things with me," you said.

"I do, actually -," Spencer began, leading your eyes to widen with anticipation, "I - no, no... nevermind, its stupid."

"That doesn't seem like you feel as comfortable as you say," you say matter-of-factly, raising your eyebrows.

Spencer hesitated, but began again, "I do feel safe around you - in general, not just talking with you after all these months. And I find you attractive as well - maybe Derek's suggestion wasn't so ludicrous..."

You caught on to where his rambling was heading and you reached up on your tiptoes to bring him in for a deep kiss. Spencer's entire body went stiff for a moment from the unexpected contact, but eventually you felt him relax under your touch, his hands moving down to lightly grasp against your waist.

"I don't think it was," you respond as you pull away from his lips.

"Please don't stop kissing me," Spencer mumbled, leaning down and bringing you back in desperately, his mouth parting slightly and slipping his tongue in methodically. This elicits an unconscious moan to escape your lips. "God, make that sound again." So you do, which intensifies your exchange of kisses.

You find your hands beginning to unbutton his white and green plaid button down before you can consciously make the decision. You stop yourself for a moment to ask, "I-is this okay?"

"Y-yes," Spencer whispers breathlessly against your cheek. "Yes, please."

You oblige, continuing to strip away his top until his bare soft chest was in front of you. You placed your hands against it as you kissed him harder and pushed him down on your bed. As his eyes opened, you began to untie the silk ribbon that held your robe together.

"Y-you don't have to," Spencer said, looking up at you with wishful eyes. "If you don't want to."

"Oh, Reid," you utter softly, slipping a shoulder of your robe off. "I really, really want to."

With the drop of the other shoulder, you stood beside the bed completely bare before him again and his look was the same as it had been in the doorway just a few minutes earlier - in awe.

"Your body is more beautiful than I could have imagined," he whispered, moving towards the edge of the bed. His fingers moved towards your body, but they lingered about an inch away from your breast as if he was nervous to touch you.

"You've imagined it, hm?" you smirk down at him, yielding another look of desperate need from him. "You can touch me, Spencer. Please touch me."

He doesn't need to be reminded again, placing one of his hands to cup your breast and thumbing over your hardened nipple. You groan at the stimulation and run your fingers through his hair. Before you can give him more directions, his mouth moves to wrap around your other breast, tongue swirling slowly around the same area that had motivated the moan from just seconds ago.

"Spencer," you whimper, tugging on his hair firmly but gently.

"Y-yes?" he said breathlessly, pulling away reluctantly. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no - you're doing everything just right," you reassured, lifting his chin with your finger and thumb. "Just lay back."

He obeyed, leaning back onto your pile of pillows and propping himself up on his elbows. He still had his pants on, but you were quick to change that, working his belt off and undoing the button before Spencer kicked them off himself. His boxer briefs were strained from his bulge waiting to be freed. You looked up at him for permission and he nodded insistently. You worked them down, his impressive cock slapping up past his navel. The air hitting him suddenly caused him to grow harder and his head to throw back in anticipation.

"I'm going to take you in my mouth, okay?" you ask, wanting him to have a say so in every decision.

"Mmm, okay," Spencer managed to say through his want.

You cozy yourself in between his thighs and hover your lips above his shaft before licking a stripe up it. A guttural groan propelled from his throat and his dick twitched against his stomach. You roll your tongue around his swollen tip before closing your lips around him and working down his length.

"Holy shit," Spencer cries, reaching down to tangle his fingers into your hair. "T-that feels so good, y/n."

You hum in satisfaction against his length, causing a vibration to ripple down to his core and another feral moan to echo from him. You lower your mouth on him again and again at a pace that makes him latch onto the sheets as well, but you don't want him to finish just from your mouth so you pull off with a pop.

The lack of stimulation makes Spencer cry out pitifully and buck his hips upward.

"I'm sorry, baby," you comfort, caressing the side of his face. "I just want you inside of me."

"God - fuck," Spencer mewled, leaning up to kiss you fiercely on the lips before moving to trade places with you.

His body heat had kept the bed warm, allowing you to get cozy as he adjusted himself over you. He seemed reluctant to touch you at first, until you gave him instructions.

"Take two of your fingers and feel me," you suggest, guiding his hand down to your core.

The pads of his fingers opened your folds and ran up your slit, gathering your wetness on his fingers.

"Oh - oh my god, you're soaked," Spencer states, his eyes blown with lust.

"Do you like it?" you inquire and he nods enthusiastically. "Try a taste."

His eyes shoot up to look at you and his eyebrows lift up curiously. You grab the hand he used and bring it up to his lips. He catches on, parting them and taking the two fingers into his mouth. An audible moan of satisfaction is the result and it makes you even more aroused.

"Fuck - it's like nothing I've ever tasted before, but I love it," Spencer rambled, moving his face down to be level with your pussy and flattening his tongue against your core.

"Spencer - baby," you look down at him, stunned. "How did you know to-"

"Just because I'm a virgin doesn't mean I don't study, angel," he smirks up at you mischievously, before drawing his fingers up to your clit which made your toes curl. "And that there holds about 10,280 nerve endings just waiting to be stimulated."

"As much as I love your tangents, Dr. Reid, I need your mouth here," you motion to your aching center.

He doesn't say another word, going down to lap at your wetness. Spencer skillfully moved in between sucking your clit softly and massaging your entrance with his tongue, which made your legs squeeze around either side of his head. When he added fingers to the mix and began pumping into you, you grew closer and closer to coming but Spencer broke away before you could finish.

You whimpered with dissatisfaction before saying, "Are - are you sure you haven't done this before?"

Spencer rolled his eyes and moved up to become face-to-face with you. "Believe me, I haven't."

"Mmm, but your skills say otherwise."

"Like I said - studying," he flashed you a devious grin and began placing kisses down your neck.

"God, I can't believe the BAU's resident genius watches porn," you kid, trying not to fold to subconscious pleasure.

"Study, not watch - but that's beside the point." Spencer dismissed before reaching down and began to rub his cock along your slit, the tip rubbing against your clit perfectly.

You found your legs opening more and more for him as he pressed himself into you. You could tell by the size of him that it would take a moment to adjust, but the feeling of being stretched out so slowly was the most euphoric pain. Apparently he felt the same, muttering curse words under his breath and working deeper into you at an agonizingly slow pace. As he bottomed out, his tip brushed against your cervix gently which caused you both to moan loudly. Before either of you moved, Spencer intertwined his fingers with yours, locking the hand hold securely. As he made his first soft thrust, a wave of ecstasy flooded across your body. You felt as if you were melting into him and mending to become one.

"Y/n - angel, oh my god," Spencer calls out, gripping his other hand onto the headboard of the bed.

Your eyes rolled back in your head as he continued to pump into you deep and slow. This wasn't fucking, it was love making and it was unlike anything you'd ever experienced. Your body was numb with pleasure and all that consumed your thoughts was him. Sure, you'd thought of him sometimes when you touched yourself late at night or in the shower, but nothing was as all-consuming as this - as having him inside of you.

"Baby, you're doing so so good," you whimper, reassuring him.

"You feel amazing," he responded, his brow speckled with sweat. "I-I'm close, angel."

"You know - you can cum inside me," you whisper in his ear, before taking his earlobe between your teeth and nibbling lightly.

An unhinged groan escapes him at the thought of emptying himself in you. "F-fuck, really?"

You nod quickly and wrap your legs around his waist securely. "Mhm, I never miss a day."

Spencer thrusted into you deeper than he had so far, causing you to moan out his name loudly.

"Say my name again - please," he requested breathlessly, his thrusts becoming more sloppy and his whimpers desperate.

"Mmm, oh god, Spencer. Cum for me, baby," you cry, your high approaching quickly as the curve of his dick hit your sensitive spot repetitively and with the perfect pressure. "Spencer, Spencer, Spencer..." you begin to babble incoherently as your toes curl under and your hand squeezes tighter against his.

Your climax took over and you felt your walls close around his pulsing length, sending him into his own orgasm. His muscles tensed and he grunted lowly as he emptied himself inside of you, his cum providing the most satisfactory pressure you'd ever felt. You loved being full of him, even after he cautiously pulled out of you.

Spencer moved down to lay beside of you, bringing your head to rest against his bare and damp chest. His fingers ran through your hair and he hummed along to the record player, which was conveniently playing "Baby, It's Cold Outside".

"Would you want to... stay the night, maybe? It's already 1 am and it is pretty cold outside," you pose, glancing up at him with hopeful eyes.

A genuine smile forms on his face and he places a soft kiss on the top of your head. "I would love to, y/n."

Before you could respond, the infamous door swung open again and you gathered the comforter up higher on your body. Peaking from behind the cover, you saw a very intoxicated Emily draped over the doorway, barely standing up straight.

"No fucking way," she giggled, a hiccup following right afterwards.

"Shit," you muttered. "I didn't know you were still here, Em."

"Obviously! I-I was, uhm, vomiting in your bathroom... and maybe a little in your kitchen sink..." she explained, her words slurred. "Oh, JJ is never going to believe this one."

"Do you need me to call you an Uber, Emily?" Spencer offered.

Emily waved the suggestion off, "I've got one on the way, don't worry about it."

"Well, go out to the living room and I'll walk you down, okay?" he insisted and she did so with a grumbled "alright".

"We are so fucked," you mumbled, burying your head in your hands.

"It's highly improbable she'll remember anyways. I think we're in the clear," Spencer reassures, putting on his clothes again. "And if we aren't, then we'll handle what we need to because... because I'd like to be seeing you in this context... well, not just this - but romantically, if we can."

He leans down to kiss you before placing his final layer on.

"I'd like that, too, Spencer," you pull him down for another kiss. "Very much so. Now, get Emily out there and hurry back so we can cuddle."

"As you wish, angel," he says with a growing blush across his cheeks. "By the way - I'm really glad that you were my first."

"I'm honored to be your first, Spence," you respond, blowing him a kiss as he moves towards the door. He winks at you in reply before reluctantly moving down the hall, not losing sight of you until he absolutely had to.

It was true, you were honored to be Spencer's first even if it came about in an unexpected manner, but you were really hoping that maybe, just maybe, you could be his last...

requests are open!

[gildedmuse]

hey new moot :) may I request some shuggy hcs? I am unhealthily obsessed w them. could be fluffy or angsty or spicy or anything in between <3333

Hi everyone, this is @kilucore one of my new best friends. They've only really seen OPLA but already loves Buggy. Now I just have to brainwash them into believing his full name is Buggy D Clown and he's the true King Of The Pirates.

This isn't what they asked for but it's what my mind gave me. Later, I'll do a Buggy/Shanks AU. It will involve Shanks in a poly relationship and Buggy being a jealous bitch.

I love thes idiots.

The Captain Gets The Hat

"I used to know a pirate who wore a hat just like this... We served together on a pirate crew when we we're about your age.... "

"Until he betrayed me."

—💙—

"But why not go to the South Blue? There's tons of treasure there!"

"But we're already here! And who knows, since there are so little pirates here in the East Blue, there could be all sorts of treasure that no one has found yet! "

"But it's boring! Even Roger said it was-"

"Don't say his name!"

A while ago, before the crew broke up, before they all just abandoned them, Rayleigh had gotten Buggy a new pair of shoes. They were big and red and Biggy hates them, but Rayleigh said he should wear them anyway. "They're harder to slip in. Safer."

Right now, Buggy doesn't want to be safe. He wants to be pissed off.

Still even as he storms across the wooden pier, the shows made almost no sound at all. It didn't matter how much weight he throw into each step or how hard he brought his foot down. His storming away sounded more like a gentle breeze.

The worst part is he could feel Shanks watching the whole time.

"Hey." At least the shoes don't stop Buggy from being able to swat Shanks's hand away when the other boy tries setting it on his shoulder. "Come on, don't be like that. Why do you want to stay in the East anyway? "

"Because-" Buggy stops, even as he turns to glare at Shanks. The boy has such a bright infectious smile, he makes you feel like everything would be alright.

Only it wouldn't, would it? Not even Shanks's smile could bring back Roger, bring back their FAMILY. Even old Crocus is gone and the last place any of them knew that any of the others would be is in the East. Is in Lougetown.

Is standing below the tower where they-

"Because the East is easy pickings!" Buggy argues, motioning around to all the sailors, the shoppers, the passing Marines not paying them an ounce of attention. "We can do whatever we want and no one can stop us!" And if the others do come looking, they'll be here. Waiting.

Shanks puts on his "serious" face for a moment, though truth be told it's not very serious. "Hmmm... Well, I'm the captain and I say we're going North!" He declares with a huge, cocky grin. The kind that looks like their da-

Like Ro-

Like a pirate.

"You just said So-" Buggy starts to correct before Shanks's words really start to creepy in. His eyes go wide. He did not just say that! No way! "What make you think YOU'RE the captain!?"

Shanks can't be captain! There is only one captain! You can't have two captains and they all know-

They all....

He can't be captain!

"I have the hat!" Shanks declairs in his same light hearted tone, patting the Strawhat Roger had given him WAY before Shanks had been old enough to be captain. He's only 14 now! He barely even has facial hair (Buggy knows, him and Shanks have been comparing for years now waiting to see whose would grow in first) ! "That makes me that captain!"

"That's not true!" Buggy argues, swinging to grab for the stupid Strawhat. Shanks just laughs, taking a wide step back. That is unfair! Buggy hasn't had time to his his growth spurt yet. "Give it here! I deserve to be captain!"

Shanks sticks out his tongue. "Hey, maybe if you're really nice I'll make you my first mate!"

Buggy's face went as red as his nose. He isn't first mate!

Roger is the captain! Rayleigh is first mate! Shanks and him are just- are just-

"Give it here!" Buggy demands, jumping for the raggy hat again.

"That's a very rude way for a first mate to act."

"I said give it here!"

"Maybe I should demote you to cabin boy."

"Grr, I wouldn't be your boy if yours was the last ship in the se-"

SPLASH!!

Buggy tries to draw in a deep breath but the water is already sucking him down. Ocean fills his lungs, weighing him down even more. Trying to push the water aside is like trying to swim through concrete. He can still see the sun twinkling above, reflecting the blue of the water all around him but it's fading. Everything is getting darker.

Is this how Roger felt? No! No not Roger! He must have been brave! He wouldn't be scared or drowning or poleaxes or death. Roger isn't afraid of anything.

Bubbles float out from his mouth, the last of his air leaving his lungs. They pop silently before even hitting the surface, but Buggy heard them in the ocean all around him.

Shanks don't be a captain. Don't be like Roger.

Don't leave me.

The next thing he knows, Buggy can feel the splinters digging into his back, through the worn out shirt he'd owned too many years. The one that didn't fit Nantoto anymore and had been passed along, first to Shanks than to Buggy.

Two worried brown eyes stare down at him, with Shanks's hair a dark, wet red, sticking to his pink cheeks.

Buggy coughs water upon him. "Ehh!" Shanks laughs it all off, brushing it away. "Hey no spitting! And here I thought Raylogh gave you those shoes so you WOULDN'T end up in the sea!"

He can joke, about Buggy is still mad. "I hate these shoes!" He screams, ripping them off and chucking them in the sea. Without him in them they float. Just like everything, he is what is bringing them down. It's him. It's him that got sick, him that stopped Shanks seeing Laughtail. "I hate this fruit! I hate this stupid, stupid sea and it's stupid Marines!" Him that ate the fruit that could have maybe been the fruit Crocus always talked about, the one that could save Rogers' life. Its his fault they're all gone! No wonder no one of the crew came to see them!

He pushes himself up swiping at Shanks's leg as he does so.. the boy trips slightly but keeps from falling into the water.

"Hey, wait!" Shanks scurries to his feet as Buggy starts to march off. "Where are you going? The ship is that way? Wow, you must be really water logged after-"

"YOUR ship is that way!" Buggy snaps, not even turning around to look back at the other teenager. "I don't need you, you know! I can be my own captain!"

"Buggy...."

And maybe it is there is something in Shanks's voice that just reminds Biggy so much of Roger, of his old captain, he has to stop. And maybe it's just because it's Shanks. But in an instance Buggy found e couldn't move forward, not with out one last look back.

Shanks is taller than him. His hair is the same color as Buggy's nose, though he'd give you a black eye if you said so. His face is as bright as the sun and his heart as unpredictable as the sea. It makes Buggy's stomach hurt just looking at him.

And in that moment, Shanks wouldn't look at him either. His face was hidden, the shadow from the brim of his hat covering whatever he might be feeling. Buggy wishes he could hide away like that. His emotions feel as obvious as the nose on his face. His heart feels like it wants to escape his chest and run back to the sea.

Maybe to drown. Maybe to see if Shanks would jump in after it a second time.

"Do you know what this means?" Shanks asks, slowly lifting his chin, meeting Buggy's eyes. He feels so young compared to the other boy in the moment. He can see something in Shanks. A spark. A future. Something Buggy wants to steal but not to take it from Shanks.

Just so he can hold it, just so wherever that spark goes, Buggy will too.

"We'll be rivals!" Buggy shoots back, trying to muster his anger. "We'll both be captains and-"

Shanks shakes his head and Buggy finds himself choking on his own words. Its the boy's smile. "No," he says, taking a step closer before that smile blooms into something larger, something beautiful.

And before Buggy can react Shanks has thrown himself across the dock and right into Buggy's arms. Its so forceful Buggy nearly trips backwards right into the water but even without his special shoes, Shanks holds tight, and he stays on the dock.

"It means we're allies!" Shanks declairs, pulling back only to pat Buggy's shoulders. He is absolutely glowing. Like this is what he wants. Maybe this is what he'd been waiting for. "From now on, we're our own captains, but we're also allies! And whenever you need me I'll be there and when I need you, you'll be there! I'll cheer on all your greatest victories and you're revenge all my worst losses! Just like the best allies!"

And the way that spark shown in Shanks, Buggy couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah!" He agrees, taking Shanks'e hand in his own, sealing the pack. "We're going to be the greatest allies the seas have ever seen!"

"Like two captains but one crew!" Shanks promises. "I'll always be there fore you! No matter what!"

—💙—

The applause dims as Buggy sweeps back into the backroom of his ship. The smile he'd worn for the crowd immediately slips away. "Well," he demands, snapping at Cabaji before.... Well, ignoring Richie altogether. You could never tell with Richie.

"it was great boss!" Someone cheers and the rest are quick to join in, heaping on the praise. Buggy just keeps sauntering on the back of the ship. To their poster board, listing all their upcoming preformance. "The best anyone in this sad little town has ever seen that's for-"

"Yeah for US!" Buggy snaps, the sarcasm dripping from his lips even more than his make up. "BUT WAS HE HERE?!"

His hand slams down on the poster.

Shanks is older now. He has three scars, ones Buggy int see him get. He's taller but it's the same smile. Buggy would know that spark anywhere.

A silence falls over the preformers. No one wants to say it. They all remember what happened to Kiki.

"What is the POINT!?" Buggy screams, turning his ire on the freaks, these losers, this pathetic lot who couldn't get the attention of one stupid, childish man in a silly hat. "Of putting on the greatest show if it's not seen by the greatest PEOPLE!?"

"Well...." Lionel suggests gently after a ong pause where Buggy looks at each of them , eyebrow raised. Huh? Well... Come on. Is there a single. Solidarity idea in those stupid heads of yours!? "You know, maybe he just hasn't been to the East bl---" The knife to his throat cuts off whatever he had been trying to say.

"Are you saying I can't get his ATTENTION!? That somehow, because I STAYED WHERE WE WERE SUPPOSE TO, WHERE ROGER LEFT US THAT I-"

Buggy pauses, looking out the porthole of the ship. Waling back into town where happy families, kids with Cotten candies, stuffed dolls held under couple arms. Such a perfect, happy little picture. Like a spark of sunshine.

"Don't just stand there," Buggy snaps without turning around. " Help your fellow freak. This is why I can't have SAG members on this crew, I swear, " Buggy jokes as a few of the underlings rush forward putting pressure to Lionel's wounds.

All while Buggy watches a happy little family heading back. The dad with his daughter in the shoulder. The other holding her stuffed toy, ruffling the girls hair. Such a happy little couple. Such a happy family.

"I think...." buggy says, tearing the wanted poster from their billboard, letting it crumble in his fist. "You're right. If we want attention we need to go... Bigger."

His laugh fills the boat, and then the ship, and even as the canons start to ring out and the buildings collapse you can still here him. Laughing.

You want to be allies, Shanks? Why not come see his latest victory with your own eyes. He promises. It will be bigger and badder than even you can ignore.

[aerodaltonimperial]

Hmmm okay how abt rain for the kiss prompt?

(💚🖤)

It's pouring when the car pulls in: absolutely pouring, the kind of deluge that's only possible during the summer months. The clouds overhead are dark and rumbling, and the headlights click off. There isn't that far between the curb and the picnic structure Darby’s sitting beneath, propped up on the top of one of the peeling wooden tables, but Jack takes the distance at a sprint anyway, shaking his jacket once he's beneath the roof.

"Jesus," he grumbles. "Great weather you made me come out here in."

"What are you, the Wicked Witch?" Darby throws back. "You gonna fucking melt?" He holds his hands up, gesturing at either side. "Whatdya wanna do, have this conversation at the hotel everyone we work with is also staying at?"

"What conversation, exactly, Darby?" Jack asks.

Gonna be like this, huh. "Are we done with this yet?" Darby asks. "The whole beating the shit outta each other thing?"

Jack’s mouth thins. It's hard to see, now, with the beard. "Depends."

"On what, your fucking Elite buddies?" Darby kicks at the bench his boots are propped up on. "They're gonna turn on you."

"They're not."

"They're just using you."

Jack scoffs. "And that was different from what you did how?"

"I wasn't using you," Darby hisses, because ouch. "I was in love with you." He shakes his head. "But this is what you do, isn't it? Destroy the people who love you?"

Jack's face turns so all Darby can see against the backdrop of the wave of rain is his profile. "I don't do that."

"Yeah? How's Hook?"

A pause. Jack’s grinding his teeth together, the tendons in his neck popping. Then, he says, "Is this all you wanted? Cause you don't need me for this. You can rail against the sky on your own."

"Jack," Darby warns.

"No." Finally, Jack looks at him again, and there's fury written across his features. "No, Darby, I'm not staying for this."

"For what, you finally having to listen to what I have to say?" Darby hops off the table. "Can't dodge calls anymore, can you? Now you have to deal with me."

Jack smiles, wan and false. "Only because you've decided to be singularly focused on me. You want people to figure it out, cause you're leaving an awful lot of clues."

"You're the one who didn't want people to figure it out," Darby says, softer. He probably should have pitched it louder with the rain beating against the roof.

Jack sighs, dragging his hands through his hair. "I don't wanna do this, Darby."

"Fine. You know what? I'll back off. I'll leave you and your asshole buddies alone. But you answer me first. Answer me, and I'll disappear." Darby takes a step closer to Jack’s position. "An honest answer, and I'm gone. You'll never have to deal with me again."

"Ask the question, Darby," Jack says, low. "Don't threaten me with a good time."

Darby moves until they're face to face, a few inches separating them. It's been awhile since he was this close to Jack without the other trying to kill him; been awhile since he's seen the flecks of hazel in Jack’s eyes.

"Answer honestly," Darby says.

"If it makes you go away, I'll do—"

"Are you happy?"

Jack’s face goes still and tense. His eyes shine. He stares at Darby for long enough that Darby’s fingers twitch at his sides and only then does Jack pull his gaze away, off to the left. The way he always does when he's preparing an answer that doesn't come naturally as the truth.

"Fuck you," Darby mutters. This was a mistake. He should have known better than to think he'd get anything real out of Jack by this point. He shrugs past Jack’s form, dragging their shoulders together, and heads out to the parking lot that's filling with wide puddles.

"Darby!" Jack calls, which Darby ignores. He's almost out from beneath the roof when Jack’s fingers close around his wrist. "Darby!"

"No," Darby growls, spinning on his heel. Jesus, Jack’s got a death grip on his skin, pinching. "Let go."

"No," Jack says.

"I'm gonna fucking make you—"

"No," Jack repeats. "That's my answer."

And that... takes Darby enough by surprise that he can't get his tongue to obey, pushing uselessly against the roof of his mouth. "What?"

"I'm not happy." Jack’s fingers don't relinquish an inch on Darby’s arm.

"Then why are you—"

"I don't know what else to do," Jack admits. "I don't... I don't have anyone else." He grimaces, the corners of his mouth disappearing beneath the bristles of his beard. "I thought you hated me."

"I do," Darby says.

"But you asked me here. To meet."

Darby shrugs, and finally, Jack’s fingers fall away from his skin. "Yeah, but I still hate you."

Jack frowns. "Then why would—"

"Jack, when it comes to you, you name it and I feel it. It's just one of the things in there right now."

"Then you still...?"

"Fuck you, I never stopped." Darby reaches for Jack’s face. Jack doesn't pull away when Darby’s palms slide along his cheeks, and that's not nothing. "You're an asshole."

"Yeah," Jack agrees, a bit lost.

"I'm so fucking mad at you."

Jack inhales, sharp. His eyes never leave Darby’s face. "Yeah."

"I'm gonna kiss you, you dick," Darby says.

"Okay," Jack breathes, and hopefully he didn't want to say anything else, cause Darby’s already smashed their mouths together. Overhead, the rain hits the shelter roof with tiny plinks; against Darby’s lips, Jack sighs, mouth parting as Darby coaxes it apart.

[toujokaname]

Matrix / Monologue

Author: Akira

Characters: AkanP, Rinne, Niki

"And maybe, you would cry for that someone."

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[ Read on my site for a better viewing experience using Ois~su ♪ ]

Season: Past / Winter

Location: Back Alley Downtown

Flashback. At the end of a certain year, in a quiet corner of a town on a desolate New Year's Eve.

AkanP: I just can't take it anymoreeeee!

I'm gonna quiiit! This job's unbearableeeee!

—Uuu, uurrpp!

Bweeeghhh!

Rinne: Hey, you alright...? Haven't you drank too much, Akan-san?

AkanP: How can I not drink?! I mean, how can I survive in this painful world without drinking, Rinne-kun?! Do you even understand?!

Rinne: Such a drag... You're showing the worst side of Japanese people. Don't get so wasted you lose your identity.

The whole world makes fun of that kinda thing~ That drunkard's attitude's just plain awful, you know?

AkanP: I don't know anything about the world! I've been a Japanese person from birth till death, me!

I've really had enough! It's the worst! This shitty, worthless village society! Bound hand and foot by stupid customs and rules, this is a village of backwardness! [1]

Ahahahaha! You sure have it nice, don't you, Rinne-kun? You were raised in paradise without such a shitty culture, huh?

Rinne: The culture and the region may be different, but it's about the same everywhere.

They're all villages of backwardness. You and me and everyone else, we're all living in backwardness.

Rinne: There's no utopia anywhere.

I've come to learn that. Even I have.

AkanP: I'm sorry—

I'm sooorry, Rinne-kun! I couldn't produce you well enough!

You have talent! You had skill, you worked hard!

And yet, luck was against you! The times were against you! I'm sorry, for being your producer...!

If only I had more influence! If I had the ability, I wouldn't have let you be buried away like this!

You were a diamond in the rough! You could've shined even brighter!

Rinne: It's not your fault, Akan-san.

I just made a gamble and lost.

Right now, the idol industry isn't prosperous enough for everyone involved to reach a happy ending.

When someone wins, someone else loses, and they end up getting pushed into these filthy back alleys.

Even if you excelled and let me shine to the fullest, someone else would always get the short end of the stick.

And maybe, you would cry for that someone.

Because you're a kind person, Akan-san.

AkanP: I'm sorry! I'm so sorryyy, Rinne-kun!

I'm just no good! It's exactly like my old nickname! I'm useless, that's why I'm Akan-san!

I can't have idols worrying about me! It's the opposite, the opposite! Get a grip already!

I'm sorry, Rinne-kun! I'll do my best starting tomorrow! I'll work my ass off in this shitty industry at this shitty job with everything I have!

So just for today... Just for today—

.........

Rinne: ...Akan-san?

Geez, passing out drunk on the streets. Are you okay as a functioning member of society?

Seriously, don't make idols worry about you—"no good, hopeless Producer-san"?

Niki: Onii-sa~an?

I came to pick you up like you told me on the phone~? It was the first time I took a taxi, so exciting~♪

Wait, you smell like alcohol?! Were you of legal age to drink, Onii-san?

Rinne: I haven't had a drop... Just got stuck getting hassled by my drunken business partner.

Niki: ? Who is that person? Someone you know, Onii-san?

Rinne: Yeah. My producer, who's always taking care of me.

Niki: What's a "producer"? I don't really know much about Rinne-onii-san's job, so I don't get it!

What do producers do? Cooking?

Rinne: If it was cooking, they'd be called "cooks." This person is—well, what is a producer anyway? Truth is, I can't really put it into words either?

Someone who prays for our happiness, maybe?

Niki: Hmmm? If producers have a job out of praying, are they like priests?

Rinne: Well, not just praying, but also doing more practical things.

To be blunt, that's just how they are. Despite having no relation, despite being strangers, and despite not being loved by anyone...

A producer is someone who tries to make me and everyone who sees me smile.

Rinne: That's why, someday, I want to make this person smile, too.

I will repay you for all you've done for me, Akan-san.

That's the code I live by, having grown up in a village of backwardness ♪

[ ☆ ]

The term used from here on out (因習村) refers to a "traditional" village, in a stereotypical, negative sense. As will be shown later, it is also associated with horror media featuring "ominous, overly traditional (typically rural) villages" as settings, such as Higurashi's Hinamizawa. Depending on the context, I've translated it as a "village of backwardness" or a "backward village", given that the focus lies in their customs being "too outdated".

Also of note is that, as is typical in these flashback episodes, Rinne uses "ore" instead of his present-day "orecchi." He also uses "san" in hiragana rather than the katakana "san" he uses now to refer to AkanP.

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[warmaidensrevenge]

Love and pinball

Pairings: Eddie x Chrissy x Fem!plus size reader

A/N: Hey everyone. I'm glad some of you are still reading my stuff. I really appreciate the love. This next part is a little bit rough. But I'm happy with it. As always thanks for reading. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Feel free to share your thoughts. I'm always open to suggestions and help for any fic I write. Kay love ya byyyyyeeee.

Word count: 6,000+

I do not give permission for my work to be posted anywhere else. Please respect all creators.

Warnings: 18+ No minors please. Language, slow burn, angst, sexual implications, hurt/comfort. Not proof read.

Summary: The truth comes out. And feelings grow.

Part 3: Can we be something?

Eddie sat on the couch when you went to change. When you came back you were in an oversized shirt and shorts that looked like underwear. With your hair down. You looked so pretty and comfy. You smiled at him and went to grab a couple of beers.

Once you handed him one, you went to grab a game.

He wanted to talk about the possibility of you being in a relationship with him. However, he got the feeling that maybe tonight you just wanted to hang out.

When you opened the board, you looked at him and gave him another pretty smile.

" I hope you like checkers. I do have the stuff for chess. But I don't have the patience for it."

He took off his jacket and got up. Sitting on the ground next to you

" That's surprising when you work with kids."

You chuckled, lining up the black pieces. " Okay. Maybe it's not patience. Maybe…I just have a problem with remembering which thing does what."

" Hmph. Same."

He helped you finish the board and both took a drink.

You motion your hand to the board. " Black goes first."

He reached over and put his beer down. In the process he moved his other one behind you on the couch. Did he mean to do that? No. He was just trying to get comfortable. What he didn't expect was you to move closer to him. So close that your shoulder touched his chest. What did that mean? Were you interested? Was it possible that you just might want more than this friendship?

"Bud?"

He looked at you and you nodded towards the game while taking a drink too.

" Right. Sorry."

He moved a piece, starting the game. About half way through you started up the conversation again.

" So…how long have you and Chrissy been together?"

" Al-almost five years."

" Hmmm you seem unsure about that."

He saw you smirking as you made your next move. "That's a long time."

" Yeah."

" Umm have you guys always done the whole open relationship thing?"

He shifted a little. " No. It's been about a year."

" Oh…so how many girls are you seeing?"

He licked his lips and sighed. Kinda embarrassed to tell you the truth.

" Just Chrissy." He said taking one of your pieces.

You moved a checker to his side and kinged it. " So it's not an open relationship?"

" I uhh…it is. I just didn't feel like I wanted anyone else."

Until now.

" Didn't? As in now you do?"

He grabbed his beer and took a swig. Trying to find the right words.

" I-I don't know."

" Hmmm. Does it bother you that she's seeing other guys?"

Not anymore.

" It used to."

The silence after his comment was weird.

" Hey bud. If you don't want to talk about it, or if I'm annoying you, just tell me to back off."

He smiled a little and shook his head. " You're not annoying. I get that this is something that a lot of people don't agree with."

" No it's not that. I think it's interesting. I don't judge. It's just…you didn't look too happy with her date."

He sighed and finished off his beer. That's when you got up and got him another. Bringing along some goldfish crackers. Sitting a little further away.

" Sorry this is all I have right now. I haven't gone shopping yet."

" No. Don't be. I liked these." He said with a half smile.

" Cool. Well eat up. I don't want you to get a tummy ache from the beer."

He let out a light chuckle before popping a few crackers in his mouth.

" Umm so…you don't like the guy?"

He shook his head. " Fuckin' hate that guy."

You strained your mouth into a frown. " Oh no. What did he do?"

" It... it was a long time ago."

You put your hand on his thigh. " It's cool if you just want to drink and keep playing. But I'm willing to listen. No pressure K."

He nodded and took another drink. After he put his hand on yours. Rubbing soft circles with his thumb.

" In highschool, he was popular and a jock. He uhh bullied me a lot…I was always different. And everyone thought that I was some satanic worshiping freak. I uhh I guess the long hair and metal I listened to didn't do me any favors."

" Let's egg his house."

He threw his head back and laughed.

" No seriously. I have bologna. We can put it on his car and in the morning, he will try to take it off and it will peel the paint."

He shook his head and smiled." Oh so you've done this before?"

You pressed your lips. Shaking your head. " Not yet. But I'm willing to vandalize and destroy everything in the name of justice for little Eddie Munson."

He grinned. Why were you so…cute?

" But you're not right? A devil worshiper?"

He laughed a little. " No. I mean I do love metal-"

" Who doesn't? Honestly the best songs I've ever heard were by Black Sabbath and Warlock."

He lifted his brow. " You know Warlock?"

You pulled your hand away and got up. Turning on the radio low. He smirked when he heard the opening of I Rule the Ruins and saw you slightly banging your head.

When you came back you sat closer to him.

" This is the first song I heard by them. And I just fell in love"

He started banging his head too." This is really a good song."

You guys just sat there listening for a minute.

" You know I was bullied too."

Out of nowhere he lifted his hand and moved your hair behind your shoulder. Leaving his hand on your back. Then you hung your head.

" Kids can be really cruel when you don't fit into the norm."

" Who wants to be normal?" He asked. " Normal is boring."

You turned to look at him. " I used to say the same thing all the time."

As the night went on you guys talked and played. Truthfully, though the night started off the way it did. He was happy he was there with you. That it ended with you and him.

" Well it's getting late. I have to work early."

He suddenly felt sad. He didn't want to go. Neither did you.

" If you want." You stood up. " I would like for you to stay."

His eyes widened.

" I mean I don't want my friend to drive after drinking."

Damn.

" That couch is a pull out."

He stood up too. " No. I don't -"

You grabbed his hand and squeezed it. " Please. I would never forgive myself if you got hurt."

He looked down at your guy's hands. How could he say no to that? So he agreed.

He laid there thinking what it would be like to sleep with you. How would your warm body feel next to his? Would you like to be the little spoon? Or do you even like to be touched? He hoped so.

-

You did the same thing. Think about what it would be like to cuddle him. To feel his strong arms around you. You thought after the conversation about Chrissy, he would ask you if you wanted to hook up. You might have said yes. Who knows? If he would have tried to kiss you when he brushed your hair back. Maybe you would have. But, you had never been in a relationship like this. It was very complicated. It could get really messy. And that was something you wanted to stay away from. Still, Eddie was something. He was different, and though you wanted to push the feelings that were there away. He made it so hard when he looked at you with those baby cow eyes.

…

In the morning you woke him up for breakfast. He sat at the table while you served up two plates of chocolate chip pancakes.

" Thank you sweetheart."

" It's no problem. It's nice cooking for someone in the morning."

" Well if you want we could do this again?"

You were quiet and it freaked him out.

Shit shit shit!

" I-I m-mean-"

You held up your hand. " Eddie, I have to be honest here."

He closed his mouth and stared at you intently.

You put your hands on your lap and averted your gaze to your plate.

" Okay so I don't know how you feel about me. But I was not being entirely truthful when I said you weren't my type…you are. And I think that maybe there's something between us…I-if I'm wrong please tell me-"

He reached over and held his hand out for you. A little hesitant, you lifted yours and put it in his.

" There is something sweetheart."

You met his big brown eyes. " Oh-okay…so umm I don't know how to do this."

He grinned a little. " I don't either…but maybe…we could figure it out…together?"

You sighed. " Together sounds nice."

When breakfast was finished, you were kind enough to make him a sack lunch too. When you guys parted you gave him a big hug.

" Have a good day bud."

" No, you have a good day."

You giggled. " Bye..Make good choices."

He grinned at you.

The rest of the day he was in the best mood.

…

Time went on and you spent loads more time with him. Hugs were the closest you guys got to touching each other. Not that he minded it. He liked that you two were going slow. Getting to know each other instead of immediately jumping into bed. Like he did with Chrissy.

But after a month of breakfasts and dinners. You got closer.

He was over watching The Thing. You were on the other side of the couch when it started. But 30 odd minutes in and your face was buried in his chest. He held you tightly for the rest of the movie. Later that night he was laying on the pull out when he heard you.

"Ed-eddie?"

He looked up and saw standing in the hallway.

" Yeah sweetheart?"

You cleared your throat. " Umm you doing ok? Do you need anything?"

He shook his head. " No, I'm good."

" Oh-okay."

He leaned in his elbows. " Are you okay?"

You tucked your hair behind your ears. " Y-yeah. I umm just wanted to make sure you're not scared or anything like that."

He smiled to himself. He knew that you were just trying to hide that you were.

" Umm I might be a little."

" If you want… I could lay with you until you fall asleep." You proposed.

He nodded. " Yeah. That would be nice."

He pulled back the blanket and you climbed in with him. He didn't know if he should hug you or something. But you quickly decided for yourself. You pulled his arm under your head and snuggled up closer to him. Grabbing his other arm and draping it across your waist.

" I hope this is okay."

He pulled you closer and sighed. " It's perfect."

You settled into him and he tried to control his breathing. A minute went by before you lifted your leg and placed it on his thigh. His hand slid down your leg and hooked behind your knee. Pulling you closer. After his hand went back around your waist and firmly tugged you so that your body was flush with his.

His heart started to pound out of control when your hand went up and gently started scratching his head. You were so close and you were so fuckin warm. He wanted to touch you and kiss you all over. But then he heard you sigh deeply. Your minty breath smelled so good.

" I have to be honest." You whispered. " I came out because I was scared."

He lightly chuckled. " I know…don't worry. I'll protect you."

" Prom-promise?" You asked sleepily.

" Pinky." He whispered. Giving you a kiss on the forehead.

Before he knew it, you were softly snoring.

" I want to do this every night." He said before sinking deeper in the bed. Falling asleep too.

…

The following week was date night with Chrissy. He decided to take her to the carnival. He absolutely loved the rides. And she always liked to play the games. So it was a great idea. He had come to the conclusion that in order for this relationship to work, he needed to focus on the girl he was with. And try his best to not think of the other when he was spending time with the other.

So tonight he was going to be all about Chrissy.

-

You were in the kitchen mixing up a batch of cupcakes. Swaying your hips to Angel Baby. Thinking about waking up with Eddie spooning you. It was nice. Being held like that again. Though it was the first time you slept together, it almost felt like you've been doing it for years. That feeling of being protected and cared for was something you had missed. And when he left, it hurt your heart. And it hurt more that he didn't come over during the week.

You knew he had to go home and spend time with his actual girlfriend. Which you wished that was you. Maybe you were being selfish. But you couldn't help what you felt deep down. Something you weren't ready to accept or even think about.

"Hey Sis."

You turned around and smiled. " Hey. You're early. There she is."

You put the bowl down and picked up Natalie.

" Hi baby. How are you?"

" Hi Tee. I missed you."

You kissed her cheek. " I missed you too."

Your brother put down her overnight bag and gave you a hug.

" How's it going Paul?"

He sighed. " Good. Just been busy."

" Well it's nice to see you."

He grinned at you. " Yeah. Same. So what're you making?"

You looked at Natalie and widened your eyes. " Chocolate cupcakes."

Natalie laughed." I love chocolate."

" I know you do. Why don't you go and put your stuff away and you can help me."

She nodded.

You put her down and she ran to her room with her bag while your brother sat down at the table.

" How are you y/n?"

You continued to mix. " I'm doing pretty good. Been working a lot."

" That's good. I'm glad you're keeping busy."

" I try."

There was an awkward silence after your comment. Paul always did that when he was judging you. You rolled your eyes and turned to look at him.

" What, Paul?"

He didn't look at you. But you could see his jaw was flexed.

" Who's the guy?"

You furrowed your brow. " What guy?"

He met your stare. Obviously upset. " The guy you're in love with."

You jerked your head back. " What are you talking about? I'm not in love with anyone."

" Common y/n. You only listen to this type of music when you've fallen for someone."

You looked at the radio. It was playing Wonderful World by Sam Cooke. You shook your head and turned to fill up the cake liners.

" I'm not in love with anyone."

Paul sighed. " Well maybe you do. You're just not ready."

You were quietly thinking. You couldn't possibly be in love with Eddie. You guys only knew each other for about 3 months.

" Y/n. Whoever this guy is. Make sure you don't do what you did last time."

You scoffed and turned around. Crossing your arms over your chest. " What did I do last time that was so bad?"

" Well let's start off by dropping out of school."

" You knew that I never wanted to go. I hated college. I never liked going to school. I only went because pop pop wanted me to."

He sat up straight. " Okay how about running off to a different country without telling anyone for a year."

" What's so wrong with me traveling? You know I wanted to see the world."

" Fine! How about when you missed Sandra's funeral."

You looked away, fighting the tears that were coming. How could he say that? You apologized so much for it.

Paul regretted the words as soon as they came out. He immediately got up and put a hand on your shoulder.

" God…I'm sorry. That wasn't fair. It's just." He sighed. " Champ…"

You met his eyes and gave a thin lip. He hadn't called you that in so long.

" I just don't want to lose you again. Especially now that Natalie is used to you being here. She needs her aunt and I need my sister. "

You sniffled and nodded. " I got my head screwed on right now. I'm not gonna bolt again."

Paul hugged you. " Okay. Just be careful."

" Daddy?"

Paul looked down and smiled at his daughter.

" Hey baby girl. Are you ready to make cupcakes?" He asked letting you go and pick her up.

" Are you gonna help us?" She asked.

He looked at you and you gave him a nod.

" Yeah baby girl. I'll help frost them."

Natalie squealed, making you and Paul laugh.

A little bit later you guys started frosting.

" So what are you guys doing tonight?" Paul asked.

"Well." You fed Natalie a little bit of frosting. " We're going to the carnival."

Natalie's eyes were saucers. " Yeah Tee?"

" Yeah baby. After dinner we are gonna go for a little bit."

" Is it going to be just you two?"

" umm I might call Robin to come."

" Well you guys be safe and have fun. Do you need some money?" Paul said pulling out his wallet.

You shook your head at him. "No, we'll be fine."

…

" What is it Chris?"

Eddie could tell there was something up with her when he parked.

" N-nothing."

" What? Did you not want to be here?" He asked, gesturing towards the carnival.

" No. It's just…I came here last night…Clark brought me."

Eddie flexed his jaw. " Fine. We'll go somewhere else."

Chrissy put her hand on his forearm." Ed, it's okay. There was a couple of rides I missed and I saw a big pink monkey I wanted."

He turned his head and saw her pout. " Alright Chris. Let's just have a good time."

He got off and opened her door. After he helped her out she grabbed his arm and put it over her shoulder.

They walked for a while before getting on a couple of rides. After Chrissy led him to a ring toss booth.

He played two games and was only able to get her a small frog. He was going for a third time when he heard a familiar voices.

" TEE! I WANT TO RIDE THE CUPS."

" Okay baby. What do you say Steven? Want to release your inner child."

Eddie looked around and saw you holding Natalie's hand. With your arm hook with Steve's. A wave of jealousy washed over him. Were you on a date? When did you start hanging out with Steve? First Gareth, now Steve. Why hadn't you told him?

" Ed?"

He turned to Chrissy and she was looking in your direction.

" S-sorry."

" Did you know she was coming here?"

He shook his head.

" Let's go say hi."

Before he could say anything she took off.

Fuck!

" Hey Steve."

Steve turned around. " Oh hey Cunningham."

Chrissy smiled at you.

" Hi y/n."

You looked shocked. But Eddie saw you fake a smile.

" Hey-hey. Umm…"

Chrissy gave you a big toothy smile." Nice to see you again."

You cleared your throat. " Y-yeah. Umm-"

"BUD!!" Natalie squealed.

She let go of your hand and ran to Eddie. Hugging his legs.

His heart melted and he laughed. He bent down to pick her up.

"Hi princess."

Natalie wrapped her little arms around his neck. Giving him a warm hug. When he met your eyes, he saw one of the most beautiful soft smile he had ever seen. Your eyes had this mixture of sad and happy in them. He didn't know whether to be glad or upset from it.

" Hey there." You said giving him an awkward hug. Taking Natalie after.

Why his heart broke then and there, he didn't know. But all he knew was he definitely did not like it.

After a bit, Chrissy suggested that you guys just enjoy the fair together. Eddie could tell that it made you feel uneasy. But before he could say no, you faked another smile and agreed.

The first ride was on the teacups. He wanted to sit with you and Natalie. What he truly wanted was to have this night and all future nights to be spent with you. Just you. But he couldn't. He most definitely shouldn't.

The next ride was the Tilt a Whirl. All of you squished together in one. Eddie was on the end with Chrissy then Natalie then you and finally Steve.

The way Steve held onto you while the ride spun had him fuming. Chrissy noticed it again and got really annoyed with him being quiet. When the ride was over Steve and Natalie wanted to go again. You were feeling nauseous so you sat the ride out.

Chrissy saw Eddie contemplating going too. So she told him to wait with you.

" Are you sure?"

She nodded and went to join Steve. Eddie then went to sit with you. You gave him a thin lip smile before looking at the ground.

" You feeling okay?" He asked.

You let out a slow steady breath. " Yeah. I'm fine. My stomach isn't what it used to be."

He was silent for a second before he turned his body towards you. " Sweetheart, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were gonna be here."

You glanced at him. " It's fine bud. You don't need to apologize for being on a date with your girlfriend."

He went for your hand but you pulled away. Now he was confused.

" S-sorry."

He lifted his hand and gently pulled at your chin.

" Don't be sorry. Remember we're still trying to figure this out."

You nodded and held onto his wrist. A second passed and he dropped his hand and intertwined his long fingers with your short chubby ones.

" Is there something going on with you and Harrington?"

You opened your mouth to say something, then they came back. Eddie shot his head towards Chrissy and then looked back at you when you jerked your hand away.

Nope. Don't like that.

" Ed, Steve said he could get me the stuffed monkey. So we're gonna go try. Why don't you and y/n take the little girl to get some food?"

He should've said no. He should've told her that they were on a date and that he could win her that stupid monkey. But he just agreed. All he cared about was being with you and Natalie tonight.

Once you guys split up, he held out his hand for you and took you to a food stand. While he waited for the food, he watched you putting a little sweater on Natalie. Giving her Eskimo kisses after.

He loved that. Loved how absolutely adorable you two looked together. How such a beautiful loving person you were when no one was looking.

He grabbed the food and sat watching you help Natalie with her hotdog.

" Are you sure you don't want anything? I can get you a pop or a funnel cake."

"No thank you bud. My stomach is still being a poop."

He took a long breath in. " You look really beautiful tonight."

You peered deep into his eyes and gave him another amazing soft smile. " You don't look too bad yourself…but can I say something?"

He licked his lips and stared at you, waiting for you to finish.

" You look better with your leather jacket and battle vest."

He looked down at his cardigan and scoffed a little. " Yeah…Chris made me wear it."

" Oh. S-sorry. No offense."

" No…you're right. This isn't me." He said taking off the itchy sweater. He haphazardly folded it and gave you a wink.

You blushed lightly and bit your lip.

"You're pretty when you blush like that."

"So what, like I'm ugly the rest of the time?"

" N-no." He stuttered. " You're just extra pretty."

You narrowed your eyes at him but smiled right after.

A few moments passed when he got up and went to sit on the other side of Natalie when she offered him some fries.

" So we got interrupted earlier…is there something going on between you and Steve?"

He watched you take a deep breath and take a second to answer. This only served to worry him.

" Would it be a problem if I was?"

That wasn't what he was expecting. A hard YES was shouting at him. But it wasn't fair that he set rules in place for you. Why couldn't the girls he was seeing just want him?

"Uhh no. It-It's fine. Harrington is a good guy…so is Gareth."

"Gare-"

" OH ED! HE DID IT!"

You were cut off by Chrissy's giddiness. When he looked over Steve was grinning away and Chrissy was holding onto a big pink monkey.

" Awe cool."

Both you and Eddie looked down at Natalie who's eyes were huge looking at the toy. She wanted it. Eddie could tell. So he looked at Chrissy.

" Hey Chris, how about you let her have it."

Chrissy then began to pout. " Aww but-but."

Eddie then heard you whisper to Natalie.

" Common baby girl. Let's go get you one too." You then stood up. " It's okay bud. I'll win her one."

You held out your hand for her and went to a stand that had Bushel Toss. Eddie shook his head at his girlfriend.

" What?! You know I wanted this."

Steve and Eddie looked at each other. Giving one another a thin lip. When they didn't say anything Chrissy scoffed. " Whatever. Stevie? Want to go on rides with me."

Steve ran his hand through his perfect hair. "Uhhh well I thought I could help y/n win a-"

" That's okay. Ed can help her. Right Ed?"

Eddie rolled his eyes. Chrissy clearly was flirting with Steve right in front of him. But he wasn't angry at her for it. He was angry because she didn't give Natalie the stupid monkey.

" Yeah man. Here." He handed Steve tickets. " Take her on whatever she wants."

When he walked away he could hear Chrissy giggle.

-

When you left you weren't mad or anything. You were sad. It cut real deep seeing him with her. So instead of showing that it hurt, you pretended. Then he said he was fine with you seeing his friends. That felt overwhelming. You had to get out of there.

While you and Natalie got ready to throw the balls Eddie came and paid for more.

-

Eddie could see you staring at him through his peripheral.

" Double the chances sweetheart."

…

Eddie was in bed staring up at the ceiling. Listening to the storm that rolled in when he was at the carnival. Just 30 minutes ago he was arguing with Chrissy about her not giving Natalie the toy. A heated argument turned into angry sex. He fucked her so hard that she was screaming his name.

Once she came she knocked out. Now he was laying there thinking about what you were doing. Wondering if you were okay. But something was eating at him. No longer able to stand the lie he told, he got up and got dressed.

When he pulled up to your house, he saw the living room light on. It was down pouring and he waited for a minute trying to practice his speech.

He took a deep breath and jogged to your front door. Before he could knock, you opened it.

" Well aren't you a cliche waiting to happen?"

He looked at the ground and grinned. " I guess I am huh?"

" All you need to do now is confess your undying love."

He looked up and you looked away. Obviously not meaning what you said.

" Y/n…I came here because…" he pressed his lips for a second. " Because I lied earlier…I would have a problem if you were seeing Steve. And I know it's tremendously selfish of me to say that. So I'm gonna try and be okay with it, if you do want to spend time with other people…I just don't want you to spend less time with me."

You stood there, not saying a word. You had this confused look on your face and he felt like he should go.

" Well it's not a declaration of love. Still, I just couldn't go to bed knowing I wasn't honest with you."

You nodded and he said goodnight. He started back to his van when you called him.

He stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"

" There's nothing going on with Steve and with Garethe. Steve was the only one who was free… I honestly don't know exactly what you and I are doing. But whatever it is…I don't want to do it with anyone else…I don't want to spend time with anyone but you."

His heart jumped for joy. That was the best thing he could have heard. Now he knew what he wanted to do. So he walked back to your porch.

He smirked. " Who's the walking cliche now?"

You rolled your eyes and laughed a little. " Common curls. Let's get you dried off so you don't catch a cold."

…

He was in your room waiting for you to grab some stuff for him. He got curious and looked around. Your room was so simple. Like you didn't need much. It was so different compared to the room he shared with Chrissy. She had insisted that she decorated the place. So naturally the bed had way too many pillows. And random glass balls everywhere. Everything has a place with a label. The bedsheets were silk and a lavender color. They were nice he had to admit, but fuck were they slippery.

Your room however was…for the lack of a better term. Perfect. Only two pillows on the bed with sheets that looked like they came from Walmart or something, because they had random patterns that he normally saw. There was a half empty water bottle on the bedside table and a fan that was clearly used for white noise. He used to have one for the same reason when he lived with his uncle. His eyes wandered and settled on the pictures on the dresser. Somewhere of you posing in what looked like Greece and Italy. Others were of you and Natalie. Goofy smiles and all. He smiled to himself and continued to be nosey.

" So thank God my brother left some stuff over. They might be a little big but they should be okay."

He turned around and took the clothes and towel you handed to him. " Thanks sweetheart."

" You're welcome…you could use mine." You said pointed at your master bathroom.

He nodded and went to shower quickly. Even your bathroom was simple. Not overly decorated or anything. He liked that too. He opened a cabinet and took a gander

Tampons, Tp, extra towels and soap.

Then he went and opened the medicine cabinet. A part of him told him to stop going through your things, but he shut that voice down.

Lotion, perfume…birth control?

He closed the door and decided that was enough of him snooping. Once he was finished showering, he looked at himself in the mirror.

" Kiss her. Kiss her like you've been wanting to." He whispered to himself.

He knew how he wanted this night to end. But only if you were willing. He looked at the shirt you gave him and decided he didn't want to wear it. He took a deep breath and walked out. You weren't in the room though. That's when he heard you humming to There Goes My Baby by The Drifters. He went out to the hall and found you sitting on the couch reading. You looked up and blushed a little seeing him shirtless. He smirked and went to sit next to you.

" This is a good song."

You raised a brow. " I'm surprised you know it."

He put his arm on the back of the couch behind you. " Hey. I know good music when I hear it."

You scoffed a little while closing the book. " And here I thought you were all metal."

He tilted his head and grinned. " Who's judging who now, sweetheart?"

" Not judging. Just wrong… again."

While taking a short breath and holding it he reached up and tucked your hair behind your ear. " My uncle loves this kind of music. He used to play it all the time. I guess you can say he rubbed off on me."

You turned your eyes down to your book. " Yeah? My mom did the same thing. Still does actually."

" That's cool."

You leaned your head on his shoulder and sighed. He wrapped his arms around you and took a whiff of your hair. That's when he noticed the song These Arms Of Mine by Otis Redding just started.

Now or never man.

He softly said your name as he gently pulled up your chin.

" Can…can I kiss you?"

You took a second then moved back out of his arms.

Shit! You're not ready. Fuck!

" Y/n, I-I'm sorry. I just thought-"

"Yes…Yes you can kiss me."

His heart was pounding so hard and his palms got all sweaty. " Are-are you sure? If your not ready-"

" Kiss me Eddie."

He gulped and nodded. "Oh-okay."

This was so damn scary. Time seemed to slow down as he scooted closer and started to lean in. He kept repeating to himself to not fuck this up. To calm down. That it was just a kiss. But he was scared and nervous and excited. He felt every feeling all at once. He could have honestly pass out from it.

He was about six inches away when a loud boom shook the house. Stopping him in his tracks. The sound of the power going down accompanied by the sudden darkness was such a mood killer.

Then you laughed. " Alright God, calm down."

He hung his head. " I'm gonna have a talk with him about how it's rude to interrupt."

You laughed even harder, making him laugh too.

" Common bud. You check on Natalie, while I get my camping lantern out of the garage."

He helped you up and told you to be careful.

With lightning lighting his way, he went to Natalie's door. He peeked in and grinned seeing her complete out, hugging the big orange monkey he won for her.

Sleeps through a storm too.

He silently closed the door and saw a light being shown on his back. When he turned around he caught a glimpse of hurt in your eyes. But instead of hiding it with a fake smile, you looked away and moved the lantern away from your face.

" Umm…Chrissy uhh really went to town on your back."

His stomach fell to the floor. And all the air was snatched from his lungs.

Jesus Christ!

" I-I-I" he swallowed. " Sweetheart I'm sorry."

You walked right up to him holding up the lantern once again. Eyes focused in the middle of his chest.

" Stop being sorry... Girlfriends do that sometimes."

He wanted to cry. He wanted to fall to his knees and beg you to forgive him. But before he could say anything, you quickly checked on Natalie and started for your room.

You sighed." I'm gonna go to bed."

Are you kicking me out?

" If the thunder scares you, you can sleep with me."

He felt so damn guilty when he followed you to bed. And he felt even worse for wanting things to go farther when he literally had sex with Chrissy an hour ago. Clearly you were hurt at what you saw. Honestly he hadn't noticed them. But damn did he wish he would have drove you home instead of Steve. Then he would have never fought with Chrissy. He would have never had sex with her. And he would have never seen that look of pain you had.

He laid there wishing you would say something. Anything about how you were feeling right now. However, you turned your back towards him. He could have cried. He should've left you alone. Now that he hurt you, all he could think about was never doing it again.

" Eddie?"

He lifted his head and looked at you. "Y-yeah?"

" Maybe we can try that kiss another time."

And just like that, he had hope.

" Of course. Whatever you want."

You shuffled a little and softly cleared your throat. " You can hug me now."

A wave of relief engulfed him. He still had a chance. Only this time, he wasn't going to ruin it.

...

@browneyes528 @marsmunson86

[bcbdrums]

🍄🍬🌿🧩 Truth or Dare!

"🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings"

uhmm... hmmm... hmmm... i don't think i can pick one pair, lol. i'm gonna pick. a few.

i'll preface this by saying i'm a canon purist 99% of the time, so when i have a headcanon, it's because i think i can defend it very well with evidence from the source material.

Star Trek - Jim and Spock share a mental link that was created by accident and allowed intermittent empathy/mild telepathy of both a conscious and subconscious nature. this is evidenced in several episodes, but a particular moment on the bridge in The Immunity Syndrome is my solid basis for this. (I promise I'll keep writing "Always Will"... Star Trek is the fandom of my heart. I'll come back to it. I promise.)

Kim Possible - (angst alert! tw: infant death. tw: child death. tw: miscarriage. i hope i did that right...) Drakken and Shego had twins that didn't survive. The event brought them closer together and made them re-think their priorities... This is post-canon when they were dealing with the good vs. evil issues already, and the only thing they knew for sure was they wanted to be together. This event also led them to realize...they want to be parents. (Yes, my fic "Rekindling" is in fact, headcanon...)

Soul Eater - I haven't posted a fic about this one yet so I'm leery to share it... But a story is already in the works. And I'll be very, very vague... Stein's "experiments" on Spirit were extremely mild and rapidly turned into something else... Something Stein was doing to cover for Spirit, to protect him from something else going on in his life... And that's where I'm leaving that because I want it to be a surprise when I post the story! But a couple people I've told might guess this, heheh. (No title for this story yet... Titles are my worst enemy.)

"🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character"

Spirit Albarn did not cheat on his wife. 😎 I'll die on this hill. In a diff post than the one I link, I compared him to Greg Universe (of Steven Universe). The authors present both as characters you want to hate, who you question, who look like lousy fathers. But slowly the story starts to unfold and you realize...there's more here than what was presented on the surface. And maybe the surface was a lie all along. I use that comparison because most people seem to get it with Greg. But only a few people get it with Spirit. That's fine. It's my headcanon; it doesn't have to be yours. And I enjoy other ppl's headcanons very much. But you did ask.

"🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity"

this is where the whole... 'write for yourself' thing, comes into play. i've actually seen a lot of tumblr discourse about this recently... write for yourself! people say. but, we share creations out because...we want people to see them. we are writing for ourselves, and then sharing them...

here's what i'm learning. my motivation to create has to be for myself, in the grand scheme. it's fine to create things here and there for others. and i personally love gifting fanfic. but if your goal when you go into creating is... 'i'm going to tailor this story so this person will like it,' or, 'i'm gonna post this and i can't wait till this person comments!' that's when you're in danger... you're not creating for yourself anymore. now your satisfaction is going to come from...what that person thinks, whether or not they comment, how deep is their comment...

your satisfaction has to come from responding to your own creative drive.... i suppose that's where the advice starts. make sure your motives are in the right place. and... hey, if the creativity is sated? allow yourself to rest! as i'm writing this (it's being queued so, not coming out near the same day it was asked), my writing well is a bit dry. you might want to create, and feel bad you're not doing so... but it's okay to rest! if your mind just wants to daydream but the hands don't want to write the story or draw the piece right then... just let yourself be. allow yourself that space. i think you'll find creativity is better for it in the long run.

'but i'm worried my followers will be disappointed?' now, there you're not creating for you again... if they're friends, they'll still be there. if they're just...a random number in your stats, then again... your motives aren't in the right place. i'm a firm believer in...don't base your self-worth on internet stats. it's just not something i can get onboard with. your value is not determined by number of views, comments, reblogs, etc...

"🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?"

ahhhh hmmm.... i haven't done any immediate clicks in awhile. i'd say if something squicks me pretty suddenly. but blessedly, with AO3 tagging, i can often avoid accidentally running into those things.

wanna be clear though, writing is in art itself and sometimes... well, i'll give an example. i read a fic not too long ago with a twist ending. it is the sort of thing i would not have read had i known. but, had they tagged for the twist it would have ruined the story. so i was not bothered by the lack. i personally would have done the same. am i haunted by what i read? yes. but storytelling is its own art and well...yeah. it's not like in picking up a physical book we're gonna get the tag warnings.

that was slightly off topic, uhhh... i think mostly just if one of my squicks shows up i'll click away. something that's not my thing. and depending on how good the fic is, i'll try to push past it. but if it keeps happening... like there was one long, long multi-chap where main char was kidnapped and tortured and my poor li'l happy-ending heart didn't realize until i was fairly deep in that the whole point of the fic was torture that just got worse and worse... closed that one, never finished.

oh okay but one thing... if a story is VERY out of character, then i'm not interested. like.... the whole point in fanfic is to see more of the character so if it doesn't read like them, then... yeah. that's actually probably the most immediate thing for me. i can handle poor grammar and formatting and english-second-language writers and new writers who are learning the craft... all of that is fine. long as the character is in character, i'm pretty game to read most things.

thanks for the ask!!!!

[nitewrighter]

Hello (there is a prompt at the end of this I promise)

I had a dream about Gency and it reminded me of you bc I used to love love LOVE Gency (still do!) and your fics are so well written and I am so sad that Blizzard fucked up overwatch (and it’s lore kinda?) over the last couple years :(

Also the way they removed a bunch of Gency interactions and are kinda like..changing their relationship dynamic? And the line in the biography story mode thing about how mercy was genjis cyberneticist?? even though she previously was never mentioned to like… do that stuff and that kinda reframes how they interacted pre-fall and its a minor thing but it really just grinds my gears :(

(I pretend it is not canon because i know overwatch better that the current OW2 writers 👍)

And pushing more Pharah/Mercy stuff after literal YEARS of gradual Gency buildup in OW1?

and also the way some Gency artists literally don’t feel SAFE to post their ship art (of a ship that actually has a decent amount of support and is based in canon, mind you) on Twitter.. but that’s more a Twitter thing than anything

i wanted to be into this games lore so bad and i used to have such a good handle on it and now every so often i get this huge wave of nostalgia when i look back over fics from years ago and get sentimental and mad over what was and what could have been (just in general) if blizzard didn’t fuck it up :(

admittedly I haven’t examined what’s going on in the lore of the game too much over the last couple months, so if they revived it somehow or Mr. Developer looked us in the eye and said “Gency is real” then throw this whole thing out the window 😭

Anyways there was a really cool plot to the dream and i was gonna give you a prompt so you could write something akin to it if you ever wanted but I now forgot the plot ☹️ but I love your writing and i hope even in your creative, non-overwatch-related endeavors, all goes well

hmmm but here’s a prompt idea (I don’t know if this would actually be in line with the canon for your overwatch prompts now, it’s more of a what-if):

what if Genji and Mercy crossed paths after the fall of overwatch? Before they started sending each other letters, before the recall, by pure coincidence—maybe before or while Genji was under Zenyatta’s teaching—either way, he isn’t at peace with himself yet. Would Genji try to hide his identity? Would he feel like he isn’t good enough to face her? Or guilty after she goes, missing a one-in-a-million opportunity to connect with her again? Or maybe they do talk, but are obscured and don’t know who the other is until too late? Or maybe they fully know who the other is—what do they say? What do they do? I am super interested to read your take on this prompt if you ever want to write something akin to this!

I am going to. binge all your Gency fics now. Goodbye

First of all... WOW! Thank you for taking the time to write all this! And also thank you for reading my gency stuff. I still love them too, for all my disillusionment with Overwatch and its overall storytelling. I definitely share your sentiments with regards to the fact that the revolving door of writers has basically lead to Overwatch no longer giving a shit about continuity and actual storytelling and just defaulting to what they think will suck the dicks of fanon in the most satisfactory manner. And it's not just writing Gency out of existence either--it's about erasing the tragedy of Widowmaker and the complexity of Reinhardt. It's about reducing Gabriel to a shitty radicalized cop. It's about bringing in characters who make no sense chronologically and have fuck all to do with anything and honestly just heighten the truth of the "stereotype+fetish" joke of Overwatch character design (Yes, I'm talking about Kiriko and Illari). It's about bringing in Mauga 4 years late and acting like they're the cleverest damn people in the world for doing it. It's about expending an absurd amount of narrative and advertisement funding and energy on fucking ASHE of all members of the cast.

Okay--okay--I'm calming myself down.

With regards to your prompt, I'm just going to say, I played the general timeline out between Genji and Mercy the way it played out with very specific reasons. The truth was, as far as character development goes, for all of his love of Mercy (as far as my fic continuity goes) Genji simply wasn't in the mental or emotional space to have a healthy relationship with *anyone,* let alone Mercy. And that's also why I have him mentioning hooking up with Cassidy during his time in Blackwatch in the broad general fic continuity, because it's this very fucked up emotional period for both of them and they have this *very strong link* for a time but as they progress to healthier mindsets they both sort of outgrow each other. Genji moves on to Angela and Cassidy moves on to Hanzo and that's *good* because that indicates they've both grown into their own respective people past being in a really painful codependent state.

The *whole point* was Genji getting away from Overwatch, hallucinating Mercy at his lowest point, and realizing *he* needs to be the person to get himself out of his most fucked up mental corners, and then meeting Zenyatta so that he can develop the right mental tools for that. I'm realizing this is a very western interpretation of this, but then again Overwatch slotted in Robot Jesus with Aurora so fuck it, but if I had to break it down into a solid narrative, it's a Divine Comedy where Genji is Dante, Zenyatta is Virgil, and Mercy is Beatrice. You can have your idealized love and your most beloved mentor, but ultimately YOU have to claw YOUR OWN way out of hell.

If he met with Mercy or made contact with Mercy at any point before Zurich exploded in my fic continuity, that wouldn't give catharsis for ANYONE. The only position they would be in, would be for angst wank. And like, YEAH, I *can* write Gency angst wank that doesn't actually go anywhere and doesn't contribute anything to the characters beyond making them feel sad, but honestly I'd rather write my Anarky-Assassinated-President-Lex-Luthor fic. That's a nice fatty mutton bone I can chew on.