#I also hope that sunbeam does something cool

[sunnymoon-sunshine]

On the subject of Nightheart, though, I’m like. Fascinated by him. I seriously dislike characters like Myrtlebloom who are like EVERYONE WANTS TO BE RELATED TO FIRESTAR, like girl you are also descended from Firestar.

But I also really like having a protagonist that sucks. He sucks so much. He’s overconfident, he doesn’t listen to others, he’s full of self confidence and self loathing at the same time. And I’m excited to see him like, actually become a better cat. Maybe make some lasting relationships (THAT AREN’T ROMANTIC) and like, just learn to become Nightheart, a warrior he can be proud of.

Also very excited to see how disastrous his time in ShadowClan’s gonna be. Gonna be in the background chanting “you suck!! You suck!!!” But lovingly on the condition he changes and grows and becomes better.

[headingalaxys-spicy]

Can you please write about the aftercare with the 2p Axis too ,pleasee ? The 2p FACE was cool too but there is something about the Axis I love! 1p or 2p, still love them :D (especially the Italy brothers , my weakness, haha) P.S. I just love anything you write about them :)

I’m glad you like my writing, and I hope it brings you joy. Also, please don’t kill me I do 2p Germany dirty in this post. 

(Me finally catching up on older asks thanks for sticking around and tuning in :)

This post is a light spice, but still, viewer discretion is advised.

2p Italy - Luciano 

He’s a mob boss, so of course, he has a cigar that he smokes for about five minutes before he does anything else. While doing so, he’ll talk to you about your day and what might be troubling you. Luciano will concoct ways he can ‘handle’ your little problem. 

Luciano will roll back over on you & stroke your hair for a while. While his piercing bright terra cotta eyes are intimidating, don’t be. Luciano is just thinking and enjoying the view that is you. 

He’ll ask you if you’d like some snacks and wine while you're out on the spacious balcony. You'll still be nude, with only the large black duvet covering you. You’ll watch the moon and the stars glisten against the velvety cobalt-blue sky. As the two of you cuddle together for warmth. Luciano, of course, wants you to sit on his lap. 

Luciano will pepper kisses all over your neck and back. 

He’ll want to shower with you, keep the lights dim, and/or have scented summery candles to keep a warm atmosphere. The smell of beeswax and lemon will fill your nostrils. It will help to clear your sinuses and your head. 

Forehead kisses. Lots of forehead kisses. 

Luciano will massage your shoulders, back, and thighs while whispering sweet nothings into your ears as you lay in bed together, all nice and clean. This will continue until you begin to see sunbeams break through the midnight sky as the darkened hues change to lighter blues. 

2p Japan -Kuro 

After he sets you free from your ropes for the night, his main prerogative is to get you clean before he applies any ointment or lotion. He wants to restore your beautiful skin just properly. 

Kuro gives amazing scalp massages that can turn you into mush. Your serotonin will be increased, and it can assist you in returning some of the energy you lost during sex. 

You will stay in the sauna bath for at least 90 minutes while he scrubs you down gently with a loofah. 

Once you’re all clean, he will light incense while you lotion each other up. Kuro will randomly massage places that have kinks in them, like your neck and claves. He knows he stressed out your muscles during the act. During this, he will also disinfect any scratches, bruises, and open wounds he may have given you and bandage them. 

Kuro will want to venture outside and do some stretching; maybe he will even ask you about his performance, your day, and whether you’re still in any lingering pain. 

(depending on your pain /fatigue level will determine if he will push to go for a long walk) If you say no due to the fatigue or pain, the two of you will go inside, and he will prep some food for you to share. The two of you might read manga or fall asleep on the couch, turning on whatever movie is popular in Japan or is on at 3:33am. 

Suppose Kuro is feeling particularly restless & doesn’t want to stay in the house. He will want to be on the streets of Tokyo to not only gaze at the bright lights but to be at a midnight diner that will usually close it’s door by 7 am or 8 am. The two of you can be immersed in the transience of the night, where various stories of the locals and foreigners are told throughout the night. You’ll hear tales of struggles, successes, and all the other messy things in between. It’s a nice mind cleanser after an hour or two of intense sex that may or may not have been tantric & draining. 

2p Germany - Lutz

Pfffffft, hhahahaha. Are you serious? In many of the wikis I've read, this guy is described as lazy and arrogant. Motherfucker will not do ANY good aftercare at all. Like, bro will be passed the fuck out right after he’s done. He’s THAT selfish. 

(His 1P counterpart is way better at this, albeit somewhat awkward and tense, but he’s still better. I’ll save that for another post.) 

2p Romano- Flavo 

Will have a cigarette after love making & will ask if you want one too as he kisses your hand. 

“Mi Bella.” 

Flavo will hoist you onto him and ask what your plans are for tomorrow. 

“Do you have clothes ready for it, mi bella?” He’ll plan out the perfect outfit for you. If you insist on just wearing your own clothes because you have a certain style, he’ll make sure your clothes are clean and pressed. Flavo will either do this while nude or in his embroidered fluffy robe. 

He can also be a little adventurous with his aftercare. 

“Let’s take a quick cold shower & skinny dip, Y/N.” He’ll kiss the back of your hand and will have a mischievous glint in his eyes. “That’s one way to cool down, right, Bella? Ahahhahahah.” Flavo will wiggle his eyebrows up and down, and his kisses will move up your arm. 

“That’s one way to make the heavens jealous~” He’ll say in between kisses tickling up your skin before he lands on your lips. Your bare legs will intertwine, and he’ll playfully pinch your cheeks and watch them turn bright like a fresh red rose. 

‘Or/and we can raid my champagne cellar and get drunk in a nice hot bath while watching some trashy TV. The more drama the juicier it is. It adds to the fun~” 

[bonefall]

I will cry (in a good way) if the theme of the arc is “the love was there. it didnt change anything. it didnt save anyone. there were just too many forces against it. but it still matters that the love was there”

I REALLY hope that I can do something like that. Again, BB really tries to stay in line with where canon goes and follow it while fixing its themes, but like...

With all the fixes I've done for TBC and below, where the last arc left off on Shadowsight giving up something he'd always wanted (his lightning-based connection to StarClan, blasting it back at Ashfur to hold him down) and the sacrifice of Bristlefrost to knock the holy beast out of heaven... something feels really cool about being able to follow that up with an arc that's very melancholic and painful.

Heartstar doing something DRASTIC to try and stop another Clan from falling apart, compelled to get more violent to keep her claws over it, driven by the fear of The Kin repeating itself and the fury of her dead child

Dovewing watching her sister take power in ThunderClan, knowing things are going to get VERY frustrating

Ivypool herself vowing she's not going to use this new status for personal gain... but then she kinda Does, unable to put down a DESPERATION to reconnect to a sister who doesn't want to see her

I kinda hope I can also find a way to explore Bumblestripe's feelings here, too. He JUSt had a whole journey in Ferncloud's Parting, and he comes back and LOOK! A perfect opportunity to justify how much you HATE Heartstar and Dovewing and all of ShadowClan! It would be SO easy to let your heart grow bitter again, wouldn't it? What will you decide, Bumblestripe?

Lightleap struggling with her failure to enter the Dark Forest, feelings of uselessness and helplessness, losing her best friend

Berryheart herself radicalizing a portion of ShadowClan, as Heartstar tries to prevent another Clan from falling apart, her own is pulling at its stitches.

Squirrelflight having saved Bramblestar from the Dark Forest, NO CAT LEFT BEHIND, only for him to show his true colors AGAIN and try to get into petty drama with her, her sympathy evaporating in an instant

Just. Everything with Sparkpelt and her kids. She ISN'T Firekin in BB-- she chose the names Finch and Flame WITH and FOR her mate Larksong.

Nightheart having a new name foisted on him and making himself believe it was a choice-- and then Bramblestar is dethroned, Sunbeam is telling him how much she loves his family, there's a new journey for glory in front of him, and... there's so many things to think about that he just doesn't.

And then he comes home to find they're OUT of chances to give him. And he's traveled far and is able to FINALLY internalize... he blew it. Didn't recognize or appreciate what he had, when he had it

Bramblestar isn't the big strong cool grandpa leader he thought he was, he's a disgraced elder, and he has to wonder... how much of this HATE for his family was Nightheart's own? How much was the Impostor? How much was Bramblestar? How much was his own inability to self-reflect?

Frostpaw's entire family turning on itself

Finding out that Curlfeather was behind the plot that killed her own father, Reedwhisker.

That Podlight, her funny sillyman uncle, was ALSO in on this the whole time, plus her dear friend Splashtail.

Still just a kid, left to agonize over how much of it was LOVE and how much of it was MANIPULATION. Where one ended and where the other began.

The love is there. The love was always there-- even when you didn't know it. It was strong, and it was beautiful, but it's NOT a fix-all. It isn't the hero that will save you. It isn't the medicine to fix you. It isn't the shield that will protect you. Love is mortal.

And when it dies, it dies in pieces. Like a fire in its ashes and its embers. The same love in one heart will burn forever, and for others, its cinders are quickly doused.

A painful arc, of betrayals, broken promises, last chances blown to rubble, and good intentions paving the way to hell.

[exocynraku]

thoughts on a starless clan so far

i don't know if anything i said here has any definitive spoilers in it but i'll put it all under a cut for safety

short answer: it's ok. frostpaw's plot & the stuff with riverclan, riverstar & the COTP, splashtail & curlfeather are all REALLY COOL. I liked sunbeam in the beginning and have grown to dislike where her story has gone. I like the concepts surrounding nightheart's plot but dislike the execution & the reaction from the community. I am still excited for star. long answer:

frostpaw and splashtail's plot is really really good and ive been enjoying it a lot (probably because it reminds me of tpb). i liked sunbeam's plot with blazefire and lightleap and berryheart in the beginning but have gotten bored of her & her plot since nightheart showed up in her life & she moved to thunderclan. nightheart's plot has good concepts behind it but i don't like the execution & i don't like the 2 cross clan relationship plot in a row. i think it could've been better if they focused less on cross clan relationships and more on clan prejudice & xenophobia & the corruptness of the code system as a whole (though i know it's incredibly unlikely the writers would do that i still want To Hope) instead of just the romance part since we did that last arc (though i don't think it really got us anywhere as i personally dislike the 'trials' thing that was developed & don't think it's particularly useful). especially because it was specifically a cross CLAN relationship in a row. i'd be a bit more lenient if it was a clancat x kittypet/loner relationship as that hasn't been done in a bit (like if nightheart fell in love with a COTP cat or something). 

i like the pacing per-book but i think the pacing overall could be improved upon as it feels both sunbeam and nightheart's plots have been too separate from & slow compared to frostpaw's plot and haven't really been meshing well in the later books as the erins try to tie them all together. i also don't know if this is just my bad memory but i dislike the change of sunbeam and nightheart's personalities over time. they both feel like they are becoming cardboard cut out main characters to me. i liked sunbeam's relationship with lightleap blazefire & her family and thought it all was really realistic and especially in the lightleap/blazefire department was a surprising change of pace. i dislike what has become of both her plot and her personality as i feel they totally abandoned the lightleap/blazefire plot and turned her into a flat love interest. i do think it makes sense for her as a character to yearn for love but i think it'd make even MORE sense if she had a much more complicated relationship with love

i'm not going to speak further on nightheart because i know no matter what i say someone WILL be telling me to kill myself in one way or another so i'll keep in brief: no matter what you think of him, you at Need To Acknowledge & Be Conscious Of The Fact That Very Bad Things Have Been Said About & To Both Women And Disabled People Because Of His Plot In This Community. yes some very good & well-thought out conversations have been said in response, yes the majority of these things were said months and months ago when asc first was starting, But That Does Not Mean You Can Ignore That They Happened. If you want the community you are apart of to not be perceived as jackasses you cannot Ignore The Hatred Towards Women And Disabled People That Festers Inside Of It. you don't need to write a 9000 page essay about it, that's not what i'm asking, you just need to be CONCIOUS of it okay that's it. also while thinking about this i thought of how i'd rewrite sunbeam and the third pov (which i'd give to sparkpelt) so if anyone wants to hear about that send me an ask i'll make another 4 paragraph post about it

[castlebyersafterdark]

i just made myself cry thinking of a whole s5 end scenario where they wake up from hospital, all better, everything over, sort of waiting for each other with that calmness that characters have when they've had The Epiphany TM and don't feel any worry or urgency about their feelings for each other anymore. Imagine will walking outside, a little unsteady still, but healthy, and mike is just waiting for him, and they go for a walk in the woods. Walking next to each other, looking anywhere but at each other as fingers brush, silent but not awkward. Full of tension about to burst. They sort of weave in and out of trees, ahead and behind each other, sneaking glances. Then they have a conversation, but almost nothing is said because they 'didnt have to say it'. They kiss, not their first but now they understand each other completely and no one is in danger anymore. They break apart, grinning, they hug, giddy and giggling. Then mike gets a mischievous look in his eye and grabs will's hand, pulling him deeper into the woods.

They run, laughing their heads off, and by now it's dusk and the cinematography is very dreamy and old hollywood, lots of evening light with trees (and them!) silhouetted in black as they tear through the forest hand in hand. Soon mike stops them and tells will to cover his eyes. will does but peeks, still giggly, and then mike places his hands over will's eyes from behind and walks him forward. when mike lifts his hands away will's eyes are shut tight underneath, so mike breathily whispers in his ear for him to open his eyes. its the cabin by the lake.

it's not quite castle byers, but they're leaving for college at the end of the summer anyway. growing and moving and evolving. will cannot speak, but mike leads him inside. everything's set up for a homemade prom - a safe space where they can be together. no doubt joyce and jon and lucas and everyone helped him with the surprise. there's lights and sparkly banners and party decorations in the little cabin living room, prom with their own nerdy twist. you can see the lake but the gauzy curtains are closed just in case. mike puts on the music that's queued up, something that played at the snowball when he wanted to dance with will, like time after time maybe, or something soft and different after months of listening to the clash and the songs that helped save will from vecna. mike even pulls out some funny costumes from a dressing up box - a suit jacket, bow tie, 80s frills in ice blue, and laughs, saying they need to dress up for it to be a proper prom. he's trying to lighten the mood because neither of them know how to do this yet, not really, and there's also an undercurrent of sadness beneath everything at them being sequestered away here, even though there's nowhere they'd rather be. will has a serious look on his face as he reaches up and pulls the silly jacket and tie off of mike, saying "How about... this. just this." mike looks puzzled. "But that's just my regular shirt, that's nothing special." But will is looking at him with glazed-over eyes, a small smile on his lips threatening to burst into a full sunbeam, and he nods. Mike swallows and rights himself. Cool. He steps a little into the middle of the room and extends his hand a little awkwardly towards will, and asks if he would like to dance.

Love all of this so much, thank you for the vision 🥹 ❤️ Adore the idea of everything having settled and they get to have a quiet little moment alone. You gave us cinematography here, beautiful. We can only hope we get something like this to tie up the series, highlight their relationship, however it's chosen how to showcase it. Lovely lovely.

[thecascadefox]

The Shadow preview has summoned me

Time to expand on how I want Thunder the obligatory traveling book to pan out. My hopes for Frostpaw and Nightheart are here.

I think it's inevitable now that if Nightheart is the warrior who goes on the quest with Frostpaw, then Sunbeam, Sparkpelt and Finchlight will go after them since they're on the cover together. Their goal will be to get Nightheart back and, I'm sorry, make amends with him. BUT HERE'S HOW THEIR CHARACTERS CAN STILL BE SAVED!!!!!!!

Everything involving Nightheart here will only be interesting to me if Nightheart matures and grows as a character the way I said I wanted him to in the previous post so go read that.

Let's start with Finchlight since so far she's an accessory character to Sparkpelt and Nightheart but I think they could expand what she does have. Have Finchlight be someone who looks at the big picture, the effect the actions of herself and others have on the clans. This makes her very selfless while also causing her to hold others to her standards without thinking of how they'll feel first. This can explain why she brings up work when trying to get Nightheart to come home and brushed off his frustrations with having all the apprentice duties before that.

Imagine Finchlight being selfless to the point where she doesn't want to bother others with her problems, especially her mother who is the only cat who's feelings she is acutely aware of. Nightheart's selfishness and unwillingness to give Sparkpelt a chance frustrates her because it's obvious how much their mother has suffered and she doesn't understand how Nightheart won't make things easier for her the way she has. Finchlight can't really find it in herself to value Firestar's legacy the way Sparkpelt and the rest of Thunderclan do, but she pretends to to make them and her mother feel better. What really hurts her is the more immediate family she's lost. She never knew Larksong and has always felt like something was missing. When Nightheart leaves and that feeling grows, she realizes it's Flickerkit.

But talking about them hurts Sparkpelt, so she doesn't. But at some point during the journey she breaks down and argues with Sparkpelt, admitting everything. This conflict could either be resolved during the fight or sometime later, after they've both cooled off and Sunbeam perhaps mediated for them, and Sparkpelt tells Finchlight about her father.

Speaking of Sparkpelt she's had it pretty rough right? Two of her siblings died as kits, one being old enough for her to remember. Her surviving brother was a bundle of anxiety when they were young and she was most of his emotional support. Her father is awful to her mother and she's been the only cat to ever call him out. Her mate and one of her kits died right after she gave birth. Her PPD made it difficult to connect to her surviving kits. Her dad got his body snatched by her mom's crazy ex who then tried to kill her, successfully getting her mauled by dogs. One of her kits refused to go with her when she was exiled but blames her for her absence and now he's rejected his family completely and run away to another clan.

No wonder she would value Firestar's "legacy". Growing up hearing glorified versions of his life and being constantly favorably compared to him both for her appearance and natural talent may have been both a source of comfort and pressure to live up to him as her living family seems to spiral out of control. When Nightheart rejected Firestar, it felt like he had rejected her twice. She desperately wants to get him back, for things to stop falling apart, even if she doesn't think he will give her the chance. This turns into her blaming herself.

Sparkpelt isn't an apprentice anymore. She knows that Firestar couldn't have been the perfect model of a Thunderclan warrior the elders make him out to be. He was a brave and noble cat who gave his life to save the clans but he was also born a kittypet who felt rejection, fear, pain and loss just like any cat has. The life of a warrior has never been easy but it's a fantasy that kept Sparkpelt going in her younger moons and she hoped it could be a reality for her kits in the wake of Ashfur's defeat. She finally confronts this part of herself in her argument with Finchlight and is ready to look at herself separate from a cat she never met.

She faces the past, her past, by having a quiet conversation with her daughter about Larksong. Even though it's hard at first, and Finchlight tries to tell her they can talk about it later, she continues. She tells Finchlight about the funny time he fumbled catching a pigeon and the wistful look on his face when they'd brainstorm kit names, the same look he had when naming Flickerkit. She tells Finchlight that Flickerkit had the same fur she does. She feels herself begin to heal.

Sparkpelt knows she has tried her best to be there for her kits. That things outside of her control have kept her from always being there for them. She is ready to speak her piece to Nightheart, but whatever choices he makes will be his own.

I didn't forget about Sunbeam! I like this post about Sunbeam's behavior falling into the rule of three and hope it comes to pass. Sunbeam gives Nightheart a chance but his selfish reason for claiming they're mates and how little they actually know each other bubbles over until the end of Shadow where there's a pretty noticeable breakup. Berryheart will be like "I told you so!" and suddenly half of Shadowclan will question Nightheart's loyalty even more. This will lead to Nightheart going on the quest but Sunbeam will blame herself and want to go after him. The key here is that the story doesn't spin this like it actually is her fault.

Sunbeam needs to learn to value and trust herself and she does so by getting better friends. While both her and her mother are apprehensive towards Sunbeam at first, Finchlight bonds with Sunbeam and becomes a better friend to her than Lightleap, Blazefire and even Nightheart ever were. Finchlight cares about Sunbeam. She doesn't find her dull or put her or herself into danger. She doesn't use her for self centered reasons. Through her Sunbeam learns that she is worth more than that and Finchlight learns to be more open with other cats.

Sparkpelt is a slightly different story. She doesn't trust cats outside of Thunderclan. It's not a secret and has been shown in multiple scenes since she became a warrior, including towards her own apprentice Twigbranch. In a way, Sparkpelt reminds Sunbeam of her mother. But unlike Berryheart, Sparkpelt's distrust comes just from being raised in clan culture rather than a traumatic event. Sunbeam is more willing to stand up to her than Berryheart and becomes more confident in what she believes in. I think it would be interesting for Sunbeam, an outsider, to point out to Sparkpelt that the ancestor she admires was a kittypet. Perhaps in a scene where they need the help of one. Unlike Berryheart, Sparkpelt grows willing to listen to her.

As they travel, Sparkpelt starts to like Sunbeam and become supportive of the code changes, accepting the idea that her son might never want to return to Thunderclan. Like her, Sunbeam stops blaming herself for Nightheart's actions. The way he cornered her into a relationship just to get into Shadowclan was wrong and hurt her and she will stand by that when they reunite. Sunbeam gains a better role model in Sparkpelt and returns to the clan with a clearer idea of how to stand up to Berryheart should she bother her, Spireclaw, Fringewhisker or Nightheart ever again and is willing to fight whatever battles that will inevitably break out in the last two books.

This being Warrior Cats, it's likely she and Nightheart will end up making up and getting back together. Even if Nightheart realizes he was wrong and tries to make up for his actions I don't know if I'll like that. I think it would be much more interesting for them to become friends instead as we haven't seen a breakup that hasn't resulted in resentment before in this series.

Anyway that's all the ideas I have for this for now. If Sunbeam feels a little sparse it's because for Finchlight and Sparkpelt I had to build character arcs beyond Nightheart's "wah they mean to me" shtick while I like Sunbeam's arc on it's own so far. If you have your own ideas or want me to think about any of this more feel free to tell me! I'm gonna go make more fanart for a book that isn't out yet.

[aspiringsophrosyne]

Episode 9: The Tide of Bone

Zombie invasion! Bar the doors and fortify the mall, because all they wanna do is eat your brains.

The Good

Right off the bat, I loved the extra story we got for the Briarwoods. This is something Matt talked about at the wrap up, but we didn't get to see in the Campaign.

Plus, this justifies Delilah not letting her husband help with the fight in Whitestone, which could've turned the tides. She's too desperate to hold on to him. So much so, that it could've ultimately cost them their victory.

And not only does this flashback establish character and motivation for the couple, but also.....as bad as the Briarwoods are, the thing they serve has the potential to be so, so much worse. That scene with Delilah drawing her own blood is honestly still hard to watch.

Hey, I never noticed that poor family wriggling on the tree in that wide shot. Ew.

The fights were fun. The jokes weren't bad. Seeing Bad News used in to take down a giant was damn good. Seeing Kiki flex with some truly impressive magic was another hell yes moment, and good set up for the Sunbeam spell later.

Nice use of Percy's full name. I'd honestly started to wonder if they were going to leave that on the cutting room floor, but they picked a very good moment to use it.

I liked how they handled Vax and Keyleth here. While you get why Vax is doing it (he's liked her for a while and he doesn't want to die without her knowing it) you also get why Keyleth reacts the way she does (she does not need the distraction when they're fighting a hoard of zombies). It's surprisingly cute. And leaves the door open for further romantic development down the road.

Of course the lady of the episode is one Ms. Pike Trickfoot, swooping in at the last second to take out a shit ton of zombies, mirroring what went down in the campaign. It was such a cool moment in the original (especially since this was the first time Ashley could be back in a while) and they did it justice. Thank your Clerics, everybody! Her giving the common folk of the town some holy weapons was a nice touch.

I also just have to point out Vax repeatedly exclaiming "Ew!" or "Gross!" over the course of the episode because....mood.

The Bad

This...is another episode where the pacing does it no favors. There are multiple points in the episode where staying attached at the hip to our protagonists was unneeded and actually hurt the story.

For instance, while they were catching their breath in the safe house, we could've cut to outside. Where a bigger and bigger group of undead was accumulating out there. Then they attack. This breeds suspense and "The zombies are coming, get out of there!" type reactions. Which are always fun.

Meanwhile, the action doesn't grow; just stays constant throughout. That might sound like something you want. But you don't.

What you want is for the action to ebb, flow, and build. You want slower, safer moments that give a false sense of hope. You want the characters to think they're safe while the audience is shown that they absolutely are not. But you want every subsequent lull to be shorter, every new attack to be longer or more brutal. You want a feeling of escalation. And since we don't have that, Pike's entrance doesn't feel like the relief it should. It just feels like more action. It's great, but not as great as it could and should be.

As for Archie....not a fan of fridging. It just feels cheap. I know both Dominic Monaghan and Rory Mccan were not going to be sticking around. But they could've done something more interesting with Archie's exit.

Thinking about it now, I actually wouldn't have minded mixing Father Reynal with this version of Archie. Have him be a posthumous character, (which justifies Dominic not sticking around) but let VM find his notes. They could be read in Archie's voice and include flashbacks to resistance efforts he was up to before he died. Have the last note be specifically addressed to Percy, telling him not to give up, expressing complete faith that he was still alive and would eventually come back to oppose the Briarwoods. And that's what inspires Percy to use his full name and lead the rest of the town into battle.

Or, you know, something else. Not saying that's the best thing that could've happened, but it was another option.

Whelp, were winding up for the endgame now. See you in the next episode.

[an-odd-idea]

Well the men menned more mennishly than I ever did see in my life

CONGRATS ADAM on your historic jump from 19th to 3rd place! Also backflip

He was beautiful and I cried

Also overall so many people did so good? So many clean or almost clean skates! And I was really impressed by people’s choreographic sequences, my opinions are heavily weighted by if they skimp on that or not, and most everybody did something really cool even when they could have gotten away with a little spread eagle and a lunge and called it a day

Also most everybody seemed particularly happy, and really supportive of each other and just having a really good time

Slightly unhinged recap to follow

Deniss!!!! If people weren’t asleep I’d have been screaming, but I had to just scream without any noise, I’m so happy for such a good competition for him! He really has become one of my favorite skaters, just like poof! And he’s funny! Aaaaaaaaaa! The way he like, and this is more about the short, but also the free, picks the music up and wraps it around with the most gentle and understanding hands. I have a crush on his skating, not him. But. Oh man his spins are literally the best in the world, I will hear no arguments

And Jason!!! I call bs on some of the score, but it’s ok, that was such a beautiful performance (especially those spins, oh my, the catch foot camel of course, but also the unexpected layback, AND when he’s holding his foot in the upright and then shoop sit spin!)

We’re not gonna talk about Junhwan right now, I’m sorry Junhwan. At least most of the jumps were still good (hello Lutz-loop) and the step sequence, and the fall on the Axel was so weirdly slow-motion it really seemed rather gentle. Well, talked about him anyway, how could I not?

Let’s talk about Donovan! Donovan is BACK! And what a skate! He’s so freaking cool, and he seemed to be having the time of his life out there. And that spin! I have never seen anyone do something quite like that

And Lukas! It was so good to see him nailing everything and I love the sliding move

And Aleksandr, also really nice! That hydroblade is so cool

I’m sorry Kao, I still super love that free skate though, what a nerd, I support it fully. Always skate to music from your favorite show, kids

Yuma! HE! Every jump and every movement so smooth and so flowing that you could drink it (the Axel wasn’t real and therefore doesn’t count) He is SUCH a wonderful skater in every way, and I was really hoping he’d win if Shoma didn’t. He did that Ina Bauer to the absolute fullest, like a cat in a sunbeam, except like, singing I guess

Shoma is a beautiful human being and I love love love him for how genuinely happy he seemed for the others. Also really relieved that, at least outwardly, he didn’t seem terribly disappointed. I was really hoping for Shoma three-peat world champion, but it is okay

I was not hoping for Ilia to win. But the jumping skill is undeniable, and oh! I’m so happy for him! I just wanna hug him

Also Hyungyeom Kim (not on first name basis yet) is somebody to really watch in the future. His short program was so good, and that knee slide thing in the free was so freaking cool

Mikhail looked disappointed, but it’ll be ok, he still did a lot of things well

And Luc Economides was so fun! He really committed to that program and I loved it

Andreas Nordeback was super cool, too, I love his skating style. He does some really unusual movements to suit the music

[sparrowlovesskittles]

So I read the Sky preview and I'm... Disappointed, I guess?

The catmint problem is. Predictable, I suppose? It has the potential to be interesting but when has greencough ever actually been interesting?

I don't have a problem with Sunbeam's chapter. It's fine. Still a bit boring, but fine.

Also I hope Rowankit dies because I don't like him because I'm still mad they wouldn't let him be a grey she-cat (ik some people hc him as trans and that's fine and cool but I just find it so boring that they're a Rowanstar clone now). Yes Tigerstar and Dovewing are one of my favourite canon ships. Yes I think it's extremely cute that they had a second litter. But YES I am mad about Rowankit.

Nightheart's chapter is... Weird. I'm glad he's happy with his name, but everyone else is SO pissed and for what? Finchlight literally stood up for him when he wanted to change his name. She encouraged it. And now she's acting like it's some sort of big betrayal he went behind her back about? I mean, what?! I really get what people mean when they say he's trans coded now, though. Myrtlebloom telling him he can 'still change his mind' is. Yikes!

I LIKE Nightheart and his unreliable narration. I like him thinking every problem he has is huge and that his life is SO hard, I like him going 'I'm not spoiled! I've never been spoiled in my life!' But when it comes to his name he is actually so right. I am a Nightheart apologist. Square up literally everyone else in ThunderClan I'm coming to fight you over being passive-aggressive to my boy Nightheart just for changing his name.

Frostpaw my beloved! I am so sorry.

I know a lot of people don't like it but I actually kind of enjoy the direction they've been taking with Mothwing's character lately. She's older now, she's lost so much, and she's hardened. Sometimes I think she's afraid to get close to new people now, she's lost everyone she was close with. Tadpole, Sasha, Hawkfrost... Just recently, Leafpool died, Willowshine died, Mistystar died, all in a row, and even Jayfeather has kind of turned against her- all cats she was very good friends with. And she's become more sharp around the edges, more gruff, far less friendly. I do wonder if she's just trying to avoid getting hurt again.

THAT SAID Mothwing is my #1 favourite warrior cat and I know that she's stressed but her going 'You just watched your mother die in front of you and you're depressed as fuck but I'm getting sick of organising patrols so you have to stop being depressed' Is so AAAAKAJDJKSJDJD. MOTHWING I'm going to punch you in the face.

Quick side note, why did she jump straight to Willowshine instead of mentioning that she lost her brother? Is it because she has mixed feelings over Hawkfrost's death? Or is it because Willowshine is more fresh in her mind? Surely she'd say Mistystar instead if that were the case. Does Frostpaw just remind her of Willowshine?

A few predictions:

Frecklewish dies. Literally everyone is coming to SkyClan for catmint. Fidgetflake doesn't know what to do and gets caught in the middle of all the clans fighting over catmint.

Bramblestar handles the greencough situation poorly and gets overthrown

Just like every other greencough plot ever, everyone is like 'omg this greencough is so devastating what are we going to do!!' then only like 5 cats in total die of greencough and everyone goes 'wow that greencough outbreak was so bad, what a tragedy, so many cats died!'

The writers have forgotten that Frostpaw has something weird going on and just give her a normal connection to StarClan. They also make the green-eyed cat Willowshine

[fanmoose12]

levi as the demon prince who one day goes to the human world just out of curiosity and that's where he meets hange, unknowingly He falls in love with her, and asks that everything possible be done so that she is his princess, who reigns next to him in the future, but his father, the demon king, gets in the way, trying to hurt Hange and sending or "enchanting" other people to make her fall in love and she forget about levi

It is a part of human world's charm, Levi thinks. That scent that hits his nostrils as soon as he arrives to humanly realm, the combination of earth and wind and water and sunbeams that his love wears instead of perfume, and Levi can't help but crave. It's so quintessentially Hange, and Hange is the only human, demon, angel that Levi loves.

That smell is a first thing that greets him, then does sunlight that underworld is so greatly lacking. Usually next to greet him is Hange - they wrap their hands around him, press a kiss to his lips, and Levi is in bliss. But this time, as Levi ascends to the human world, something is terribly wrong.

Hange isn't picking flowers near the portal, waiting for him. Hange isn't in the forest, ready to ambush him with laughter and affection. Hange isn't even reading a book by the tree they so love to rest by.

Hange... is back at the village, going around the usual human's work.

And Hange, Hange is not alone.

Someone else is next to them, following their every move, granting gentle touches and loving words.

Someone else, and Levi immediately recognises him. But Hange- Hange acts as though Levi is nothing.

As Levi walks up to them, Hange gives him no more than a single look, and then they return to chopping wood. They don't squeal, don't clap and run to hug him.

They don't know him, Levi realizes.

Then, a second later, he understands everything a little better - Hange doesn't remember him.

And it hurts, enough for his breath to get stuck inside his throat.

"Hange," he croaks weakly. They don't seem to hear him.

Levi wants to leave, immediately, to lick his wounds and mend his broken heart. But as soon, as he takes the first step, the man that had kissed Hange, approaches him.

"Levi," he says it softly, apologizing in his own way. "You know it wasn't my decision."

The worst thing - Levi knows. He knows Moblit, he knows how kind the other demon is, he knows that he's a friend, sort of. But he also knows that Moblit is weak, and Levi's father is so much stronger. And what he wants, Levi's father always gets. Even if it's the broken heart of his own son.

"It's alright," he tells to Moblit hollowly. "I understand."

He wants to disappear, has already turned around, but then he feels a touch to his elbow. A touch so familiar, so desirable. Hange's touch.

"Um, sir?" they fumble with their shirt, painfully awkward and sincere. "You seem so lost. Here," they hand him a bouquet of flowers from the garden. Flowers Levi himself helped them to plant. "I hope it makes your day better."

You make my day better, Levi wants to say, even if you have no memory of me.

But he doesn't want Hange to get spooked, and he'd rather die than make them afraid of him.

"Thank you for this gift," he says at last, not able to stop himself from caressing Hange's palm as he takes the flowers. "If you don't mind... I'll visit you some other time."

"Of course, I don't mind!" Hange beams. Levi's heart skips a beat. "I love making new friends!"

I know, he wants to say again, I know everything about you.

And there was a time when Hange knew everything about him too. The decision is made right away, Levi will make their memories come back. No matter what it would take him.

___

He knows that taking the matter to his father will end in nothing. The old bastard would lie, deny or throw Levi in a jail to cool his temper.

This way won't get him what he wants. So Levi decides to try another one - he goes to his friend Erwin, and spends three days and nights raking through his library in search of words like echanting, losing memories and returning to your love.

He finds nothing - fucking nothing - that would help him in this quest.

Until- until Levi and Erwin's library suddenly receive a visitor.

Surprisingly, it's Moblit, who looks even more faulty than the last time Levi had seen him.

"I shouldn't tell you that," he starts without exchanging pleasantries which make Levi respect him even more, even if some, extremely deep part of him continues to irrationally hate the guy's guts. "But my mother is a sorceress," Levi wants to roll his eyes. Every demon's mother is a sorceress, Levi's mother was too, before she met the unfortunate demise. So Moblit has a mother who is alive, and he also has Hange's love. What else he has that Levi wants but doesn't have? And what importance it has now? "And she knows the way to undo your father's spell."

"Well?" Levi is a picture of impatience, only a second away from taping his foot in anticipation. "How can I undo it?"

"That's pretty easy. All you need is love."

Love? Levi has the fucking love, probably had ever since he saw Hange for the first time, gathering the flowers. It can't be that easy. Otherwise, the spell would have been undone, and Hange would already be back in his arms.

But then Moblit adds, "And a true love's kiss."

This time, Levi does roll his eyes. That's as cliche as it can get. A true love's kiss. Did Moblit come to ridicule him? Was it Levi's father's wish?

"It's true, it's true!" Moblit hurries to assure him. "I know it sounds stupid, but it's true. Kiss Hange and the memories will come back."

Levi spends a second, thinking over it. What he has to lose? The most important person to him he had lost already. He can kiss Hange, and if that wouldn't work, then well- at least, he received the last kiss from them.

"Thank you," he nods to Moblit. "I appreciate your help. More than you can imagine."

He leaves immediately, just when Moblit starts to lift his lips in a sincere smile.

Resolutely, Levi opens the portal that will lead him straight to Hange.

___

"I hate fucking portals," he mutters when it throws him out right before Hange's house, where they tend to their garden. He thought he'd have some time - to gather his thoughts, create a plan, make a strategy. Instead, as always, he has to act on pure instinct.

"Good day," he says, making Hange aware of his presence. "I don't know if you remember me," and you don't remember the way I want to, "But you said I could come to see you again?"

"Of course!" Hange jumps to their feet. "You're the sad guy! You look even sadder now, oh sorry, I'm always mumbling without thinking..."

"That's alright," it was one of the many charms of Hange, after all.

"Well, sorry, I don't have any flowers with me today, but I could make you tea or-"

"No, I didn't come for this."

Levi closes his eyes, at lost at what to say next. Trick Hange? Or tell the truth and hope that their kindness will spare him?

"I know it's going to sound strange," he tells after a moment. "But I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?"

"I want to kiss you."

"Oh," Hange blushes delightfully, looking unsure but still adorable. "I don't know you, but if you really need this..."

"I do," his voice is deep, full of passion. Hange gives him a nod and takes a step towards him.

Levi closes the distance between them. He hopes that Moblit's words are true.

He holds Hange's face, as though it is the most fragile glass, and slowly, he inches towards their lips.

He touches them with his own, once, twice, he isn't really how all this works.

But when Hange opens their eyes - they're full of recognition, full of love.

Levi's heart is whole again.

"Care to explain me anything?" Hange asks, curling around him.

It's complicated and I want to kill my father for taking you away from me, Levi wants to say. But instead he wraps his arms around Hange and murmurs, "You've promised me tea first."

And by the time Hange finishes with it, hopefully he'll have a clear story.

[creampuffqueen]

i am seriously getting the desire to reread 'river' of asc. i liked it a lot and hearing other peoples' thoughts has made me like it even more. i am so intrigued and compelled by this story and i am so excited to see where they take it. obvi i'm trying to keep my expectations low. the past three arcs have all been super good at first, then sucky at the end, so asc could end up like that. but god i hope it doesn't

something i would like to see is nightheart and sunbeam NOT getting together. however, i think it would be hysterical if warriors pulled a fake dating plot. that would be so fucking funny. i saw something abt sunbeam getting with shadowsight and i actually love that a lot a lot. if half clan relationships are now allowed, will they discuss the medicine cat rule? i feel like they have to

which leads to another theory i saw- moth flight being the villain of this arc. which would be really cool actually. i love moth flight, and i think she was done very dirty by the situation she was in as the first med cat- young single mom, four kits, and a bunch of bad babysitters. i see exactly where she was coming from, and why she would react in a way that forbids med cats from ever having kits. ideal moth flight villain plot? she is the villain but we discuss her trauma, tell her it's not her fault she couldn't take care of her kits, and that things can be different. eventually leading to med cats being able to take mates and have kits, which would be awesome

i think windclan is hiding something. harestar's absence was pointed. i think there was a reason. i also think reedwhisker was murdered. i still think curlfeather had something to do with it; she was way too quick to dismiss the claw marks. i think frostpaw does not have the power she thinks she does; i think she gets omens of which cats are going to die, a bit like goosefeather but less insane. but she could get there! they've done an excellent job traumatizing her thus far!

and lastly, i think they're setting up for bramblestar to step down, or be removed from his leader position. he is clearly suffering awful ptsd, which nobody can blame the guy for, and he's not in his right mind all the time. the half clan relationship rule has already been plenty utilized, so i think by the end of the arc they're going to need to use the other one. bramblestar is the most likely candidate for this in my mind. riverclan is having a succession crisis, but they could use it as well and i wouldn't be surprised. shadowclan seems fine BUT berryheart's group could sway to get tigerheartstar removed possibly. i think windclan is up to something but i don't think they'll remove harestar. and i think skyclan is, as always, just vibing

anyway, river!!!! some thoughts about it. i love how different the plots are from each other, despite the main characters being the recycled trio from last arc. nightheart having his coming of age (trans awakening cough cough) sunbeam living her chick flic life, and frostpaw being the key to murder mystery. all at the same time.

my last hope is that we get the trio being friends. they tried to make bristle root and shadow friends but majorly failed, bris and root were obvi but they didn't really care about shadow. sunbeam and nightheart seem like they'll be friends, but i hope they meet frostpaw and our pov cast does stuff together!

[duskclan]

ALRIGHT; spoiler filled thoughts on river

so i begrudgingly like nightheart so far despite his angst and being hurtful to his mother BUT. his issues are like zero compared to frostpaw who is literally watching her clanmates drop like flies including both her parents, is expected to be the soul speaker to starclan and keep secrets like. fucking damn nobody can look at her and say she has it easy, even if she has the support of her clan. also rip curlstar that’s an absolute bonkers good name, and I hope riverclans next leader is podlight or a woman.

despite all that, sunbeam is my favorite. just a shadowclan girl who has relationship issues and familial issues and who’s best friend may or may not have killed a Vice President; what more could you ask for from a POV character? she kept me engaged all the way through even if looking back her chapters don’t often effect the major plot. but many certainly do.

someone was saying it’d be interesting if one or all of the povs became villains at the end and id just like to say I find that an amazing idea. I only hope sunbeam doesn’t become against forbidden relationships and side with her mother or become mates with nightheart. that’s like two ends of the same bad spectrum, though id prefer the romance because it’d be less shitty of her I guess.

hopes: I hope bramblestar does something irredeemable and is exiled. I think that’d be very fun. and I hope leafstar isn’t touched in the next book, please survive lass. tigerstar is funny too I hope he doesn’t die/be demoted for being with dovewing but cloverstar would be cool. Every other leader can die I’d be fine with that! final hope is that nightheart becomes a rogue or something

[hanibalistic]

#17E8D3 | HAN JISUNG.

genre | fluff, nature-like, (may consider it a) magic au

word count | 1664

warning | none

tag | @fluffyskzclub​

note | i just wanted to write about love for a little.

the surface of the lake water waved up to only half of your head. it tickled the back of your neck, wet your hair, and flowed into your ear—all of which were uncomfortable sensations, but ones you could tolerate just to be one with nature.

it was quiet and peaceful until jisung entered the forest ground with his minty, saddened scent. his tantrum-like footsteps were loud compared to the chirpings of the birds and butterflies, as well as the waddling of tiny elves rushing to prepare for their mushroom festival.

you said nothing when he entered the open lake. his feet kicked against the water carelessly, causing ripples after ripples of movement. you signed when the peace was disrupted, but mostly you disliked the itching of your skin where the water brushed against.

jisung stood before your head when he approached you, his own arched down to stare at you, conveniently blocking the sun from your eyes. you opened one eye at him in dismay when you felt a sudden dim of the sun; it would be a pain to readjust to the light again after he removes himself from your view.

"your footsteps sound as childish as ever today, jisung."

wronged tears brimmed in his eyes as he pursed his lips together. his usual urge to retort with wit was long gone after the argument he had with his parents. all he felt was faulted and unworthy at the moment, and it seemed that you could smell the ghastly scent on him because your brows furrowed and you opened your eyes with a kind grimace.

"your heart is full of anguish," you said with concern, then you gestured to your side and smiled softly at him. "come, lay with me on the water."

he did so after accepting your invitation. stepping to your side, jisung carefully knelt on the lake after much consideration. his heart relaxed when he did not fall.

he was supposed to be past the point of being surprised by his ability to walk and stand on water. he was not supposed to feel doubtful when the water allows him access to its vulnerable skin because it will be mistaken as ungrateful. however, still, the belief he grew up with forced him to hesitate each time he steps foot on a deep lake.

the coolness of the water held him in its warm embrace when he laid down on top. he felt like he was sleeping on solid ground, on his cozy bed, but he also felt as if he was floating in clouds, swaying on the ocean floor. the ambiguity of the physical touch tickled his soul and made him laugh in breathlessness.

"give me your hand, ji."

your voice snapped him out of his trance. he continued to giggle hoarsely, his voice giving away that he had cried before entering the forest, and he turned to look at you.

his mind went blank as the birds panicked from afar. a cherry blossom tree has sprouted from the ground somewhere in the forest, courtesy to the pure affection that tinted his shy cheeks when he turned to find you staring with him—the gloss in your eyes reflected the clear water that kissed your face, and petals of flowers draped over your hair to make elegant beds for the sunset spirits (tiny lights, like fireflies, but they move like small giggles) who would soon fall asleep.

he was reverted to a simple boy—a simple boy who blushes when he sees someone pretty, a simple boy who gets nervous when he is to hold hands with someone, a simple boy who is shy enough to avoid eye contact but brave enough to steal glances at his secret crush.

(the forest knows of jisung's romantic affections for you but it chose not to tell.)

"my–my hand? my hand!" he fumbled with himself before he politely reached one hand out to you. his eyes looked down at the water and his voice was an endearingly timid whisper. "here you go."

the redness in his cheeks flamed when you grabbed his hand and locked your fingers through his. he heard you shift, and he felt the back of his palm being engulfed by your other hand. your interlocked hands were placed between your heads then, and when jisung finally mustered up the courage to look at you, you had your eyes closed in a praying manner.

"mother, mother, heed my wish, for a burden to be lifted from a friend fallen," you said. "in return, he will enrich the lake with his tears, and he will feed the wind with his words."

jisung waited respectfully for you to finish. despite having spent a lot of time in the forest—he could back that up with his friendly bonds with the animals and his impressive garden on the floor of your treehouse—most of the time, he has no idea what you were doing.

the forest's ever-changing ways are not something he should question.

"now you can rant about what happened. the forest will lift your worries and feed it to the ground as nourishment," you said, smiling at him.

"nature builds on human emotions," he recited the time you explained to him the connection between the forest and one's soul. he squeezed your hand, your skin brushed against his, and he sighed with a beat of his heart. "we are all connected."

jisung bashfully chuckled when you blinked in pleasant surprise.

"you have good memories, jisung," you said. "i can't believe you remembered that."

he laughed. he would not tell you he only remembered because he liked you enough to.

"anyway, feel free to talk about anything now," you said. "remember to only tell the truth."

everything listened to him. the water listened, the sun listened, the trees and the flowers listened, the elves and the fairies listened—you listened.

what he once thought was unworthy of telling, what he once thought was unjust of complaining, what people once told him to stop talking about—he spilled out all his sorrows in fast and honest words and he could feel that they were received well.

his parent's negligence? the trees demolished them. the unruly expectations he has to meet? the wind carried them away. the hate he felt for the person reflected in the river? the water washed it away.

and, finally, his loneliness of being unloved by people?

tears rolled down his eyes and he sighed at you, hand clutching yours as he wondered.

his honest words bounced back into his ears, giving him a clear perspective of his problems, as well as forcing him to wonder if everything has been his fault after all.

it all went back to square one, it seemed. it all went back to his incompetence at the end because he could not meet what was expected of him, which caused his parents' disapproval, which led to his self-loathe and ultimately, the silhouette of loneliness.

the awful cycle has no end no matter how hard he breaks way for one, and whose fault was that ultimately?

you watched with silent eyes as he smiled at the sky. "i should have been made to be good enough of love, but god has abandoned me before i was even born."

there was a chill in the wind. you were disagreeing with him.

"people can never be made to be enough," you said after laying on your back. you spread your limbs and laid freely on the trembling water; it was beginning to feel the pressure of your bodies upon the releasing of your emotions. "the concept of worthiness does not exist in love."

jisung tilted his head. the sunbeam caught his eyes like a reflection of his soul—so bright but too far. only its warmth could reach his body, and he thought perhaps that was all the sun could afford to do now.

"but people–"

"–don't value foolishness enough," you cut him off calmly. "only fools fall in love with anyone, which is the only way for it to be."

love is not an equation to be solved, or a thesis to be proven by evidence disguised in human traits and success, as most people have made it out to be. love is not complicated like that. it is just bottomless and wide. it reaches everyone without regard—like how the forest loves everyone who touches its ground no matter the murders and sins they have committed.

flowers bloom and leaves sing—simple things that make jisung think of you, the gentle glow of your hair and the smooth touch of your skin.

spirits fly and elves march—playful things that make jisung think of you, when you hold his hand across weak wooden bridges and when you splash water at his face in the deep lakes.

morning rises and night sinks—beautiful things that make jisung think of you, when he twirled you amongst the starshine butterflies and when he foolishly fell in love with you that night.

he squeezed your hand and turned his head to look at you. water seeped into the corner of his eyes, fogging his sight barely as he realized that love is dumb, but it is also great, and there is never worth because nobody gets to choose. love bangs and it is just here, and it will not leave until after you take it the first time.

"i am sorry about your parents," you muttered after a moment. "i am not sure i could help but i hope it works out for you."

"ye–yeah," he nodded, "me too."

"you can stay the night if you want," you said as you shifted on the water. "but it is time for us to take a nap. leave quietly if you do."

jisung hummed to himself. you looked at him before you comfortably closed your eyes. his watched you with ease—his heart was hammering, love is banging at his door.

[internalsealpanic]

Stiff Peaks and Soggy Bottoms

mood board by: @knightfall05x​ (wuv you)

summary: You, Tim, and Kon try to bake. It ends well. 

A/n: Thanks to @littleredwing89​ and @multifandomgirl-us​ for proof reading. I was watching Kitchen Nightmares while writing this. I am surprised how fluffy this came out. You can blame my need for more poly and this piece by @symeona​. I have not shut up about this piece 50 years later (Hi Sym *waves*-Fish). I forgot to mention that reader is more or less gender neutral or I attempted.

warnings: Terrible cooking

masterlist

Kon yawns, scratching at his broad chest and running his hand through his tangle of curly black hair. He blinks one eye open successfully to the dim light flooding into the end of the hall likely coming in from the living room. The lights dance, glowing softly with faded color against the dark glossy wood of the floor. 

 Kon’s first sleep-addled thought is, Oh, Aliens. Ok, cool.

 It takes his brain a full minute to realize how much that doesn’t make sense. The apartment is dead silent, lacking the telltale whirring most spaceships give off when they’re hovering, the sounds of nervous fingers tapping against a stack of papers echoing in the mostly empty space. Kon strained his ears trying to focus on the other sounds flitting in the room. He can hear the steady calming beat of your heart come off rhythm, jumping a fraction of a beat faster. It wasn’t fast enough to say you were in danger. It was just fast enough to tell that you were extremely engaged in whatever was occupying your attention. Kon thinks it over. The last time he checked looking over papers- lab reports, especially- was the bane of your existence. He listens again. This time making out the voices coming from the TV. Kon wasn’t awake enough to understand what they were saying. 

 5:47 AM

 Kon groans trying his hardest not to laugh while he stares at his phone. You are an actual psychopath. Who wakes up at 5 AM? Villains that’s who. Did you even sleep? Why do you and Tim hate sleep so much? 

 Stepping into the living room as quietly as he can, he finds you huddled against the right side of the couch far away from the TV, your thick wool comforter draped over your head and shoulders making a fluffy tent. Strands of your messy bed head sticking out and swaying as you rock on your heels. Your stack of papers long since abandoned on the arm rest beside you. Kon can’t help but smile at how adorable you looked, still sleep rumpled and red-nosed from the cold. 

 Eyes glued to the TV, you pull up your knees to your chest revealing your fuzzy Red Robin socks. Kon frowns then makes a mental note to get you some Superboy socks later. You curl deeper into your comforter, easing and pressing into the armrest. All of your apprehension fading and relaxing as the rest of the world melted away. Kon smiles devilishly at your inattention. He tiptoes towards you which was entirely unnecessary because it didn’t matter that Kon was about as stealthy as a disco ball not when all of your attention was directed at the TV. 

 Kon launches himself at you too quickly for you to even react or comment or throw a pillow at him. You shriek as he lands on you, his muscular body squishing you into the couch. You wince hoping the neighbors didn’t hear. You’re not too worried about Tim waking up considering how tired he was. 

 “Morning, gorgeous.” Kon greets, winking and wrapping his arms around your waist. The audacity. You groan attempting to glare at him. He simply gives you a dopey smile. You have to blow out a raspberry to keep yourself from smiling back. You strain your lips into a flatline. The crow’s feet at the corners of your eyes betray you though. The corner of Kon’s mouth twitches, those big baby blues shining even in the dim light. He knows he’s won you over. 

 You’re too petty and sleep-deprived to give in. You roll your eyes at him, lips still wobbling and tingling from the effort of maintaining your unimpressed frown. Still, without resistance,  you shift the comforter and refold yourself to accommodate his intrusive form. Large arms wrap around your waist tighter as he lays his head in your stomach. How he finds this position comfortable for his neck is beyond you but you do appreciate the warmth. Kon’s smile widens as he looks up at you. It looks positively smug. Your nose scrunches up bracing for whatever Kon is about to say. 

 “Aw, baaabe, it looks good on you~” You look down at the oversized Superboy hoodie you’re wearing which was two times bigger than it needed to be as was standard of your hoodies.  You mutter a curse. Kon had been pestering you to wear it. It’s not that you didn’t want to. It’s just that you had a soft spot for the Impulse hoodie Bart got you a few years ago which meant it was your got-to-hoodie despite the fact that it was fraying.  It was in the wash so you decided to give this one a try and honestly, it is really fucking comfy and more importantly warm.  You huff at him, feeling your cheeks color. You glare at him, his dopey smile still plastered on his face. You make the executive decision to ignore him. 

 This decision does not last long. 

 About two minutes into your silent treatment, Kon whines and pouts weaponizing those baby blues. “Aw come on, gorgeous, you can’t stay mad at me forever.” He nuzzles into your stomach tickling your drawing a smile out of you. He grins at you and finally, you let yourself smile back fully. “Asshole.” You grumble.  He knows you can’t resist him when he’s being cute and calling you ‘gorgeous’. That is just plain cheating. Still, you relent. You wrap your arms loosely around his shoulders, running your hand gently through his dark hair allowing your fingers to tangle in his curls. The arms around you tighten a little pulling you closer to him. 

 Kon doesn’t need a reminder of how absolutely adorable you are but it is very much appreciated. Kon loves looking at you as the soft glowing colors flash across your face highlighting your features and softening them. In the dim light of the room and under the blankets, you press closer to him all the sharp edges of Gotham's alleys stripped away leaving you sleepy-eyed and very huggable. Between you and Tim, you were the one people pointed to when they thought Gothamite but that was the fun of it. He and Tim, they were the only ones who got to see this softer you. The you that you let get enraptured by hobbies and dumb little things. Kon held you close, relishing your presence. This was the version of you they got to keep for themselves and he wouldn't trade it for the world. 

 -------

 Tim shifts feeling either side of him vacant.  Tim rolls over, arms searching for either you or Kon as his mind catches up. The warm sunlight brushes over his skin as he rolls over once again, stirring him from his sleep. Tim blinks, eyes adjusting to the morning light. 

 9: 10 AM

 He groans, shifting up and burying his head under the pillows hoping to once again fall asleep. 

 “Oh no no no no!”

 “Shush! Don’t jinx it!”

 Tim’s eye cracks open.  He lifts his head a bit tilting it to find the bedroom door open, your voices filtering in like dust in a sunbeam, pleasant but ultimately not helpful. 

 “I can’t jinx a pre-recorded show, genius!” 

 Tim sighs. Sleep was, inevitably, lost at this point. Tim debates on whether to keep himself under the covers and finally be able to hog the thick blankets. Or he could, possibly, investigate the commotion happening in your shared living room and risk freezing. Sadly, he chose the latter. 

 Blearily, Tim searches the room for a shirt only to find one of Kon’s discarded on the floor. Well, it’s not the first time he’s borrowed one of Kon’s shirts. 

 Tim wasn’t surprised to find you out of bed. After all, the idea of sitting still ate you alive. You were always, always the happiest when you were in motion when your hands were working to make something like some part of you was constantly vying for the chance to be something instead of just being. Tim completely understood the feeling. 

 Kon had once accused you of being a workaholic when in truth at the moment you had been avoiding work by doing one of your side projects. He had also accused both of you of being sleep allergic which is probably true but at least, Tim’s drink (read: poison) of choice was tea and not a cocktail of monster energy drinks and misery. 

 It was odd to find Kon out of bed though.  Kon could laze around in bed for days if you let him, so his being up was worth investigating if only to make sure the apartment didn’t burn down.  

 “Look what you did!”

 “It’s prerecorded, jackass!”

 “You cursed him and gave him a soggy bottom”

 Tim can tell just how long you’ve been glued to the T.V. based on the way your vowels slant to mimic that of the hosts. Tim’s slightly chapped lips curl as he shakes his head at the way you and Kon cock your heads towards the T.V., attention completely captured by what seems to be a cooking show. You held your breaths, waiting for the judge to say something. Kon shifts up, leaning his head against your shoulder.  Your limbs were tangled loosely against each other. It was a rare, lazy sort of affection that never failed to make Tim smile. 

 “Ok, no. That’s just mean.” You huff into Kon’s hair, looking absolutely petulant and cute. Tim works to stop an ‘aaaaawww’ rising from the back of his throat lest you throw a pillow at his head. 

 “Babe, it’s Paul Hollywood. What were you expecting?”

 “Human decency. She worked hard on that.” You whine, genuinely looking upset. 

 Seeing, your reaction Kon relents burrowing himself closer to you for comfort. “True.”

 Tim turned his attention to the T.V.. What he found made his brow shoot up. 

 “Great British Bake Off?” Tim asks, sliding into your left side and placing his head on your shoulder. There is a reason you guys bought an L-shaped couch. Said reason was named Conner Kent who liked laying on top of people. Those people being either of you. Tim snuggles into your side, earning him a kiss on his nose.   His nose scrunches feeling itchy. He lets out a small sneeze into the back of his hand. You blanch at him while Kon snorts, throwing him a box of tissues from the coffee table. 

 “Mornin’, Space Case.” You mumble giving him another kiss, this time on the corner of his lip. Tim blushes,  his face brighter than the sunlight outside your window. Tim is, sadly, incurably adorable.  

 Kon smiles at both of you smugly for what neither of you has any clue. Not until you see what Tim is wearing and not until Tim sees what you’re wearing. You groan and Tim blows out a  breath through his nose while Kon presses his positively glowing smile into your hoodie. He’s not going to shut up about this anytime soon or ever. 

 “Do you two even know anything about baking?” Tim asks, crossing his arms over his chest and smoothly changing the subject. 

 You and Kon share a look. 

 “Nope”

 “Yes”

 “Microwaves and watching this show doesn’t count.”

 “Ooook, fine. I don’t. Buuuuuut considering none of us can-”

 “I can cook.” Tim defends, clipped. You roll your eyes dramatically. Kon smirks, also doubtful. You flicker your eyes to Kon to meet his and with the brief contact, you know you’re on the same page. 

 “Microwaves don’t count, Tim.” Kon shoots back, pulling himself off you so he can show Tim the full extent of his Cheshire smile. You can see Tim drawing his hackles up, so both of you, being the little shits you are, continue to goad him. 

 “You can cook in theory,” You drawl, letting the challenge embed itself into the syllables. Tim cuts you a look. You simply look at him innocently. Tim  knows  that you’re baiting him. He definitely knows this and yet…

 “Fine!”

 “Fine?” 

 “Fine. We’ll even make something from the show!”

 “Even chocolate eclairs?” Kon says a little too eagerly. You were just gonna say meringues but chocolate eclairs sound fantastic.

 Tim throws up his arms and exasperates. “Sure! Why not?”

 You and Kon share a dopey smile, smug and preening as you look at him. Tim groans, placing his head in his hands. He knew this would happen. He knew. You and Kon high five and make a little “yeah!” noise in celebration.

 This will not end well.   

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

 You twitch your lips staring down at Tim’s phone, deleting and retyping the message for the third time. You weren’t  sure  how to explain this without having Jason falling to the floor laughing. Your eyes stung from the smoke so you decided to just send him your third try. 

 Tim: Hey Jason, theoretically, say your oven caught on fire like via laser beam or something, do you just pour water on it?

 You wait a few minutes, watching the three dots indicating he was typing only for him to stop typing without replying. You make a small noise, which was thankfully lost to the bickering behind you when Jason’s phone number flashed on the screen. You’re always nervous about talking to Tim’s family. Tim had once assured you that you were overthinking it but still. To be fair, it was easier than dealing with Kon’s. Actually, no. No, it wasn’t. Both were intimidating but in very different ways. You do have to say that Jason, scary as he was, was easier to approach than say Bruce. 

 “Baby bird,” Jason says, the edge of a wheeze gripping his throat. Clearly, having just recovered from laughing his guts out. He breathes, hand slamming against what you suspect was either a kitchen countertop or a workbench or both knowing Jason. “Ok, ok, I’m good-” He clears his throat. “Kay, tell me what happened.”

 You flick your eyes toward the fire and your boys who were more or less still bickering, their voices tangling with the crackling of the flames. You’re mildly surprised that neither of them is on fire but you’re not holding your breath. They’ll probably be somehow combust in the next five minutes. You love them but they’re disasters.

 “We were trying to bake- shut up-” Jason does not snort any quieter. “And well, Tim thought-”

 “It was Kon’s idea!”

 “You let me!” Kon defends sounding utterly betrayed. 

 You groan and Jason snickers.  “What do we do?”

��“Have you tried apologizing to it?”

 “Jason, I’m being serious.”

 “So am I. Now, apologize.” You sigh exasperatedly. Waynes are assholes. 

 Tim raises a brow at you and you give him a shrug not really knowing what to tell him. “Apparently, we need to apologize to the oven.” You deadpan, immediately regretting even relaying it. How have you never decked Jason? It wasn’t fear. After all, you’ve decked Batman. Ok, in your defense lack thereof, that one was by accident or moreover reflexive. 

 “Hey Kon”

 “Both of you have to apologize too!”

 “First of all, I was in the bathroom getting towels when you two chucklefucks decided to use laser vision to preheat the oven.”

 You hear Jason fall out of his chair. Distantly, you hear someone calling Jason an idiot but you weren’t too familiar with the voice. You instantly thank yourself for not turning on the camera considering what state you three were in. Kon was covered in chocolate, your hair-as well as your poor phone- was caked in batter, and Tim? Tim was covered in everything but mostly flour which keeps making his nose twitch like a rabbit. Though, you wouldn’t be surprised if Kon’s already taken a few pictures. You yourself have taken a few.  

 “Ok but seriously what do we do?”

 You hear some rustling and a chair squeaking back into place. 

 “No…”

 “First off, did you close the oven?” Your eyes flicker to them. Placing Tim’s phone between your shoulder and ear, you mime the advice. Tim frowns skeptical but Kon kicks the oven closed anyway. 

“Ok, it’s closed now. Should we put water in it?”

 “NO. Have you never put out a kitchen fire before? How do you three eat?”

 “We live in the middle of downtown, what do you think?”

 Jason sighs disbelieving and finally sounding appropriately exasperated. You could see him running his hand over his face.  “Who let you three live together?” This made your lips twitch up. “I dunno. Kon and I just started mooching on Tim and then suddenly we each got a key to the apartment.” It was an oversimplification of events but there was a fire and you had to get at least one joke in. 

 “Do your neighbors have- Wait, don’t you have a Kryptonian clone with freeze breath?”

 You blink and slap your palm against your forehead. The other two seemed to get what you had just remembered and act appropriately with Tim looking defeated and Kon finding the situation hilarious. 

 “Thanks, Jay.” You mutter wanting the Earth to swallow you whole. Esme, your chubby rat, squeaked nuzzling against you as she wormed her way out of your hoodie. She may or may not have been the primary reason for the size of your hoodies. She smiles at the phone, wide-eyed and happy as if she could see Jason. You hear a soft laugh coming from Jason’s end. 

 “Is that Esme?” Your brow ticks up not quite sure how to answer. “Uh yeah.” You answer dumbly, giving Esme little scritches that she leaned into happily making all her little happy noises.     

 “Give her a cuddle for me.” You give Esme a kiss on her nose and she snuggles in reciprocation. Kon pouts face still full of chocolate, “Where’s mine?”

 “You’ll get one once our apartment isn’t about to burn down.”   

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

 Fresh out of the shower, you plop down next to Tim letting your wet hair flop onto his face and his fuzzy Wonder Girl sweatshirt. Tim huffs at you taking another bite out of the hot fresh-ly ordered stuffed crust pizza. The cheese was still gooey and molten. It made your stomach rumble like nobody’s business. You whine childishly trying to get Tim to hand you one. He looks at you, mouthful of pizza, and grabs one only to hand it to Kon. You gasp at him. You stretch your legs over their laps in protest only to retract them immediately after Kon pokes at your feet a couple of times tickling you. 

 You hide behind Tim, glaring at Kon and sticking your tongue out. Tim, the traitor, moves out of the way letting Kon’s long arms capture you. You shriek almost sounding like Esme as he pulls you in sitting you in his lap. You sigh in defeat as Kon places his chin on your head. You don’t even want to see the triumphant smirks on both their faces. 

 You grab a slice and through the mouthful of cheese and grease, you murmur “We really need to learn how to cook.” Tim hums in agreement, leaning against Kon, aka the cuddliest heater in the world. You lean back into Kon as another signature bake is brought up to the judges. You all watch with bated breaths as you wait for the results. 

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

 You marvel at the fresh ingredients laid before you and the posh man standing in your kitchen rolling up his sleeves. 

 “Hey, Duckie, are we in trouble?” Kon whispers from behind you. He’s got your back, he said. 

 “Kind of?” Tim bleats, his voice a little high. 

 You snort raising an eyebrow at him hiding your smile behind your hand. “Timmy, what does kind of mean?” 

 “I can hear you.” Alfred deadpans. You and Kon stiffen.  You’re pretty sure even Tim straightens up, probably out of habit. 

 “Do any of you know how to cook?” Alfred asks in the primmest sounding accent you’ve ever heard. 

 “Nope, we live downtown for a reason.” You snark reflexively. Tim glares at you and hisses silently.  You shrink and mutter an apology which Alfred takes graciously.

 “I am assuming you don’t then. Well, it’s lucky that I have a free afternoon.”

 Tim eyes him suspiciously. “What happened to B?”

 “Your father can take care of himself.”

 “You sure?”

You think you see Alfred smile at that. 

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

Thanks for reading!

tag list:  @batarella , @anothertimdrakestan , @lucy-roo , @multifandomgirl-us , @idkmanicantenglish ,@birdy-bat-writes ,  @boosyboo9206 , @americasmarauders , @l-inkage @arestorationofbalance , @cloudie-skay , @wunderstell

[whenisitenoughtrees]

to be honest, capable (of holding you) (part 1/3)

He walks forward, crouching over the snake, and when it doesn’t stir at all, he works up his courage and pokes it, just a little. Its scales are warm and smooth under his fingertip, and he resists the urge to stroke them. He doubts he could get away with that.

“Janus?” he asks, trying to keep the somewhat hysterical laughter from his voice. “That you?”

Thomas didn't know that Janus could turn into an actual snake, but he's glad to hang out with him regardless. More than glad; ecstatic, even, because he's been trying to figure out how to befriend him for ages, and this seems like a good first step. What he can't figure out is why human-Janus is being so weird about it.

(Alternatively: Janus doesn't trust easily. He wishes he could stop trusting Thomas— it would be so much less terrifying.)

Chapter Warnings: brief fear of strangulation (no actual strangulation occurs)

Chapter Word Count: 2,926

Pairing: platonic Thomceit

(part 2) (part 3)

(masterpost w/ ao3 links)

It starts with the snake in the sunshine.

Thomas supposes that’s not entirely right, because in order to be truly accurate, he would have to acknowledge that ‘it’ started a long, long time ago, when he was a kid, or perhaps even when he was a baby. He’s not certain; he’s never thought to ask any of the sides when, exactly, they developed. And he’s also not certain when they became… the way that they are, instead of just being regular, non-sentient parts of his personality like literally everyone else on the planet is made up of, when his heart became someone called Patton, his logic someone called Logan, and so on. But he doesn’t think that any of that is particularly relevant for this specific situation, so for all intents and purposes: it starts with the snake in the sunshine.

He spots it when he’s coming down the stairs, and promptly stops up short on the third to last step, because, snake. In his apartment. And he knows that things like this happen in Florida, knows that wildlife has a tendency to encroach on human settlements (and he has heard enough horror stories about alligators in people’s backyards to last a lifetime, thank you), but it’s never happened to him before, and he’s not sure what to do about it.

It’s lying in the sunlight slanting through the window, coiled tightly, unmoving. It is white, with dappled yellow patterns all across its back, though there appears to be some kind of black marking on its head. It’s fairly large, too, far larger than any snakes he’s seen outside of a zoo, and he briefly entertains the notion that this might be a zoo escapee, though he’s not certain of how that would have happened. Or of how it got into his apartment in the first place. He definitely would have noticed it sneaking through the door, right?

He manages to overcome his initial fear, carefully dismounting the last few steps and approaching cautiously, sure to stay out of striking range. He doesn’t know much about snakes, doesn’t know how to tell if this is a venomous one or not, and he’s not taking any chances. Though, isn’t it something to do with the shape of their heads? Don’t venomous snakes have pointed heads? That sounds right. And this snake’s head doesn’t look particularly angular, so perhaps he’s safe, though he still doesn’t want to get bitten, venomous or not. The next step should probably be to call animal control and let them handle this.

Something about it seems off, though. Something in its markings, perhaps, that particular shade of yellow, or that odd blot on its head—

Wait. That can’t be right.

He stops. Takes a few steps forward, squinting. Goes so far as to rub his eyes, because perhaps there is a spot in his vision, fooling him into seeing something that doesn’t exist.

But no, it’s still there.

The black spot on its head isn’t a natural marking at all. He’s still not entirely sure his eyes can be trusted, but for all the world, it appears as though there is a tiny black bowler hat perched between this snake’s eyes.

And just like that, everything clicks. All the fear rushes out of him at once, leaving him breathless with relief. He can’t say that there is no apprehension about this new set of circumstances, and a healthy dose of confusion is steadily building, but this is far better than there being an actual, real snake in his apartment.

He walks forward, crouching over the snake, and when it doesn’t stir at all, he works up his courage and pokes it, just a little. Its scales are warm and smooth under his fingertip, and he resists the urge to stroke them. He doubts he could get away with that.

“Janus?” he asks, trying to keep the somewhat hysterical laughter from his voice. “That you?”

Slowly, the snake lifts its head, looking up at him with slightly glassy eyes. For a few seconds, they both participate in what has to be the strangest staring contest of Thomas’ life. Thomas loses, because the snake that is probably-almost-definitely-Janus doesn’t seem to blink.

Snakes don’t have facial expressions. Thomas is fairly certain of that. And yet, he gets the distinct impression that Janus is waiting for something; it’s in the gleam of his eyes, the slight tilt of his head, almost like he’s issuing a challenge.

“It’s totally cool if it is,” he clarifies, raising his hands. “Uh, you can feel free to stay there as long as you want. But uh, I just wanted to make sure that it was you and not some random snake.” He smiles, casting about in his mind for something to say. He’s not yet sure how to talk to Janus, not sure how to interact with him now that he’s offered up his acceptance, but he’s certainly going to try his best. He wants to get to know him, wants to understand him better. He deserves nothing less. “There’s only room for one snake in this apartment.”

Janus stares at him for a while longer, and then nods, a fluid, intelligent motion that is slightly disturbing coming from something that looks like an animal, but Thomas can deal. If his sides can shapeshift into his friends, and puppets, and giant frog monsters with abs, he can cope with his snake-like side becoming an actual snake. It’s hardly the weirdest thing he’s ever seen.

Janus returns to his coiled up position, apparently intent on taking a nap, and frankly, Thomas can’t blame him at all. A nap sounds great right about now. He’s not entirely sure why Janus has chosen to do so here, rather than in the mindscape; he’s certainly never seen any of the other sides sleep in his apartment. But he’s hardly about to make Janus leave, even if he’s bemused and a bit discomfited, so he wanders off to grab a snack and get back to editing, leaving Janus to sleep in the sunlight.

He’s gone by evening, and Thomas isn’t entirely sure when he left. It’s a few days before he shows up again, in the exact same spot, in the exact same sunbeam, and Thomas greets him but otherwise leaves him be.

From then on, it sort of becomes a thing. On cloudless days, Janus pops up as a snake to sun himself in the living room. Sometimes Thomas will chat with him, making idle conversation that he’s not sure is listened to, and sometimes he stays silent, content to do his own thing while Janus does his. It turns into a comfortable habit, on his end, at least, and he hopes that Janus is comfortable with it too. He thinks he is; at least, he never gives any indication otherwise.

He’s still not sure why exactly this is happening, but he hardly feels the need to complain.

But then, Thomas walks downstairs one day to find Janus staring directly at him.

He pauses, thrown by the change to their routine. Most of Janus’ body is curled in on itself, like usual, but his head is reared, and as Thomas watches, he sways back and forth slightly, a constant, seemingly automatic motion. His tongue flickers in the air, but he makes no sound, neither hissing nor speech, and though Thomas isn’t sure that he’s capable of talking while he’s like this, he’s heard him hiss a few times, so this silence is unnerving.

“Hey,” he says uneasily. He gives a half-hearted little wave, which he regrets almost instantly, feeling like an idiot. “Uh, is something the matter?”

Janus looks pointedly to the window behind him, and then back to Thomas again. It only takes Thomas a few seconds after that to realize what the issue is.

It’s raining.

And not a light rain, either, not the kind that casts grey shadows over the world and taps gentle, soothing rhythms against the windowpane. This is a storm, dark and furious, wind whipping and tearing into the trees and sending gust after gust of the torrential downpour against the glass. It is late afternoon, but it may as well be night for how dark the sky is. There is certainly no trace of sun poking through, and thus, no light for Janus to lie in.

He walks closer, though hesitantly. “I’m not sure what to tell you, buddy.” He winces as soon as he says it; ‘buddy’ doesn’t fit Janus at all, feels too presumptuous, like he’s assuming a closeness that doesn’t yet exist. He’ll keep trying. “I can’t control the weather.” He pauses, looking back to the snake, who has drawn up slightly, his head now almost level with Thomas’ waist. “Um, is there not anywhere in the mindscape that you could find some sun?”

Janus hisses, loud and sharp, opening his mouth to flash some fang. Instinctively, Thomas takes a step back.

He’ll take that as a no.

He rubs the back of his neck. “Well, I’m not sure what to do, then,” he says. “It’s supposed to be like this all day.”

Snakes cannot look disappointed. They cannot glare. They are literally incapable of those facial expressions. So how Janus is managing to convey angry dejection is absolutely beyond him. And he doesn’t know how to comfort him, doesn’t know if comfort would even be welcome; in a way, Janus is a lot like Virgil, not that he would ever dare to speak that opinion out loud. They present themselves entirely differently, but at their core, they are both proud, stubborn and guarded, if in varying ways. Thomas has learned Virgil fairly well by now, knows how to slip past his walls, but Janus is a different story.

But still, seeing him so disappointed doesn’t sit right with him. So he reaches out on instinct, running a finger down the scales just past his head in an attempt to offer comfort through touch, and he doesn’t realize that this may have been a mistake until Janus stiffens, going completely rigid and still. He pulls his hand back hastily.

“Sorry!” he says. “I should’ve asked first, I’m sorry.” He frowns, glancing from Janus to his finger and back again. “You’re really cold. Is that normal?”

Snakes are cold-blooded. He does know that much, knows that they rely on external factors in order to maintain their body temperatures. He just never thought that such a restriction would apply to Janus, considering that he is, in fact, an imaginary snake and not a real one. But if he’s wrong, if Janus truly does need an outside source of heat in order to stay warm himself, then that would explain his distress.

Janus hisses at him again and ducks back down, curling into himself until he resembles a convoluted knot, his head nowhere to be seen. It’s almost upsettingly cute, not that Thomas would risk voicing such a thought. He crouches down instead, considering his options. Would Janus accept his help, if he offered it?

There’s only one way to find out.

“Hey,” he says softly. “Um, look, I can’t turn on the sun for you, but you look super uncomfortable, so if you wanted, you could… wrap around my arm, or something? Body heat would help, right?” He hesitates; Janus is fairly long, probably about five feet, possibly a bit longer, so the logistics might be a bit tricky. But he’s sure they could figure it out, if Janus would be amenable. Slowly, he stretches a hand out again, placing two fingers on Janus’ scales and stroking them with a feather-light touch. He really does feel cold.

Janus uncoils himself, hissing loudly, but he leans into the contact in a way that almost seems like desperation, like he’s trying to steal all the warmth he can from Thomas’ fingertips. And after a moment, the hissing stops, and he regards Thomas with an almost wild stare.

“Really,” he presses, unsure of what Janus is thinking. “I wouldn’t mind. Unless it’s not something you’re comfortable with, in which case, that’s fine, we could figure out something else. I… might have a heated blanket?” He casts back in his mind, trying to figure out if he does, in fact, possess a heated blanket, or if he just used to have one and is remembering incorrectly. If he doesn’t still have it, he’s not sure that he owns anything else that would help; snakes like heat lamps, he thinks, but he definitely doesn’t have one of those. Could he turn on the oven and set Janus in front of it? Would that work?

He is jolted out of his thoughts by the sensation of Janus’ head rubbing into his hand, like a cat seeking attention. He freezes, and so does Janus, and for a long moment, they have another one of those staring contests. Then, Janus sets his head primly on the back of his hand, still staring, as if asking for permission. Something bright and warm blooms in Thomas’ chest, and with his free hand, he gestures to his arm, trying to suppress the grin that wants to spread across his face.

Janus hesitates for a second longer. Then, he slithers up and around Thomas’ arm, and Thomas shivers at the sensation of frigid scales sliding across his skin. At first, it seems as though this won’t work, that Janus is simply too big to settle comfortably, but Thomas watches in fascination as Janus begins to shrink, landing on a much smaller size, perhaps two feet long, a length that can wrap around his arm with ease. Somehow, throughout the process, the tiny bowler hat remains perfectly balanced.

And just like that, there is a snake looped around Thomas’ arm.

“Alright,” he says, trying not to sound as giddy as he feels, because this is the closest he feels like he’s gotten to making a personal connection to Janus in months. “Okay, cool. Um, I was planning on getting some more editing done, so you can just hang out while I do that, I guess. Feel free to hiss at me or something if you get uncomfortable.”

Janus remains silent, which he will take as a good sign. In fact, he remains silent for the better part of an hour, lazily regarding the computer screen as Thomas attempts to wrangle his filmed material into something worth posting. He ends up doing most of the work with one arm so as to disturb Janus as little as possible, but he finds that he doesn’t mind. After a time, he almost forgets that Janus is there at all, becomes accustomed to the chilly weight of his scales on his arm, the slight movements as he shifts in place every now and again.

But then, those slight movements become bigger movements, and Thomas stills, tensing as Janus uncoils and begins to slither his way up his arm and under his shirtsleeve. His breath catches, and chills shoot down his spine; Janus is warmer than before, but still cool, and the sensation as Janus moves across his shoulder and emerges from his shirt’s collar is odd, unfamiliar. He exhales shakily as Janus continues to move, looping himself around his neck several times, just tight enough that Thomas is very aware of his presence, of the fact that there is a snake coiled around his neck, and as much as he knows that Janus will not physically harm him (and probably couldn’t, even if he tried), there is an element in his hindbrain that is gibbering at him, insisting that everything about this situation is a very bad idea, and that he needs to remove the threat.

God, he hopes Virgil isn’t paying attention to this. Except, judging from the way he’s feeling right now, judging from the almost audible oh god oh god get him off get him off, he definitely is, and Thomas is very surprised that he’s held back from showing up in person.

And then, Janus lets out a whistling breath and tucks his head between the coils and Thomas’ neck, and all the tension leaks from Thomas’ body as his rational thinking catches up to the situation. The way Janus is gripping him is nowhere near tight enough to cut off his airflow, and it never was, even though he seems to be pressing up as close to his skin as possible. But why--?

Was his arm not warm enough?

“You good there, Janus?” he asks, his voice barely above a whisper. He receives no response, neither a hiss nor any additional motion, so he tries again. “Are you, uh, asleep?”

Again, no reply, so it’s probably safe to assume. He smiles, wide and unrestrained, and powers down his laptop. The storm outside has calmed to a softer rainfall, pattering against the windows, and other than that, the world seems quiet and still. It’s earlier than Thomas usually goes to bed, but he actually feels like he might manage to fall asleep if he tries, and a little bit of extra rest never hurt anyone. He’s been working in bed already, thankfully, so while he can’t lie all the way down without dislodging Janus in some way, Logan won’t lecture him too much if he falls asleep where he sits.

He reaches over to the lamp at his bedside and turns off the light.

“Goodnight, Janus,” he murmurs. Predictably, he receives no response, but Janus’ scales still press against him in the dark, a comforting presence as he drifts off.

------

General Taglist: @just-perhaps @the-real-comically-insane @jerrysicle-tree @glitchybina @psodtqueer @mrbubbajones @snek-boii @severelylackinginquality @aceawkwardunicorn @gayerplease @elizabutgayer @dwbh888 @thatoneloudowl @sanderssides-angst @gayboopnoodle @wildfire5157 @ldavmp4 @a-ghostlight-for-roman @sammy-is-obsessed @imlovethomassanders

As a note, I am willing to have a separate taglist for this fic if you just want to be tagged for the other two chapters. So if you want to be added to the taglist, feel free to ask! But please do specify which taglist you would like to be added to.

[gwennavierre]

Doki doki

Adrien realizes something about his everyday ladybug.

Ladybug realizes something about her kitty.

-----

Marinette was a busy person. School, crushes, liars, bullies, akumas, friendship drama... those were things most teens in Paris dealt with, but Marinette was also Ladybug, the Guardian of the Miracle Box, and a budding fashion designer.

While others ran to hide from akumas, Marinette transformed into Ladybug to fight and defeat them with the help of Chat Noir and the occasional temporary miraculous holder.

While her classmates got to go to bed at a reasonable time after doing homework, Marinette stayed up for hours getting to know the kwamis and work out who would best be suited to be a temporary holder for them when needed.

And while other teens practiced their passions in waking hours, Marinette worked tirelessly through the nights and over weekends to finish commissions. Her non lucrative hobbies tended to get pushed aside, which was frustrating since they helped her relax...

She decided she could kill two birds with one stone (so to speak... Orikko wasn't a fan of that phrase..) by sharing her own interests with the kwamis while working on her current fashion projects.

A few of the kwamis had taken a shine to the anime shows and manga collection Marinette had. Some preferred reading the Japanese comics out loud to their Guardian as she stitched or crocheted. They delighted in making different voices for the characters or taking turns reading, emphasizing the sound effects and even acting out the fight scenes (Tikki especially liked acting out the romantic scenes solo and making Marinette giggle uncontrollably as she passionately kissed the air space in front of her own tiny face).

Marinette hadn't realized just how much more time she was spending watching anime and reading (or at least listening to) manga until a normal morning of class was about to start.

She had gotten there early for a change! Not planned, Tikki had simply set her phone alarm for earlier while she slept in an attempt to get her holder to class on time for a change. It worked, though Marinette realized what had happened the moment she burst through the classroom door. She had been scowling at her purse every few moments while idly sketching at her desk since then.

Her anger at her clever kwami dissipated however, when a certain blond boy waltzed into the room with the grace and energy of a gazelle. She couldn't help the love sick sigh that escaped her as he made his way to his desk, a small smile on his lips growing into a full grin as his eyes met hers.

"Good morning, Marinette!" His voice was sunbeams and she wanted to curl up in it and take a cat nap.

"G-good morning Daydreaming. I mean Adrien. Sorry.. I was daydreaming. Not that you're not a daydream because you are! Not, I mean. You're just a regular dream. I mean person. I... what I meant was... um..." Marinette wished more than anything else in that moment that the desk would turn into a black hole and suck her I to it.

Until she heard Adrien laughing softly. Until she saw the crinkles at the corners of his eyes. Until she heard his next words to her...

"I'm sorry for laughing, Marinette. I promise I'm not laughing at you, though. Not exactly anyway... it's just... you tend to get flustered like this sometimes and while I usually just pretend I don't notice so you don't get embarrassed, I... I honestly think it's adorable. Like... utterly ridiculously freaking cute and I had to tell you. I... I hope you don't mind me saying that." His voice had gotten quieter towards the end, his eyes glued to the sketchbook on Marinette's desk, his right hand rubbing the back of his neck, and his cheeks lightly flushed with pink.

Marinette had noticed all of this, somehow, and was staring at him in mild shock, eyes wide and unable to close her jaw for a moment.

When she came back to her senses (debatable), the first thing she did was clutch her chest dramatically and whisper just loudly enough for Adrien to hear: "doki doki"

...

...

Shocked green eyes snapped to mortified blue ones.

Marinette slapped a hand over her mouth in horror.

Adrien grinned like a kid who was given free reign in a candy shop.

Before he could stop her, however, Marinette stood up and shot to the classroom door, nearly colliding with a few classmates making their way in. She didn't return until the bell rang and steadfastly avoided Adrien's gaze whenever he turned around in his seat.

____

Shortly before class was supposed to get out, there was a muffled commotion from down the road.

Great. Akuma. Marinette made a quick request to use the bathroom, leaping out of her seat before the teacher could respond. She didn't notice Adrien leaving the classroom shortly after.

____

"Good job!" The superhero duo bumped fists after the miraculous ladybugs had cleaned up the mess made by the akuma. It had thankfully been a quick one. Ladybug had seemed a bit preoccupied during the battle. Chat didn't seem to mind, though. In fact... he looked quite pleased with himself. Ladybug raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're in a good mood today, kitty." She smiled at the smirk on his face, happy to have something else to think about other than her embarrassing blunder in the classroom earlier...

"Is it that obvious? Heh. I guess I am." Chat Noir searched Ladybug's face, wanting to tell her what happened but only if she genuinely wanted to hear about it. She tilted her face towards him and smiled expectantly. Good enough for him!

"So, uh... today, um. Do you read manga?"

Ladybug frowned in confusion. "Yeah? But... what does that have to do wi-"

Chat waved his hands in a mildly impatient gesture. "Getting there, just... context will help. So! I got to class and there was one person there already. This girl... I... I've been kinda crushing on her for a while..."

Ladybug felt something tighten in her chest at that, but dutifully chose to ignore it. She was happy he had finally started moving on. She was proud of him. This girl in his class was probably no where near as cool as her anyway. Wait, what? Ladybug shook her head to rid the intrusive thoughts and paid attention to her partner again.

"... she's always been like that around me but I thought it was because she hated me at first, or just felt uncomfortable because I'm fam- er... familiar or uh... something." Chat cleared his throat awkwardly. Ladybug gave him a look that seemed to be encouraging him to continue though her smile seemed a bit... off.

"Anyway. So today I say good morning to her and she starts fumbling over her words. They seemed so... I dunno... She kept accidentally calling me a dream, a daydream actually... and I just... I started laughing because it was sooooo cuuuute!" Chat had brought his closed fists to rest under his chin and his eyes glazed over at the memory of Marinette's earlier word salad.

Ladybug's brain was buzzing. It was driving her nuts. She knew what it was but it couldn't be... so that meant it wasn't. Right? Isn't that how things work? Oh, he's still talking. About that girl. Who just so happens to have done the same thing she did this morning. Funny thing, coincidences.

"... she ACTUALLY SAID 'doki doki'!! Can you believe it? Like... her eyes could have literally had hearts in them. There's no way I misinterpreted that, right? She likes me, right?? I mean... it makes sense, all the times she got flustered. It wasn't because she doesn't like me after all!!"

Chat had started pacing in a circle around what apparently was a lifelike statue of Ladybug, seemingly unaware of the switch.

"She ran out of the room right after and then left right before the akuma so I haven't had a chance to talk to her since, but I think, no wait, I KNOW she likes me and I want to ask her out and now I won't feel awkward asking to marathon an anime or something because she obviously likes that kind of thing too and I can't believe I didn't know that about her before but now I DO know and that means I can... um.... Ladybug?"

He stopped and stood directly in front of Ladybug, a look of concern and mild embarrassment on his features. Ladybug's eyes that had appeared to be staring into a void snapped to his. Her mouth clicked shut. Her face blossomed into a deep blush and she took two giant steps back from Chat, stumbling slightly. It was Chat's turn to frown in confusion.

"Ladybug, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing. I have to fo gome. Go home.

Chat's eyes narrowed. "Your school is already out for the day?"

"Yes" she lied. "Shirt day today."

"Um... okay? You mean short?"

"That's what I said."

Chat scratched the top of his head between the cat ears. Ladybug was acting really strange... it's almost like she's... no. It can't be. Can it?

"Ladybug... are you...."

"Chat..." It was a warning. But Chat Noir had to know....

"Are you jealous?!"

__________

Shall I continue this or leave it as a one shot?