#But greeted by angry goofball instead

[gremlin-boah]

https://youtu.be/TuBBJtDBfz0?si=4tde8V1ZMFbUBJ4t

He angy

I SWEAR IF THIS SHI IS A RICKROLL I—

Oh.

Actually, its not. Its just this lil guy.

This. Is a sonorous war cry of a very angry frog. *squeeek*

Ferocious.

Wait. A. Minute...

"MY NAME IS JOHN MARSTON‼️"

"I HAVE A GODDAMN PLAN‼️"

[alouiadina]

Hangster oneshot ideas (pick whatever inspires you)

1) Bradley is upset and Jake acts like a complete goofball to cheer him up

2) It's 3 AM and you're blasting loud music and your music taste is great but I HAVE PLACES TO BE TOMORROW, YOU JERK

Title: Anniversary

Word count: 1,860

Bradley seemed to have woken up in a bad mood. 

Jake could practically feel the tension radiating off of him. He had barely said two words to Jake after they had both woken up, and when he asked Bradley if he was okay, all he got was a noncommittal shrug and a mumbled "yeah."

It was now a few hours later, and Bradley hadn't said more than a sentence to him the entire morning, and even then it had only been one word answers.

Jake couldn't help but worry. This wasn't like Bradley at all. Normally, if something was bothering him, Jake would use his usual tactics of corny jokes and funny stories to try and cheer him up. And if all else failed, he would make a complete fool of himself just to get Bradley to laugh.

Jake playfully nudged Bradley and flashed a mischievous grin. "Hey BradBrad," he teased. "Why couldn't the bicycle stand up by itself?"

Bradley's response was a withering glare before he turned to walk away. Undeterred, Jake quickly followed after him. "Because it was two tired!" he called out, a small hint of desperation creeping into his voice.

This time, Bradley stopped in his tracks and turned to face him. But instead of the usual smirk or eye roll that greeted Jake's jokes, Bradley's expression remained stoic and unamused. "That wasn't funny," he deadpanned.

Jake's smile faltered slightly, but he refused to give up. "Oh come on," he persisted, his voice filled with determination and a hint of desperation. "It was hilarious!" 

But Bradley's expression remained stoic and unchanging, a blank look still fixed on his face. Jake couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment.

"Alright," Jake sighed, determined to make Bradley crack a smile. "That one didn't work, let me try another." He cleared his throat dramatically. "What does the nosey pepper do? It gets jalapeño business."

But even this witty pun failed to elicit a reaction from Bradley, who simply turned around and walked away once again. Jake trailed after him persistently, determined to make him crack a smile at least once. 

"Okay okay," he conceded. "That one didn't work either. How about this one: did you hear about the guy that got hit on the head with a can of soda? He was lucky it was a soft drink." 

Jake waited expectantly for Bradley's response, hoping that this time he would finally break through his defenses and make him laugh.

Bradley turned around to look at him, and his gaze was icy and piercing, making Jake feel like he had struck a nerve. "Go away, Jake," Bradley seethed, his voice laced with annoyance and frustration. Jake could feel the tension between them growing thicker by the second.

"Oh come on," Jake chuckled nervously. "Don't tell me you're not laughing at any of those." 

But Bradley's glare only intensified, leaving Jake feeling like he was walking on thin ice. He shifted uncomfortably as Bradley's cold and final tone seeped into his bones. "I said go away," Bradley repeated, his words sharp and cutting.

Feeling rejected, Jake took a small step back as Bradley shoved past him, his shoulders hunched and his face twisted with frustration. "Just leave me alone, I'm not in the mood."

"Bradley-" Jake started, wanting to explain himself, but was cut off by Bradley's angry outburst.

"Just shut up already, Jake!" Bradley interrupted, his eyes flashing with anger. "I don't want to hear anymore of your stupid jokes or stories or whatever the fuck else you're gonna say. Just leave me the fuck alone."

"Bradley, listen, I-"

"No, you listen," Bradley interrupted him, his eyes narrowing. "Just because you think you're so fucking funny doesn't mean you have to try and force your jokes onto everyone else, alright?"

Feeling hurt and confused, Jake took another step back as Bradley continued to berate him. "But I just wanted to-"

"I don't care what you wanted," Bradley snapped, his voice laced with irritation. "Stop trying to be so damn funny all the time. It's annoying as hell and I'm not fucking laughing."

And with that final insult hurled at him, Bradley stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him with such force that it shook the walls.

Stunned and unsure of how to process this sudden outburst, Jake stood rooted to the spot, his mind racing. What had he done wrong?

He tried to recall the last twenty-four hours, trying to pinpoint exactly what he had done wrong. But the more he thought about it, the more confused and hurt he felt. Had he done something to upset Bradley? Was he not supposed to tell jokes today?

Frustrated, he let out a small sigh and sat down on the couch, staring at the floor as he tried to collect his thoughts. He hated seeing Bradley upset like this. Maybe he should apologize.

A nagging voice in his mind suggested that he should just leave Bradley alone. Maybe he didn't need Jake's constant presence. But the thought of not being there for Bradley made Jake's heart ache.

He glanced towards the front door, feeling torn between giving Bradley space and wanting to check on him. What if he was making things worse?

After what felt like an eternity of wallowing in self-doubt and guilt, Jake pulled out his phone and dialed Bradley's number. It went straight to voicemail, causing a wave of panic to surge through Jake.

Jake's voice trembled as he spoke into the phone, his heart heavy with worry. "Hey, BradBrad, it's me, Jake," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Um... I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just trying to cheer you up. Please call me when you get this."

As Jake ended the call, a gnawing sense of unease settled in his chest, weighing heavy on his heart. 

Time dragged on slowly, an eternity passing with each second that ticked by. Agonizing worry consumed Jake, leaving little room for anything else in his mind.

Unable to shake off the creeping anxiety, Jake found himself dialing Bradley's number again. His voice was strained and laced with concern as he spoke into the phone.

"Hey, it's me," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Look, Bradley, I really am sorry. And...I'm starting to get really worried. Please just call me back and let me know you're alright. I love you."

Jake hung up the phone and slumped, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm his racing thoughts. But the worry and helplessness still lingered, clinging to him like a suffocating fog.

Another hour passed, and still nothing from Bradley. Jake was beginning to panic. What if something had happened to him? Without a moment's hesitation, he frantically punched in Bradley's number once more.

"Hey, it's me, again," Jake repeated, his voice laced with worry. 

"Where the fuck are you, Bradley? Please, please answer me," Jake pleaded, his voice trembling with fear. As the call went straight to voicemail, Jake's panic intensified. He could feel his chest tightening, his breaths coming in short gasps. Tears threatened to spill down his cheeks as a sense of helplessness washed over him.

"I don't know what to do. Just call me back and let me know that you're okay," he continued, desperation creeping into his tone. "I love you," he whispered before ending the call.

Closing his eyes, Jake took a deep breath and buried his head in his hands. He sat there for what felt like an eternity, lost in his own despair.

"Bradley, where the fuck are you?"

Jake didn't know what to do.

Each passing minute felt like an eternity, and the hours dragged on like endless days. He was about to call Maverick when he heard the front door open.

"Jake, I'm home."

Relief flooded through him as he looked up to see Bradley standing in the doorway, looking slightly disheveled and exhausted. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, but other than that, he appeared unharmed. Jake's legs moved on their own accord as he rushed towards his partner, enveloping him in a tight embrace. 

"You're okay," Jake whispered, holding Bradley close as if afraid to let go. "Thank god you're okay. I was so fucking worried about you. You weren't answering my calls, and I didn't know where you were, and I was so fucking scared, and-"

"Jake," Bradley interrupted him. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You were only trying to make me feel better, and I was being a dick, and-"

"It's fine," Jake replied softly, reaching out to take Bradley's hand in his own. He could feel the tension in Bradley's grip, the tremble of his fingers. "You were just having a bad day. I should apologize too, I shouldn't have tried to get you to laugh when you clearly weren't in the mood. I was just trying to be there for you, and I guess I didn't realize that it was just making things worse."

A somber smile graced Bradley's lips as he pulled Jake in for another hug. "You were just trying to cheer me up," he said sadly, his voice cracking with emotion.

Jake held him tight and then pulled away, giving Bradley a concerned look. "What was it that was bothering you so much today? Did something happen?"

Bradley hesitated, his eyes flickering nervously around the room. After a moment, he spoke softly. "Yeah, um... It's just... Today is the day my mother died." He swallowed hard and looked down at his hands. "I guess I wasn't really in the mood to be cheered up."

"Oh." Jake's own eyes widened as the realization hit him like a punch to the gut. "Shit, that's today? I didn't- I'm sorry. I didn't know, I shouldn't have-" His words stumbled over each other as he scrambled for an apology.

"Jake," Bradley cut him off gently, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. Really. It's not your fault, you didn't know. You were just trying to make me feel better."

"But if I had known, then I wouldn't have-" Jake's voice caught in his throat.

"I know," Bradley replied calmly, his voice filled with empathy. "Which is why I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that. It wasn't fair of me to take out my grief on you." He paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm sorry."

A small smile tugged at Jake's lips as he squeezed Bradley's hand gently. "Hey, it's okay. You're hurting and I understand that. I forgive you."

Bradley gave him a small smile back, and squeezed his hand in return.

"You know," Jake said softly. "If you ever want to talk about her, or about anything, you can always talk to me. I'm here for you."

"Thanks, Jake," Bradley replied, a genuine smile crossing his lips. "But, right now, I just want to sit on the couch with you, and watch a shitty movie, and eat some ice cream."

"That," Jake chuckled, pulling Bradley closer and wrapping an arm around his waist. "I can definitely do."

[anxious2dsimp]

General Dating Headcanons | Sero, Todoroki & Bakugou

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡*✧･ﾟ:˚۰˚☽˚｡･:

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡*✧･ﾟ:˚۰˚☽˚｡･:

Pairings: Sero x Reader, Todoroki x Reader, Bakugou x Reader

Reader: Gender Neutral!

Format: Headcanons​

Warnings: Cursing bc Bakugou 🙄 (as if I wasn’t the one who picked him lmao)

Request: :))) hellooooo :D hmmmm may i get general dating headcanons for sero, todoroki, and [insert your favorite character]? 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖 @smexy-goose

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡*✧･ﾟ:˚۰˚☽˚｡･:

Hi again!! Omg yes, I’ll gladly write some hcs for the best bois! I had a hard time picking a fave, but since I have written for Kami and Kiri in the last request I decided to go with blasty boy❤️ (Also, I’m trying a new way to post requests, I hope it works!)

Sero Hanta

I feel like Sero is genuinely so fun to date, just like he said in that one dorm episode, he’s always the wild card.

He’s a goofball, so he adores making you laugh and smile as much as he can. I love him omg😭

Will definitely take advantage of his height (he’s among the taller ones in the class) and give you surprise hugs from behind and rest his head on yours.

He’ll also use his quirk on you for everything from pranks to just randomly pulling you to him to give you a quick peck or a hug :’)

He’s pretty standard with PDA, so he won’t go around making out with you in public but he will do little gestures like those <3

In private I feel like he’s definitely cuddly, he’s just so happy to be with you!

He loves having you over at his room to just chill or be in each other’s presence, even if you’re doing stuff individually.

Speaking of, the bakusquad definitely complains about you having privilege in using the hammock in Hanta’s room. 

Denki will whine like; “why does y/n always get to use the hammock? You said it was out of bounds!”

“That’s on pretty privilege, sorry! And you’re just jealous you don’t have a cool s/o like mine,” Sero will say and poke his tongue out from the hammock where you’re swinging togehter :’) 

I’m warning you now, if you had a healthy sleep schedule before going out with him, you can kiss it goodbye.

Sero will absolutely be up till like 3 am sending you memes and tiktoks that remind him of you.

And with him blowing up your phone you’ll most likely end up talking into ungodly hours of the night, the *sleep deprivation* only causing funnier conversations.

Those will end up becoming inside jokes that he’ll bring up to make you laugh while the rest of the class is like ???

That also results in some weird ass nicknames sorry not sorry

So he’ll sometimes call you regular stuff like babe and other times... he’ll call you things like “Bert” (FOR NO REASON??) or “Candied Blood Pumping Organ” instead of sweetheart lmao

Overall you two are just THE chaotic couple (and if you’re not generally that way he will bring out that side of you)

Pranking your classmates? Pranking each other? Random ass adventures? Trying weird food together? Dancing in the kitchen at midnight while sharing late night snacks? By going out with him you said yes to all of the above.

From sneaking out of the dorms for late night food runs to occasionally skipping class to go to the arcade or the beach, you usually can’t go a week without doing something fun togehter.

This one time you two were out with the Bakusquad and y’all stopped by a supermarket to get food. 

So you had to ask Bakugou to buy you something bc you and Sero had to stay outside and just hand him the money.

He was like “tf?? why? Just buy your shit yourselves!” You had to explain you two were banned from the store because Hanta had accidentally crashed a cart he was driving you around in into a display of cereal boxes.

Ah yes, good times.

Todoroki Shoto

I feel like he’ll definitely need a small push when it comes to relationships bc of his past, but once you’re with him he’ll care deeply about you and will try to make you as happy as you make him :’)

I’m begging you, please give this boy some luv and affection!! For the most part you’d probably initiate PDA because he’s too nervous to do it himself

At the beginning he wouldn’t even be comfy cuddling, solely because he’d be afraid of hurting you somehow :(

But once you’ve reassured him he complies, and from then on out you just have to open your arms and he’ll instantly know it’s *cuddle time*

It’a one of his favorite pastimes bc he just feels so safe and loved <3 he also just loves the feeling of you playing with his hair

Luckily you get to do it year round since you cuddle his hot side in the winter and cold side during the summer

I feel like he’s secretly insecure, so the fact that you trust him and love him for who he is makes him feel like he could melt <3

Because of that you’re the only one he truly opens up to and shows his real feelings to, not to mention the only one who can touch his scar

And though he isn’t great with words, one look at him during one of these personal moments when its just you two, and you can just see it in his eyes.

Especially if you kiss his scar, his eyes might even get teary this sweet boy I 😭

That’s also probably why he shares his precious cold soba with you

Since you’ve been together, Shoto has just been so much happier, so his siblings and mother LOVE you.

They’re constantly inviting you over for dinner when Endevour is working (bc he’s a huge buzzkill to say the least), and his mom adores when you come with Shoto to visit her :)

Todoroki really enjoys seeing you get along with the people he cares the most about...

 BUT what he hates is THE EMBARRASING STORIES HIS FAMILY TELLS YOU OMG (you live for them, but I wouldn’t tell him that if I were you)

“Fuyumi remember when Shoto-” “Natsuo, no💙“ your bf will say as he unconsciously squeezes your hand, both of the siblings laughing at Shoto’s glare.

You had to hold in your laughter so hard omg

Though he isn’t that talkative, you guys definitely have that kind of relationship where you two could be silent and still feel completely comfortable (oh I’m so jealous of that but nvm)

He’s definitely observant, so expect the most considerate gifts and the most assertive observations, he’ll always know what you need.

The type of observant that gives you a water bottle before you even notice you’re thristy during training, or switches sides while walking so you loop your arm with his on his warm side when you’re cold.

Also the type to gift you that one thing you really wanted but mentioned once like months ago along with your favorite snacks/drink (you best believe he has them all memorized bc he’s just that attentive)

Over all, just a really soothing relationship were you can be comfortable with each other and feel at home when you’re together.

Bakugou Katsuki

Ok so, I feel like you’d be a competitive couple, turning anything into a competition in an endearingly annoying way.

You’re definitely the type of couple to go to laser tag, an escape room, an arcade, etc, as dates >:) but the competitions don’t end there:

Who can plan the best date? Who can make the other blush first? Who can get the other the better gift? Who’s the better kisser? Who gets the higher score in class? Or wins at sparring?

Especially when it comes to productive stuff like training or academics, although he won’t admit it, he’s just pushing you to be your best because he knows how amazing you are :’)

All the bakusquad knows about your shenanigans and at this point they’ve learnt to stay out of it & go get the Advil just in case bless their souls lmao

I’m sorry but he definitely calls you nicknames that purposely piss you off (with no ill intentions ofc), like “gremlin”, “dumbass” or “booger”

I suggest you also call him stuff like that back, like “angry pom” or “blasty” to get on his nerves >:)

You guys also definitely friendly bicker all the time, knowing that you take it lightly (though strangers won’t, resulting in some hilariously awkward situations)

“You’re such a fucking idiot,” he’ll say rolling his eyes as he messes up your hair.

Just watch his smirk dissapears when you reply, “no, u❤️″ It gets on his nerves, I just know it.

So he’ll chase you around as you call each other random stuff. While the other people at the convenience store are just like  👁👄👁

He never means it tho, keep in mind if you’re dating the self proclaimed future no. 1 hero he thinks highly of you :)

So he’d definitely be protective while simultaneously showing you off <3

Will always greet you with a kiss and keep his hand on your back or waist so ppl know you’re with him

RIP anyone who tries to hurt or flirt with you, I say try bc Bakugou will be exploding them even before they get the chance😅

Denki’s definitely almost gotten his brows blown off his face bc of that lol

Speaking of, the bakusquad still can’t get over the fact that THE lord explosion murder has a soft spot for you,

You mean you take care of his injuries, scold him when he burns himself out, touch his hair, and hug him when his moody... and you DON’T get cussed out and blown up? Shooketh

However they don’t see what happens behind closed doors, & how you’ve helped him with all the trauma he has experienced

You’re the only one who he is vulnerable with, you’ve seen him cry and he tells you about his nightmares and fears

You do the same with him, and you promise each other to get through anything together, which you’ve done so far :’)

Bc of that his parents love you, and his mom’s always going on about how she’s so glad you “stand” his son😂

Why can’t he be real ughhh

[sou-ver-2-0]

Sou Hiyori and Kanna’s Sister Parallels

In my short time in the Your Turn to Die fandom, I haven't seen anyone discuss the similarities between our Sou Hiyori and Kanna's older sister Kugie. This subtle parallel is one of the many fantastic writing details in this game, and it happens to be my favorite one. So I wanted to talk about it! 

I love the irony that the characters in YTTD draw a more obvious parallel between Kugie Kizuchi and the game's protagonist, Sara Chidouin. Both Sara and Kugie are high-school aged girls, and Sara often plays the part of Kanna's big sister, leading Kanna to project her feelings for Kugie onto Sara. Although this is sweet, it's still a superficial parallel. Sara and Kugie play the same role, but how similar are they really? If you choose to chat with Kanna on the first day of Chapter 2's storyline, Kanna will tell you the truth about her adoptive sister. Instead of idealizing her, Kanna paints a more complex picture of a flawed young woman. Unlike Sara, Kugie bullied Kanna when they first met. It took time for the pair of them to feel like real siblings. On a deeper level, Kugie's own mini-character arc is very different from Sara's arc, but it perfectly mirrors Sou's arc!

Both Kugie and Sou have a cruel streak and they each make rash judgments about other people. However, they eventually reveal with their actions that they truly love Kanna deep down. While Sara can make the choice to abandon Kanna, both Kugie and Sou would die for the girl. Because of the striking parallels I see between Kanna's memories of Kugie and Kanna's present relationship with Sou, I want to believe that Kugie was just as willing as Sou was to die in order to save Kanna's life. Kugie's story effectively acts as a microcosm of Sou's story. So let's take a close look at it.

KANNA: ...Sara... / You're just like... my sister.

SARA: Huh...?

KANNA: Your strength... and your kindness... / ... / But my sister... / Wasn't always kind from the moment we met.

SARA: (The moment they met...?)

If you speak to Kanna during negotiation time on Day 1 of Chapter 2, the girl begins her story by telling Sara that she's just like her sister, since Sara shares Kugie's "strength and kindness." However, she admits that her sister "wasn't always kind from the moment we met." This is the first major difference between the two girls, and it's what clued me into the idea that Kugie's story might be a metaphor for Sou's story instead. It's also an early moment in which Kanna reveals that she's not as naive as people think she is. She's aware that Kugie was flawed, just like she's aware of Sou's flaws. She keeps choosing to believe in their capacity for good, even as she understands that they are capable of hurting her. 

  Following this revelation, we come to a notable choice.   

1. CHOICE: You aren't blood-related?

SARA: ...Kanna. Are you and your sister not blood-related...?

KANNA: ...Right...

2. CHOICE: Guess I win

SARA: I was nice from the start, so guess I win.

KANNA: Ah... Even the way you say weird things like that is just like my sister...

SARA: (Strangely, that just got her more emotional...)

Sara can either ask "You aren't blood-related?" or smugly observe "Guess I win." Either way, Kanna will steer the conversation back to her adoption by the Kizuchi family. But the choice to declare "victory" over Kugie here fascinates me, since it's easy to connect this competitive sentiment to Sara's relationship with Sou. While Sara and Sou are obviously in a competition for their lives, what ends up mattering more is their competition for Kanna's affections. In both cases, Sou is painfully aware that he's the underdog with "zero percent chance of success." Sou is sure that Kanna would choose Sara's life over his life, if she were forced to make that awful choice.

For Sou, who believes that Kanna loves him less, his moral dilemma is whether to support Kanna in spite of this. The fact that he supports her unconditionally in the second Main Game speaks to his strength of character. He proves that he truly values Kanna more than his own life. For Sara, who already feels comfortable in the "victory" of Kanna's devotion, the moral question becomes whether the player will make choices that are worthy of the girl. Will you help Sou protect her? Or will you decide that Kanna's life is worth less than Sou's hacking skills? Sara's choice determines whether she truly shares Kugie's "strength and kindness."

I'll come back to Kanna's feelings on this "competition" later. For now it's enough to say that she recognizes that competitive streak in Kugie too, and that memory makes her "emotional." It shows how she loves these three characters even when they say "weird things." Again, Kanna is aware of Sara, Kugie, and Sou's flaws but still feels affection for them. That's just how it is when you love someone.

Kanna continues her story:

KANNA: ...See, Kanna's adopted.

SARA: ...!

KANNA: She came to her current family from an orphanage when she was little...

SARA: So you had different parents, too?

KANNA: Mom and dad were really kind... / Kanna... was determined to always smile, childishly thinking "I can't trouble them." / ...And Kanna's sister didn't seem to like her...

Here, Kanna reveals that she has always had the type of personality where she tries hard to please others. She was worried about being a burden long before the Death Game, but for a more ordinary reason; she's adopted. She's always been self-conscious. Her ongoing heartbreak and anxiety comes from a deep place of worrying that her big sister doesn't love her. This informs her current relationships with both Sara and Sou.

At this point, the narrative shifts to a flashback of Kanna's memories.

MOM: Stop it, Kugie! Why do you do such cruel things?!

KANNA: No, it's fine! Kanna's not angry... She's not, really... / Look, see! Ahaha... Ehehehehe...

KUGIE: ...What're you always laughing for?

KANNA: Huh...?

KUGIE: ...You're creepy. I hate it.

DAD: Hey, stop that! Apologize, Kugie!

Kugie calls Kanna "creepy" and even says that she "hates" that part of her. Sara can't ever say such cruel words to Kanna; the worst you can do as a player is speak sternly to her sometimes. But Sou absolutely can say cruel things. He has called Kanna "stupid kid," "dead weight," and a "hindrance" in front of the entire group. And just like the Kizuchi parents scolded Kugie for her mean words, our group members condemn Sou for his mean words.

Now, we know Sou wasn't actually speaking his heart with those words. He didn't have malicious intent. (In fact, he was trying to save Kanna's life.) Sou said those words because he wears a mask to cover his true self. That's the essence of his character. He tries to sound tough and logical to force people to take him seriously. He assumes that once he lets his guard down and shows weakness, everyone will vote to kill him. He becomes a bully because he's insecure.

What if Kugie was also wearing a mask when she bullied Kanna? Not because of the Death Game like Sou, but for a more ordinary reason. Maybe she was simply trying to sound "cool." Maybe Kugie bullied Kanna because she was also insecure, and it would be easy to take out her insecurity on a little girl like Kanna. Kanna is an awkward child who speaks in the third person and laughs for no reason. It would be easy for an older girl to look at Kanna and think, "At least I'm not as embarrassing as that." Even though we don't know Kugie as well as Sou, I think it's a logical assumption.

KANNA: Even then, I kept on smiling... I didn't... want to make sister out as a villain. / But one day, when it became unbearable... I ran away from home.

This is the saddest part but I love it because it's a direct parallel to what Kanna says about Sou! 

During the Second Main Game, when Kanna confesses that she took the Sacrifice card from Sara, she says, "Kanna...Kanna...!! She didn't want to let Sara die...!! And also...!! She didn't want to make Sou a murderer...!!" 

The things Kanna does for these two!!

In other words, there comes a point for both Kugie and Sou where their actions are so harmful that Kanna feels like she has to throw herself away to thwart their "villainy." She runs away from home. She takes the Sacrifice Card. Because she doesn't want these two people she loves to become villains.  

We continue Kanna's story with another flashback. This time, it's accompanied by visual imagery of a small Kanna sitting by herself and crying while hiding her face under a bucket.

KANNA: ...sniff... sob...

KANNA: (narrating) I couldn't go home. I didn't want to... Thinking that to myself, I sat in the park with a bucket on my head and cried.

This is Kanna at her most vulnerable. She is isolated and alone. She has given up. 

In the present day, Kanna has many hopeless moments like this since she has just lost her sister, the person she loved most. We can judge any of the game's characters by how well they treat her, the most vulnerable among them.

In Kanna's memory, there is a character who comes to speak with her at this time. A little boy who tries to joke with her and cheer her up. Kanna only remembers him as "Brat," but to the player, he looks an awful lot like a small Joe Tazuna! The following confrontation between Kanna, "Brat," and Kugie is my favorite part, because it leads to my favorite parallel.

BRAT: Hey! Whatcha doin'? / What's with the bucket?! Yer funny!

KANNA: ...sniff... sniffle...

BRAT: Huh? You cryin'?!

KANNA: ..........

BRAT: ...Alright. / *He lifts his shirt over his head.* How's that! Ehh?! Look at me! C'mon! Funny, right?

KANNA: ...uuuuu...

VOICE (KUGIE): What're you doing?!

BRAT: ...Huh...?

KUGIE: How dare you put a bucket on her head and tease her!! Beat it, you!!

BRAT: I-I wasn't teasin' her!

KUGIE: Liar!! Kanna's crying, isn't she?! D-Don't... be so cruel to my little sister!!

KANNA (narrating): ...That was the first time she called me "little sister"...

In the scene, "Brat" greets Kanna and tries to cheer her up by being a goofball. However, Kugie sees this and gets the wrong impression. She assumes that the boy is hurting Kanna and she rushes to her little sister's defense. As a result of Kugie's actions, Kanna finally sees Kugie's true loving heart.

This is, beat for beat, exactly what happens when Sou confronts Sara about Kugie's smartphone. Just like Kugie wrongly assumed that Joe was bullying Kanna, Sou wrongly assumes that Sara tampered with Kugie's smartphone to make it seem like Kugie hated Kanna. Even though Sou is wrong--Sara was trying to fix the smartphone, just like Sou was--this is the first moment that the player can see Sou's true heart. We learn that Sou's reasons for targeting Sara aren't due to him being some scheming mastermind; he's simply suspicious by nature and he makes rash judgments. He acts the way he does because he genuinely believes that Sara is dangerous. And for the first time, we see how deeply Sou cares about Kanna. We see him stand up to Sara to defend her. Then we see how he wrote a message full of love and hope on Kugie's phone. 

When Kanna finally receives the phone, she cries "tears of salvation" over Kugie's new message. But Kugie's words are really Sou's words. And by the time we reach Chapter 3, we learn that Kanna knew the truth the whole time.

(KANNA): Kanna was always with her big sister. / Because she loved her a lot… / But Kanna was always just a bother to her… / Even that time when it mattered most, she couldn't do anything. / So she thought she was hated… / But that message... made her remember. / That surely, her big sister was watching over her… / That she had to stay strong on her own… / But, well… / The truth is, she knew… / That it wasn't her sister who wrote that message… / *Kanna remembers Sou's face.* .... / ...There's people who tried to protect Kanna. / There's people who worked to encourage her. / So... she doesn't want anyone else to die. / Because... they're all such kind people...

In the game, Kanna shares these thoughts with the player in the aftermath of Sou's death. This is the scenario in which Sou gets to complete the same arc as Kugie. They both sacrifice themselves to save the little sister they love so much. I'm sure that Kugie would have been grateful for Sou's help in writing that message and saving Kanna's life.

I'll finish sharing the rest of Kanna's story about Kugie: 

KUGIE: ...You still crying?

KANNA: S-Sorry... sister...

KUGIE: ... / ...So you cry too, Kanna.

I think the wording of that last sentence in English is interesting. The obvious interpretation is that Kugie realizes that Kanna has been secretly crying and hiding her true self all this time. But on another level, I wonder if Kugie is admitting that she herself "cries too"? That would confirm Kugie's insecurity. And it would make this a moment in which Kugie sees herself in Kanna, just like it's implied that Sou sees his "weak self" in Kanna. In any case, this "unmasking" of Kanna's true heart is a good parallel for Sou's story as well. Kanna also hides her feelings like he does.

KANNA: ..........

KUGIE: .......... / Kanna... I'm sorry...

KANNA: ...Sister...

KUGIE: Mom and dad are worried, so let's get home quick, okay?

KANNA: O... Okay! Eheheh...

It is possible for Sou to apologize to Kanna in the prologue of Chapter 2, Part 2. His wording is more ominous than Kugie's, though he keeps Kugie's sentiment about returning home: "...Sorry. / Just relax. If you’re obedient, I’ll tell you how to survive."

Continuing with Kanna's story, the narrative shifts back to the present day.

KANNA: ...Ever since then, my sister and I got along really well.

SARA: I see...

KANNA: Without any blood relation... Kanna and her sister got along really... really well... / ..........

I love this line because it can apply to Sou as well, since he isn't blood-related to Kanna either. All of Kanna's protective siblings commit to her well-being by their own choice.

SARA: Kanna...

KANNA: Kanna... will definitely go home...! Because she needs to tell mom and dad...! / Determination... / A kind of determination... much too heavy for a girl her age to bear. / ...I should be going soon. Sou might wake up, after all... / Thank you very much... Sara.

Kanna ends her story with a determined speech to return home and honor Kugie's memory. As we read earlier, Kanna gives a similar determined speech in the aftermath of Sou's sacrifice. Later in Chapter 3, she further expresses a desire to honor Sou’s memory, saying “I want to know more about the man who sacrificed himself for me.” This is Kanna at her strongest! This is a Kanna who wants to live!

I mentioned earlier that I would come back to Kanna's feelings on the "competition" between Sou and Sara for her affections. Because Sara resembles Kugie physically, everyone believes that Kanna would choose Sara over Sou. Kanna even says that Sara is "the person she most wants to live." That is Kanna's emotional appeal to save Sara from being voted as a candidate. In the event that Kanna dies, Keiji rubs Kanna’s words in Sou's face at the beginning of Chapter 3, leaving Sou desolate.

But it's important to note that Kanna's choice was always to save both Sara and Sou. To say that she would abandon Sou discredits what actually happened. After Kanna makes an emotional appeal to save Sara's life, she shrewdly makes a logical appeal to save Sou's life. And when Sou tries to direct the votes to Kanna, thinking she has the Sacrifice card, Kanna easily thwarts his efforts by simply telling the truth. Kanna was the only character who chose to be honest about the Sacrifice Card, because she never intended to let anyone else die for her. 

Kanna's choice was to reject the “competition” outright. She doesn't even take it seriously. Her reasons for taking the Sacrifice card were twofold: to save Sara's life, and to save Sou's soul. It's never a real question for her which person she values more. She would have died for them both.

This matters because Sou doesn't parallel Kugie in such an obvious way like Sara does, but the parallel is still there. It's subtle enough that Sou can't even see it. He never feels confident in Kanna's affection, which is why he ordered her, "Kanna. / Don’t you betray me." He can't see what's right in front of him: that Kanna cares about him as though he were her own brother. 

In contrast, Sara feels self-conscious about the comparisons people draw between Kugie and herself. She always feels awkward about it. She is fully aware that Kugie was her own person, and Sara can only pretend to understand what she was like. I really like the way that the manga treated this issue. Although the manga cuts out many of the excellent character moments from the game, it adds more focus on Kugie.

Sara thinks to herself, "I don't know...how many regrets that person had..." which neatly foreshadows that Kugie would have regretted bullying Kanna. Speaking of regrets also reminds me of Sou, who--in the route where he dies--regrets not trusting everyone sooner.

I wanted to end this piece on a happy note, so I'll just say that I like to imagine that Sou and Kugie would have gotten along! Maybe they would even be able to see through each other's masks and help each other. They could work together to protect Kanna, and the Player could choose whether Sara joins them.

[soapsilly]

Not him - Tom Holland x Reader

Pairings: Tom Holland x reader; (slight Post Malone x reader)

Summary: (Y/N) and Tom got together on the set of Spider-Man. But the relationship doesn’t work out the way both of them had hoped for. What happens when (Y/N) gets over Tom faster than he would like? How will they act when they first see each other again in person on set for the new movie when neither of them can let go of their resentment?

Requests are open!

I guess, you could label this as Angst? Eventhough I don’t think it’s that angsty. I’m also terrible at writing summaries. Also, for the new love interest I chose Post Malone, because I needed a celebrity in the same age range as the main characters and also I’m kinda obsessed with him at the moment, so sorry if he’s not everyone’s type. However, this isn’t about him, so sorry if I didn’t exactly nail his personality.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you being serious?”, (Y/N) questioned her boyfriend. She couldn’t believe what she just heard.

“Here we go again”, Tom said rolling his eyes, “yes, I am serious”

(Y/N) chose to ignore that little dig at her but instead continued, “So, you’re seriously planning to move her in?”

“What am I supposed to do? Do you expect me to put her on the streets?”

“I expect you to at least talk to me about it!”

“I have known her for ages. There was no point in discussing it. She nedded a place to stay and I offered. End of story. She’s one of my closest childhood friends! Can we please not fight about this? Please? You’re leaving to shoot soon. You won’t even notice she’s here.”

"I don’t want to fight with you, love. But she’s a childhood friend that you told me you were in love with for the longest time! That I’m leaving makes it worse actually. Besides, you already spend the majority of your time with her. Do you really have to move her in now, too?”

It was true, Melanie was one of Tom’s oldest friends back in London. They grew up in the same neighbourhood and shared the same friend group. And he was crushing on her hard when he was younger.

“So you conveniently ignore that I hang out with all my old friends?”, Tom was getting more and more annoyed now. What was her problem?

“You can’t seriously expect me to spend all my time with you! I’m gone for so long at a time. Let me just spend some time with my people!”, Tom grew frustrated now.

“Your people... You spend all your free time with your people! And I’m at home going to bed alone almost every night. Why did you even ask me to come stay with you here, when you just leave me all the time?”, she was close to tears now. She felt lonely.

“I’m beginning to ask myself the same question. What has gotten into me?”

(Y/N) was quiet for a moment. That stung. The world knew Tom as that silly goofball, which he was - most of the time at least. But he could also be a proper bastard if he wanted to.

The girl took a deep breath.

“Listen, I understand that you want to help your friend but I just wished for you to talk to me first before you made that decision”, she continued much calmer now.

But Tom was having none of it. He was fired up now and annoyed by his girlfriend’s constant nagging.

“(Y/N)! How am I supposed to talk to you when you get so overly emotional all the time? You’re so fucking sensitive!”

“So you don’t talk to me at all? What kinda logic is that? Tom look at us. We’re fighting. Again. I can’t remember the last time we had a nice evening together. I can’t remember the last time we slept with each other...”

“You’re being dramatic. It hasn’t been that long”

“It has, too!”

“What do you want me to do? You’re smothering me! Of course I’d rather spend time with Mel. She’s not nagging me all the damn time!”

This was the first time he admitted to it. 

Both of them stood still, facing each other.

“(Y/N)-”, Tom started but (Y/N) just held up her hand, effectively silencing him.

“Tom. Have you cheated on me with Melanie?”

“What? Of course not! (Y/N) I love you. Nobody else. I wouldn’t do that to you”, he tried to reassure her. Suddenly he felt bad for what he said.

“Have you thought about it? Even for just a second?”

“(Y/N), please...”, he pleaded with her.

“I’m leaving”

*******************************************************************************************

It’s been a few months since (Y/N) left Tom. He still felt bad for how their last fight ended and he was sure that if he hadn’t gotten so fired up, she’d still be there with him.

Tom asked her to stay, pleaded even, when she was picking up her stuff from all over his apartment. But after the logistics of separating where figured out neither of them talked to the other. (Y/N) made it clear to him, that she wasn’t interested in talking anymore. It was hard for him to accept and move on. He’d struggle to keep his mind off of his ex-lover. There were so many things that reminded him of her - so many things that he didn’t even realize before. The smell of coffee for example.

Eventhough, it was hard for Tom, his friends kept his mind occupied for long enough to relax a little and have some fun. None of them knew about the reason for their split. He told everybody it just didn’t work out between them. Only Harrison and his brothers knew the real reason of what happened. Only they saw him struggle. 

The shooting for the next Spider-Man movie would start soon, so he’d be scheduled to give some interviews. All the tabloids were of course hoping Tom would give out secret details about the movie; that they’d be the first ones to report.

“Mornin’ Mate, how’re things today?” Harrison asked his friend, when they first arrived at the car that would get them to the interview place his management had organized.

“Actually, things are great, Haz! I think today is going to be good”, Tom answered truthfully. He was looking forward to today. There was no trace of any struggle on his face. No thoughts were spent on (Y/N) since Tom woke up this morning.

Harrison was glad. He wished for his best friend to move on and be happy again.

Tom was sitting in an empty room, lost in his thoughts after several hours of interviews, when a women in a grey blazer entered the room. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Holland”, she greeted him.

Tom was pulled back to reality.

“Good afternoon, pleasure to meet you. You can call me Tom by the way”, he greeted back. 

The women continued to set up the interview. What followed were several different variations of the same questions he had already answered throughout the day. 

While Tom enjoyed talking about his new movies, getting the same questions over and over again was getting a little boring. However, he had managed to not spoil a single thing about the movie, which he was immensely relieved about.

“So, the character of Felicia Hardy or maybe better known as Black Cat was introduced to the Spider-Man universe in the last movie. (F/N) (L/N) did an amazing job portraying her and the audience loved the new character”

Here we go again. 

Tom already knew this was coming. Every interviewer so far asked about (Y/N) and him. But he was prepared.

“Yes, (Y/N) really is an amazing actress. I’m happy I was given the chance to work with her”

 “So, you and Miss (L/N) started dating on set of the last movie but a few months ago you announced your split on social media. Last movie’s post credit scene suggested she’d be part of the new movie aswell. What do you expect returning on set, considering the current circumstances ?”, the woman continued.

Tom took a deep breath. He’s done this before.

“The split was amicable. When we realized the relationship wouldn’t work out, we mutually decided we’re better off as friends”  

Lie.

“So you two are still in contact?”

“Yes, of course. We are both busy with our schedules but we both keep in contact regularly”  

Lie.

“That’s amazing. So there won’t be any hard feelings on set”, she concluded.

“No, of course not. I’m really looking forward to seeing her again in person”  

Somewhat the truth. 

“You are one of the hottest singles on he market right now. We are dying to know: Is there anybody that has  caught your eye yet? Seeing as lately (Y/N) has been seen getting cozy with rapper Post Malone..”

WTF??

Tom tried to not show his reaction to the newly found information. He awkwardly denied having his eye on anyone at the moment and they wrapped up the interview.

Tom was grateful that that was the last interview of the day. As soon as the lady left, he stormed over to Harrison, who was just as shocked as he was. He was already on his phone searching for evidence for the lady’s claims.

“Is it true?”, Tom asked his friend.

“Seems like it...”, Harrison showed the actor his phone. A picture of (Y/N) and Post Malone outside of a restaurant, holding hands lit up his phone screen.

Tom grabbed the phone and swiped further and further. There were a few more pictures of them together. Holding hands, snuggling -  even one picture that showed them kissing.

For a second he felt a myriad of emotions cascading down upon him.

Shame. Anger. Sadness.

On one hand he felt embarrassed that he was mourning after their relationship while she was already out in the field dating around. On the other hand he felt angry. Did their relationship mean nothing to her? Was he not important to her?

And on a whole other hand he felt sad. He didn’t know what he expected but maybe there was still a little hope within him that they could get together again once the shooting would start.

But at the same time there was doubt lurking in the back of his mind. He always knew there was a discrepancy between him and her. While he was always more goofy and childlike, she was more grunge and edgy. Of course, it didn’t help that she was constantly fangirling over the musician. 

“I love a man with a clear aesthetic” is what she used to say. And who had a clearer aesthetic than Post Malone? Next to him he felt like a slice of untoasted white bread. 

“Tom?”, Harrison saw his friend spiraling.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”, Tom exclaimed. 

Lashing out on the ones he loved seemed to be a recurring theme with him lately.

Harrison pulled up his his hands in surrender.

“Calm down, mate. I didn’t know either”

Tom left to wait in the car. He was awfully quiet for the remainder of the day.

So much for today being good...

*******************************************************************************************

It’s been a few weeks since Tom started shooting. As the main actor he had to be on set before anybody else did. (Y/N) arrived a few weeks later, Black Cat was not yet one of the main characters, so there was no need for (Y/N) to be there from the beginning. 

Tom didn’t sleep well the night before (Y/N) was supposed to arrive. He has neither seen her nor talked to her since she left his apartment all those months ago. He was worried as to how to interact with her.

When Tom finally arrived on set, she was already there, chatting with Zendaya. The two of them hit it off immediately when they first met during the first movie.

When Zendaya saw Tom she grew quiet. Of course, she knew about their split but she didn’t know how he would react to seeing her for the first time after it. And she would’ve much preferred to not be present during their first meeting.

(Y/N) stopped mid-sentence and followed Zendaya’s gaze meeting Tom’s eyes, who was standing like a deer in the headlights. Eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape.

“Excuse me for a moment”, (Y/N) told her friend and made her way over to her ex-lover.

“Hello, Tom”

“Hey..”, Tom was unsure what to say.

“How’re ya? Everything good?”

She always did this. Asked how somebody was and already suggested the answer to go with.

“Yeah I’m good. And you? How’re you?”, he asked her back eventhough he already know what she was gonna answer. He just knew her like that.

“You know.. It is what it is”, she shrugged, but sent him a wink after that.

They chatted for a few more minutes about how excited she was to start shooting again, but never about anything deeper.

He didn’t ask her about her new relationship. She didn’t ask him about Melanie.

Then they parted again.

*******************************************************************************************

“You again?”, Peter in his Spider-Man suit swung onto the roof, where Felicia was tinkering around.

“Hello, Spider”, the Black Cat greeted him without looking up.

“You know? I’m actually kind of on a date right now, so maybe we could settle this quick and easy?”, Peter suggested, knowing that Michelle was waiting just at the other side of the street. When Karen notified him of an attempted break-in, he made up a quick excuse and left her standing.

The girl straightened up and started to circle Peter slowly.

“Is that your girl down there? She’s cute. I wouldn’t let her wait if I were you”, she pointed towards where Michelle was standing, looking around for Peter.

Peter furrowed his brows underneath his mask.

“Nice suit by the way”, she commented further. She only wore some black combat boots, a pair of pants, a crop top and  a tighter top underneath. All black of course. The only thing that would ever even suggest she wasn’t just an ordinary girl were the black mask she was wearing and the devices on both of her wrists, that her claws and other similar gadgets were attached to.

“I, myself, prefer to not stand out as much. Not really a look you want to achieve... as a master thief, you know?”, she continued.

“You know? Someone once told me there’s usually not this much talking in a fight”, Peter told Felicia.

“Oh but we’re not fighting, silly”, she chuckled lowly. Something about her made Peter suspicious. What was she doing?

“Well, whatever it is what we are doing. I’m stopping you!”, Peter puffed his chest up.

“There’s no need, Spider. I already got what I want”, she showed him a stunning diamond collier dangling between her fingers, “do you think this suits me?” 

She held the necklace up to her cleavage, batting her eyelashes.

Peter de-puffed his chest. He seriously began to ask himself what they were even doing.

“Listen, I can get you back to your dimension. Just give me the necklace and come with me, Felicia. I can get you back home”, Peter tried to reason with her.

The Black Cat began walking again but stopped right behind him.

“Oh but why? I like it here. How are we going to have our little rendezvous when I’m gone, Peter”, she leaned in behind him and all but whispered his name in his ear.

For a while he was silence.

“CUT!”, the director yelled, “Tom, you missed your line”.

“Everything okay?”, (Y/N) whispered. 

But Tom was kinda shaken up. The Black Cat was less sexualized as she’d be in the comics. They were supposedd to be teenagers after all. But this was (Y/N). His (Y/N). He was okay acting with her but when she was so close to him that he could feel her breath tickling his ear, he froze up. His mind drew a blank and all he could do was stand there and wish that the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

“Five minute break, everybody”, the director announced.

As everybody scattered around, (Y/N) made her way over to her ex-lover.

“Hey.. Tom, are you okay?”

“Yes, of course I’m okay!”, Tom was exasperated, “Everybody misses their line once in a while! Why is this such a big deal?”. Tom pulled his maks off.

“Okay, chill! I was just trying to make sure you’re okay. You looked shaken up. No need for you to lash out at me”, (Y/N) bit back and turned around to leave.

“Wait!”, Tom rubbed his hands over his face, “I’m sorry. I’m just a little frustrated but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you”.

(Y/N) furrowed her brows but nodded quickly after. She was never one to hold grudges.

“I care about you, Tom”

For a moment they just stood there before (Y/N) clapped her hands.

“So, let’s get our shit together and kill this scene”

*******************************************************************************************

After weeks of working together this all felt like the first time all over again. Jacob would often joke that the “gang was back together” and at times it really felt like that.

“Do you remember when Tessa literally shredded your briefs?”, (Y/N) was wheezing at that point, tears rolling down her face, smudging her mascara.

“Yes and those were literally my last clean pair. Do you remember? I just came back from the press tour”, Tom continued.

All of them burst out laughing. It was their first free evening in a while and the group decided to spend it together with a few drinks and lots of food. Both Zendaya and Jacob feared that it might be awkward having Tom and (Y/N) there together but there was no trace of any bitterness or any other kind of hard feelings. They just felt like friends hanging out together.

“Wait, this reminds me... You left your mermaid blanket at my place”

“Hm, I’ll come get it next time I’m in London”

“I mean you’re of course always welcome to swing by but I really doubt you’d want that blanket, love. Tessa kind of claimed it as hers. There is so much drool on it... you better just get a new one”, Tom told the girl, eventhough he liked the idea of her back in his apartment.

“Well, she can keep it”, (Y/N) chuckled. She did notice his use of the word ‘love’ but she didn’t mind. It felt organic coming from him, he was British after all.

After that the conversations shifted and the boys strarted their own little talks about video games and whatnot. (Y/N) and Zendaya just caught up further, talking about their projects, giving interviews and photoshoots.

It was at that moment that the music in the background changed to Circles by Post Malone.

“Soooo.. Post Malone, huh?”, Zendaya wiggled her eyebrows at her friend.

(Y/N) shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

“What can I say?”, (Y/N) really didn’t know.

“Maybe start with how you two met?”, Zendaya suggested, grinning. She was thirsty for some gossip.

At the mention of the new topic Tom perked up but tried to stay low-key.

“I mean we followed each other on social media for a while at this point but never talked or anything. However, me and him attended the same event a few months back. I guess, we recognized one another and started vibing. I asked him about that one shirt he was wearing in the ‘Go Flex’ music video and he made sure to dig it out of his closet and gave it to me. After that we just kept talking”, she tried to be nonchalant but it was apparent to the others that she was a little flustered.

“Awww, that’s so cute”, Zendaya reacted.

(Y/N) broke out grinning.

“You guys don’t realize how crazy talented he is. So fun to be around and creative, too. I’ve never met anybody that extravagant but at the same time so down to earth. Our first date was at an Olive Garden. Can you imagine? We freaking drove there in a Rolce Royce”, if this were anything other than real life, the girl would’ve had heart-eyes by now.

Tom had heard enough. He stood up abruptly.

“Anybody want another drink? I’ll get enother round”, he offered. He didn’t want to make a scene. He just needed to get away for a moment.

When he returned the topic of conversation had changed, which Tom was thankful for.

“Virgin Colada for you”, he handed (Y/N) her drink.

“And for the rest of us... The grown up drinks”, he teased (Y/N), who in return stuck her tongue out at him.

The evening was too nice to ruin it now with hurt feelings. She seemed happy and as long as he could just ignore Post Malone even existed in his sphere, he’d be alright.

*******************************************************************************************

It was a nice morning on set. Tom and (Y/N) already had an early scene that was set during sunrise, which meant they had to get up earlier than (Y/N) would’ve liked.

They were given a short break but catching up on sleep would mean getting out of their costumes and messing up their hair and make up. So, not an option really.

“I don’t operate well when I’m tired”, (Y/N) whined as she and an Tom returned to where the trailers were standing.

“M’lady, may I invite you for a cup of coffee? It might lift your spirits”, Tom bowed down but looked up at the girl with a cheeky grin.

“You realize the coffee is free, right?”, (Y/N) deadpanned.

Tom shrugged and both burst out laughing, bickering on their way to the catering.

The others were already there, when they arrived. But they were not just on their own. Next to Zendaya stood a  young man and a women, that seemed to be a little older than them.

“Morning, guys, how did your scene go?”, Jacob greeted the new arrivals.

“It’s been good. Too early though.. I mean if you ask me at least”, (Y/N) answered.

“How are you?”, Tom asked.

“Everything good?”, (Y/N) added.

“Can’t complain”, Zendaya answered, “let me introduce you to my family. This is my mom, Claire. And this is my brother, Austin”

Zendaya was grinning from ear to ear. 

They were around the halfway point of shooting, which was usually when people liked their friends and family to come around and visit them.

(Y/N) mimicked her friend’s smile and greeted the visitors. It was nice meeting the family behind the actors and creators.

While Tom was greeting Zendaya’s family, (Y/N) turned towards her with her eyebrows raised.

“Girl, your brother is mighty fine”, she not so subtly murmured.

“It must be nice to have your family here”, Tom turned to Zendaya.

“Yes, of course. I’ve missed them so much”, she squeezed her mothers hand, “do you have any visits arranged?”

“Uh, no. Not yet. But I do have a little while to go still”, he answered.

“(Y/N), you must be excited for next week, right?”, Jacob asked the actress.

“Why? What happens next week?”, Tom was puzzled.

“Austin is visiting”, (Y/N) informed him.

The Brit raised his eyebrows.

“You’re kidding right?”, he was looking around, waiting for someone to tell him this was just an unfunny joke.

“No, why would I be?”, his ex-girlfriend inquired.

“Because this is low, (Y/N). Really low even”, Tom grunted, “I need to get out of here”.

With that he left the group standing and stormed away.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N). I didn’t mean to stirr anything up”, Jacob scrambled for an apology. He didn’t mean to ruin the mood.

“No. Don’t feel sorry, Jacob. I’m tired of walking on eggshells around him. We are adults. I’ve moved on and he should too. Just give him a little time to calm down”, she assured him.

Then she turned towards the buffet had had her breakfast. 

The following week was a little strange. (Y/N) felt bad for Tom but she was so done with making apologies. 

The both of them still worked fine together but other than that they were a little distanced. They still talked and they still hung out as a group but whatever progress the two of them have made so far was out of the window. The tension, however, did help their fighting scenes together.

(Y/N) was sad about losing Tom as a friend but she also realized she couldn’t expect them to still be friends after she broke up with him. Being civil was enough for her -  at least for the moment.

*******************************************************************************************

(Y/N) was giddy on the morning Austin was suppsoed to arrive. She really did miss him and with the Tom situation going on, she felt especially estranged from  everything.

The musician arrived just as (Y/N) had finished her final scene for the day. She was still in costume but that didn’t stop her from sprinting over to her new boyfriend and clinging onto him.

“Austin!”, she squealed.

He engulfed her in a hug, swallowing her body completely. 

“I missed you”, he whispered into her neck. 

“Ahem...”

(Y/N) heard someone clear their throat from behind her. When she turned around, she saw Zendaya, Jacob and Tom waiting impatiently. In Tom’s case, however, he just looked more annoyed at the public display of affection.

“Don’t you want to introduce us?”, Zendaya suggested. She, too, was excited to meet Post Malone, who was one of the most successful musicians at the moment.

“Yes, of course. Austin, those are Zendaya, Jacob and Tom. Guys, this is Austin”, she introduced everybody.

“Dude, it’s so dope to meet all y’all. Being on set of Spider-Man is so surreal”, Posty beamed. He was never one to be shy around new people.

“Hey, can I leave you here for a second? How about I go change and then we go have dinner?”, (Y/N) suggested.

“Fine by me”, her boyfriend shrugged and (Y/N) left them to go change.

When she returned they were still stood there talking about god knows what. Tom looked a little displeased but other than that there was no indicator for anything other than a friendly conversation.

Austin put his arm her shoulder when she reached them but didn’t stop his conversation until Zendaya ended her sentence.

“All good? We ready to leave?”, he turned towards her and pressed a kiss on the crown of her head, as he was way taller than the girl.

Tom pulled a face when he did that, but tried to get it together before anybody could notice.

“So, are you guys joining us?”, Austin asked the group.

“Can’t unfortunately”, Jacob answered for them.

“Still got some scenes that need to be shot today”, Tom added. This was probably the first time he was thankful for his busy schedule. He didn’t think he could stand seeing them together. Especially seeing how affectionate they were with each other. There was no use in denying it anymore. He was jealous. And why was that? Because he was still in love with (F/N) (L/N).

“Aww that’s too bad, man. But next time for sure, ye?”, the rapper answered before they all said their goodbyes and parted.

At night after dinner (Y/N) and Austin were lying in bed talking about everything that they have missed out on the other’s everyday lives. Music, shooting, friends and family...

“So, how have you been? You told me you’re worried it’d be weird interacting with your ex again but he seems pretty nice to me”, Post asked the girl.

She was tracing his exposed tattoos with her finger, something he really enjoyed. Austin wasn’t always the most confident in his looks but that didn’t matter to her. 

“He is”, she finally answered, “he’s a great guy. Usually very sweet and caring.. I think maybe him and me could be friends again..”

“Wow. Seems like you miss him. Should I be worried?”, he looked down at her.

She was still concentrated on his tattoos on his chest, when he said that but looked up at him to answer.

“No. Of course n-”, she started to deny but that was already enough for him to flip them over and pepper her with kisses and tickles, making her squeal and flail around, trying to escape his grasp.

*******************************************************************************************

It’s been a few days since (Y/N)’s new boyfriend arrived and Tom hated to admit it, but Austin Post was actually a decent guy, that he would probably even like if it wasn’t for him being with his ex-girlfriend, that he was very much still in love with. Austin’s likeability made Tom dislike him even more though. It would be so much easier if he were just an overall unpleasant bloke.

“So, Austin, how long are you staying?”, Zendaya asked him over breakfast.

“Uh just a couple more days”, he answered with his mouth still half full.

“Ah that’s nice. So you’ll still be here when Melanie arrives”, Tom spoke up.

(Y/N) almost broke her neck whipping her head around at the mention of that name.

She slammed down her cutlery, stood up and gestured for Tom to follow her, which he did.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”, she yelled once she was out of earshot.

“What’s wrong with me?”, Tom whipped around.

The girl was surprised by his outburst.

“Don’t you think it’s a little class-less to literally fly out your new guy?”, his tone turned condescending.

“Goddamnit, Tom! Are we still not over that? Everybody is flying their loved ones out, why shouldn’t I?”, (Y/N) was getting fired up now.

“I could ask you the same question, (Y/N). I’m merely having a good friend of mine visit me. What’s the difference?”

“The difference is, Tom, that you flew her out out of spite. You had no intention to have her visit you, before you found out that Austin was going to come visit. We are broke up. Do you expect me to stay single forever?”

“Well, you got over me awfully fast, didn’t you Sweetheart?”, he spat the last part, not even denying her accusation. (Y/N) couldn’t help but notice how handsome he looked with his hair unkempt from ruffling it in his frustration, but she chose to ignore those feelings bubbling up inside of her.

“Well, you made it awfully easy for me, Sweetheart!”, she mimicked him.

“And why is that? Because I helped a friend? Your jealousy ruined this relationship,(Y/N)!”, Tom didn’t mean what he said but he was too hurt to care at the moment.

“Yes, of course. I ruined this relationship. It wasn’t the fact that you literally moved in another girl?”, (Y/N) was being unfair now. She didn’t have a problem with Melanie at all. She never made a move at Tom or gave (Y/N) any other reason to disklike her. She was actually a really sweet girl. But (Y/N) was too hurt to care at the moment.

“You’re seriously worried about me having cheated on you? He is fucking rapper! What do you think he does when he’s on tour?”, Tom threw up his hands.

“Austin hasn’t given me any reason to doubt him. He’s been nothing but amazing to me. That’s more that I could say for you”, she dug at him.

To say that this didn’t hurt would’ve been a lie. Tom was taken aback for a moment before he just muttered a ‘fine’ and left her standing.

From then on it was radio silence between the two of them.  (Y/N) was looking forward to the end of shooting. When she broke up with Tom, she didn’t anticipate this all to blow up in their faces like this. She didn’t want to create a hostile environment for anybody. She knew for a fact that Zendaya and Jacob felt uncomfortable with the current situation. They felt like the victims of a bad divorce. And even Tom seemed to be more down than she had seen him in a while.

(Y/N) greeted Melanie when she arrived but other than that she kept to herself. She dreaded the day Austin had to leave again because that would mean she’d be alone with Tom and Melanie.

Tom was happy to have Mel with him again. (Y/N) wasn’t the only one that was feeling bad about the whole situation. Instead of connecting with her again, he had just driven her away further.

However, neither of them could let go of their resentment. Both of them were desperate to get some kind of reaction out of the other.

“Here, Mel. You really gotta try these! They taste amazing”, Tom held his spoon out for Melanie to try the tasty dessert. Them sharing food wasn’t something out of the ordinary for them but usually Tom wouldn’t spoon-feed his friends. At this moment, though, he tried to be as animated as possible to make sure (Y/N) noticed.

And she did notice. It took a lot from her to not give him the reaction he was gunning for. Instead she made it a point to get really cozy with her new boyfriend to show her ex that she wasn’t bothered at all.

“Babe, not that I don’t enjoy making out with you but I know you’re doing this to get back at Tom”, Austin murmured in his lover ear after they parted their kiss. His husky voice was sending goosebumps down her spine - not least because  she knew he was right.

“You should talk to him”

*******************************************************************************************

”Tom,  can we talk?”, it took (Y/N) a great deal of convincing herself to make her way over to him.

Tom was surprised, he didn’t expect her to ever speak to him again but complied.

They made their way over to her trailer and sat down inside of it. Neither of them said a word.  (Y/N) didn’t know why she was feeling so nervous. It’s just Tom. 

Get yourself together, damnit. Deep breath and go...

“Tom.. I’m sorry”, she already had thought exactly of what what she was going to say but at the moment drew a complete blank.

“What for?”, Tom was being huffy.

“Everything. You are right. I shouldn’t have just flown Austin out. I should have at least talked to you beforehand. I really didn’t mean to hurt you...”

“Me neither”,  Tom softened up.

For a moment they just sat in silence, but for the first time since they started shooting it wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

“I miss you, you know”, he looked up from his lap and into her eyes. She was about to answer, when he silenced her.

“I miss you so damn much and I hate seeing you with him. He seems like a great dude but (Y/N) be honest with me... Do you really love him?”

(Y/N) was taken aback. She did not expect that sort of question now.

“I.. I do”, she answered truthfully. Tom’s face fell. How could he be so stupid and still hope there’d be a future for them that’s anything but friendly.

“But it’s not the same... I love him. He’s amazing but he’s not you”

She felt so terrible for saying that. Austin has been nothing but loving to her and they haven’t fought once in all that time that they were together but being around Tom again showed her that there was something missing.

Tom perked up, he couldn’t believe his ears but when he properly registered her words a show stopping grin found it’s way on his face.

“That’s amazing. I mean not for him obviously but.. you know what I mean", Tom was excited. They could start over again and be better than they were before. 

He noticed that (Y/N) didn’t share the same excitement as him.

“Love, are you okay? Are you not happy?”, Tom scooted closer to her.

“No, I am. It’s just, we can’t just pick up where we left off, Tom. We.. we.. Austin wasn’t the problem that broke us up to begin with. We can’t ignore everything that has been going on”, sounded desperate. It’s true though. Just because she didn’t feel the same way for her new boyfriend as she felt for Tom, didn’t mean all their other problems were gone.

Tom craddled her face in his hands.

“Darling, it’s going to be okay. Look at me. We won’t do the same mistakes again, okay?”, Tom leaned his forehead against hers. (Y/N) was always a rather anxious person that needed to be calmed down frequently, when she was freaking out.

She took a deep breath and relaxed into his touch. It was nice to feel his skin against hers again.

“You okay?”, Tom asked.

She nodded and a small smile found it’s way on her face.

At this moment Tom couldn’t resist anymore. It’s been too long that he had felt her lips against his but just as he was about to lean in she pulled back.

“What are you doing? Tom, I’m still in a relationship... It wouldn’t be fair to Austin if we’d started foolin aroung behind his back. Let me at least talk to him before we properly make-up”

Tom did feel a little disappointed but understood what she was saying.

“Not even a little peck?”, he tried but shut up when (Y/N) shot him a warning look. One could try...

Both of them exited her trailer. While (Y/N) made her way over to where Post was waiting, Tom joined Melanie and his co-stars again. Tom’s good mood didn’t go unnoticed though.

“What got you all smiles?”, Zendaya teased.

“I may or may not have made up with (Y/N)”, Tom bragged in a sing-song voice.

“Wait what? When did that happen? Not that I’m not happy for you but last time I saw her she was making out with Post Malone”, Zendaya was thrown off by the newly found information and while Tom explained the situation (Y/N) had to break the news to Austin.

She didn’t want to have this conversation but she was confident that she was naking the right decision.

“Hey, Babe. Did you two talk it out?”, Austin looked up from his phone when his girl approached him.

“Austin? Can we talk?”, it was the second time today that she would have to use that phrase. She couldn’t but to think how cliche she sounded.

“Oh oh. That doesn’t sound good”, his smile faded, “you’re not breaking up with me, are you?”

There was no need for her to answer his question because as soon as she teared up he got his answer.

“Nononono. Don’t cry, please”, he tried to soothe her which made her feel even worse. Why was he being so nice to her?

“What happened, (Y/N)?”

“We talked”

“I figured that much”

Ouch..

“Well, I apologized and so did he. We kinda made up”

“There is probably no use trying to convince you otherwise, huh?”, Austin had already admitted defeat.

“Probably not”

“I never stood a chance, did I? It’s always been him...”, he huffed out a laugh. He sounded disappointed but he was coping.

“That’s not true. I think you are one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever had the fortune of meeting but ...”

“But I’m not him”, Austin ended her sentence for her.

“I’m so sorry. I really do love you but being on set with him again just brought back all those feelings”

Both were just sitting there for a moment.

“But we’re still friends right?”, Austin broke the silence, looking at the girl across from him.

(Y/N) blinked for a few times.

“Of course”, she was so perplexed. She didn’t expect him to not be pissed at her. He chuckled when he saw how confused the girl was. He wasn’t  mad at her. She had feelings for someone else. That’s something out of her control. He did however still want to have her in his life - even if it’d be just as friends.

“C’mere”, he held out his arms and engulfed her in a massive bear hug.

“I don’t understand. You’re not angry?”

“No, how could I? We’re cool”, he reassured her, “but I can’t promise I won’t write a song ot two about you”

“Well, I can’t blame you”

They both had a laugh about it but then the atmosphere became a little more serious again.

“I should go”, Austin broke the silence.

“You don’t have to”

“No front, but, (Y/N), I really don’t want to see you with Tom. At least not at the moment”, he explained to her. 

(Y/N) just nodded. She didn’t want to make things worse for him. While he took the news like a pro, she could still see that he was hurt. He was not about to fight a battle he already knew he couldn’t win but it really wasn’t a good feeling to be left for someone else either.

The two of them hugged it out for a little while longer and then Austin made his way to leave the set back to his hotel room to pack his bags and fly home.

He stopped to say goodbye to the others. Eventhough he would rather not see Tom at the moment, just leaving without a word would be rude. Also, he was not about to leave with his tail between his legs. He was Post Malone after all.

When he approached the others their conversation died down and Tom’s bright smile disappeared completely. There was no way for him to know how the rapper would react. But the latter decided to not say anything at all. 

Austin said his goodbyes and turned to leave but before he left, he told Tom something only they could hear.

*******************************************************************************************

Back in her hotel room, (Y/N) tried to relax after the long day she just had. The last time she was this exhausted was ages ago.

At the moment, she was getting ready to take a shower and go snuggle up in bed to get some sleep before she had to leave to shoot the next morning.

Just as she was about to hop under the warm, relaxing water, there was a knock on her door. (Y/N) didn’t expect anybody this late but she had an idea who it could be.

“Hello, Tom”, she greeted her lover.

“Can I come in? Or am I interrupting something?”, the actor looked the girl up and down. He couldn’t help but have his eyes linger a little as he couldn’t help but notice she was only dressed in a towel at the moment.

“I was just about to have a shower but you’re welcome to come in and wait”, she told him.

As he closed the door behind him she turned around and added, “or you could join me of course”

She made it sound like an option but that opportunity was too good for Tom to pass up.

Being underneath the water with him just felt right. He was a little taller than her so the water from his hair dripped down on her face as they were standing chest to chest. He leaned down and his lips met hers. She started smiling into the kiss nefore they parted.

“I missed this”, Tom’s voice was husky.

She did too. She wasn’t a fool, there was still a  lot to work through but at this very moment everything just felt right. His body against hers felt right. His lips on hers felt right. Them together... felt so right.

“I love you, Tom” 

*******************************************************************************************

Epilogue

Both of them were cuddled in bed dressed in the white, fluffy bathrobes the hotel provided, talking about anything and everything with the occasional kiss in between.

“It’s two o’clock already. We should really go to sleep if we want to be able to function tomorrow”, she reminded her boyfriend.

“At this point, I am tempted to pull an all-nighter, love”, he winked at her.

“An all-nighter doing what exactly?”, (Y/N) teased her man.

“You know? Before Post left he told me to be good to you and I think that’s exactly  what I will be doing tonight”

“I really don’t think that’s what he meant, babe”, she laughed.

“Close enough for me”, he murmured as he leaned down to kiss her once again but most definitely not for the last time that night.

[constant-creative-chaos]

Dating Cedric Diggory Would Include:

Cedric is a complete sweetheart

He absolutely adores you, you can see it in his smile when you catch him staring

Not only is he the sweetest guy in all of the UK but he is a gentleman

He carries your books for you

He kisses your knuckles when he greets you

He escorts you to your dorm or common room

You get the picture

Speaking of pictures, he has pictures of you pinned to his bed frame

His friends often tease him and ask how he landed someone like you

His reply is always the same

“I dunno mates, I ask myself everytime I see them smile.”

He often extends his prefect bathroom privileges to you if you aren’t one yourself

“Ced, c’mon! Let me down, I promised I’d meet Granger in the library to study!”

“Or instead of leaving me alone to drown in my misery without you, we could go down to the black lake and go for a swim!”

As much as Cedric is a gentleman, he is a goofball, honestly, that boy will do anything to make you smile

Also, constant teasing about your height

Weather you’re taller or shorter than him, he always has some well mannered joke

Summers spent with the Diggory’s? Yes, Amos loves as if you were his own

Speaking of Amos, he is constantly teasing Cedric in front of you and is embarrassing Cedric

“Oh yes! I’m assuming Cedric never told you about how he used to run around in his Batman pajamas, he was in love with the muggle comic character!”

“He did not, but please tell me more, I am fascinated.”

“Dad, please stop.”

During your time at the Diggory’s house in the summer Cedric and yourself would often be found doing small domestic tasks like cooking together

Amos finding you two curled together on the couch, sleeping soundly while a movie is playing in the background

Cedric falling asleep to your humming while you read

He reads to you when you’re tired but can’t seem to sleep

“Eros sat still, looking out at the sun rise one last time- oh,”

“No, no, I’m still awake, keep reading. I love hearing your voice,”

He knew you barley awake, but continued reading anyway

The train ride back to Hogwarts would always be spent with him patrolling your section of the train

he knows how to braid hair, if your hair is long enough he’ll braid it for you

you’re the person he pulled from the lake

after he kisses you he likes to press his forehead to yours

he grabs your face when you kiss

he adores it when you play with his hair

he also loves to flirt with you even though you’re already his

as much as he’d like to say he’s smooth and shit, he’s really not

He loves holding your hand, it’s adorable

He is always up to go on an after hours adventure with you

You two found the shrieking shack entrance through the whomping willow in your third year

Now he drags you there every once in a while to escape both of your friend groups

He has taken you out on broom rides around the grounds a few times

He says he likes it because of the smile on your face when you see the castle’s silhouette from the lake but it’s because he likes having you so close to him

His favourite date spot is the astronomy tower after dark, and everytime you to go up there together he tells you the same line

“You make the stars look dim,”

That’s also where you two kissed for the first time

“You make me see stars,”

One day you convinced him to let you put a charm on him

It was a small enchantment that replaced every scar with white stars

And after the triwizard tournament he had quite a few scars that he hated but the stars on them just reminded him of you

Eventually he began to accept them and as he did the charm faded

And when he realised why it stopped he just hugged you tightly and thanked you

After Hogwarts you guys decided to move in together in a small flat in near the ministry

Slytherin Reader:

Hufflepuff accepting you as one of there own almost immediately after finding out about Cedric and yourself

Always finding yourself defending the Hufflepuffs against the bigoted Slytherins

You're always dressed up in yellow and black in every Quidditch game Cedric is playing in, even against slytherin

Cedric being the most Slytherin positive Hufflepuff you have ever met

To the point where he will often steal your silver and green, Slytherin scarf

You pretend to be annoyed but you secretly love seeing him so casually show his pride for his Slytherin partner

Cedric understanding your fear for him meeting your parents

But eventually he convinced you to introduce him

“Mother, Father, this is Cedric. He is my boyfriend-“

“House and Blood Status?”

Cedric smiling kindly at them, “Hufflepuff and Half-blood.”

Your mother fumed, you were not to stain your families perfect blood line with him

He just continued to smile at them even after your mother scolded you for associating with him and calling him a half breed

And his smile went from one of kindness to one of pride at your quick and sharp retaliation,

“Mother, our family has been inbreeding for decades, Aunt Marina has three kids with her cousin, and you are not one to talk.”

Your father was quietly angry and disgusted because of his shared views of blood status with your mother

But no matter there statements Cedric was yours as you were his, and that perfect as is

But after the meeting Cedric reassured you that you are not like them, which was incredible

Making incredible friends in the hufflepuff house

Keeping your unbiased and kind slytherin friends close

Cedric getting along swimmingly with them

Lounging in each other’s common rooms and ignoring the stares and comments made

Playfully glaring at each other when someone makes a comment about the others house and then laughing about it and confusing people

Gyffindor Reader:

Doing something stupid and brave and Cedric whispering to you,

“I see why you’re in Gryffindor now,”

Being caught out in the halls with Cedric by filch often goes like this:

“Oh hey Filch, I saw some students down by the- QUICK DISTRACTION!” *throws something*

and then dragging Cedric along with you through the halls as you sprinted away with him

Then ending in you two laughing and panting in some random broom closet at the opposite end of the school

Giving him warning when a Weasley prank is about to go down

Watching out for the golden trio and making sure that they’re alright

And helping them on some of there more dangerous stunts

Which Cedric often scolds you for scaring him and putting yourself in danger

If you play Quidditch, showing your Gryffindor intensity and not playing easier against him

Cedric always coming to the celebratory and random Gryffindor parties

Often he stays to the very end with you and Harry says some stupid line before heading off to bed

“And then there was two,” Harry said, slapping his and hands down on your shoulders, “Use protection.”

And then he’d walk up to bed laughing silently to himself, leaving both you and Cedric beet red

“I know that he’s the only one that can kill Voldemort according to the prophecy, but I will strangle him in his sleep.”

Cedric then proceeding to tease the hell out of you and make plenty of innuendos

No but Harry is constantly teasing you, annoying little git

To get back at him Cedric and yourself just become even more comfortable around each other around him

“Ugh! C’mon, anywhere but around me!”

putting you’re name in the goblet of fire as well because an adventure is an adventure

nearly killing him after he came back half alive from the final event

Ravenclaw Reader:

Cedric dragging you away from the pile of books on your bedside table

“Your books will be here after date night, I promise,”

After big fights, which don’t occur often, you’d find a book on your bed with a sweet message on the front page

Reading aloud to Cedric after nightmares from the tournament

Study Dates

Distracting each other during said study dates

Constantly reminding him to do his homework

Letting him copy your notes

Finding the cozy, warm environment of the hufflepuff common room much more relaxing then the elegant and sophisticated look of the ravenclaw common room

“Why is there an eagle on your house crest if it’s RAVENclaw?”

“Cedric, I’ve asked myself that everyday for the past five years.”

He always comes to find you in the Library in the early hours of the morning when you’re finishing an essay to bring you to bed

“Sweetheart, you’ve been up for hours doing this essay, come to bed.”

“Ced, i want to, trust me I do but it’s due tomorrow. I’ll be fine.”

He’ll soon lose patience and pack your stuff up and drag you to bed weather you’d like to or not

Hufflepuff reader:

Being the power couple of hufflepuff

first years always coming to you for help

you two the unofficial hufflepuff parents

all the hufflepuffs younger than you guys come to you guys with their problems

hexing the shit out of people teasing your hufflepuff children

you can be found on Cedric’s lap in the common room 90% of the time

being an absolute sweetheart but also willing to throw hands with anyone who disrespects your house

sneaking next door to the kitchens together

“Puffball.”

“Cedric, dear, sweetheart, you are, as much as i hate to break it to you, also a Puffball.”

honestly being a softie 

but never underestimated after hexing Malfoy into oblivion after he bothered the first years

you guys make fun of each other for being in hufflepuff

it confuses people sooo much

[kamenriderlogik27]

This week's Saber X Zenkaiger!!!!!

I haven't been doing reviews lately 'cause after I get through 90% of one something happens and it all get's erased somehow and I end up just giving up. So let's hope I can get this done without that happening.

Saber Chapter Special!!!:

asdilfjlasjdfjsiejfl;sjef!!!!! This ep was SO MUCH FUN!!!! Not only is it a PERFECT intro/introduction to what to expect for the crossover film, but I just LOVE that they chose ZOX of all Zenkaiger Charas to be the one to introduce the Bookstore gang to the World of Zenkaiger! Zox just naturally fit right in with the mess and made the plot really smooth! It felt like just another Saber ep with a bit of Kaizoku spizzaz! Also, I knew that Mashiko Atsuki and Aoki Ryo knew each other 'cause of TeniMyu (Not sure if that's how you spell it) so that just makes the connection between their characters way more interesting and cool! (Also, Watching Zox on Zenkaigers always made me think that he was tall, but then seeing him stand next to the giants in Saber just.... I'm sorry I just can't get over how small he looks. He's so cute!!!!) I also loved how they made Zox have no qualms about stealing from Touma and Ryoga. I mean, he did only promise Kaito that he wouldn't steal in the Zenkaiger world so~ XD Another thing! I really loved how we got to see more of Kento's personality in this ep! Honestly, ever since he was introduced, he never really showed much personality outside of him being calm, smiling while doing the book skits with Touma, angry, emo, and in despair. In this ep, we got to see him reading a book, laughing with Touma because of Rintaro and Zox, dumbfounded because of Touma's mistake, trying to be a peace maker and save Touma from Ryoga's wrath due to said mistake, get mad at Orihime World for hurting Mei, be stern with Zox when he believed that Zox stole their WRBs (which, NGL, was really hot), and cutely pet the carousel horse he was riding while going "yoshi yoshi~~~". As you can tell, a lot of my attention is focused on Kento now a days and I just LIVE for learning more about this man's personality. Should I write a separate post about it??? Let me know ya'll!

Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger wa!!!!!!!!!:

again! ajdklfjalsdjfwjefklejfl;waf!!!!! This ep makes me officially love the Shindai siblings! Honestly, it feels like a special atonement mini-arc for them. We got to learn more about them personality wise, and we got to see them interact with people that they most likely NEVER imagined spending time with. Which, honestly I think is awesome because they learned from the Zenkaigers something that they'll probably never forget! Reika finally made a real friend in Magine (which would be so cool if she could become friends with Mei due to this!) (and I'm also so happy for Raika's actress for finally meeting and interacting with Magine!) and Ryoga learned that he can't always protect or think that Reika can't handle herself/isn't strong enough to fight with him. (I also think he learned what it's really like to be a true "big brother" ) Also, I LIVED for Ryoga's reactions to the Zenkaigers! See, this kind of goofiness is what I love. We have the stoic older brother who's always serious and ready to fight, interacting with these colorful, wacky goofballs full of fun. This is the kind of mix that I absolutely LOVE. Especially when they end up having to fight together. Just, that moment where Kaito and the rest were like "Dude! why aren't you doing your rollcall???? Are you shy? C'mon! it's easy! Just say who you are!" As if every single TokuHero does a long rollcall before every battle. And then Ryoga begrudgingly doing it anyway 'cause his new (he'll never admit to this but-) 'friends' have been right so far, so why not join in. And Reika joining Magine in the rollcall 'cause she's the only female Saber Rider and this moment is like every Sentai crossover where they have all the female Rangers fight together with 'girl power!' just, omg their collab fight was so cool!!!!

Alright, enough of the Shindai sibling (sadly) now for the Zenkaigers!!! I LOVED how they were introduced to the Shindai Siblings! Kaito and Juran were just running around, looking for Magine when they literally ran between Ryoga and Reika about to attack Zox. And, instead of questioning why Zox was about to get attacked by these unknown people, or even ask where Zox has been for the past few days, they just start asking Zox if he's seen Magine. And Zox is just like "Dude, I've just came back from a parallel world, there's no way I would've seen her." Just, omgosh I love Zox. And then when Ryoga finally attacks, Kaito's just like "Zox!!!! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!?!" instantly knowing that it's Zox's fault they're in this new mess. One main thing that I loved about this ep was how we see more of Zox's personality (I just love analyzing personalities ok?) ok, hear me out. I know there are times where we see Zox get protective of Flint and the twins when they're in trouble, or worried about them if they're in danger. But I feel like this is the first real time we see him actually... I don't know what word to use... not really admit but... maybe a mix of show and admit about how much he loves and cherishes them? He tried to be nonchalant about it in front of Ryoga, but then when he get's back on his ship, he not only looks worried about Flint, but also SOUNDS worried. I love this 'cause it says a lot about Zox I think. Like, out of all the characters in Zenkaiger, Zox knows what it's like to not have been able to protect some one and regret it (his brothers) and I think he's scared that Flint might suffer the same fate too in a way if he's not careful. Plus, the older brother combi-finisher was really awesome!

Over all, I'm soooooooooo happy that they gifted us with these amazing special eps!!!!!! Even though they just make me want to watch the crossover film even more, I'm so happy that we get to be blessed with these preview interactions! I wonder how they'll tie these in with the film though.... will Touma and the rest recognize Zox in the film?? Will Kaito and the Kikainoids see Ryoga again and be all like "Ryoga!!! long time no see!!" and just completely shock the Saber team when Ryoga greets them back as if he was actually happy to see them again? (omgosh that'd be so cool!) Anyway, sorry that this was so long. I just had a lot of thoughts about these eps and I really wanted to share them! Also, can we keep the "why are you dancing?!" skit for Zox in the movie? Or like, actually have Zox reply to Rintaro or Kento if they ask? or would that be too lame.... hmm.... I just want more of that content~~~~

What did ya'll think about these eps? I'd love to know!

[josjournal]

Full Moon Ficlet #387 - React

Written for @fullmoonficlet

Stiles was used to getting a reaction out of people, some believed it was his goal in life to annoy every living person just enough to get a reaction before moving on to the next target. Some of the time, he ended up making a new friend but more often he ended up with another name on the roster of the “Stiles Stilinski Haters Club”. 

He seemed to go through life not letting anything bother him and he would shrug off the angry looks and move on without another thought, but in reality, he would go home and wonder what he’d done wrong that time. He didn’t really want people to be annoyed by him, but he really didn’t know how else to go about making friends; it had worked so well with Scott, it had to work with everyone else, right?

After the day he’d driven Jackson Whittemore to the point of knocking him on his ass on the lacrosse field, something changed inside Stiles and everyone noticed it, but no one knew what to do about it. Scott tried to behave like nothing was different but found himself carrying the conversations more often; an easy task now that he was dating Allison Argent and wanted to do nothing more than to talk about her. Lydia Martin kept challenging him with math problems or bizarre trivia questions. Stiles would answer the questions but not in the same rambling way he’d done in the past. She’d frown as he walked away, shoulders slumped like he wanted to disappear. Even Coach noticed something and tried to talk to him in his insane way but Stiles just nodded and moved on with his suicide drills. 

This new Stiles became the norm and soon everyone just let him exist, walking on eggshells around him but not trying to get a reaction any longer. He moved through his days focusing on schoolwork and his nights playing video games with Scott. Eventually, he started smiling again and even called a truce with Jackson.

Then Derek Hale came to school.

He’d been homeschooled, like his sister before him. Everyone knew about the Hales and expected Derek to start on the first day of freshman year, as his sisters and cousins before him had. Instead, he didn’t appear until junior year, the same day as his younger sister Cora started freshman year. There were a ton of rumors and Stiles’ curiosity was peaked, especially when he got a good look at Derek for the first time in years.

As luck would have it, Derek was assigned as Stiles’ chemistry partner. They exchanged greetings and then Stiles buried his nose in his book, ignoring Derek’s attempts to talk to him and ask about the school. Halfway through class, Derek gave up and muttered something under his breath about rude assholes.

That night, Stiles told his dad about Derek starting at the school and being assigned to him and his father asked if he was nice to the boy. Stiles shrugged. “I treat him like I treat everyone.”

His father frowned at him. “Son, you know he almost lost his entire family a couple of years ago,” he said and Stiles’ head jerked up, eyes wide. “The Hale fire. You snooped through the case files for weeks.”

He remembered it. The fire had destroyed the Hale property but fortunately, the family had been called out of town for a family emergency leaving the house empty. His father had discovered that the fire had been set by a woman, Kate Argent, Allison’s aunt. She’d been institutionalized after being arrested, swearing the Hales were monsters and she was trying to keep the world safe. Stiles hadn’t even put two and two together as that being the reason why Derek didn’t start freshman year at the high school.

His father watched him, watched his face go through emotions, changing from the blank expression he’d been wearing for so long and wondering if maybe this was the turning point; if this would be when he got his goofball, loving son back.

Stiles laid in bed that night staring at the ceiling, thinking over the past few years, thinking over the comments and random facts and emotions he’d kept pressed down into his stomach. He could feel them churning and twisting, fighting to come out and as he drifted off, a single tear fell down his cheek. His mind was on Derek and everything he had been through.

The next day, Stiles was sitting on his stool in chemistry when Derek walked in, hesitating before sitting down. They kept looking at each other out of the corners of their eyes and just before the bell rang, Stiles cleared his throat.

He’d been thinking all morning what he would say to Derek and had only come up with, “Hi,” but when he opened his mouth to say it, “On Good Friday in 1930, the BBC reported, ‘There is no news.’ Instead, they played piano music,” tumbled out instead and he slapped a hand out of his mouth, eyes wide and horrified.

Derek stared at him for a moment, his tongue poking out between his lips before they twisted up into a bright grin and he started to chuckle. The chuckle quickly gave way to a guffaw and he pressed one hand to the tabletop and the other to his stomach. Stiles stared back at him, something warm waking up in his stomach and flowing through him until he was spitting laughter into his own hand.

He eventually dropped his hand and let his laughter fill the room. He didn’t even notice his other classmates looking over with smiles on their faces, even Jackson seemed to give out a sigh of relief as he filmed the incident and sent it off to Scott and Lydia. It had taken years, but they got their Stiles back.

Cross-posted to AO3

[llamamicrowave]

My Big Family on AO3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25871098/chapters/62862025

Summary:

Jojo sibling AU Stands still exits. Jonathan has a slightly stronger version of hermit purple. And to compensate for such a weak stand he and Joseph learned Hamon. Johnny and Gappy are their cousins who live in America. Ships in tags

Notes:

Pure cringe. Beware..

Chapter 1

School Sux PT.1Chapter Text

Ships (Minor but exist)

-JonaErina (The only important one)

-Joseph x Suzi Q x Ceaser (Leave me alone)

-JotaKak

-Very minor GioTrish

-Jolyne x Ermes

-GyJo

Jonathan POV

Hi! My name is Jonathan Joestar! A little about my self? Well, I'm 26, I have 4 younger siblings that I take care of since my father is always working. But it's fine I love taking care of them! I have a girlfriend, her name is Erina Pendleton and I'm planning to propose to her soon! Please don't tell her that, or any of my bothers, I don't want them to roast me for being a softy again.

Even though I am the oldest I can't be there some times, so when I'm not there my brother Joseph is in charge. But Joseph sometimes can be... How can I say this without sounding rude? Stupid? Immature? Idiotic? Well, yes to all of those.

Since Joseph can be a bit dumb at times, dad gives responsibly to Jotaro. He's pretty chill but sometimes can come off as rude. It's all a fake though, he loves marine life (especially dolphins lol) and when he was ten he told me he wanted to be a Marine Biologist! So in short, he's a dork.

Then there's Josuke and Jolyne the twins. There the youngest in the family. Josuke is the oldest by a few minutes. He's a goofball but can be serious if needed. Like if someone insults his hair he could go as some might say, Apeshit.

Jolyne, our only sister. Her personality is much like Jotaro. She just says whatever she wants, whenever she wants. I can't really say much about her since I'm being blackmailed by her and Jotaro. They're so alike it's scary.

I know I said I only had 4 siblings but there's another I didn't mention. 3 years before Joseph was born my father adopted a "friend" of his's son, Dio Brando. Dio was, excuse my language, a dick ever since we were kids. He ran over my dog Danny with one of his "friends" cars. As soon as Dio turned 18 he moved to Italy to become a lawyer. But that wasn't the last time I saw him.

While in Italy Dio, had a child with a woman he didn't even know. That woman neglected her son and allowed her husband to abuse him.

"She would leave days at a time and leave little food for him." I looked at the toddler sleeping in his arms, he had black hair and a cute bowl cut. "He's only a kid, he can't survive like that," Dio said to me.

"..."

"I can't let him have the same childhood as me." he looked dead into my eyes. I finally understood where he was coming from torturing me all these years.

"..." I stayed quiet.

"But I'm not taking care of this kid."

And now he lives with us! His name is Giorno Giovanna-Brando-Joestar. He is only a year younger then Josuke and Jolnye. And that's my family!

And remember when I said my dad works a lot, that was a lie...

He died on Jotaro's 11th birthday. He and my stepmother were hit by a drunk driver. Jotaro blames himself for the crash. It's not his fault though, he had no control over it. He was only a kid. I'm sorry to drop this on you now but with my father's death made me like a father figure to them. Dad would be proud.

Ages,

Jonathan- 26

Johnny- 22

Joseph- 20

Jo2uke- 19

Jotaro- 17

Josuke- 16

Jolyne- 16

Giorno- 15

Narrator POV

Jonathan woke up first as normal and recapped his schedule,

Ok, so I have to make breakfast, Make sure they're ready for school, go to work, and meet up with Erina, and? What else do I have to do? ...Oh yeah! Take away Joseph's phone for getting arrested yesterday! Next time he should, you know, not try and run over his WHEELCHAIR BOND COUSIN! Goodness, I got angry again, sorry about that.

Jonathan arose from his bed and began his morning routine. He showered, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and got ready for the day.

He then started to make breakfast for his big family.

Joseph likes bacon with coffee.

Jotaro likes toast with coffee.

Josuke likes eggs with juice.

Jolyne likes yogurt with coffee.

And Giorno likes vegan pancakes with tea.

Oh yeah, Johnny, and Gappy and/or Jo2uke are staying with us! I wonder what they want? I'll just make them eggs.

A door opens from upstairs. Giorno walks out from his room to the bathroom to get ready for school. He liked waking up before the rest of his family.

When Giorno was done getting ready he walked down the stairs, and greeted Jonathan as he sat down.

"Good Morning, Jonathan."

"Good Morning! Did you sleep well?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, I think s-" He was cut off by a door slamming shut. Very loudly.

"Must be Jotaro. Jolyne must have gotten in the bathroom first." Giorno commented.

Jonathan laughed. "I guess so."

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Good Morning, retards!" Jolyne came prancing down the stairs.

"Jolyne, that isn't nice," Jonathan said sternly.

"You're right, Joseph isn't here right now." she sat down. Jonathan sighed. saying nothing back to her, defeated.

"Where is Joseph anyway?" Giorno asks.

Jonathan scoffs, "I told him to be awake at 6:00 sharp."

"Why 6:00?" Jolyne asked

"That's his punishment for trying to run over Johnny yesterday."

"Ohh yeah! I remember now!"

"Your next line will be, 'The things he'll do for 20 bucks,'!" a voice from inside the pantry spoke.

"The things he'll do for 20 bucks- JOSEPH!" Jolyne yelled.

Joseph popped out of the pantry fully dressed and looking proud.

"I've been up since 4 am!" he said proudly.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Jotaro said sarcastically walking down the stairs.

"Yes actually, Ocean Man!"

"What did you say?" Jotaro asked sternly. Even though Joseph was 3 years older than him they were about the same size.

"He called you, OCEAN. MAN! O-C-E-A-N M-A-N!" Josuke called from the upstairs bathroom.

"Fuck off." Jotaro sat down. "Langage, Jotaro!" Jonathan told him.

"Joot, you seem more pissy than usual, are you on your period?" Jolyne asked smugly.

"Jolyne, I'm not in a good mood and I want you to know I will not hesitate to choke you out and then feed it to your simp."

"Anasui is not a simp!" Jolyne defended.

"Funny, how you knew who I was talking about without saying his name."

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Have fun at school!" Jonathan yelled at his younger siblings.

"Yeah, fun and school don't mix well," Jolyne yelled back.

Joseph usually carpools with Ceasar and Smokey. Jotaro drives him and his friends to school with Jonathan's car. (Jonathan drives there dads car to work). Jolyne caught a ride with her girlfriend Ermes. Josuke walked with his friends Okuyasu and Koichi. And Giorno either walked by himself or ride with his older friend Bruno, today he was alone with his thoughts.

Joseph POV

"Ugh, collage sucks!" I groaned. "Suck it up buttercup It's only the beginning of the year," Ceasar said, reading a book.

Asshole.

We were in the library supposed to be studying but I got a bit distracted. See Suzi Q was also in the library, by herself. Nobody around her, the perfect opportunity to ask her out, but this blonde bubble-blowing bitc-

"Stop staring at Suzi, it's starting to get creeping now," Ceasar said still looking at the book.

"And why should I?"

"1. We should be studying, and 2. Your so small no girl wants to date you." that asshole wrote something in his notebook.

I. Was. Annoyed to say the least. I mean it's true, BUT YOU DON'T SAY IT! So I did the only rational thing, put him in a headlock.

Good thing the library was empty except for a couple of people who were used to our bullshit by now.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU BUFFOON!?" Ceasar said, or at least tried too.

Ha, get rekt, bitch.

Jotaro POV

"Ugh, I hate school."

"Can you stop being edgy for 5 seconds?" Polnareff asked.

Dick,

"Can you guys stop arguing and actually help!" Avdol said while he was doing the science assignment, I don't know why. Fucken dork.

"Kakyoin is literally sleeping!" Polnareff wined.

"Kakyoin has had a long day."

"Yeah... what are we talking about?"

"So, sleeping beauty is finally up," I say.

"I know you meant that as an insult but I'm taking it as a compliment, Aurora was fabulous!" Kak laughed like the maniacal little gay shit he is.

"Aww, you guys are so cute!"

"Polnareff focus on the experiment!-" the test tube cut him off, by exploding.

"..."

"Finally something exciting," I said because it was fucking epic.

"I mean this would not have happened Joot and Kak weren't flirting with each other."

"Wtf."

Josuke POV

"Math is hardddddd."

"It's not that hard, Oku."

"Bullshit."

"Okuyasu, you should probably pay attention to my lesson instead of complaining." our math and gym/Hamon teacher Lisa-Lisa said to my friend Okuyasu, and trust me no one wants to get on her bad side, the last person to do that was Joseph, he still has nightmares, and he graduated.

"Yes, Josuke?"

"Is this going to be on the test?" I ask so I could know what to remember.

"Most of it will. But if you're asking me if you should listen in class or not, the answer is yes." it felt like she stared into my soul at that list part.

The bell rang

Lunch finally! Freedom at last!

"Your homework is to study for the quiz I'm giving you on an undisclosed date!"

Giorno POV

I walk over to bleachers outside of school where my friends (And Abbacchio) usually eat.

"Hey, guys." I quietly say. Right now there is only, Bruno, Abbacchio, Mista, and... Trish. Anyways as soon as Fugo and Narancia get here the peace will be ruined. Right now Bruno was talking to Mista and Trish about some party this Friday, and Abbacchio was on his phone with headphones on.

"Hello Giorno, how was your morning," Bruno asked.

"Eh, it was fine. Jolyne almost got ORAed."

"What else is new," Trish said drinking her mineral water. Wow shes really pretty, what?

"SUP BITCHES!" Narancia ran up to the bleachers with Fugo following behind him, sighing. Well, that was fun while it lasted.

[rachelkaser]

Stay Golden Sunday: Guess Who’s Coming to the Wedding?

Okay, we’ve got past the pilot, the show has been greenlit, and it’s time for our first Dorothy-centric episode. Bea Arthur gets to flex her acting muscles, and we meet one of the show’s best recurring characters: Stan Zbornak.

Picture It...

The episode opens with Dorothy anticipating the arrival of her daughter Kate, who’s bringing along a boyfriend. When Kate arrives, she drops the bomb that she and her doctor boyfriend, Dennis, are getting married. Dorothy, while thrilled, balks at Kate’s plan to elope to the Bahamas.

DOROTHY: You are not getting married on an island by a priest wearing clamdiggers and a Harry Belafonte shirt.

Kate reminds her that the main reason she and Dennis are eloping is the animosity between Dorothy and her ex-husband Stan, who divorced her and ran off to Hawaii with a stewardess after 38 years of marriage. Dorothy offers to keep the peace with Stan in exchange for throwing Kate a wedding in Miami.

Dorothy calls Stan to invite him to the wedding, and manages to keep her cool, as when he attends he’ll be “close enough to kill.” Rose and Blanche laugh at this but swiftly realize she’s not exactly joking.

The next day, the Girls are working on wedding prep while Dorothy complains about Stan. Kate arrives with Dennis, who makes an excellent impression on Dorothy and Sophia, though they are a bit weirded out to discover his specialty is podiatry. Dorothy happily welcomes Dennis into the family and he promises Kate will never want for everything.

SOPHIA: And maybe one of your children will be a real doctor!

But the good times cannot last. The day of the wedding, Dorothy answers a ring of the bell to see Stan, and immediately slams the door in his face. Get used to me saying that, by the way.

Stan rings again and manages to cross the threshold this time. He greets the ladies and Kate, who’s in her wedding dress. He needles Dorothy enough that she loses her composure, and, when Kate and Stan leave for the church, almost refuses to attend her own daughter’s wedding. Rose and Blanche convince her to hold it together, and say they’ll keep an eye on her.

After the wedding, Stan continues to push Dorothy’s buttons. Blanche helps Dorothy keep from exploding by sacrificing the bones in her hand. Later, Sophia finds Dorothy sulking in her bedroom and tells her that, if she’s so angry at Stan, she should tell him rather than let it continue to upset her.

DOROTHY: “Anger is like a piece of shredded wheat?”

SOPHIA: You want poetry, you listen to Neil Diamond. You want good advice, you listen to your mother.

Later, after seeing Kate and Dennis off on their honeymoon, Dorothy asks to speak to Stan. Once alone with her ex-husband, she unleashes all of her frustration over his treatment of her during their divorce, ripping off his toupee to make her point. I can’t really sum it up. You have to see it to really get it (and marvel at Bea Arthur’s performance):

She ends by telling Stan goodbye, like she wasn’t able to when he walked out. Stan leaves, and the girls go to comfort Dorothy. She says she feels better, but that she does have one souvenir of their encounter: Stan’s toupee.

“Of course I’m right. You think I got this old by being stupid?”

Considering this is only the second episode, I think it’s amazing how GG immediately shows a more nuanced, complex handling of emotional issues than many other sitcoms I’ve seen. In just about every other show I’ve ever seen, Dorothy as the wronged woman would be the absolute center of sympathy and the whole show would probably be an extension of the final diatribe she gives Stan. I’m not saying that would be bad, just a bit self-righteous, no? I’m fairly certain that was the exact plot of the pilot episode of Designing Women.

Instead the show adopts a bit of a tough love attitude. The show is on Dorothy’s side, but her making the occasion all about her and how she feels is portrayed as a bad thing. Blanche, Rose, and Sophia make it clear that, while they love and sympathize with Dorothy, they aren’t going to let her self-pity ruin Kate’s wedding. Sophia even tells her she’s acting like a jerk. “You’re not the first woman to be dumped by her husband.”

You could argue (and I’m sure many who’ve been in Dorothy’s position would have a point) that this is diminishing how Dorothy feels, which is probably still pretty raw. But their pushing is ultimately good for Dorothy, as it encourages her to deal with her feelings on her terms.

I don’t know if it dates the episode that Dorothy manages to scramble a full-blown wedding for Kate within a week, but the fact that Stan is able to make plans to fly from Hawaii in a few days on the spot does feel a little 80s -- kind of like the opening scene in Die Hard where John McClane open-carries a sidearm on a plane. It just makes you say “Well, there was certainly a time when this was plausible.”

Similarly, it’s maybe a little odd that Kate’s getting married to man she’s known for six months to a man neither of her parents have met. Again, maybe that’s something that only feels odd today, but whatever, it’s in service to the plot. Still, all the parts where Dorothy showers praise on Dennis, not to mention the part where she says she’ll kill Dennis if he doesn’t take care of Kate, feel rather awkward given what happens next season. We’ll get to that episode when it happens.

Herb Edelman is great as Stan, but watching this episode, it’s amazing that this nasty, spiteful character who keeps making digs at Dorothy in spite of her doing nothing wrong would eventually become the likable goofball we know from the rest of the series. I’m not mad about it, because him being so terrible in this episode is what makes Dorothy’s speech such a powerful one, but if you watch this one back to back with, for example, “If At Last You Do Succeed,” it’s like watching two completely different characters.

I concede that an explanation for this could be that Stan’s had several years to change by the time of the latter. But Stan’s pivot from villain to a likable recurring character is still pretty jarring. Again, I think it’s a change for the better, but it was worth pointing out.

Also, I’m not sure how, but the episode already trips up its own continuity. In the pilot, it established that Dorothy and Stan were married for 38 years, having been married after Dorothy became pregnant, and they divorced two years ago. Kate is Dorothy’s only known child at this point, and she certainly doesn’t look 40 (her actress, Lisa Jane Persky, was 30 when the episode aired). We meet Michael Zbornak later in the series, but he’s even younger. Dorothy should really already have children-in-law and grandchildren by this point. But hey, then we wouldn’t have this episode.

I’m still working out a rating system for the episode, so for now, let’s say... 4 cheesecake slices out of 5? Dorothy’s speech alone bumps it up by a point if nothing else.

Favorite Part of the Episode:

ROSE: I don’t know what I would have done if Charlie had suddenly paid a visit. SOPHIA: He’s dead. You would have fainted.

[nightglider124]

Stay The Night

So, I watched ‘Justice League VS Teen Titans’ the other night to amp my dickkory feels to motivate me to write an update for Bound but instead... this idea popped into my head. 

It’s based with DCAU at the end of the first TT movie.

We’re just ignoring the part at the end when you see Terra on her way to the tower. We’re pretending that doesn’t exist in this oneshot. K? Thnx. XD

Also; didn’t get a chance to update Bound today because I was writing this and now I’m about to work on another thing too so expect a Bound update on Sunday.

Hope ya like it. 

Kory reached into the large pizza box that Cyborg held in his hands, smiling when she noticed Damian sidling up beside her for the next slice.

She closed her eyes as she took a large bite, the mix of flavors tingling her taste buds. Cheese mixed with tomato, pepperoni and sausage; the spice from the meats making her want to nibble some more without bothering to swallow the first mouthful, but she reluctantly resisted the temptation. Pizza was worth savoring anyway.

She hummed a content sound to herself and sat on the sofa, surprised to see Damian sit down beside her. He had taken a seat on the far end but it was near enough and Kory decided to call that a positive. She hoped he would eventually warm up to them all in his own time; this entire situation with Trigon had already put him to the test and he’d shown great potential however, he still had a long way to go.

But, Kory focused on the good in him. He was trying and he was showing improvement nonetheless; no matter how small it was.

She smiled to herself as she leaned forward for the next bite of pizza.

Garfield hurried back over to his spot on the opposite sofa, grinning when Jaime gave him a playful shove and nodded towards the game controllers on the side table.

“Vic! Get your metal butt over here; you owe me a game from last time, remember?” Gar pointed out, smirking as he wolfed down his slice of pizza whole.

Cyborg chuckled and handed one box of pizza over to Kory, who placed it between her and Damian; something that seemed to perk the boy wonder up as he reached for another piece.

Raven then gracefully accepted the box of plain cheese pizza, taking a slice and lifting into a float, her legs crossed in a pretzel style, resting the box in her lap.

Kory smiled to herself; Diana had been right when she mentioned being proud of them. She was growing fonder and fonder of the little team crowded around the main room. She watched as Jaime showed off his bubbly nature that was occasionally so hidden by the burden of the scarab fused to his spine. Garfield; the goofball she had known from the day she crash landed on Earth. Even Raven appeared to be remaining in the room and socializing more than she usually ever did, opting for this instead of a night in her room with a novel.

And Damian, as much of a conundrum as he could be in the few days she had personally known him beyond Dick’s musings; he was still with them, hanging out. He could have easily gotten back from the depths of hell and gone to his room to brood and be alone however; he had chosen to remain with them.

Kory wouldn’t be drawing attention to that anytime soon but it made her inwardly very happy that he wasn’t running from them like he had in the first day of knowing them, refusing to so much as even acknowledge their existence.

There was a warm glow in her chest as she glanced around the room and she smiled to herself.

When Dick and the other former Titans had left to go and pursue different routes in their lives, Kory had felt panicked and concerned, figuring she would be all alone. Gar stayed; decided he wanted to play hero in a team for as long as possible even if the team member count had dwindled.

But, Kory had felt a sense of loss for a while and when the younger Titans had turned up, it was far from the wholesome family feel that the past Titans radiated. She wanted that feeling back and she hoped that the younger generation would allow her this, even if it did take baby steps to get there.

Suddenly, Kory’s thigh vibrated and she flinched, forgetting that her phone was stashed in the pocket of her purple skirt. Setting the crust of her pizza slice down in the box, she stood up and wandered into the hallway, pulling her phone out from the fabric confines.

She checked the caller ID and beamed, immediately accepting the call.

“Greetings,” She chirped, leaning her back against the wall, just outside the doors of the main room,

“Hey, beautiful. How are things?” Dick greeted, a rustling of wind in the background of his voice,

“Good. And you?” Kory replied, an ache of sadness blooming out of nowhere in her chest,

She had missed him these past few weeks. Less and less did they get the chance to talk with one another. Whilst Dick was doing his own thing in Bludhaven, he had been rarely available hence why she had been so very happy to see him when he dropped Damian off to them the few days beforehand.

In front of the Titans, they maintained an air of professionalism and tried to cover up the fact there was anything more between them although; Gar gave them cheeky grins anytime they were within a foot of each other. He knew the truth; being one of their longest friends and teammates. Kory had a sneaky suspicion Raven and Jaime and even Damian most likely knew the true nature of her relationship with Dick too but they wisely didn’t tease or question it.

Of course, she knew Dick tried his hardest to contact her most days, apologizing profusely when he missed a day or two. She couldn’t be angry with him in the slightest, he was trying and that was enough for her.

It didn’t stop that hollow feeling in her heart though.

Dick chuckled, “Things are fine down this way; criminals and assholes doing their usual activities.” He paused, “How has Damian been? Still ready to throw him out a window?”

Kory snorted and there was the familiar fluttering in her stomach that only Dick managed to conjure up inside of her, “Mm... no. It has shifted to... a mild annoyance but he is learning. He has proven already that he is capable of working within a team. It seems to help him mellow out a little.”

“Damian? Mellow? I’m sorry, Kory. I don’t think I heard you right.”

She grinned and shook her head, “You would be surprised. He is taking teamwork seriously so far.”

“Well, good.” Dick briefly stopped talking and sighed, “What happened?”

“What do you mean?” Kory wondered, idly twisting a lock of her hair around her index finger,

“I saw reports and feeds on the city. Demons... fire... I’m assuming it’s connected with Raven.” Dick murmured, his tone one of dread,

Kory exhaled and stared at the floor beneath her feet, “It was a... challenging day.”

“Kory...”

“We took care of it; as a team. There is much to tell you about it but just know; things were handled.” Kory reported back,

“Why didn’t you call me for backup?” He asked, his voice tinged with hurt,

“I... well... you are busy in Bludhaven... you’re not a Titan anymore-”

“You know I would be there in a heartbeat if you needed me, Kory.”

Kory felt unexpected tears prick her eyes and she argued with herself over why she was feeling so fragile. She pinned it down to missing and being so far from him. It wasn’t like he was in the room just next door anymore. He was her confidant; her trust and her heart.

It was difficult; the distance and the space between them.

“Kory?” Dick prompted,

“I know you would but it was under control... even Batman seemed impressed with our ability to save them and the world from demonic destruction.”

“Them?”

“As I said, I will need to update you on the details but... the league were affected by Trigon’s power.”

There was a long stretch of silence and she wondered if Dick sensed she was trying to steer the conversation back to the way it was going.

“Well, you guys must have really shown off if you saved the league from this thing.” He retorted, his voice softer now,

“I think it helped Damian to know Bruce was proud of what he had done.” Kory murmured,

“Sometimes, I think that’s all Damian wants; Bruce to be proud of him.” Dick admitted,

“Not always the easiest person to get that from.”

“Nope.”

The bout of silence returned and Kory chewed on her lower lip, unsure of what to say. There was an unspoken cloud that hung over them like this sometimes; when they had been apart for so long.

“So, what’re you guys doing now?” Dick asked,

Kory shook her head and forced an upbeat mindset, “Well, Victor came over and brought pizza with him. He and Garfield and Jaime are playing video games. Raven and Damian are even sitting in and watching. It is nice that they’re all socializing together.”

She heard the smile in his voice as he replied, “You’ve made a good team, Kory.”

Blushing, she rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her.

“I have nothing to do with-”

“They’re becoming a good team because they have an amazing leader.” He told her, firmly,

She was quiet for a moment and shyly smiled to herself, “Thank you.”

He chuckled, “I knew I left the right person in charge.” He paused, “And you? Are you okay? Having fun with the others?”

“Of course.” She chirped, in a tone she hoped sounded convincing. It wasn’t that she wasn’t enjoying spending time with the team and Victor’s appearance certainly lifted her spirits but... she still wished someone else was with them and yet, he was not. She was talking to him over the phone instead of face to face.

“I miss you, y’know.” Dick blurted and Kory leaned further back against the wall, her eyes downcast. She inhaled deeply and felt a touch of hope swell within her.

“Perhaps... you could join us? If you are available... I-” He cut her off with an apologetic sigh,

“I can’t. I’m following a lead tonight on a string of recent thefts. Maybe next weekend?” He offered, trying to at least make up for his absence this evening,

Kory’s shoulders sagged and her heart sank, a crushed feeling sweeping through her. She knew what his answer would be; knew he was busy protecting Bludhaven and she couldn’t fault him for that. It was one of the reasons she loved him; his determination to help and protect the innocent from threats and danger.

But, she couldn’t help the disappointment that flowed through her.

“I’m sorry, Kory.” He told her, earnestly,

She closed her eyes and sniffled, shaking her head and smiling, “Do not be. It was merely a suggestion if you were able to. I understand.”

“I wish I could-”

“But you cannot. I know. You should go; you are busy and I should get back to the team. I believe they wish to start a movie night.” Kory replied, quickly.

“Kory-”

“I shall speak with you soon...” He paused, “I love you, Dick.”

He was silent for a moment before he exhaled and returned the sentiment, “I love you too. You know that, right?”

Kory felt another wave of sadness wash over her. She did know that but she sometimes considered their distant relationship; wondered if there would ever be a time where they didn’t communicate mostly through scattered calls and video chats.

“Of course I do.” Kory swallowed, “Bye, Dick.”

He bid her goodbye and Kory pulled her cell phone away from her ear, ending the call. She frowned and her brows knitted together as she drummed her fingertips against the back of the device, staring aimlessly at the wall opposite her.

“Kory! You in or out for movie night!?” Garfield shouted, “If you are; we’re doing this pajama style!”

Kory blinked before she burst out laughing, “I will be there in a moment!”

She smiled in the direction of the main room. Despite Dick not being able to spend time with her as much as either of them would like, she appreciated that she was not completely alone. She was in good company.

With that thought in her head, she walked towards her room, intending to do what had been asked of her and change into her bed clothes, consisting of an off the shoulder sweater that was a little too big for her and a pair of little grey shorts, revealing her long legs but it was nothing less than she showed in her uniform so she deemed it acceptable.

When she returned to the main room, she jerked in surprise. Gar had been busy shifting the couches around so they ran alongside each other rather than being situated opposite. Cyborg stood there chewing on a bite of pizza and watching as the changeling panted, out of breath from moving the furniture.

He stood back and grinned, dressed in his own pajama set, “There. Now, it’s better. It’s like a real movie night.”

Vic rolled his human eye and set the pizza down on the coffee table before making his way over to Kory. He threw an arm around her shoulders, “Everything okay there, Princess?” He paused and gave her a soft smile, “You were out on the phone for a while.”

Kory favored her friend with a warm smile and hugged him around his middle, “Everything is fine. Dick was checking in.”

“I don’t suppose the others know about you and- Oof!” He winced as Kory squeezed him that bit tighter,

“Possibly but... it is not a common topic no... I would prefer not to...” Kory murmured,

Vic held his hands up, “Right, right... I get it... keep it professional and all.” He tilted her chin up so he could look her in the eyes, “As long as everything is good between the two of you?”

She smiled, her heart swelling at Victor’s brotherly nature. He had always been this way and she cherished him for it; he made her feel looked after when she felt alone or upset,

“We are fine.” Kory told him, effectively shutting down his doubts.

He gave her one last squeeze and then released her, “Glad to hear it. Cute pj’s, by the way.”

Kory beamed at him and moved to help Gar with blankets.

Soon enough, Jaime emerged in his night clothes followed by Raven who had a book tucked under her arm but was still trying to be a team player by remaining out in the main room with them all.

Damian returned, maskless and wearing a simple pajama set consisting of a long sleeved red t-shirt and black sweatpants, surprising practically everyone else.

“What?” He snipped, brows creased and his arms folded over his chest,

“Nothing... just... weird seeing you not all, ‘I am robin merh!’” Gar admitted, puffing out his chest to impersonate him,

Damian scowled, “You said pajamas were a requirement for the movie night. I am obliging.”

Raven nudged Gar and gave him a look that asked him to give the uptight teen a break. Gar swallowed his laughter and nodded at Raven,

“That’s true. Glad you’re joining in.” Garfield smiled, earning a nod from the young, dark haired boy,

“I’m just glad none of ya’ll are opting for onesies.” Cyborg mentioned as he wandered in from the kitchen with three bowls of fresh popcorn which he placed on the coffee table,

Raven smirked and raised an eyebrow, “Onesies? Really?”

“I mean I have one but-” Gar mused but Jaime stared at him incredulously,

“How old even are you?” He snorted,

Gar huffed, “I’ll have you know onesies are appropriate for any age!”

“Mhm... keep telling yourself that.” Cyborg snarked, taking his seat in the middle of one sofa whilst Damian sat beside him. Raven curled up against the corner of the second sofa, opening the book she had to her bookmarked page.

Jaime sat beside her and rolled his eyes as Gar dropped to his knees in front of the large TV, sifting through the movie choices. Kory pushed thoughts of Dick and their relationship out of her head as she toyed with the silver bangle around her wrist; a present from her masked boyfriend himself. He’d gifted it to her after she had been with the former team for a whole year.

Of course, it had been a couple of months before they started dating so he was shy and awkward but completely adorable; especially when she gave him a big hug and a kiss to the cheek, making him turn as red as a tomato. It was something Wally still enjoyed teasing him about.

She let her fingers drop from the piece of jewelry and sat, cross legged on the end of the first sofa, just beside Cyborg.

“What movie are you putting on first, Garfield?” Kory asked, smiling at his enthusiasm,

He grinned and turned to her, holding out a DVD cover, “Bloodbath Baby doll 2!”

Kory grimaced but nodded so not to discourage his cheerfulness. Horror was not something she took great joy in watching; she’d witnessed enough in real life to last a lifetime. But, Garfield and Jaime were big fans so she endured it for them.

“Oooh! Is that the new one!?” Cyborg chimed in, sitting forward suddenly,

“Dude! You know it! Came out 2 weeks ago!” Gar squealed, inserting it into the player and jumping in his seat between Raven and Jaime.

He grabbed the remote and loudly hushed them all. Raven turned the page of her novel and raised a brow, “You’re the only one talking.”

Gar blinked and turned to her, “Technically you are now too.”

She rolled her indigo eyes at him, “Ooh. You got me.”

He smirked and turned back to the screen as the red, dripping letters of the movie’s title appeared. The blankets were tugged across their laps on each couch, Kory snuggling into the arm rest of the sofa, leaning her face against the cushioning.

She was half asleep when there was a beeping that came from the panel at the main doors. Cyborg was halfway through a cold slice of pizza, his wide eyes on the scene unfolding on the TV when it went off. He flinched and shook his head, brushing his hands together and stood up,

Garfield, with the blanket pulled to his mouth, eyed Cyborg going to answer the alert.

“Don’t! It’s gonna be the baby doll!” He whispered,

“If it is, we’re sacrificing you first.” Damian mumbled, his face bored as he watched the movie,

Cyborg rolled his human eye and went down to answer. Kory yawned behind her hand and rested her chin on her palm, considering letting herself just fall asleep. She had to admit, battling an interdimensional demon was pretty exhausting.

She heard the brief sound of the main doors opening again and Cyborg’s voice,

“Well, look here. Got another visitor.” Cyborg announced, the grin in his tone,

“Hey, Titans.”

Kory’s green eyes snapped open and she swiveled towards the deep voice, her heart racing like it so often did with him.

There he stood, in his dark, sleek uniform; the blue bird sweeping across his chest. She glanced up into his smiling face, looking quietly smug and pleased with himself.

“Grayson. What are you doing here?” Damian asked, mildly interested,

“Thought I’d stop by and see how you were settling in.” He explained, eyeing Kory who still appeared a bit shell-shocked at his appearance.

“Gee... thanks.” Damian deadpanned, returning his attention to the horror playing on screen.

Dick stepped into the room a little more, crouching down on the other side of the arm rest that Kory was leaning against.

“Hey.” He murmured,

“Nightwing... but you said-”

“I know... I was actually on my way here when I called you...” He grinned sheepishly, “Surprise?”

Kory blinked before she beamed at him with a happy glow that could rival that of the sun’s. He peeled his mask off so she could see his eyes and she inwardly cursed that she couldn’t casually lean in to kiss him like she wanted to. He sensed this and kissed her cheek, Cyborg’s bulk blocking them from the others if they were even looking in their direction.

“Told you I missed you.” Dick whispered as he pulled away from her cheek,

“Dick...” She murmured, already feeling the soaring of her mood.

It was so good to see him; even if it was only for a short while that he would be stopping by before heading home, it was enough for her. She was just happy to get 5 minutes with him in person.

He winked at her and stood up straight again, wandering around the sofa. He raised a brow at Cyborg and shooed him, “Make room, Vic.”

The half robot snorted but bit his tongue on commenting, opting to shuffle down the sofa instead. Kory offered the blanket to him which he took, sat between her and Vic and placed it back down across their laps.

Kory straightened up, feeling wide awake now. She couldn’t help the tiny smile on her lips as Dick shifted in his seat, leaning his shoulder against hers, just so they had contact.

“Would you like a drink or pizza, Dick?” She asked, politely,

“I’m okay, thanks, Kory.” He returned, glancing at her again.

She nodded as he flashed a smile her way before they both turned their attention to the movie. A woman was sprinting away from the demon baby doll that was wielding a machete.

“God, baby doll is gonna get her!” Garfield fretted,

Raven pulled a face, “If she wasn’t stupid like all horror movie characters, she’d know to run... I don’t know, maybe not into an alleyway with no escape.”

Jaime chuckled and looked at the empath with approval, her comment one of pure truth.

Kory found herself taking interest in the cliché slasher scene and jumped when she felt Dick’s hand on her thigh beneath the blanket.

Her cheeks became warm and she eyed him cautiously, silently asking what he was doing. Dick smirked and shook his head, indicating he wasn’t planning on being naughty or anything; not with the team around them.

She smiled and slid her hands under the blanket as well, finding his one against her skin. She touched his hand and he turned it over, intertwining their fingers. Kory felt a swell of love in her heart; it was such an innocent gesture but one that meant so much.

Kory clasped their joint hands with her other one and gently leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. Dick smiled and relaxed, kissing her hair briefly whilst Cyborg once again unknowingly provided them cover in the darkened room.

They stayed that way whilst the rest of the movie played out and resumed the same position when Garfield decided to have a movie encore with ‘Massacre Season 4’.

“Why do they bother with sequels when it’s the exact same thing each movie?” Dick voiced, narrowing his eyes at the screen and wondering if he had already seen it but ultimately realized it was ‘Massacre Season 2’ that he had seen.

Kory smirked and breathed in his scent as he moved the pad of his thumb in circles against the back of her hand.

Gar glared over at the man, “They are not the same.”

“Oh-ho but they are.” Vic chimed in, staring pointedly at the DVD cases on the floor; the image was identical bar different actors on the fronts.

The changeling followed his gaze and opened his mouth to fight it but seemed to understand that he would be fighting a losing battle. He clamped his mouth shut and turned away, huffing and grumbling under his breath, leaving Dick and Vic to chuckle.

By the end of the movie, time had ticked away and it had gotten late, the moon high in the sky outside of the tower.

Damian yawned as the credits rolled before he got to his feet and stretched his arms above his head, “Thank god that’s over.” He paused, “I thought I’d die of the boredom.”

“What!? That was horror at its finest!” Gar protested, brushing the popcorn kernels off of his lap.

The boy wonder pulled a face, “That’s a shame.”

Gar threw his hands up as he stood, “You are all terrible critics!”

Jaime rolled his shoulders and smirked, “Because not all of us agree that it’s the scariest thing ever?”

“Well yeah!” He paused and glanced down at Raven who was marking the page she was up to, “Right, Rae? It was scary, wasn’t it?”

Her dark eyes met his and she sighed, “Oh yeah. Petrifying. I don’t know how I’ll sleep tonight.”

Garfield frowned and crossed his arms, “You guys are young; you don’t know what good horror is yet but don’t worry, you’ll learn.”

Dick rolled his eyes as he got up from the couch. He turned and smiled at Kory, offering her a hand to help her up. She smiled and accepted it, letting him pull her up to his chest, sharing a moment of closeness before she cleared her throat and stepped away.

“Ahem...”

Raising his eyebrows, Dick looked back to see Vic cheekily waggling his fingers at him, “Where’s my helping hand, hm?”

Dick smirked and shrugged, “Beats me.”

Cyborg laughed and hauled himself up, following suit as everyone else.

Kory bent down slightly and began collecting the pizza boxes and empty glasses from the coffee table, carrying them through to the kitchen. She wasn’t much of a fan of leaving the place in a mess after they indulged in movie nights. Otherwise, it would be left until morning when it still wouldn’t be cleared away and the cycle wouldn’t end.

“Do you need some help, Kory?” Raven offered, her voice quiet with fatigue,

The Princess smiled at the girl who she had come to love a bit like a younger sister, “That’s alright, Raven. I can manage. You get some sleep.”

Raven hesitated but nodded and smiled, turning away and heading down the hall to her room.

Garfield yawned loudly and waved to Kory, Dick and Cyborg, “Night pals.”

Jaime shook his head and followed after with Damian scowling at Gar’s volume level,

“Does he need to be so loud?” Damian asked,

“Need to be? No but he chooses to... as annoying as it is.” Jaime muttered, “Night guys!”

“Goodnight.” Damian called, barely looking over his shoulder.

Kory smiled as she watched them all filter through the doors to get some rest, “Goodnight, Titans...” She softly replied,

She quietly hummed to herself as she filled up the basin with hot water, intent on cleaning the glasses now before she lost the motivation to do so.

Dick sat on the arm rest of the sofa, his eyes in her direction, merely watching her move. Cyborg whistled from behind him as he pressed at buttons on the console of his arm,

“I should get going too. Early session with the league.” He sighed,

“Sounds fun.” Dick teased,

Vic shrugged, “Y’know, you’d fit in well with them.”

“And be under the watch of Batman again?” Dick scoffed, “Pass. I’ve done my time of that already, thanks.”

Cyborg chuckled, “The suggestion is always there.”

“Yo, Princess...” Cyborg grinned and wandered into the kitchen to give Kory a kiss on the cheek, “Time for me to go.”

From what Dick could see, she gave him a hug and he heard her faintly speak,

“It was lovely to see you, Victor and thank you for helping us with Trigon.”

Dick felt a slightly sharp bolt of jealousy; Vic had been there to help them but he wasn’t. Inwardly, he tried to reason with himself. The league were involved in this whole thing which means Vic inevitably would have been too.

Still, he wished he could have given the Titans some help. He wished he could have given Kory some help.

There was a brief burst of laughter before Cyborg came ambling out of the kitchen again, “Night, Kory.” He called, waving over his shoulder,

Setting the last digits on his console, Cyborg set up a boom tube, a glowing portal manifesting behind him.

“Dick, you need a boom back to Bludhaven?” Vic queried,

Absently, Dick’s eyes shifted back to the humming woman in the kitchen and rubbed his neck, “Uh... no, I’m good. Thanks though.”

Vic followed his gaze and smirked, “Uh huh... I bet you are. Wanting some time with your lady?”

Dick narrowed his eyes at his friend, “Might wanna catch that portal before it closes. Goodnight, Vic.”

Laughter erupted from the cybernetic man and he shook his head, “Night Dick.” He bid before stepping through the portal and having it close up behind him.

Dick exhaled, glad that the room was finally empty and quiet, meaning he was free to go and greet Kory how he had initially wanted to.

Standing up, he followed the serene sound of her humming until he stood in the doorway of the kitchen, leaning up against the door frame. He stood and watched her a moment before he couldn’t help himself any longer.

He crossed the space between them, using his stealth skills to creep up on her. His arms wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her back against his broad chest.

Kory gasped and stiffened for the briefest of moments before she relaxed and leaned back on him,

“Dick?” She murmured,

“I should hope so since I’m assuming you don’t let anyone else hold you like this.” He whispered, kissing a spot just below her jaw,

She tilted her head, “Well...”

“Don’t even.” He hushed, making her giggle,

“I thought you would be going home with Cyborg’s boom tube.”

“Thought about it for all of a second but... I was kinda hoping to stay the night... if you don’t mind.”

She stilled and dried her hands with the paper towels just beside the basin, filled to the brim with sudsy bubbles. Kory turned slowly and her jade eyes locked on his cerulean ones,

“Really?” She whispered, her eyes on his lips,

“Well, yeah. It’s a long trip back and I’m tired and... you always warm me up so quickly when we have sleepovers.”

She laughed and rested her forehead against his, “I would love for you to stay.”

“Good because I’ve been meaning to do something since I got here.”

“What-”

He cut her off by pressing his lips against hers, one hand on the small of her back whilst the other traveled up the path of her spine, into her mane of fiery red hair until he cupped her cheek, angling her face towards his a little more so he could deepen their kiss.

Kory gave into a breathy sigh and her hands moved from being pressed to his chest to up and around his shoulders, pulling him close enough so that her breasts were flushed against his chest,

The heat grew between them, their lips never leaving the other’s for even a second. Dick was the one to take it further, teasing her and swiping his tongue along her bottom lip, seeking permission to engage in more play.

She giggled and obliged him, opening her mouth enough for him to entice hers out for some fun. The hand still on her lower back delved even lower until it found her backside. He grinned into their kiss and gave her ass a playful squeeze.

Kory gasped and broke away from him, swatting his chest, “You are terrible.” She laughed,

“I’m just a man who has been missing his girl, is all. I need to catch up on kisses.” He told her,

“Mm, that is true. You need to catch up.”

“And I mean... here’s hoping to more than just kisses tonight.”

Kory raised an eyebrow at him, “Someone is presumptuous...”

Dick smirked, “You know as well as I do that we both really enjoy it, Kory.”

She rolled her eyes, “Again... true.”

He chuckled and brushed a loose lock of red hair behind her ear, “I’ve really missed you, babe.”

“I have missed you as well... it’s been weeks since we’ve properly been together, Dick.” She whispered,

“I know, I know... I’ll try to make more time to come and visit. I’ve been really crap lately-”

“Not at all... you are constantly trying, my love and that is enough for me.”

Dick brushed his nose against hers, “I love you so much...”

Kory leaned into his hold and his touch, “Mm and I love you.”

He sighed and smiled at her, “So, you about done here?” He paused and smirked, “I want to get a head start on the ‘more than kisses’.”

She blinked and laughed, “You are impatient.”

“You just said it’s been weeks and... you try having your hand on your thigh for almost 3 hours without moving it any higher.” Dick complained,

Kory shook her head, her luminous eyes making his breath hitch in his throat,

“Well... I think... I am just about done so...”

He pecked her lips and released her, grabbing her hand and tugging her towards the doors,

“Let’s get going then.”

Kory giggled, her heart full and fluttering like the wings of a butterfly; a feeling he never failed to make her feel, no matter where or when.

[the-only-universe-here]

OCtober day 13 - Waiting

Warning my dudes, this one is a long one. I have a lot of feels about the subject this particular prompt brought up, which is why it’s particularly late.

Lilac stood at the corner of the hallway, quietly staring down at her phone as she waited for Kasten. He had wanted her to come with him to do something in the city, something that was maybe a surprise for Riley and Maru if he didn’t want it to be a group activity.

“Hey! Shy girl!” A voice shouted somewhere behind her, and she flinched automatically, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Bullies that she’d been dealing with since she got into this academy last year.

She didn’t know what they wanted, only that they would harass her in passing, for maybe a few moments at a time, before they’d laugh and walk off. Nothing serious, it was just annoying.

“Hey!” The voice was much closer this time, demanding attention. So she turned her head, carefully not making eye contact.

“Celitha,” she murmured in way of greeting.

“Shy girl.” The other girl smirked at her, rolling her eyes. “Hey, look at me when I’m talking to you! What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for Kasten.”

“What for? Your boyfriend going to be breaking up with you or something?” She laughed cruelly, and Lilac stared for several moments.

She didn’t understand why people here seemed so insistent on painting her and Kasten’s relationship as something it wasn’t, why they tried to use it as a jab or an insult. A dria didn’t shy away from love, from any of its many forms, the concept seeming so foreign to her.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” she mumbled, recovering from her silence after a few moments.

“Uh huh, sure.” She waved a hand, again rolling her eyes at Lilac. “You should give me that hoodie.”

“What?”

“The hoodie. Give. It’s too big for you, anyways.”

“W-why?” Lilac’s eyes widened in panic. Celitha and her gang had never been nice, but they’d never taken anything from her. And her hoodie… that was something that she had gotten from her uncle Ignatius years ago, letting go of that would be…

“GIVE. Now. Or are you deaf or something?” Celitha grabbed onto her sleeve and tugged harshly.

“N-no!” Lilac pulled back, but her arm started slipping from the sleeve. “It’s mine, g-go away.” But her voice held no power, didn’t even get too loud. A slide back into her earlier days that she had tried so desperately to crawl from.

And Celitha took the hoodie, Lilac’s phone forced from her hand in the process to drop to the floor. The screen shattered, leaving her in radio silence, not able to call for help even after they left.

Celitha laughed, slipping the dark blue hoodie over her arms as she walked away. “See ya, shy girl.”

Then as tears began gathering in her eyes, Lilac saw Kasten round the corner in front of them. His eyes searched Lilac, flickering to the half destroyed phone, and then finally landing on Celitha and the two others with her.

She blinked the tears from her eyes as Kasten crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at the three.

“Lilac, I know you’ve asked us not to get involved, but…”

“Oh hey, goofball.” Celitha smiled and waved at him.

“Celitha. Give the jacket back to Lilac.” Kasten looked as close to murderous as Lilac had ever seen him, his eyes dark and angry. Dressed in a fairly nice black button-down with chains of golden diamond shaped-earrings, he looked… dangerously handsome.

“Oh don’t worry, she gave it to me-”

“And that’s why there’s tears in her eyes.” He stared down at her, eyes burning. “Give the hoodie back, or I’ll make you.”

“Oh please, you haven’t even gotten to the combat section of your year.” Celitha leaned forward and brushed her fingers under his chin with a smirk. “Watch your words, goofball.”

“It’s a good thing that I have extensive training myself then.” Kasten smirked back at her, the expression deadly. “I’d rather not this end in a fight though, so please. Return the hoodie, no harm done.”

“Whatever.” Celitha then turned to walk away, nose in the air. And she stopped moving with a choked noise as Kasten sighed and forcefully contorted her limbs. The two teammates with her seemed to be frozen as well, unable to do anything as he removed the hoodie from her body and threw it over his own arm.

“No, not whatever. I’d like it if you would treat my teammates with more respect… unless you’d like us to treat you with the same taste of your bullying.”

Whatever hold he had on her released after a moment, and she turned to him with a growl, her fingers sparking with magic.

“Don’t. Do it.” Kasten stared her down.

And she stepped down, after a moment, huffing and stalking away without a word as her two friends glanced at him and hurried after him.

And Kasten finally came to Lilac, still frozen, eyes locked onto him as light glanced off his earrings and he gave her a brilliant grin, holding out her hoodie. “Sorry for that, Lilac, I didn’t realize that Celitha w-would…”

And he paused, stuttering to a stop. Her eyes widened as his did, but his eyes were locked onto her arm - the little blue, glowing birthmark just below her elbow. It gave a little pulse and glowed bright, brighter than Lilac had probably ever seen it go. She slipped a hand over it and looked away, blushing, trying to mumble something that seemed to be forming into an apology. For what, she wasn’t sure, but-

“No, nonono, Lilac, I’m-” Kasten nearly dropped her hoodie before gently pushing it into her hands, his own blush starting to ride high on his cheeks as she fumbled with the buttons on the cuffs of his shirt, pulling it up, up, up until…

The same mark, glowing on his skin - not as brightly, but it was there. And a distant part of Lilac screamed, not sure how she was supposed to react to this. Part of her had always known that Kasten was half dria, so of course he would have a soulmark as well, but… well, she guessed that neither of them had actually seen each other in short sleeved shirts, both too accustomed to much warmer weather than southern Ferhgrin to enjoy going without something covering their arms.

And then suddenly she felt a sob crawling up her throat, and distantly she felt the way that Kasten bundled her up into his arms, and maybe he was crying as well - he was mumbling to her, and as her legs gave out from underneath her Kasten was the one to lead the two of them to the ground, landing her in his lap with her head on his shoulder with his arms tight around her.

The two of them sat like that for a while, tears of a hesitant sort of happiness soaking into each other’s shirts.

“Well this is embarrassing,” Kasten mumbled to her, pulling away enough to bump his forehead against her head. “And here I was thinking that maybe I’d take you on a date, and instead you get bullied and we find out we’re soulmates.”

Soulmates. It was such a big word, such a big meaning for the two of them. Lilac’s mind drifted back to the early days at this school, when she had met Celiate outside of the school grounds, her knowing smile. Celiate knew, she was the one that had pulled Kasten and Lilac specifically together, giving them both the marks they bore.

“I should’ve known,” she whispered. “Celiate is sneaky like that.”

“Yeah? Have you met her?”

Lilac nodded against his shoulder, and he sighed with a light chuckle. “The work of the gods is an eternal mystery for us mortals.” And his hand came up, brushing her hair behind her ears. “Well, uh… would you still want to go on a date? Or after all this do you just want to go back to our rooms?”

“I… I don’t know.” She pushed herself to sit up a bit more properly, blushing as she realized just how close they were.

And Kasten smiled at her, dumbfounded and looking so effervescently happy, a question on the tip of the tongue that she could see, hopeful in his eyes.

“What is it?” Her voice was still a whisper, so close to him.

“I- uhm-” He blinked and stuttered, his arms loosening around her (she couldn’t admit that she already missed the touch) as he looked away. “I- well… uh… c-can I… kiss you?”

And she fell silent, shocked beyond what she thought was possible. So soon, after everything that had just transpired, she didn’t know if her heart could handle it. But she didn’t have to decide, as Kasten shook his head and took her hand in his own, squeezing lightly.

“I… nevermind, I’m sorry, I’m just… I’ve wanted to, for a while, but. I can wait, okay? Don’t let me pressure you into it.” And then he pressed her hand to his cheek, smiling at her so sweetly her heart felt like it was about to implode under the pressure. “I’ll wait for you… whatever you need.”

[mensiswives]

snippet from Book 1, Chapter 1: I Met Her in a Dream or Something

🍵OOF I hate to barge in on my sister’s blog after JUST establishing their blog as THEIRS and everyone else’s too as separate entities (cuz I mean, they all deserved that for the longest time) but this’s been pokin at me to finally put some pieces of the Bloodborne narrative up somewhere and I thought it’d be more fitting here

(btw, unlike the Goddess Gang narrative (“the current/finalized narrative”) Lila started out as nonbinary as well in Yharnam instead of full on trans at first so. that’s why some of this sounds a bit off)

This is the end, the hunter thought to themself, laid on their back and dying. To their left and right their ragtag allies looked on forlorn. At their side a strange woman cried on their chest. And above all, the Blood Moon raged on. They caressed her face and tossed her hair, “If this really is a nightmare, then you’re the dream I don’t want to wake up from.” They closed their eyes, feeling it all fade away…

“EVELYN!”

Then pain struck their core, sharp, just like… bleeding? Father? What the-?

“EVELYN! EVELYN CHESHIRE WAKE UP THIS INSTANT!”

Evelyn woke up to being smacked in the stomach by their father. Unable to breathe, they slapped his arms away as well as they could. “WHAT WHAT WHAT?!”

Their father’s slaps subsided but the anger did not. “You’d better get up RIGHT now, or - Giuro sulla forza di ODEON - you will be in a WORLD of pain!”

Evelyn was still rather dazed from the dream (and probably also the suffocation) but when their father finally came into view, they realized he was head to toe in full Church hunter garb, the whole nine yards, they could even see the white sash peeking out from behind his towering figure. Oh, that’s right. “… The Hunt is tonight.” Evelyn yawned, only to receive another smack on the arm.

“THE BLOODY HUNT ISN’T THE ONLY THING, DIMWIT! THE GRADUATION, OR SHOULD I SAY, WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOUR GRADUATION, IS WITHIN THE HOUR AND YOU’RE NOT EVEN OUT OF BED!”

Their father didn’t go for another strike but Evelyn flinched at this as well. Oh yeah… the graduation. The third class had finally completed their training and a party was being held for their commencement before they were to be unleashed into the night on their own… that is, Evelyn’s third class. This was the third time they failed and were declared unprepared for the Hunt and still, their parents dragged them to every commencement party.

Evelyn rubbed their eyes and tousled their dark mop. “Alright, alright I’ll get up-.”

“I don’t even think there’s TIME for you to get up and get ready! I only ask for SO little-!”

Evelyn rolled their eyes, prepared for another verbal berating, when their mother stepped into view. She placed her hand on their father’s arm, pushing his puffed-up shoulders down. “Why don’t you gather your things, dear, and step outside? It’s rather nice out today.” She then guided him towards the door that Evelyn didn’t even notice was pre-slammed open (most likely courtesy of their father). “I’ll prepare him.”

He groaned, walking out the door and muttered, “Can’t be having her take care of you forever, boy…”

She closed the door behind him and shuffled to Evelyn’s bedside, plopping down and reaching to comb her fingers through their hair. “Come on now, dear, it’s time to wake up.”

But Evelyn just shoved her hand aside. “Why does HE get to act like that?! And he calls ME ‘ferino!’ And why do you just let him-?!”

She silenced them with a sleight of hand to the lips. “Shhhh, easy. He isn’t here now. Breathe. Let’s just get ready.” Evelyn breathed in and out through puffed cheeks, allowing her a moment to ruffle their hair. They couldn’t help the smile that pulled at their mouth and stepped out of bed. “Now that’s my boy!” With the same stealth as before she reached for a tiny ornate bottle.

The smile was gone and Evelyn gagged and shoved the bottle away. “Mammaaaa! Please no, you know I hate the perfu-MAMMA!”

She persisted, skillfully keeping oncoming hands from spilling the perfume, “C’mon, Evelyn, you don’t have time to bathe and we have to go!” Evelyn eventually just scrunched up their face and let her douse them with the foul potion. Then she reached for Evelyn’s garb from the coat hanger and handed it to them, her white robes a stark contrast to Evelyn’s own attire. They quickly pulled on the uniform and, to their discontent, their mother patted it down and straightened it out the rest of the way. “And remember, be on your best behavior today. Make me proud.” She kissed them on the cheek and made her way outside. Evelyn grunted, ruffled their uniform to desired messiness, and followed their mother out the door.

---

The walk to the Cathedral wasn’t any different today than previous days; the Yharnamite civilians bowed their heads to them as they passed, an endless sea of “Good morning, blessed doctor!” and “Bless you, high hunter!” Some were even cheering and shouting “Praise the Old Blood!”

Fools, Evelyn thought to themself, it’s “fear the old blood” you IGNORANT FOOLS. Evelyn may have been trained as a hunter (Oedon curse the shackles of the male bloodline - and bloody men in general) but from the moment they could read, they loved sitting by the fireplace with their mother, the comfort of the flames and their mother’s presence illuminating the pages in the study. But when they would tell their peers, they just laughed at them, mocking “Guess you’ll always be sitting in a woman’s lap!” Evelyn just came to accept that no one would ever understand. No one.

But they wouldn’t let that stop them from being the best for their mother; no matter how angry they got or how much their father hit them, their mother deserved everything in their eyes. And, despite Evelyn’s dread of Church-organized events like these, today would be no different than any other day. So they smiled and nodded to each citizen.

The Grand Cathedral stood tall and symbolic of the corruption of this damn town as ever - well, at least in Evelyn’s eyes. The statues carved into figures in prayer and suffering dotted the inside, an odd contrast to the jovial crowd bustling within. Clergy hollered hearty greetings to their friends across the halls. It was a day for celebration, and seeing people enjoy themselves at least lifted the mood a little for Evelyn.

“And there she is, the apple of my eye!” Evelyn heard their father call to their mother. They followed her to his side, but Evelyn refused to look up at him. However, someone in the group of people he was talking to caught Evelyn’s eye; he was dressed in a strange getup that Evelyn had never seen before. In fact, Evelyn couldn’t figure him out for the life of them. He was dressed up a bit, more like the doctors present, though his outfit was more on the dark side, like the hunters. Nevertheless he was messy and ridden with bedhead, which scored him some points in their book. His eyes were even sunken into his face as if he’d been stuck in a library for weeks and his face never left the pages. Evelyn chuckled a little at the thought of a man so eaten up by pages that the pages started eating him back, but in doing so they realized the strange suit was looking right back at them, just as puzzled.

Oh… Evelyn averted their eyes and floundered, somewhat grateful when their father hit them over the head and ushered them into the conversation, “And this is my goofball son, Evelyn! Evelyn, this,” Evelyn looked up and saw he was pointing to - goddammit - the man Evelyn was basically laughing at, “Is Dean Cosmin, head of the School of Mensis.”

Evelyn lit up at that a bit, but the confusion still did not clear; they had read from their mother’s books of the mysterious studies and rituals of the School of Mensis - and even conspiracies of some political hand they had in the Church - but this grungy rando was supposed to be the leader of Mensis? Pfft, the school must be in dire straights right now then, they thought.

Micolash, on the other hand, was interested in Evelyn rather than put off. “This is the young sir who will be making his debut a few years late, yes?” He leaned in and clasped their hand in both of his. “Well then, young man, I do hope you enjoy your last few years of boyhood and make them last.”

Evelyn was about to just play according to the script, but then a sudden rebellious streak struck them. With the widest grin on their face, they squeezed Micolash’s hand and then - loud enough for their father to hear - replied, “I may only have a few years left of boyhood, but when I debut, I refuse to become a man.”

The group was suddenly quiet for a moment - appalled to say the best - but then Evelyn’s father laughed loud and distracting enough that Micolash was able to duck and whisper, “If you really are a friend of Mrs. King, then might I invite you onto the balcony over some wine before the night is over?”

In the heat of the moment, Evelyn was just going to slap him right in the face for getting so close, but then his words settled in their ear and Evelyn nodded in understanding. When Micolash withdrew, their father was done with the distraction and everyone seemed to be going their separate ways. That also included the Dean himself who was already off talking to higher ups like Evelyn’s past teachers (they supposed even a dying institution still needs to save face). And Evelyn didn’t want to talk to their father’s friends anymore than those arsefaces wanted to talk to them, so they just caught up to their mother and followed her around with other mothers of graduates for a bit. Spending the day with the ladies of the event was at least more palpable for Evelyn.

Eventually, as the sun began going down, Evelyn caught Micolash out of the corner of their eye leaving for a balcony, so they quickly excused themself from the conversation and headed to meet the Dean. As they rushed they found themself tangled and tripping over the sash of someone else who was passing by. The fumble caught the attention of surrounding passerby, drawing laughter and pointing fingers, and Evelyn’s cheeks flushed, frustrated, but nevertheless they marched onwards.

Evelyn cleared their throat to catch his attention, but Micolash just sloshed the contents of his glass. “Well, you seem chipper.” He took a sip and finally turned back to the young hunter. “Excited as could be to see a simple man like me.”

Evelyn didn’t know why, but his smile just felt mocking, so they parked themself against the nearest pillar and slouched. “Don’t flatter yourself,” They remarked, before tacking on a double entendre, “And don’t make me regret coming out here-.”

But Micolash caught on. “Today? Yeah, I had a feeling.” Evelyn dropped their arms in surprise. “It’s not everyday you meet a student who’s failed three times and still shows up to graduation.”

“Dammit, pops.” Evelyn murmured. They dropped their head, kicked themself off the stone, and sighed, “It’s not like I came on my own, my parents dragged me here.” They leaned on the guard rail beside the scholar and gazed at the horizon. “But I know there’s a world beyond this city and I just wish I could see it, even if only for a moment…”

Micolash chucked a bit at that, “Some secrets of this world and beyond are best left untouched. You do good to remember that.”

Evelyn growled in disagreement and dug their head into their shoulders. Then they realized something. “Hey, do you want some blood? I could easily get you some of the finest-.”

But Micolash halted them with a raised palm. “No no, I’m fine. I don’t like blood.” Evelyn stared at him like he had just sprouted five eyes on his forehead and Micolash laughed. “I know, it’s not common around Central Yharnam but… us of the School don’t have as much of a… crutch for blood.”

Evelyn clicked their tongue and shook their head, “Suit yourself.”

Micolash laughed softly at them and leaned over the rail himself. “Well, you came to talk to me for a reason, so I’m guessing my assumptions about you were right.” Evelyn didn’t know it, but they smirked proudly at that. But the next question took them off guard. “So, what are your pronouns?”

Evelyn’s eyes lit up at that, sudden butterflies in their stomach. Finally, something that would make getting out of bed today worth it. “Oh, that! My pronouns… I like to be called… uh.” They curled up a bit and scratched their head. “Oh, sorry, I don’t get asked this every day… or ever for that matter.” But Micolash just gave them an encouraging look so finally, they straightened out and took a deep breath, “I go by ‘they-them'… BUT! But I still go by ‘Evelyn,’ if that makes it easy for you.”

To Evelyn’s surprise, Micolash looked pleased with the answer, “Absolutely, that’s perfectly fine with me as long as you’re comfortable with it.”

Evelyn patted their own neck. “Heh, yeah…” They awkwardly trailed off.

But Micolash picked up with ease. “So you’ve really never told anyone else?”

Evelyn just winced at that. “Told…” They knew that they should just lie and say their life was great, but something about Micolash’s wisdom just swayed them otherwise. “Yeah, I’ve told some people but-.”

“It didn’t go so well?”

That… would only describe so little of it. Evelyn just nodded, mouth clamped and looking away. Well, this dampened the mood.

So they jumped a little when Micolash patted them on the shoulder. “Well I think you’ll make a fine adult, Evelyn, no matter what path you choose. Neither boy nor girl.“ Then, pulling away and smiling, “As so have I.”

That was a (slightly surprising, as the dean didn’t correct them on his own preferences, but still) kind sentiment, but - reflecting on more past events in their mind - Evelyn tried to control their voice, “It’s not really my choice…”

But Micolash persisted. “What? Of course it is! You always have a choice. You may get cornered, but you can choose whether to fight or not, and you may go down in the end, but you can choose to go quietly or go out screaming.”

This time when they looked up at him, Evelyn’s smile wasn’t forced. “Heh, kinda sounds nice… to have a choice for once.”

“Listen, people always paint your age as the best time of your life, but the truth is that youth SUCKS! So much change is happening, hell, even your body and brain are growing so fast everyday when you’re young. The growth just never stops and you change with it.” He patted them on the back and softly reassured, “Just give it time.”

Suddenly, a loud uproar came from within the Cathedral. Seeing Micolash’s concern made Evelyn chuckle. “Sounds like they’ve given the fledglings the final blessing.”

But Micolash looked rather downcast by this. “Well then, that means I must be heading off.”

“What? Already?” Evelyn bit back their lip, surprised at how loud they said it. They didn’t want him to go, they just started to get a good rapport.

“I’m sorry, Evelyn, but I really must take my leave. Mensis can’t run itself.” Even Micolash looked bitter about their departure.

So Evelyn stopped feeling sorry for themself, even if only a little, “Thank you for taking time to talk to me. It’s been hell recently…”

Micolash’s smile was as warm as before. “Isn’t life like that for us all?” He made his way to the steps just as a crowd was exiting the Cathedral and just like that, he was swept away.

[hellospunkiebrewster]

Fathers - A Duty Sideshot

Author’s note: I’m so incredibly sorry that there is no new Flight Risk today. This sidetracked the hell out of me as I started to put my final touches on the chapter. All the baby fever fics for Father’s Day got to me and in my natural fashion I couldn’t be too happy about them. This is a tribute to all the different kinds of fathers in someone’s life. Real, biological, adoptive, foster, step, overprotective, intimidating, goofy, serious, or fun. I cried so much writing this and I thought I put Duty behind me, but it’s so obvious I haven’t. If you haven’t ready my series Duty, it’s here:

Part I: Déjà Vu - Part II: Hopelessly Cold - Part III: Bitterness - Part IV: Rage - Part V: Promises - Part VI: Oath - Part VII: Dysphoria - Part VIII: Toska - Part IX: Credence - Part X: Unconditional

Summary: Eleanor reflects on the fathers she’s had over the years and what each of them has taught her.

Perma-tags: @madaraism, @mfackenthal, @blackcatkita, @never-ending-choices, @darley1101, @pbchoicesobsessed, @flyawayblue56

Tags (I tagged those of you who were tagged throughout Duty): @queencatherynerhys, @theroyalweisme, @crayziimaginations, @boneandfur, @lizeboredom, @gardeningourmet, @hopefulmoonobject, @hamulau

Eleanor Charlotte Rhys adored each one of the men she considered a father to her; she loved each one differently and no one more than another. It was fun, having so many fathers to call hers even if her past was marked with sadness and loss. They managed to pull her from it but still maintain an acknowledgement that it existed and deserved to never be forgotten. She was thankful for that because to do so would be a disservice to one of the greatest men to ever walk the earth. But still, each of them had something unique to offer and a valuable lesson to teach her, and for that she was grateful.

Uncle Leo. A man tossed from his country because of his heart. Even her own mother had a difficult time looking him in the eye. But Ellie saw something more, something special in the way he looked at the world around him. It was her Uncle Leo who taught her to follow her dreams and that they were limitless even when she felt so weighed down by the crown. Being sworn to the throne at not even the age of five was terrifying and rarely afforded Ellie the time to breathe and so it was one summer in her early teens that Ellie persuaded her mother to allow her to spend a month in the states with her Uncle Leo.

Even though her royal guard surrounded her every moment of the trip, from the time she stepped out of the limo onto the tarmac of the Cordonian airport, to the moment she returned to the palace, Eleanor had never felt so free, so normal. The sand of the beautiful beach her uncle’s house shared squished between her toes in a way she had never felt before. They’d sneak out and skirt her guard to see a show in New York City or paddle a boat to a nearby cove to watch the sunset through the trees just so. She cherished that summer as her uncle recalled stories of his youth, a carefree but sheltered time with his brother. The minutes spent without her guard liberating and exhilarating, but always short. Once the cloak of surveillance enveloped her she felt relieved.

As the month rolled on, Eleanor found herself counting the days to her return to Cordonia even as she continued to adore every moment. The solitary life of a fox was not for her, flitting from place to place not calling anywhere or anyone home. She was born for the throne and no taste of freedom would pull her from her responsibility to her country and her people.

Uncle Bertrand. Ever a stick in her side. He always meant well. Bertrand was a stickler for rules and tradition. He reminded her why things were done a certain way, why titles were important, and why the dessert fork was located at the top of her place setting. Eleanor never retained all of it, but his lessons instilled a sense of pride behind how she pinned her medals just so and solidified the depth at which she bowed her head when greeting a guest. Never too far, you are queen after all. Being the expert of courtly traditions, Bertrand was tasked with ensuring she understood the meaning and origins of all of them.

She recalls being in full regalia late in her teens, wobbling on her high heels as Bertrand places a book on her head. A queen must walk with poise and never stumble, lest she give others something to talk about. Attention spans of people at court were short and if their queen tripped at an event the day after cementing the largest trade deal in the country’s history, only one moment would be talked about over dinner and it wasn’t the important one. Things were done a certain way out of respect and tradition. While it may seem outdated, sticking to it in many cases did little harm to others. It was in the grey areas however, Bertrand told her, that she would be asked to help the country forge a new path and develop new traditions to keep them ahead of an ever changing world.

As the book slipped from her head for the umpteenth time, Eleanor wondered what sort of lesson this was supposed to teach her. She watched Bertrand’s face as he sighed once again and scurried over to gather up the book. He smiled a rare smile and nodded at her. When she looked at him, confused, he merely shelved the book and complimented her inability to become frazzled by his ridiculous request. An important quality when one must speak with vapid and self-centered nobles.

Uncle Max. The brightest spot in her childhood. Maxwell never ceases to make her laugh and forget whatever issue had her down at the moment. He could never erase the largest pain of her life but he worked hard to help her deal with it in constructive and healing ways. He was more than the resident goofball; he was perceptive and loyal. Her most vivid memory of him was one afternoon as the sixth anniversary of her father’s passing. The age of ten can be a difficult time for a young girl and she envied more than anything her friends’ families, so whole and perfect. Not this broken amalgamation of people who never perfectly fit together. She couldn’t very well invite them all to parent’s night.

Her Uncle Maxwell senses something wrong and offers to help her pay tribute to her father, spending the better part of the day wandering the maze, standing at the well with her, in search of the perfect flower. Each time they think they’ve located it, another appears just around a bend or a few steps ahead. By the time they’d scoured the gardens they had well over a hundred. Her Uncle Max helped weave them into a gorgeous wreath and took her to hang in at the Royal Tomb. Never once did he make her feel like her feelings were silly or small.

As she hung the wreath at the placard indicating her father’s grave, Ellie noted just how valid her Uncle Maxwell made her feel that day. He took her broken heart and mended it with smiles and laughter, weaving it all together with the beautiful love he had for her. That they all did. It didn’t matter that they weren’t the same as the families of her schoolmates, they were something more. It didn’t matter that they were different.

Uncle Drake. The rock. Ever present and always reassuring. He’d taken it upon himself after her father’s death to give her some semblance of a childhood because it was what she deserved. She also realized at some point it was what probably held him together as well. He clung to her and kept her as safe as he possibly could. He played incessant princess games with her, fueled merely by her shrieks and laugh. She put him through a ringer, from the moment she got her first period when her mother was out of town to the time he caught her in the gardens during her first kiss, at her fourteenth birthday celebration. He was never angry or upset with her; he could never be. She was mortified when he chased the noble boy off, even if she laughed at the memory later that same night.

She never quite understood her mother’s and Drake’s relationship as she grew up. Somewhere in-between being friends and something more. She’d asked both of them on numerous occasions if Drake was going to be her new father. It was something neither of them ever needed from the other, a deep understanding that their relationship was never meant to be. Had her father still been alive, neither of them would’ve needed it. So it was that Drake took up residence eventually in an extra bedroom of the royal suite. Always nearby when needed, never too close for comfort when they both required space if the memory of her father became too real for them. She never understood it until much later, the need to just feel someone’s lips against your own, their skin under your fingertips, so you could feel like yourself, like you were alive.

As she watched Drake chase a fourteen year old boy through the hedge maze and away from her, Ellie noticed how Drake’s loyalty to her and her mother outshined all else in his life. Underneath the deep crimson of her cheeks, it was a quality she hoped she herself had.

Her own father. Whom she could scarcely remember. The fiercest love she would never know. What she does know of him are fleeting snips of moments. She can sometimes recall them with no issue and on other days she can scarcely remember what his face looked like. She knew he was a man to be reckoned with, proud, honest, kind, and humble. He was a king in every possible sense. His duty to his country and people was unrivaled. His love for his family was unmatched. He treated each of these two halves of his life as if they were his whole self.

She remembers how he would peek over his glasses at her, when he worked late at night in their living room. Instead of scolding her and sending her back to bed, he would offer her a seat next to him. Her tiny hand would bunch into his shirt as she leaned sleepily into him. The morning would break and the two of them would be found on the same spot. Her father dare not move lest he wake her and pull her from sleep. She remembers how his eyes shined when he laughed at her silly stories from the day. He was a king, but he was never too busy to lend an ear. She remembers his arms, strong and comforting around her, as he holds her close during a particularly scary storm one summer. She remembers resting her head against his upper arm in the limo on the way to some sort of boring public appearance. She never was sure if these were her own memories or those she created from the memories of others.

As she is lifted and spun around one day after her father returned home from yet another long trip abroad, she wondered if all the other children she knew had fathers who were superheroes like him. She supposed that her dad was special and more important than the rest. When she looked back on her memories of him, she realized he taught her the most important lesson of all: how to balance the crown and the self.

It is because of these five men that Ellie cannot choose who should walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. Tradition dictates that a member of her regent council should be responsible, but to do that would fly in the face of all the great men who made her who she is. In the many long and boring planning meetings, she put her foot down time and time again on the subject when she was met with opposition. The conversation would then turn to other traditions and customs, detailing their meaning and what they entailed as the planning committee ran through the schedule of the ceremony.

It is because of these five men that Ellie decides to have each of them escort her a part of the way down the nave of the cathedral. Leo first, a few meters before he kisses her cheek and Bertrand puts his arm out for her to take. Tears shine in his eyes, this tradition was something she’d so beautifully and masterfully modified to bring her wedding into one that would be remembered forever. A few meters. Maxwell awaits her, his arms wide, drawing her into a tight hug before he remembers where they were, a few more meters. He kisses both her cheeks. Drake stands proud waiting his turn, trying hard to belie the fact that he’s already crying. Her hand slips into the crook of his elbow and he walks her a few more meters to the crossing, where the nave and transept meet in the cathedral. As she starts to let her hand fall from his arm, she feels him grasp her hand and he looks at her wordlessly and nods.

It is from here she walks alone. The furthest distance of her journey to be done in memory of the man she wishes she knew the most, her father, the king. The man. Her left hand slips from her bouquet to a small, discrete pocket custom sewn into her gown only days before. It is here where she keeps her most prized possession with her on this momentous day. The letter from her father, words meant only for her. Words that kept him alive in her heart. Her fingers run over the envelope’s surface within her pocket, a reassuring texture on this pivotal day in her life. As she starts her final steps and catches the glance of her husband to be, she wondered if he would’ve approved. She has to believe he would and her heart is so incredibly full.

[ask-percy-jason-nico-will]

Can you do a scene where all four of them get in a really big argument with a fluffy ending? Plz?

When Percy woke up that morning, he knew it was going to be a bad day. 

They had all gone out shopping the other night, no specific reason in particular but everyone had been working especially hard lately, they all agreed they needed some relaxation time. Only they didn’t get it. No, the universe instead gifted them with a group of particularly nasty empousai. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured but they all ended up coming back home tired, bruised and irritated to no end. 

Clearly, the lack of sleep last night did not help that irritation dissipate. 

When Percy walked into the kitchen, all three of his boyfriends were already awake and milling around the kitchen, looking more grumpy than the Grumpy Cat meme himself. Even Jason, who usually tried his best to hide any negative emotions due to his upbringing, was sitting at the table with his nose buried in the newspaper, bags under his eyes and his jaw clenched so tight that it almost looked painful. Percy grimaced and turned to look at Nico and Will, trying to have a silent conversation to see if they should do anything to help Jason, but neither was paying attention to him. 

Will’s curls looked like a bird’s nest that had gone through a tropical storm and he was scowling down at some paperwork from…the infirmary? Was he going back to work already? Oh come on, they all agreed on no work until they got some proper relaxation time, Will seriously couldn’t think that their miserable shopping trip counted! They didn’t even get that cool shark onesie that Percy had been begging for! Percy looked over to Nico, hoping for at least some positive energy to help him make the others feel better but no such luck. Nico seemed to be the most upset out of them all, having retreated into one of his  ‘I am the Mighty Ghost king!!! Touch me and you die!!!!!!’ moods. He stood by the coffee machine, practically glaring at it as if that would make it work faster. When he saw Nico finally take his cup of coffee and drink it pure black, without adding at least twenty sugar cubes like he usually did, Percy knew this day wouldn’t be easy for any of them. 

Then Nico tried to retreat back to the bedroom with his cup, making Will look up and direct his scowl at him, and it all went downhill from there.

“Where are you going?”

“Bedroom.”

“Aren’t you going to eat anything?”

“No.“ 

"You need to eat, Nico! How do you expect to be healthy when you don’t even take basic care of your body?!”

“You need to stop being so fucking condescending, Will! I’m not a child anymore, don’t treat me like one!”

“If you want me to treat you like an adult then maybe you should act like one! I can’t help being condescending when you keep-”

“What the hell are you trying to say?!”

“The gods damn truth-" 

"Oh, you pezzo di merda- ”

“Can you two please shut up?! I have a headache so for the love of Jupiter, don’t yell over stupid things. I swear you guys are more immature than the kids in my elementary class.” Jason growled out, putting his newspaper down with more force than Percy considered necessary and rubbed at his temples. Unfortunately, Nico’s defence mechanisms had already been triggered and Percy knew how he tended to lash out when they were. He moved forward to try and do damage control before anything else happened but Nico was already speaking, giving Jason a mocking bow. 

“Oh forgive me, most noble Praetor, I didn’t realize that you were so above us, that we’re nothing more than annoying children to you." 

"That’s not what I said-”

“Gods, can you not be fucking rude? He just said he has a headache-”

“Oh, so you’re on his side, huh? What is this, pick on Nico day?!" 

Percy watched helplessly as his boyfriends dissolved into a pointless argument, hurling jabs and insults at each other without thinking twice. And everyone said he was the impulsive one. He knew he had to do something before anyone said anything that would actually be hurtful, so he stepped forward and slammed his palms down on the table, loud enough to grab their attention. He had to take a moment to strengthen his resolve when three pairs of angry eyes bored into him but he managed to stand his ground, trying his best to give them an easygoing smile. 

"Guys, calm down for a moment and stop fighting. You’re all being idiots right now. Come on, let’s take a few deep breaths, make some blue pancakes-” He started, only to be cut off harshly by Jason. 

“Blue- Percy can you stop thinking about your food for one minute?! You’re not helping if you don’t have any useful to say then just be quiet.” He hissed out and oh. That hurt. Percy knew he was oblivious, knew he could be too much of a goofball at times but he hated when people thought that meant he was stupid. That he couldn’t possibly have any smart or important ideas. He hated it. Jason knew that. They all knew that. He looked to Will and Nico for support but they were too busy brooding or glaring at the ground. He clenched his hands into fists and took a step back. He saw something flicker in Jason’s eyes as if he’d snapped out of whatever pissy trance he’d been in and was about to apologize but Percy was done. 

“Fuck you guys. I’m leaving.” He spat out, before grabbing his coat and putting on his shoes, slamming the door behind him as he left.

When Percy left the house, he was fuming. He couldn’t believe how much his boyfriends were acting like utter jerks. So he decided to hell with them! If they thought he was so bad then so be it! He didn’t need them! He was even going to buy that shark onesie just to spite them! Ha! Take that Jason!

Then about an hour later, after mindlessly roaming the mall, Percy started to feel lonely. He was still upset about what happened, don’t get him wrong, but he also still loved his boyfriends. The entire fight had just been a bunch of misdirected stress, none of them had meant anything they said. At this point, it would be silly to hold a grudge against what happened. Plus Percy wanted cuddles. So he went home. 

The sight that greeted him at home was one that he was expecting. His boyfriends all curled up on opposite sides of the living room; Jason sitting on the armchair with his head in his hands, Will curled up with his knees to his chest on the loveseat while Nico was on the couch, wrapped in a burrito of blankets. He couldn’t see Jason’s face but Will and Nico’s eyes were red and puffy. Percy’s heart hurt seeing them like that, knowing they had been crying so he took it upon himself to lighten the mood, stepping forward and clearing his throat. 

Three pairs of sad eyes looked at him in surprise. Jason’s were red-rimmed as well and Percy’s urge to comfort swelled up even more so he spoke. 

“Alright well…I was doing a lot of thinking while I was out and I realized I didn’t need to listen to you guys so I’ve decided to screw this-” He started, only to be cut off by a loud wail, Nico practically shooting out of his blanket burrito and latching himself around Percy’s waist as he burst into tears.

“No! No no, Percy, please! I’m sorry, please don’t leave us, Percy, I love you, you can’t-” Nico practically begged, starting to shake with how hard he was crying. Percy stared at him in shock, looking over at Jason and Will to see if they knew what was going on. Only to see Will look like he had been struck speechless, his eyes quickly filling with tears while Jason was standing now, his expression horrified before it turned desperately pleading, reaching out a trembling hand towards Percy who was now glancing around at all three of them with growing alarm. He thought back over his words to try and figure out what he had said, before realizing he had made it sound like he was breaking up with them. Oops. 

“No! No, no no no, I’m not breaking up with you guys! Don’t worry! I meant I didn’t have to listen to you guys yesterday! When we were shopping!” He gently pushed Nico away a bit so he could show them the shopping bag he’d hidden behind his back. Then he fumbled a bit with the plastic before revealing the shark onesie in all its glory.  “See?! Shark onesie!” He explained hurriedly. 

The three of them stared at the onesie in disbelief. Then Will slumped into the cushions in relief, Jason managing a fond, albeit shaky smile while Nico burst into some sort of sobbing laughter, very insistently tugging Percy down onto the couch and snuggling close to him. Jason and Will joined them as well, the four of them smushing together into one big cuddle pile. 

There was a lot of touching, they all had the overwhelming need to make sure that everyone was there. Apologies were whispered, nobody wanting the others to take their past words to heart. When Nico nestled his face into the crook of his neck, Percy held him tightly. When Will moved to lay across all three of their laps, Percy ran his fingers through his hair. When Jason pressed a kiss to the top of his head, Percy leaned into him and kissed his cheek. 

He knew they would have to have a proper talk about this later. They always agreed to talk about what went wrong during their fights since it never helped them to sweep everything under the rug. It allowed too many doubts and insecurities to fester that way. 

But right now, Percy was more than content to just be there with his shark onesie, his cuddles and his three beautiful boyfriends. They were going to be okay. 

[wching]

Inspired by the behind the scenes (Ant-Man and The Wasp) photos on Evangeline Lilly's Ig.

It had been a few days since his release from house arrest and Scott Lang had never appreciated his freedom as much as before this, apart from the three years he had spent in prison. He had went over to his ex-wife's house the first thing in the morning and had spent an enormous amount of time with Cassie outside the confines of a closed space. Still, at the back of his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about Hope. He was sure that the Pym-Van Dyne family will be having a celebratory family reunion and he didn't want to intrude, therefore, he thought he should give her some space and time before contacting her.

He woke up bleary-eyed, partially exhausted after his long outings with his daughter, awoken up by the rays of sunlight that had streamed through the curtains. He flipped over and laid on his stomach, his mind wandering to Hope, once again. For the past two years, he had missed having her by his side, missed waking up next to her, missed her kisses, her soft touches, he had missed everything about her, and their recent reunion had reignited the old flame between them. He was certain her feelings were mutual too, judging by the way she had kissed him on the docks, even though he was nearly hypoxic, he was still able to appreciate her soft lips on his.

He inhaled deeply, determined to muster up the courage to ask her out. She and her family were still on the run, but things had toned down a little after his release from house arrest, and he figured out that they could meet discreetly. He was about to reach out for his handphone on the bedside table when it vibrated. To his surprise, it was a message from Hope. His eyes widened, and he sat up on his bed, his sleepiness disappearing instantly.

Hey Scott.

Hey. I was just thinking about you. Without hesitation, he pressed send, though he immediately regretted it, hoping it wouldn't scare her away.

On the other side, Hope was sitting at the dining table in her house, staring at her phone screen, smiling at his reply.

Really? To be honest, she couldn't keep him off her mind too, and for the past few days, she had been struggling with dealing about her feelings for him. Seeing him in person again, she realised her anger towards him had slowly dissipated, she couldn't stay angry around him for very long and was replaced by a sense of longing and affection instead.

I was just going to ask you out. He decided to try his luck.

Maybe we could meet up? She was straightforward.

They received the messages at the same time. He jumped on the bed, his smile expanding into a gleeful grin, while her smile deepened, her dark green eyes brightened. He waited for her reply with bated breath.

Sure. Where? She replied.

What about that favourite taco food truck of yours? I know they're still around there. He had brought her there for their first date as she had asked him to surprise her. Frankly, it was because he simply couldn't afford a fancy lunch back then but he also wanted to be unconventional, in his own way. Deep down, he knew she wouldn't mind because even though she was born wealthy and privileged, she wasn't materialistic and snobbish.

I seem to recall that they're actually your favourite Scott. How could she forget their first date where they had sat on a bench by the roadside eating tacos, while he was making her smile and laugh the whole time by being himself. It made her realised that one of the many things she loved about him was, him being able to stay true to himself. Even though he seemed like a goofball on the surface, she knew he was unpretentious, modest and intelligent. He didn't have to try too hard to impress her because she was already falling for his genuine self.

It became your favourite too. He could still remember the way he had made her laugh, and how he couldn't stop staring because he was mesmerised by her. At that time, she was starting to let loose after reconciling with father, and most importantly, she was letting her walls down because of him. She rarely laughed when he had met her and suddenly, it hit him at that time that all he ever wanted to do was to make her happy. They had returned to the taco truck several times after their first date.

Though still wearing a smile on her face, she rolled her eyes. I'll see you there then.

Deal.

And so there they were, at the taco food truck, waiting in line for tacos. They had greeted each other with a simple hello, and were now standing side by side in silence, shoulders lightly brushing against each other, their hands so close they could feel their little fingers grazing each other. It was the first time they were both truly alone together, as their previous encounter were amidst chaos and other people.

"How's Janet doing? She's adapting well?", he turned to a look at her, smiling a little, breaking the silence.

"Mom's fine. She's amazed at how far technology has come and dad's been updating her about the progress and advancements of his research and our suits. We're just spending time together as a family. Everything's great.", she explained enthusiastically, her eyes sparkled with excitement. They were making up for lost time and she was glad to have both of her parents by her side once again.

"That's great! I'm glad that things worked out well in the end.", he gazed softly at her. He felt contented knowing she was happy.

"I'm glad too.", she beamed.

"Your orders please?", they were interrupted by the vendor.

"Right. One crunchy taco supreme for the lady please and one soft taco supreme with double cheese for me. Take away. That right?", he grinned and winked at Hope.

Her mouth curved into a small grin, touched. "You remember."

"Of course I do.", he would never forget her favourite things.

"Here you go!", the vendor handed over a paper bag to Hope.

"Let me get it.", she was about to pay but was stopped by Scott.

"Hey, no, it's on me, I insist.", he refused.

They turned away from the taco truck and walked down a flight of stairs. "You know, I never got to say thank you, for helping us...", she glanced appreciatively at him. Without him, they probably wouldn't have been able to save her mother from the Quantum Realm.

"It's no big deal, it's the least I could do, after my screw up...", he paused and cleared his throat, he gave her a sideway glance, hoping to catch her reaction.

She just looked at him, slightly tight-lipped, expression masked. Occasionally, when they were together, it was hard to gauge her response or feelings but as he got to know her better, he was familiar with her facial expressions and body language. She was contemplating his statement. "Whatever happened, happened Scott. It's in the past now and you paid the price."

"I wouldn't have done it if the price included losing you.", he blurted out impulsively, but honest.

"You didn't lose me. I wouldn't be here if you did.", she stated plainly as she looked at him affectionately, a thin, shy smile blossoming on her face. To be honest, it didn't help that for the past two years of his house arrest, she had been secretly keeping tabs on him, which had only made her miss him more.

He was slightly taken aback by her reply, he didn't know what to say, so he just gazed at her endearingly. "I'm famished. Shall we eat?", he clapped his hands together, and walked towards a bench, while motioning for her to come over.

"You sound like you haven't eaten for days.", she laughed and sat next to him.

"I had a lot of ice-cream.", he half-joked, which was partially true. He took the paper bag from her and unwrapped her taco, taking a bite before handing it to her.

"Hey! That's mine!", she glared at him and smacked his shoulder.

He flashed a goofy smile. "Sorry. Habit.", he quipped with his mouth full.

"Some things never change.", she smirked.

They ate their tacos in silence, soaking in the warm sun, and enjoying each other's company. It had been a while since they were so carefree. It reminded them of old times. Occasionally, he stole glances at her, looking at her side profile, hoping she wouldn't notice. "You've got a little bit of mayo there...", he stared at her and pointed at her upper lip.

"What?", she turned to him.

"Hold still." His gaze fell on her lips, and he lightly bit his lip, resisting the urge to kiss her there and then. Still, without a thought, he leaned forwards, reached his hand out and gently wiped the smudge off with his thumb. "There, all gone.", he smiled warmly.

She looked at him, and her eyes shone with fondness. He was always so gentle with her. "Thanks.", she mumbled.

They stared at each other tenderly for a few seconds, tension rising. For some reason, they still gave each other butterflies.

He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Maybe we could hang out again, some time, maybe with Cassie?", he asked carefully. "She misses you." I miss you, he wanted to say.

"I would love to.", she replied without hesitation.

"Great!"

She cleared up the empty wrappers and placed them in the paper bag. "I'll better get going. Thanks for the lunch Scott.", she smiled softly and stood up.

"Hey Hope...", he lightly grabbed her hand, as he stood up abruptly and pulled her towards him. She turned around, slightly surprised by his touch. They were facing each other now, both of their faces only inches away that they could feel each other's breath. Their eyes meet, his stare intense, and quickly, she looked away and gazed downwards. He tilted forwards, and closed the distance between them, the tips of their noses slightly touching. He took it as a good sign when she didn't move backwards. Feeling braver, he cupped her cheek, and gently caressed it with his thumb. She bit her lip, hesitant, while he dipped his head, their lips almost touching. He couldn't withstand the desire to kiss her, and so he did, as he softly pressed his lips against hers. She reciprocated immediately, her lips parted slightly as their kiss deepened, and she melted into his body, her hands running up his hair, as his other hand slid around her waist, his grip on her tightened. They pulled apart after a moment, both taking in shaky, shallow breaths.

"Let me take you home?", he grinned widely and stroked her hair.

"Sure.", she nodded, still feeling exhilarated from the kiss. 

And so, he took her hand in his, and together they walked towards her car.  

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15670383/chapters/37170785