#But they've decided that's not really where they wanna keep heading

[nerdygirlramblings]

continued adventures of omegaverse!141

previous

an: the idea of separate task force and pack comes directly from @dragonnarrative-writes and their amazing 'Autumn Embers' series

You leave breakfast feeling both lighter and heavier. An invitation to join the 141 is a dream come true, and the idea that someone other than Captain Price was speaking favorably about your skills is intoxicating. You only know the members of the 141 by reputation, so you don't know who'd seen you on the shooting range. You wish you knew so you could properly thank them.

When he'd made the offer, Price said he'd like to speak to you more formally at 1600. You've never been anything but basic infantry, so you wonder what needs to happen to ensure your transfer into the 141. To keep yourself circling around things you can't control, you focus on leading your squad through basic land nav maneuvers.

After land nav and lunch, it's sparring and workouts in the gym. The room is busier than you like, especially as you aren't here for yourself. The constant eyes on you and your squad throw them off, but you use it to remind them all how important it is to focus despite the pressure. It certainly isn't an active battlefield, but the fight - flight - freeze reaction can help train them out of that headspace.

When it's finally time to meet Price, you dismiss your squad for the day and head to the base office complex. He told you where to find him, and you're knocking at the door a few minutes early.

"Punctual," he rumbles when he opens the door. "'s a good sign." He gestures you into his office and you notice it's spartan nature. There are only a few items in the wall: mostly awards and commendations. There's a single photo frame on the desk but positioned so only Price, or someone on his side of the desk, can see it. You wonder what it is. It must be special to be one of the few personal items in the room.

The space is dominated by a large walnut desk meant to intimidate. As if his leading 141 isn't enough. As though being an alpha, and a large one at that, wasn't already nerve-wracking for anyone sitting across from him.

He must know how the optics of the space works because he comes and sits in the chair left open next to you. He has a thin folder in his hand as he sits.

"I wanna clear the air 'bout something first. I'm sure ya know the 141's an elite task force. But we're also a pack. I know lots 'a military packs form 'cause 'a proximity: always stationed tahgether or 'round one another all the time without really bein' compatible. But that ain't us. We're compatible as a task force an' a pack. But, and I wanna stress this, being pack ain't necessary to be on the task force. Task force wan's yer skill. 'owever, if ya do join the task force, we've already decided we're open at courtin' ya, if yer open ta bein' courted."

You reel, feeling like the ground has opened underneath you. Price must notice the panic in your eyes because he forges on.

"What I got 'ere," he lifts the slim folder, " is transfer orders. Effective immediately, or as immediately as I submit 'em. They've already got my signature. Once ya sign, if yer interested in bein' on the 141, ya'd train wi' us, run drills an' simulations wi' us. Like squads, we eat tahgether an' have the same R&R. Only thing ya wouldn' do is move inta the barracks wi' us. Not unless ya decided ya wanted to be part 'a the pack. Ya'd still work wi' recruits, but ya wouldn' 'ave a specific squad."

"Wait," you interrupt, "what happens to my soldiers then, if I don't have a squad?"

Price smiles wide at that. "Lookin' out fer 'em's good. Important to the unity of the task force ta look out fer one another. But no task force sergeant has their own squad 'cause we could be sent out at any time. Tha' lack 'a consistency would be worse fer 'em. So, yeah, someone'd take yer squad."

He watches you contemplate all it would mean to become part of his task force. It's a lot, and he hopes you're still up for the challenge, because the more time he spends with you, the more he wants you on the task force and in his pack.

You finally shake off the fog in your head and ask Price for some time to think about it before fully committing. "An' I'm sorry, sir. Because I know I said yes just this morning, but I never thought I'd lose my squad." You pause for a moment before quietly adding, "An' I never imagined the offer included being part of a pack."

He catches your eye and reminds you, "Ya'd only be pack if ya wanted to be. And we'd court ya the right way. If ya wanted."

In the end he gives you the folder and says there's no official deadline for the offer, but he would appreciate a firm answer - either with signed or voided papers - within two days.

You nod, already thinking through who you wanted to consult about this when Price pulls you from your thoughts again.

"Can I make one small request?" he asks politely.

You nod, adding, "If it's reasonable, sir, absolutely."

He gifts you another smile as he leans forward and says, "Join us in the mess tonight? I'd like to officially introduce you to the lads before you make your decision."

next

[candied-cae]

I am so sad that it seems like they're really done with Teal Oranges. Honestly, that's one of the biggest weak points of this season so far.

Season 1 ended not just with Stede and Ed separated, but notably with Oluwande and Jim and Pete and Lucius torn apart. That was something so many of us were so eager to see fixed, we wanted all those couples reunited as they are the two relationships that takes a supporting role right behind Gentlebeard and is able to exemplify the easier and more simple or stable nature of the couples who stay out of the main pairing's drama.

And with the introduction of Zheng Yi Sao and Archie, I like the characters. They're pretty fun, Zheng is so smart and tactful and Archie is so comedic and earnest. Between the two, Archie def needs more building, but I did find the Oluwande and Zheng romance to be genuinely compelling. But only if I wasn't thinking about Jim.

It just feels so sudden to have Jim and Oluwande be done with each other (romantically) considering they were definitely still a couple at the end of the season and it only seems like it's been a couple months since they last saw each other.

Had they just been best friends who ended up hooking up and were probably going to decide they worked better as friends, I would be way more on board and down for these new couples! But it felt like they were pretty clearly written as a serious relationship that we'd see stick together through the end.

And the entirety of us getting closure on their relationship is just- "I've missed you." "I kissed someone." "Okay then." "I also saw her boobs." "Cool, I guess, but I think that's tmi."

And my bestie pointed out, though Olu def seemed to be flirting back with Zheng, he didn't take things to kissing until after hearing that Jim was already kissing someone else. And when Zheng asks him, Oluwande doesn't say yes or no on if he and Jim are over. He dodges the question and just says they're his best friend and family. Which would usually be a kind of line used to mean he was still planning to be with Jim and didn't want to lie, but still wanted to kiss Zheng in the moment so he omitted the reality with a little half-truth.

Which usually would keep my hopes up about a possible polycule (I'm really trying to keep my hopes up about a possible polycule) but we have that article with David calling Olu and Jim exes and saying he wants to use them to represent more complex relationship structures in the queer community with exes keeping healthy friendships and- come on man.

I really don't wanna give up on Teal Oranges, but the more I rewatch and the more I think about them, the more I worry.

[legandairy-horror]

Does anyone else feel a strange sort of dread waiting for new deltarune chapters?

It sounds crazy right? I admit it's a weird feeling for sure, and I'm not even 100% sure if dread is the right way to describe it. But as more info is revealed and the next chapter inevitably gets closer and closer to releasing I can't help but feel a strange sort of, melancholy? Longing? The only way I can describe it is "when you know the goodbye is coming". The strange somber feeling when you know you’re going to have to leave stuff behind, but aren't quite ready for it yet.

warning: words. Homestuck

In 3 months Chapter 1 will be 6 years old, and in 2 months Chapter 2 will be 3 years old. Deltarune is ostensibly in Early Access but this release schedule puts new chapters closer in time scale to whole sequals if anything, which they most assuredly are not trying to be. This has created a strange situation in the fanbase that I don't think I've ever truly seen anywhere else. One where, In the time between chapters It feels like everyone has had their own chance to decide what Deltarune is to them. To create their own version of this story, to write their own themes that they want to see explored, to imagine their own events and plot twists they want to see play out.

@lynxgriffin Paper Trail Comic Being an Alternate Story following off of chapter 1

@lilybug-02 The Chara Timeline Being one of many interpretations on the popular Asriel & Chara roommates headcannon.

@huecycles Andromeda Chapters being their interpretation on the full game

The innumerable Deltarune Theorists and analysts like HalfBreadChaos, Andrew Cunningham, Stuffed Alpaca, etc. etc.

@vyletbunni Deltatraveler being a whole ass fangame based around a chapter 2 meme that it has long since outlived

And that's kinda the thing isn't it? Once more deltarune comes out, a ton of these projects will just become outdated, it's an inevitability. So what will happen to them? will they become forgotten? maybe, maybe not, it's impossible to tell. but either way it feels kinda sad to think about yknow? that one day all the time and effort spent and all the memories made might one day just cease to exist.

There's a lot more I could say on this topic if given the chance but to keep this tumblr post from morphing into a 2 hour long video essay in text form let me leave off with this.

In the age of the internet and social media there will always be a fan of something. Nothing truly dies quite like it used to anymore, regardless of whatever influencers want you to believe. But that doesn't mean things stop changing, that there wasn't a past that has since been left behind. I'm a Homestuck fan. more specifically I'm a Late Homestuck fan, one who came in after the comic had already ended and it's peak in popularity was long behind it. The fandom's still around all these years later. But it'd be foolish to admit that, 8 years after the comics controversial end, the inescapable trend of new fans replacing old fans has left the fandom wholly disconnected from the monolith that it once was. the only remnants of which lie in decades old discourse and fanfiction. Like old relics of a long forgotten city, waiting to be excavated under a fine layer of dirt.

Before I close out here I just want to make it clear: I'm not saying that we should be trying to return to some nebulous "glorious past" that never really existed. I'm not trying to deride Toby Fox for not working in the sweatshop hard enough to produce more content™, or whatever you wanna try and spin-doctor this post into. It's just a thought that creeps into my head every now that I wanted to share, see if anyone feels the same, yknow?

Besides it's not all doom and gloom. For those of you OG Homestucks who read till the end. You remember Heinoustuck? Guidestuck? Nightfall? Fucking Ke$haStuck? yeah those are still going by the way! after years of inactivity they've now started back up again. some under new authors and some by the same author but still!

You could say a lot about that but to me at least, it makes me feels hopeful in a way. That, even if not everything will survive. we'll at least have some mementos to remember what came before.

[lyneira]

♡ falling asleep on their shoulder ♡

-> how they would react if you ended up falling asleep on their shoulder

lyneira's 1.2k milestone event

Will be a bit annoyed (at first)

Leona, Ace, Jack

They'd wanna wake you up, gently nudging you, "oi, my shoulder isn't for you to sleep on", but seeing how fast asleep you were and seeing how adorable your resting face was had them giving in.

I feel like Leona would be inclined to sleep as well, eyelids growing heavy and his head occasionally leaning on yours, but he would try to keep himself awake because he didn't want anyone to disturb you. If anyone walked in making a ruckus, he'd shoot them a glare and quietly tell them to shut up lol.

When you wake up, these dudes would definitely be like, "Finally awake, sleepyhead? Well you owe me one for drooling all over my shoulder". Apologize all you want, the only acceptable payment he'll take is your love and affection, particularly in the form of a kiss, hehe 😘

Wouldn't really know what to do

Idia, Deuce, Epel, Ruggie

They'd probably freeze up when they've realized you've just fallen asleep on their shoulder. Should they wake you up? Should they just let you rest on them? They wouldn't know what to do. While they don't want to disturb you, knowing how tired you must have been, the longer you leaned on them, the more they would observe your lovely, peaceful visage, note the warmth radiating from your body as you were clinging onto their arm, and just wouldn't be able to handle the adoration that they felt for you overwhelm them. They would feel their heart rate go up and feel their cheeks grow hotter as you held them closer in your sleep. He wasn't used to being in close contact with you for such long periods of time after all.

Sleeps along with you

Floyd, Cater, Kalim, Che'nya, Silver

He's going to lean his head on yours and fall asleep too. He doesn't plan on waking you up and would feel too bored just sitting there that he decides he might as well sleep. I think it would become a routine between you both. The moment he feels your head weigh down on his shoulder, he'll stop whatever he was doing and would grin, "I guess it's nap time for me too!!", and then sleep. Let's be real, he probably uses it as an excuse to slack off, yet, at the same time, he truly enjoyed moments like these where he could simply rest and be so close to you.

Before sleeping, I can totally see Cater taking a selfie of you sleeping with him waving a peace sign and captioning it, "Nap time~!"

Is as happy as can be

Rook, Malleus, Lilia, Neige

When he feels the weight of your head resting on his shoulder and sees you asleep, they are over the moon for you. They're just so happy to know that you're this comfortable and relaxed enough around them, that their hearts are all a flutter. He's so tempted to scoop you up in his arms and let you rest there, holding you close to their chest, but seeing how peaceful you already look right now, he chooses to keep still. Though, if you subconsciously nuzzle your face into his shoulder, he's gonna want to kiss you right then and there. You're just. Too. CUTE!!! 😤💘

And if you do end up waking up because of it, he'll apologize but will be thankful deep down because now, he'll take this chance to let you sleep in his arms instead, where he can keep you close, safe and protected in his warm embrace, kissing your forehead as you again fall asleep, "Rest well, my love. I'll be here for you when you wake up"

Will wake you up

Vil, Jamil, Rollo, Sebek

Yes, these guys will wake you up especially if they had things to do, but will do so politely (excluding Sebek, he'll be loud asf) and with good intentions. If you're this tired, then he suggests that you lay down and sleep in your bed. Y'know, so you can be more comfortable, and the last thing he wants is you getting a stiff neck from sleeping on his shoulder.

Yet, if you insist enough that you want to sleep with him near you, then he'll oblige by either letting you lay your head on his lap or by carrying you to your room and sleeping beside you. In the case that he sleeps beside you, when he sees you've finally succumbed to sleep, he'll try to slip out to continue his work. But once your hand instinctively reaches out to grab his sleeve and mutter his name, he stops, and resigns himself to laying beside you again, huffing, "oh boy, what am I gonna do with you..?" , while softly caressing your cheek with his thumb. He tries, but he simply can't resist you.

Won't be bothered at all

Azul, Riddle, Jade, Trey

If it was possible, he would simply continue what he was doing, albeit more subtle and quieter now. You sleeping on their shoulder wasn't bothersome to him. He found it quite endearing actually.

He liked the contact and for you to be vulnerable like this with him, he doesn't want to ruin the moment. You are now under his care. And he'll ensure that no one disturbs you and that you're able to lean on him comfortably. I think he'd feel free to show more affection towards you now that you were asleep. He'd kiss the top of your head, and probably keep his hand on your thigh or on top of yours, gently rubbing circles on your skin as he continues his task. If any strands of hair were covering your face, he'd promptly move it away so that he'd be able to thoroughly admire you, smiling because of how fortunate he feels to be with you.

© 2023 lyneira. PLEASE DO NOT COPY, PLAGIARIZE, OR REPOST MY WRITING ONTO OTHER PLATFORMS

[writingforstraykids]

hiya! i'm still pretty new to your blog but i really like your writing! english isn't my first language but i hope my request is still understandable ^^

m!reader (with they/them pronouns if possible 👉🏻👈🏻) is best friends with chan. chan praises the reader in some way and figures out that they have a praise kink so he just keeps praising them to make them flustered all the time (bonus points if he throws in the classic 'good boy')

oh and i wanted to ask if i could maybe be 🦖 anon?

thank you!

It's always been you

Pairing: Chan x m!reader with they/them pronouns (mention of Minsung)

Word Count: 4301

Summary: Chan and you have been best friends for what feels like forever. You long for more, not knowing that Chan feels the same. Minho and Jisung decide to lend you a hand the way Chan and you did for them.

Warnings/Tags: friends to lovers, fluff, slight angst, smut, teasing, praise kink, dry humping

A/N: I know we've talked a while ago about this request but I hope I did your wishes for it justice, my dear🖤

do not repost, translate, or plagiarize my works in any way here or on other platforms. ©️writingforstraykids 2024 -

You hum gently to yourself as you make your way back home, scrolling through your phone as you try to find a good song. A smile covers your lips as your best friend's voice rings through your ears and you can't help the warm feeling spreading through you. Chan invited you over for a movie night with the boys, and you couldn't wait to spend time with them…or him. Being around Chan made you feel things you never felt for anyone else ever before. Those soft brown eyes, beautiful smile, and warm hugs made you feel so loved. You know there's no chance he would ever love you back, but that didn't stop you from gazing after him. 

You reach their dorm, and Minho lets you in, pulling you into a short hug. “Hey, Min.”

“Hey,” he smiles and closes the door behind you. “Channie hyung will be there in a bit. He went out to grab some snacks with Ji,” he explains and pats your back, leading you inside. 

“Oh, okay,” you nod and glance around the living room, where they've already set everything up. “Can I still help with anything?”

“Nah, you're fine,” he tells you and gently shoves you toward the sofa. “Relax, okay? We got it.”

-

“Fuck, Ji, it's getting worse every time they're there,” Chan sighs and grabs some of your favorite cookies. 

“Worse?” Jisung frowns, and Chan nods weakly. 

“Yeah, they're so funny and adorable and so pretty,” he says and glances at his friend nervously. “I really want to be more than just friends.”

Jisung squints his eyes at him suspiciously. “Just sex or more?” he asks quietly. 

“Not just sex,” Chan shakes his head and awkwardly scratches his neck. “I wanna be there for them, make sure they're safe and loved.”

“Why don't you tell them?” he asks curiously. 

“I'm scared of ruining our friendship,” he admits. 

“You will, one way or the other, won't you?” he asks gently. “You'll regret it if you don't tell them, believe me. I could've saved myself a lot of pain if I told Minho hyung a lot earlier.” 

“Yeah, but…I told you Minho loves you. You had some clarity after that,” he sighs softly. 

“I can ask Y/nnie,” he shrugs, and Chan's eyes widen fearfully. “Then I'll tell you, and you can decide what to do with that information.”

“Yeah, okay,” he gives in after a moment. 

-

You look up as they return from the store and smile softly, spotting Chan and giving him a small wave. Chan smiles back, walks past you, and gently pats your head. “Hey, bestie.”

“Hey,” you smile gently, swallowing at the word that once brought you so much comfort but now is a simple reminder of what you didn't have. 

You see Minho greeting Jisung, pulling him into a hug, and gently rubbing his back. He asks him something you can't quite hear, but his eyes are so soft, his voice gentle, it makes your heartache. Minho giggles at Jisung’s answer and cups his face, kissing his forehead. You quickly look away, biting your lower lip. You still remember how happy you were when they got together, but over time it got hard to watch, wishing for something like this with Chan. “Y/nnie, can I talk to you for a second?” Jisung asks as he pulls back. “I need help with something.”

“You're okay?” Minho asks worriedly. 

“I'm okay,” he assures him softly and squeezes his hand. “Come on,” he waves you over. You get up, not noticing Chan's anxious glance as you leave the room. 

Minho glances at him suspiciously. “Oh…that?”

“Mhm,” Chan nods nervously and Minho flashes him an encouraging smile. 

“How could they not love you, huh?” he chuckles compassionately. “Relax, hyungie.”

-

Only a little later, you're back in the living room, trying not to look all too confused. There isn't much space left on the sofa, and Chan pulls you into his lap naturally. You sink back into him and bite your lower lip nervously. Why the hell did Jisung ask if you're in love? With Chan? Was it that obvious? 

You can barely focus on the movie playing and want nothing more but to leave and think this all through. It's over sooner than you thought, and you're all sitting in a circle on the carpet now. 

“Truth or dare anyone?” Seungmin asks, and you curse yourself quietly. Of course. 

“Not for me, I should get -” you start and see Chan's smile fading. 

“You're leaving already?” he asks worriedly, and you nod quickly.

“Oh, come on, Y/nnie,” Jeongin pouts at you. 

“You can't leave already,” Changing protests and places the cards into your circle. 

“Fine,” you give in weakly and sit down next to Chan, who lifts you into his lap rather quickly again. His arms wrap around your waist, and his chin rests on your shoulder. “Clingy,” you comment fondly. 

“Fuck off,” Chan gives back just as fondly. 

The game goes on, and luckily, you're getting easy tasks and questions that don't make you uncomfortable. Jisung is sleeping in Minho's lap by now as the latter plays with his hair, and Felix's head is resting on his shoulder. Seungmin and Innie keep on teasing each other, hoping for the most stupid questions for each other. Changbin is still reading the questions, and Hyunjin giggles every time he shows him beforehand. You're still comfortable in Chan's lap and giggle as Seungmin spins the bottle, and it points at the two of you. 

“That's pretty in the middle,” Changbin states and frowns softly. 

“I can go; I'll take truth,” Chan volunteers. Changbin glances down at the question before grinning. 

“Do you have a crush? If so, who?” he reads out loud, and Chan stiffens beneath you. 

“I do,” he nods, and your throat dries. 

“Who?” Hyunjin asks, pointing out the second part of the question. 

“Someone I know really well,” Chan says, and your heart drops. That could be everyone in this room, and looking at the others, you know it can't be you. There's no chance. You push yourself from his lap before you fully comprehend your thoughts, excusing yourself for the bathroom. Chan glances after you worriedly as you bump into the table on the way out and exchanges a worried look with Minho. 

“I got it,” Minho nods and gently plants a sleeping Jisung into Felix's lap. “You go on,” he tells the rest before making his way upstairs to the bathroom. Minho gently knocks at the door and fondly rolls his eyes as you don't answer. “Y/nnie, let me in,” he says and waits for another moment. “I'll go get Chan if you don't.” You quickly open the door and pull him inside, locking the door again. “Cozy,” he comments teasingly. 

“Why are you even here?” you sigh softly and sit down heavily at the edge of the bathtub. 

“Shouldn't I ask you that? This can't be more comfortable than Chan hyung’s lap,” he says and sits down next to you, shaking his head. “Definitely not.”

“Mhm, you should know, right?” you ask sarcastically, and Minho grins. 

“Oh, I do…I've seen…or felt…everything you dream about,” he chuckles and gently pats your thigh. “I'm with Ji. What's stopping you now, huh?”

“Don't be ridiculous,” you shake your head and sigh heavily. “There's no way on earth Chan would love me and - oh fuck, I sound just like you,” you groan. 

“You do,” he giggles. “And I remember you telling me to get myself together and finally realize how handsome I am.”

“Well, you are, you dumbass,” you roll your eyes at him. “That doesn't exactly apply to me.”

“I think…I know Chan thinks very differently about that,” he says and is quiet for a moment. “So do I, dumbass,” he says and gently smacks the back of your head. 

Minho's words hit you like a wave, washing away the stubborn layers of doubt that had clung to you all evening. Despite the sting of his playful smack, there's an undeniable warmth in his words, an affirmation that maybe, just maybe, Chan might feel the same way about you. 

"But, Min," you start, your voice trembling slightly from the mix of hope and uncertainty, "What if you're wrong? What if he doesn't... What if it's not me he's talking about?"

Minho raises an eyebrow and gives you a look that screams exasperation mixed with fondness. "Y/nnie, when have I ever steered you wrong? Listen, Chan's not as good at hiding his feelings as he thinks. The way he looks at you? I've seen it. It's more than just friendship. This isn’t my talk to have, though, you know?"

You're about to respond, but there's a knock on the bathroom door that makes you both flinch. "It's me," a voice says, one that sends butterflies rampaging through your stomach. Chan.

Minho winks at you and stands up. He walks past Chan with a knowing look as he exits the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar. You're frozen in place, your heart pounding so loudly you're sure Chan can hear it.

Chan steps inside, closes the door behind him, and leans against it. His eyes search yours, filled with a nervous energy that matches your own. "Y/nnie, are you okay? I noticed you left suddenly..."

Taking a deep breath, you nod slowly, trying to muster the courage that Minho seemed to think you had in abundance. "I'm okay, Chan. Just... a lot on my mind, I guess."

Chan moves closer, his concern evident. "Anything you want to talk about? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

The sincerity in his voice nearly breaks you. With a shaky exhale, you decide it's now or never. "Chan, I... I need to ask you something. Earlier, when you said you have a crush... was that-"

Chan's face changes then, but before you can interpret it, he lets out a breath he seems to have been holding. "Yes, it's you. It's always been you, Y/nnie. I was just too scared to say anything because I didn't want to ruin what we had."

The words you had feared and hoped to hear tumble into the small space between you, and for a moment, the world stops. Tears prick your eyes, not from sadness but from an overwhelming relief that floods through you.

"Chan, I... I feel the same," you confess, the weight of your unspoken feelings lifting off your shoulders. "I was so afraid you'd never see me that way."

Chan steps forward, closing the distance between you in an instant. His hands cup your face gently, and he smiles - a real, soft smile that you've dreamed of being meant for you. "How could I not? You're amazing, Y/nnie. I've just been an idiot about it."

And then he kisses you, a soft, sweet kiss that promises more. As you melt into him, the fears and doubts of the past fade away, replaced by the excitement of what comes next.

Outside the bathroom, the sounds of the ongoing game and the laughter of your friends continue, a reminder of the world waiting for you both. But for now, in this small, shared space, nothing matters more than the two of you finally bridging the gap between friendship and something much deeper.

When you finally pull away, Chan's grin is as bright as the stars you imagine are shining outside. "Come on," he says, taking your hand. "Let's go back.”

The two of you sit down again, and you lean back against him comfortably. Your eyes meet Minho’s, and you can’t help but beam at him. Minho smiles gently and winks at you, focusing back on the game. Chan gently intertwines your hands in front of your stomach and rests his head on your shoulder. “Tired?” you ask him quietly enough for only him to hear.

“Starting to be, yeah,” he hums quietly. “You wanna stay tonight?” he asks so sweetly there was no chance you’d deny him. 

“I would love to,” you nod.

The evening goes on, but the atmosphere around you is subtly different now. The other guys seem to pick up on the shift; quick, knowing glances are exchanged, and an occasional smirk is poorly disguised as a cough. As the evening slowly comes to a stop, the games gradually transform into yawns and stretching limbs. One by one, the room starts to empty as everyone heads to their room. Changbin claps Chan on the back as he passes by, whispering something that makes Chan chuckle and squeeze your hand tighter.

Once the room is empty, Chan shifts slightly, turning to face you. "So, what do you want to do?" he asks, his voice low and warm. "We could start another movie, just the two of us, or maybe just talk?"

"The talking sounds nice," you reply, smiling at him

Chan nods in agreement and stands, leading you to his room. You’ve been here so often before, but you never fail to feel at home here. He shuts the door behind you and sits on the edge of the bed, patting the space next to him.

You join him, feeling a blend of excitement and nervousness. "I'm really glad you're here," Chan begins, turning to you with a beautiful smile that makes your heart flutter. "I've wanted to talk like this for so long but didn't know how to start."

"Me too," you admit. "I always wondered what this would be like, talking to you like this, knowing we both feel the same way."

Chan reaches out, brushing a strand of hair from your face. "I've been so scared of messing things up," he confesses. "I didn't want to lose you by taking a step that might have been too much, too soon."

You nod, understanding his fears because they mirror your own. "But we didn't mess it up, did we? We're here now, and it feels right."

"It does," he agrees, his eyes lighting up with a mixture of relief and happiness. "It feels perfect."

"What do you think will happen with us?" you ask a small part of you needing reassurance that tonight's magic will extend beyond dawn.

Chan squeezes your hand, his gaze steady. "I think we're going to be great," he says. "We already know each other so well, and we care about each other. We just have to keep doing what we're doing."

"I love that," you whisper, leaning your head against his shoulder.

"I love you," Chan says softly, the words spoken so naturally, echoing through the quiet room.

"I love you too, Channie," you respond, turning to face him. Your eyes meet his in a look that feels like a promise. He smiles sweetly, dimples showing, and gives you another quick kiss.

Chan stands up and offers you a shirt to sleep in, his shy smile making you laugh. You change and slide under the covers beside him, his arm coming around to hold you close.

The comfort of his embrace and the steady beat of his heart soon draw you into slumber, the challenges of the day fading into the peace of the night.

Two weeks later

You’re at the kitchen table with Minho, whispering the details of Chan’s and your first kiss and talk to him. You haven’t really had time to before with Minho gone for a few days. Minho listens curiously, nodding along, and you can tell he’s happy for you. The rest slowly join you for breakfast, and then Chan comes back from his shower after his gym session. His curls are still damp, a bright smile covering his face as he sees you. He passes you, gently squeezing your shoulder. “Morning, pretty,” he says softly, and you can’t help but feel flustered. A quick kiss to your temple follows, and he’s gone again already, getting himself something to drink. 

Minho notices the blush settling on your cheeks and giggles. “That easily?” he asks, amused. 

You gently shove his shoulder. “Shut up,” you mutter. “I’m not used to it.”

“Mhm,” he hums, still giggling softly.

It gets worse as Chan slips into the chair next to you, flashing you a bright smile and casually resting his hand on your thigh. “You slept well, beautiful?” he asks, not noticing the blush on your cheeks deepening. 

What the hell? Why were his simple words causing such warmth to spread through your body? Why are you blushing so hard after a few kind words? His eyes meet yours, and your stomach tightens at the love in them. Fuck.

“Yeah, did you?” you ask shyly.

“Of course, you’ve always been amazing at cuddling,” he compliments you, and you subconsciously shift in your chair. 

You manage a small smile in response to Chan’s gaze, the affection evident in his eyes almost too much to process so early in the morning. He chuckles softly, his hand squeezing your thigh reassuringly, a simple gesture that somehow speeds up your fluttering heart.

“Sorry,” he whispers, leaning in so that only you can hear, “I didn’t mean to make you blush this much.” His voice is a blend of amusement and tenderness, sending a shiver down your spine. You can't help but feel a little overwhelmed by how natural it all seems to him, this newfound closeness between you.

“It’s okay,” you assure him. 

“Are you sure, pretty boy?” he asks and your lips part softly, eyes widening a little. 

“Channie,” you whisper softly, shaking your head. “Stop it.”

“Stop what?” he asks, a knowing smirk lacing his features. “I’m just saying what I see.”

Your teeth bury into your lower lip as you feel the earlier shyness shift into something much stronger. Chan was getting you all worked up over nothing, and you’re not even done with breakfast yet.

“Give them a break,” Minho leans over suddenly, rolling his eyes playfully at Chan. “You’re getting them all worked up at the breakfast table; behave,” he says quietly enough only for the pair of you to hear.

Chan’s eyes widen, lips parting in a silent ‘oh’ as he picks up on the effect his words have on you. He leans closer to you, his breath tickling your neck. “Didn’t know you had a thing for praise.”

“Me neither, now shut up,” you plead softly, shifting in your seat and pulling at your shirt to cover your lap. Chan’s low chuckle sends shivers down your spine, and you flinch as his hand moves up your thigh. You gaze at him nervously, but Chan doesn’t even glance in your direction, talking to Seungmin opposite him. By now, you can’t get up to escape the possibility of getting caught because you’re slowly growing hard.

Your breath hitches as you try to focus on anything but the warmth of Chan's hand, your body reacting despite the semi-public setting. It's a thrilling yet terrifying mix of emotions, the fear of being noticed wrestling with the pleasure of Chan's subtle touches.

"Hey, you okay?" Seungmin's voice cuts through your haze, and you snap your attention back to him, nodding quickly, too quickly.

"Yeah, just... thought I saw something outside," you stammer, hoping your voice doesn't betray the flush of heat crawling up your neck. Chan smirks slightly, his fingers pausing as if he's aware of your struggle to stay composed.

The rest of the breakfast passes with a sort of hushed intensity, your mind whirling with Chan's teasing and the palpable connection that seems to have everyone subtly glancing your way every so often. You're grateful when the meal finally ends, and there’s an opportunity to escape the intensity of the kitchen.

Chan stands and stretches, his shirt lifting slightly to reveal a sliver of his abdomen. You have to force your gaze away, feeling the heat in your cheeks intensify. "Wanna go upstairs?" he asks, his voice low, meant only for your ears. You pull at the hem of your shirt, nodding shyly and biting your lower lip in anticipation. Chan giggles and pulls you into a tight hug, whispering to you as some of the boys are still here. “Didn’t know you’d be able to hide it so well,” he tells you, hand running down your back. “Think you deserved yourself a reward, pretty boy?”

“Please,” you whisper, burying your flushed face in his shoulder. 

“If you’re good and keep quiet, I’ll help you out,” he whispers, and you tense in his arms, biting your lower lip hard. 

Your body reacts with a shiver at the promise in his words, the idea alone enough to draw a deep, yearning ache from within you. You nod against his shoulder, unable to speak, your heart pounding fiercely in your chest.

Chan leads you quietly upstairs, his hand gripping yours with a reassuring firmness. You pass a couple of the guys lounging in the living area, completely oblivious to the charged atmosphere between you two. Once inside his room, Chan locks the door with a soft click, the sound echoing slightly in the stillness.

"Sit down," he directs gently, pointing to the edge of his bed. You obey, watching him with wide eyes as he kneels down in front of you. His hands rest on your knees, his touch light but sending waves of anticipation through your body.

"How quiet do you think you can be?" Chan asks, his voice low and teasing, his breath warm against your skin as he leans closer.

"I'll be quiet," you promise, your voice barely above a whisper, trembling with the effort of keeping your composure.

Chan smiles, that knowing, mischievous grin that always sets your heart racing. He slowly moves his hands up your thighs, his fingers brushing the fabric of your sweatpants tantalizingly slow. The touch is light, almost teasing, but it’s enough to make you gasp softly.

"Shh," he hushes, his lips brushing against your ear, sending another shiver down your spine. "Remember, you need to be quiet."

You nod, biting your lip hard to stifle any further sounds. Chan’s hands continue their exploration, now slipping under your shirt to trace the lines of your stomach up towards your chest. His touch is feather-light, yet every nerve in your body screams for more contact, more pressure.

Without warning, he presses down more firmly, his palm flat against your chest as he pushes you gently back onto the bed. You go willingly, your body already on fire from his touch, your breathing heavy but controlled as you try to keep your promise.

Chan climbs onto the bed, straddling one of your thighs as he leans over you, his face just inches from yours. “Still doing okay?” he asks, his eyes searching yours for any sign of hesitation.

“More than okay,” you breathe out, the proximity of his body making it hard to think about anything but the feel of him against you.

Grinning, Chan shifts his weight, and you feel the firm pressure of his thigh between yours, exactly where you need him. He watches your face closely as he begins to rock gently, the friction sending sparks of pleasure coursing through you. Your hands find his hips, gripping him, guiding him into a rhythm that has you biting down on your lip to keep silent.

The room is filled with the soft sound of fabric moving against fabric and Chan's steady, controlled breathing. You keep your eyes locked on him, getting lost in the intensity of his gaze as he moves against you. Each motion is deliberate, calculated to drive you closer to the edge without tipping you over too soon.

Chan’s hands are on your hips now, his fingers pressing into your skin, his grip firm and possessive. He leans down to kiss you, slow and deep, his lips moving against yours in a dance that mirrors the movement of your bodies. You respond eagerly, the kiss muffled enough to keep your moans contained.

As the pressure builds, Chan’s movements become more urgent, his body pressing harder against yours. You feel a warmth spreading through you, a tingling sensation that starts deep within and radiates outwards. Your grip on him tightens, and Chan breaks the kiss to look at you, his eyes intense.

“Shit, Channie,” you whisper, almost feeling dizzy at the intensity of finally being this close to Chan. 

“Shh, be a good boy, yeah?” he asks softly, biting back a moan himself as he rocks his hips.

“Close,” you manage to whisper, and he nods, his movements becoming even more focused. You arch into him, your mouth opening in a silent cry of release as waves of pleasure wash over you. Chan holds you through it, his body a steady presence as you tremble beneath him. Chan buries his face in your chest with a soft, punched-out sound as his body shivers, stumbling over the edge. 

When you finally relax back onto the bed, Chan’s face is flushed with his own exertion, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. He kisses you softly, tenderly, a stark contrast to the urgency of moments before.

“Was that quiet enough for you?” you ask, a playful note in your voice despite your exhaustion.

“Perfect,” Chan confirms with a chuckle, his forehead resting against yours. “Absolutely perfect.” You both lie there for a moment, catching your breath, the only sound in the room now the quiet hum of the house around you. Then, with a gentle nudge, Chan encourages you to sit up. “Come on,” he says, his voice gentle. “Let’s clean up a bit, then we can go back down. They’ll wonder where we’ve vanished to.”

“Yeah, okay,” you giggle softly, smiling into the loving kiss he gives you before slipping out of bed. Yeah, you could get used to this and so much more.

MASTERLISTS | PROMPT LIST | GUIDELINES

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[moxfirefly]

"I'm not letting them go. They're mine. They've always been mine."

For a bestie mikey who is jealous, someone's taking readers' attention away from him?

These quotes are hard to work with XD

Ray, my beloved. Always coming in clutch 🤌

Rated Mature (suggestive themes)

Mikey felt a stirring next to him that prompted him to open his eyes. The midnight nap he’d decided on when you had sat next to him was disturbed and he wanted to groan displeased.

“Sorry Mike, I gotta use the bathroom be back in a sec.” That gentle hushed tone only served to help him drift back, almost at least. Woefully he accepted his best friend having to leave for a few minutes.

It was something of tradition at this point, falling a sleep next to you during movie nights. Mikey had wordlessly cemented the fact that he got to sit next to you and you had reinforced it by always finding your place next to him.

He took the second to stretch out, enjoying the pops of each achy limbs, patrol had been a bitch a few hours ago. He saw Leo konked on the armchair, Donnie in the kitchen making more popcorn as a sleepy April scrolled through Netflix to find something else to play.

“—Well im gonna need you in a bit to measure again, probably tomorrow too”

Raph’s voice rang from behind where he was sat on the couch. Mikey looked back to see him talking to you and holding your arm extended.

“Remind me why I’m doing this again?” He asked mocked annoyed as he used his pointer and thumb to measure your arm.

“Because I wanna win $100 bucks at work” You laughed when he moved to your other arm to do the same.

“What fucking weird job makes an ugly Christmas sweater competition?” He used both his hand to grab your waist, using it as reference for the torso of the sweater.

Mikey raised a brow ridge, why had he felt a pulse of something when he saw his brother man handling you.

“Hey if I win you’ve got $50 waiting for you, so make it as ugly as possible.” You arched your neck when he wrapped a hand around your neck and mumble something, clearly mapping out the measurements in his head.

That, yeah that felt really weird in the bottom of Mikey’s stomach. Why did Raph have to loom over you, hand around your pretty neck and smiling to himself.

“Well come by this week, I’m gonna need you while I’m making it.” He finally let go of you, and it took a second of trying to think straight to not jump Raph.

“Mikey and I are playing that new game where you romance all the hot people—“

Donnie piped in, “Baldur’s Gate.” You threw him a finger gun for the assist.

“Well ya think you can detach yourself from numb nuts for a few minutes at a time?” He asked playfully.

“Well you’ve got her measurements what more do you need, dude?” Mikey finally spoke up, making Raph and you turn towards his groggy annoyed face. “I got an idea but I gotta re-adjust or re-make whatever don’t come out right.” He spoke matter of fact, his gaze was mocking him.

“I can’t just take breaks between.” You offered to ease the sudden tension in the air.

“I’m sure Mikey can survive five minutes without ya, right buddy?” He clamped both hands on your shoulders and smiled at his youngest brother. “Man quit being handsy with her.” It came out before he could really assess what his mouth had vomited out. Under a different tone of voice it could’ve been taken playfully but this was the full opposite.

“Chill man, I ain’t stealing ya girl.” He chuckled and if Mikey could blush he would. He glared at Raph, not noticing your own blush creeping up your cheeks.

“Looks like it since you wanna keep her all week.” He was getting up now, less groggy and more peeved than anything.

“Mike—“ Your voice was gentle trying to ease the fast approaching boiling tension in the air.

“Aww, Mikey’s worried his bestie’s gonna be my bestie all week? Man just let it go.” Raph wasn’t even remotely serious poking fun at his younger brother.

“Im not letting her go. She’s mine. She’s always been mine.” He shot a deep glare at Raph, who face quickly fell upon hearing those words.

It took a few seconds for Mikey to fully comprehend what he had said and the implication behind it. His eyes went wide, landing on your own wide eyes and the blush that scattered itself further down your chest.

Fuck, what had he done?

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hey, I wanted to ask if you could write Kieran x gender neutral reader. Maybe they were friends when younger, and they met again after the indigo disk plot. But now the reader went from shy with long hair to extroverted with a more goth punk style and short hair. They go to Blueberry Academy with friends, and Kieran is kinda jealous of them, like MC, for it being so easy for them to make friends. So they have a sit down and talk it out with maybe a bit of romance sprinkled in.

I hope this isn't too long!! I really love your writing.

Aw thank you! This is fine and I decided to give Reader a Toxtricity as their partner Pokémon

..........

"Uwaaahh...uhuuuhuuh.."

"H-Hey, um...are you okay?"

Sniffling, the young boy looked up from his knees to see you standing over him, concerned. He tried wiping away his tears, but they just kept coming as he recalled some rather mean words spoken to him.

"I'm..f-fine.." He lied, clutching the broken pieces of his ogre mask.

"Are you sure? Because you're sitting all alone here, away from the festival with a broken mask.." You quietly pointed out, frowning.

"...the..jerks over there did it." He finally admitted, his gaze going to the fenced area where some kids were hanging around. "I-I thought they were my friends...and then they called me stupid for likin' the Ogre from those stories..."

"What? They sound like real bullies."

"A-All I said was that....I didn't think it was a bad guy..and then they...they told me they didn't wanna be my friend anymore...a-and now...I-I don't have ANY friends!! WAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

Although you were startled by his bawling, you couldn't help but feel bad for him. Leaving him alone certainly wasn't an option, so you sat down beside him, noticing the small Sentret that was trying to comfort him.

"There, there.." You awkwardly patted his back, feeling your face growing warm. Hopefully this wasn't too weird and you were actually helping this poor guy. "I don't have any friends, either. But I can be yours...i-if you'd like."

With a small hiccup, Kieran looked at you, his golden eyes large and full of tears. "Y-You wanna be my friend?" He sniffled. "Even though I like the "bad guy" of those stories?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that." You nodded softly, offering him a tiny smile. "I can relate to the Ogre, too. How lonely it must feel up there in the mountains..and um...how it just wants to be accepted."

He smiled back a little, although he was still depressed over the current state of his mask as he kept staring at it.

"Could I...buy you a new one of those? And a candy apple if you're hungry?"

Blinking, he gazed back up at you, stunned by your generosity. "Y-You don't have to do that.."

"But I want to. I just got my allowance so..I don't mind it." You shrugged, before you heard a familiar cry and looked to see your Toxel hobbling away from the festival grounds...

With candy razz berries on a stick.

"Oh no! Tox.." You bemoaned, huffing as the little baby Pokémon innocently waddled into your arms. "You can't wander off like that..a-and you certainly can't be stealing! You know we gotta pay for this, right?"

"Taahaa.." They cooed, already munching on the sweet treat.

"....fine..I'll let this slide because you're a cutie."

"Is that..a Toxel?"

"...o-oh!" Embarrassed, you turned back to Kieran and showed him Toxel. "Yes..sorry. This is my partner. We've been training a lot lately..but...as you can see, they've got ways to go. Haha.."

"You've done Pokémon battles? Wowzers.." He gazed at it in awe.

"Yeah..have you?" You asked.

".....no. I-I don't know anything about them. They're cool to watch but..I don't think I'll ever be strong enough to fight one myself.." He sighed, petting Sentret on the head. "I'm scared of Sentret getting hurt..e-especially by those..rude people."

At this revelation, your shoulders slumped. "Look....I get it, but if they see that you're afraid to battle, then...they'll just keep pushing you around."

"I know. I-I don't wanna be afraid anymore. But...my grandparents think I'm too young to be a trainer, a-and my sister thinks I'm too weak to even try...so I don't see a point..."

"..my own family doubted me, too." You remarked. "It was hard for Toxel and I, but..we had to go against their wishes. We had to become strong enough to stand up to our bullies..and we did. Now they fear the day this little sweetie grows up into a strong Toxtricity."

With a small coo, Toxel giggled and nuzzled your cheek with their forehead so they didn't accidentally shock you. "Taaaaataaa.."

"Yep." You giggled, before glancing back at Kieran, who looked extremely inspired by your words. "Maybe your Sentret will become a strong Furret someday, too. But...you'll have to train it first."

"And..wh-where do I start, if I may ask?" His voice became even quieter than yours.

"How about after the festival? You and I can have a practice battle."

He blinked. "..l-like tonight? With you?"

"Sure...if you're not busy, of course-"

"Oh no, I-I can definitely do that tonight!"

"Great! We'll just..go over the basics, that's all." You hopped to your feet as Toxel climbed onto your shoulder, and you offered your hand to the boy. "Also I'm sorry for not introducing myself. I'm [y/n]."

"Kieran." He had a shaky smile on his own face as he took your hand, letting you pull him up. "Th-Thanks for cheering me up...I think I'm ready to go back into the hall."

"Alright." With a small chuckle, you tied up your long hair before donning your mask, taking his broken one.

"C'mon, Kieran. First stop is the sweets shop...which candy apple do you like?"

.

.

.

.

"....and in Galar, Toxtricity had the power to Gigantamax. And they could turn into this awesome creature with a HUGE radio tower on their back. Oh, and they attack with a guitar made out of electricity!"

"Oh my Arceus!"

"That is sick!"

"We NEED to take a trip to Galar next year."

"Bro, maybe Piers can give you some more fashion tips. Because the punk is rocking."

"Thanks, haha..maybe I will."

As Kieran walked through the doors to the League Club, he heard the laughter and chatter of a group of people who were gathered at the table. Seeing new faces always caught him off-guard, considering how he somewhat left the organization in shambles..

He wasn't expecting so many to join, let alone scrap together enough BP to change the room's layout and usher in new additions--like that itemizer machine..

But it seems the rest of the Elite Four, plus Florian/Juliana, managed to rebuild the foundation and keep it alive. And even he thought this was for the best, as his burdens as both champion and leader were finally lifted from his shoulders.

While he hated that Paldean for "dethroning" him at first...he was actually relieved.

Now he was spending his time trying to make amends with everybody, feeling ashamed for the way he acted towards them--especially to the club members he took his anger out on. He kicked out one guy all because he couldn't meet his impossible standards.

Kieran did make sure he was back in the club..but even so, it took a while for that kid to forgive him.

He knew it wasn't going to be easy. Some people were still going to be bitter over what he did.

Fortunately, he can now enter the club room without feeling like everyone was staring at him, nor could he sense the heavy tension from the Elite Four as he walked past them. They just greeted him like an old friend before going back to their discussions.

When he was about to introduce himself to your group, however, he froze up the moment your eyes met his own...

At first, he was bewildered by the gothic-punk attire you've managed to incorporate into your uniform, complete with spiky bands and makeup. He's never seen any other student here test the waters of the dress code like you did.

Yet that wasn't what shocked him, but rather...the person underneath all of that.

You looked awfully familiar...

Where has he seen you before?

Funny enough, you were asking yourself that same question as you stared back up at this guy, trying to figure out why he was giving you such an odd look.

At first it seemed judgy.

But then you saw those familiar golden eyes, the black hair with purple highlights....you only ever knew one person with those characteristics.

"No way..Kieran?"

"....[y/n]?" He murmured, stunned. "You..remember me?"

"It took me a second, but wow...it really is you!" You chuckled, leaning back in your chair. "I haven't seen you in years, dude! And I know what you're gonna say...yes, I know I look like a Team Yell member. But I just like the fashion back in Spikemuth. It stuck with me."

"Wowzers...you went to Galar...?"

"Oh yeah. Went there to study and ended up staying a bit longer than I meant to...but it was great." Smiling, you rubbed the top of your head. "I got myself a nice trim while there. It was a much-needed change. Speaking of which....I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair up." You raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah..it was..getting in the way." Kieran brushed back his bangs, still reeling from the shock of seeing his childhood friend here at his school after all these years.

Not to mention how you presented yourself as this confident and boisterous person. Were you really that same shy long-haired friend he knew back in Kitakami?

"[Y/n], you know this guy?"

You both glanced back at your friend group, and you nodded. "Yep. He's an old friend from the Land of Kitakami. Honest to Arceus I had no idea he attended this school..but then again I literally just enrolled today. Either way, it's a nice surprise. Glad to see you again, Ki."

"Same." He nodded, although there seemed to be a certain sadness in his eyes as he stared at the people surrounding you, shoulders slumped. "Anyways, uh...I wanted to welcome you all to the club. I-I'll be back later. Bye, [y/n]."

With a nervous swallow, he quickly turned tail and left the clubroom, while your friends wondered why he looked at them all that way...

You believed you already knew the reason..

But when you saw their confused gazed, you just smiled and shrugged. "Don't worry about him, he's shy."

"Shy? But that guy used to be this school's champion!"

"...no way, really?" Your eyes widened, resting your arms on the tablr as you leaned towards one of your friends. "Tell me more."

.........

At the end of the day, the club was ready to close up shop. Everybody else had left except for you and Toxtricity.

You volunteered to stay late, picking up the messes your friends left behind, such as the opened snacks and sodas (some of them being from Drayton, of course). Amarys did promise you some BP for all your hardwork and willingness to accept responsibility, so that was motivation enough.

Despite the way you look, you weren't always some rebellious punk.

Just as you have both finished and were about to lock the door..you noticed Kieran approaching from down the hall, and he looked rather serious.

Finally, this was your chance to talk to him.

"Oh hey, Ki."

"Hey, [y/n]..is it just you here?" His gaze went past yours, eyes darting around the empty room.

"Nobody but me and Tox." You gestured to Toxtricity, who nodded and smiled, strumming the organs on their chest.

"I see they're all grown up, too." He remarked, sounding a bit more relaxed after realizing nobody else was around.

"That reminds me..how's your Sentret doing?"

"He's a Furret now. And he's doing just fine...but not on my main team, anymore. He's more like...an emotional support Pokémon, I guess?"

"Fair enough." You chuckled as you wrapped an arm around your companion's shoulders. "I learned there was more to Pokémon than just battling. They can be your best buddy, too."

"Right.." Kieran nodded, his smile fading.

You frowned a little. "Listen..I know this is kinda awkward. We haven't spoken in years, and I still feel bad for moving out of Kitakami without-"

"No, it's not that...I'm happy to see you again. I just.." He sighed, looking down at the floor. "You said..today was your first day here, right?"

"Yeah."

"I can't believe you've already made so many friends. It must feel nice.."

You were confused at his rather sour tone of voice, although you were anticipating this sort of confrontation, recalling how often he struggled to make and keep friends--besides you, of course.

But even now, it seems those insecurities never left him.

"D-Did I say that out loud?" Suddenly he tensed up, appearing a little scared. "I'm sorry, you can ignore me. I'm...tired. I-It's been a long day, so I'm just gonna-"

"Wait, Kieran."

Before he could turn around and leave, you took ahold of his arm, and he looked back at you with shock. "They didn't replace you if that's what you're worried about."

"...it's not that, either."

"Then...what is it?"

"You'll think it's stupid...." He mumbled, shaking his head.

"It's not stupid if it's clearly bothering you. Look, let's just..sit down and talk about it, okay? I'm not here to judge."

He blinked at your proposal, but eventually decided to sit at the table with you. Toxtricity crouched down next to your chair so you could pet them on the head.

It took a few moments for Kieran to start talking, yet with your silent encouragement...he finally spoke up.

"How do you make it look so...easy?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...you have all these friends now while I..." His voice trailed off, fists clenched on the table as he tried to keep himself calm. "..I-I can't name a single one other than you and Florian/Juliana. You'd think becoming champion and club president would make me super popular. But the truth is that it only made me feel more isolated. So how did you do it? How did you become so confident? Is there a secret or some code word I never knew about?"

"There's...no secret, Ki." You responded, your heart sinking. "Friendships just sorta..happen. Like ours did that day those jerks made fun of you at the festival of masks. I guess it was just....up to fate."

"...well I wish fate gave me the same luck as you." He bitterly muttered under his breath.

"Luck? No. That's...look, I'm not popular, and I'd never wanna be. Those people are my only friends here aside from you." You huffed. "I know I've changed since we last saw each other...but I'm still that same kid from before-"

"I barely recognized you, [y/n]." He bluntly pointed out. "We grew up together in the same place...but you went to Galar, changed your whole looks, and made so many friends here on your first day. Then there's me, who...h-hasn't really changed at all." His shoulders became slumped. "I've done things I'm ashamed of, and I'm trying to fix them, but I just feel...stuck. Like I'm never gonna move on from being that whiny little kid from Kitakami who keeps wishing he was somebody else.."

Your gaze softened a little, finally understanding his perspective. "Well..I personally don't see that anymore. I see you're trying to change for the better, and that's great. You should be proud of that."

Kieran blinked as your hand came to rest over his own, his heart skipping a beat. Yet he kept his focus on you and your comforting smile, despite finding it difficult to see the truth in your words.

He could feel that self-doubt festering inside him again.

"But..y-you don't know what I-"

"People here told me such awesome things about you, and I almost couldn't believe them."

He stared at you. "What? Really?"

"Yeah, dude! You never told me how your team uses a competitive setup with Rain Dance on the first turn...or how your Applin is all grown up into a Hydrapple. Hell, I didn't even know that was an existing evolution until today, so you taught me something new-"

However, you stopped rambling upon hearing a small sniffle coming from your friend. You then saw his lips trembling as he tried pushing back tears with his sleeve.

Internally you began to panic. "Ki? What's wrong?"

"I-I'm sorry. It's just....everybody here talks about my Pokémon and battle tactics all the time, but never about me." He whimpered. "I-I want people to like me for....me, you know?"

You nodded sympathetically, gently squeezing his hand. Guilt swelled in your heart as you never realized how lonely he must've felt since you left...and right now you probably made him feel ten times worse.

"You really are a great guy, though. Anyone would be lucky to get to know the real you."

"........."

Now you were a bit stumped on what to say next, as he was staring at the table now, sniffling like a little kid. And you began wracking your brain for any possible way you could cheer him up.

Then an idea sprung into your mind.

You were going to save it for a later occasion, but...now seemed to be the right time.

Even Toxtricity agreed with you, as they nudged your arm with a low growl, wishing you'd finally fess up and let him know how you truly felt about him.

Your heart was beating fast, but you pushed away the nerves and momentarily let go of his hand to retrieve a pokeball from your bag. He seemed too caught-up in his own thoughts to notice, still wiping away his tears.

"But y'know what could be better than having friends?"

With watery eyes, Kieran managed to look at you straight on. "What?"

You didn't say a word, instead turning his hand over and placing a love ball into his palm. He looked at you with confusion, before gasping as the device suddenly opened on its own to reveal....

A Shiny Applin.

"Wowzers.." He gawked. "So this is what their shinies look like??"

"Yep. Straight from Galar."

"The love ball is an interesting choice.." He remarked, watching as the Applin jumped onto the table and gazed at him. "But..while I appreciate the gift, I-I....don't really see how owning a shiny is gonna help-"

"Oh, so he doesn't know, Tox..." You whispered to your companion, who simply snickered back.

"Tahaahaa.."

"....know what?" Kieran's eyebrows furrowed as he noticed the smirks you and Toxtricity were exchanging, growing more and more confused and concerned. "Can someone explain?"

"In Galar, people give Applins to each other as a romantic gesture." You stated bluntly, feeling your face burn up....but you prayed he would finally get the hint.

It took him about five seconds, his jaw dropping. "What??? Y-You.....really see me that way?" His heart began racing all over again. "Why me, though?"

"I like you for you, Ki. And that's all there is to it." You leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek, watching as his eyes went wide and his blush worsened. "Hm, I guess that shy little cutie is still in there after all."

"C'mon..stop that.." Huffing, he shrunk back into his jacket in a vain attempt to hide his flusteredness. "I-I do like you, too."

"I'm glad, and I promise..I'm sticking around for a long, long time." You looked to Toxtricity, who strummed a small riff on their chest. "I owe Tox one for finding that love ball for me. I was gonna save it for some fairy type, but...I think I found a better use for it."

All Kieran could do was smile and nod, taking your hands into his own. While he was still too flushed to properly speak, he was nowhere near as sad as he was before your confession.

You were right.

This was a LOT better than having friends.

Because now he had you.

While both of your looks and personalities have definitely changed, the love and care you had for each other never did.

[bonefall]

Now we've got all six of em, can I just say that CRIPES ALMIGHTY the titles for a starless clan suck major ass! Both separately AND as a group!!

I Do Not Rewrite Arcs Until They Are Done BUT DO YOU WANNA HEAR MY WIP RENAMES SO FAR

Remember: Don't get too attached yet, the only one I can say with certainty will show up somewhere is the title of Book 4.

ARC RENAME: A Starless Clan -> A Prayer Unanswered

The original name is really good but I'm getting a vibe that the theme of the rework is going to be... when love isn't enough.

It's about how some things can't get better. It's about how all the kindness in the world couldn't get Bramblestar to turn around as a leader. It's about how Heartstar might have had good intentions, but occupation never works out in the end. It's Nightheart's relationship to his family being salvageable, not because they don't all want to fix it, but because his life has worked out best with distance from them.

So, Prayers Unanswered is both about the religious part of how RiverClan doesn't have a leader and can't get in proper touch with StarClan, but it's also about every other wish that hasn't come true.

River -> Starcrossed One of the VERY large changes I'm considering is actually massively reducing Nightheart's POV. I'm thinking of doing this, not because I dislike him, but because I think it might actually be a better story if the audience is guessing as to his intentions just as much as the other characters are. So, until he's ACTUALLY needed later, his chapters are short and sparse. So Starcrossed would be about setting up the troubles of the Clans, especially the parts of the conflicts I want to highlight more in BB. It would be setting up the rule changes for "starcrossed lovers" (lmao) but also the brewing anger that the cats have towards code changes... and StarClan, if I do decide to keep the newest revelations and work them in better, in hindsight.

Sky -> Fracture There's a phrase in my head that is so interesting to me that I need to do something with it. "Only frozen water can fracture." I want to make the RiverClan situation worse than in-canon. First of all, there's going to be identifiable groups this time which begin to scramble for power. Instead of having the cats just... forget how to do the chores they've done their whole lives, the Clan is splitting up into factions. This is why they won't be able to win against Heartstar later, when she decides to take drastic measures. They're not fighting like a Clan; they're fighting like a bunch of disorganized teams. There should also be a bunch of needless injuries, maybe even a border aggression that lead to a death, before Heartstar barges in. I also want to make this a bigger part of the story, Erins willing. Too much time was spent on the Catnip Patrol, imo, we're going to have ANOTHER big trip and I don't want this one to eat up so much time. Rowankit is also still going to die; and maybe a couple of elders around the Lake too.

Shadow -> Snakes and Turnclaws Berryheart's hate movement has been too tame, from canon books 1 - 4 as of the time of writing. It's ridiculous that they haven't even injured anyone in the Battle Cat series. I saved Antfur from the previous arc so that she can die here. We've been seeing the Anti-Turnclaw movement rise from the first book, so now with Nightheart's boldness leading him to a place where he will be unsafe, we need to see his rusty butt in actual danger. I'm even thinking that, instead of Nightheart failing his task on purpose, Sunbeam makes him fail by stopping him from getting killed. I need to know the ending of ASC first though, because I MIGHT be having Berryheart getting her exile here. Whatever kills Antfur is either deniable enough that she's able to squeak by while Sunbeam quietly leaves (refusing to accuse her mother of anything publicly) OR it's so obvious that Heartstar casts her out on the spot. Meanwhile, we see the OTHER half of ShadowClan's conflict as RiverClan finally unites... against them, as their common enemy. Task failed successfully, Heartsy

Thunder -> The Source of the River I'm still unspeakably proud of this outline. There's so much I want to do here. She's going to come back with a DND party and I'm hoping that all of them end up in RiverClan with her; INCLUDING Nightheart. I want the fact that he accompanied Frostpaw to actually be the final straw for him. While he's away, Sunbeam is acclimating to ThunderClan and falling in love with her new home. There are parts she misses about ShadowClan, but as she's adopted by Sparkpelt, taken as a secondary apprentice by the deputy, smiled upon by Squirrelstar after she pressures Bramblestar to abdicate... this starts to feel like this is where she belongs. And that's too hard for Nightheart to ever come back to. "You come to the source of the river, and are vexed that you do not find the water that is flowing downstream" dude.... man. That's what BB's about. Change. I also really want Nightheart to choose HIS OWN NAME by the end of this series-- so at some point in this book he should finally admit "Nightheart" wasn't his choice either. (I'm thinking Deltastep. Because his journey with Frostpaw begins at the southern delta of my reworked map.)

And I haven't done them for Book 5 or Book 6 yet, especially since I might end up condensing them or chopping them up to put into the other books.

I do know I'm really love to play with the idea of a starless sky for one of the last books though, I may or may not keep Splashtail's lack of faith in StarClan (hate the Evil Atheist thing they keep doing), but the idea of a "Pitch-Black Star" absolute fucks as symbolism, ngl. Maybe something like "A Gap in the Stars" or "Constellation's Void" or "The Stolen Star"

Also also also I'm having Curlfeather come back as a Dark Forest Demon for at LEAST one scene.

I don't give a good goddamn if they don't go to the Dark Forest or not. ONE weird coincidence that could totally have been Just Good Luck but was actually Curlfeather. Let Her Drown Splashtail, she deserves it. Let her be a malevolent spirit who protects her baby. RiverClan can whine all it wants about Mothwing who ooo doesn't believe in God, Frostpaw's got a demon. Cry about it

Also I hope Frostpaw becomes leader because I'll make it go hard

[weird-is-life]

saw that you were open for requests so uhm, oblivious idiots in love w tasm!peter? you know, where both of them definitely have a crush on each other and everyone knows except the two of them so their friends keep dropping hints on other's behalf (cos they know they're both too shy to say it themselves) but it's s frustrating cycle of denial and obliviousness? totally up to you how jt ends :)

have a great day!

Hii lovely, ty for the request💕! Sorry it took so long, but hopefully it's not too bad. Warnings: fluff, oblivious idiots, swear words, like one pet name, use of y/n, mentions of bars(0.6k)

You and Peter are definitely the most oblivious people ever. You friends can't even believe how blind you two are. It's actually pretty embarrassing.

They've been trying to get you two to finally come to the realisation for too long now. So they decide to make a more drastic approach to it. They basically make you two go on a date.

Your friends tell you and Peter that you are all hanging out at a nicer place than a pub for a change and that you should dress nicely.

So you do you put on a nice sundress and Peter puts on a white shirt and black trousers.

You only just realise what exactly is happening when you arrive at the fancy bar, and find only

Peter no sign of your other friends.

"Hi Pete," you greet him a little baffled, "where's everyone?"

"Hi sweetheart," his nickname immediately has you blushing, you go even more red as Peter gets up and hugs you oh so tightly, "I don't think they are coming."

He says it with a guilty face, "what do you mean they are not coming?" You ask him even more confused.

"It's just....-" Peter struggles to find the right words, and you don't know what to make of it.

"What is it?"

"I didn't mean for you to find out like this, I've been trying to gather the courage to tell you myself, "he takes a deep breath," I like you y/n, like more than friends. And I've wanted to invite you to a date for so long, but I guess our-our friends thought it would do me good if they did it for me. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, y/n that they made you come here on my account. I totally understand if you want to go, fuck I know I would, " Peter basically blurts this whole confession in one go, and it almost makes your head spin. You can't believe this is happening.

"Are-are you...Do you really mean it?" you ask with a little hope.

Peter gives you a small, defeated smile, "of course, I mean it I wouldn't just joke about something like this. I like you y/n, always have."

"Pete, but I like you, too." Peter's face instantly lights up," I thought our friends did this because of me, I've been a coward as well. I couldn't bring myself to actually tell you the truth. I really like you, Peter. More than just a friend." You both chuckle as you add the last sentence.

Peter suddenly gets up happy as one can be, and offers you his hand. "Do you maybe wanna go somewhere else?"

You grin at him," I thought you'd never ask, I mean gosh, this place is definitely too fancy for us. What were our friends thinking?"

You giggle as Peter leads you out of the fancy bar, but Peter abruptly stops outside, and you almost bump into him.

"I haven't really asked you, have I?" Peter chuckles, "would you like to go on a date? With me? Right now?"

You can't help it, you kiss his cheek, and say, " I'd love to Pete."

And just like that your friends' plan works out. You go on a cute date, and hold hands the whole way to that different location. And maybe, just maybe (he does), Peter works out the courage to kiss you goodbye after he walks you home.

[squarebracketsmileyface]

how did you decide Birdie would call Tim papa, not daddy (assuming it's the single dad au Tim)?

Honestly it's mostly a left over from the version of PGPau where Jay lives and he and Tim raise Birdie together (there's now also a very rough version of that Au where Jay lives but vanished Brian style and shows back up in Tim's life years later with a bunch of stuff figured out. This fic has too many au's. So much for me trying to give 'the' au a name so I could keep it straight in my head, now PGPau has like three aus behind it, it's just anything post canon now, whoops. Oh well 💀)

Anyway, Jay just seemed like the dad/daddy parent, and that made sense to me with the whole trans Jay thing, Jay going from dad/daddy to mum/mummy was just too perfect y'know? So Tim became papa because of that, and then I decided Birdie would be 'canon' to Sorry It's Locked and went "well Jay's still gonna die because I love angst too much to give that up" and just ended up keeping papa for Tim even in the more 'canon' single dad Tim au because I just feel like it suits him. Y'know?

He just seems like a papa to me. He's a big loving mamabear to his very tiny very weird daughter, y'know? Ridiculously protective of her, if you hurt his baby he will rip your arms off, but also incredibly soft with her because she's his kid and she survived so fucking much with him even before she was born and he wants desperately to give her the childhood and family he never had. Even if that family is just him and her.

He's a mamabear protecting and loving his cub, except he's a guy, so he's a papabear but you know what i mean 💀

I just love it. Papa suits him, y'know?

Jay's dad/daddy and then mum/mummy, Tim's papa the whole way through, and Brian is Mr. Thomas then Brian, then quickly becomes bubba.

I love it. They're just all so cute.

Okay, I went off on a tangent about Alex here for some reason so I'm putting it under a thingybobber 💀

And with the whole "everyone lives" thing even Alex would probably end up with like, not a family title like the others, but he'd be part of their family in a friend way, y'know? Like, in everyone lives, everyone lives, y'know? And that includes Alex. And obviously he's not just walking around free, but I see him being in like hospital prison y'know? I can't remember what that's called, but anyway. He's in hospital prison and he can't leave because of what he did, but he's not in normal prison because he really wasn't in control of his actions when he killed people, not really.

At first only Tim goes to visit him, and even then he doesn't go super often because it's hard on both him and Alex (though mostly Alex). And he mostly goes because he understands what Alex was going through the best. He understands that if he hadn't had his medication he could easily have been the one in Alex's place. He wasn't "better" than Alex or more resistant to the Operators influence, he simply had people around him who could help (that being his doctors).

Then after a little while it's both Tim and Jay who go to visit Alex, still only very occasionally because, yeah it's a lot, none of them can really cope with seeing each other more than a couple times a year at first, but over time it gets easier and eventually Tim and Jay end up visiting him once every one to two months or something, once Alex's doctors or whatever are like "yeah I think that'll be okay, he's starting to cope better and relapse less when you come to visit him now. We genuinely think it's helping him."

They tell Alex about their life together and eventually Birdie comes up. So Alex knows about Birdie.

And Birdie knows about Alex because obviously she asks about how her parents met, and she asks where they went when they've had a day out, and they don't wanna lie to her, so they tell her about MH in the most kid friendly way they can, and tell her they're visiting this friend who's in hospital and can't leave because he tried to hurt people when he was younger. And like, obviously they are like, "we don't blame him for it, he was really, really sick and didn't realise that what he was doing wasn't 'saving' people like he thought it was" or whatever. They talk to her about the good sides of Alex, as well as very carefully addressing the bad sides, and eventually Birdie starts asking to go with them to see him. And like, at first it's a flat out no, because Jay and Tim have no damn clue how either Birdie or Alex will react to meeting each other, and even just seeing Tim and Jay used to fuck Alex up pretty bad and it took ages to get to the point they're at now. Like, they don't wanna undo that progress.

Anyway, eventually Brian comes back into their lives too, still the same way, with him starting out as a new teacher at Birdies school and then meeting Tim and Jay (well, Lark at that point but y'know) and eventually ending up dating the two of them and Birdie just kinda naturally migrated to calling him bubba, because it's not quite a parent name, but it's that same sort of sound, y'know?

Then like, Tim and Lark have been talking to the people in charge of looking after Alex and trying to figure out if there's a way he can meet Birdie. And like, with Brian back in the picture that's another thing for Alex to deal with so the whole "meet Birdie" thing gets pushed back again because finding out Brian is also alive is just, a lot for Alex, hugely conflicting and all that. Like, he's both glad Tim didn't kill Brian (or Brian didn't die running away from Tim whatever) and also very upset because he failed to "save" him. But eventually, ages and ages later, Birdie and Brian both end up going to see Alex too (after like, much therapy for them both to help them get ready for that, especially Brian) but like, yeah. Idk Birdie's probably like 15 by the time she meets Alex and it's all mostly fine honestly.

Idk I just like the idea of Birdie getting to meet Alex and it just kinda being fine? He's just a guy who got very sick when he was younger, and that changed the way his brain worked so that he couldn't fully comprehend the fact that killing people wasn't necessarily the best way to save them, that they could live with the Operator's presence like Tim had and still be okay. Like, it wasn't his fault. The Operator was literally changing the way his brain worked and without any medical intervention like Tim had, Alex was pretty much doomed from the start. He couldn't fight that. The operator was like a malicious, sentient, intangible tumor pressing on his brain and changing his personality, except it was taken to the extreme, because supernatural monster, y'know?

[bloodsalted]

@qapsiel || just remember. you asked for this. || oh maaan.

Sender tries desperately to stop receiver's bleeding > maybe the rusty nail? :) :) :) :)

routine. fucking joke how that word ricochets in dean's head. a vampire nest was taking out innocent travelers and locals in a neighboring town far too close to home? dean gets reached out to. in turn? he reaches out to sam. they decide that since the bloodsuckers are knocking on their door? they'd go do some knocking back. get them gone. clean up the dark. something they've done countless times day in and day out since they were kids. long before they were popping pimples, they were popping rounds off at these assholes. nothing more than training practice for the bigger guys. nothing more than..

..routine.

til it wasn't.

there's metal where metal isn't supposed to be. deep. where metal, definitely, isn't supposed to be. dean can feel and taste the copper and thick pool of blood at the back of his throat. some slips out from between his lips as he calls. "sammy." cold rushes in. panic. adrenaline. anything his body can do to erase the blinding pain stemming from where he's stuck to the beam? it's speeding into the cracks and tears for numbness to take over. warp speed! overdrive. and not really succeeding. giving it's best shot, though.

"sammy." he hears himself mumbling through his brother polishing off the asshole that sent him flying backwards. terrified eyes meet his. shoulders encased in sam's hands. his brother holds on like he's keeping him grounded. here. whole. dean begs him, in his head and the way his hand braces a forearm weakly, not to pull. he tries to smile away the worry in sam's eyes, his breath, his jerky movements. sam does best to figure out what's wrong looking him over like a mother hen sensing something's just off but not seeing it face to face. yet.

"...messed up. ever zig when ya shoulda zagged? one of those.. a big one." then the sheer horror in hazel eyes once sammy realizes what's off--dean's head just falls forward to rest against his brother's chin. "it's okay, sammy. it's gonna be okay. where's cas..?"

the brothers are murmuring to one another when cas finishes the lingering fanged freak upstairs. 'dean--,' he hears the soft confusion in cas's voice when he drops down from the second floor landing with a solid thud that shakes dean's footing on rotten floorboards. makes him shake and tears sting pained green eyes. fuck it hurts! all of it hurts. '--sam?' cas sounds like he's ready to crawl out of his skin for answers if one isn't given immediately.

his brother's quick to gesture for cas to take over telling him he has to call 911. rather than provide him an immediate answer. thoughts scatter as anxiety and dread settle in. he has to do something! doesn't matter what dean said. he's gonna fix him, fix this. SOMEHOW. sam gestures from a rusty rebar near the ceiling to dean's chest, staring at castiel with a pale face and watery, red eyes. 'don't let him go,' the younger winchester begs. 'don't let him..' die goes unsaid. there's a mess of blood that starts as bubbles at dean's mouth then trickles down his chin to become a steady stream of grotesque dark red. the kind of red that comes from somewhere deep. droplets land on cas's lapel as dean's head rests on the former angel's shoulder.

"i'm sorry, cas. i can't.. i didn't--" this was all supposed to be so routine. he burns from head to toe and feels so damn tired. "love you, cas. 'm sorry." outside, sam's practically yelling into the phone. the hunter's voice rings in dean's ear. far off and distanct. he wishes his brother would just come back... a wobbly hand snags a fistful of the front of cas's shirt. he's not allowed to leave, too. his weight shifts, tears a howl out of lungs that feel like they're wobbling in his chest. slumping against cas, he sucks in a breath that doesn't wanna get swallowed. even that hurts now. "this wasn't s'pposed to happen.." they're happy. he's got a life to leave and he doesn't want to! not now that he has it! desperation. please don't take this from us! not that he knows what it's like to breathe away from the life he never wanted in the first place. god damn figures, doesn't it? some kinda sick joke.. and now he's pissed and scared and his heart's breaking as he looks into the tear-brimmed eyes of the one who loves him the most.

then again. he always did say it was gonna end this way. didn't he..?

just another part of the routine.

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles December challenge.

Take Me Home, Country Roads

Prompt Day 8: Idiots to Lovers | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: E | CW: Explicit Sexual Content, 18+ Only | Tags: Canon Divergence Post-Season 4, Eddie Munson Lives, Road Trip, Established Relationship, Motel Room, Mutual Masturbation, Hand Jobs, Dual POV, Eddie Munson is Bored

This does take place during my fic Take the Money and Run, but can be read as a standalone.

Day 60/90: November 24th, 1986 I-5, Washington

Steve

"Did we forget West Virginia?" Eddie asks, very suddenly and out of the blue.

Steve looks over at him from the driver's seat.

"What? No," Steve says, trying to lean over and look over the map while still keeping the car on the road and between the lines.

"I think we missed West Virginia," Eddie says, tracing their route.

"We definitely didn't," Steve says, because even if they did, Steve's not about to back track nearly three thousand miles. They couldn't be further from West Virginia right now unless they were floating in the Pacific ocean. 

"Steve, I think we did," Eddie argues.

"We drove through there. For sure. I remember," Steve lies. He doesn't remember shit.

Eddie looks skeptical, like he knows Steve doesn't remember shit. But Steve's trying to sell this, even if he's not sure he's pulling it off. 

"Maybe," Eddie says, "maybe we clipped the edge."

"We did. We definitely did," Steve assures him. He has no fucking clue if they did or not, that was months ago. Eddie tells him where to drive, and he does. He really couldn't draw a map of where they've been and where they haven't been. He figures Eddie will know. Eddie is the navigator, this is his job. 

"Okay, we probably did," Eddie decides, and Steve relaxes into his seat. 

Eddie's quiet for a few minutes, but then he speaks again, asking, "But what if we didn't?"

"Then we'll probably die," Steve says dryly, and Eddie laughs, tossing the atlas up onto the dash, apparently deciding to let it go. At least for right now.

Eddie

They didn't go through West Virginia. He's almost certain. He fucked this up. He's an idiot. They were supposed to hit all fifty states. Well, all forty-eight, at least. And now he's fucked that up, he's pretty sure.

Steve doesn't seem to care though, so Eddie's trying to believe they clipped the edge. That they did go through, even if they didn't really do anything. Just being there counts, as far as he's concerned. 

They've stopped in Seattle, and it's cloudy, and definitely looking sorta gloomy. They've kind of just decided to hang around the room, waiting on a better day, but there hasn't been one. Eddie looks out of the window, into the foggy city, one more time.

Eddie's getting a little bored. A little stir crazy. He wants to do something, anything. 

"You wanna play strip poker?" Eddie asks, glancing over at Steve.

"If you want me to get naked, just say so," Steve answers, flipping through the television channels. 

Eddie laughs, he definitely wants Steve to get naked. He always wants Steve to get naked. But he just wants to do something, anything. 

"I'm bored," Eddie admits. "The weather is making me sad."

Steve kicks open his legs, in invitation, "Come sit with me."

Eddie doesn't want to sit. They've sat for two days. 

"Let's go do something, anything."

And he watches as Steve slowly, so slowly, unzips his jeans. He's smiling and it's cute, but Eddie was serious. He needs to be out of this room. 

But then Steve's taking his dick out of his pants, and Eddie's forgotten what he was even bitching about, now. He walks to the edge of the bed, but doesn't crawl up on it, and Steve falters. Like he's not sure if he's done something stupid.

"Touch yourself," Eddie says, and Steve relaxes. And he kicks off his jeans, and his underwear. Then pulls his shirt over his head, and tosses it away, too. 

Then he wraps a fist around his dick, and strokes himself.

Steve

He feels stupid, and a little embarrassed doing this while Eddie just watches, but Eddie digs around in the sex pumpkin, and fishes out the lube. Steve holds out his hand, and Eddie drizzles a little into his palm. 

And then he goes back to watching, just standing there, near enough to touch him, but not doing it.

So Steve just fists his dick the way he likes, and keeps eye contact with Eddie. Sliding up, and over the head, before going back down and starting the movement all over again. He tilts his head back a little, exposing his neck, and Eddie whines, just a little. 

It makes Steve smile. 

"Feels good," Steve says, and when he looks back at Eddie, Eddie is rubbing his own dick through his jeans. Cupping, rolling his hand against himself, and it makes Steve's dick jump in his fist. He's so attracted to Eddie. He doesn't know how he's managed to live without looking at him. Touching him. 

How he's lived without Eddie touching him. He really likes Eddie's hands all over him. His rings, his fingers. 

"I want you to touch me," Steve says, and Eddie wastes no time. He crawls on the bed, nodding as he's sliding between Steve's thighs, finally wrapping his hand around Steve's dick and stroking.

Steve groans, bucking into Eddie's fist. That's good. That's so good. Better than his own hand, that's for damn sure.

Eddie strokes him, with just the right amount of pressure, and before long Steve comes. All over Eddie's hand, his own chest, hell, probably the bed. 

"Fuck," Steve says, riding the last waves of his orgasm. 

And then he reaches for Eddie's belt, tugging on him. Pulling him closer. Shoving him onto his back, manhandling him, a little.

"That's good," Eddie says, and Steve runs his hand over his own flagging dick, gathering up any leftover lube, and then he fists Eddie.

Eddie moans and arches upwards, coming while Steve works him through all of it. Then, Steve slides on top of him. Pressing their naked bodies together, sliding against him, even if they're both already spent. It still feels good to touch him.

When Eddie looks at him, Steve asks, "Still bored?"

"No, I'm good," Eddie answers, and Steve smiles. Leaning down to kiss him, just because he can.

Notes: Since this fic's original chapters were song titles, I went with the John Denver classic about West Virginia. Did they go through WV in the original? Like Steve, I say yes, because I definitely had developed a plan/route while writing Take the Money and Run to get them to all 50 states, but I sure can't find proof they went through there now. 🤣

This was prompted by THIS POST because I saw it and felt big regret that I didn't know it existed in WV while writing TtMaR. So, I was like, maybe I can fit it into a drabble? Did their route go near there?? Then I went down the rabbit hole, just like Eddie and Steve, on whether they were ever in WV at all, haha.

I loved getting to write them for a little more time, here. It was fun! (And these versions of the boys will be back on Road Trip day, too. Because, what else would I write for that prompt? LOL.)

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddieholidaydrabbles and follow along with the fun!

If you want to see more of my entries into this month-long challenge, you can check them out in my Steddie Holiday Drabbles tag, right here!

[dorylinae-supremacy]

Taking a break from writing striped hat so I can ramble about fae AU's again they're one of my fav things ever.

Tags: DSBI, dark Techno, dark Phil, dark Kristin, mentioned Kristin, kidnapping, impersonation, usual fae stuff tbh, its like 600 words of me rambling about fic ideas below the cut, read more if thats your jam.

Idk if I've mentioned it before but I've been toying with the concept that fae take the face of the first human they've tricked and then it slowly morphs into something thats more their own.

This isn't rooted in any actual folklore as far as I'm aware but I like the vibe it adds. It adds another layer of terror to every interaction with them. Each time you come across a fae, you're looking into the eyes of their first victim.

Maybe they tweak it a bit here and there so they can lure other humans better but I like to think it stays mostly the same. It also adds another layer to things from the fae's perspective as well.

A fae close to their family might deliberately pick out and push a human into a deal if they think it'll make them look similar to their other families faces.

It can also add a layer where fae bloodlines might literally just prey upon entire human families purely for aesthetics. The worst part is a human might not even know that thats the case, they might just chalk it up to a generational curse or bad luck.

Something like this wouldn't apply to four seasons since they werent born fae and thus already had their faces but that wouldn't apply to Phil. The dude they see could genuinely just be the face of some unlucky traveller centuries ago.

These faces could also be used as lures for other humans who might've known the tricked person before. All the fae has to do is look a little scuffed up and beg for help in a hidden circle and they've got a steady supply of victims.

It also means that if any of the humans they steal do get out somehow, the people they knew might turn away from them and assume a fae is tricking them.

I know I'm rambling but its such a tasty plot device.

But anyway I wanna try it eventually. I have one fleshed out fic in my head where fae!Wil tries to trick human!Techno but kinda messes up the order that you're meant to do things.

Fae take the face after as a trophy of sorts, he took it before making any deals to try and be more relatable to him since they're both kids.

Human!Techno is, of course, a very well adjusted prince and naturally decides that this fae is his twin and that he has to have him. So with the help of years of training against fae, he's able to trick Wilbur and steal him.

The rest of the fic is Wil being terrified because the yoink has been reversed but even after he reveals the fact that he's a fae Kristin and Phil have already decided to keep him. No running for him :)

But I have another in mind where twinsduo end up taking the faces of two princes in a kingdom but then get mistaken for actually being them.

Maybe the princes were playing in the forest before getting yoinked but either way a royal guard comes and just drags them back to the castle.

They can't really do much about it since they're super young fae and there's a lot of iron around but things only get worse when the antarctic empire invades and takes them hostage, still thinking that they're the actual princes.

Originally they were just gonna bide their time until they can go back into the woods again but now they're being kept as hostage and Phils getting more and more interested in how odd they keep acting.

Obviously it ends in them getting surprise adopted but I'm not sure how to get from point A to B yet so more brainrot will be scheduled for when I work it out.

[bananaactivity]

More Kai cause I gotta do it…

Lmao don’t ask me why I made him so cunt I dunno.

I shall be making more, I’d like to apologize to Carlos and Ben for being snubbed. I just can’t stop writing about this man. I don’t wanna go angsty but there is a small bit to do with Jack and Kai’s grandpa being a massive asshole. Here’s a list of “episodes” technically chapters that I’ve been writing. There are 22 episodes lmao.

“Back in Town” : Jack and Milton return to Seaford after “studying at Swarthmore” (Spy Internship) for the summer. Upon returning they find out that not only has Jack's cousin Kai returned, but a new crew made up of their past antagonists joined the Black Dragons under the name of “The White Inferno” with the intention to take down The Wasabi Warriors in the final competition season of their senior year.

“ Black Swan”: Eddy learns Arthers secret. He does ballet at the Dance studio where Eddy works. Eddy has to decide if he’ll keep taking Arthers hush money and keep his secret or help him realize he doesn't need to feel shame. Kim and Carson meet up for the first time since he was banished from the dojo and it's almost like old happy times.

“Hachiji dachi Halloween” “Halloween Episode”: The Wasabi Warriors and the White Inferno compete to see who can collect the most candy by midnight (tie). Ty competes with Phil to be Rudy's costume partner.

“ Dragons Den” “Competition Episode” First Competition of the season; taking place in the Black Dragon Dojo.

“Origins of the Inferno” “Flashback Episode” : The story of how The White Inferno banded together and a closer look on Kai and Jacks relationship before Jack lost for the first time in his life. Then Kais life after he almost killed his cousin.

“ Respect or Boogie”: Brody and Jerry butt heads over whether it's better to be strict with yourself or enjoy life when they are paired together for a science project. Jack lets Milton do his hair for a cosmetology project after stressing about it for a week.

“Some Kickin Spices”: Milton and Eddy compete with Arther and Frank in the Falafel Phil “ WHO CAN MAKE THE SPICIEST FALAFEL IN THE WORLD” competition. Ty and Rudy drag Jack and Kai into their personal fight about which pair could do the best portrayal of Bobby Wasabi and his student Harry Horseradish. Jerry and Brody bump into each other after following Kim and Carson to see what they've been sneaking on to do.

“ Don We Now Our Gi Apparel” “Christmas Episode”: The two Dojos compete again after the tie from Halloween to see who can bring a rowdy bunch of kids the most holiday joy with a free holiday dojo experience. The Dragons try to use kindness but ultimately become violent because the kids are awful. The Wasabi's use kindness which divulges into stifled hatred because the kids are awful. Ty, Rudy, and Phil get into a competition over who can get the mall manager the best gift so that he’ll lower the cost of rent to the winner.

“Grandmaster Arther ”: Arther pays off Ty so that he can become leader of the Dojo for the week over Kai, things get crazy under his leadership. Ty goes out on a sensei retreat and has to deal with an old bully from his and Rudys past.

“Wasabi Which Way ” “Competition Episode”: Second competition of the season. Taking place in the Bobby Wasabi Dojo.

“ Himbo VS Genius”: Milton and Jack begin having petty arguments again which distracts Jack from issues around the mall caused by the dragons. Kai and his group begin terrorizing the strip and Kim is too distracted by Carson whenever she tries to stop them on her own.

“ Next in Line”: Brody gets pissed off because Carson is the second rank of the dojo and tries really hard to rope him into a match so he can prove himself to Kai. Milton and Jerry have an intervention for Kim to keep her away from Carson's evil charms.

“Dragons can't Dance”: Jerry and Eddy team up for a dance competition that Eddy's job is holding and Arther drags Frank with him to compete against them. Kai and Jack ignore Milton and Brody who are trying to convince them both that Kim and Carson are being suspicious.

“ Life of a Teenage Sensei” “Flashback Episode”: The past of Rudy and Ty showing their training under the grandmaster and the situation that led them to stop being friends.

“ Metal Wokstar”: Izzy Gunner the rock star behind Kung fu Lighting has opened up a restaurant and hires Jack and Jerry to work there because of their big fans. Unfortunately Kai and Brody are also huge fans and get hired too which causes conflict when each person is allowed to be manager for a day to see who's the best for the job indefinitely. Eddy tries to help Arther train to be more respected among his peers.

“ Ty, Tied, and Tired” “Competition Episode” The senseis have a special competition just for them and Rudy trains relentlessly to beat Ty who's been bragging about all the “extensive training” he's done to prepare. Jack and Kai get stuck together when the store they occupied gets robbed by rival school kids.

“Brewer-Skewer Cookout”: Kai and Jack both consider their lives after attending their family reunion in a different city. They need to decide if they'll keep fighting and whether or not it's worth it after they graduate.

“ Sensei Swap”: Rudy and Ty hit their heads in a fight over a pair of roller skates and end up in an alternate universe. Here Kai and his crew are the good guys who follow the White Dragon Code under the good sensei Ty and Jack and his crew are ruthless tormentors of the Bayview mall under Bobby Togarashi Dojo as “ The Spicy Gang” (they're still working on the name) led by the tough no nonsense Rudy. Both Ty and Rudy try to influence this universe to better fit what they're used to. Both work together to get back home until Kai realizes that in this universe the Grandmaster is proud of Ty and shames Rudy.

“ Eddys Day”: Eddie's 18th birthday is coming up and the Wasabi's want to make it special. Arthur wants to take it over by spending a butt load of money on his own party.

“ Missin’ it with You” “Flashback Episode”: A flashback to Carsons past with the Wasabis before Jack.

“ Final Showdown” “Competition Episode” The final competition of the season taking place in Japan at the Otay Academy.

“ Kickin it Back”: The week before graduation when the two gangs do one last competition to see who can get the most new members to join before they all leave to pursue their futures

LMAO WHAT IS MY LYFEEEEEE

[kyojurismo]

Can I have an emergency request? I don't want to seem like I'm venting, but recently I feel like somethings wrong with my family. My mom works midnights by herself to support all of us, my dad has a breathing condition and cant work and lately they've been fighting so much more than they used to and bringing me and my brothers into it. They've been cursing each other out and my parents have always or at least for a long time been very Cristian so hearing them do that scares me. On top of that my mom is verbally abusive to me and my dad loves to guilt trip me and my brothers and they except me to pick sides and honestly I just can't wait till I've saved a enough and learned the language to move to another country. Today I was trying to catch up on some things and my parents where fighting and my mom stormed out of the house and drove off which she has never done and im just really scared and stressed now and I just want some comfort maybe with Giyuu, Sanemi, or Hantengus' clones (platonic or romantic) who get home and reader / S/O is just crying and struggling to breath because they're parents are constantly trying to bring reader into they're own problems and reader feels like everything is always their responsibility and they just break down

# sanemi shinazugawa & hantengu clones (sekido & aizetsu)

tags : gn!reader, soft sanemi, i’ve never written for the hantengu clones so if they seem ooc just ignore it lmao, angst, comfort, not proofread.

a/n : alright since the clones are a lot i decided to write for only two of them 😭 i hope that’s fine anyway… i’m sending you a big hug and i hope everything gets better <3

SANEMI SHINAZUGAWA

sanemi would help you calm down and invite you to breathe with him

that way you would feel a tiny bit better

then he would wipe your cheeks and fill you with sweet words, trying his best to get you to relax

then he would hold you close to his chest and ask you if you want to talk about it

he won’t judge you, just be there to comfort you the best he can

sanemi would caress your hair, your back, your face, peppering your face with kisses

“it’s gonna be okay, i promise,” he would whisper into your ear, holding you to his chest

SEKIDO

man would see red (lol) the moment he notices you crying

would get close to you and help you calm down

“yeah, breathe in and out like this.”

once you’re calm enough he would try his best to comfort you

reluctant but would hug you and caress your head slowly

“wanna talk about it?” his tone would be gentle even if he’s annoyed that someone or something made you cry

once you open up, he would lowkey think about murdering your parents ngl

he would hold you until you’re completely calmed and feel a bit better

AIZETSU

would probably cry with you while holding you into his arms

of course he would help you calm your breathing, as he doesn’t want to make you feel suffocated

he needs to make sure you’re comfortable with him holding you

“i’m so sorry darling, so sorry,” his voice is soft but full of sorrow (well)

i hc him to be super touchy so he would surely hold you close and keep his head close to yours

sometimes he would kiss your cheeks and look at you with tears in his eyes as you open up to him

“oh darling . . . i pity you,” he genuinely feels bad for your situation, “but i promise you it will be okay.”

reblogs & comments are super appreciated! thank you for taking your time reading it, i hope you enjoyed it. have a good day / night <3

[tanith-rhea]

hii! I wanna say first and foremost that im loving all of ur larissa/reader fics sm. I really liked the screw ur roommate one ;-; and i wanna give a prompt for a fic if ur up for it! So its like this...

Young larrissa, morticia, gomez and f!reader are at a secret nevermore nightshades party. They play spin the bottle/truth or dare and it starts off harmless till reader's dared to kiss who they think is the prettiest amongst all of them. Everyone thinks its morticia but oop its larrissa. After that, chaos ensues and maybe things get spicier? Light vandalism/skinny dipping mayhaps? Would be cute if there's a flashforward and Principle Weems looks back on that youthful night.

Truth or Dare

Thank you so goddamn much for this ask anon! I had so much fun writing it and I'm really excited about it. I think it's an excellent idea and loved every second of coming up with this! Hope you like it as I did writing it!

Word count: 2.3k

They've been drinking for a while now. You think, observing Morticia and Gomez eyeing each other. The party was dying down by now, and if it were up to you, you would already be in bed with the rest of the group, but Larissa was going back with Morticia and asked you to keep her company lest she'd be left alone with that disturbingly horny pair.

Morrison and Mccoy were still there as well, but Larissa would be alone to deal with them if you left, so you stayed. There probably wasn't something you wouldn't do for her, and sitting with her in the dock overseeing the lake to Raven Island, you weren't tempted to head back.

"This is getting boring," a sultry voice asserted a few meters back, "We should play a game."

It was Morticia, approaching with Gomez in one hand and a recently emptied bottle of cheap wine in the other; drinking wine at seventeen, The Nightshades were pretentious like that. It spoke of how biased you were that you thought Larissa was the only one who actually pulled it off, looking elegant and thoroughly decadent while drinking straight from the bottle.

"What do you suggest?" Larissa humoured her, making space between you to the others to sit in a circle on the wooden pier.

You wanted to be alone with her, in all honesty, but Morticia had a glint in her eye that piqued your curiosity and made you nervous altogether.

"How about verum aut consecutio?" she eyed the others; the boys had come up and sat as well, Mccoy between you and Larissa, Gomez beside you and Morticia "In turns, we all spin the bottle in the middle of the circle, and the person whose its neck points to is asked to make a confession about themselves, or face consequences" her smile was devilish, you were equal parts excited and terrified.

Maybe it was the alcohol — you were a terrible lightweight — but you liked the idea very much. Antagonism towards Morticia forgotten in the name of fun, you nodded with the others and prepared to start.

Since Morticia was the one to give the idea in the first place, she spun the bottle first. Round and round it went until it stopped, pointing at Larissa. Fuck, this could go horribly bad; but Morticia only seemed amused.

"Larissa..." she smiled, biting her lip "where are you ticklish?"

Oh, that was harmless, maybe this could be fun.

"You know where I'm ticklish" the comment made you uncomfortable and the fake annoyance on Rissa's face was like a slap, "I'm ticklish in my ribs" she arched a defiant brow, a side smile curling her lips.

You knew they were friends a while back, but you didn't know what happened for the easy jokes to turn into a passive-aggressive competition of wit. They were begrudging companions at best now, admiring each other but unable to voice it. You used to think it was sexual tension, but it made you hurt too much to even entertain the idea, so you decided to turn a blind eye.

The next person was Morrison, directly in front of you, and he asked Gomez what would his wishes for a genie be. Several rounds passed by, with some funny confessions and ridiculous consequences. Mccoy was dared to do a sexy crawl up to Gomez and Morticia to, impressively successfully, lick her own elbow.

It was Morrison again, everyone was in high spirits from having seen Gomez twerk for thirty seconds, and he spun the bottle. Until now, it had only fallen on you once and you asked for confession, telling everyone that you had a strawberry-shaped birthmark on the left side of your lower back. This time, you decided to choose consequence.

"Kiss the most attractive person in this circle" wait, what? No one had done something actually physical before. Did you have to? You probably didn't, but the temptation of having an excuse...

The thing was, you had the most embarrassing fancy on Larissa. She didn't correspond to your feelings, quite obviously not interested in anxious lesbians with no control over their lives. She was the most beautiful creature you ever laid eyes on, but not only that, she was kind and caring, compassionate but with a fiery side that could make you roll on the floor laughing or pant to catch your breath at how hot she could be.

You looked at everyone, you knew what they were expecting. The obvious choice was Morticia. It was a consensus that she was the most charming and sexy girl in the school and you were the gayest disaster to ever step on Nevermore's grounds, but you didn't agree with that. Gomez seemed tense and Mccoy seemed bored. Morrison seemed smug for getting himself the pretty sight of two girls kissing. You were just paralyzed with fear. What would she think? Would things be as they always were after it?

"C'mon, quit making us wait" Mccoy grumbled.

With a deep breath, you stood up to cross in front of him, hearing a sharp intake of breath from behind you and looking at a shocked Larissa on your front. You lowered yourself to one knee, foot planted beside her thigh. She was seated on her legs like a courteous little princess, her hands clasped together on her lap, shoulders tensely straight.

"May I have a kiss?" you whispered, looking for any signs she might want this as much as you did, fearing to find the opposite.

"Are you serious?" she seemed so unsure it hurt. You could only look solemnly at her.

She gave a curt nod, still quite incredulous. You couldn't read her, something you weren't used to. You leaned into her, closing the distance.

It was a bit awkward at first, her lips were partially parted and yours weren't, but soon you saved it by cupping her cheek and guiding her through a slow exploration of each other's mouths. She tasted wine-sweet with a hint of the peppermint tea you had before going out. Her lips were soft and lovely caressing yours with gradually increasing enthusiasm. You weren't in a hurry, you could do this forever easily, and if she wanted time to evolve it into something deeper you were happy to oblige. Her tongue teased out; you were already kissing open-mouthed, but the feeling of her tongue slipping between your lips and sucking yours to her made a satisfied groan escape your throat. Just as you were going to cup her neck with your other hand, fingers already ruining her hairdo, a coughing sound interrupted your thoughts.

You parted, face hot in embarrassment you had only seconds ago felt none of, to see the agitated expression on Morrison's face, Mccoy awkwardly trying to look the other way after staring dumbfounded and Morticia grinning slyly. Gomez didn't seem particularly fazed, and you wanted to hug him for it.

"Okaaay," Morrison cut in the silence "that was something..." he cut himself for a moment before blurting "your turn Larissa" and thrusting her the bottle like a hot potato.

The game deescalated after that. Everyone seemed to silently agree that you didn't need much more excitement that night. But after a while, Morticia grew bored, as she usually did, and suggested everyone should take off their clothes and have a midnight swim.

By then, the other boys were passed out on the grass by the boats. You and Larissa hadn't talked since the kiss and she seemed to avoid your gaze every time you looked at her. Which meant she was looking. You tried to fool yourself with hope but secretly hated that you were only paving the road to heartbreak. She didn't feel the same.

Morticia began taking off her dress and jumped graciously into the water, calling Gomez to join her. He did it without a preamble.

You eyed Larissa silently asking if she was alright with it. She finally looked at you and gave a short, tight smile, before taking off her shirt and skirt and lowering herself into the midnight-coloured water. You followed suit, leaving your clothes with hers.

Morticia started a fight of spilling water and soon the tension had gone again. You felt grateful to her for the first time that night. Larissa was laughing and Gomez was an absolute surprise, attacking everyone when they least expected.

It was very late, the moon halfway down the sky. You were all tired from swimming and cold for stopping the War of Water, and you were going to suggest leaving and going back to school when Morticia said:

"I think Gomez and I are going to head back, I'm feeling chilly and would like for someone to warm me" she blinked at him and started swimming away with him in her tow.

You were suddenly left with Larissa, and couldn't help but think Morticia was doing something. Scheming. Was there a reason for all of this? Did her smile mean something back at the game?

Larissa looked at you for a second, not joyful anymore but tense.

"I think we should go too. It is rather cold."

"Larissa-" you didn't know what you were going to say, where you were going with this, but you had to try, right? Things were already a mess, you could tell.

She stopped, her eyes looking at the surface of the water between you.

"I think we should talk about this" you drifted closer into her personal space.

"What's there to talk about?" she looked to the side, seeming very interested in the trees on the other side of the lake.

"About what happened... about us" you tried, carefully placing the pad of your fingers in her jaw to bring her eyes to yours, she let you.

"I don't know what you mean, it was just a game" she didn't look at your face, instead focused on the freckles on your shoulders, covered only by the straps of your baby pink bra.

"Then why won't you look me in the eyes?" you were starting to get annoyed, she looked at you so fast that it seemed as if she was scared; scared of giving something away, betraying how she felt "I know something is different. You didn't talk to me for this passed hour and you look like a dear in headlights every time I look at you."

She wasn't saying anything. Was she spearing your feelings? Was she avoiding you because she didn't want to give you the wrong impression? Was she... Jesus, was she uncomfortable with your proximity?

You floated back a bit, giving her room. You knew this would happen, you knew giving yourself hope was idiotic.

"If you think I'll act differently... I won't" you reassured her in a small voice "I'll be normal, I'll keep it under control just as I've ever done. I won't expect anything to change or for you to want me back. I can do it, Larissa, I'm used to it. Just don't... do what you're doing now, looking at me horrified like that. Are you okay?" her face was slowly contorting into something horrible, shocked and... disgusted? You felt yourself starting to cry. What have you done?

"Oh my god, is this too much? Should I have kept quiet? Fuck! I'm so sorry, Larissa, I am. Please don't be repulsed, please forget it!" now you were sobbing. She didn't feel the same, and she was repelled.

You didn't see anything, tears clouding your almost-shut eyes when you felt the water and her arms around you.

"Shh, love. Calm down" her voice was soft in your hair "I'm not repulsed by you, how could I?" she pitied you, of course.

Still, you weren't strong enough not to give in and bury your face in her. Her chest was hot against your cold face.

"I'm not repulsed by you, I'm surprised with you" she continued whispering "I am disgusted, but only with myself" she parted from you a bit, taking your face in her hand "I'm disgusted that I was such an idiot not to have realized."

Her kind smile is a searing knife to your buttery heart. You didn't have her love, you had her pity, which was almost as painful as a disgusted rejection. She felt sympathy for you.

"Fuck" you let it escape in a broken gasp "I can't look at you Larissa, don't give me that" you were starting to swim away, feeling humiliated when her hand caught your forearm.

"What? Don't give you what? I'm not understanding your signals y/n, in one minute you're confessing to me and the next you are rejecting my feelings?"

What the hell was she talking about?

"What fucking feelings, Larissa?! I don't want your fucking pity, I love you! I can deal with you rejecting me but I can't just stand by as you think oh poor y/n, so desperately in love with me, wish I could feel the same!" you screamed at her, but she wasn't listening, she was smiling; quite beautifully so. She had a smile that could light an entire city plastered on her face.

You were confused and angry and didn't see it coming but in a second you were looking at her and the second she was kissing you. Ferociously. She was smiling against your lips and her hands held your face firmly. You melted into her, giving up the second her lips collided with yours. Of course you would let her do whatever she wanted, even if you didn't understand a flying shit of what was happening.

When she parted from you, smile still in place, you struggled to catch your breath.

"You absolute idiot. We are absolutely the biggest fools in this school" she laughed "I love you too, you silly girl" and she leaned in again, kissing you with the biggest smile on.

You stayed a bit longer at the lake; suddenly you didn't feel so cold anymore.

Sorry for the late post. Saturday is d&d day, so I wasn't at home for most of the afternoon. Kisses!

Part two can be found here.