#Gone by fluffy dumplings

[fluffyydumplings]

Empty Canvases

Gone - Part 8

Summary: Tae’s dreams were nothing but a tunnel with no ending - dark, bleak and empty.. Yoongi made him smile, you opened his eyes to light.. the world and everyone in it made him cry.. Through this abandoned tunnel that now has a torch shining its way and an ending to reach - he runs to it - with joy.. To the sparkly eyed fool who follows him around everywhere and anywhere..

Word Count: 5.3k

Genre: painter!taehyung x reader x yoongi (one-sided love) / third-wheeling / painter!taehyung x painter!oc (male) / moving on!au / heartbreak!au / best friends!au

Warning: judgemental parents / unrealistic expectations / generational trauma / unsupportive parents / toxic relationships / fear

A/N: @hobateas This series has come so far and so much time has passed.. In fact, a whole year has passed since I posted the first chapter.. It’s funny how time passes by so quickly - it goes by every time I blink or think..

There’s a surprise that drops after this chapter though.. So, look forward to that! Summer Break starts soon for me, so yeah… I can finally focus on the things I have intended to finish ever since that of last year.. Birthday projects and lingering requests.. Fics, series.. Ahhhhh!! I’m so excited!!!! (Oh- how things have changed since I’ve written this note)

I find myself unable to finish the very last chapter of this beautiful story.. I have found myself half way through only, and that is where I have decided as of today to end this wonderful piece of mine.. Albeit, incomplete - I will leave the rest to your imagination

Series Masterlist

Moodboard

Previous chapter

Aged Nine ↴

‘Taehyungiee.. Do you know what this is, sweetheart?’

‘Paint..’ in a tiny voice, confusion sprinkling the edges of his fingers he answers to his aunt’s query.

‘Mhmm.. It is.. Isn’t it simply, wonderful though?’

‘I don’t know, aunty.. It’s just paint.’

‘Is that what your mummy said?’

‘Yeah,’ he nods hesitantly.

‘Always the no-funner.. Isn’t it, your mummy?’

‘Yeah,’ he agrees whole-heartedly..

‘Do you see that whale over there, Tae?’ she points at a canvas littered with blue and purple strokes.

To little Taehyung, it was the most beautiful picture he has ever seen.. (He hasn’t seen much besides the white walls of his bedroom and the soulless designs that coats his entire home in his mother’s so-called “chic” - his bad, “sheik.”)

And that’s how he fell in love.. Fast, fully, quick and painfully.. The same way he fell and falls in love with anything and everything..

‘Do you like it?’

Did he like it? She had no need to throw such unthinkable questions his way.. He didn't just like it, he loved it.. He was amazed, enthralled, enchanted, captivated.. Whatever magical feeling a nine-year-old could sheath into words.

‘Woahh, it’s.. Woahh,’ he beamed as paint splattered onto a piece of paper.

To him, it was more than a piece of paper.. It was the truest form of his childish thoughts finally let free and given the freedom to explore beyond its iron cage. It gave him joy, and he gladly tugged onto it.

He felt like a young harry potter who just got a hold on his very own wand for the first time.. He felt like a sparkle-eyed Matilda who no longer had to sneak around just to get his hands on a single book..

He felt free

________________________________________

Aged Seventeen ↴

Paint.. Strokes of white, blue and violet that clings onto the empty surface of his heart.. Like that of the canvas a road away from him - devoid of colour. It bubbles, coagulates.. and evaporates into puddles of putrid green..

His eyes are but two blobs of dust that coats the edges of your window, his head is nothing but a swirl of cream that drips off of the sides of your cup.. He is nothing but an empty canvas. And even with the piece of stolen chalk in his hands and this wretched piece of torn paper placed atop of the table in front of him, he can’t seem to associate with anything but empty canvases.. Because he’s so devoid of colour, he forgot how to draw inside of lines..

‘Kim Taehyung!’

However, there was one man (and only one) that brought rainbows and collisions of mess-stricken fireworks to his dull life.

‘Taehyung-ah!’

At the sound of that ever so hauntingly beautiful voice and that loving smile that was so easy to absorb - almost like that of an iv being injected into the blue of his veins. He smiles - a tragic tale in the making.. sunflowers slowly wilting into strokes of mustard yellow and dirt brown.

‘Hyung!! You have finally decided to glance my way,’ the most he’s ever been near the latter, and the most he has ever spoken to him..

It would be a lie if Taehyung said his cheeks were an unusual shade of cotton candy pink due to the continuous waves of heat that have been coming and going the past few weeks. It would be a lie if Taehyung said the man before him wasn’t the reason to why he was two seconds from hiccuping like a fool who forgot to fill up his bottle of water for the morning run.

‘We can be friends.’

That’s it.. Taehyung must be dreaming! After months of pinning over the sculptor, he’s finally got a chance at seeing those skilled fingers up close and to get a glimpse into that brilliant mind of his.

Isn’t that exciting? Tae’s heard plenty if not a bucket of glaze worth of praise for the soft bundle of wool of a human!

From what he knows, Yoongi sculpted the town’s fountain out of his bare hands.. And that fountain is stunning! He means it!

Perfectly rounded in shape, dips and curves perfectly to form mind-bending patterns, the flowers that bundle at the center! Oh, and the pretty lights (Tae doubts Yoongi did that, but it‘s still a dazzling piece of art if he doesn’t mind saying so himself)

Tae likes blubbering nonsense.. But, can you stop him? When he’s full of so much love.

‘Reallly?’

‘Yes.’

Sugar, spice and everything nice.. Running across a field of rainbow lollipops and popping star candy!!! He truly must be dreaming!

‘Taehyung, let me be honest with you. I came here because of Y/N.’

‘Oh..’ he wears his heart on his sleeve, and right now - there is no sleeve.. There is no heart- there is no-

‘She likes you. Will you do me a favour, and go out with her?’

A strange offer from a man he’s never spoken too.. Did Tae call Yoongi a sweetheart earlier, because at the moment he’s an absolute asshole.. So much, Tae squints his eyes tight and considers spraying either pepper spray or bear spray in the evil man’s seeing globes.

‘So, you’re not here because you want to be friends?’

Betrayal lines the opening of his throat, bitter bile rising to fill the spaces of his loveless heart..

‘No..’ ‘You can think ab-’

‘I’ll do it.’

Tae has a thing for bastards.. It’s showing, and he hates it.. It isn’t his fault his over-bearing, emotionally-unavailable, and self-absorbed stick figures for parents has lowered his standards to a negative 7.. The child in him is screaming to get approval from this unsatiable being.. The child in him is screaming ‘there must be something beautiful behind those ever-lasting grimaces.’

In his parents, never.. In Yoongi, maybe..

‘Tomorrow, 4 pm. Cafe Bonsai.’

A- a- ha- ha- ha-..

Step number one: Get to know this Y/N girl

Step number two: Ask her shit about Yoongi

Step number three: Ask her to help me

Step number four: Yoongi, conquered!

‘Do you prefer sandwiches or burgers?’

‘Burgers..’

‘Ah, me too!’

‘Cats or dogs?’

‘Cats!’ ‘Cats!’

‘Ahhhh!’

Like how we warm ourselves up after a rainy day, or how we dodge from falling stones - knowing of how it will harm us.. Certain things just come naturally to us. Like snow in winter and ripe grapes in summer. Like moisture on cold glass and

The sky is an awful shade of grey, facing it.. One would know.. You don’t have to tell Taehyung.. He already knows..

That he was in big trouble when it came to you.

________________________________________

Aged Eighteen ↴

He felt free.. until he didn’t-

*on the phone*

‘Aren’t you going to show me what you painted the other day, Tae?’

‘Come on, Y/niee,’ in a sleepy voice he smiles as he flutters around on his matress.

‘You know I don’t show my work to just anyone.’

‘Do I have to pay up, Sir?’

‘Now now.. I’m expensive.’

‘Not as expensive as Yoongi’s sculpting rate.’

‘Not as expensive as that, but still more than a high school student could ever afford.’

‘But enough for his best friend to afford?’

‘Maybe..’

‘I’m hanging-’

‘Come over tomorrow, I’ll give you a peak!’

‘Okay, painter.. Hanging up for real now, sweet dreams..’

Sweet? That was when the monsters creeped in, crawling through his bedroom door and dragging him off of his sleep.

The red one pulls at his feet: ‘Aren’t you afraid, Tae?’

The blue one pokes at his undefined cheeks: ‘Too happy.. more than you deserve, isn’t it- Kim.’

The purple one hovers above him: ‘You’re not supposed to be doing any of this, child.’

*crash*

*boom*

*bam*

*puff*

C̷̨̯̫͛̂͐̉̄̎͆͛̚͠r̴̳̘̅̈͆̃͆̈́̓̇͠a̷̪̟̩̗͊͊̅͐͜s̷̘͓͎̓̀̄̀͗̀h̵̨̩̫̯̕ ̷̛̛̤̆̉̍̽͛͒͘

̶̨̱̹͔̈́ͅ

̸̞̳̰̍͆̏͌͘͘̚͠

̵̗̘̳̗̑͌̕͜��̪̬̬

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̷̨͓͔͇̯̘͇̋B̷̜̖̘̙͔̜͚͉̿̀̉̚ơ̶̖͐͛͌̒o̷̒̄̓͆̌̅͗͜͝͠m̵̛͚͖̹̖͖̞͕̲͎̉͐̾̆̀̍̀̈́ ̸͎͊͗̆ ̸̹͉͕̥͓̥̄̓̾̕ ̷̧̛̯̗̭͎̳͚̃̅̃̓͑́̚͝ ̵̛̮̝̲̦̫̦͔̜̑̐̀̀̂̑̽̑͝B̴͇̻̪̭̥̭͍̊̄͐à̷̧̠͇͇͉̘͉̱̍͗̈͛̃͘̕͘m̵̥͎̣̜͍͇̏͑̏̃̆̿

̴̪͖̓͒͠

̷̮͔͍̬͎͓̯̫͂̀ͅP̵̨̖͙̯̞̩̪͔͑̉̽̃̒͜u̸̺̺͖̽f̵̘̰̟͊̐́͊͐̿͝ͅf̷̢̛͕̘̻͙̙̙̓̓̃͌͑̿͋̈́

̴̻͍̖͛̄̔̀̽̊̾̕̚͝

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̷͕̼̍̾

̵͕́̉̄B̴̡̮̙̯̤͔̩̺̍ͅổ̶̤͙̝̩̲̠̝͓̒̏ö̷̝͚͓̜̼͙̦́̉́̀͂͛̿̀͜͝ö̵̦͎͔̟͇̲̱̿̈̉̋̾̓m̵̛̳̯̤̞͔̳̰̆̄̚!̷̩̖̹̖̮̊̃͗͛

‘Huh.. huh.. huh..’ sweat coats his honeyed skin, clinging onto it like tar on rugged walls.

Like bits of newspaper being placed onto cardboard with watered-down glue, it sticks.. it bleeds.. and it feeds..

It caves in, and his hands trail down the side of his headboard.. It trickles, and his feet relax to the beat of death..

‘This- This-’

The sound of rummaging, throwing and tossing painting red into the thunder’s thrumming blue..

Like a fool dressed in clown pants and bunny ears, he makes his way downstairs - to the noise that haunts his world - his peaceful world of birds and badly bred tigers.

‘Mom?’

‘Oh, Tae.. I was trying to find my plates.’ ‘And I happen to run into this,’ she snaps a brush in half with her feet as she kicks furiously at the mess she made.

‘You know.. My plates! The ones with the sakura flowers! The ones I bought from Japan! I was going to use it! Your dad’s coming home today!!! His plane arrives this afternoon!’

He ignores his mother’s complains.. He burries his head into the ground, dirt slowly burrying him to utter oblivion.

‘Those brushes?

‘Ah!! Your stupid aunt must have accidentally left them here! It’s okay I’ll throw them away!! Stupid bitch!’ she throws a flat-tipped brush across the kitchen floor - and along with it, she throws her son’s dreams away.

‘It’s the prettiest set of plates we have!’

And those are the only set of brushes Tae’s got..

He wants to weep.. But, he doesn't..

He wants to scream and throw one of her plates out the window, but he doesn't..

He doesn't do anything at all..

‘Give me the brushes, Tae.’

Even as she throws his brushes away..

‘Here.. The last one..’

He tucks it into the front pocket of his pants.

‘Now.. Where did I keep those plates of mine?’ with grey sticking out of her hair, she smiles at him.

He simply stares..

‘Aghhhh!! There they are!!!!’

‘Now!! Tae, how has your business classes been going!!’

‘Fine..’

‘Huh?’ putting the white-tinted box down, she looks back at him - expectations whirling in her eyes.

‘They’re going fine.’

He does not want to disappoint her( for as much as she has disappointed him over the years) he loves his mother with all of his heart.

‘That’s good to hear, Tae.’

She would pluck the world out for him.. But, she’ll never come to understand his love for rainbow tainted hands.. lead tarnished tables or the colour blue. That’s the way the universe works. Sometimes, we simply won't be able to understand someone.. despite how much hard we try to.. and how much we love or care for them. That’s just the way the universe works.

‘And then you’ll take up business management.. You’ll do wonderfully well. Won’t you? Our Tae..

He does not want to disappoint her, even if he tastes salt all over his mouth - and the image of his brushes stuffed in black garbage bags has his chest tight and his lungs submerged and brimming with sea water. He does not feel like a fish out of water, after all, for as long as he has lived.. He has known that this is where he belongs..(what he has been told, at least) He’s a little fish whose gills have been stripped off of him, and now he’s heaving for oxygen.. Desperately washing onto shore.. Desperately swimming towards his dreams that bubble with false hope..

‘Mom, what time is it?’

The clock inside of him was ticking..

Tick tok.. Tick tok..

He had to keep a straight face, he couldn’t let his mother know of his precious yet unrequited love for painting.. She would ransack through his room, pull out the stack of cheap paint brushes he had hidden under his bed and that big tool box filled with canisters of expensive paint that he used his birthday money saved up over the years for.

She would stare at him and question how her son ended up like this.. Striving for a passion that would cause him to starve.

‘Oh Tae..’ she would, with a tragic pair of eyes, pitty him with grace.

Oh, son.. I would never allow you to fill your stomach with the dirt beneath my feet. You will make people polish your shoes clean and everyone will be underneath your feet. I will make sure of it. Her eyes would scream..

She would look at him with horror, regretting the days she let her sister (his aunt) come by. She would phone her and scream: ‘What did you tell my son, you unfilial wench!’

And then she’ll phone his father: ‘Tae-Hoon.. Our son..’

‘It’s probably just a phase of his.. You know, children..’ he would reply, busy chugging down his second expresso shot of the day (it was 8 am).

‘Tae.. How about we find you a better hobby? Like- like- skiing? Ughh- like- basketball.. Just- not painting..’

She does not say it, but he knows why.. It has been imprinted into his head ever since he accidentally overheard his parents and grandparents talking over dinner at the ripe age of fourteen.

‘We thought she would be over it..’

‘It was our fault.. We kept on going: good job! good job! She is our child of course, your sister.. Compliments get into children’s heads. I mean, painting as a hobby is different from pursuing it as a career. One keeps you fed, the other doesn't.’

They were afraid, he’d end up like her..

________________________________________

Aged Twenty ↴

Worry grazed his face.. This must be a misunderstanding of some sort, isn’t it? The tickets.. He-

*rings*

To describe the look on his face.. One would have to go to paintings such as “Ophelia” after the well-known play: Hamlet by that of William Shakespeare. The sorrows of picking flowers and drowning in a river not as bitter as the betrayal and confusion that deforms the frame of both of their faces. Perhaps the same way Ophelia fell deep into sorrow upon realising of what Hamlet has done, Taehyung’s heart froze at what only his mother could have done.

The difference between the two though.. Is what a forensic pathologist might describe as one being too horrible to take in: a person with a bullet lodged in their forehead, and the trace of gun powder in their dominant hand. The other being too perfect to be true: a person with inflamed lungs (a sign of being drowned to death) and flesh discovered close to the hyponychium of their finger, wedged in between the tiny opening of their nails. For it wasn’t betrayal that froze Taehyung’s heart to shock.. No- Infact, his frozen heart has thawed.

‘I divorced your father today. It almost feels as though I’m some helpless trophy wife in one of those over-dramatic tv shows who do anything and everything to please their husbands. I was.’

‘I don’t think I’ll be talking to your grandparents anymore.. They’ve been feeding me too much-.. Prejudice.. Ah, forget it.. Bullshit.. They fed me bullshit.’

‘He he..’ ‘Tae?’

He was sobbing, dressed in a badly-stained shirt and joggers that were way too loose for him in the corner of his apartment’s bathroom. Afraid his roommate would hear him, he sucks his tears in.. Or was it his breath?

‘Tae. Are you crying, son?’

‘Hiccups..’

‘I’m assuming you got the tickets today. I put in a little word with the director at the Paris University of Arts..’ she smiles to herself ‘Ah ah ah.. I didn't bribe them. I know you would hate me for that, son. I showed them an artwork of yours.. Y/N emailed it to me.. I’m sorry if you feel like I’m invading your-’

‘And- I’m *sobs* sorry for cutting you off, mom. But, thank you.. Thank you..’

To say his life turned around that day would be an understatement and to say it changed his life completely would be an overstatement. As he sat down and Seoul blurred from his vision and all he could see was clouds. And eventually nothing as the flight attendant had requested for him to slide his window’s blind up. He relishes in a very important turning point of his life, but smiles fondly at how much hasn’t changed so far.

He was still the same Tae who found paint as nothing but pigment then eventually thought of it as his everything (his mother, you and Yoongi included in that label).. He was still the same boy he cried over his broken and trashed brushes.. He was that, yet so much more.. So much has changed, yet nothing has changed.. Deep in thought, he doesn't think it makes much sense.. Years later, he still thinks that it all does not make much sense..

There are a multitude of topics he could ponder upon, but.. Kim Taehyung decided that with a cup of orange juice in his hand, 6.2 miles off of ground and with his long legs crouched to fit the space provided.. That he wanted to be a little schmaltzy and overly sentimental - even if he gets a few glances from the old lady-

‘Ajumeoni.. (term used for a woman who is of old age)’

‘I’m only thirty-eight!’

The lady with the scarf.. His bad..

‘Can I please have more orange juice, please?’

That’s got to clear his mind!

‘Me too..’

‘Huh?’

His eyes sparkle.. A shade of brown that Tae would find delight in mixing colours to match and using his brush to blend at just so the light reflects onto it the same way it did in reality.

The softness of his face, the valley that is his nose, the plushness of his lips.. He was the kind of beauty that made Taehyung wainted to learn how to draw humans.

Sketch be sketch, step by step.. Line by line.. Only three people have made him want to delve in the art of portraying the features of a living, breathing and speaking being onto paper. Yoongi, You.. and now.. This stranger..

A beauty that won’t nudge you into a speechless bubble of amazement.. A beauty that won’t cause you stumble on your steps.. Solely, a beauty that you know deep somewhere in your heart that it would never do you wrong.. A beauty-

‘Orange juice..’

He hopes he doesn't get caught starring..

‘Oh-... Two,’ he clarified by putting two of his fingers up.

‘Jiwon..’

‘Huh?!’

That startles him, but the dripping of orange liquid in a disposable plastic cup calms him down.. Almost like chasing a panic attack away with the neverending sound of the piano.

‘My name.’

‘Oh-’

At moments like this, Tae questions more and more how on earth, he became his high school’s heartthrob.. He was loaded, good-looking (although he doesn't quite agree-agree).. In that department, he did fit into the stereotypical image of what a heartthrob supposedly is - at least according to all the dramas he has watched because he was bored and had nothing to do after finishing his assignments. He never attended any parties, never played with hearts or was never truly friends with anyone but Yoongi and You (Namjoon and Jin coming a very close second)..

He was always and still is a meek little boy who spoke a few words and wouldn’t hurt a butterfly.. In all the dramas he’s watched, he narrowed himself down as being the quiet kid who no one paid attention to.

He was-

Oh- Did people perhaps confuse his aloofness to being a cold demeanour that he held up.. meant to make him look cool? Oh- But all he wanted was to make friends?

Tae pouts, finding fault in his distant glances.. Probably scaring all of his potential friends away.. Then again, he did approach his Yoongi Hyung.. He’ll video call you both once he arrives at his dorm. It’s been bothering him for a while now.

‘Tae.. Oh my.. You can’t keep on falling into this hole of self-despair and deprivation. You’re not alice.. You know, when I first met Yoongi.. He was ready to dig holes in my face. But, I was ready to be his friend.’

‘Not true!’ the cat-eyed man rebutes.

‘Aish.. Hush, yoons.. Anyways, what I was trying to say was - you’re one of the sweetest and most easily approachable people I have ever met. It’s their fault, not yours.. They could have at least tried.. It just goes to show that they aren't worth even a millisecond of your precious time.’

‘After all, you’re our bread winner aren’t you?’

‘Aiii.. Stop teasing him. He might explode, Y/N..’

‘He could be blushing as we speak right now.’

‘Not!’

‘Blushing or not.. Anyhow, anywho.. Did you arrive well, Tae?’

‘I did..’

‘Unpacked yet?’

‘Nope.. Keeping that for tomorrow.. Too tired right now..’

‘Are you going to eat out continuously while you’re here?’

Easels fixed in place, loose screws jammed into inconvenient corners.. And badly chiseled wood.. The ocean was a fleeting yet consistent entity. Like how mother birds spoon-feed their youngs - Taehyung was like a baby bird with wings yet ready to fly with. With the illusion of his mother’s arms lifting him up in the sky, he felt as though he could fly to the sun.

His wings do serve a purpose now. But, if he were to fly too high - he would plummet to the ground. For even after they have transitioned from being melty wax to a solid rock of some sort - it will take time for peat to turn into coal.. and it takes a miracle for carbon to turn into diamonds..

Taehyung strives in being whatever is the best form of his self. He doesn't have to have diamond wings.. nor does he have to fly to the sun. He seeks joy in the most mundane and seemingly ordinary things in life. He doesn't have to fly high, being slightly above ground level and blending in with the rest of the world is more than enough to make him happy.

It sounds bad when he says it out-loud. But- Taehyung finds joy in being boring and simple.. Life doesn't have to have so much sparkle in it for it to be interesting - he thinks.

Then again, simple and boring can mean so many different things. To the post office man by the the bakery, it could mean sitting down all day and withering away just for someone to tap on his shoulder and tell him: ‘Can I mail this?’ To the cat living down the alley to what would now be Tae’s second home, it could mean eating tuna out of a can and making it safely under the fence when it rains. Sometimes, simple and boring can be beautiful. Sometimes, simple and boring is far more marvellous than exciting and fresh could ever be. The world is weird in that sense. We humans, are weird in that sense.

‘Tae?’

‘Maybe...’

‘Aigoo, honey.. Just mail him food. The kid’s shit at taking care of himself..’

‘Yoons.. What did we talk about letting him and independence.’

‘But-’

‘No buts no coconuts.. You love him, so do I. But, he’s no kid. He can take care of himself. We’re the same age for goodness sake.’

‘Tae.. Are you still there?’ you tap on the edges of your phone.

‘Yes,’ he answers, taking tentative sips out of the hot chocolate he got from the cafe next door.

‘Tae.. What did you have for dinner tonight?’

‘French onion soup..’

‘Man, Yoongi.. He’s already one of them.. We didn’t have to worry about him after all,’ you mutter outside of speaker length, knowing very well that Tae could still hear you loud and clear.

‘It was nice.. But, I feel like I’m going to miss Korean food so damn much.. Actually, I think.. I’m already missing it.’

‘Oh no, Tae.. do they not have any Korean restaurants there?’

‘Nope.. not even one..’

And that was exactly how his time passed by - one month of video calls turning into twelve months of video calls in the flick of an eye. As Tae’s canvases continue to be filled with all sorts of wonders, and as the stories he narrate with paint solidifies and dries into completion.. So does his loneliness.. It thrives, splashes onto him, and feeds off of him - wax pretending to be paint on the soft of his fingers..

‘Ya! Kim Taehyung! The project is due this Tuesday.. Are you not going to come over and help me..’

‘Shit- It’s tomorrow? Why didn't you tell me?. Shit- How are we going to finish on time?

‘Calm down, man.. I already did a shit load of work.. Just come over and help touch up the finishing details.’

‘Okay.. I will.. You still should have told me though. I would have helped.’

‘I did! Check your emails!’

‘Man.. Who uses emails in this day and age.’

‘Hey.. Are you calling me old, Kim?

‘Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.. Either way, let’s finish this project once and for all.’

Park Jiwon.. His name had a ring to it, almost like gold flowing in a stream of shadows. Tae would never admit it, he still refuses to. But, if he were to turn a blind eye to his inner monologue and listen to his “Tae Tae” senses. Alright! He’ll say it! Square up and confess to his sins!

When he hears the name: “Park Jiwon,” he might or might not accidentally break into a big-ass smile. Like- the ones where his eyes crinkle a little too much to the point where they appear as two sparkling orbs of daisies floating in the air - the sparkly kind, if daisies sparkled at all. They do have a shimmer-like reflevtion to them when he paints the flowers, to be fair.

Anyhow- What he means is.. The mention of Jiwon’s name alone has Taehyung smiling like he has just eaten the best spoonfool of the best Paella he has ever had in his entire life. Which is a once in a life time reoccurrence, since he lived in Spain and frequented Valencia like crazy during summer breaks back when he was in his teenage years. Therefore, the best paella he would ever have was one he already had and would probably never have again. Unless- he decides to visit his penpal: “Jinhyeon,” when Christmas break comes around.

Anyhow- In short and in conclusion.. Tae’s a hopeless romantic (but you can’t really blame the poor boy.. Can you?)

If you laid eyes on Park Jiwon for a few seconds, you would feel the same.. Tae was mesmerised by his beauty and voice on the plane, and when he volunteered to explain the idea behind what post-impressionism was on that odd January afternoon. Tae fell feet first and right into a pool filled with strawberry whipped cream. Oh, the baby bear harnessed a itty bitty crush on Jiwon alright. He would never admit to it, but.. He did.. Sunshine Comfort Boy was about 99% of what his heart was. The 1% left being a lack of common sense.

‘You know, I’m not the biggest fan of portraits... Right?’

‘I know.. I know... That’s why I never pestered you on that much,’ Jiwon sits on the slightly broken-down stool, nonchalant to Tae’s banter.

‘It’s because.. I’ve never been really all that good at it.’

That brings his pencil’s movement to a stop, the trees outside rustling to an abrupt halt as his head turned to meet Tae - who sits idly on another stool, closely parallel to him.

‘You get better with practice.. I know people say that all of the time. But, trust me on this one.. Some people just move a little faster than others do.. We don’t always remain at the corner of the wall though, we eventually move up the steps.. We do get better.. Even if it doesn’t feel like it.’

A silence that trimmed through the air like wild fire in a patch of grass. There eyes met, not a romantic glance - but one that ends up with two different outcomes.

Jiwon that laughs to his heart’s content

And Tae who makes a face of disgust, the reason behind the latter’s glee..

‘Ha ha ha..’

‘What?!’ he’s utterly confused.. Why was this man child laughing like the world just ended and he was behind it all?

‘Ha ha ha. Just look at your face!’ he infers to the window before them.

‘Pp- hmm.. Hee ha ha ha..’ he snorts and bursts into a fit of laughter.

When did Kim Taehyung harness such stern expressions?. Ever so solemn.. A sentiment he has never seen on his own face before. He would know. He’s Kim Taehyung.

‘Told you so..’

Smiles... Smiles.. He smiles..

‘You were just being.. A tad bit too corny. It felt like I was listening to one of those inspirational speeches on ted talk.’

‘Kim.. Don’t be so emo.’

‘Modern words.’

‘For modern kids.’

‘We’re adults.’

‘Modern adults.’

‘Those two words together don't make sense,’ Tae speaks with confidence in himself.

‘A.. What a juxtaposition expert you are.’

‘For your information, I got good grades in “language” for as long as I have remembered.’

‘Should have went down the poet route instead then, Kim.’

There it is again, those sparkly eyes of his.. The one's that has Taehyung a speechless shade of yellow. A blinding shade that brings unknowing joy to him and his sorry head.

‘Words just have never spoken to me the same way paint did.. You know? Otherwise, I would have been a poet by now.’

‘I’m glad you didn’t go down that route..’ ‘You’re too cocky to be poetic.. If I were to read anything you say, I would probably burst out laughing. Because- like- There’s no way this idiot means any of what he wrote.

‘Idiot?’

‘What?! Did I lie?’

‘I have a hard time believing idiots over what they say..’

‘Well.. I guess, it takes one to know another..’

‘That’s.. That’s.. That’s very mean of you!’

________________________________________

Aged twenty One ↴

‘Are you going to keep on following me?’ Tae sighs, even though deep down he doesn't mind one bit.

‘I’m not following you.. I’m simply walking next to you.’

‘That’s the same thing..’

‘Different concepts..’

‘You never seem to agree with me, don’t you.. Ji?’

Strolls along the riverside, hasty steps up mountains to see the sunrise, mouthfuls of rice cake soup warming you up through the cold.

A life through rose-coloured lens.. The plummeting of magnolia petals..

If Tae were to pick a colour… shade.. or hue to describe his life, he would pick grey.. Not because his life is sad or not worth seeing in colour. Because that’s where it has always stood. A centimetre away from darkness and light.

In a good way. In a way where he can bathe in the benefits of both, without having to always mope in one for the other to be left behind.

‘I only learn from the best.’

‘H- hmm..’ a sigh of disbelief that Taehyung fails to hold back (like many others he has failed to hold back), ‘Who?’

‘You..’

‘Ho ho! For saying that, you owe me a snicker,’ before his next words are said he retreats backwards and...

‘It’s only right.. You called me the best,’ he snickers..

A snicker for a snicker.. It’s only right!

‘Catch me if you can!’

He runs.. He runs in all his silly glory, looking like one would expect him to look. A twenty-year-old man brimming in the joys of his newly found freedom, in the middle of an ocean of youth and the things that come along with growing older.

‘Ha! I’ve got you!’

Maybe in a way, in that very desolate campus of their’s.. As Jiwon playfully tugs onto the seams of Tae’s sweater, along with it came the unwinding threads of his heart.

And as the threads of your heart unwind, you don’t realise it has come undone until the first abrupt beat of your heart resonates across dribbles of muddy water on the ground. Because unlike the laces of your shoes, you can’t see those loose pieces of thread.. Only when you fall and trip, do you realise they are there.

[ddejavvu]

hello! i just reviewed your req rules and i had been wanting to request something about spencer reid with an east asian partner bc i thought i remembered you saying you were okay with writing specific ethnicities, but i’m not sure if my request will match up with the rule you mentioned about teaching each other a skill.

my idea was for the reader to teach a clumsy, info-dumping reid about how to use chopsticks but i’m worried it goes against your req guidelines 😅 i’m not sure if using chopsticks is something you know how to do or also write about how to teach someone it, but i just thought it could be super fluffy and soft with reid being a klutzy nerd and the reader being super soft and encouraging but also laughing at him for being a genius who doesn’t understand chopsticks. super fluffy and soft stuff with maybe some kisses and stuff haha.

i hope that this doesn’t come across in any way i didn’t intend for it to bc i’m purely trying to ensure i obey ur req rules and don’t disregard them or disrespect ur boundaries in any way! 🥺

hope u are having a wonderful day or night 🥺🫶🏼🫶🏼

i appreciate your consideration!!! you have no idea how much i appreciate you reading my rules <333333 i do in fact know how to use chopsticks so i'm fine writing this :)

--

Spencer's plate is suspiciously empty and his mouth is suspiciously full when you get back from the kitchen, and he grins at you through a mouth full of beef as you clutch the training tool.

"I figured it out," He speaks through his bite, and you grimace at the messy view, "No need for the dinosaur, angel."

You squeeze the silicon dinosaur in your hand, two holes built into its back so that the chopsticks can be slid into them and run parallel to its body. It's something a child would use to get the feel of chopsticks before their motor skills are fully developed, or, in this case, it's for Spencer to use while he tries not to drop any more dumplings onto his lap. You'd figured their bulky shape would make it easy to catch them between the chopsticks, easier than thin noodles, but Spencer is having an exceptionally hard time.

You squeeze the dinosaur harder, feeling it warp beneath your fingers, "Spencer, why is there soup on your plate?"

"Hm?"

"There's soup there," You nod at his plate, "Why?"

"These are soup dumplings," Spencer hums warily, "Isn't that what you said?"

"Yeah, they are. But the soup is inside the dumplings. And you can't get to it unless you break open the dough. There's an awful lot of soup on your plate, Spencer."

He swallows even though his mouthful is long gone, "I spilled one accidentally."

"You liar," You grouse, "Did you just stab the chopsticks into them while I was gone to get them to your mouth easier?"

"No!" Spencer insists, shaking his head so wildly that strands of his hair fly, "No, I used the chopsticks like you taught me to!"

"Prove it then," You narrow your eyes at him, taking your own pair of utensils and easily transferring a dumpling from your plate to his own, "Do it now, so I can see."

Spencer summons all of the courage in his lanky body to grip the chopsticks, his fingers already slipping and sliding off of the placement you'd showed him. His form is clumsy and it's no surprise when he can't even get the dumpling off of the plate, much less to his mouth.

"You liar!" You repeat, your point proven as you snatch the chopsticks away from him and slide the silicon dinosaur onto their ends, "There, it's like training wheels. It'll keep them together so that all you have to focus on is your grip."

"Training wheels," He mumbles, cheeks scarlet as he jabs the chopsticks at the dumpling, his fingers purposefully limp so that they don't pick up the food, "Whatever. I'll just ask for a fork next time."

[valorant-drabbles]

deadlock and gekko resolving their differences and maybe spending some fluffy sweet time together 🥺

I'm loving all the requests for the newer agents- we don't have enough Deadlock content. Allow me to fix that!

Odds & Ends

Gekko & Deadlock

Summary: It's no secret Deadlock has a certain distaste towards Gekko, ever since her arm was horrifically taken by a beast similar to the ones Gekko carries with him. But being on the same team, they're forced to work together frequently. One day, Gekko decides enough is enough; he's going to prove his buddies are harmless, and hopefully make some progress in befriending the Norwegian agent once and for all.

Warnings: None

Killjoy & Cypher cameo

Word Count: 1.8k

Within the Valorant Protocol, there were bound to be a few agents who'd butt heads over small things; who's turn it was in the training simulator, who gets to have the last dumpling... And although most debacles ended shortly after starting, there was the occasional dilemma that not even Brimstone could sort out.

Cypher and Sova not getting along, Brimstone and Breach having tension... at least the troublesome agents could be civil during missions. Looking out for each other's backs, even if there's a fair amount of distrust or tension. Despite everyone's views and differences, at the end of the day, they were a team. They had to get along, for the future of their world.

And although every new agent recruited is bound to have their own share of baggage... It's fair to say that Deadlock held one of the strongest grudges in the Protocol. Can anyone blame her?

After losing her team and her arm to a terrifying beast during a mission gone-wrong, Deadlock had her fair share of struggles fitting in. She found it hard to connect with anybody around her on a deep level, out of fear of losing them as she lost her last team. Though time and patience has proven vital in her adaptation to the Protocol, it was clear she still held a great grudge towards one particular agent.

Gekko.

Despite his best efforts to get along with his fellow agents, he wasn't immune to the threatening aura Deadlock gave off whenever her eyes landed on his little buddies. She refused to call them by their given names, only muttering a cold, bitter; "... radivores." under her breath as she passed by. Ever the pacifist when it comes to internal issues, Gekko did his best to be patient and slowly earn Deadlock's trust. If she could learn to trust him, she could surely learn to trust his buddies!

So there he sat, in the commons room, Dizzy sleeping on his lap as his hand mindlessly pet the top of the little creature's head. His eyes scanning over the words on his phone; advice on 'how to conquer your fears' from various sources. He figured that Deadlock's behavior towards his pets were out of fear, less out of a bloodthirsty hostility.

"... You know, being afraid of Scandinavians is an odd fear, but I can't say I blame you." Cypher's voice caused Gekko to nearly leap off the couch; if it wasn't for Dizzy's sleepy self on his lap, that was. He pressed a relieved hand to his chest and exhaled heavily.

"You know that's not what I'm doing this for." Gekko shot a look behind himself, seeing Cypher leaning against the back of the couch, cup of tea in his hands tenderly. The broker chuckled to himself in amusement, always finding some form of entertainment in pestering the younger agents. "I do know. I also know you looked up 'Scandinavian meals' last week. And 'how to comfort a female co-worker without coming across as weird'. Oh, and lets not forget 'how to-'"

"Cypher!" The younger male's hand shot forward, instinctively trying to cover Cypher's mouth, only for his hand to be caught. The information broker couldn't help but snicker; Gekko just knew this bastard had a huge smirk on his face, despite not being able to see his face. He pulled his hand back and felt his cheeks heat up. Of course Cypher knew what he'd been looking into. It was his job to keep tabs on this sort of stuff.

"If you know what I'm trying to do, then maybe you could help me instead of... whatever the heck you're trying to accomplish right now?" The green haired lad raised an eyebrow, quietly hoping that Cypher might actually provide some assistance; but alas, the man simply shook his head. "You know I'm no good at that. If I was, Sova could actually stand being in the same room as me for longer than five minutes."

A quiet groan escaped Gekko, as he rubbed his face with his hands, head resting against the back of the couch, eyes glued to the ceiling, as if the ceiling held all the answers to his dilemma. "Then what am I supposed to do? How can I get her to see what I see?..." His gaze had slowly moved down to Dizzy, who'd woken up by then at the mild commotion Gekko had caused when scolding Cypher. Seriously, how could anybody see Dizzy as a terrifying monster...? She was so sweet...

"That, my friend, you will have to figure out on your own. I doubt she'll be convinced by a simple showcase." Cypher pat the top of Gekko's head before turning to leave, cup of tea still in tow.

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

"Gekko, to your left!" Deadlock shouted out, a bullet rapidly firing from her gun to strike the bot that had been approaching Gekko. "Gracias, Deadlock!" He'd shouted back, the sound of his footsteps being drowned out by the firing happening elsewhere in the training grounds. He ducked down behind a wall, the lights dimming to a deep red, causing him to swallow. They'd been shoved into the training grounds without much warning by Killjoy, who insisted they test out her newest upgrades to the bots. And they were proving to be quite difficult, and relentless.

It was clear both agents were getting exhausted, as they'd been at this for what felt like ages; though it was closer to two hours. All they had to do was get to the end of the room and take out the final bot; but with all the other turrets firing, they'd barely had any time to progress. And every time that damn red light went off, it meant any damaged or broken bots were being replaced.

"How the hell are we supposed to progress?" Deadlock asked herself, head leaned back against the wall her back was pressed against, out of breath.

"I told you, if you'll just let me throw out Dizzy, we can blind them and-"

"No, I don't trust that little monster." Deadlock sneered, as she reloaded her gun- though she was very low on ammo at that point. They'd worn out almost all the guns that had been placed in the room beforehand. "Just let me think. I'm sure my tech can... figure something out."

"You can only do so much on your own, amiga. And at this rate, we're gonna get our asses kicked while Killjoy and Brim are watching. I dunno about you, but I'd like to avoid that." Gekko shot back with a hint of attitude, as a familiar blue orb flung from his belt into his hand. Deadlock's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare, Mateo-"

So threatened by the mere idea of releasing Dizzy onto the field, Deadlock failed to notice the bot that had snuck by her sensor, and was aimed right behind her.

Gekko's eyes narrowed. Instinctively, he tossed up Dizzy, whilst grabbing Mosh from his belt, and chucking it directly at Deadlock- or, that's at least how Deadlock saw it.

It all felt like time slowed down.

She'd flinched and shielded herself, expecting to get... mauled or blown up by the little green creature, eyes screwed shut as she braced for impact-

Until she heard a bot explode behind her. Her eyes shot open as she looked behind her, seeing Moshpit staring at her, clearly happy that it'd managed to keep her safe. She simply stared in confusion, before she heard Dizzy floating above her, blinding the bots with the goo it released. Dizzy happened to land right in Deadlock's hands, her little tag wagging proudly.

It reminded her of a puppy.

"Deadlock- Wingman stunned a path out!" Gekko called out to catch the Norwegian's attention, as she peeked out behind the wall to see several bots disoriented, some still being blinded as well. Pulling out her phantom, she fired with reckless abandon at any bots in their way- revealing the final bot.

"Alright..." Deadlock stepped out from behind the wall, aiming her arm towards the clear path made for her.

"My territory, My rules!"

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

The two exhausted agents had managed to pull themselves out of the training simulator with minimal injury. Killjoy was very quick to thank them for helping with the experiment, handing each of them a lollipop as thanks, before she'd retreated to her lab. Especially since Deadlock had been glaring at her. Two hours of testing the damn bots, and all she gets is a piece of candy?

Gekko, on the other hand, despite his own exhaustion, thanked KJ for the opportunity to test her work, and popped the lollipop into his mouth.

"Sooo... Maybe my little buddies can be helpful after all?" Gekko had piped up once silence had settled between them, the two agents walking together towards their lockers to put their util away. Deadlock kept quiet, as she fidgeted with her sensor in her hand.

"They were... less destructive than expected." Deadlock muttered, throwing open her own locker, placing her tech inside. "I suppose I can see how they'd be beneficial in an actual fight..."

"Just a shame you didn't get to see Thrash in action-"

"No, I'm quite glad I didn't see that. Thrash is arguably your most dangerous creature." Deadlock corrected, closing her locker- only to be met with the sparkling, excited gaze of Gekko.

"... What?"

"You just called Thrash by her name.. instead of calling her a monster~" Gekko cooed in a teasing tone. Deadlock's face quickly grew red as she stepped back, quickly averting her gaze from him.

"I-- It was just a slip of the tongue, that's all." Deadlock stammered.

"You also called her a creature instead of a monster!"

"Will you be quiet?!" Deadlock hissed, though it was hard to be intimidated by the Steel Hunter while an embarrassed mess. She turned on her heel, making an effort to escape the conversation before Gekko could spew more nonesense.

But Gekko simply tailed behind her with a grin. "Okay, Okay- but you saw most of them in action today. Which one's your favourite, huh?" He urged. He was treading very dangerous ground, truthfully-

"... Dizzy. Her behavior... reminds me of the halden hounds from my home country..."

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

"You really asked those two to test your new bots...? You know they don't get along." Cypher questioned with a raised eyebrow, his glowing blue eyes boring into Killjoy's sheepish smile as the two of them entered the commons room.

"Right! And nothing brings enemies closer to becoming friends like a near-death experience in a fight! Though it was a simulation..." Killjoy attempted to defend her actions, though her train of thought was immediately cut short as she stopped in her tracks, hand shooting over to stop Cypher from progressing forward as well.

The Moroccan did indeed stop, confused. Following Killjoy's gaze until it landed on the couch.

On the couch, to their surprise... was Gekko and Deadlock, asleep, Gekko's head rested on the Norwegian's shoulder... surrounded by Thrash, Dizzy, Wingman and Mosh, who were all comfortably snuggled up against Deadlock in one way or another.

"... Deadlock will murder you if you take a picture." Killjoy had slowly and quietly warned- only to hear the soft click of one of Cypher's many cameras.

"Doubtful. Perhaps I will print her a copy... Hmhmhm..."

[tj-crochets]

How do you make stuffed animals? I’ve bought a pattern for less complicated animals, but you made that blorbo and I don’t think there are any templates for that? What should be my next step in developing my animal making skills?

Hey! This answer is probably going to get pretty long, so it's going below a read more

You're right, I did not use a pre-existing pattern for the blorbo plushie. There's a couple different methods people use to create plushie patterns; if you find you don't like the method I use, that doesn't mean you can't make plushies! Keep trying until you find methods that work for you In my experience, the best way to develop skills in plushie pattern making is to sew a bunch of different plushies. While you use patterns, look at how the pieces look in 2D on the paper and how the end up in 3D in the finished plushie, and start to make a note of what it takes to make simple 3D shapes like a sphere (darts or different segments), a cube (six squares), a cylinder (a rectangle with two circles for the end pieces) If creating a new pattern entirely from scratch seems too much to start with, you can repurpose pieces of other patterns*! I've got a fluffy ostrich-y bird pattern that's just a pattern for a round dumpling for the body, a pattern for a...I think it was a snowball for the head, and then some simple rectangles to make the cylinders of the neck and legs. Another thing! A lot of plushie pattern making for simpler plushies made of knit fabric is just drawing. My manta ray patterns are just a drawing of a manta ray, plus a seam allowance added around the outside. Same with my eel pattern (mostly. it has one dart), my fish pattern, my other manta ray pattern...there's a lot of patterns you can make flat when you're starting out and use stuffing and the stretch of the fabric to make 3D. It's still what I use for simple flat pieces of patterns like wings, arms, ears, etc. That reminds me: seam allowances! I use 1/4" seam allowances, because that's what my sewing machine is set up for and it's the most common seam allowance I've seen used for plushies. You can use whatever seam allowance you want, but I have found it's a loooot easier if you have a tool you can use to add your seam allowance once you've drawn your pattern. I use two mechanical pencils taped together whose points are 1/4" apart. I put one pencil on the line I drew for the pattern, and use the other pencil to draw the line of the seam allowance. A few other tips, in no particular order but numbered so I can keep track of them 1. when matching up pieces of a pattern, make sure they match before the seam allowance is added. It'll make your life easier 2. fold paper to get symmetry in your pattern pieces 3. if you need to match a straight line to a curved line, or two curved lines together, you can use a pipe cleaner to measure the length of the curved line and then straighten the pipe cleaner to know how long to make your straight line (like matching the bottom of legs (rectangular pieces) to feet (circular pieces)) 4. If you are creating a pattern to use with a particular fabric, check how much of the fabric you have BEFORE you draw the pattern just like an inch too long to cut out of the fabric (I learned the hard way lol) 5. if you are worried your pattern won't turn out how you want it to, you can always start with monsters. There's no wrong way to make a monster plushie, you can just accidentally make a different monster than the one you intended to make. It's still a monster plushie, and that's not a bad thing to make! :D 6. if you have multiple pattern pieces coming together at the same point, like the top of a beach ball or the top of my octopus pattern, think about what angle you want that junction to form. For the octopus, I wanted the very top of it to be flat, so I made sure the pieces coming together totaled 360 degrees to be a flat circle. If I'd gone for less than 360 degrees, it would be pointed, if I'd gone for more, it would be kind of ruffled? Almost? Point is: divide the angle you want by the number of pieces you want to form that angle to get what the angle should be at the point each piece comes together *don't sell patterns made from pieces of other peoples' patterns though

[definitelynotgideon]

This is a Genya Shinazugawa x OC (Gideon Azulyss) MLM Fic 🏳️‍🌈

AN/ This took an embarrasingly long time to write because my brain is frieedddd. Work is getting to be so stressful and in the midst of everything I had a breakdown.

NONETHELESS, MY TUMBLR FRIENDS. I return with even more fluffies lol. I swear to god, i have a plan to move away from this stuff and into the meat of the story. Y'all just have to bear with me. xD

Also, this is an abridged, tumblr friendly version of the chapter. The full version will be linked with warnings; it can be found on Ao3. :3

CW: nudity, slight voyeur behavior? sharing a shower.

Click here for the Ao3 Version.

CW for Ao3 Version: Rated Mature! Make-out scene, implied other activities mentioned. Not Explicit.

Word Count: 2,237

The Demons We Face | Chapter 16, Give and Take

Preview:

Gideon looked to the things in his arms. Ah, he wanted to shower too. He looked back up to his shy eyes and then immediately understood that… he wanted to join Gideon. The silver haired boy blushed too.

“D-dont think I'm… just like, here because you're… you know. I didn't mean it like that. I j-just uh-” 

Gideon playfully flicked water at him, smirking. Genya stopped talking and looked slightly surprised.

“Baby. It's okay. You can join me. I'll even help you clean up if you want… but you've gotta help me too. Okay?~” 

Genya still looked nervous, which Gideon found adorable. But he nodded with a shy smile and disrobed. Gideon politely turned around so he could enter in with less pressure. He hummed as he re-wet his hair. 

And then as soon as Genya entered into the shower, he grinned up at him. “This is exciting. I finally get to see what shampoo you use~” 

The two boys ate well. After having talked, both were feeling better and their appetites showed it. When no one was looking, Genya would teasingly poke Gideon in the side with chopsticks and smirk, feeling Gideon's eyes on him and hearing the squeak that made it all worthwhile. 

Gideon was fucking determined to discover Genya's ticklish spots. He needed to level the playing field. But for the time being he retaliated by stealing bites from Genya's plate. 

In one of those times though, Aoi caught him and scolded him. “If you're hungry, ask for more food, don't take from others!”

Genya never got caught in his antics. Professional big brother knew how to get away with teasing. Gideon scrunched his nose and apologized as Aoi gave Genya replacement helpings. 

Genya said something along the lines of “you'd better be sorry,” only smiling fully victorious at Gideon when Aoi turned back around. To lessen the sting of defeat, he gave Gideon an additional dumpling, slipping his hand down to affectionately squeeze his knee. Gideon was dying to return touch, and finished his meal quickly so that he could shower and then join Genya in his room for sleep. 

He snuck a small affectionate scratch to Genya's back as he passed. “‘M gonna shower, see you in a bit.” Then he left the dining hall and went to his quarters for clothes and his shower supplies.

Genya watched him leave, his eyes following him until he was completely beyond the doorway. He glanced at his food and quickly finished it up, cleaning up his area and wandering out. He went back to his room, gathering up a change of outfit. 

Gideon, meanwhile, had gone into the men's shower. He was blissfully alone, and he was reminded of why he chose odd times to shower. It was just a little awkward to shower with other men around… he felt like if he looked the wrong way at one of them that they would immediately notice and call him out even if it was innocent. 

So whenever anyone else had come into the restroom he would decidedly turn to the wall and not socialize. 

But that wouldn't be happening this evening.

Smiling to himself, he stripped his outfit and set it carefully aside. Starting the shower, he ventured beneath the stream. A few moments passed and he began to sing softly as he worked a bar of soap in his hands.

And he sang sweetly, not aware of the very silent entrance of Genya. 

The mohawked boy had stopped short of the restroom area as soon as he heard the soft cadence. He had entered quietly to confirm it was Gideon. He heard his voice, and recognized it but… he needed to see him too. Wanted to commit it to memory. 

Because his voice resonated off of porcelain tiles, steam from the shower veiled him in intrigue. The scent of his fragrant soap tinted the vapor. Genya could have sworn he was an angel… and he stood rather frozen in place, awe holding his body still as he remained unnoticed.

But then… he accidentally dropped his shampoo bottle. Genya's face turned beet red as Gideon instantly stopped singing and turned to face him like a frightened deer.

Genya crouched to retrieve his bottle and became a bit of a mess in trying to explain himself. He shouldn't have even been doing so, he just couldn't resist… in his defense his intentions were very innocent. He was simply admiring his lover. Definitely not trying to be creepy or invade his privacy. 

He stammered out apologies to Gideon, averting his gaze, even bowing and Gideon shook himself out of his surprised state. 

“Genya, it's okay… Did… did you come looking for me?” 

Somehow Genya's blush got deeper on his face. “Y-yeah I… um. I wanted to make sure you were okay… but I was also… w-wondering if I could …”

Gideon looked to the things in his arms. Ah, he wanted to shower too. He looked back up to his shy eyes and then immediately understood that… he wanted to join Gideon. The silver haired boy blushed too.

“D-dont think I'm… just like, here because you're… you know. I didn't mean it like that. I j-just uh-” 

Gideon playfully flicked water at him, smirking. Genya stopped talking and looked slightly surprised.

“Baby. It's okay. You can join me. I'll even help you clean up if you want… but you've gotta help me too. Okay?~” 

Genya still looked nervous, which Gideon found adorable. But he nodded with a shy smile and disrobed. Gideon politely turned around so he could enter in with less pressure. He hummed as he re-wet his hair. 

And then as soon as Genya entered into the shower, he grinned up at him. “This is exciting. I finally get to see what shampoo you use~” 

The comment makes Genya laugh a little. He crouches to gather up his soap and Gideon can't resist the urge to look at his lover’s body.

His eyes softened. He had�� so many scars. Some looked quite deep. Gideon’s own body had a few from fights with demons and just the hazards of being a boy. but Genya's… were more present. 

He'd probably been through so much. Too much to talk about. Genya seems to feel his eyes and looks to him as he stands up fully with his soap in hand. Gideon can't help but to just…move in and hold him close. He's wet from the shower so the feeling is weird for Genya but nonetheless, he laughs a little and wraps his arms around Gideon. 

“Someone is clingy~” Genya lightly teased him. Gideon groaned against his chest and playfully pretended to bite him. 

Gideon then squeezed him and lifted him to put him under the shower stream. “I don't think you dislike it.”

Genya giggled a little as he was moved. “You're right. I'm… happy you want to.” 

It was nice to be wanted. Especially after so much time with very few people. Gyomei had found him first, and had helped him as the father figure he never previously had. And even if there was pain in the aftermath, he loved his brother deeply and wanted to reach him. 

But Gideon was unique. Something he'd not experienced prior. Every touch was so gentle and healing… in some ways it terrified Genya because he'd lost almost his entire family and he could just as easily lose Gideon, Gyomei, Sanemi. Despite that though… Gideon was here now. And wanted to be close to him just as much. 

Gideon gently requested is soap bar. “I'll wash your back,” he offered. Genya must have d drifted away in thought for a moment, but his mauve eyes refocused on his partner. 

“Th-thank you.” He handed him the soap and turned around, closing his eyes and waiting. He felt like a child in a way… probably because he'd not experienced this before. 

Gideon lathers the soap in his hands and takes an appreciative smell. While not exactly what Genya smelled like to him, the hint of warm woodsy fragrance that Gideon noticed on Genya likely came from this bar. He gently scrubbed Genya's shoulders, eyes still on his scars as his eyes swirled with questions he wouldn't ask… deft hands cleansed Genya's back, finally resting on his hips as Gideon blushed. He should probably let Genya take care of everything lower… he didn't want to be invasive.

Genya felt him pause at his hips. Blushing because he knew what Gideon was probably thinking, he turned around to face him. “Thank you love… I- I'll get the rest of me.” 

Gideon went back under the spray as Genya finished soaping up. Gideon had finished up with soap earlier. He reached for his shampoo and Genya reached over gently to pause him. “Could… Could I do that for you? Please?” 

Gideons eyes softened again. That was so sweet of him… he couldn't deny him after he asked so carefully. He nods a little with a small smile and Genya rinsed himself off. He then took up Gideon’s shampoo bottle.

“C’mere, turn around.” He instructed softly. Rubbing his hands together after taking some shampoo up, he worked the lather into Gideon's scalp. Fingertips moved with specific pressure. Genya worked diligently through his strands and especially in his scalp to free up dirt or debris.

Gideon hummed contently. He loved having his hair played with, but this was entirely unique. Genya finished, smoothing the strands out of Gideons face and working them back. 

“Alright, rinsing time.” Gods, his voice was so gentle. The tone of his voice hit Gideon in an oddly specific manner. 

This really was love, wasn't it? Having someone be so careful with him and his heart. His everything. Especially when others had either been complacent or cruel… Genya's love began to take root in Gideon's soul, and Gideon would adore all of his flowers and thorns. 

Once he's rinsed the shampoo out completely, he pushes water away from his eyes and switches Genya spots so he can stand under the warm water. He stands on his toes to kiss him softly, cupping his cheeks. “Thank you. I love you. So much… you make my heart feel so full.”

He rests a moment, simply looking into Genya's eyes with sweet adoration and Genya returns the look. Gideon breaks first, looking to Genya's stuff on the shower floor. “Your turn. I'd like to wash your hair too, please.” 

Genya watches him gather the shampoo and gives him a smirk. “Need me to kneel or something for you, shorty?~” 

Gideon growls playfully. “I'm not that short! But… yes. It'd be helpful. Um… maybe not kneeling though. Might not be the most comfy.”

Surely there was a stool or something around… Gideon looked and found one in one of the private showers, meant for higher ranked residents. 

“...There.” he walks over as Genya hisses, as if someone else is even in the bathroom.

“Gideon no that's not something we can use!” 

Gideon returns with it anyway. “Oh please. I don't understand why we can't use tools equally. I get the respect thing but no one is going to notice this being missing for a few moments.” 

It was true. All of the Hashira had their own estates anyway. “Besides. Don't you… technically out rank me? A higher ranked slayer is using the stool. Logic.” He beamed, setting the stool down and patting it. “Sit your fine ass down.” 

Genya chuckles a little but ultimately sits. “I do? I didn't know I outranked you.” 

Gideon lifted his wrist and said “show me my rank,” and the wisteria engraving became visible. “Tsuchinoto. And you're a Hinoto.”

“...You work just as hard as any slayer, why are you lower in rank? Didn't you pass final selection before me? You were in Aoi’s class right?”

“Yeah… the reason for that is, my fighting style didn't lend itself to katana wielding very well. I'd survive battles, but my swordsmith hated me because I kept breaking swords. On the fourth one, he refused to make me another katana. Said I needed to rethink what I'm doing. And… after a little while… I thought of how I was fighting and how it lended itself more towards melee. So… I asked for something heavier and we agreed on the hammer.”

Gideon shrugged as he leaned Genya back to wet his hair. “It set me back quite a bit because I had to learn a new style of fighting. But it was well worth it. It's nearly impossible to break the hammer. Its handle, maybe. But not the steel.”

“Huh. Well that makes sense,” Genya mused. He pictured the frustration Gideon must have gone through trying to come into fighting styles. He could empathize a little. 

Gideon starts to shampoo his hair, rhythmic passes raking through his mohawk and gentle scrubs to his shaved sides. He also paid attention to Genya's scalp, using careful nails to work the soap in and loosen unwanted stuffs.  

He found that he was enjoying himself. He'd never shampooed anyone's hair before, besides his own. Plus… sharing this with Genya was filling his heart even more with each passing moment. He finished, rinsing his hands but draping himself over Genya's back for just a few seconds. Wrapping his arms around him and kissing his bare shoulder. 

“You're ready to go. Let's get you up and rinse you.” 

He made his way in front of Genya just in case he needed help off of the sitting stool. Genya took his hand regardless, letting him pull him up even if he wouldn't have had trouble. Genya ventured under the stream to rinse out his hair, and Gideon returned the stool to the private shower. 

Venturing back to the shower, Genya couldn't help but watch him and appreciate Gideon’s form. Gideon would be lying if he insisted he wasn't stealing glances of Genya's naked body too. Gideon caught him looking; he made it a little bit obvious because Genya met his eyes and turned red as he looked away..

He hummed as he came back to wrap his arms around Genya. “Still so easy to fluster. Adorable~” 

They finished up with the shower, turning the water off and drying with towels provided. Teasing each other the whole time, they made their way back to Genya’s room to retire for the night.

[iovetecchou]

I'll gladly talk more about food stuff here (sorry I was gone for some time got kinda busy 🫠)

But I really want to talk about German foods, especially the desserts there is sooo much good stuff 🤌

Like one of my comfort foods is Germknödel, basically yeast dumplings with poppy seed filling (they can have different fillings but I think the most common ones are poppy seeds and plums) and vanilla sauce on top (especially became a comfort food the day after I had a really bad mental breakdown when my older brother was just like "You're sad, you wanted to get Germknödel the entire week, so get in the car loser we're going shopping")

They're soft and fluffy, like tasty clouds, the filling is divine and the vanilla sauce fits perfectly 💙

On a side note for those who have TikTok and want to learn how to cook cool stuff I can highly recommend @/thehealchef (he has an entire series about comfort foods all around the world, have tried some and the name is accurate) and @/letskwoowk (he has a ton of tips and inexpensive recipes for college students like me, his recipes also leave plenty of room for adjustments how you see fit)

i’m taking notes 👩🏻‍💻 thank you for sharing!!

[awesomeforever]

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below." LUNAR NEW Year is here, and as you might already know, it’s the Year of the Rabbit. To commemorate the holiday, Allbirds has released two new pairs of shoes—one for kids and one for adults. And you’ll want to scoop up a pair for every member of your family. Men's Limited Edition Wool Runners allbirds.com $110.00 Shop Now For the adults, Allbirds has revamped their wool runners to be in a limited-edition color palette of hazy beige with a deep red lining, red-and-white laces, and a pair of rabbit ears on the top side of the tongue with a golden sun on the underside of the tongue. The nod to the 2023 Lunar New Year is subtle enough that you could happily wear these all year round (and even into next year). Smallbirds Limited Edition Wool Runners for Big Kids allbirds.com $70.00 Shop Now Anyone new to Allbirds should start with their wool runners. We love them for both walking and running because they’re not only comfy but also moisture-wicking, made from sustainable materials, and keep odor at bay. Plus, they’re stylish enough to be able to go from your morning run to the office with no sweat (literally). For the kids, Allbirds has a complementary shoe that leans a little more into the bunny theme. Like the adult shoes, these are wool runners that have the little rabbit ear and sun emblems on either side of the tongue and red-and-white laces. But these kicks have a fluffy white upper that actually resembles a sheep’s fleece or a rabbit’s cotton tail. Allbirds has these shoes available for both toddlers and older kids. To ring in the Year of the Rabbit in style, you’re definitely going to want to snatch up a pair of these shoes before they’re gone for good. You can pick up these shoes from the Allbirds website for $110 for the adult version and $70 for the kid version. Shop Now You Might Also Like The 16 Best Men's Gifts From Oprah's Favorite Things 2022 The Best Hair Growth Shampoos for Men to Buy Now 25 Vegetables That Are Surprising Sources of Protein Jan. 22, 2023 marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year also known as the Chinese New Year. Here's what to know about the widely celebrated holiday. Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is celebrated at the second new moon following the Winter Solstice. (This year, January 22, 2023.) The festival marks the end of winter and the beginning of a long-awaited spring! According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit. So what does the Year of the Rabbit have in store for us? And will it be calmer than 2022 (The Year of the Tiger)? Let’s find out! Was I Born During the Year of the Rabbit? The Chinese Lunar New Year 2023 is a few days away. Here's what to know about the festive holiday and how you can celebrate the Year of the Rabbit. From Hong Kong and London, to Bangkok and Melbourne, people rang in the Year of the Rabbit in 2023 with parades, prayers, and festive fireworks. Bunny-themed duds, authentic Chinese soup dumplings, and special edition presents that are sure to bring good fortune in the new year. Ring in the Year of the Rabbit with these best Chinese New Year Greetings and Lunar New Year wishes for loved ones, family, friends and co-workers. Even Mickey and Minnie don their finest new red clothes. These ultra-warm garments will make your cold-weather travel much cozier. Our top pick is the Quince Australian Merino Wool Crew Sweater. If your kitchen could use a lil makeover, you've come to the right place. We asked interior design experts to spill on what's new and trendy for 2023. source

[rabchunter]

Tonight's (Saturday) Food heaven pics and video 📸

Just home from a long days ratting with my young sports and a night rat shooting with my chum JF 🐀💪🐾🐶

Knowing I had this wonderful Shin of Beef stew waiting for me in the slow cooker, served with the last of the crusty tiger bread, toasted as it had gone over a little, some of my famous light and fluffy Herby Dough Boys (dumplings) washed down with a warming glass of port or three 🍷💪🕯️

Glowing like the embers of the fire 🔥 stick a fork in me I am done, that was an awesome day my heart ❤️ is as full as my belly 😋

Now That's Eating Like A Country King 👑🧑‍🍳⚔️🛡️🐾🐶🙏💪🤠 www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk

#theolehedgecreeper #foodheaven #foodporn #foodmagazine #foodblogger #foodtvnetwork #bathradio #radiobath #radiocookingshow #radiofoodlive #radiochef #radiocooking #radio #shinofbeef #shinofbeefstew #stew #stewanddumplings #dumplings #casserole

[fluffyydumplings]

Dear reader,

I find myself unable to finish the very last chapter of this beautiful story.. I have found myself half way through only, and that is where I have decided as of today to end this wonderful piece of mine.. Albeit, incomplete - I will leave the rest to your imagination. (In a while, I shall upload the last chapter of this fic..) The reason for this, I hope will find you soon..

Gone (방탄소년단)

Summary: Life is a collection of happy and sad memories, where everything is absolutely beautiful. Whether it is the late nights you spend writing stories or the many dates with your lovers. There is colour everywhere, both vibrant and dull. So, as you glance briefly at the windows to your past, you can’t help but cry. Because that’s not what your life is anymore. No more ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies from the shop by the intersection of the bustling streets of New York, no more sipping green tea from the side of a cup in Kyoto, and no more cuddling till the sun rises. There is no light here, so no flowers will ever bloom again. You hate that so much, yet you can’t do anything about it.

Genre: poly!au / painter!namjoon x sculptor!yoongi x fashion illustrator!jin x traveller!reader / angst / fluff/ poetry / romance

Warning: Will vary every individual chapter...

Word Count: estimated to be 50k+ (current word count is 44k+)

Status: Ongoing

Window One - The One Who Deserves Better

A step so close to your happy ending, yet life had to be a bitch and snatch it all away. It all started with your mother, and now it ends with them. Fights really do get messy, for now there is blood on your hands. No.. There is blood everywhere.

Window Two - Your Fluffy Little Dumpling

Who knew you’d end up meeting your childhood best friend once again. Who knew you’d end up meeting him while racking your brains up in another chaotic year of high school. Yet after all this time, he remains the same boy you’ve remembered. Cheeks fluffy as clouds, affection for dumplings still strong as ever, and sleepy as the days go on. Sure.. He’s a little grumpier now, but that does not change the fact that he's the cutest little thing to ever waddle into your life.

Window Three - The Boy Sitting in the Corner

Being a regular at ‘Bonsai Cafe’ you’ve come in every day to get your daily dose of tea. But, there is one more thing that catches your eyes. That’s a tall man with hazelnut dimples sitting in the corner while drinking a water-downed americano as he gets lost in the world of books. You don't mean to stare, but he just fascinates you way more than he should. And that one time your orders get swapped by accident, you realise just how alike you are.

Window Four - The Handsome Friend of a Friend

Jiwon, the guy who had a crush on you during elementary school is back in town. And he’s brought a friend with him. A broad-shouldered fashion illustrator with chiselled features like one of the many marble sculptures that Yoongi swears his life over. But.. ties run deeper than they appear. For aside from being a beauty he happens to be an old friend of Namjoon’s and a fellow part-timer of Yoongi’s. The fun part is, they both seem to be rather fond of him. Maybe even a little more than necessary. And you can see why. He’s one charming fellow.

Window Five - The Chilling Truth

It’s heartbreaking how you’ll never be able to meet them ever again, and how all of it is now nothing but a memory to forget. But you can’t seem to move on, not when Namjoon is blaming himself, not when Yoongi is overworking, and not when Jin is pretending to be someone else.

Window Six - The Journey to Letting Go

Life goes on - even after your death, even if moving on proves to be more complicated and heart-wrenching than anything could ever be. They don’t know where this is going, they don’t know what they are doing. But one thing is for sure, they’ll always love you. Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting you, it means getting the closure they deserve and need.

Window Seven - The Tale of the Forgotten

Forty-five years ago, you planted a tree in the backyard of your boring old home with the person you hoped to cherish for as long as the tree would stand.. Forty-five years later, the tree flourishes - shrouded in pink when spring stays over, shrouded in green when summer comes by, orange as autumn says hello, and a dusty white as winter kicks in.. But only he remembers of that day, and of the love you once shared.. You, on the other hand, you have forgotten.. Completely and for eternity.

Window Eight - Empty Canvases

Tae’s dreams were nothing but a tunnel with no ending - dark, bleak and empty.. Yoongi made him smile, you opened his eyes to light.. the world and everyone in it made him cry.. Through this abandoned tunnel that now has a torch shining its way and an ending to reach - he runs to it - with joy.. To the sparkly eyed fool who follows him around everywhere and anywhere..

In Process!

[sparklefics]

Masterlist

Hello there. My name is Annette. This is a sideblog for my fics. (Follow back and Replies as Sparklesannie) You can find me on AO3 as SparkleFics. I have some Olicity Fics #Olicity4Eva!

I started writing fanfics when I got hooked on Arrow. Those works are not included in this masterlist as I no longer write or watch DC shows. Those works can be found on my AO3 or browsing the olicity tag on my blog.

Story time about how I got sucked into the MCU.

Anyways, so I started writing fics so here's the masterlist. While I enjoy reading and reblogging all sorts of fics I'm most comfortable writing fluff, angst, crack and canon level violence, which is what you'll find in my masterlist.

One shots:

Most of my one shots are based on prompts from a random prompt generator. Most of them are fluffy goodness 🥰 or crack 🤪. There are some serious angsty ones marked with 💀.

The Color Of The Ocean After A Storm- Bucky Barnes eye color fluctuates and with it so does your relationship. || WC: 3.5k || 🥰

End Of The Line- A meet cute with Bucky. || WC: 573 || 🥰

Just Do It- You contemplate making a move. || WC: 367 || 🥰

Warmhearted- Domesticity fluff. || WC: 546 || 🥰

Please Don't Take My Sunshine Away- Angsty as hell with a happy ending. || WC: 1, 046 || 💀🥰

Kiss Cam- Shenanigans with Sam, Bucky and Zemo. || WC: 459 || 🤪

Take It Off- Bucky helps you after you get injured in the field. || WC: 1.4 k ||🤪 **mentions of nudity and injuries

They Know- The story about how the team finds out about your relationship with Bucky. || WC: 868 || 🤪

Never Go To Bed Angry- ANGST with a happy ending. A fight with your boyfriend Bucky. || WC: 897 || 💀🥰

Mr. Barnes- Neighbor!Bucky & Reader Your neighbor has a very specific taste in music. || WC: 1.2k || 🥰

Beefy Bucky Burrito Special- A prank gone wrong. || WC: 1.3k || 🥰🤪

Bucky's Sweater- Reasons to hate the winter. || WC: 572 || 🥰

Fire Escapades- Teenage Bucky and Reader. || WC: 1.4k || 🥰 Part 2 ||WC: 786|| 🥰

Honey, Dumpling- Bucky & F!Avenger!Reader have a misunderstanding. || WC:1,499 || 🥰💀

Losing you - Bucky & f!Avenger!Reader|| A near death experience puts things in perspective. || WC: 1,185|| 🥰💀

Morning Workout- Bucky & reader || A very interesting morning at the gym. || WC: 426|| 🥰

Abnormal heart rate- Bucky & reader || First date jitters.|| WC:~400|| 🥰

Is it too much to ask?- avengers Bucky & reader || emotional support. || WC: 767|| 🥰

SLUT- Avenger!Bucky & F!Agent!Reader (early in the relationship) || Bucky's hands are distracting. || WC: 684|| 🥰🤪

Spanish/Spanglish:

Señorita- Bucky& Latina!reader || Discovering whether Bucky still knows the languages he was taught when he was the winter soldier. ||WC: 166 || 🥰🤪

Series:

Roommate!Bucky- The Hunger Games trilogy brings you closer to your roomie.

Cuddles & Cocoa part 1 & part 2- Chubby!College!Bucky & F!Reader ||Total WC: 9.7k || 💀🥰 **grief & loss

Wallpaper Mini series of one shots from the same au: Wallpaper- Bucky likes to steal your phone to change the wallpaper. || WC: 402 ||🥰 Sam's Porch- Dozing off in a hammock with Bucky. || WC: 681 ||🥰 Understanding- Bucky has an epiphany. || WC: 641 ||🥰

The Right Moment- one shots from the same au The Right Moment- Sharing your New Year's kiss in front of everyone. || WC: 480 || 🥰 Mocha Beans: (a sort of a follow up to The Right Moment) - Bucky has a secret stash of candy. || WC: 293 || 🤪🥰

[martianbugsbunny]

OUAT Thoughts Pt.14--Episodes 8-9

I have watched through S2E9; spoilers DNI. Also, spoiler warning for anyone further behind than I am.

—I only had to wait 3 episodes. Belle and Rumplestiltskin have gone out for burgers. (They did not, however, eat the burgers. You know, world-saving, life-or-death interruptions. The usual.)

—I require Ariel content. She’s been mentioned twice, but I haven’t seen hide or red hair of her yet. And although I’m sure I could write loads about why OG!Ariel bothers me, she also has good qualities that I think OUAT would handle well.

—The Queen of Hearts has gorgeous clothes.

—That being said, I’m terribly disappointed that she turned out to be Cora. Let me preface it by saying, it makes sense, and I understand why they did it. However…I love Wonderland. It’s one of my favorite childrens’ stories (not to mention a historically significant one) and it’s also one of my favorite Disney movies. I would’ve truly loved a Queen of Hearts who was just the Queen of Hearts in this show. She probably would’ve been amazing. She may even have been the noble warrior queen I want some depiction of her to be. I wish we had gotten that. Also, I despite Cora with a vengeance, and I would rather the Queen of Hearts were a villain I could love.

—Y’know, I think sapphism would be a much more compelling motivator than pining after some bland-ass semi-dead guy. Also, Mulan deserves to be in a queer relationship, because the original Disney Mulan is one of the most accidentally queer movies I’ve ever had the fortune to behold. And another also, Philip has 0% personality. Mulan should be with an interesting person.

—What I’m trying to say is, Mulan gave Aurora back her heart. Mulan is protecting the heck out of Aurora. Aurora doesn’t get along with anybody but Mulan. Mulan and Aurora should go have some sapphic adventures together and forget about Philip.

—I kind of want Rumplestiltskin and Regina to be petty frenemies together now. Like, they can barely stand each other, but they still throw some shade on everybody else’s business. Maybe they sit back-to-back in different booths at Granny’s, so they can plausibly deny that they’re hanging out.

—I don’t feel sorry for Regina, but I loathe her less. Emma and Snow should’ve let her come to dinner with them.

—Way to flip the narrative! I love that Snow had to save Charming the same way he saved her. Their relationship is filled to the brim with reciprocity, so it really works for them.

—The beating sound in Cora’s heart vault gives me anxiety.

—I guess the other acceptable outcome for Mulan and Aurora (yep, back on it) is a lovely little polycule with Philip. If they insist on both being in love with him, while having possibly the most chemistry of any two characters that aren’t Snow and Charming, then that’s what they should do.

—My relationship status with Hook is currently love-hate. He’s not an evil person, necessarily, but on the other hand he’s a sneaky jerk *and* he’s trying to kill Rumplestiltskin. It’s complicated.

—Red looked lovely as usual in episode 9. I don’t always like her clothes—mostly because some of them look uncomfortable—but her red flannel, and her fluffy dark red jacket, and her jewelry are all gorgeous. Also, she has strong facial features, and she’s really pretty.

—Pricking Charming with the spinning wheel was cool. Does the curse travel from the needle into him, or is it still on the needle, too? If so, is there a magical decontamination process?

—Belle finally got to wear some yellow. The dress was pretty, too.

—Emma’s heart being unstealable is probably cliche, but I love it anyway. Especially because she’s surprised about it.

—Rump hiding the squid ink on that note was some real smart planning.

—Did Hook kill the last giant? He didn’t say that he did outright, but the fact that he had the magic bean kind of implies that he did. Shame on him.

Bit of an aside, but my dinner tonight was a wine-based beef stew and horseradish dumplings, and I absolutely believe that’s the kind of food Rumplestiltskin would enjoy eating. (Who knows, maybe it’s the kind of food he would cook for Belle.)

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-yigas]

Have you ever thought about the concept of fattening kink?

Something like sooga enjoying master kohga's big belly and trying to encourage him to eat more, sounds like a curious concept to me.

(Sorry for my generic translator English).

(Your Google translate is totally fine!)

I've done that before, I think. But hey, let's do it again, why not?

"That will be all for now, thank you."

Kohga was feeling rather...sad, as of late. Kohga couldn't pin it, and unfortunately neither could Sooga. His Master was so upset, he refused to eat any food made for him at the clan. So Sooga decided to take him out to a rather fancy place for dinner, hoping the plentiful alcohol and the unique food would get him out of his funk. Sooga rented out the entire area at this restaurant, so Kohga could have his space. Sooga looked over at the spread, and watched as Kohga seemed disinterested in all of it.

"Master, Please, eat."

"I'm just. Not hungry, Sooga."

"You haven't eaten all day. What ails you? I've never seen your appetite so weak."

Kohga sighed as he leaned back in his seat.

"I...was thinking about my dad the other day. And...well. Keep this between you and me, yeah?"

"Of course."

"I'm thinking-am I as good as he was, being a leader? I feel so...small, compared to the legacy he left behind. Even Cil talks about how great he was."

Sooga nodded, pouring him a cup of tea as he spoke. He sweetened it to his liking, adding a sweet roll to it, and pushing it to his master, hoping he'd finally eat.

"I do not know anything of the original Kohga. So I cannot attest to his skills or his ideals. I can only speak of what I know, and that you are not your father's shadow. You are you. You are a GLORIOUS leader, and we respect and admire you. The one thing you aren't, is small."

Kohga actually sat there and thought about it. Sooga's heart swelled, seeing Kohga pick up his tea, and take a sip.

"I'm...not small, am I?"

"Not at all. You're a big, strong man. And big men do need to eat, so..."

He gestured to the food, and for once, Kohga smiled today.

"Ah alright, alright. Only because I hate wasting food. Give it here."

First it was the sweet roll. Sooga watched in glee as he stuffed it in his mouth, relishing the flavor. Then another roll, then another, then another. Before he knew it, the whole tray was gone. It was rather impressive, and Sooga pushed another tray of food to him.

"Please, eat your fill. I insist."

Then, the fried rice. A healthy bowl of it, full of egg and vegetable and fluffy rice, Kohga tucked in. He didn't offer any to Sooga, and he didn't mind. This was all Kohga's. Sooga thought the warmth inside him was joy over his Master being in much higher spirits, but he realized it was...different. It was fascination. It was want. His own type of hunger.

"Ugh, my god, this rice is fucking good. Before we go, get the recipe, I want more of this back home."

"Yes, Master."

He finished the bowl by himself, and Sooga took the bowl away from him, putting it to the side. He needed to focus on eating, afterall. And did Kohga eat. He ate steamed vegetables, stuffed pork, beef dumplings, sweet bread, honeyed fruit on ice cream. And he kept, on, eating.

"Please, eat more. You need it."

Sooga didn't know why, but he HAD to keep feeding him. He had to keep watching as the plates emptied, as Kohga started to slow, he still kept going. His belly looked so full, stuffed with all the food he knew his master deserved. Kohga eventually started to slow, finally feeling full.

"Ugh. Think imma tap out, Sooga."

But there was so much food left to eat. He couldn't waste it all. Sooga picked up a bowl, holding the food for him.

"Please, eat just a bit more. All of this was made for you, and you deserve it."

Kohga patted his full belly, before sighing.

"Alright, a bit more."

Sooga fed him the creamy piece of chicken, making sure to give him the mushrooms that came with it. He took his time, watching as his Master consumed and consumed more and more. It was lovely, it was fascinating.

"Good job-you finished that bowl too. Take a drink of your tea."

Sooga looked at the big pile of dishes at the table. His Master just ate so much fatty, salty, indulgent food, and he deserved it. Kohga took a sip of his tea, seemingly in relief. Sooga looked at him as he reached for another bowl of food. His belly was so big, so round and full and content. Fuck.

"You have one more bowl, Master Kohga."

"Ugh, you eat it. I'm full."

"But this is all for you. You're entitled to it, you deserve it. Please. One more."

Kohga looked over at the bowl. It was small, but it was the cutest one ever-full of little chocolate cakes, topped with cream. Kohga's hand rubbed at his bloated belly, and he didn't look interested. But he was such a strong man. He sighed.

"Alright, give it here."

"Please, allow me. You need to save your strength."

Kohga didn't want to fight him on it. He sighed, and let himself be fed. Dark, deep chocolate, light, creamy whipped cream was pushed past his lips, over and over, and he was so greedy, he even licked Sooga's fingers clean. Sooga didn't know why, but he was absolutely throbbing, watching such a display of gluttony.

"And there we go, last one. You ate everything."

The table was cleared. Kohga tossed his head back as he groaned in relief. And Sooga couldn't stop looking at his absolutely stuffed gut. He looked so happy, so satisfied.

"Ugh. I sure as shit don't feel small anymore."

"See? I knew you'd feel better. You just needed to eat. How are you feeling? Do you need anything else? I saw how much you liked that chicken, I can ask them to get you more. Sweet rolls, maybe?"

Kohga chuckled, shaking his head.

"Sooga, I just ate enough to feed a village- think I've eaten enough."

Sooga sat up, reaching to cup Kohga's face in his hand, and one hand on that big, warm tummy.

"You eat until you're full. I just want you to have what you need, my Master."

He didn't let Kohga talk, for favor of kissing him. Again, and again, hands gripping into the warm, fat flesh.

Something told Kohga he could handle a bit more stuffing.

[quadballz]

𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓; one

࿔*:･ﾟi.

next: ࿔*:･ﾟii. | table of contents

BOTH GIRLS sat in the lobby of the hospital, (y/n) still flipping through the pages of the book. "So, are there any clues as to who he is?" asked Yasuho as she rested her chin on the other girl's shoulder. (y/n) shook her head, scanning over the pages like she had been doing ever since they had found the man a day prior. "I want to say that he's a Joestar but I can't confirm anything unless we find a family tree or something," sighed (y/n), closing the book with a huff, "plus, once great-great-grandma passed away, my Kishibe-side put that motto in place so I doubt we have any recent information on the Joestars."

Yasuho pouted solemnly as her grip tightened around the two packages of Sesame Honey Dumplings. (y/n) looked at the other girl from her peripherals, with a soft smile. "I'm sure we'll figure out who he is," (y/n) paused to place a hand on Yasuho's shoulders, only for her to whip her head to look at her with a furrowed brow. "What even are the mottos you're talking about?" Yasuho asked while scouring the other girl's face for answers and only receiving a strained smile.

"Well, as a Kishibe, I was told to never trust a 'Jojo' but as a Speedwagon, it looks like I always have to help a 'Joestar'; and as you can tell, there's a 'Jo' in 'Joestar'," she explained to Yasuho who still wasn't too satisfied. (y/n) smiled and stood up, holding out a hand to the pink-haired girl. "Don't worry," she assured as Yasuho took her hand, "I'm definitely going to fulfill my role as a Speedwagon. Even if he isn't actually a Joestar." Yasuho gave her a smile that made her heart skip a beat and her ears burn.

After pulling Yasuho up, (y/n) turned away, looking at the passersby without a clue as to why she was doing so. "P-plus, it might take a while, but I'm sure he'll figure out who he is eventually! In the meantime, why don't you take those dumplings to him?" Yasuho looked down at her gift and (y/n)'s lack of one. "Hey, didn't you say you'd get him a get-well gift?" Yasuho questioned, while (y/n) gave a playful scoff. "Yeah, of course! I have it right-" (y/n) froze at the sight of her great-great-grandma's old notebook— she forgot.

(y/n)'s gaze robotically fell onto Yasuho's second box of dumplings. "Yasuho, darling," (y/n) began with a few 'seductive' blinks of her eyelashes and with an arm on the wall by Yasuho's head, "think I could have that second box of dumplings?" Yasuho's brow furrowed as she gave (y/n) a knowing look. "That won't work on me, honey. The other box is for Joshu." (y/n) groaned and put her face in her hands, hoping to cover her flushed expression. And also because, ugh, Joshu existed and she just had to be reminded.

"Ugh. Right. That asshole is here too," (y/n) groaned while Yasuho began pushing her in the direction of the gift shop. Yasuho seemingly didn't have a comment on (y/n)'s hatred for him but the girl was far too nice to ever really have such a strong opinion on someone. "Do I have to get him something?" (y/n) whined while Yasuho gave her a tight-lipped smile, "aww, but Yasuhoo, I don't wannaaaa." "If I had to, so do you."

After a reluctant trudge over to the shop, the two girls found themselves standing in front of a shirt with an out-of-date slogan on it. While Yasuho looked through other clothes, (y/n) looked at it with proud tears in her eyes. "I...I think Mr. Joestar would love this," she said with a smoldering look, "I think it would be good to see him in it as a reference for that character I was telling you about." Yasuho looked at the shirt and back to (y/n) with a raised brow, "oh, c'mon (y/n), don't use the poor guy as reference material."

(y/n) hummed and took one final look at the shirt before tilting her head to the side, a pout on her face. She was really hoping to use him as a reference but if Yasuho was telling her not to, she'd have to listen. Well, at least while Yasuho was around. As she put the shirt back, (y/n) saw a bright pink scarf with sequins on it. In an instant, it was in her arms— a tacky gift for a tacky guy by the name of Joshu.

"Is that for who I think it is?" Yasuho asked while stifling a laugh, "please tell me it is." (y/n) gave her a wide grin before showing it off. "If you must know, it is for our dearest friend Joshu who requires some sparkle to bring back his eyesight." Yasuho doubled over before taking hold of the fabric, "I can't wait to see his reaction." "What's he going to react to? The feeling of the scarf?" Yasuho was reduced to a giggly mess while (y/n) smiled and turned to look through the stuffed animal section.

"I think I'll get Mr. Joestar one of these cuties," (y/n) said aloud once Yasuho's laughter had died down. She had placed her chin on (y/n)'s shoulder while the girl picked up a fluffy blue bear. "Think he'd like it?" asked Yasuho while fiddling with the ends of the pink scarf. (y/n) hummed for a moment before scanning the shelves, spotting a yellow dog with a sailor hat. "Hey...doesn't it kinda look like Josuke?"

Yasuho stared at the puppy with a fond smile, making (y/n)'s face burn— up close, Yasuho was awfully pretty. "You know, that guy kinda reminds me of him too." (y/n) brushed off her thoughts and held out the stuffed animal to look at from afar. While squinting, she somehow saw the guy's face. "Heh, you're right-" Yasuho stepped back, leaving (y/n)'s shoulder uncomfortably cold, "-I think I'll just get him this." Once purchased, and despite (y/n)'s complaints, they were off to Joshu's hospital room.

"(y/n)~ Yasuho~ You've come to visit little ol' me~?"

(y/n) grimaced as Joshu puckered his lips and batted his eyelashes while Yasuho gave him a hesitant smile. "Y-yeah! Just making sure you were okay, haha," Yasuho had mustered out before handing him a box of dumplings, "oh, and I got these for you." "Thank you, my little straw~ber~ry~," breathed out Joshu while (y/n) was on the verge of throwing up, preferably aimed into Joshu's gross mouth.

"As for you my favorite otaku~ Did you get me a get-well-present?" Joshu asked with a pout while she gagged. Yasuho nudged her and (y/n) was left to reluctantly pull out the scarf she had been previously excited to give to him. Sadly, the fool still had his vision so the joke was way less hilarious than she had hoped the exchange would be. "A scarf." Before he could say another word, she had chucked it at him and dragged Yasuho out of the room.

His faint shouts were like music to her ears and the sound of nurses rushing to his room to stop him was like a symphony. "So, what room is Mr. Joestar in?" (y/n) chirped as if she hadn't left her childhood enemy screaming at her in a different room. Yasuho hummed and then pulled a slip of paper with a scraggly set of numbers on it. "326," she replied simply, taking the lead instead of (y/n) who had really only visited the hospital to sit in the lobby and draw people when Yasuho was off hanging with her (now) ex-boyfriend.

When they reached the room, however, it was empty. (y/n)'s brow furrowed as Yasuho scanned the room— she had finally met a descendant of one of the people mentioned in her great-great-grandma's diary and now she lost him. Sure, it wasn't like it was of utmost importance but it had been a great inspiration for her new manga. And now it was all gone. "Dammit!" "Ow." Yasuho and (y/n) shot a glance at the mattress where the mystery guy just so happened to be.

"Holy shit!"

The two girls grabbed at each other, screaming in unison as the guy stared at them from the least expected place. "What in the world are you doing?!" screeched Yasuho as (y/n) remained glued to her side. The guy gave them both a sleepy grin that made (y/n) look away while biting her lip— she'd be lying if she didn't say that the Jo-guy wasn't hot and at that very moment she had been thanking her ancestor for passing down such a motto. Helping him meant staying around a pretty face after all.

"Hey, what's with you?" questioned Yasuho as (y/n) was pulled from her fantasies, "what're you doing down there?" Yasuho was definitely the better of the two for asking these questions. "What? Just what it looks like. I'm sleeping. The people wearing white clothes said I couldn't leave for a while," he replied while (y/n) crouched down and placed her chin in her hands, "what Yasuho meant to ask is why you're under there in the first place." The guy raised a brow from under his mattress, looking between the two girls.

"You mean people sleep on top? How would they put pressure on their bodies then?" Yasuho turned to (y/n) who could only muster half a shrug. "Sounds like a fetish or something," (y/n) said halfheartedly, "I mean, my great-great-grandma's friend said her friend had a thing for mosquito bites." Yasuho cringed just slightly before turning to the guy and holding out a box of dumplings that was smaller than what she had given to Joshu.

"Here, I got you a present. I thought I'd bring you something since you were in the hospital. (y/n) did too." As if on command, (y/n) held out the stuffed animal with a lopsided grin, "it kinda looked like you. Yasuho thought so too." Yasuho smiled in agreement and then started rambling about Joshu, his injuries, and why the two had come to visit while (y/n) nodded intermittently and the guy started to slide out from under the mattress. As he did so, the hem of his pants slowly slid lower and lower-

Four balls.

(y/n) broke out into laughter and turned away while Yasuho grimaced and shut her eyes tightly, crying out for him to stop before any more of his pants could fall off. While her friend had spiraled into mumbling against the wall, (y/n) had turned back around to find him examining the stuffed animal. "Like it?" (y/n) asked as he held it out in front of him, letting its limbs flop around. "Yes," he answered, turning to look at her from over his shoulder, "what is his name?" (y/n) hummed aloud in thought while plopping down onto the mattress.

"Mmm...Rohan is a cool name," she said with a smile, "but it's yours to name." The guy looked at her and then at the stuffed animal, setting it down next to her thigh and letting it flop on its side against her. "I like that name too." (y/n) felt the tip of her earns burn— it wasn't as if he had just flirted with her but she found his actions somehow attractive. The guy had now turned to Yasuho's gift, turning over the box and opening it carefully. "What are these?"

Yasuho had turned back around then with a raised brow, walking up beside him, "never had one? Morioh is famous for them." (y/n) watched fondly as Yasuho began to break into detail about the origins of the Sesame Honey Dumplings; ever since they were little, Yasuho had always had an addiction to them which eventually spread over to (y/n) when they became best friends during middle school. "...there's a special way to eat them. You gotta make sure not to bite with your front teeth."

"Oh, don't forget about chewing with your back teeth on the first bite," (y/n) added while the guy tentatively placed a dumpling in his mouth, doing the complete opposite of what he was supposed to. The black cream shot out from the gap between his teeth she hadn't realized he even had. It was...cute. As Yasuho reiterated what she had been saying, (y/n) couldn't take her eyes off him, especially when his odd-colored eyes glimmered with surprise.

MAN, OH, MAN DID SHE HOPE HE WAS A JOESTAR.

this cuts off at a weird spot but i felt this was pretty long already so yeah...lol

[yolkyeomie]

[blurb] — pairing: seonghwa x gn!reader, word count: 400, genre: fluff, warning: none.

[3:12 am]: “What are you doing?” Seonghwa chirped, his voice soft and groggy from the light nap he had taken only hours before. Last time he had seen you, you were right beside them, scrolling aimlessly through the overbearing of your phone but beside him nonetheless. And when he woke? You were gone, leaving almost no trace of your existence around as if you had disappeared into thin air.

But you hadn’t, you would never leave Seonghwa like that. “I couldn’t sleep,” you responded, a small grin stretching from ear to ear to ear as you watched him stumble over to your side on the balcony. “So I came out here instead.”

“It’s awfully cold for you to be doing this,” he pointed out, rubbing his hands together vigorously then doing the same to his shoulders.

You giggle at his actions, raising your arms up for him to come in and soak up the little warmth left in your body and he gladly takes the offer, “most people… I don’t know… drink a cup of water or something when they’re tired? Spring isn’t here yet completely… no one wants to stand out in the cold.”

“I know, but doing such mundane things like that doesn’t work for me. I’d rather waste my energy out here,” you continue, pointing at every little star that dotted the dark blue sky above your heads. The only thing illuminating Seonghwa’s sparkly round eyes and fluffy silver hair was the moon’s rays shining down, which gave you a slight shimmer and glow in its low light, “watching the stars twinkle and shine with a dim hue as the night goes by. It’s just… a calming scene to witness.”

“I guess…,” he responded, his eyes fluttering shut every so often as his drowsiness from before began to creep back into his body. “As long as it makes you sleep, then it’s fine by me.”

You chuckle, softly running your hands through the soft dumpling he called hair and noticing his slowly slurring words. “Should I get a blanket or something? It looks like you're fading right back into the dreamworld.”

“No,” Seonghwa replied, his words soft yet firm as he wrapped his arms around you in the most comforting way he could. “I’ll be upset if you get up and move again. Just stay where you are and our body heat will keep us warm for the night.”

[storytellingfandom]

Rainy Day kind of Love 

Summary: It’s been raining all day, and of course, Lin’s been caught in it working. All she wants to do is go home, take a shower, and collapse. Luckily, you’re there to make sure she’s taken care of.

A/N: It’s been pouring down rain all day and the vibe I’m feeling. So enjoy this fluffy little Lin/Reader to help you feel cozy too. 

Wordcount: 10252

It had been a terrible day. It had been pouring down rain all day, the wind was blowing, the power had gone out in several areas, there had been more accidents on that day than Lin could ever keep a count on. The only good thing about today was that she was getting out of the station on time. She was soaking wet from standing out in the rain supervising an accident after a Triad raid, which is probably the only reason she was going home. 

Pulling her trench coat closer to her form, she ran the short distance from her Satomobile to the apartment building. Nodding to the man behind the front desk, she started up the stairs before using her cables to pull her up the rest of the way. The cold was beginning to seep into her bones at that point, her fingers were stiff so instead of her key, she used her fingers to flick the locks open and pushed the door open. 

The sight made her smile, feeling a little bit warmer than she had been. 

The smell of clean laundry hit her senses first, a soft, floral, clean scent that you used for the detergent. Neatly folded piles sat in a basket near the couch, a blanket ruffled on the couch. You had obviously been there not too terribly long ago curled up there if the empty tea cup was any indication. 

Hanging her coat up to dry, she bent her armor off as well to put it next to the door so that it didn’t drip water all over the floor. Once she was dried off and warmed, she would come back and dry it and polish it if needed. Rubbing hands over her damp arms, she was grateful for the warmth of the apartment coming from the heater that you had obviously turned on at some point when the storm had picked up. 

She found you in the kitchen with your back to her. Your hair was damp, piled messily on the top of your head, one of her shirts covering your form covering most of the shorts that you wore. Standing at the counter, you were chopping vegetables for the soup pot that sat on the stove. Perfect. Soup was something she could go for right about now. 

Coming up behind you, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around your form, chin resting on your shoulder, pulling you closer to absorb your warmth. 

“You’re so warm.”

“Spirits Lin!” You whirled around in her arms, cupping her cheeks. Taking her in, her hair was wet, her skin was frozen and damp and her pants were soaked through where her armor and boots didn’t cover it. “Were you out all day in this!? We need to get you in a bath with some hot tea.”

Lin chuckled but let herself be led by you back into the bathroom. Releasing Lin’s hand, you reached out to start the hot water for her. Turning, you helped her to get undressed, reaching up to pull pins from her hair and ran your fingers through the wet, dark grey waves. 

She caught your face then, standing in her bindings and pants to press a kiss to your lips. It forced you to stop, to let your brain slow down from trying to focus so hard on taking care of her. 

“Hi.” Lin murmured against your lips, fingers brushing against your warm skin.

“Hi.” You smiled back and kissed her back. “Missed you today.” 

“Me too. How’d the meeting with the museum go?” Lin asked, pulling back to finish stripping for the shower. 

“It was good! I think we’re going to get the funding to expand some things.” You answer with a smile. “I’ll tell you about it after you get warm. Tea will be ready when you’re done in here.” 

 Lin took her time in the shower, letting the water warm her up. Seeing your jasmine scented shampoo she opened it just to smell it before grabbing her own. It was a lavender mint you’d found for her at a market somewhere, the two scents were meant to relax her, and they worked. And though many would never believe it, she did like and enjoy soaps that smelled good and made her hair or skin as soft as these did. 

When she did get out, she smiled when she saw how you’d laid out dry clothes for her. Sweatpants you’d put on the radiator to get it warm before laying it on the bed for her, and her typical white tank top.  

Once dressed, she left her hair down for once before moving to join you back in the kitchen again. She tried to worm her way back to snuggle against your form but was stopped by a wooden spoon. 

“Tea, drink, now.” You ordered, a smirk tugging on your lips when you noticed the slight pout. “You were out there all day Lin, in cold armor. Drink your tea and then maybe you can snuggle up to me.” 

“I’m fine, Y/N, the shower helped.” Lin answered, but still found herself going to the mug and picked it up to start drinking it. Humming, she smiled to herself when she tasted the hint of whiskey that was laced in it. You knew her too well. 

Walking over to her armor, she grabbed a towel from the pile in the basket before drying it off. Thankfully it didn’t look like it’d need to be polished. Bringing it to the bedroom, she placed it back in its case. Returning back to her tea, she took another long sip of it before setting it back on the table before going back into the kitchen. 

Arms slid around your waist again, lips pressed into your clothed shoulder. “Do you need any help in here?” 

“Hmm, if you want to get plates down and pull the pan out of the oven?” You asked, leaning into her. 

“I can do that.” Lin murmured, reaching around to steal a piece of the finely chopped, brightly colored vegetables before you could smack her hand with your wooden spoon. 

Chuckling, Lin hurried off with the plates. Setting them on the table, she also reached for glasses for some wine. The two of you deserved it. Making it back into the kitchen, she nudged you gently to move you away from the oven. Pulling it open, she pulled it out and groaned at the smell of the baked salmon that had been marinated in lemon, orange, and probably your famous mango sauce if she was looking at it correctly. 

“Spirits Y/N, this smells and looks amazing.” Lin said moving to bring it to a table with oven mitts. 

“I had a feeling you could use a good meal tonight.” You answered with a smile as you finished the dumpling soup and moved to saute the vegetables quickly. 

Grabbing a couple of bowls, Lin dished out soup for the both of them before bringing it over to the table. With the vegetables done next, you dished them out over some rice before following her over to the table. 

Lin walked over to your guys bar area and grabbed a bottle of wine. Uncorking it as she walked over to you again, she poured both of you some wine before sitting across from you. 

“You didn’t have to do all of this you know.” Lin said, a small smile still crossing her features.

“I wanted to Lin, I got home early and wanted to do something nice for you. And get laundry done.” You smiled at her. “Besides, the leftovers will be great for the work week.”

“Mmm, that’s true.” Lin agreed, digging into the salmon, a moan escaped at the tastes that invaded her mouth. “Speaking of, it’s supposed to storm again tomorrow. Since we’re both off, I was thinking we could just stay in.”

“I would love that.” You beamed at her. It had been ages since the two of you had been able to just be home together with nothing to worry about. And you’d rip Korra’s head off if she came in search of Lin for one reason or another to clean up some kind of mess if she showed up tomorrow. Though, you didn’t mention it to Lin. 

The rest of dinner was spent in quiet conversation, you told her how you were able to get the funding for more areas in the museum besides the air bending section. You were also working with several nations leaders to expand the museum’s library and access to historical documents as well. Especially for non benders who had family who did bend but they weren’t allowed the same information by many places. Something you were striving to, loudly, change. Something she supported you every step of the way. 

Once dinner was done, she shooed you out of the kitchen to do the dishes herself. Making your way to the laundry, you put it away before meeting her back at the couch. Collapsing onto it, Lin’s arm came around you pulling you close and into her.  

The radio played softly in the background, some gentle jazz piece with pianos and saxophones taking the lead on it. Lin’s fingers reaching up to tug the hair tie holding your hair in the bun out to bury her fingers in it, releasing the jasmine smell into the air and letting it slide through her fingers. Lips moved to the top of your head and she just smiled against your hair. 

Your fingers found her free hand, playing with her fingers and measuring them against your own. Pressing against them, feeling them, knowing every callous there, every little scar that was there. Lacing your fingers back together, you brought your laced fingers to your lips to kiss them gently.  

“You’re incredible, do you know that?” You ask, looking up at Lin. 

“Only as amazing as you are.” Lin smiled, chuckling when you gave her a look. “I know, I’m sorry. Thank you...if I’m amazing to you, then that’s all that matters.” 

Nodding, you smiled and pushed up to kiss her, lips moving lazily against each as the warm, full feeling began to sink in for both of you. “Good girl. Come on, why don’t we go to bed, hm?”

“Spirits, that’s the best offer I’ve had all day.” Lin agreed and kissed the top of your head again before standing. Moving around the room, lights were turned off, the radio was switched off, and the heat turned down. 

Moving to the bedroom, you climbed into bed with Lin. Rather than spoon tonight though, you tangled limbs together, arms around each other. Your face buried against her chest to listen to her steady heartbeat. You tried not to think of all the things in any given day that could stop this heart that you loved so adoringly, but you always trusted her to keep her promise. She would come home, she may be injured, but she would always come home. And that’s all that mattered. 

“I love you.” You murmured, smiling when you felt Lin’s arms tighten around you. 

“I love you too. More than you know.” 

And so, wrapped in blankets with her favorite person on the planet, Lin Beifong fell asleep. It had been a long day, it had been a day she could easily want to just forget. But coming home to you, coming home to someone who loved her, who wanted to take care of her instead of the other way around, always made those days bearable. 

[ladykissingfish]

The Great Akatsuki Bake-Off

*this was a request in my inbox, I’m so sorry Anonymous I accidentally deleted it before I could reply, but I saw your message and here’s the response! ❤️*

Premise: The Akatsuki is broke af (again), and Pein comes up with the idea of having a bake sale to earn money. Every member of the Akatsuki makes a dessert to sell; chaos (or hilarity) ensues.

**Also I picture them setting up tables outside of one of the Akatsuki hideout caves which of course is equipped with a fully functioning kitchen because why not Jim**

Pein

It was his idea, he’s the leader, so naturally he ain’t cooking. The most the Pein-body will do is sit in the kitchen with Konan while she cooks, offering his opinion or praise.

Kisame

Kisame isn’t the biggest fan of sweets, so is at a bit of a loss for what to make. In the end, he decides to go with something that’s decidedly more savory than sweet; bacon-flavored scones with a maple syrup glazing. This requires some kneading and precise shaping, the latter of which requires small, delicate fingers that Kisame borrows Konan for. Should be noted that he wears a pink Kiss The Cook apron, and he blushes like crazy when Konan reads it and delivers one to his cheek. He gets a bit over-exuberant with the icing, getting more of it on the table than the actual scones. However, the end result is light, fluffy, and absolutely delicious. Deidara especially loves the bacon aspect, and is able to snitch a great number of these until Kakuzu catches him and forces him to pay up.

Deidara

Deidara would make a classic lava cake. He’d know absolutely nothing about this dessert beforehand; he’d be going through a cookbook, his eyes would fixate on the word “lava”, and he’d be sold. Sasori insists that he put on rubber gloves beforehand, because “Nobody wants your hand-drool in their food, brat.” Lava cake requires a very delicate touch and precise timing, something that Deidara has had to become familiar with when deploying his arsenal of bombs. Yet despite being careful he would have to start and re-start this mix many times; maybe he gets eggshells in the batter here, or mistakes oil for milk there. The inside of a lava cake has to smooth and liquid-y but the outside has to be soft yet firm; a single minute in the oven can make the difference between wonderful and awful for these little cakes. When he finally perfects one, he’s ecstatic; but the rest of the group is horrified, at how destroyed the kitchen is. Chocolate batter and powdered sugar covering every wall; yet, somehow, the guy himself remains spotless. Also, Deidara has made another critical error; he assumed that because the recipe was for a cake, it was for a LARGE cake that he could cut into sections and sell piece by piece. However, lava cakes are always small, individual desserts ... and Deidara has only made ONE. Still, he’ll take his one beauty and sell it almost immediately, leaving him time to wander around and filch “free samples” from everyone else’s dishes.

Zetsu

Nobody wants Zetsu trying to cook, because everyone is terrified of what he’d put into his creations. However, White Zetsu insists that (t)he(y) wants to participate, so the others hesitantly let him do so (with everyone periodically coming in to monitor him). His contribution? Pie. Zetsu knows that the key to delicious pie is in the light flakiness of the crust, and he creates several pies that literally melt in the mouth. And he doesn’t just do one flavor; he does apple, blueberry, cherry, and something he calls “surprise berry” ((which is really just a mix of raspberry, blackberry, and strawberry). Before Tobi goes to help Itachi, he’s in charge of helping Zetsu gather up the fruit, and he helps to peel and core and pit and wash until “my hands are really sleepy Zetsu-san!” Zetsu thinks his pies are perfect creations as a whole but Kakuzu insists he cuts them into individual slices to maximize profits, which White Zetsu balks over but Black Zetsu tells him to be quiet about.

Konan

Konan is a delicate, beautiful flower, so naturally anything she makes would reflect this. After much deliberation, she decides to make her version of a layered lemon mascarpone cake. The cake itself is a wonderfully moist vanilla sponge infused with lemon curd, layered with a thick lemon, honey and mascarpone cream, topped with fresh berries, and a light sprinkle of chopped pecans. At first she was only going to make one cake and portion it out into about 20 small pieces; but the demand for it was so high that Kakuzu told her he’d stay and sell the rest while she got back into the kitchen and made another. She’s by far the neatest chef in the kitchen, as she cleans up her mess as she goes so when she’s through, all she has to wash is the empty cake pan itself. She makes sure to save a large piece to secretly take to Nagato later; it’s been a long time since he’s had anything sweet to eat.

Kakuzu

Kakuzu doesn’t want to cook; he’d rather be the one running the sale. However he recognizes that the more desserts they have the more profit they can make, so he grudgingly makes a few trays of brownies. His secret ingredient? Sour cream. At first everyone sees him putting this into his mix and think he’s gone crazy; however, after they try one ((and don’t think for a second he’s not charging his fellow teammates for even a tiny sliver)) they’re blown away by how good they are. After he sets his items on the table, he’s the one who collects the money from the customers. Has to be talked down from the exorbitant prices that he tries to charge people at first. “How much for a piece of blueberry pie?” “500,000 ¥.”

Sasori

He really isn’t into baking (because why would he be? he doesn’t eat) but he knows how to read and follow a recipe. After some careful thought, he chooses to make cupcakes. At first he resolves only to make a dozen, and to keep it all one simple flavor: the chocolate with vanilla frosting that’s in the recipe. Yet as he stands there, a feeling takes hold of him; he remembers happier times, perched on a stool in the kitchen and watching/helping his grandmother as she cooked. That nostalgia drives him to get more creative, and make MUCH more than intended. Some of his creations are great; such as his ginger-chocolate cupcakes with fudge icing. But others, like his broccoli and carrot cake topped with “spicy” cream cheese, not so much. Regardless, the majority of his creations sell, which Sasori’s pleased about. Should be noted that Kakuzu did not entirely trust Sasori not to put some kind of poison into his dessert, so he forced Hidan to sneak and taste-test everything (as he’s the only one who would regenerate from certain death). But Hidan wouldn’t know arsenic from cinnamon; and he winds up with a hell of a stomach-ache after his forced culinary servitude.

Itachi and Tobi

Seeing as how he loves dango so much, Itachi decides to make several dozen sticks of the tri-colored sweet rice dumplings. He keeps the pink dumpling the common strawberry flavor, and the white plain, but he does something special with the green ball, flavoring it with vanilla extract and green tea. Because Tobi is a nightmare in the kitchen (and because he needs supervision when it comes to sweets), Itachi allows him to help, mainly in the form of sticking the dumplings neatly on the stick once they’re shaped. He’s a good helper, except for when Itachi takes his eyes off of him, as he likes to add icing, sprinkles, and a variety of decadent extras that don’t belong on this simple dessert. And it’s a good thing that Itachi makes so many, seeing as they BOTH sneak and eat quite a few when the other is distracted. Tobi is very helpful when it comes to pushing their wares, as his carefree, childlike demeanor attracts customers to their table.

Hidan

Hidan wants something that’s visually representative of him, so what does he make? Red velvet cake bars. The outside is covered with a white-silver frosting, but when you cut into it, the deep red of the cake greatly resembles blood. Hidan isn’t the best at baking (or cooking in general) so he asks Konan to help him when she’s not occupied with her own dish. He’s surprisingly calm and conscientious in the kitchen, keeping his swearing to a minimum and being extra-careful with measuring out ingredients and waiting on the oven to do its thing. He borrows Kisame’s Kiss The Cook apron, only he crosses out the second O and replaces it with a C. His bars come out slightly uneven but really good nonetheless. However, being Hidan, he can’t resist throwing in a prank; he saves some of the cake batter and holds it in his mouth, then, after taking a bite of someone else’s fare, claims that it’s poisoned and spits “blood” out of his mouth, which freaks out their early customers until Kakuzu catches him and exiles him back inside.