#Family Reunions are a great time to realize how much of an outsider you are in you're own family

[saltyfilmmajor]

It's that time of year where i get weirdly sad that my family will never know me

[taesanrot]

[thinkin bout you] taesan x f!reader | 5.8k words high school au, childhood friends 2 lovers, slight e2l, fake dating, first kiss, moving away and reunion kinda ???, also bffs 2 lovers ish, smut at the end note. happy (late) birthday to my lovely kay <333 hope u love it my cherry pie. sorry to everyone for how long this took, finishing this fic almost broke me. (and yes heres another taesan fic for the anon who was asking). also highly recommend listening to steve lacy while reading this, the plot was v inspired by infrunami and the entire lo-fis album :]

the first time you met taesan, he didn't give the grandest first impression. not that you really expected to be blown away by a six year old boy, but meeting him while he was covered in mud wasn't what you were anticipating either.

your family had just moved next to the boy's house, and as you picked dandelions and flowers from the front yard to collect and keep, you couldn't help but notice a young boy playing in the garden of the house next door. turning to see you, the boy giddily bounded over to you, introducing himself joyfully.

you should've been nicer; he was just another little boy enjoying the breezy summer day, but you couldn't help scrunching your nose as you eyed him up and down. his knees were green with grass stains and his arms and legs were covered with swipes of dirt, a bit of mud sticking to his cheek.

within a minute, his mother noticed her son poking his nose outside of the yard and came over to collect him, chiding his dirtiness and sending him back to his own abode. taesan pouted for less than a second before smiling brightly at you, waving happily as he ran back to his house. you frowned slightly at his bright demeanor.

although you were the same age as taesan, something both of your mothers were delighted by, you considered yourself more mature and too grown up for kiddish activities, and this logic applied to others your age as well.

growing up as well, you found boys to be immature and difficult creatures, always finding yourself repelled by their confusing antics. taesan was just any other boy to you, childish and juvenile.

despite your obvious disdain towards the young boy, your families still spent a great deal of time together. they were always encouraging the two of you to get along; you never had any of it.

taesan caught onto this attitude pretty quickly as well, wondering why you didn't like him. he decided he'd rather play with his toy cars and lay in the grass than dwell on it though.

this was how your dynamic was, the two of you in an unspoken agreement that it would be better to just leave each other alone.

you saw less and less of taesan after his parents decided to enroll him in a private school to finish out his middle and high school years. to be honest, you couldn't have cared less -- your childish neighbor was far from your mind as you immersed yourself in your high school sports, particularly enjoying volleyball and swimming.

being on both teams for your school and trying to keep your grades up took up the majority of your time, meaning you hadn't exactly experienced the infamous teenage romance, as your parents liked to call it.

you didn't know why your parents cared about your love life so much. you felt perfectly content with your school activities and your various friends, not feeling the need to burden yourself with a boyfriend.

taesan was similar to you in that way; after growing into adolescence and beginning teenagerhood he began to delve into music, writing and composing songs became his life. granted, he'd had a couple flings here and there, so he wasn't completely in the dark when it came to relationships.

for his final semester of his senior year, taesan ended up transferring back to your high school. you found out about this when you watched him run out the front door one morning as you were unlocking your car, ready to drive yourself to school.

you almost didn't realize it was him, granted the last time you'd gotten a proper glance at him was when the two of you were maybe 12. his once chestnut brown hair was dyed jet black, and the curliness of it had settled and loosened so it was just slightly wavy.

he'd grown at least half a foot, shoulders broad and sturdy. you eyed his long legs that carried him to the bus that he was practically chasing. biting a laugh back, you watched him sheepishly smile at the bus driver, who rolled his eyes before letting the boy on.

the next time you saw taesan was that evening actually. returning home after swim practice, you saw your mom in the living room vacuuming the floors. pausing for a moment, she unplugged the machine to greet you, hugging you gently and asking how your day was.

"nothing crazy. practice was fine too." your mom fought the urge to sigh out loud. you were always talking about sports while she was constantly hoping you'd come back telling her that you'd met someone.

"that's great, honey" she faked a smile at your denseness, turning around to continue cleaning.

"taesan's back." for a moment, your mom looked caught off guard before smiling again, hoping if she acted normal you'd be encouraged to continue.

"and?"

"he looks different" you spoke as you fell onto the couch, rubbing the back of your neck.

"it's been years since the last time you saw him, hasn't it?" you nodded.

"he's going to my school now." you smiled again thinking about how silly he'd looked this morning.

"i know, i invited him and his mom over for dinner today." your mom replied sheepishly, anticipating an outburst of sorts from her daughter.

"what?" you sputtered in surprise, eyes wide as you stared at your mom.

"what? they're our neighbors, plus i haven't had a chance to catch up with mrs. han in a while." you groaned at the idea of an awkward dinner and having to dress nicely. you trudged up the stairs to your room to wash your hair and find some decent looking clothes that weren't your team sweats.

++

you were helping your mom set the table when the doorbell rang, sighing as your mom giggled and turned to answer the door. hearing both of your moms' giddy voices around the corner as they greeted each other, you sat on the couch in your living room. taesan walked past his mom and your mom reuniting and appeared around the corner, meeting the sight of you scrolling on your phone on the couch, smiling as you texted someone.

"hey." your gaze immediately fixed on taesan. he had grown up well, his jawline defined and lips tinted pink. his mouth had sort of a natural pout to it, and his eyes were a pretty shade of chocolate. his hair was long, bangs growing out and parted down the middle to fall down his ears and frame his face.

you made note of his figure as well, shoulders broad and torso narrowed into his waist. he was tall, much taller than you'd thought this morning.

standing at the end of the couch you were on, his hands were stuffed in his pockets as he took you in.

you'd also grown up quite a bit in the past couple years. your once shorter hair was longer and flowed down your shoulders, with partially lightened streaks sprinkled throughout from swimming.

you were also quite toned from how active you were, and taesan's eyes traced the lines down your neck as you straightened your posture.

"hi." you replied, lazy voice contrasting your stiff demeanor. he eyed your dressy top and jeans before looking down at his old band tee and ripped jeans.

"was i supposed to wear something nicer?" he asked sheepishly, shoulders slumping in relief as you shook your head no and smiled at him softly.

dinner wasn't really anything unordinary, mainly consisting of your parents conversing with taesan's mother as you and the boy ate in silence next to each other. at one point, you heard your name tossed around in conversation, looking up in response.

"y/n! you and taesan should carpool to school together!" you fought to suppress a groan and eye roll as you watched your moms cheerily converse about the arrangement.

you enjoyed your drives to and from school alone, giving you some peace and solitude. no more of that, i guess, you thought bitterly.

++

"you ride to school in silence?" taesan asked after swinging your car door open and stepping in. you yawned loudly. early mornings never really agreed with you.

"i don't really have time to listen to music." taesan raised his eyebrow at this.

"don't have time? what are you, the president?" surprisingly, taesan's quips made you crack a smile. considering how you'd felt about him before, you figured riding with him would be a bother.

as you got to know taesan better, though, you realized there was much more to your neighbor than met the eye. he introduced you to his favorite bands and showed you various musical genres. he taught you about a new genre every week, on a personal mission to help you find your favorite. you enjoyed watching him geek out about music, and you began to learn which artists and genres you liked the most.

eventually, taesan would come wait for your practices to end, often sitting in the bleachers and working on homework with headphones shoved in his ears.

you'd always bound up to him after, breathing shallowly as you tugged his earbuds to let him know you were done. he found you to be like a puppy at times like that, panting and waiting for him to pack up his stuff so the two of you could return home.

"is volleyball hard?" he asked one day on your drive home. this week was indie, a soft steve lacy song floating through the air as you turned to look at him.

"not really, it's pretty simple." taesan's face told you he disagreed. before he open his mouth retaliate, you spoke.

"i can teach you."

spending time with taesan was easy. sometimes, you felt like you were going crazy, pulling any excuse from the book to spend time with him. the two of you clicked so well, something that caught you off guard much more than you'd like to admit.

++

the semester passed by quicker than you could blink, and suddenly you were swept up in end of the year preparations. before you knew it, you were graduating.

pulling the cap over your hair, you turned to your parents.

"how do i look?" they both smiled happily at you, mirroring your own bright grin.

the ceremony felt like a dream, or like you were watching yourself out of your own body. diploma in hand, you were now outside, taking pictures with your various teammates and friends and teachers. at one point, while you were snapping pictures with your friend, belle, you caught a glimpse of raven black hair in the crowd.

glancing over, you saw taesan taking pictures with a small group of boys, the same ones you'd seen him around school with. there were also a couple of guys also looked about your age but weren't in caps and gowns.

either way, taesan's smile shone brighter and grasped your attention more than anything else. his eyes shrunk into crescents and his teeth were pearly white; if you squinted, a halo would probably appear over his head. you watched with a small smile as his friends pulled at his cap and ruffled his hair affectionately.

eventually, the two of your moms found each other and you were being pushed next to taesan to take a picture together.

"smile, kids!" you couldn't help but smile at their giddiness. looking up at taesan, you saw him chuckling as well. his arm wrapped around your side as your parent's cameras flashed.

"you both look so lovely together!" your face reddened with embarrassment at your mom's words, and you quickly slapped her arm to shut her up. taesan was left watching you walk away from him, eyes trained on the way your hair swung and how the wind ruffled your gown.

++

with school finally out, summer was in full swing. you didn't have any plans in particular, wanting to make the most of the next few months before the next phase of your life.

your mother seemed to have other plans, though. while you could tell she was less than happy with your lack of a boyfriend or even a fling throughout high school, she wasn't even trying to hide it anymore.

"y/n honey, mrs. jung's son is single. he's a sweet boy, you two should go out!"

"mom i said n--"

"and you're free thursday evening, perfect! i just texted his mom back!"

the date went as you expected -- painfully awkward. the two of you simply didn't mesh, conversation always fading off into thick silence. your frustration with your mother certainly didn't help either, you thought as you accidentally slammed the boy's car door when he picked you up.

falling onto your bed, you sighed and yanked your phone out of your purse, calling taesan. he was probably working on some beats right now anyways. the phone rung for a few seconds before you heard his raspy voice on the other side of the line.

"what's up?" he spoke lazily. you could hear the squeak of his chair as he leaned back in it.

"my mom sent me on a blind date." hearing him snicker at the other end of the line, you frowned.

"no way, how'd it go?" you answered with a loud ugh, causing taesan to fully burst out laughing.

"terrible, it was so fucking awkwa-- stop laughing asshole!" you cursed at taesan's chuckles.

"when did your mom decide to be your wingwoman?" you groaned, rolling over in your bed and fiddling with the end of your blanket.

"i don't know, but i hope this is the last one." you sighed in response.

++

unfortunately, fate was not on your side; the date with mrs jung's son was only the beginning of your mother's antics. your friday night plans now routinely consisted of an uncomfortable dinner date and ranting to taesan about it after.

ringing his doorbell, you waited for someone to answer while scrolling through your phone. you deleted your date, gyuvin's, number and hoped to god he picked up on your disinterest and didn't text you again.

looking up as the door opened, you were met with taesan's mother. mrs. han pulled you into a warm hug as she asked how your night was.

"ugh, don't ask, mrs han. i don't know how many more of these dates i can do." she smiled fondly at you, wrapping an arm around your shoulder as you two walked into the house.

"i'm sure you'll find the right guy eventually sweetie, he might be right under your nose." mrs. han elbowed you slightly, her expression playful. you laughed and kicked off your shoes.

"is taesan in his room?" she nodded and teasingly shooed you up the stairs.

taesan heard your slow steps up the stairs, not bothering to look up from his laptop until you were standing in his doorway, arms crossed. you were silently waiting: for acknowledgement and permission to come in. you knew you were always welcome into the boy's room, but taesan silently appreciated the way you respected his space.

"hey." he spoke, smiling and pausing the track playing from his laptop. he had been mixing, as usual. the second his voice left his lips, your shoulders slumped and you threw yourself face down onto his bed, groaning.

"i hate my life." you grumbled, the sound of your voice muffled by taesan's duvet. he chuckled, patting the back of your head playfully.

"there, there." he murmured sarcastically, and you rolled over so you could smack his hand away. taesan looked far more comfortable than you, in his pajama pants and a sweatshirt rather than a tight, uncomfortable blouse and skinny jeans.

the boy listened to you like a puppy as you delved into all the unfortunate details of your night.

"he showed up on a bike?" taesan's face was nearly red as he fought to not laugh. your already grumpy frown only deepened further, and you brought your hands up to massage your temples gently.

taesan's eyes locked on your fingers, mesmerized by your slow movements. moving his gaze down further, he quietly watched your muscles in your hand and forearm tense and contract with your ministrations.

the boy wouldn't tell you this, but he loved the nicer tops you wore, he loved when he could see the way your collarbone sat and trace the delicate curve of your neck with his eyes.

"taesan?" your quiet voice broke him out of his stupor of thought. his eyes refocused on your face, bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his neck. he hoped his hair was covering his reddened ears.

"why don't you just tell your mom you don't wanna go on dates anymore?" he spoke lazily, ignoring the way you narrowed your eyes, still trying to read into his previous glances. you shook your head, turning onto your back to face the ceiling. taesan was still propped against the headboard, his laptop and headphones now set aside.

"she won't listen. i know it's because she cares about me and thinks she's helping me out but i'm really tired of the whole routine." taesan's eyes softened. besides your teammates at school and him, you really weren't the most social person out there, blooming the most in the company of those you cared about the most.

taesan could tell the dates had taken a toll on you; the anxious preparation and stiff conversation wore you out much more than you let on. taesan was glad you trusted him with your thoughts and feelings -- he always wanted to be there for you through anything.

the boy moved forward so he was leaning over you slightly and nudged your shoulder with his knee.

"this is gonna sound really stupid, but you could just tell your parents that we're dating." you wanted to laugh but no words left your mouth, mind frozen trying to process what he was saying.

truthfully, what took you more off guard was the soft look in taesan's eyes as he looked down at you through his fluffy bangs. sitting up, you looked for any hint of playfulness or sarcasm in his face.

"really?" you asked confusedly. you hoped you didn't sound off put by the idea, the last thing you wanted was to hurt the feelings of the boy trying to help you.

"i mean, it would get your mom off your back, right? plus, she'd be pretty happy to know it was me of all people that you're with." with that, you smiled and rolled your eyes while shoving taesan lightly.

"oh because you're the hottest guy to ever walk this earth." you laughed as taesan sulked.

"that's not what i meant! you're such an asshole sometimes." taesan's pouted in the most exaggerated way possible, making you chuckle even harder. he was happy you were smiling again.

"besides your little ego trip, i do think it's a good idea." you spoke quietly, slightly embarrassed at how much you liked the idea of taesan looking out for you.

the two of you didn't really set rules, just that you'd hold hands and act a little more affectionate when the time called for it. to be frank, you and taesan didn't have to do much more than you already did; the two of you hung out pretty often anyways, now opting for calling your get togethers "dates" for show.

your mom was obviously thrilled when you told her about you and taesan. she went on a whole tangent about how she just knew the two of you would finally realize you liked each other.

what surprised you more was taesan's mom's reaction. she was not one bit surprised, even going as far as giving both of you a knowing look as you shyly stood next to each other in the kitchen while she brewed her coffee.

you were puzzled, not only by her meaningful gaze at the two of you but also at the redness flushing onto taesan's neck and cheeks. you told yourself he was just embarrassed that his mom was acting so blunt.

friday came along, and for the first time in a month, you were free. no stupid blind date, no painful conversation that made you want to rip your throat out and use it as a garnish for your pasta.

"we should celebrate." you blurted into the silent air. you and taesan were both laying on your floor, music playing from your laptop on your desk as the two of you sat in each others' company. taesan was writing in his journal, probably working on song lyrics, while you read a book. looking up from his notes, taesan clicked his pen and smiled at you.

"what do you wanna do?" you didn't have to look at taesan to hear the smile in his voice. while the two of you already hung out pretty much every day, it felt like the two of you were attached by the hip ever since your arrangement began.

taesan might've been going crazy, but he was enjoying your company too much.

he realized something was wrong with him when he starting smiling while taking out the trash; all because taking out the trash meant he could glance over at your house and wonder what you were up to.

what is going on with me? he thought to himself as he bumped his forehead on the lid of the trashcan, trying to snap himself out of his you-induced daze.

"wanna go see a movie?" you suggested timidly, waiting for taesan's reaction. you don't why you were so worried, you knew he was always down to do anything, but for some reason you wanted to pick something you know he'd like.

"can we get slushies?" taesan shot back, already getting up from the floor and reaching a hand to help you up.

++

"your parking sucks," the boy in your passenger seat quipped as you nearly took up two parking spots in the cinema's parking lot. looking around, the lot was nearly empty anyways. you turned and flicked his forehead, laughing as he whined dramatically.

"shut up, idiot." you watched taesan make an offended face and grab his chest theatrically.

"idiot? is that how you treat your poor boyfriend." you laughed at his loud gasping. reaching over, you ruffled your hand in his hair.

"i might be nicer if my poor boyfriend was the one driving us." you teased jokingly.

"fuck you, my parents needed the car!"

++

stepping past the ticket counter, the two of you made your way to concessions, looking for snacks for the movie.

“i got it.” taesan mumbled as he took your drink cup from your hands and walked up to the counter. you followed him with a teasing smile on your face, watching him pay for both of your drinks and a shared popcorn.

“i’m swooning” you joked as he took the receipt from the cashier and handed your cup back to you. he rolled his eyes in response, muttering something along the lines of you being annoying. you knew he didn’t mean a word of it, a small smile painted on his face as the two of you walked over to the drink station.

as you filled up your slushie, you suddenly felt taesan behind you. he quickly brought a hand to rest on your waist and bent to lay his head on your shoulder.

confusion overtook you. but more than that, you could feel your chest heating up and breaths shallowing. the skin of taesan’s chin rested on your shoulder and his breath tickled your ear gently; you had to physically restrain yourself from shivering.

after popping a cap on your drink and grabbing a straw, you turned to look at the boy behind you. you were already near whiplash from how close he was to you, his chest nearly touching yours.

“what was that about?” you tried to sound as unaffected as possible, hoping he couldn’t hear your heartbeat thrumming under your skin.

taesan looked at you for a second and looked over his shoulder again before taking a step back. his hands were shoved in his pockets and he bit his lip nervously.

“i think i saw my mom’s friend.” your eyes widened, tilting your chin to peek past his shoulder. if she was actually there, she was gone, probably in one of the theaters.

++

the two of you found your seats and your body finally cooled down. the more you thought about it, taesan's whole act wasn't really necessary. it wasn't like anyone was really suspecting of the two of you lying and the two of you looked enough like a boyfriend and girlfriend when you walked around.

sneaking a glance at your "boyfriend," you had never wished to know what he was thinking more than that moment. were the past 5 minutes replaying in his brain over and over again like they were in yours?

you couldn't even pay attention to the movie that was playing, mind and thoughts wholly dedicated to the boy eating popcorn next to you. the skin on your sides almost burned to feel his hands on them again.

clenching your fist, you fought to push the increasingly inappropriate thoughts about taesan away. you didn't understand why it was affecting you so drastically, you and taesan had been holding hands and hugging with no problem.

the way taesan's tall frame towered over you and had nearly wrapped around you as he rested on your shoulder made you head spin. he'd felt so warm behind you, like a blanket draping over you.

shivering slightly at the thought, you caught taesan's attention again.

"are you cold?" he whispered quietly, already taking off his zip up to give to you. you shook your head frantically, slightly horrified at him noticing your odd behaviour and misinterpreting it.

unfortunately for you, it was already too late and the boy draped the jacket gently over your legs, innocently smiling at you before looking back at the screen. you were absolutely certain there was no way you were surviving the next hour.

you were now fully wearing taesan's jacket as the two of you walked back to your car. you were trying to focus on anything besides the boy's warmth seeping from his hoodie into your skin.

taesan could tell something was off, eyes lingering on your slightly stiffened shoulders. at the same time, he was thinking about how he enjoyed the sight of you in his jacket a little too much for his liking. the sleeves reached past your wrists, almost to your fingers.

++

"did you like the movie?" taesan asked softly, glancing at you curiously.

you both were now sitting in your car, a slow rnb song playing softly from the stereo of your car. taesan's body turned slightly to face you. you, on the other hand, were staring straight ahead, not wanting make eye contact with him in fear of the visceral reaction you might have.

"um, yeah, that one girl was funny." you didn't even know why you were pretending you remembered the damn movie. your mind had been on the boy sitting next to you the whole time.

"you don't need to lie, y/n." your eyes widened at the boy's words. you were done for. taesan leaned forward, tilting his body and head so he could look you in the eyes as you stared intensely at your shoes. he continued.

"i can tell something's on your mind. what're you thinking about?" the boy asked gently, noticing your clenched fists.

"you." you blurted out before you could stop yourself. there was no going back. as the feelings you didn't realize you'd been holding for taesan flooded your mind, you couldn't drown them any longer. hearing a small gasp, you forced yourself to continue

"i know we're just friends, i'm sorry --" you began before taesan's voice sliced through the air, louder and stable than before.

"don't..." your stomach dropped, he definitely hated you know. you almost felt sick, praying he didn't think you were taking advantage of his kindness. he'd offered up this whole arrangement as a friend for your sake and sanity, and you went and fell for him.

"don't apologize for that, ever." taesan finally found the words he was looking for, and you looked up confusedly to see his eyes boring into you. his gaze was heavy, you wanted to shrivel underneath it.

his eyes ran over every part of you he could see, across your eyes and lips and down your neck and along your shoulders. they trailed down your arms that were wrapped in his jacket and brushed over your exposed legs. your tense fists and eyes screwed shut didn't go unnoticed either.

you couldn't bear to keep your eyes open any longer, silently begging him to do or say anything else.

"what does that mean?" you muttered, eyes still shut. taesan's stomach flipped and he couldn't help but smile at the sight of you so nervous, all because of him.

"i've been thinking about you, too." your eyes shot open in surprise, seeing taesan smiling at you warmly. his large hand reached over the console to wrap around your still clenched fist, his fingers working to unravel your hand and intertwine yours with his.

he placed his other hand on your shoulder, turning you to face him completely. you held your breath as his touch creeped up the curve of your shoulder, hand fully cupping the back of your neck. you wordlessly leaned into his touch, tongue coming out to wet your lips for what you knew was coming.

taesan thought you looked beautiful like this; the only thing illuminating the two of you was the glow of the dashboard, the light wrapped around you like a halo. your lips shone in the dim light, glossed over and beckoning to the boy.

your lungs felt they were on fire as you waited for taesan to something, anything.

"taesan..." your shaky voice was no louder than a whisper. the boy finally snapped out of his dazed state, leaning over the console to meet your lips with his.

taesan was as gentle as he could be with you, eyes closed and plush lips pressing against yours softly. the kiss lasted for a moment before he pulled away, opening his eyes slowly. while he was aching to go further with you than just a simple peck, the last thing he wanted to do was overwhelm you, knowing this was your first kiss.

you, on the other hand, had the front of his shirt pinched between your fingers, pulling him back to you within a second. you melted against his lips, eyes fluttering shut as your face grew hotter by the second.

taesan's hand that was holding yours moved to squeeze your thigh. you gasped lightly against his lips and his tongue moved past your lips, exploring your warm mouth.

your head was spinning from the unfamiliar sensations, eyes nearly rolling back as taesan used his hand behind your neck to cup the back of your head and tilt your face. your lips moved together in an unspoken synchrony; taesan could've sworn he saw stars when you bit his lip, groaning into your mouth softly.

the low music from the stereo was now joined by the lewd noises coming from your mouths. the two of you continued making out, your hand now gripping taesan's bicep while his fingers dancing along your shoulders.

you finally pulled away to catch your breath, opening your eyes slowly. a string of spit stretched between your and taesan's lips, lit up by the dashboard lights. taesan felt his stomach tighten as you wiped your mouth on the back of your hand, never breaking eye contact with him.

it wasn't until a group of kids your age walked past your car that the two of you remembered where exactly you were -- a public parking lot.

"we should get out of here." you mumbled as you switched the car's gear into drive. taesan simply nodded, still reeling from what just happened. as you pulled out of the parking lot, he licked his lips, hoping to get another taste of you. or what was left of you, at least,

the ride home was quiet, the only sound being the music from your stereo. the movie theater wasn't too far from your neighborhood anyways; your car pulled into your driveway a mere 5 minutes later.

you moved extra slowly as you switched the car into park and turned off the ignition, hoping taesan would take the opportunity to say something. the boy could read you like a book, practically feeling the anticipation and nervousness radiating from your body.

"what do you want to do now?" unfortunately, taesan did not say anything close to what you were expecting. you coughed, caught by surprise while also stalling so you could think of a response.

"i mean we both like each other, right?" you asked, face reddening within a second. taesan smiled and nodded. you continued.

"are you going to ask me to be your girlfriend?" you inquired teasingly. taesan playfully scoffed.

"why do i have to be the one to ask?" he whined, eliciting a giggle from you.

"i thought you were a gentleman." taesan rolled his eyes at your jab, reaching over to grab your hand and intertwine your fingers with his.

"y/n, will you be my real, not pretend girlfriend?" taesan spoke dramatically, like he was in front of an audience. you laughed even harder, fake swooning as he kissed the back of your hand.

"hmm can i think about it?" you nearly lost it watching the dramatic betrayal on taesan's face. he shoved your shoulder lightly, smiling as he crossed his arms stubbornly.

"i'm kidding, i would love to be your real, not pretend girlfriend." you sealed the deal by leaning forward to press a kiss to the boy's cheek, making a loud smacking sound that made the two of you laugh.

"i can't believe it only took you a week to succumb to me" taesan quipped as the two of you stepped out of the car.

"shut up mr. i've been thinking about you too." you shot back, jabbing the boy with your elbow lightly.

the two of you bantered and held hands in your front yard, the same place where you had fatefully met 12 years ago. and it was taesan's mom who once again beckoned him back, sticking her head out of the front door of the boy's house and calling his name.

"coming!"

[wlwinry]

okay so about that d20 leverage au that won the poll. we're gonna do this in bullet points bc it just works better for my brain i suppose (see tangled au for examples)

postcanon

several years postcanon

we're talking early to mid twenties bad kids

funnily enough fig dropping out did a great job of setting up this whole thing bc the premise relies on the bad kids, while still loving each other and being a team, eventually splitting off to do their own thing. and their various "own things" spiral into crime, and they lose contact with each other, only to all be pulled into the same job later and end up being a team again. yay!

but first. context

FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW. leverage is a tv series that ran from 2008-2012, following the heists of the leverage team: a group of criminals, each the best in their field (hitter, hacker, grifter, thief, mastermind) taking down corporations and ceos and giving the money to their victims. it's really fun and has the best found family portrayal ive seen in A While

back to the bad kids

fabian drops off the grid first in true dramatic fabian fashion. by faking his death to escape his mother's abuse for good. and then deciding to be better than his father--by doing a better job of stealing than him. he uses his dexterity to his advantage and becomes one of the most dangerous art thieves in spyre. he's the thief

gorgug takes on a few security jobs for the council of chosen when his parents' ownership of the tree is threatened, to ensure they'll have the money to keep their home. this spirals, however, and to keep both sets of parents safe he ends up taking a few jobs on the...more dangerous side. and once you're in, it's hard to get out. he's a retrieval specialist utilizing his specific barbaficer talents--he's the hitter and the maker

the court of stars goes back on their word regarding adaine's payments. with an understanding of arcanotech and her foresight, she takes to siphoning money from the people and organizations who don't need it to ensure that the mordred mortage stays paid, lydia's PT is covered, and that bee applebees's (who moved into the manor midway into senior year) college stays paid. she also takes a few jobs and challenges to pay her own bills. the oracle is, much like in batman, the hacker

being the former chosen one of helio and the lead cleric of a new pantheon gives you a lot of connections, and kristen has always been good at filling in gaps and better at negotiating than people realize. if she needs to cut a few backroom deals, dig up dirt on some prospective allies, she'll do it. the system's failed her and the others before. why shouldn't she work outside of it? kristen is the fixer.

fig's music career takes off--and then the dawn family decides to go after and disgrace sandra lynn after fig makes it clear that she's coming after them for hurting her mom. fig digs more and more into her disguise and con-artist talents to get them to back off, and by the time she takes them down...well, fig (no cig figs) might not be onstage anymore, but she's given some very impressive performances, and she's ready to take a more hands-on approach when it comes to getting what she wants. fig is the grifter

riz doesn't want to take the council of chosen job. he doesn't. his mom's biggest fear was always him following in pok's footsteps, and he doesn't want to work for them after how badly they've failed him and his friends (his lost, missing, or seemingly dead friends), but...they pay well now. really well. better than PI work, and he figures he'll work for them for a couple of years, save up enough to quit, and then maybe try some adventuring of his own. this goes on until he gets a mission: steal a particular set of new arcanotech spell components. his team has already been hired.

his team is the rest of the bad kids

it's one hell of an awkward reunion. everyone is happy to see each other but no one knows what to say, so they focus on the job and try not to think about how this might be the last time they work as a team. riz definitely doesn't let himself think about it.

until it's revealed that this was a ploy by the council to kill them all off. the company they stole for was in on it, because the council promised to put them ahead of the competitors that the team stole from.

unfortunately, they forgot that the bad kids are Very Hard To Kill, and very dangerous when pissed off

riz leads the team in a very elaborate heist to take down the company who was in on the plan and humiliate the council of chosen. it works. it's beautiful. they're a team. heartfelt conversations are had. they fall back into old dynamics with a side of new skills, new goals, new experiences. they missed each other. they love each other.

and then they win. and it's time to separate--except they don't. because they've fought plenty of bbegs in their time...but maybe it's time to take down the enemies that the law can't (won't) touch.

the six of them are the leverage team, and riz is the mastermind.

[chaosgremlinmunson]

~Reunited~

For @steddie-week July 5: reunion

The years had been rough for the party, everyone had felt some semblance of unease over the years, constantly waiting for the upside down to return and cause chaos again in their lives and Steve was no exception. When Joyce Byers had reached out with invitations to her and Hopper's wedding Steve had hesitated for a moment, he wasn't sure he was ready to head back to Hawkins after all these years, he'd said his goodbyes and Robin and he had made a life for themselves in Indianapolis. He'd found a small slice of peace, but still life felt empty sometimes. Still, the invitation came and he and Robin decided they should go.

Pulling up to the new house the Hopper/Byers family had purchased was an experience, they sat in awe for a moment looking up at the three story home before them. Murray and Joyce were sitting on the porch and Steve smiled and waved back to an ecstatic Joyce who beamed at them from her perch. Slowly they got out of the car and made their way up to the front door being engulfed in the motherly embrace they'd missed all these years.

Steve let out a shuddering breath and pulled back smiling down at Joyce. They made their way into the house and immediately Steve could hear the chatter of the group of teens from the next room, he made his way in with Robin close behind and took in how much older these kids had all gotten, in the corner sat Eddie Munson, his braces beside him as he and Will went over something from one of the d&d manuals. When Eddie looked up his eyes sparkled upon seeing Steve who came and sat beside him. Eddie had chosen to move a few towns over from Hawkins with Wayne, and Steve had missed him more than he realized until those big brown eyes were gazing at him, those dimples on full display.

Steve reached over and took Eddie's hand who squeezed back in his embrace. They'd discussed their lives over the phone now and again, but Steve had never allowed himself to feel the true absence of Eddie in his life, now that he was seated beside him he didn't know if could return to the city to not see this man again for years to come.

“Hey Stevie.” Eddie said quietly leaning into his space. Steve stared at him, his heart hammering in his chest. How could someone be so beautiful? “Can you help me out to the porch, I'd like to have a cigarette.”

“Of course Eddie.” He smiled back, helping him to stand, his right leg buckling as he tried before placing the braces under his arms. They made their way carefully outside and Steve helped him sit on the porch swing before setting the braces to the side and sitting next to him.

“Wayne is seeing someone new.” Eddie started exhaling the smoke from his freshly lit cigarette, “He's a great man, his name is Frank, they met through his new job. I know Wayne likes having me home, but I can't stop thinking that maybe it's time I get out of his hair. Stay close enough to see him, but have my own space again.”

“I understand that.” Steve began taking the cigarette to take his own pull, “have you considered where you want to go?”

“Well, I was thinking actually, would you and Robin want to move back this way, not to Hawkins, but to Lawrence where we live? I've seen a few houses out there for sale and one of my cousin's owns a bakery. I know they'd be willing to hire.”

Steve sat for a moment thinking about it, “I would, I'm not sure about Robin. She just got an internship as a translator for the local hospital in Indy and has a girlfriend, but maybe.”

Eddie nodded looking off into the trees ahead across the street. Steve reached over and took Eddie's hand again and turned towards him, “I do want to ask you something though. I hope it doesn't make this weird with us, but uh, would you be interested in dating? Me, I mean. Would you be interested in being in a relationship with me?”

Eddie blinked at Steve for a moment, his cheeks a light pink before nodding his head and swallowing.

“Good, that's, uh, that's good.” Steve smiled and leaned into Eddie's space, “can I kiss you?” He'd barely finished the sentence before Eddie pulled him in tightly, licking into his mouth as though he was trying to climb into Steve's very soul. The impromptu reunion for Joyce and Hopper's wedding led him to a life with Eddie, he couldn't be happier he decided to come. There would be adjustments, conversations, a long entirely too drawn out goodbye from his best friend who'd follow only a year later to buy her and her fiance their own home, long nights, doctor's appointments and many home improvements to make their home comfortable and easy for Eddie to navigate, but there would be love. Endlessly devoted love, time wrapped in each other, growing old, and refusing to ever give up on the gift they had found with each other.

(((the braces mentioned were inspired by this artwork of Eddie Munson by @arelliann )))

[spookyscarydemonbabe]

Just Friends

A/N- i didn’t realize how long it’s been since i’ve posted a fic with all the boys in it!! i really miss getting to write for all of them 🥹

Summary- During a catch up with the boys after summer break, they learn of the unfortunate reason why you broke up with your most recent ex.

Genre- Fluff (?)

Warnings- Bad boyfriends doing bad boyfriend things 🙃

Tag List- @thatsthewaythechrissycrumbles @munsonology

(my tag list is always open, let me know if you’d like to be added 🖤)

Word Count- 2.1k

The first summer after high school always felt like a weird one.

Wether you had college waiting for you at the end of August or a job lined up for some quick work, catching up with the people you knew best was always so refreshing. Especially after not seeing them for nearly two months.

You walked into the bar you’d snuck into for one of their shows so many times before. You were grateful the owner let it slide whenever he caught you sneaking beers, especially when you stayed after to help clean after a set. Your eyes scanned the room, searching around for them and smiling once you saw Jeff waving his hand for you.

The boys were all smiles, and as you quickly made your way to the table they stood up one by one to give you a long awaited and much needed hug.

“Hi!” You exclaimed excitedly, “It feels like it’s been forever.”

“Two months is forever.” Jeff said with a smile as you hugged one another, Grant standing up after him.

“Why’d you leave us here to fend for ourselves?” Grant laughed as his arms went around you.

“It’s not my fault my family decided the reunion was gonna be out of state,” You rolled your eyes, “if it was my decision, we wouldn’t have had a reunion at all.”

“Reunion?” Eddie said as he stood to take Grants place, “So we’re not family anymore?”

“You shush.” You smiled, “My family’s cool with us smelling like weed and watching horror movies in the basement, my EXTENDED family is not.”

“Well it sounds like they don’t know how to have a good time.” Gareth was last up, laughing to himself.

“Clearly!” You agreed, sitting down in the empty chair they had left for you and grabbing the one still-capped bottle of beer. “Enough about me, how was it up here without me? Anything change with you guys?”

Eddie spoke up first after a sip from his bottle,

“I got that job at the body shop a few miles outside the park.” He said with a smile, shrugging it off as if it was no big deal, “Pays been pretty good, and it’s full time too.”

“That’s awesome!” You cheered, “I’m happy for you Eds, i know you’ve been checking that place out for a while.”

“Yeah, it just sucks when it cuts into stuff for the band, y’know?”

“Well yeah, but that’s just how grown up jobs work.” You shrugged, taking a sip from the bottle in your hand.

“True.” He shrugged, taking another sip before Jeff cut into the conversation.

“Me and Gareth were able to get some classes in at that local community college. They’re supposed to start next Monday.”

“That’s great! Are you just trying to get the gen-ed’s done, or do you think you’ll stick around?” You asked them.

“I’ll definitely be sticking around.” Gareth chuckled, “Mr. Honor Roll over there wants to get the gen-ed’s done so he can get into state.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a community college degree, i just want to make sure that i get the required stuff out of the way IF i go off to state.” Jeff said to Gareth, “And the only reason i said i’d go to state in the first place was because my parents were listening. If the choice was mine i’d stay here.”

“Still, it’s good that you guys were able to get in there. Do you know what you’re majoring in?”

“I’m going undecided for right now,” Jeff said after a sip from his bottle, “but i think Gareth is going for History?”

“Yep, U.S. history.” Gareth nodded with a smile, “I mean i think it’s already pretty interesting, i might as well get a degree in it.”

“Good idea. Good for you guys though, i might see if they have any classes open to get a few more credits while i’m at work. Grant?” You looked over to him across the table, “You said your dad was able to get a good word in for you with his union, did you hear anything back about that?”

“Yeah! I actually started all the training and schooling for it last month,” He said with a smile, “in another two months i’ll be an iron worker.”

“That’s great! I’m so happy for all you guys, it sounds like it’s been pretty eventful without me here.”

“What about you, (y/n)?” Gareth asked, “Anything interesting happen for you?”

“Not really.” You smiled and shrugged, thinking back over the last two months, “Same old, same old. I’m still gonna be working with my mom at the office, it’s been pretty stable thus far and if i make it to a year they make it fairly easy to move up so i’ll probably stick with that for a while. And while i was at the reunion a few people were asking about you guys.”

“Really?” Eddie asked, “Who asked about us?”

“A lot of the younger cousins. They wanted to hear all about my friends and their super cool band. And i showed some pictures to grandparents and aunts and uncles, they said we look like a pretty happy bunch. Oh! And i almost forgot, you guys remember my cousin Carlee and her shithead boyfriend?”

They nodded in unison, remembering how you always told them the stories of her boyfriend being anything but.

Never taking her out on dates, never buying her flowers, and of course who can forget the time he said he didn’t have enough money for their water bill but he absolutely had enough money to buy himself a whole new stereo system for his car.

“He proposed. And she said yes.”

They all groaned,

“Really?! Does this girl have no self respect?” Jeff said before you all tipped back your bottles. After something like that, a drink was definitely needed.

“Guess not.” You laughed, “Oh well, not my circus, not my monkeys.”

You all drank from your bottles, and you were about to mention how at the reunion her boyfriend couldn’t stop eyeballing a few of the other cousins all while Carlee was attached at his hip, but Gareth beat you to it,

“What about that guy you told us about a few months ago?” He asked, quickly jogging your memory to the guy you’d been talking to for only a few weeks at the time, “What’s his name?”

“I think it’s Randy, or Roger, or something?” Eddie asked, “Definitely something with an R.”

“Russel?” You said.

“Yes! How’s he doing?” Eddie asked as they all moved to listen about how you and this new guy were doing, especially when they weren’t around to hear all the juicy relationship details.

You smiled to yourself and stifled back a little laugh,

“Oh, he’s long gone.”

“What?!” Jeff exclaimed, “I thought everything was going good with that guy? I remember we met him one time after a show, he seemed like a nice guy.”

“Yeah, seemed like it to me too.” You said with an eye roll, taking the last swig from your bottle before setting the empty onto the table.

“What happened?” Grant asked.

You sighed and thought back to that final day seeing Russel,

“Well, because he was my boyfriend at the time, my parents said he could come along with us to the reunion. He drove me up there with him and everything seemed normal, we were talking just fine, and then we got to a truck stop close by and i saw a payphone and i remembered i had to call you guys…” You cleared your throat, sitting up as the boys were on the edge of their seats. They may be boys, but no one loves gossip like they do, “And as soon as i told him i wanted to call and check in with you guys he just seemed kind of… off? We got to my aunts house for the reunion and he pulled me off to the side and said he really didn’t like how close i was with you guys.”

“Really?” Eddie questioned.

“I’m not finished.” You smiled, “He said that he knows how guy friends are. That all you guys were hoping for was to see me naked, you didn’t actually care about me, and he would know because he said he’s only been friends with girls to try and hook up with them.”

The collective gasps of the boys only made you giggle more.

“That asshole!” Jeff shook his head.

“He said that if i wanted to keep seeing him then i had to stop being friends with you guys. So i told him he can go fuck himself and have a safe drive home.”

“You made him drive all the way back?!” Gareth laughed.

“Absolutely! I’m not going to let some guy tell me who i can and can’t be friends with, and he’s lucky i didn’t put sugar in his gas tank and leave him stranded there.”

Grant laughed, finishing off the last of the beer in his bottle,

“Fuck, well i’m sorry we got in between that.”

“What’s there to apologize for?” You asked, “You guys didn’t do anything wrong. If i date a guy who can’t understand that i’m JUST FRIENDS with all of you, and you’re cool with that, then that’s their problem and not ours. Besides, i’m not going to cut off every guy i know just for some loser.” You giggled with an eye roll.

“I don’t know,” Eddie shrugged, “I just think it’s funny that he said that after we met him. He kept trying to turn the conversation into talking about you? Like he was baiting us into saying something we shouldn’t about you.”

“Did he?” This was news to you, “What did he say? And why did you not tell me?!”

“I remember me and Jeff talking to him and he kept turning and looking at you while you were with Eddie and Grant and he kept trying to get us to look at your ass.” Gareth said with an uncomfortable look on his face.

“And he also kept trying to pry information out of us, and he seemed irritated that we didn’t have anything to tell him.” Jeff said.

“Information like what?” You asked all of them, seeing them exchange glances with one another.

“He asked us if we ever… did anything with you.” Grant said, leaning in and quietly saying the end of his sentence to keep it private from the other patrons in the bar.

“Yeah, he said something really weird to me.” Eddie got the shivers as he remembered the conversation, “He was saying something about you two, definitely not going into detail, but alluding to some mature thing you guys were doing, and he asked if we ever got to experience that side of you instead of this front you put on.”

“Front?” You questioned, getting more and more irritated with your ex the longer this conversation went on, “What did he mean by that?”

“I think he also assumed that since you were friends with us that meant you had… intentions.”

You groaned and leaned back in your chair, not being able to help the laugh that rose up from your lungs,

“What an asshole! And why didn’t you guys tell me?”

“You seemed like you really liked the guy!” Eddie argued.

“We didn’t want to ruin your chances with him,” Jeff said, “You we’re telling us all about how nice he was and when we met him we figured it was just him having word vomit cause he was nervous meeting us.”

You sighed and smiled to yourself, holding your face in your hands.

“Ok, fine, i’ll cut you some slack. But if you guys ever meet anyone i date, or i have the potential to date, and they’re doing weird stuff like that i want you to tell me. Deal?”

“Deal!” They said in unison, the rest of the boys finishing off what was left of the beer in their bottles and placing the empties onto the table.

“Alright, we’ve had our drink,” Eddie stood, stretching his arms over his head, “you guys wanna come back to the trailer and hang? I know Wayne would be happy to see you after so long (y/n).”

“Yeah! It’ll be like old times.” You stood with the boys and smiled, walking out with them as they wandered off to their cars in the lot.

Seeing the boys after so long felt like such a breath of fresh air, and it was nice to know that they always had your best intentions in mind. Even when guys you brought around them were being a little strange.

No matter what, no man could replace those boys’ places in your heart.

[suffarustuffaru]

what is your opinion on the fact that tappei intended us to hate reinhard for killing theresia

hello!! :o im not sure if tappei really Intended for us to hate reinhard for that per say—i think more so tappei intends to show the astrea drama in general in a very nuanced manner (unless he proves me wrong and does weird stuff to develop them later on wjfnd but ill stand by this atm because theres a lot of textual evidence i think!!)

the arc 5 astrea drama is the very first time we learn about Any of that, and the way we learn it is interesting. this is AFTER getting attached to reinhard and wilhelm, who prior to arc 5 were established to be good well meaning and respectable people. then heinkel comes in claiming they both did shitty stuff, and of course heinkel makes the worst impression of all time, is shitty himself, AND interrupted wilhelm and reinhards reunion, so we’re not inclined to side with heinkel here. but the more we learn about the astrea family conflict, the more we realize, alongside subaru, that 1. wilhelm is not as great as he seems to be (its like learning that a close family member or friend has done some terrible stuff!! the common reaction to it is to feel Disappointed or Sad or maybe a little angry!!) and subaru also learns that 2. the entire situation is not black and white. it takes a heavy emotional toll on wilhelm, heinkel, and reinhard.

it’s also interesting that we dont Always learn info about it directly from the family members themselves—theresias dead of course and doesnt say much when she briefly comes back (more on this later), reinhard becomes more subdued around his family (which has gotta be a trauma response in an attempt to minimize the conflict), heinkel and wilhelm are unreliable narrators driven by their emotions. we learn some of the bulk of the drama from JULIUS, an outsider, but someone with ties to reinhard personally and the knights. so we’re also getting unreliable info about someone like heinkel (whos got a reputation thats honestly shittier than even his behavior, which i pity him for), and someone like reinhard is extremely hard to read (we just know that hes. you know. Traumatized. and Sad.)

i DO think though that throughout all of this we’re supposed to sympathize with EVERY astrea family member. every single one. we’re meant to understand each of their actions, because they all contribute to the family dysfunction unwillingly or consciously.

we’re given the reasoning behind almost all of their actions in the conflict. wilhelm lashed out because of grief, and hes spent years regretting what he did and not knowing how to fix things. heinkel’s an alcoholic from stress, trauma, and self-hatred, and post-arc 5 we see more of his psyche (which is shown in a very honest sympathetic light as well, hinting at heinkel getting future development and most likely a redemption arc). heinkel then lashes out (which is a Sad pattern in this family given wilhelm also does that... and its implied that heinkel is also like this Because of wilhelm's influence) to deal with all of this too (and because he Genuinely thinks those things now. hes a sad bitter man). we also know from side stories that heinkel used to be a good man who truly loved reinhard, and we do know that heinkel still loves louanna and has spent YEARS searching for a cure. as for reinhard, he was a CHILD (five when it first started!!) throughout almost all of this conflict, and hes the youngest member of his family and still young even as he’s grown up now. and he certainly didnt Intend to kill his own grandma when he was five, and he definitely deals with the guilt of all that years later. he shuts down around his family in the present, for one. and two—reinhard was failed by his family members, who have been ADULTS for the entire conflict and are his father and grandfather respectively. if anything, reinhard has the least blame here. he was a child!! a child thats been conditioned into serving the kingdom at All Costs to himself!! heinkel and wilhelms grief is understandable but it should not cost them their literal child!! they were the ones with the responsibility to pull themselves together and they failed to do that!!

but then reinhard kills theresia.

the thing with reinhard killing theresia is that reinhard was very much not wrong for that. tappei takes the time to show corpse soldier theresia going after heinkel and wilhelm—both of which are too weak in this moment physically and emotionally to stop theresia, WHO IS THEIR MOTHER AND WIFE RESPECTIVELY. and iirc wilhelm was also injured by her. heinkel pisses himself in fear while begging for her to stop—or something along those lines. its Terrifying. and it shows theresia, as she was in that moment, is a threat!! what else was reinhard going to do?? if he doesnt apprehend theresia, shes going to kill the rest of their family T^T

yeah so. reinhard kills theresia. afterwards, heinkel and wilhelm give reinhard shit for it but again, they were going to DIE if reinhard hadnt stepped in. and its clear that reinhard is saddened by what he had to do, even as he says that the corpse soldier theresia ISNT THERESIA. and reinhard is technically kind of right!! that was a corpse soldier!! she was both theresia (her last words to wilhelm are proof of this) and Not Theresia (she already died years ago!! this was a reanimated corpse!!).

its wilhelm and heinkel that misinterpret reinhard’s demeanor as him Not Caring. because he does care, but reinhard has always had an uncanny personality—likely partly because of trauma (remember how i said he shuts down a bit around his family? common trauma response) and partly because of reinhard’s endless divine protections giving him a very. Unique. perspective on everything. so reinhard has difficulty with connecting with others because of all of that. hes Really hard to read, especially in a complicated situation like this where its basically a lose-lose for everyone involved. wilhelm and heinkel are blinded by their grief and fear and anger and because reinhard 1. killed theresia, 2. said that that Wasnt Theresia, and 3. said he didnt regret killing theresia and 4. said that he did the right thing (which is probably because, again, what else could he do, theresia was going to kill heinkel and wilhelm)... yeah so wilhelm and heinkel read reinhard as being cold and unfeeling and callous so they both completely give up on reinhard in this moment. the coffin is. metaphorically and literally closed here, reinhard killing theresia (again. for the second time. if youre heinkel and wilhelm) was the very last nail.

and ultimately like. again, tappei gives us All the narrative tools to understand each member of the astrea family in this conflict. tappei also even notes the detail (iirc. in like a qna somewhere. if someone can find it or whatever please feel free to add!!) of theresia, on her death bed in arc 5, had nothing to say to reinhard and heinkel. its kind of. weird. when she makes SURE that wilhelm knows that she loves him but she doesnt even bother with her son and grandson - and heinkel does note that she looked at them "hatefully" (which. heinkel is an unreliable narrator, but its interesting for tappei to include that detail because heinkel also goes "she looked at us like That, who else could that be but mother?"). so uh. astrea family dynamics are complicated, have likely always been complicated even before everything went wrong with them, and tappei also gives us theresias full backstory in her pov in arc 5. AND he shows that the corpse soldier was still. Theresia. in the end. its extremely complicated. tappei takes the time to show that with every detail.

so anyway. yeah i feel like we're meant to sympathize with everyone in the astrea family. theyre all people with their own flaws, theyve all contributed in some way to the conflict whether they like it or not, they all have various degrees of blame, if you really want to go into whos the Most Guilty for all the dysfunction. even poor louanna contributed indirectly via falling into a coma T^T

but i dont think tappei means for us to like hate any of them. just because tappei Always shows how complicated the situation is. tappei is Always sympathetic to all astrea members as much as tappei also often calls them out for their flaws (heinkel is the most obvious example, tappei also does it with theresia and wilhelm a bit, and reinhard is shown to be a bit stilted in social situations with a habit of stomping on other peoples boundaries sometimes without realizing or because he thinks its for the other persons good, etc). and as much as i love making jokes at wilhelms expense because he did fuck up quite a Lot with his family (same with heinkel... and im a little sus of theresia but she Did care about heinkel in the past, we know that from her named chapter)...

like. i can understand where someone like wilhelm is coming from. do i hate him for lashing out at his five year old grandson and helping turn his son against his grandson? oh yeah. yeah. but i can Understand why he did it and i feel bad for him, which i think was more so tappei's goal here. so the audience can hate any of these characters if you so feel like it, but tappei means for us to deeply deeply get where they're coming from and why they did what they did. so maybe its more so that we're not supposed to hate these characters, maybe we're just supposed to hate Their Actions and wish that things didnt turn out that way. because it couldve been better at any turn - wilhelm couldve just not lashed out and blamed reinhard when he was five, heinkel couldve also pulled himself together, louanna didnt have to go into a coma, theresia didnt have to die twice, etc etc. but thats the point of it all i think. it turned for the worse but all we can do is try to think about How it turned out this way. and i pity all of them, really.

plus, reinhard, wilhelm, heinkel are 1000% getting some kind of further development with this, i'd say. and rezero is Repeatedly about forgiveness and growth, so yeah. i absolutely dont think we're supposed to fully hate any of them. if anything, im rooting for their growth before its. you know. Too Late. but yeah thats just my extremely long opinion/feelings on all of this, people are totally free to disagree of course :o !! hope that answers your question though!!

[wexhappyxfew]

do u have any ideas on how all the sb girlies are proposed to?

Hi sweet anon!!! I saw this in the morning and was like OMG I *love* this question! It is adorable I must say! I must say....I don't have many ideas as I haven't really been thinking too much about postwar but like lowkey this makes me want to now?!?!?! SO. With that - please enjoy my chaotic ramblings on a few of the SB girlies and their dudes <3333 and how I think those proposals would go haha!

-> A few couples I didn't have many or any thoughts on, but please enjoy the thoughts on the couples that I did have some lingering (long) thoughts on! PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EXPAND ON THESE TOO!!! I'd love to hear the ideas and the thoughts because quite frankly I am OBSESSED!!!! <33333 Enjoy!!! Everything under the cut because I well...rambled haha :D

ANNIE X BRADY

I wouldn't doubt that during their time in the Stalag, they had quite a few conversations near the end that revolved around their life after the war, the imminent future, the possibilities of what there was to be. Annie and Brady, in my opinion, from developing them, have really shown themselves as people to just take things at a slower pace, but once they realize the war is over, I think all the sudden things just hit them. And I feel once they get back to Thorpe Abbotts, Brady manages to get his hands on this pretty little ring from the local town and proposes to Annie outside of Silver Bullets as the sun is setting. He had just wanted to talk and Annie had been suspicious, but didn't say anything - and eventually as they're hugging and she's in tears, he mutters something about he couldn't wait any longer.

KENNEDY X BUCKY

These two I really don't have many thoughts on regarding a proposal (mainly because I have SO many other Stalag-based thoughts for them I feel haha) - I feel like now that they've come to terms with their feelings, they head back to the States, and end up getting a place together in NYC for a bit; settling down, figuring out their futures, their feelings, their thoughts, their trauma. And one night they're finally in their little apartment, all settled in, everything cleaned, a nice dinner just finished up, lying in bed side by side, and he pops the question.

JUDY X ROSIE

Listen - Judy and Rosie were one of the first couples to really develop at quite a fast pace for me and I have no doubt that he would propose to her sometime in early 1945. Especially after the two found themselves downed in Eastern Europe and were brought to safety by the Russians. I feel somewhere after that timeline, they have a few conversations revolving around the future and then he just can't contain himself and he just asks her straight out, over a stumble of words and panicky glances her way - rambling about something or other with how much she loves and thinks that Judy Rosenthal has quite the ring to it - and of course she says yes. It happens sort of spontaneously - Rosie planned for it to be real cute and intimate, but somehow it's over breakfast and halfway through a spitfire of 'I love you too much, I need you' at about 8 in the morning. And Rosie just can't help it. It's pretty Judy x Rosie coded I will say.

MARGIE X BENNY

Likewise to Kennedy and Bucky, their feelings are rather fresh, too, and they both head back home before beginning to spend a lot of time together - she comes to visit his family and he comes to visit hers and eventually they settle on one of the Great Lakes in a small home (pick whichever Great Lake you fancy) and they get a dog or two and eventually Benny proposes one night on their back porch facing the lake. And everything's just very warm and intimate and Margie can't stop crying - I have visions for this, they just need ot develop more haha. PAULI X HAMBONE

......I will say, since this is one of my newer couples, I don't have a whole lot of thoughts regarding proposals for them at the moment! But I can imagine the sweet, agonizingly sappy reunion they have when Hambone comes back from the Stalag and let's just say - it gets me MISTY-EYED (because damn, for once in Pauli's life, someone loves her and they survived a war just to be with each other at the end of it). VIV X BLAKELY

OH THIS ONE I HAVE THOUGHTS ON OKAY - Viv and Ev got their separate ways at the conclusion of the war. They really don't appear to talk about their feelings on that final moment where they do go their separate ways - just a really tight hug, staring at each other for much longer than they should've, Ev telling her I'll write you, and Viv going I'll write you back, or something corny she wishes she had phrased better in the moment. She definitely gives him a kiss on the cheek and watches as he disappears towards Just-A-Snappin' and then suddenly wants to pull him right back out of that plane and tell him everything she feels. But, she gets into Silver Bullets and that's that. BUT -- she gets back to Colorado, gets back to her family, and the heavy weight of the official funeral they were waiting to hold for her James Pennington. She's hit with way too many emotions - grief, pain, anguish, sadness, depression. So - she writes the SB girls, but also Ev Blakely. She pours out her feelings because it almost feels like she's talking to him right there in front of her - just about how she feels with the funeral and how she feels so lost and sad. And then she crumples up the letter (she feels he doesn't want to listen to her rambles of heartbreak) and instead chalks it up to something happier and softer. And they keep in correspondence for a bit. They have the funeral for James and then Viv tries to acclimate to life again - and struggles. She can't sleep right, she hears and sees the B-17s in her sleep, she wakes up at 3 in the morning thinking she's going on a mission, sirens in her ears. She writes this to Ev and one day instead of a letter, he comes knocking at her door. And suddenly, everything seems to fall right into place there with him in front of her. He stays with her and her family, takes her on a date and they share their first kiss together in her childhood bedroom - and for a moment before bed that night, she sees life looking up in ways she didn't think would.

CARRIE X DOUGIE

I wouldn't doubt that before the end of the war he's popping the question - it didn't take long for them to become gone for one another and I don't think Dougie would want to waste any time with Carrie. He loves this woman. He probably does it at the flying club - all big and grand - probably to call back to where they shared those first feelings, that first kiss, those moments where he was sure he'd say he loved her but didn't - where the first thing he wanted to do when recognizing his feelings for her was to ask for her hand to dance (and he didn't). But now, he proposes, and it's sorta big and grand, but they don't care, because it is SO THEM. And of course - they share a dance together and it is just SO. DAMN. SWEET. AND SO THEM!!!!! (and I fear that Blakely makes fun of him for being such a romantic (in the cutest way possible) and Dougie beams so hard that night you know it).

[mistresslrigtar]

2023 Master Work List

12 chapter alt rock musical - (complete)

Start reading HERE

Summary: On the verge of burnout as graduation approaches, Zelda’s friend, Mipha, encourages her to take a night off to go see a local college alt-rock band. That is when Zelda sees Link, the band’s bass guitarist for the first time and falls hard; but when her insecurity and Link’s best friend Ganondorf's drug addiction threatens their budding relationship, Zelda must learn to trust Link, and more importantly herself.

Multiple-shot WIP. Read Can't Take My Eyes Off You - a New Year's Eve story set in the I Belong to You universe.

On the night of her father, Rauru’s New Year’s Eve party, Zelda pines for Link, who’s been on tour with his band, Hyrule Warriors.

All I Want is You - an ABC Family/Hallmark movie inspired Twilight Princess Zelink ficlet dropping just in time for Winter Solstice.

Read HERE

Summary: Link and Zelda come from two different worlds. When those worlds collide at the first annual Winterzauber in Hyrule, they’ll find that titles and stations have no meaning when it comes to true love.

Adore - eight-chapter Hylink origin story written for @zelinkcommunity's Zelink Week 2023.

Read here

Summary: Link is an embittered soldier fighting a losing battle in a holy war against the Demon King Demise, who is determined to claim Hyrule and the Triforce. When the goddess, Hylia, reenters his life, his hope for victory is renewed. Their reunion rekindles their love for each other, but will it be enough to emerge victorious?

Love in the Age of Calamity (complete) - This is my first piece, and not nearly as polished as later works.

Read HERE

Summary: All the incarnations of the hero’s soul, waiting for this perfect moment when they were no longer star-crossed but goddess blessed. After ten millennia of longing and being denied, the sword sings in his ears as Zelda melts in his arms.

This is the love story that fills in the blanks of the captured memories, that hinted at so much more that may have occurred outside those events.

Companion Pieces to Love in the Age of Calamity

Read Snowy Recollections (updated 6/26/23)- Link could not help but wonder how he was supposed to save this world if he could not remember his own past or why he had been chosen in the first place. Maybe he was going about things the wrong way. Perhaps, instead of trying to force himself to remember important pivotal moments, he needed to focus on remembering small things, like his favorite color, and possibly, if he could grasp a simple recollection, the bigger ones would come in time.

Read Coming to Her Senses - free form poem written for Zelinktines 23 prompt It's been awhile...

One-Shots:

Read Without Her - An introspective Link piece, reflecting on his love for Zelda no matter what form she is - human or dragon. Written for bahbahhh's 1200 follower DTIYS prompt

Read Let Me Kiss You - You never forget your first kiss. It's a moment you'll hold close. A Link/Sheik one-shot. Written for ZeldaElmo's 1000 Follower prompt Just After Midnight.

Read Can't Do This Again - Brief introspective piece. Link wakes up on the Great Sky Island, in a chamber reminiscent of the Shrine of Resurrection, and one of his first thoughts is that he can't do it again.

Read A New Tradition (written for Zelinktines23 prompt Butterfly Kisses)(Chapter 8 to my Zelink week Adore) - In Skyloft, your treasured Loftwing welcomes your newborn into the world with gentle brushes on the baby's cheeks with the tips of its wings. Without Loftwings on the surface, what can Link do to recreate the Skyloftian tradition?

Read Enjoy the Silence - Zelda vows to stand up for Link the next time Revali is disrespectful, which leads to her having a small breakdown. Link comforts her, and Zelda realizes how much she enjoys the silence (that maybe isn't so quiet, depending on how you look at it) Link brings to her life.

[siren-of-agony]

Still not over that awesome possessive whumper piece of yours so here's another one . A whumper has let their whumpee be free for some time for whatever reason , but oh no they aren't able to reach them . They barge into whumpee's house and no sign of whumpee. Did another whumper take them perhaps 👀👀👀

Hi! It’s been 2 years since I got this request and I have now accepted that I will never actually write it-write it. But I need you to know that back when I got this ask, I spent multiple hours being incredibly unhinged w my love @for-the-love-of-angst and outlined this whole thing. So I‘m very sorry you’ll never get the full thing, here is what we had planned, a bit cleaned up

There are honestly no warnings because this is a literal Hallmark movie. Well, maybe pet whump if you squint very hard?

A Christmas Reunion

Establishing shot. A McMansion, absolutely decked out in kitsch christmas decoration. Snow is drifting lazily in front of a big window we zoom in toward. Through it, we enter a large living room, warm and cozy, with large couches in a u-formation. On the sides sit people of every age, including some children. On the middle couch, an old couple, maybe in their seventies, close together, holding hands, smiling at their family. At their feet, a person not much younger, their hands and ankles bound in what looks like Christmas wreaths. They seem annoyed. Child 1: Grandpa, Grandpa, will you tell us the story again? Of how Cinnamon saved Christmas and this family?

Grandpa Henry: Oh but I’ve told that every year, isn’t it getting boring?

Grandma Violet: I was there and I still want to hear it again! It’s a great story, Henry, love, let's not break tradition!

GH: All right, fine, fine. There was a time when my Violet and I didn’t get along quite as well as we do now-adays. We had been married for a few years, but we were fighting so often. We had made the decision to maybe spend some time apart, but couldn’t quite agree who our lovely Cinnamon would spend their time with.

We focus on GH free hand, reaching towards the hair of the person sitting in front of him. We see Cinnamon’s hair being pet, the annoyed expression on their face. A dreamlike rippling filter across the picture. We are entering a

FLASHBACK Another, slightly smaller McMansion. Movers are carrying boxes and furniture outside. A car drives up, parks haphazardly, and a Young Henry gets out, in a business suit, with a business bag, business hair. We understand: YH works too much and is never home. He is important in the field of business.

He runs towards the house and stops one of the movers.

YH: What are you doing in my house? With my furniture?

Mover: Your ex-wife gave us the official court documents. You should have gotten them, too. Didn’t your lawyer contact you to inform you we’d come over today?

YH curses. His lawyer had tried to call him, but he’d been too busy doing business.

YH enters his house. He ignores his stuff being carried out, making his way directly to a door with a small window, but he starts to unlock it without looking through. With a start, he realizes the door is unlocked already. He steps through the door. We see a nice room, cozily decorated. The big window has no unlocking mechanism. From the inside, the door has no handle, only a keyhole. YH looks around frantically. The room is empty. He unlocks his phone and calls somebody.

YH: Violet, you bitch! Where’s Cinnamon?

YV: Don’t talk to me like that! What do you mean?

YH: Where. Is. Cinnamon. I bought you another house, I gave you money, I gave you all my furniture. I get to keep Cinnamon! The court agreed! 

YV: But I didn’t agree! And anyway, I don’t have Cinnamon! Are you telling me you already lost our precious darling? I told you you spent too much time at work to care for them!

YH: If you don’t have them, where are they? Their room is empty! 

YV: You’re useless. I’m coming over. Search through Cinnamons room, maybe they’re just hiding. They must have gotten scared with all these changes.

YV hangs up. YH starts checking behind the curtains, under furniture. On the bed, almost covered by a pillow, he finds a note. He reads it out, as if he knows he’s in a movie and people might not be watching the screen

YH: ‘You’ve ruined my business deal with your smart business decisions and your wife’s gossiping revealing my affair. From the published court proceedings I know what you fought most about and I’ve decided to take it and destroy it, just how you destroyed my life. Getting them in that box wasn’t easy, but carrying it out, dressed as a mover. I will fit right in. You will never see your precious Cinnamon again.’

YH curses again, running to the door, where he sees YV already running towards him

[Here we enter the part I had never fully planned out, but imagine a full on heist movie with this divorced couple trying to rescue their pet from a sadistic Whumper and falling in love with each other all over again.]

They stand back in their McMansion, empty except for the twig of mistletoe above them, a young Cinnamon still bound and gagged and slightly bloody sitting on the floor between them. They kiss passionately. The camera pans down to YC’s face. We recognize the annoyed expression. Ripple effect - FLASHBACK ENDS

We’re back in the living room from the first scene

GH: And that’s how we saved Cinnamon and Cinnamon saved us!

Old Cinnamon: I hate you all.

GV: It did break our heart, of course, when we told Cinnamon they could wish for anything they wanted for surviving such an ordeal, and instead of maybe a cozier couch, they wanted a bit more freedom, but who are we to go back on our word.

OC: I told you I wanted you to leave me the fuck alone.

GH: And we do, almost always, do we not! We understand that even family spends some time apart, but the holidays are a time to get together! 

OC: You really don’t need to abduct me every year, though. Do you know how embarrassing it is if someone asks you to come over for Christmas and you have to be like “Nah, I’m going to get abducted again.”

Everyone laughs heartily. Cinnamon is struggling against their bonds.

OC: Also, how often do I have to tell you that I go by Monroe now?

GV: Oh sweetheart, you'll always be our little Cinnamon. Now stop struggling against, you'll just hurt yourself again, and you'll have to cut the roast later!

OC: I’ll cut you.

GV: Cinnamon, Christmas is the holiday of LOVE!

OC: That’s Valentine’s day, you dumb fuck.

The camera starts moving back, through the window we first entered through. We exit the McMansion, still shining in warm light, vague Christmas conversation audio going on. The snow falls heavier. The last shot is a person from behind, we see their gray hair and recognize the sadistic Whumpers favourite Christmas sweater. In their hand, a knife

~FIN~

[charliedawn]

Caught under the mistletoe

Hannibal family x Reader

Peter was caught off guard when he noticed the mistletoe above the threshold.

He looked behind you and saw his two brothers looking at him with big mischievous smiles. He instantly knew it was their doing.

Hannibal Jr. had decided to go and retrieve Hannibal Sr. for the day, leaving plenty of time for Morgan and Kevin to plot his embarrassment.

He quickly understood Kevin had set up the whole house and Morgan was holding a camera in his hands.

They probably expected you to just reject him on the spot or tell him you didn't want to kiss him.

He tried not to roll his eyes.

However, he was agreeably surprised when you didn't reject or refuse the kiss, you were even the one to engage first.

He thought it would be a simple peck on the lips, something innocent enough that his two brothers would quickly get bored of..But boy, was he wrong.

You grabbed him by the collar and in an instant, you were kissing him with fire.

He wasn't one to deny an early Christmas gift and decided to indulge in the tradition before kissing you back with just as much passion or even more.

Problem was, he got so caught up in the moment, he completely forgot about his two witnesses.

It was finally Kevin who had to step in.

Kevin *laughs awkwardly* : "Hum..Not to be an a** or anything but, the food is gonna get cold."

Morgan *keeps filming*

You addressed Kevin a mischievous smirk before closing the door behind you.

Kevin instantly tried to look for his keys, but realized he had left them inside and so had Morgan.

They had tried to set Peter up, a few minutes outside would make them think twice.

Peter would have normally opened the door for them in the following minute..

But, when you kissed him again, he completely lost it.

At this point, nothing could have snapped Peter out of it and at the end, the two other boys had to wait 10 minutes outside before they were allowed back in.

Kevin was surprised. He was usually the one pranking people, but he got trapped under the mistletoe anyway.

No doubt Morgan was behind this..

Kevin *nervously scratching the back of his head and looking at everything but you* : "Hey. We don't gotta..You know..No worries."

He tried to tell you you didn't need to kiss him, but when you admitted you wanted to, his eyes widened in shock.

"You want to...okay ? Sure. No problem."

He tried to shrug it off as casual, but was literally panicking inside.

Intense mental self-doubt activated.

Kevin is a very nervous boy in general and even though it doesn't show often because of his constant teasing and verbal overconfidence..He would be stunned and excited.

But, he would also be afraid of messing things up and wonder if he shouldn't be the one to just call things off and call it a day.

But, if he really thought you wanted to and felt confident enough ?

He would give it a shot. But, be careful that he doesn't get lost too far into his own thoughts, or it would definitely ruin the experience.

Example: his brain during a kiss.

How does someone kiss someone else ?

Eww. Eww. Ewww...Let's do it again.

Wait. Am I actually enjoying this ?

Nah.

Okay. Maybe. A little.

It would end up with Kevin, making a bunch of random weird facial expressions the whole time, to the point where it would seem like he isn't enjoying himself.

So, verbal praise is always a plus.

You : "...Stop overthinking things and just kiss me."

Him *smiles and nods before indulging* : "Alright, ma'am."

Morgan expected it. Kevin did the same thing every year. It made family reunions awkward and most of the time some family friend would try to set him up with his niece/nephew/cousin..

It wasn't a pleasant tradition for Morgan, but he did enjoy it on rare occasions when Kevin or Peter would embarrass themselves by trying to kiss the most "good-looking" person of the night.

Only to end up with a wet kiss on the cheek from great aunt Jane.

He usually didn't participate in their childish games..However, when he saw you—he immediately called dibs.

Peter : "HEY ! NOT FAIR ! I SAW THEM FIRST !"

Kevin : "YEAH ! WHATEVER THE BABY SQUIRREL SAID !"

Morgan *sighs* : "Alright. Then, shall I speak to father about that time when you both broke uncle Hannibal Jr.' favorite vase and I took the blame ?"

Peter and Kevin : "...."

No need to say. They didn't win that argument and Morgan got full monopoly.

He then approached you and first talked to you before smoothly leading you to the mistletoe he knew was hanging above the fire place.

Morgan *smiles/pretends not to have known it was there* : "Would you look at that ? It seems like a trap was set.."

You *smile back/not buying it* : "A very sweet trap indeed.."

Morgan is very simple and direct when it comes to physical signs of attachment.

If he likes it ? He'll ask again.

If he doesn't ? Friends it is.

But, as he is a man who prefers to rely on what he knows than what he feels, the kiss will be enjoyable depending on how your previous discussion went.

Morgan *stays still for a second or two after the kiss before smiling* : "~Not bad. Not bad at all.."

Hannibal Jr. was set up by his three very very nosy nephews who decided it was their job to find their uncle a good person to kiss on Christmas.

Morgan organized multiple files on each of the guests until they found the ideal candidate: you.

Kevin hung mistletoe over various strategic places he knew would make it impossible for his uncle to miss or deny.

Peter talked to the both of you separately during the event and made sure the two of you would end up alone at the end.

Kevin even slashed your tires so you won't leave too early. Dedication right there.

However, their uncle wasn't a fool and even though he didn't really know what the three of them were plotting, he eventually realized when both of your backs collided.

You turned around and suddenly, he seemed to understand.

He looked up and as he expected, the mistletoe was there.

You looked up as well and your eyes widened for a second before you let out a small knowing chuckle.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I should have paid more attention."

He studied you carefully. He had never seen you before..

"Who are you ?"

"I am one of Morgan's co-workers. He invited me. I hope it is no bother ?", you answered and Hannibal Jr. sighed. Of course the boy was behind it all..

"No. Of course not, love."

You blushed slightly at the nickname before looking up once more at the mistletoe.

"Do you want us to kiss ?", you asked and Hannibal Jr. chuckled softly.

"That is how the tradition goes..."

You laughed too and before you knew it, your lips were connected and Hannibal Jr. heard vivid clapping behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Besides, he was enjoying what he was doing far too much to stop.

Finally, to trap Hannibal Sr. under the mistletoe would take incredible time and effort. The man barely leaves his office and to catch him off guard is as rare and unlikely as spotting Santa Claus in July.

It would take the whole family to come up with a plan—including Hannibal Jr.

And to get him on board would already be a miracle.

At the end though, Hannibal Jr. decided it would make a good distraction and an occasion to test the younger Hannibals' skills. So, he allowed it.

He did help them set their father up with one of his co-workers he had invited for the occasion.

He knew you had been single for a while and were living alone. No attachment.

His father would approve, as you would fit better into the family and soon, they were all working on a way to

But, he let the young ones take care of the rest and only sometimes inquired on their plans and gave them some clues or advice.

When the day arrived, you soon found yourself outside with Hannibal Jr. who pretended to have forgotten his drink inside.

You waited. But, he never came back.

Instead, his father did and was surprised to find you alone outside, freezing.

He instinctively took off his coat and gave it to you.

"You poor thing..A charming young lady/man such as yourself shouldn't be waiting here in the dark all on their own."

You hadn't waited that long, but you wouldn't rectify it when the man was acting like such a gentleman.

Hannibal Sr. wasn't the one to spot the mistletoe first, you did.

You looked up and your eyes widened slightly as you noticed the branch hanging above your heads from one of the branch of an apple tree..

The silence made Hannibal Sr. look up at what you were looking at and his own eyes widened slightly before he shook his head and let out a small chuckle of disbelief.

"I swear those boys.."

His eyes then settled back on you and you involuntarily shivered. You weren't cold. But, you had this odd feeling about the man.

He mistook your silence for denial about the mistletoe and sighed.

"If you wish, we could come back inside and forget about it ? It is up to you.."

He wasn't one to push, but you shook your head. He had been nice enough to keep you company. You didn't want to appear rude.

When he leant in, you followed.

But, you were surprised when he lips didn't connect with your lips, but your cheek.

You then blushed when you realized you had expected the other alternative, without even considering this one..

He then lead you back inside and once you were back, he raised your hand to his lips and kissed it.

Your heart hammered in your chest.

It was only when he was gone that you realized he had left his jacket with you.

You were about to call him back when you felt something brush against your fingertips in his pocket.

When you pulled it out, your eyes widened as you realized it was his number..

At the end, the only one who had been trapped was you.

[rozetheeuwu]

I know that it's strange to look back with such devotion

Rating: T

Fandom: Pokemon Reborn

Category: Gen

Characters: Original Character(s), Ace Featherstone, (Min)Taka Alcantara, Zero (Pokemon Reborn), Lumina Seijaya, Evelynn Seijaya, Solaris | Phoenix Alcantara, Blake Whitaker, Elias Hazel, Luna Hazel

Relations: Original Character(s) & characters mentioned above

Additional: Hurt/Comfort, Hurt No Comfort, Swearing, Reunions, Angst, Not Beta Read, Title from Answer (eng cover)

Word count: 4200+

“It’s me! Heh, I suppose you wouldn’t recognize me?”

The magician frowned and looked down confused at the trainer who smiled at them. The trainer seemed very excited to see them much to the dismay of their green-haired companion.

They had no idea who this stranger was, clearly they had met because he knew their name before they were able to introduce themselves. They also didn’t know anyone with his name, Ordell according the the shorter trainer next to him.

They looked the trainer up and down. The black hair and the strong build weren’t something they remember seeing in anyone they knew, yet his ruby red eyes were familiar. They were the same color as their friend and coworker Divers. Now that they think about it, he looks a lot like the bishop. 

Their eyes widened as they made a realization.

“...Sunshine is that you?!” They gripped the rails of the platform they were on tightly, the boy grinned and nodded. The Meteor gasped and finally returned the trainer’s smile with the same excitement.

“Nice to see you again, Ace! I uh, went through a few chances as you can see, hehe!” The trainer joked. Of course they weren’t able to recognize him. The last time they saw him he was a scrawny looking teen girl, now he’s a buff looking young man. 

“Look at you!” Ace exclaimed “You’ve grown so much Sunshine!” He had changed a lot it seems, and not just his appearance. Before Ordell had fled the region he was angry, insecure, distant and on guard constantly, now he seems more relaxed, happy and social.

“Thanks! You look great as always!” The ex-bishop said with a wink earning a small laugh from Ace. 

They hadn’t seen him in around 8 years. He ran away leaving his twin and uncle, Elias,  heartbroken and in disarray. Ordell’s father, Hiram, was upset as well but seemed to had expected it.

There is so much Ace wanted to ask Ordell, wanted to tell him, unfortunately they simply didn’t have the time to do so. They were on a mission after all.

And Ordell was there to put a stop to that mission.

—

“No way… [Deadname]?”

Ordell cringed as he turned to the voice, there he was, his old ‘friend’. “Taka.” Ordell Greeted as he walked towards him with a frown, he made brief eye contact with the person standing next to his ex-master. 

Divers, his twin who he abandoned. He felt his stomach turn as Divers glared at him with a disappointed look. He turned to Taka again as he stopped in front of the taller man. “It’s Ordell now, by the way.”

“Right…” Taka smiled at him awkwardly, the man knew about Ordell’s contempt for him. He knows how much Ordell hated being a servant and live the way his family decided for him. How much Ordell fought back against it and eventually ran away from.

Yet, that is what made the admin admire his ex-servant so much. The bravery to fight back, the bravery to leave.

Taka knew he could never do either of those things.

“I like your name, it fits.” Taka started, " It's good to see you again, how have you been?” leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. The trainer shrugged “Just kind of chilling really.” Ordell said, completely forgetting the entire plant situation that was going on outside.

“Hmm… Well you look like you’re doing better, so that’s good.” He looked over at Divers who stuck to his side like glue despite begging them to give him space. “So, I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about.”

Ordell silently gulped, he was afraid of this reunion. His twin glared at him a bit longer which sent a chill down his spine. “...” Divers then smiled at him, a familiar warm smile “I knew you couldn’t stay away, you always were dependent on your big sibling.”

Ordell blinked in surprise before letting out a laugh. “Two hours! You're only two hours older !” Divers pinched their brother’s cheek “But you certainly act like you’re younger.” the older twin teased.

Ordell felt relieved, he was worried Divers would despise him after he ran away. Although it’s clear there is some disappointment and annoyance here he’s glad Divers still seems to be happy to see their twin.

A small earthquake brought them back to reality. “Right… Well I suppose this is all your doing?” Ordell asked while his arms were crossed. Taka and Divers looked at each other and then back at Ordell “What do you think?” Divers asked. The trainer sighed and ran a hand through his hair “Well… I’m gonna be honest, you both understand I’m not here to help you guys out, right?”

Divers looked down at their feet while Taka smiled at him and said “Honestly, would be disappointed if you were.” Ordell huffed but smiled at him “Good.” He then looked seriously at him “Right now I’m happily having a conversation with you, but next time we might be at odds with each other, do you understand?”

Taka nodded, Divers didn’t say or do anything. “Good… Now before I go… How are Zero and Father?” Divers huffed “Don’t pretend you care about your father.” Ordell frowned and looked at Taka “Hiram is fine, he misses you of course.” He explained “As for Zero… Well… Something happened, but…” Ordell’s eyes widened in worry “... He’s here on this mission as well, you’ll understand when you see him.” Taka finished, Ordell frowned but nodded. “...How about uncle and Luk-” “Na. Luna.” Taka interrupted. Ordell raised an eyebrow, the gears in his head slowly turning before realizing “Oh! I see… Well how are they?”

Ordell nodded “Good to know… Well, I uh, should get going. See ya, I guess.” 

“Uncle is disappointed in you, as am I.” Divers explained, Ordell sighed “No surprise there.” Taka continued “But he does miss you, even if he wouldn’t admit it.” Ordell had a faith smile on his face. “As for Luna, much like you she strayed from the light and ran away.” Divers explained, Ordell’s eyes widened “Really…? Luna did…?” Taka nodded “If you meet her on your journey, you might find she’s a bit… Uh-” “Delusional?” Divers interrupted, “...Yeah sure, but it’s because of me she’s like that.” Taka said in defense of her. Divers shook their heads “She shouldn’t have faltered at your command. She should’ve stayed as it’s her duty.”

Both Taka and Ordell sighed, Ordell then asked one last thing “I’ve already met up with Ace… How’s Blake? Oh and your dad I guess.” He asked. Taka answered “Chillin. Er- Pun not intended." Ordell snorted “My dad’s- Well he’s still the same so, you know.” 

“See ya around, Ordell.” Taka said.

“...Thank you for saying goodbye this time.” Ordell flinched “...Sorry.” The younger twin turned to leave, but Taka stopped him “Here, for on the road.” He handed Ordell a few potions, pokeballs and a premier ball.

“...Thank you.” With that, the crusader left.

—

“Zero!”

The black cloaked rogue turned away from the Pulse powered Tangrowth to the person calling out his name with a glare.

Suddenly he froze.

Despite being gone for 8 years and going through a lot of changes he recognized his brother instantly. “...[Deadname]?”

Ordell smiled softly at him despite the horrors happening around him “Hey Zero… How have you been?”

“Who’s [Deadname]?” Zero asked, causing Ordell to look confused. “...Right, if I recall that would be agent Mekbuda. agent Mebsuta’s twin sister- Or brother now by the looks of it. Sibling?” Zero said, answering his own question. “...Zero? What’s the matter-”

“Oh- Is that why he’s uh, so quiet that we can’t hear him?” Zero said, his voice softer than Ordell’s ever heard his voice be.

Ordell looked with a worried frown at his brother. “Oh, right he doesn’t know… Uhm, I’m Lumi!”

“It seems so, he must be surprised by Mekbuda’s return… As is Mekbuda by the looks of it…” his voice was more confident but he sounded more calculated than usual.

Ordell walked closer, but didn’t say anything. “I’m Eve, together with your brother we are ZEL.”

Ordell, still confused, stopped in front of what he thinks is his brother. He looked softly at them.

“...Zero-”

Suddenly his brother reached out and gripped his see through shirt pulling him closer.

“...He’s back.” Eve said, although it were her words coming out of his mouth his expression was 100% his. He was glaring at him and his eyes were filled with anger.

“I told you not to come back!” Zero exclaimed, gripping the shirt tighter. “You have some nerve coming back here after abandoning us!”

Ordell looked devastated “Zero please-” “No!” His older brother interrupted “You don’t know how hard things have been after you left! You can’t just come crawling back after all that! You-”

Ordell reached up and cupped his brother’s face causing the other to freeze up. After what felt like forever their expression softened, then a shaky sigh was let out as the hold on Ordell was released.

“What happened to you…?” Ordell asked, the tone of voice changed signaling Ordell someone else was talking. “Much like the pulse- the machine behind me I created the Pulse Magnezone. There was an accident involving me, my little sister Lumi and your brother Zero causing our minds to fuse into one.” 

Ordell listened as he looked at the Tangrowth behind them, the pokemon looked like it was suffering.

“Your minds… Fused? So it’s not just my brother in there?” Ordell asked, they nodded. “And… The Pulse behind you is what’s causing all these plants to attack the city?” Another nod.

“Eve built it all by herself!” The tone changed again. “...You’re… Lumi then?” Another nod, as well as a small smile “Nice to meet you! What’s your name?” 

The trainer smiled back “Ordell, nice to meet you too.” He greeted, voice shaken up. “Lumi, I know you’re just trying to be polite, but this isn’t the time…” Eve said, “Oh, sorry.”

This was Zero, Ordell knew it.

They moved again, their gaze went to the ground and they held their left arm with their right hand.

“...You’re not back here to join us, are you?” He asked. Ordell shook his head “I came to stop whatever it is you guys are doing…” Zero looked at him, heartbroken “I figured you’d say that… Then you know I have to stop you, right?”

Ordell nodded.

No other words were spoken as a battle commenced. 

After the battle ended the plants started to disappear and everything slowly started to turn back normal.

“...” Zel said nothing as they were ready to run off, only to be stopped by Ordell who grabbed them by the arm “Zero-” 

They were pulled into a tight hug, causing their eyes to widen in surprise.

“I’m sorry…” Ordell whispered “I’m sorry for leaving… And I’m sorry for whatever is gonna happen to us after this…”

His voice was soft like Zero remembered it, it was also filled with regret and sadness.

Zero let out a sigh and slowly hugged back. “I know…” He whispered back “I’m sorry too.” 

Eve and Lumi stayed quiet, Zero could barely even hear them in his head.

They pulled away and Zero gave a soft kiss on his little brother’s forehead. “Bye Ordell…” There was more he wanted to say, but he didn’t. 

He turned and ran off, leaving Ordell behind as he watched his older sibling run off.

“...That was a nice hug… It made me feel all warm and safe…”

“I know Lumi…” Zero said as he held himself “I know.”

—

Ordell traversed through the Rhodochrine Jungle. He had defeated Taka and freed two of the officers that went missing. 

“Pika pi…” the Pikachu on top of his head mumbled “I know Pineapple, I know.” Ordell answered.

He stopped in his tracks as he saw some team Meteor members sitting around a campfire ahead. “Shit…” he mumbled to himself as he hid in the tall grass. 

He had to get passed them without getting caught, easy enough.

That’s what he told himself as he snuck through the grass, only to step on a branch causing the grunts to look over at his direction. “Shit…”

“C-Circinus, sir?!” 

Ordell’s eyes widened, he noticed the grunts looking slightly away from him. His gaze followed and his eyes widened as he saw a familiar man.

Hiram Hazel, his father.

“Greetings.” His father started, he walked a bit closer to Ordell and stood in front of his covering him from the grunt’s sight. “H-hello sir, why are you here?” One of the grunts asked. “I’ve been told my-...” Hiram trailed off “...There’s someone here that I wish to talk to, that’s all. Is everything going alright?” 

“Of course! Haha!” The grunts then looked at each other and scrambled to get up “Uh we weren’t slacking!” 

Hiram let out a soft chuckle “Do not worry, everyone needs a break every now and then.” He then looked around a little “Have you seen anyone suspicious walking around?”

“Yeah, some purple haired kid but we caught him and threw him in one of those Nuzleaf cages!” One of the grunts explained.

“Cain!”  Ordell thought to himself. “I see, well good work then. Stay on guard and don’t let anyone else catch you slacking.” Hiram said with a wink. “R-Right! Let’s go guys…” The grunts then scattered.

“...You can come out now.” Hiram said as he walked to the spot the grunts were resting and sat down.

“...” Ordell got up, his Pikachu’s ears droopy with worry. “Come.” Hiram said as he motioned over at a log “Sit down.” 

Without saying anything Ordell walked over and sat across from his father, they finally looked each other in the eyes. Hiram smiled warmly at his son, “Ordell, it brings me great joy to see you again.”

Ordell’s gaze drifted off “Yeah… I’m happy to see you too.” Although he meant it his voice had some bitterness to it, but Hiram understood and payed it no mind “How have you been? It couldn’t have been easy living alone as a teen…” He asked worried. Ordell shrugged “Someone took me in, he’s been like a father to me.”

“...Good.” He sighed with relief “I’m glad you weren’t all alone.” After hearing that Ordell looked at his father again “I- I don’t hate you!” Ordell explained “I just- I couldn’t stay here…”

Hiram stared at him surprised for a moment before smiling again “I know my love, I’m not disappointed nor do I harbor any resentment.”

Ordell felt guilty “I love you, and I love my siblings and Luna and Uncle- I don’t want to hurt you or work against you but-” He bit his lip and he fiddled with his hands, his Pikachu rubbing its face against trainer to calm him down a bit. “Father please…! You’ve got to stop this madness!” Ordell exclaimed as he stood up, he looked pleadingly at his father. 

The first physical contact in 8 years, a tight and reassuring grip. “I understand if you cannot take this path and wish to stop us. If you believe in fighting against us for this city and her people then I’ll support your decision.”

Hiram frowned and sighed “I know it is… But I wish to stay by my master’s and brother’s side.” He stood up and walked over to Ordell, he gently put his hand on his son’s shoulder.

Tears welled up in Ordell’s eyes “Father…” Hiram’s hand moved from his shoulder to his hand “Don’t. Don’t start regretting now, don’t falter. You made your choice, now live with it.”

“...” Ordell wiped his tears and nodded “Right… Thank you father and.. Farewell, next time we meet we’ll…” The trainer looked at his father and stared at him with a stern and expecting expression “...We’ll be enemies.”

Hiram smiled and nodded “So be it, go forth my son. I wish you the best.”

Ordell nodded before running off and not looking back.

“...If only I were as determined and brave as you are, my child.”

—

Ordell stared at Solars who was standing in front of the sealed door.

“Come closer, Ordell.”

This man always managed to instill fear into him. Not anymore.

He hoped.

He took a deep shaky breath and walked up to his old commander.

“Master Solaris.”

Despite being gone for 8 years the damned way he was raised was programmed into his brain.

Solaris looked the boy up and down “You caused quite a stir when you left.” Ordell simply nodded “Why have you returned, young bishop?” He stared Solaris into his eyes, he couldn’t be afraid anymore “I can’t allow you to terrorize this city and her people anymore. I’ve decided to put a stop to it.”

Solaris stayed silent as he looked back at the gate “Young bishop, do you know what we’re looking at?”

Ordell looked at the sealed door “...This is the gate where the meteor is hidden, right?”

Solaris nods “So you do remember your lessons, and what do you remember of the gate and its keys”

“...Ruby, the seal of pain, Saphira, the seal of love, Emerald, the seal of faith and Amethyst, the seal of the beyond. When the four keys come together this gate will open.”

Solaris nods again “Indeed, so how selfish and utterly foolish does someone have to be to build a city on top of it? For THAT is Reborn.”

Solaris once again turned to Ordell, this time glaring down at him “And how utterly foolish do you have to be to wish to protect it, and how utterly obtuse do you have to be to think you can stop us?”

Ordell glared back “I think you’re the foolish one. The people of Reborn have done nothing to deserve this. Sure, there are some bad apples… But that doesn’t mean all have to suffer for it.”

A deep breath, exhale.

“And perhaps I’m an idiot for trying to take you on… But I know that if I don’t at least try then… Then I’ll feel guilt. Guilt that I didn’t at least try to stop your horrid ways.”

The two glared at each other a little longer.

“...You’ve grown. Good. You might survive a little longer.” Solaris said “You can go, so can your friend. She’s being held up father ahead.”

Ordell nodded “Thank you, Solaris.”

Ordell waited for the footsteps to be fully gone before heading over to save Victoria.

Solaris walked passed him “Farewell, young crusader.”

—

“Well well if it isn’t Ordell. That is your name now, right?”

The crusader’s eyes widened as he came face to face with his old babysitter.

The blue haired trainer stood there with his hands in his pocket as he watched the trainer chase the rampaging Beartic off “Good job on that pokemon by the way. I was planning on putting a stop on it myself, but you were ahead off- OOF!”

Blake got stopped mid sentence as Ordell hugged him and lifted him off the ground in a tight bear hug. He had a child-like grin on his face.

“Ugh- Yeah yeah- You’re killing me.” The agent said as he patted Ordell’s back signaling him to put him down. “Oops, sorry.” the crusader put Blake down and looked at Blake with bright eyes.

“...You look like a little puppy…” Blake murmured.  “Anyway, damn- I remember you being a  scrawny little shit, what happened?” the bluenette grabbed one of Ordell’s biceps and squeezed “I mean I know you used to love working out but like, you’ve never been this buff.”

Ordell flexed "I worked out ten times as hard! And uh, T helped me out as well."

A snort came from Blake as he unconsciously reached out to ruffle Ordell's hair.

"Hey! Hehe~ Missed me too, huh?" Ordell asked. Blake pulled away "Whaaat? Pff, nah." Blake said "You leaving made my job easier, honestly."

Ordell pouted "Aw… Not even a little…?" Blake hummed and looked away "I guess I did miss your antics."

Ordell grins again “I missed you too!” Blake huffed “I didn’t miss you, anyway… We both know what side we’re on, yeah?” Now the trainer frowned and simply nodded. “Then make sure you’re not so happy to see me, got it?”

Ordell nodded again, clearly upset now. Blake simply shrugged at that “Listen, you either hesitate and get pwned or you take your shot and win.” The crusader sighed “I know… I won’t hesitate.” Then once again a soft smile “Better watch out then, because I will kick your ass.”

Blake sighs before grinning “Yeah yeah, whatever. Stay righteous, champ.”

Ordell watched him walk off, both pushing away any regret they were feeling.

—

“Prosperitas, Pax Pacis, Obsequium. Blessings of the Lord Arceus upon your house.”

Ordell felt panic settle in as he heard his uncle’s voice, and accompanying him was Ordell’s twin.

Of course they were here. If they weren’t stuck by Taka’s side they were with their father, uncle or with Solaris.

“Oh, you’re here too.” Divers said with disappointment in their voice, Elias looked over and his eyes widened “Ordell… There you are.”

Ordell awkwardly waved “Uncle, Divers.”

“Oh?” the ice leader, Serra stated “Family huh?” 

Ordell sighed and nodded. “I wouldn’t quite call him family seeing as he betrayed and left us.” Divers spat out creating an awkward tension.

“Please Divers, much like my daughter I believe he can still be returned to the light.” Ordell cringed, “...Of course uncle, forgive me.”

Elias explained about his situation and that he was looking for Luna, who just so happened to have lived here in the estate for a little while. Luckily enough she wasn’t here anymore.

Unfortunately his uncle and sibling weren’t leaving quite yet.

“You know your nephew is looking to challenge me, I’m sure it would be interesting entertainment for you.” Serra explained. Elias turned to his nephew “Is that so? I’d love to see how much you’ve grown in your absence young Ordell.”

“...Yeah sure, I have no issue with it.”

He did, but it didn’t matter. As long as they weren’t harming anyone it was fine. Besides… It was nice to be in the same place as his family again without fighting.

He went through the gym easily, he defeated Bennett and El claimed that he should aim higher than simply being a gym leader. 

Just before El left with Bennett and Divers his uncle stopped in front of him “You’ve grown quite a bit, both as a person and a trainer. It’s not too late to return to the light.”

Ordell shook his head “Thank you for having faith in me, Uncle… But I won’t be going back.”

He walked off leaving his uncle behind.

He was so busy thinking about his past that he didn’t realize that his uncle was manipulating Bennett.

—

“Greetings trainer-” “Luna!”

Ordell smiled happily at his cousin, finally seeing her again after 8 years. She frowned and looked him up and down “...” Her eyes widened “[Deadname]...?”

He nodded eagerly “Ordell now, but yeah!” He held out his arms “Can I…?” She blinked but smiled happily before walking into his arms.

The two shared a tight hug.

Not just a hug that says that they’ve missed each other and loved each other.

But a hug of understanding and a mutual feeling.

They pulled away and they smiled “You look beautiful, Luna. I wish I could’ve been there during your transition.” Ordell explained “Same here, Ordell. You look wonderful.”

Ordell put his hand on her shoulder “Are you alright…? Running away couldn’t have been easy… Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Uncle and the others don’t get to you.”

Her eyes widened “Uncle…?” Ordell frowned “Uncle Elias?” he saidm Luna’s gaze faltered and she started to fidget “I don’t know anyone by that name…”

Ordell opened his mouth to say something when Taka’s and Serra’s words rang through his mind.

“Right…”

“...Well nevermind then, still, I’m happy to see you.” Luna smiled again “I’m happy to see you too, feel free to heal your pokemon and then meet me in the next room. Father will be with us shortly”

Ordell nodded and watched his cousin walk off before sighing. His Vaporeon, Pancake and his Primarina, Star, looked at him curiously. “Father, huh…? We’ve got a lot in common, trans, running away and finding safety in parents that aren’t blood related ....” He grabbed a picture from his bag. It was his adoptive father Hal, a fisherman that took him in when he arrived in Alola.

He healed his team and joined Luna “Chesire!” He scratched the Umbreon behind his ears “Heh, he hasn’t changed one bit, has he?” Luna giggled “No, but don’t fret. He’s very happy to see you.”

Before the two could continue to talk a man with a funny looking hat and a Gardevoir walked in.

“And who have we got here, Luna?” The man, Radomus, asked. Luna giggled “What do you mean father? This is my older brother, Ordell!”

There was silence in the room. Then in the order of Ordell, Gardevoir and Radomus was said:

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

“Oh?”

She grabbed Ordell’s arm “What’s the matter, father, Gardevoir?” The two looked at each other before looking back “Nothing at all, dear.” 

After a moment Radomus send Luna and Gardevoir out of the room to speak with Ordell alone.

They talked about El and how things came to be until Cain arrived.

“Brother? Ordell, I didn’t know you also had a sister?” The purple haired trainer asked, Ordell shrugged and sighed “Me neither…”

“Pardon?” Luna asked, “Don’t worry about it, Lunnie.” 

—

“Things are a shitshow, Star.”

“Primaaa!”

“Tell me about it…”

[cactusspatz]

April recs

In a shocking turn of events, I'm posting my recs EARLY this month instead of procrastinating! May the Fourth be with you!

About half the stories in this set are Star Wars, because I finally watched Andor and it was AMAZING; the other half are DCU, because I am predictable when sick (Tim + Batfamily h/c my beloved). Plus a Leverage/Old Guard crossover!

STAR WARS

To Climb by Nock_and_Bolt

“Climb,” Kino urged others to escape a prison he never would.

“Climb!” Nemik screamed past multicolored explosions and his own crushed spine.

“Climb!” K-2SO’s voice juddered out over the intercom, punched from mechanical lungs by blaster fire.

And what else could Cassian do but be borne up by the bodies of those that had gone before him?

Brutally good, full of the parallels and motifs in from Andor, all woven into Cassian's final climb in the tower at Scarif. It WILL make you cry in the best way.

Coping Mechanisms by mosylu (Cassian/Jyn)

It takes a heat wave for Jyn to notice that Cassian never, ever goes barefoot.

Intimate and sweet if-they-had-lived look at Cassian's trauma from the Narkina 5 prison.

Kino Lives by ad_asterism

Set at the end of Andor Episode 10: "One Way Out". Kino fucking gets to live.

Look, a girl has needs, and those needs include reading every single Kino fix-it for Episode 10 on AO3. This was my favorite by far, I think maybe because it *doesn't* involve Cassian? The episode ending was the right ending for that arc in Cassian's story, but this fic picks up the thematic threads and weaves them into off a very Star Wars escape for Kino. It could use some more love - possibly the very basic title and summary kept people away - so don't forget to comment!

No Survivors by elwenyere (Cassian/Melshi)

It had been three standard years, two months, and twenty-five days since Melshi had made himself walk away from the man he’d known as Keef Girgo.

Great mid-mission reunion for Cassian and Melshi, their slowly growing attachment and exploration of Cassian's trauma are beautifully written, and the plot starts to poke at the roots of Rogue One.

Personal Effects by mosylu

Spies travel light. Even so, Cassian Andor left things behind.

A neatly drawn outsider-POV character study, as the Rebels clear out the belongings of the Death Star's dead. This fic's older, but felt very matched in tone with Andor.

A Proud, Unpleasant Sort of Man by angel_deux (Han/Leia, Cassian/Jyn)

It takes Cassian Andor and Han Solo an embarrassingly long time to realize that they aren't each other's rivals.

Funny and sweet post-Rogue One everybody-lives AU.

DCU

Inscribed on Body & Soul by drowningfire

Jason Todd died knowing he was loved. His resurrection took even that from him. Turns out he came back to life needing saving just as much as he did when he left it. Thankfully the Bats and Birds have always specialised in impossible rescues. And while love can't fix everything having proof of it can't hurt.

AKA In a world where the names of those who love you inscribe themselves upon your skin, Jason's resurrection plays out a little differently.

Lovely platonic soulmates AU with lots of feelings and angst for everyone in the family, just the way I like it.

of crime lords and literature by adelfie

Gloved fingers close over Tim’s throat and slowly begin to squeeze.

“Jason!” he gasps, choking. “Have you ever read Macbeth?”

The Red Hood stares at him like Tim just slapped him with a fish.

With his grades slipping, Tim worries Bruce will take Robin away. So when the Red Hood breaks into his room with the intent to kill him, Tim decides it's a good idea to ask him for help on his English homework. It works. And then it doesn't. And then Tim solves a mystery and almost dies anyway.

The summary makes this sound kinda cracky but I actually loved the plot. (Tim, how is your life just SO disaster? It's really a talent.)

Little Red and the Big Bad Hood by CrzyFun

Olivia Draper had been a good idea at first. She could pass for older than Tim could pull off while masculine and women really could get into places easier if they had a pretty face. With makeup and some stylish-yet-inexpensive clothes, Olivia could pull off most undercover ops. She was Tim’s Matches Malone.

Then Hood had shown up on the scene.

Charming AU with tons of identity porn as Jason grudgingly big-brother-adopts genderfluid Tim while he's undercover.

For the Sick and Dying by GoAwayOlivia

It’s been a while since Jason has felt this bad. He’s used to being bruised and aching, used to broken bones and lacerations of all sizes and depths, but it’s been a hell of a long time since he’s been sick, and he’d honestly forgotten how much it sucks. His family isn't exactly helping matters.

In which Jason is hilariously dramatic about being sick. I enjoyed the hell out of this while actually sick, but I think the appeal is universal.

The last (but certainly not least) story I have for you is a delightful Leverage/The Old Guard crossover, which was the funniest thing I read all month.

The Fountain of Youth Job by BazinMousqueton

The Leverage: Redemption team are hired to investigate Merrick Pharmaceuticals following a suspicious death in South Sudan. They embark on a con, infiltrate Merrick’s HQ… and find some unexpected prisoners in his research lab.

This one is more accessible for Leverage-only fans than TOG-only fans, I think, but it has a pitch-perfect grasp on the Leverage crew (Redemption era) and a great con setup - which gets partially and hilariously derailed when they find Joe and Nicky.

[sneezyminniejo]

Hi i would like to request a beomgyu fic where he caught a cold but still managed to get rained on and he just couldn't get warm so the members are all taking care of him

Here it is, hope you enjoy

Cuddle Pile

Beomgyu has been sick for three days at this point. He had spent his week-long break hanging out with his family, and went to a family reunion. Unfortunately for him, a couple of his younger relatives had had a cold and he caught said cold from them. He hadn’t started showing any symptoms until the day after the group’s break ended. Since then he’s been fairly sniffly and congested, with a lot of coughing. He never developed a fever, so there wasn’t really a reason for him not to work. The near constant coughing was just a nuisance.

However this morning was a little bit different. Beomgyu was still in bed with Soobin standing over him, holding a thermometer. The leader sighed before he spoke.

"No work for you today Gyu. You have a fever. 38.3." Beomgyu groaned before coughing harshly into his fist.

"Well that's just great." The younger said just as Taehyun came in with the cold medicine. Yeonjun was trailing behind him, carrying a tray with Beomgyu's breakfast.

"Look on the bright side, Gyu. You've been complaining about how exhausting it's been to be coughing all day along with vocal and dance practice. Now you only have to worry about the coughing." The eldest grinned and swiftly dodged the pillow that was thrown at him before placing the food tray on Beomgyu's bed.

It wasn't much longer before the four healthy members had to leave for the company building, leaving Beomgyu home alone. He finished eating his breakfast and got up to take the tray to the kitchen. He then decided to go to the living room to watch a movie he'd been meaning to watch for a while.

A couple hours later, it started raining rather hard, and Beomgyu was able to hear the rain as it pattered against the window. The sound of the rain plus the fever he was sporting eventually lulled the sick member into sleep. Beomgyu slept for a good hour, until a loud clap of thunder startled him awake.

Unfortunately, while the thunder woke Beomgyu up, he hadn’t actually woken up. He groggily stood up from the couch and went to the bathroom. As he was in the bathroom, another clap of thunder could be heard.

"I'll be out in a minute, hyung." Beomgyu called before quickly finishing up and leaving the bathroom.

Beomgyu was one hundred percent operating on autopilot while he got ready for the day. Due to the fever induced brain fog and his still half asleep state, Beomgyu didn't realize that none of his members were in the dorm. Nor did he realize that it was still pouring outside. As Beomgyu left the dorm to leave for his schedule, he made sure to lock the door behind him.

"Ugh, why isn't the van here? Manager-nim should be here by now." Beomgyu said to absolutely no one. He decided to walk closer to the street to see if he could potentially see the car coming down the street. This of course, caused him to go from the cover the dorm’s awning provided to getting full on rained on.

The act of getting rained on is what finally brought Beomgyu to some level of being coherent and awake. Whether it’s because he’s suddenly getting really wet, or the rain is lowering his temperature, it doesn’t really matter. What Beomgyu does know is that he is now very wet.

The sick member turned around to go back inside to change his clothes and get warm. Unfortunately, he hadn’t grabbed an umbrella, nor had he grabbed a rain coat, so his clothes had gotten drenched in the time he had been outside. Even more unfortunately, when Beomgyu tried to open the door, he found that it was locked. And as if Beomgyu had somehow summoned Murphy’s law to be enacted, it didn’t take him much longer to figure out that he didn’t have his keys. Or his phone. Apparently, he had grabbed the one pair of pants he owns that doesn’t have pockets, and the fevered brain fog didn’t allow him to think of grabbing the items he now needed if wanted to get into the dorm or contact a manager or one of his members. Beomgyu was stuck outside.

After one more futile attempt to open the door to the dorm, Beomgyu sat down on the cement, clothes soaking wet. He was beginning to shiver. Because he didn’t have his phone, he also didn’t actually have any idea as to what the current time is. The rain and dark cloud cover gave the sick man absolutely no help in trying to determine whether it was afternoon, evening, or night. Beomgyu coughed harshly, but didn’t do anything to cover. It’s not like there was anyone in the vicinity to potentially catch his germs anyway.

A couple minutes later, his nose started running. Normally since he's not in the dorm, he'd be using a tissue. But he has no tissues. Beomgyu pulled his jacket sleeves over his hands enough that he could blow his nose into that.

"Fuck. I don't feel good." Beomgyu said as he did his best to curl into a ball. His teeth begin to chatter from being cold. He sniffled and wiped the wetness from his philtrum, but he honestly wasn't sure if it was rain water or his own snot.

Some time later (it was only like half an hour, but no one knows this), a van pulled into the driveway. Beomgyu raised his hand in front of his face to block the headlights from shining into his eyes. Next thing he knows, the car doors are slamming shut and there are four bodies running in his direction."

"Beomgyu, what the hell are you doing out here? You should be in bed." Beomgyu recognized the voice as Yeonjun.

"I don't have my keys." Beomgyu coughed before getting wrapped in a hug.

"Geez hyung, you're soaked and freezing. Let's get you inside and warmed up." Kai said. The front door was quickly opened and Beomgyu was ushered inside. One of the members ran ahead to get a hot bath running.

Soobin and Yeonjun worked in tandem to get Beomgyu into a warm bath. Since they weren’t actually sure how long Beomgyu had been outside, they decided to run a warm bath instead of a hot bath. Taehyun had gone to the kitchen to make some tea and soup for his sick hyung. Meanwhile, Kai had dug around Yeonjun’s closet for his warmest pants and sweater, because, in the maknae’s opinion, the oldest had a tendency to buy super comfy clothes.

After half an hour in the bath, Beomgyu was dressed in warm comfy clothes and seated on the couch. Taehyun brought over the soup. Beomgyu gratefully took the bowl and slowly began to consume small spoonfuls of the hot soup.

“Thanks guys.” Beomgyu sniffled. He briefly put the bowl of soup down so he could blow his nose.

“So Gyu,” Yeonjun began. “Why were you outside anyway?” Beomgyu shrugged in response as he put some more soup in his mouth.

“I don’t really know hyung. I fell asleep earlier, and I think the storm woke me up. Everything’s kind of fuzzy and I somehow wound up outside without my keys or phone.” The room fell silent as the others tried unsuccessfully to fill in the missing pieces. Over the next couple of minutes, Beomgyu continued to eat as the others sat in silence.

Eventually, the silence was broken by Soobin turning on a movie. All five members gathered in the living room with Soobin and Yeonjun sitting on the couch on either side of Beomgyu. Taehyun and Kai were sitting on the floor.

About five minutes later, Beomgyu finished his soup. Roughly five minutes after that, the sick man began to shiver slightly. “Hyung,” Soobin said. “Gyu is shivering, do you think he has hypothermia?” The leader asked with concern in his voice. Kai paused the movie and everyone looked at Beomgyu, who had curled up against Soobin.

Yeonjun frowned and got up, returning a few seconds later with three thermometers. One oral, one ear, and one forehead. At one point the group hadn’t owned any thermometers, and individually three of them had decided to purchase one. This resulted in them owning one of each. Yeonjun frowned as he took Beomgyu’s temperature three times.

“No. He’s just got a fever.” The eldest showed the readings to the others. Kai grabbed a kind of thin throw blanket they own and threw it over Beomgyu. Taehyun pulled the coffee table away from the couch, so the ottomans could be moved closer. Soon, the fen essentially had Beomgyu in the center of a cuddle pile.

“Mmmh, thanks guys.” Beomgyu seemed to mumble in contentment before drifting off to sleep.

“I think I’m going to have our manager rework our schedules so that at least one of us can stay home with Gyu until he’s better.” Soobin said. The other three members agreed. It had honestly been very concerning to see Beomgyu sitting just under the awning of their apartment building soaking wet.

The four members continued to watch the movie that was playing while Beomgyu slept. When the sick member woke up an hour and a half later, Kai made sure to get some cold/flu meds into his hyung.

Even though Beomgyu had stopped shivering and was now awake, the group continued to sit in the cuddle pile. “You know we’re all probably going to get sick now right?” Taehyun asked, only to get shushed in response by one of the others.

[yorshie]

How about 4, 7, and 11 please?

4. Mythical creature you think/believe is real?

I mean..... I'd never go hunting for any (sweats as I remember I'm suppose to go 'ghost hunting' sometime soon) but if we're being openly nonjudgemental, I kinda think all of them are real/were real at one point. Like they all have a little basis in reality. Unicorns were probably confused for a type of deer or other hind, the stories of bigfoot can't be that far fetched if you think about how nearly every other continent has had ape species so it stands to reason north america had one at some point in history- idk, a lot of the creatures I'm familiar with growing up are more culturally tied than a world wide thing, so I'm more inclined to believe they started as a story somewhere/or was a real animal that got twisted. We have some boogeymen (that I can't bring up really cuz it's taboo) that i just think 'yeah that totally started as an animal with either wasting disease or rabies or both', so, yeah. Maybe dragons were a big crocodile throwing salt water out it's nostrils, or another big lizard. Every time I think of sea serpent I think of the Oarfish and mermaids the manatee. Where I grew up the fog clings in the hills and they tell you to watch out for the Howler, it doesn't really matter if the Howler is just a bird noise or a bobcat in heat, when you hear it you're gonna go running for home, cuz even if it's not real there's plenty of big animals that ARE. that kinda thing, ya know?

7. What animal do you look forward to seeing when you visit an aquarium.

Stingrays. I love stingrays. My husband took me to an aquarium with a touch pool a little while ago, and he took one of those "oh where has my wife gone" videos to poke fun at me because I had both arms up to my pits in the touch pool, just letting the rays flap all over me. I love the way they feel, how much personality they have, and how friendly they can be once they know you aren't gonna grab at them. Seriously, i only buy like one thing of food and once they realized it was out they still kept coming over. I just think they're neat little funky dudes

11. Anything from your childhood you've held onto?

Hm... a few things. I've got a couple stuffed animals, an old rocking horse that plays music, but my most prized possessions are two quilts my great grandmother on my grandpa's side made. She hand sewed everything, and I've got a dutch flower girl queen sized quilt she made before she died because she knew I was graduating from high school soon, and my son came home from the hospital in the last baby blanket she made. It was her way of showing love, especially because she didn't know all of us that well. She couldn't leave the house a lot the last decade of her life, and she had something like 70 great-grandkids lol. She kept track of us all by which of her kids we 'belonged' too whenever we showed up for family reunions, but since her house only had five rooms total we all played outside. So we all kept our quilts close because it was how she showed us she knew we existed.

[realm-sweet-realm]

Accretion, chapter 1

Hey, everyone. I’m not sure how far I’ll go with this story. This could be a 6-8 chapter story that will look at Team Galactic from its beginnings to the lives of those affected by it after its reformation under Saturn. I also reserve the right to just leave it as two relatively short chapters (was originally one chapter, but it got long) of Cyrus backstory if I choose to pursue other things.

I hope you all enjoy this.

---

Alba took a last look in her compact mirror before ringing the doorbell to sister’s immaculate home. She found that her appearance was also immaculate. Good. She wanted to look like she belonged here. Her son, Cyrus, was at her side, silent as usual and well-briefed on how he should behave. She knew that attempting to reconnect with her family would be Hell. She knew that they seemed to have ears all over Sinnoh and probably knew about the disaster her life had been the last while. But after so many years and so many missing invitations, she would take any face time she could get.

The door was answered by her brother, who gave her a look of surprise and then wordlessly shuffled back to a woman Alba didn’t recognize. Alba noticed he was wearing a wedding band. He’d gotten married without telling her. Great.

“Go play,” Alba whispered to Cyrus, who dutifully left her side. She had to figure out where the booze was before she lost her mind. She managed to find it amongst twenty-some guests and helped herself to the white wine.

“So, how is everything going, Alba?” came her sister’s voice once she was on her third glass.

Alba lowered the glass, flashed her biggest, fakest smile and said, “Wonderful. Everything is perfect. Now that Cyrus is in school, I’ve got a lovely new job with a big tech company. And since we have the extra money now, my husband and I are going to Kalos next year.”

Her sister arched an eyebrow. “You’re travelling with your husband? If things are going so well with him, why haven’t we ever met your husband? I heard that you were let go about the same time your little boy came into the picture. And that’s also when your husband tapped out, isn’t it?”

Alba took a deep breath and tried to think of an adequate answer. It wouldn’t help her case to say that things had gone downhill long before that and they definitely weren’t going to Kalos together.

From behind them, they heard the muffled sound of a child crying.

“Is that yours? Because it definitely isn’t mine,” her sister said.

“I’ll go set things straight,” Alba grumbled.

Alba downed her glass and made her way to the room most of the kids had cloistered themselves into for the night.  There were over a dozen of them in the relatively small playroom, and yes, the one crying was hers. She marched over and took his hand, ignored the chorus of kids insisting that they’d done nothing wrong, and dragged Cyrus outside. Once they were in privacy, she slapped him across the face. “You realize you’re making me look bad, right?” she said. “The people in there think I’m a joke, and you’re a big part of why. You’re lucky I even gave birth to you. Now get it together, get in there, play with your cousins, and act like a normal fucking kid for once.”

The little boy wiped away his tears. No sooner than his eyes were dry did she pull him by the arm back into the family gathering. It was too loud in there. Too many moving parts to keep track of, and too many ways he could mess up being a normal fucking kid. He snuck into a bedroom and closed the door.

Calm. Quiet. Better. He found an empty journal and thought he might as well write in it to pass the time.

My mom’s family is having a reunion today. She was very mad at me for crying and not playing with my cousins. I wonder why everyone else can just handle being around so much noise.

Cyrus paused and tried to figure out why that was, but he had no idea, and it was upsetting to think about. If he got upset, his mom would be mad. He focused back on writing.

Sometimes, when I’m sad, I like to think of my favourite place in the world. It’s a beautiful meadow where no one can see me. You can only get to it by a rocky path between the cliff face and the ocean off of Sunyshore beach. There’s an abandoned garage there, and that’s where my best friend lives. He prefers to stay away from others, but that’s alright. I don’t want anyone to hurt him or take him away from me, and this way I have a place that’s just my own.

---

Cyrus opened the door to the abandoned garage and threw his mom’s toolkit onto the workbench. School was out, his mom was out of town, and he had the whole day to himself. He turned to Rotom, who had followed him in after he had seen him coming through.

“Hey. Do you want something new to possess?“ Cyrus asked the little ghost. It buzzed excitedly.

“Great. Because I wanna figure out how those special motors work!”

With that, Cyrus scampered over to the lawnmower, flipped it over so the motor was exposed, and took to unscrewing the motor. Unfortunately, he had to take the motor apart to understand it. He’d taken things apart and put them back together before, but he still wasn’t going to take the risk of depriving Rotom of its mower without taking every precaution. After all, it was unlikely that anyone else would know how to repair it.

“Camera,” Cyrus requested.

Rotom tossed Cyrus his camera, and Cyrus took several pictures of the motor’s outside, capturing every angle.

“Screwdriver.”

Rotom tossed the tool, and Cyrus set to work dismantling the motor. He had Rotom take pictures with each stage of dismantling, and once it was reduced to parts, he followed the steps in reverse, putting it back together stage by stage. Once it was almost complete again, a question occurred to him.

“Do you think you can possess this now?” Cyrus asked. “It couldn’t function as a motor like this.”

Rotom approached the device with curiousity. It disappeared into it, and the device turned orange and gained the creature’s smile and blue eyes on its side. It shuffled towards him. It was probably the only motion such a crude form allowed him.

“Fascinating. This device... It can work as a motor, but it doesn’t have to. It’s more like a vessel for containing a soul. Which means that you can possess anything I attach one too, whether it actually uses a motor or not.” Cyrus paused to think over the implications of that. “So! What do you want to possess?”

The rotom left its vessel and jolted over to the chainsaw hanging in the corner.

Cyrus laughed. “You got it!”

It took hours to find the parts around the garage to replicate the motor, but Rotom was happy to help and Cyrus found it relaxing. Machines were amazingly simple. They acted predictably, they didn’t hurt others or judge them for stupid reasons, they didn’t get hurt easily, and if they didn’t work the way you want, you could just fix them.

“I wish I could be fixed this easily,” Cyrus mused as he replaced the chainsaw’s motor with the new one he’d crafted. It was rather crude-looking, but it looked like it would stay together. “If I were a machine, maybe my mom could turn me into what she wants me to be. And even if she chose to throw me away instead, I wouldn’t care, then. Anyone could treat me however they wanted and it wouldn’t matter at all. It would be nice.”

Cyrus could hear the buzz of his rotom behind him. He supposed he shouldn’t say such depressing things, especially to someone who couldn’t talk to him or even touch him.

Suddenly, the chainsaw turned orange in his arms and lifted out of them. The device turned so Cyrus could see its face, and then it winked at him and revved up.

“Oh my God! It worked!”

With that, Rotom was off. Cyrus ran after it into the woods. He wasn’t sure what it was off to do, but they would surely have a great time together. They always did.

Years passed, and they remained friends.

[klarkkent71]

Europe, Returning to America, Upcoming Move, and Future Planning :)

4-26-2024

I haven’t blogged or just had a moment of peace to really share my thoughts buts since I was released early today from work and pretty much have a free day, I figured now would be the perfect time.  Since my last upload from here I just returned from Europe but never really shared anything so I’ll just break everything down into sectors.

Europe

Last year I spent 5 months in Europe as part of my job and it was blessing because I was exposed to so much.  I had the opportunity to be TDY there which included having my own car, living in a hotel and making $100 extra a day to cover my food expenses.  Of course, my priority was always on work and doing the best I could but I took advantage of every opportunity I could outside of work which included some awesome travels to other country.  I was able to check Paris France off my list which always been on my dream list and visited Germany, and Prague as well.  Poland was also an awesome place to live.  The food and activities there were cheap and the local population were friendly.  I enjoyed going out to explore and interact with people and I valued how easy-going things were over there compared to life in America.  At restaurants tipping isn’t expected a norm there but I did it anyway.  When eating there the restaurants are not trying to rush you and you can literally sit and enjoy all day If you want.  The public transportation was also great and you’re able to take a train or plane to many places without having to spend a lot.  The only thing I hated about most the places I was able to go was the language barrier.  It’s only a handful of people that could truly speak English good but it was great interacting with others using mobile apps.  Maybe I’ll share photos and videos of my full European experience one day.  With the extra income I was able to buy my life membership into Kappa and continued to build up on my savings and stock investments.

Returning to America

Coming back to America was great and it’s truly no place like home.  When I arrived back, I took some personal time to regroup and I proceeded to attend two events.  One was my college homecoming which I missed out on for a few years and seeing my friends and peers from college is like a family reunion.  The second event I attended was Carnival in Miami.  It’s nothing like dressing up and just enjoying vibes with people from across the United States and Island.  You will be on your feet walking for a while If you join a band but I’m glad I was prepared and knew what I took to survive in hot environments. 

Upcoming Move-Thoughts of Retirement

In July I will be moving to my next duty assignment.  I have 18 years of service altogether and 14 years of active duty.  In those 14 years of active duty, I have moved 8 times and I am truly numb to it by now.  I look forward to just enjoying the vacation time at home but these moves never get easy.  But the time I really start to get settled I have to be uprooted from my job and start over somewhere else.  I have also come to the realization that I am on the downturn of my career.  I will probably serve anything from the next 5 to 8 years and that will be it for my time as a servicemember.  The Army has truly been great to me but I look forward to the next steps in life.  I’m still torn between getting out and going to law school at home in Louisiana, starting my own logistics business, or taking on a job as a contractor or government employee.  As long as I stay out of the trouble the sky is truly the limit.

Financial   

For the first time since 2009 I am debt free and do not owe anyone or any business a thing.  I was able earn educational degrees and was getting paid the whole time to it.  I had multiple angles as a service member to not pay any student loan back and the first one finally came thru and wiped everything away.  I also have no vehicle payment either.  My last car and truck I bought off the showroom floor and had it financed but, in the future, I plan to just pay everything upfront and shift my focus on enjoying life experiences vs having a really nice vehicle. 

The next time I blog I will be settled in at my new home and settling in my next job.  I just ask that ya’ll continue to leave me in your prayers and I will be doing the same for all of yall.