#I also want fireworks to give me a haircut

[rabbitindemun]

So..

Teen Goth Mabel..

I JUST.. AAAAAHHHGGG she's gorgeous on every style * giggles * A sketch I did of goth teen Mabel a while ago while re-watching Alex and Dana's Draw-A-Thon, it makes me SO happy every time I have a LOT of things I would like to draw about what is mentioned of all the characters there i luv it

[zoropookie]

WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE (WYWDFL) — ONE

YOU couldn't be having a worse halloween night. choose your fate with your fellow readers and see if it gets better!

chapter two

soulmate!wanderer x gn!reader

"Yeah, I understand that it's the third day I haven't paid my rent, I'm telling you my banks been closed."

Your voice to your landlord, Kamisato Ayato (who is also your boss), on the phone reeked with desperation. And yet, even though this was the case, you still had time to snack on chicken strips at a picnic table.

"(L/N), there's nothing else I can do, your extension is up. I need a payment by tomorrow." His voice crackled through the phone, stern but never sympathetic. "I have other tenants to consider."

"Wouldn't have guessed that one." You laughed as a jab at the other, a thin veneer of your humor and the intense need to scream gnawed at your mouth. “You’re rich as hell telling me that you have other tenants to consider, but you’re still making me clean toilets? Couldn't give me a promotion to accountant or anything? I know about 16 of your slimy practices.”

“You're being dramatic.”

“The only other tenants are Itto and Yoimiya with her dad. This is a side thing for you with how often my shower head is broken.” Your eyes dulled. “If anything, I should be telling you to pay me.”

The other end went silent, as your boss Ayato cleared his throat. “I never said it was free housing in the lease.”

“Ooh, slimy practice number 17! Hey, maybe if you make it to 20, I can wring 700,000 mora out of you.”

“You can make as many threats as you want, you still haven't paid in time. I can’t keep extending deadlines for you.” Ayato’s voice hardened. “If you can’t pay by tonight, you will have to find somewhere else to stay.”

You felt helpless in the moment, but still managed to hold on to the call for just a few more seconds. “Really, Kamisato.” Your voice dulled. “You’re going to lock me out of my apartment, keep me in a Halloween costume, and deny my valid reason just because I didn’t pay up 1,000 mora? Me, who cleans your event hall everyday.”

“Perhaps you should have been more conscious of your money management. Please be more responsible in the future, (L/N). Good luck to you.”

And with that, he hung up. You let out a growl of frustration and slammed your phone down on the picnic table. It happened to bounce up and land face down on the floor. You gasped lightly, reaching quickly to pick it up as you checked it frantically.

Cracks up and down the screen of your phone you still managed to be making payments on. "Wow..." You stared at the cracks in disbelief, feeling a disastrous amount of weight that prompted you to throw away the greasy chicken strips. You've been going to this place for so long to save money that you wondered if you were ever really saving anyway.

You gathered your thoughts quickly before continue your walk back home. You had just came back from a big Halloween party that your neighbor Yoimiya invited you to. You weren't listening entirely, but she was yapping hard about this concept about soulmates and how it's been actually proven that what the mark you were born with yadda yadda yadda. Because of this, anyway, she had made these weird concoctions that made the fireworks different colors. From purple, orange, green, and so on to get everyone in the spirit.

You were too scared of her to say no; one of these days you were convinced she's going to accidentally make a nuke and kill everyone. You'd rather not make an enemy if it meant you had a chance living in her oddly huge bunker (how did she make a bunker underground her bottom floor apartment?).

If anything, your spirit was crushed as soon as you left the party. With how the only guy blowing up your phone was Ayato and he just wanted the money that he gave you back, and looking like a very horrible version of an 80's professional acrobatics instructor with an equally as bad haircut, you were pretty much having the worst Halloween night of your life.

Especially seeing your crush for 13 years, Xiao, kiss the literal only other guy at the party, Venti. How long were you even waiting to get your chance? He didn't even know Venti that well compared to you, and he was probably crushing on him just because he could sing. And now you have the very moment that you were happy to not in the blink of an eye, so miserable seeing it that you could swear you felt yourself sober up.

And to Creep by Radiohead blaring in the background, they were kissing to one of the most unconventional songs you can kiss to. For what may have been a song for them to remember their first kiss was a song that you wanted to shove an ice pick through your ear canal every time you heard it now. You guessed the soulmate stuff Yoimiya was talking about was true. They saw the exact same mark on each others wrists...

You could sing too, probably even better than he could. Singing isn't even that hard.

As you started singing a very off-key and melancholic version of Teenage Dream by Katy Perry to prove yourself right, you weren't even worried about the long winded alleyways and dark streets you were weaving through. The eeriness of the night was mocking, but comforting. Long, distorted shadows, making the streetlights cast them oddly.

Your footsteps echoed against the narrow walls of the alleyways, a gust of wind sent a shiver down your spine and stretched the night on. You kicked a pebble absentmindedly, watching as it skittered along the cracked pavement. It was ironic being at a party you actually felt comfortable being at and getting your hopes absolutely shattered in the meantime. It seemed so out of reach from what did occur.

The sight of your apartment was a burden, and even though you were guaranteed going to be kicked out tomorrow, you didn't want to linger on the reminder any longer.

As you were about to climb the steps, you paused once you heard something similar to a whine. It was faint when you first heard it, almost blending in to the light pollution of the street. You turned your body towards the nearby alleyway, awaiting for another noise to confirm your delusions. Moments passed, each second stretching into eternity. Just when you were about to dismiss it again, another cry of what sounded like a man alerted you, followed by a groveling sound that sounded similar to a guttural gurgle.

Hell. No.

Now usually, you would mind your business and go to sleep with a knife in the bed next to you. You were not a stickler for being the person in the horror movies that said 'let's go see what it is'! But you weren't entirely convinced that the neighborhood was terrible, and with your current dilemma? Maybe dying a horrible death would feel better than whatever you're about to go through in the next twenty-four hours.

But at the same time...you weren't convinced that whatever is doing that wasn't an injured puppy or something. You may have had a heart for what happens to animals, but you aren't stupid.

[pommpuriinn]

Joohyung’s eventful time in Japan

ᤣ९ synopsis- txt was going to spend a month in Japan to continue their Japan leg of the tour including being on some Japanese tv programs for some performances. Unfortunately Beomgyu did get his ankle due to an accident, so all the performances will be only 5 members dancing while he sits on a chair on stage. Then an accident happens during rehearsals for the actual concert that leads to only 4 members dancing, and Beomgyu sitting on the stage.

ᤣ९ a/n- I’m finally working on Joohyung and I’m BEHIND LOTS of content for Joohyung 🙃. I also want to say that I don’t really see aespa’s Karina as the face for Joohyung no more, Joohyung is more alternative now then how much she gave a clean girl aesthetic during debut. Idk if that makes sense 😅 I will probably sometimes use Karina’s photo just out of habit

hair| nails

𝜗℘ Joohyung once again shock everyone with her short wavy haircut along with have it bleach blonde matching with Yeonjun and Beomgyu. Seeing the reactions was making Joohyung want to laugh, but she smack her lips trying to conceal

𝜗℘ Joohyung really protective of Beomgyu right now because he hurt his ankle and now has to use crutches to get by, so when they were walking through the airport she stay close by him and held his bag along with making sure fans didn’t get too close to them

𝜗℘ tragedy struck during concert rehearsals that scared everyone because during a quick run down of the concert Joohyung was chilling near the edge of the stage, when unexpectedly the little fireworks that come out set off without warning and some sparks went until Joohyung’s eye causing her to panic and feel a burning sensation in her right eye

𝜗℘ “fuck!” Joohyung covered her eyes and started to feel the pain in it. Everyone raced to her side, as not long she started dropping a few tears. “Let me see?” The on site medic asked, but Joohyung couldn’t open her eye due to the instant pain she felt whenever she tried to open. “We have to get her to a hospital.” The members were already feeling stressed with having only 5 perform now they’re dropping it down to 4 made it worse. They even wanted to go with Joohyung to the hospital, but their team wanted them to focus on reblocking the choreo once again

𝜗℘ the good news is Joohyung’s vision was ok and all she had to do was wear an eyepatch and put on the medicine on and around her eye everyday. The bad news is that the concert was already half way done when she got out of the hospital, but she was still determined to go and perform

𝜗℘ Joohyung ended up surprising everyone as she changed into her stage outfit and walked in during the group’s ment. “Noona!” Taehyun ran to her immediately. The other boys follow, sadly Beomgyu couldn’t run knowing he’ll get scolded by the staff and members. So he opted to admired from afar. After the members had their moment with Joohyung she then ran towards Beomgyu giving him his hug

𝜗℘ the concert ending in tears Beomgyu just feels regretful for injury himself and seeing his Jooie injured. Once the members realized his tears they all immediately ran towards him. Joohyung squatted down and hugged his waist while also letting out tears because she’s frustrated with everything happening

𝜗℘ throughout all the different performances they had she would decorate her eyepatch by adding cute stickers that she has collected thru all her shopping trips that she been going on

𝜗℘ Japanese hosts and artists have been constantly complimenting Joohyung’s short hair causing her to get flustered and thanking them. She’s been going viral for her curly hair along with clips of the boys playing, running their fingers through her hair, and even making cats ears with strands of hair that are already up

𝜗℘ as the concerts continued Joohyung tried not to get her nerves the best of her since the incident, but when the little fireworks came out Joohyung yelped and covered her ears. She was experiencing a panic attack in front of everyone, Joohyung kept on performing despite the panicked look on her face and slight tightness in her chest. Finally the song ended and Joohyung faced her back to the crowd turning to control her breathing, Kai grabbed a water bottle and came to Joohyung’s side helped by holding the bottle since her hands were shaking and while rubbing her back trying to comfort her

𝜗℘ with promoting their new Japanese album of course they had to go to Japanese shows that have other artists, and with that they meet different groups or soloists. While the Japanese girl groups would originally always gush about Joohyung’s boys, this time all the girls were gushing at Joohyung! Openly admitting how cute, pretty, and handsome Joohyung is. The camera caught Soobin and Beomgyu in 4K side eyeing the singers. Protective mode activated. It didn’t help that Joohyung has a natural charm in the way she speaks and acts, best believe Beomgyu was a bit sulky at the girls flirting with his Jooie

𝜗℘ even though Joohyung has an injured eye she had a pretty eventful time in Japan some goods things and bad things happened, but it wasn’t the worst pretty decent time

[pokeexehasstoppedworking]

Diamond In The Rough Ch7 Settling Down In Circhester P2

(Warning: Reader's hand gets burnt a little bit by hot chocolate and someone tries to take a swing at Gordie but no contact is made. Thank you to everyone who commented on what pokemon they wanted on where I post my stories. I was only able to pick three from what everyone commented and I did it at random. Here's the ones we'll get going along with the story. Scolipede, mightyena, and glacion. Know all I need is names and genders. Tell me which ones you prefer for which pokemon.)

Things were going well for you at this moment in time.

Your notes and books from Sonia arrived and you were able to work on that one report you'd surely have one problem with for later when the school year kicked back up in a few months. There was also talks of some other GIANT projects you worked on a little bit, you'd wouldn't have to worry about it knowing what they were about before hand. The only good thing you could say about her. There was two or three other big projects you'd have to worry about but you'd be able to take care of most of them by yourself in your spare time. By the time you got back from your weekend of taking care of your pokemon and doing that small project of yours, your job was still pretty busy. Except for Wednesday night, that night was really REALLY busy seeing as it WAS Circhester's Foundation Day. The whole town was filled with food vendors, people partying, noise, and lots and LOTS of people going in and out of the cafe for food and drinks and it was like a there was a monsoon of people spawning outside with out many times people went in and out cramming against the walls or even waiting in lines that went almost all the way to the door. Safe to say both yourself and Sapphire were BEAT rushing to grab napkins, shovel out drinks, rushed to ring out people, meanwhile in the back kitchen you could literally HEAR Bobby and Billy Bob shouting at one another over the noise of pots and pans and sizzling foods that they struggled to chuck out into your arms to serve to customers. At one point you had to stop to go do other things while Sapphire tried to handle the crowds while you were gone, fighting against the crowd to grab dishes and clean tables, going into the back to grab MORE to-go Styrofoam boxes and bags, more clean dishes from the dishwater, more food or drinks for shouting customers- Now you knew why the two chefs wanted to hire more help. Sheesh. At least most of the orders were to go anyways so you all could just give someone their food and they'd leave only to let another person take their place. Sigh. But...GOOD NEWS!! Luckily it seemed things were starting to wind down because while it was still crowded and tiring, there was starting to get less people now. Bad news....It was already after closing time. Bob's Your Uncle closed at five pm. It was already midnight now and it doesn't look like anything would be dying down soon. You were starting to get tired and your feet were starting to be sore and your stomach growled from not being able to eat for a while. Sigh. Oh well. At least the tips were plentiful. You had just handed a woman a styrofoam box with a curry inside it and waited for her to move before groaning and stretching your back with a pop. By now it had gotten dark, late, and loud bangs were coming from outside. Fireworks most likely. It would be super cold by the time you got back, you just hoped that none of your pokemon would cause any trouble while you were gone. Meanwhile a middle aged woman who looked like she had seen a make up tutorial 'not for beginners' and tried to do it herself only to end up looking like a clown, and a haircut that looked like a monkey cut for her walked up to your counter with a face looking like she was angry and just bitten a lemon right after. You of course smiled and was about to ask what she wanted when too brightly painted nails snapped at you making you full on stop.

"Hey! Give me a hot chocolate! And make it snappy! I don't have time to deal with you today!"

That...certainly caught you off guard but you quickly forced a smile and exchanged a stunned look with Sapphire just for a moment before she was forced to tend to yet another customer walking up to her. With an inhale you turned to the coffee machine area behind you still forcing that smile.

"Would you like a size large, Ma-"

"OF COURSE I WANT A LARGE!!," her shrill voice shrieked at you like a broken record making you wince as it battered your eardrums, "When someone orders a hot chocolate of course they want it large with everything on it unless they say something else! Are you dense or something?!"

Sapphire gave another look as you had to will yourself not to crush the styrofoam cup in your grasp and to just make the darn hot chocolate. Just make it. JUST. MAKE. IT. And hand it to her so she'll go away and leave you alone. You know recognized this woman as someone every store owner feared. A Karen. Just give her the darn hot chocolate and get her out of here. So you got the large and HOT sugary drink full of more sugary whipped cream and marshmallows and just held it out for her with a forced smile.

"Here you go! That'll b-"

"IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!!" The cup was snatched from your hand so fast the contents from the cup rocked and some spilt from your hand.

Immediately the hot liquid hitting your hand made you have a reaction.

"AH!!" It was like a mini volcano went off and spewed lava all over your hand, despite it only being maybe a small teaspoon's worth of hot coco, but it was still enough to make you cry out and pull your hand back to clutch it.

"Y/n!," Sapphire shouted and whirled back around to you when you shouted eyes wide. "Oh my gosh! Are you ok?!"

"My hand got burnt!," you shouted back hissing and then looking at your hand. A few trickles of liquid fell down your hand when you unfurled your fist, and stared in shock at the now lighter pink looking parts on your hand from where the liquid drink hit it and you gaped in shock....before it quickly got replaced with anger. "YOU LITTLE-" You had snapped your head up back to yell at the woman but she was gone. Replaced with yet another customer who looked annoyed at waiting for you but didn't say anything. "WHAT THE!?" You scanned the crowd of people for any signs of her. "Where'd that slimy weasel go!? She didn't even tip me!!"

"I don't know," Sapphire replied also looking around but stopped when realizing something. "...But she didn't pay either!"

True to her word the woman was gone as neither of you could see her through the still crowded place, making you even MORE mad. "RRR!! GREAT!! HOW COULD THIS NIGHT GET ANY WORSE!?"

"Wait...What's that sound?"

.....

......

Maybe you shouldn't have asked that-

You both looked towards the door in question as what sounded like a heavy rain came forward, and the door was pushed open to let the source of the noise come in. And both you and Sapphire's eyes POPPED open comedically as a HUGE tidal wave of people started walking in pushing the already big crowd like the last wave of a boss fight in a video game. You were half expecting boss music to start playing. As the crowd started rolling in you just stood there and stared clutching your still sore hand. It was like a sudden reality hit you. All the exhaustion from the last few hours just dealing with all the people annoyed without a break and without sleep, constantly on your feet and now your hand throbbed with some pain-...Well it hit you like another tidal wave with the arrival of so much more shouting and people grumbling for late night meals demanding to be made to help them combat the cold outside. Sapphire had an almost equally horrified look on her face before it deflated into tired defeat and she could only tiredly let go of you and turn her attention to the first person who annoyedly demanded she get him a black coffee that instant. Well sounds almost blurred together as you just started and felt something gather in your eyes.

"Y/n!" An almost angelic voice shouted out to you and you blinked looking up to the bulky figure who pushed his way through the crowd and was now leaning against the counter with his sunglasses off staring at you. "Hey. Are you alright? You're crying."

You were what-..

Instead of answering your good hand reached up to wipe at your face. Yes. The man who spoke to you, was in fact, Gordie the gym leader. Why was he here instead of tending to his party?...Well to answer that the party was dying down to be honest, it was late and since the fireworks were the man attraction thar was over with, about everyone was heading home now including him, but he wanted to stop by and see how his friend was doing (NOT because his heart was beating a mile a minute at the thought of you-) but he hadn't been expecting the giant crowd in here or the sight of you crying lightly. When he pushed his way to the front he was smiling expecting to see you there, but had been completely thrown for a loop when he caught the sight of your current state. Leaning with your back against the wall with slight bags under your eyes, hair frizzy, clutching your hand, and crying lightly. You had looked shocked when he had gotten your attention but had quickly wiped your eyes and forced a smile when you saw him.

"H-Hey, Gordie. W-What's up?"

...He blinked. "What's up with me? What's up with you?" He asked gesturing to you. "You look a right wreck!"

"Well, working none stop all day and seven hours after you were supposed to go home will do that to you."

"Seven hours!? Why didn't your bosses close up shop by now!?" You were still working?? AT MIDNIGHT!? He opened and closed his mouth a couple times before he asked at how stunned he was.

"I don't know i-if they can."

"Why?"

In response your good hand gestured to the shouting people around you with a defeated look. "Too many people. We're already back up as it is!" You practically shouted back to him. "I can barely hear you right now."

At first Gordie gave a look of almost disbelief but then a calm face washed it away. Which was strange but at this point you were too tired to care. But you watched none the less as the Gym leader just calmly turned back to the crowd and stopping...taking a long, LONG moment at the people around him all. Before he proceeded to do something you all weren't expecting at all. He ever so slowly lifted a hand to his mouth to place two of his fingers to it. What was he doing- And then he proceeded to give THE. LOUDEST. WHISTLE!! You had ever heard in your life. It made you wince and sink into yourself closing one eye, but it seemed to work for everyone else too because immediately everyone talking or shouting, the closest ones to him even ducking and having their hands fly up to their ears. The dreaded sound only lasted for maybe five seconds, but it had an instant silence afterwards. Everyone staring in his direction or too busy rubbing their sore eardrums in the aftermath.

"ALRIGHT!!" A hand was thrown up and if Gordie didn't have everyone's attention before he sure did now. "PARTY'S OVER!! Everyone out!!" Immediately afterwards a murmur of complains and groans came from the crowd. You heard some 'ah man's and 'You gotta be kidding me!'s and one or two 'But I've been waiting here for hours's included at the end, but that only made the gym leader scowl deeper. "I SAID BUGGER OFF!! It's late enough! For Arceus's sake, it's the middle of the bloody night! Ya can make your own drinks at home! Anyone else already eatin' hurry up and pay your tabs!"

More murmurs until one man in the front frowned and said, "I'm getting my coffee! I've been standing here for twenty minutes!" He snapped back to both you and Sapphire and shouted again. "Why don't I have it yet!?"

"Because they're overworked and there's too many people here that can't see it!," Gordie countered back giving this man a particular look. "If you're that desperate for it mate, make your own pot at home.''

"I said I want my coffee!! And I'm not leaving here until I have it!!", He shrieked into Gordie's face, and to the gym leader's credit he remained calm just looking at the slightly taller man.

"'Lright, bud. Back it up." He held up his hands and started to herd the man back from the counter. "These girls are overworked and need some rest n' by the way yer actin' so do you. Go home."

His response was to take an actual swing at the gym leader but what proceeded to happen next shocked you again. Gordie like an expect easily side stepped the clumsy swing and with his left hand grabbed the man's arm, yanking the man to hunch over before his right arm quickly darted over to hook around the guy's neck. And the end result was that the man yelled curse words at Gordie, now finding himself held in a headlock against Gordie's side flailing uselessly like a fish out of water.

"Maybe ya didn't hear me clearly," he yelled louder than you had ever heard him yell before at the crowd. "I SAID EVERYONE GET OUT!!"

Everyone stood stunned for a moment but when the Gym leader started marching his way towards the door with the man still cussing him out and that seemed to motivate everyone else because they either stepped aside or began flocking to the door to get out of his way. Soon the large crowd started to file their way out one after the other and you could only stand there staring....before sliding down the wall until you sat upon the ground and gave a GIANT side of relief. It was as if a weight was lifted off your shoulders. Thank you Arceus. Arceus just THANK you for finally giving you a break. Sapphire practically collapsed against the counter with a half choke half dry chuckle looking like her body would fall over from being made of jello. After a moment the door opened again with a ding from the bell and this time he was...silent. His form paused and blinked for a moment not seeing Y/n anymore before he slowly walked up to the counter and peeked over blinking at your form just sitting tiredly on the floor.

"....Where's the owners?"

Sapphire pointed a thumb behind her where you could still faintly hear the sounds of pots and pans coming from the back kitchen. Gordie again didn't say anything after that but you were surprised to see him literally place one hand on the counter before jumping over it and you blinked when he just...waltzed on into there like he freaking owned the place. You silently sat there and listened. The pots and pans stopped. And there was silence again-

"WHY DIDN'T YOU CLOSE!?"

Sapphire yelped nearly tripping over as you both stared wide eyed at the doors, an angry yell coming from behind the kitchen. If you both were surprised, you couldn't imagine how surprising it was to the chefs to see a Gym Leader just walk into their kitchen.

"I WALK ON IN HERE N' ALL I SEE IS AN OCEAN WORTH OF PEOPLE BACKED UP ALL THE WAY OUTSIDE!! AND THEN I FIND OUT YOUR SERVERS WERE OVERWORKIN' UNTIL MIDNIGHT!! ONE OF YOU BETTER GIVE ME A BLOODY RIGHT GOOD ANSWER TO THIS!!"

You...unfortunately could NOT make out what Bobby or Billy Bob were saying because it was muffled and not as loud as Gordie's yelling. But you made out a few snippets. "-e didn't mean..." and ''not fault..." and what you maaaayybe thought was ''-ard for us''.

"OH!! HARD FOR YOU!? THE ONE WHO'S SITTIN' IN A CHAIR IN FRONT OF A GRILL LEAVIN' JUST TWO PEOPLE TO DO EVERYTHING ELSE WITH ANGRY CUSTOMERS!!"

One of them said something that sounded like ''-n't mind-"

"THIS IS WHY CIRCHESTER HAS A LAW ABOUT WHAT TIME STORES CLOSE ON HOLIDAYS!! YOU TWO KNOWINGLY BROKEN THAT LAW AND AS A RESULT TWO PEOPLE SUFFERED!! YOU'RE BLOODY LUCKY IF I DON'T DRAG YA OUT AND SERVE YOU TO OFFICER JENNY ON YOUR OWN SILVER PLATTER!! NOW GET YOUR BUTTS INTO GEAR AND GET THIS PLACE CLEANED UP!! I WANT IT CLOSED DOWN!! RIGHT!! NOW!! AND IF I FIND OUT EITHER OF YOU TWO PULL SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN, 'BOB'S YOUR UNCLE' WILL BECOME 'BOB WENT OUT OF BUSINESS'!!"

Both of you still stared wide eyed at the door...before footsteps approached and the door swung open letting Gordie out. The gym leader stood there for a moment silently before inhaling and giving out a sigh and holding out his hands.

"Ladies! ...You officially have the REST of the week off. No need to thank me. Just grab your coats and head home."

You both remained quiet for a moment before Sapphire asked quietly, "Wat?"

"I said you both need to get out of here. Go on. Go HOME. Get some rest. Go to sleep. Get warm! All of that stuff! Take your pay for the night and vamoose."

"But...what about-"

"Those chefs seem pretty relaxed. I'm SURE they got plenty of energy to clean up their own mess."

"Oh thank you so much!," Sapphire all but practically sobbed and wobble-walked herself on tired legs away from the counter but you didn't have the energy to do so.

Gordie must've noticed because he squatted down next to your exhausted form and gently placed a hand on your shoulder. "Hey. Are you alright there?"

Tiredly you nodded quietly. "I just wanna go home."

"Yeah..Alright. C'mon," he said as you felt an arm start to pry you away from the wall, "Let's get ya on your feet and get you home."

You were pushed up onto shaking feet and forced to walk on sore feet. It was a bit of a blur and you weren't sure how, but you managed to squeeze your coat on and found yourself tiredly trudging back through the snow and cold of Circhester at nearly one in the morning, until you kept stumbling from how slippery the ground was and how tired you were- Until on your third trip, you felt yourself become light as something just lifted you up and you found yourself staring face to face with Gordie carrying you bridal style through the snowflakes.

"G-GORDIE!? PUT ME DOWN!!"

"Relax. Jeez, you're more hard headed than a diamond."

After maybe a minute, you were tired to fight and just allowed him to carry you all the way to your hotel room. Imagine your pokemon's surprise when you were carried all the way in by the gym leader and gently placed down on the bed in your room gently before giving a frown.

"Hey...Are you alright?"

You tiredly nodded barely able to keep your eyes open now and reaching a hand up to your mouth as you yawned. "Ye-Yeah. I-I'll be...*yyyyaaaawwwnn* F-Fine. I just need to sleep...Thank you so much for the help."

He nodded with a concerned look. "'Course...Ya want me to stay with you or-"

You waved him off tiredly. "Honestly, no. I just wanna be left alone so I can sleep."

Again he nodded and stood back up. "Alright...It's late anyways. I should head back and make sure the crowd from the party's died down without any damages...Are ya sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah...I'll be fine."

"Right. ..Goodnight then. I-I'll see myself out. Get some rest. Ok?"

Well he left and the first thing you did was clonk out then and there on your bed. Completely passed out into possibly the deepest sleep you've ever had. In fact it was so deep, that you didn't even wake up until the next day around eleven in the morning. When you woke, you were still wearing your coat with your hair all frazzled and you found four faces looking at you. Silver looked concerned. Zen was giving you a puzzled look. Sparky was just floating around telling you that you had slept through your alarm and was late for work. And Cerberus was sitting with a pout on his face and his food bowl in his mouth. He let out a whine before just letting the bowl drop from his muzzle with a clatter and barked at you clearly hungry for food.

"....Right. *yyyyaaaawwwwnn* 'M on it."

One shower and change of clothes later, you had fed the three pokemon and gave Sparky a battery to suck the life from as you just plopped yourself back on the bed. You were still tired and just wanted to sleep the rest of the day away if you could but you couldn't because just as you considered going back to sleep there was a loud knock at the door, which made you groan and drag yourself slowly from the bed. You slowly trudged towards the door and when you got close you noticed a delicious smell coming from the other side of the door. Room service?? But you hadn't ordered breakfast or lunch. Well you opened the door and was hit with the delicious smells of ...bannanas?? And Hot chocolate? Well on the other side of the door was none other than Gordie, and in his hands was a small styrofoam box and cup containing said foods. He stood there but smiled when he saw you open the door.

"Hey, Y/n. Good mornin'!..Or should I say afternoon?"

"Gordie?," you asked blinking confused, "What are you doing here?"

"Well I just checked on Sapphire to make sure she was doing ok after last night-"

Oh right..That actually happened! "Is she alright!?"

"She's fine. Just tired and somewhat cranky. I just finished up evrything else so I wanted to drop by and make sure you were alright."

You gave another tiny yawn. "I'm fine thanks. Just a bit tired, but I feel a lot better now. But why do you have that?" You asked gesturing to the food.

"Oh! Well my Ma heard about what happened last night and she made ya this." He held out the food to you. "It's sweet tropical curry, and hot chocolate. Maybe a bit more on the junk food side o' the spectrum, but it's sure to make a good lunch on a cold day."

"Oh..How nice!" You smiled and stepped aside. "Come in."

"Huh? Oh thanks." He stepped right in and was greeted with your small herd. "Ah. I see that Houndoom of yours is lookin' better."

"Yeah. The food and exercise are really working wonders." You closed the door and walked on over to him taking the food. "Tell your mom thanks for the food. And I can't thank you enough for what you did for us last night. I swear I'd still be there working my feet off if you hadn't stepped in."

"Hey. No thanks needed. My ma would've done the same thing if no one had shut it down. There's a reason we have a law in Circhester that prevents stores from stayin' open late on any holidays. The crowds like to gather big and then it causes problems for the small businesses that can't handle the hoards of people! It happens every Halloween and Christmas! I can't believe they'd pull somethin' like that after that got some new help!...*sigh* Don't worry. I made sure to swing by earlier today and make sure they knew not ta do it again. I'm pretty sure they got my message good."

"I hope they don't fire me-"

"They won't," he stated bluntly looking at you, "If they do they know they'll be in BIG trouble, you on the other hand don't have to worry about a thing. You get to enjoy the rest of the week off so no worries."

"Ah. Well that's one good thing." It was then at that moment that your stomach growled and you let out an embarrassed chuckle. ''All this talk about the cafe is making me hungry. I wanna try this food out! Smells delicious."

You smiled and held up the food and it was at THAT exact moment he froze. Eyes in full view of your hand and then his eyes widened- "What the- W-W-What happened to your bloody hand!?" He asked pointing to your hand and it was then you turned to the now MOSTLY faded light pink marks on your hands.

Aw crap. You forgot about that. "Oh yeah." You scowled at your hand for a moment. "Some old hag decided to spill her drink on me and burnt my hand a bit."

"SHE BURNT YOUR HAND!?"

"It's not too bad," you assured him as he no gained a panicked look, "It doesn't hurt anymore and it'll go away in a couple days. I'm more mad she didn't pay than anything else- Wha- HEY! GORDIE!!"

He didn't even bother to listen to the last part of your ranting before he literally but gently removed the food from your hands and quickly shoved it onto a small side table and you froze when he grabbed your hand. Blue eyes squinted from behind those sunglasses as his hands gently held yours to his face...and you blinked. F/c eyes watched as he gave a look to the back of your hand before gently turning it over to give a look over at the bottom of your palm. For someone who could throw out someone in a headlock his grip was..soft. Gentle even as he gazed across your hand for a moment. Seeming to examine each part of it like how a scientist would examine a new cell particle, until eventually he slowly turned it back over to where the light pink was the most...and he sighed.

"'S not serious. Thank Arceus," he mumbled in relief.

"I mean...Yeah. It was only a little bit. I'm still mad tho." He hummed again before one of his hands released yours and reached into his coat pocket to pull out a small toothpaste looking tube and held it out to you. "What's that?"

"Burn cream. I've noticed a while ago that a lot of my guests tend to get burnt by hot drinks, and being an older brother you kinda get used to three lil brothers always making messes and causin' trouble. You wouldn't believe the amount of times they spilt things all over me. Nowadays I always carry one or two of these on me in case anyone ever needs it."

"Oh I think I believe you." You could still clearly remember one of Gordie's brothers making Allister spill his own drink the year before. "But...thank you." With a soft smile that made him pink you happily took the small tube from him happily. "That's really kind of you. You've actually been really nice to be lately and a big help. I wish there was some way I could make it up to you-"

"A-Actually.." His face felt pink- No. RED as he gulped down the rock in his throat letting it travel to his stomach letting the heavy feeling sink in. Especially when you blinked back at him. "I-I was wonderin' i-if ya- W-Well- ONLY IF YOU WANNA 'COURSE!! Y-Y-YOU'RE TOTALLY FREE TO SAY NO!!" You blinked at his sudden increase in pitch as he wanted to suddenly punch himself in the face for that embarrassing moment. "I mean if you wanna-..I m-mean-...I-I remember when you came 'round with Piers a lil while back! W-W-When ya helped us o-out with those dynamaxed pokemon..I a-a-asked ya to dinner b-b-but understandably you were a b-bit busy at the moment. S-So..m-m-maybe i-if you only wanna that is...Maybe you'd l-like to ha-have that dinner...With me?"

You continued to silently stare at him. And he shrinked into his coat under the staring. HOLY ARCEUS HE MESSED THIS UP!! WHY'D HE EVEN DECIDE TO ASK AT THIS TIME!? He wanted to ask you last night so he went to see you but then the whole incident last night happened and he asked without thinking this through at all! OF COURSE YOU'D BE IN NO SHAPE TO SAY YES!! HOW COULD HE LET THAT FLY OVER HIS HEAD!? Granted he-...was kinda interested in this for a while. Dinner with Y/n he meant. Sure he showed some interest in other girls before but he never felt like-...THIS before. Not so...intrigued by your sudden boldness and bluntness and how pretty you were and how you didn't seem to give him special treatment and got through his thick skull and how nice you were and how you helped his slowly start to regain his family he missed so much and how much patience, care, understanding, and genuine emotion- OH ARCEUS HE WAS STILL STARING LIKE AN IDIOT!! He cursed himself eternally for going off on a puppycrush rant inside his head as he unknowingly stared at you still like an idiot making his face even REDDER in comparison to his pale white-blonde hair. You however took a LOT longer to process what he was asking you...and it seemed like everything about his behavior clicked now and your f/c eyes widened in realization.

"...Gordie," you slowly asked making him flinch, "Just so we're clear. Are you...asking me out?"

OH SWEET ARCEUS HE WAS GONNA GET REJECTED SO FAST!! RIP RAIHAN!! HE'S ABOUT TO KNOW HOW HE FELT!! he only slowly gulped again. "Um....Y-Yeah?"

"Oh. Ok then! What time?"

RECORD SCRATCH-

His mind blanked for a moment. "......wot..."

"I said sure. When do you wanna go out?," you calmly responded with a smile.

Again he could only stare. ".....Did you just say bloody YES to ME!?"

"Yes?," you slowly asked raising a brow. "Is that surprising?"

"W-WHY THO!?"

"Because you asked nicely? And you're really nice so why not? At least you're not being really pushy about it like Raihan was...I still need to talk to him about telling others about my business without asking." Gordie opened his mouth, closed it, and just had trouble processing this. "Are you ok there?"

"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS?!"

You gave him a deadpanned look now. "Gordie. I have dealt with being bowled over by Milo's wooloo, dropped from the sky into a corviknight's nest, falling out of a tree, living with THE worst mom ever, battling against two legendary pokemon TWICE, stopping powerful rich dudes who think they can just use said legendary pokemon to run rampant, getting hit in the head by a roof tile and ending up in the hospital, THE worst room mate to ever exist, almost getting my face getting bit off by a houndoom, and having Raihan and two hairdo weirdos flirt with me and genuinely make me uncomfortable!" Gordie stared. "I think being asked out by you is the least shocking thing I've ever had to deal with up to this point." You left out the magically transported into a video game world part out for obvious reasons.

He raised a hand and opened his mouth-...Before slowly lowering it. "Ah..Well when you put it that way..*cough cough*." He straightened back up. "So uh-...T-Tomorrow works for you?"

"Friday? Sounds great! Can't wait for my first date."

AGAIN RECORD SCRATCH-

"Hold up!...First date? As in-...Y-You never went out with someone before?!"

"No not really. But I'm sure it'll be fine with you..." You paused looking down. "Um..Gordie."

"Y-Yeah?"

"You're still holding my hand."

In an instant he looked down, saw his hand holding yours, freaked out, let go, and immediately began freaking out even more. "I-I-IM SO SORRY!! I DIDN'T REALIZE!! IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN I PROMISE!!" His face deepened a red the more you smiled at him.

"Hey it's ok."

"No it's not! I was h-holding your hand without permission and we haven't even had a proper date yet," he insisted before he again paused and then grabbed his hair. OI!! GORDIE YOU BLOOMING DUMMY!! "I-I-I HAVEN'T EVEN THOUGHT IT THROUGH THIS FAIR!!!" Before you could even say anything he held up his hands and backed away. "D-Don't worry! I'll have everything ready! Don't worry about it-" And then he quickly turned on his heel to zip out the door- Only to forget the door was closed and full on smack into the door with a loud thud. "OW!!" A hand grabbed his face. Mumbling curses to himself, he grabbed the doorknob throwing the door open before turning with a nervous smile and giving you his signature salute. "Don't worry 'bout anything! I'm fully in control! Just leave it all ta me!"

You only watched as he proceeded to trip over the doorframe on his way out leaving the door partially opened as you stood there blinking....before you again smiled and laughed his response. You weren't sure how this date was supposed to go but it would sure be-....

THIRD RECORD SCRATCH-

A date. You just agreed to have your first date with GORDIE in less than twenty four hours and you have absolutely no idea how a date was supposed to go.

"....SPARKY!! CALL SONIA!! I NEED ADVICE NOW!!!"

[echantedtoon]

Diamond In The Rough Ch7 Settling Down In Circhester P2

(Warning: Reader's hand gets burnt a little bit by hot chocolate and someone tries to take a swing at Gordie but no contact is made. Thank you to everyone who commented on what pokemon they wanted on where I post my stories. I was only able to pick three from what everyone commented and I did it at random. Here's the ones we'll get going along with the story. Scolipede, mightyena, and glacion. Know all I need is names and genders. Tell me which ones you prefer for which pokemon.)

Things were going well for you at this moment in time.

Your notes and books from Sonia arrived and you were able to work on that one report you'd surely have one problem with for later when the school year kicked back up in a few months. There was also talks of some other GIANT projects you worked on a little bit, you'd wouldn't have to worry about it knowing what they were about before hand. The only good thing you could say about her. There was two or three other big projects you'd have to worry about but you'd be able to take care of most of them by yourself in your spare time. By the time you got back from your weekend of taking care of your pokemon and doing that small project of yours, your job was still pretty busy. Except for Wednesday night, that night was really REALLY busy seeing as it WAS Circhester's Foundation Day. The whole town was filled with food vendors, people partying, noise, and lots and LOTS of people going in and out of the cafe for food and drinks and it was like a there was a monsoon of people spawning outside with out many times people went in and out cramming against the walls or even waiting in lines that went almost all the way to the door. Safe to say both yourself and Sapphire were BEAT rushing to grab napkins, shovel out drinks, rushed to ring out people, meanwhile in the back kitchen you could literally HEAR Bobby and Billy Bob shouting at one another over the noise of pots and pans and sizzling foods that they struggled to chuck out into your arms to serve to customers. At one point you had to stop to go do other things while Sapphire tried to handle the crowds while you were gone, fighting against the crowd to grab dishes and clean tables, going into the back to grab MORE to-go Styrofoam boxes and bags, more clean dishes from the dishwater, more food or drinks for shouting customers- Now you knew why the two chefs wanted to hire more help. Sheesh. At least most of the orders were to go anyways so you all could just give someone their food and they'd leave only to let another person take their place. Sigh. But...GOOD NEWS!! Luckily it seemed things were starting to wind down because while it was still crowded and tiring, there was starting to get less people now. Bad news....It was already after closing time. Bob's Your Uncle closed at five pm. It was already midnight now and it doesn't look like anything would be dying down soon. You were starting to get tired and your feet were starting to be sore and your stomach growled from not being able to eat for a while. Sigh. Oh well. At least the tips were plentiful. You had just handed a woman a styrofoam box with a curry inside it and waited for her to move before groaning and stretching your back with a pop. By now it had gotten dark, late, and loud bangs were coming from outside. Fireworks most likely. It would be super cold by the time you got back, you just hoped that none of your pokemon would cause any trouble while you were gone. Meanwhile a middle aged woman who looked like she had seen a make up tutorial 'not for beginners' and tried to do it herself only to end up looking like a clown, and a haircut that looked like a monkey cut for her walked up to your counter with a face looking like she was angry and just bitten a lemon right after. You of course smiled and was about to ask what she wanted when too brightly painted nails snapped at you making you full on stop. 

"Hey! Give me a hot chocolate! And make it snappy! I don't have time to deal with you today!"

That...certainly caught you off guard but you quickly forced a smile and exchanged a stunned look with Sapphire just for a moment before she was forced to tend to yet another customer walking up to her. With an inhale you turned to the coffee machine area behind you still forcing that smile.

"Would you like a size large, Ma-"

"OF COURSE I WANT A LARGE!!," her shrill voice shrieked at you like a broken record making you wince as it battered your eardrums, "When someone orders a hot chocolate of course they want it large with everything on it unless they say something else! Are you dense or something?!"

Sapphire gave another look as you had to will yourself not to crush the styrofoam cup in your grasp and to just make the darn hot chocolate. Just make it. JUST. MAKE. IT. And hand it to her so she'll go away and leave you alone. You know recognized this woman as someone every store owner feared. A Karen. Just give her the darn hot chocolate and get her out of here. So you got the large and HOT sugary drink full of more sugary whipped cream and marshmallows and just held it out for her with a forced smile.

"Here you go! That'll b-"

"IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!!" The cup was snatched from your hand so fast the contents from the cup rocked and some spilt from your hand. 

Immediately the hot liquid hitting your hand made you have a reaction.

"AH!!" It was like a mini volcano went off and spewed lava all over your hand, despite it only being maybe a small teaspoon's worth of hot coco, but it was still enough to make you cry out and pull your hand back to clutch it.

"Y/n!," Sapphire shouted and whirled back around to you when you shouted eyes wide. "Oh my gosh! Are you ok?!"

"My hand got burnt!," you shouted back hissing and then looking at your hand. A few trickles of liquid fell down your hand when you unfurled your fist, and stared in shock at the now lighter pink looking parts on your hand from where the liquid drink hit it and you gaped in shock....before it quickly got replaced with anger. "YOU LITTLE-" You had snapped your head up back to yell at the woman but she was gone. Replaced with yet another customer who looked annoyed at waiting for you but didn't say anything. "WHAT THE!?" You scanned the crowd of people for any signs of her. "Where'd that slimy weasel go!? She didn't even tip me!!"

"I don't know," Sapphire replied also looking around but stopped when realizing something. "...But she didn't pay either!"

True to her word the woman was gone as neither of you could see her through the still crowded place, making you even MORE mad. "RRR!! GREAT!! HOW COULD THIS NIGHT GET ANY WORSE!?"

"Wait...What's that sound?"

.....

......

Maybe you shouldn't have asked that-

You both looked towards the door in question as what sounded like a heavy rain came forward, and the door was pushed open to let the source of the noise come in. And both you and Sapphire's eyes POPPED open comedically as a HUGE tidal wave of people started walking in pushing the already big crowd like the last wave of a boss fight in a video game. You were half expecting boss music to start playing. As the crowd started rolling in you just stood there and stared clutching your still sore hand. It was like a sudden reality hit you. All the exhaustion from the last few hours just dealing with all the people annoyed without a break and without sleep, constantly on your feet and now your hand throbbed with some pain-...Well it hit you like another tidal wave with the arrival of so much more shouting and people grumbling for late night meals demanding to be made to help them combat the cold outside. Sapphire had an almost equally horrified look on her face before it deflated into tired defeat and she could only tiredly let go of you and turn her attention to the first person who annoyedly demanded she get him a black coffee that instant. Well sounds almost blurred together as you just started and felt something gather in your eyes.

"Y/n!" An almost angelic voice shouted out to you and you blinked looking up to the bulky figure who pushed his way through the crowd and was now leaning against the counter with his sunglasses off staring at you. "Hey. Are you alright? You're crying."

You were what-..

Instead of answering your good hand reached up to wipe at your face. Yes. The man who spoke to you, was in fact, Gordie the gym leader. Why was he here instead of tending to his party?...Well to answer that the party was dying down to be honest, it was late and since the fireworks were the man attraction thar was over with, about everyone was heading home now including him, but he wanted to stop by and see how his friend was doing (NOT because his heart was beating a mile a minute at the thought of you-) but he hadn't been expecting the giant crowd in here or the sight of you crying lightly. When he pushed his way to the front he was smiling expecting to see you there, but had been completely thrown for a loop when he caught the sight of your current state. Leaning with your back against the wall with slight bags under your eyes, hair frizzy, clutching your hand, and crying lightly. You had looked shocked when he had gotten your attention but had quickly wiped your eyes and forced a smile when you saw him. 

"H-Hey, Gordie. W-What's up?"

...He blinked. "What's up with me? What's up with you?" He asked gesturing to you. "You look a right wreck!"

"Well, working none stop all day and seven hours after you were supposed to go home will do that to you."

"Seven hours!? Why didn't your bosses close up shop by now!?" You were still working?? AT MIDNIGHT!? He opened and closed his mouth a couple times before he asked at how stunned he was. 

"I don't know i-if they can."

"Why?"

In response your good hand gestured to the shouting people around you with a defeated look. "Too many people. We're already back up as it is!" You practically shouted back to him. "I can barely hear you right now."

At first Gordie gave a look of almost disbelief but then a calm face washed it away. Which was strange but at this point you were too tired to care. But you watched none the less as the Gym leader just calmly turned back to the crowd and stopping...taking a long, LONG moment at the people around him all. Before he proceeded to do something you all weren't expecting at all. He ever so slowly lifted a hand to his mouth to place two of his fingers to it. What was he doing- And then he proceeded to give THE. LOUDEST. WHISTLE!! You had ever heard in your life. It made you wince and sink into yourself closing one eye, but it seemed to work for everyone else too because immediately everyone talking or shouting, the closest ones to him even ducking and having their hands fly up to their ears. The dreaded sound only lasted for maybe five seconds, but it had an instant silence afterwards. Everyone staring in his direction or too busy rubbing their sore eardrums in the aftermath.

"ALRIGHT!!" A hand was thrown up and if Gordie didn't have everyone's attention before he sure did now. "PARTY'S OVER!! Everyone out!!" Immediately afterwards a murmur of complains and groans came from the crowd. You heard some 'ah man's and 'You gotta be kidding me!'s and one or two 'But I've been waiting here for hours's included at the end, but that only made the gym leader scowl deeper. "I SAID BUGGER OFF!! It's late enough! For Arceus's sake, it's the middle of the bloody night! Ya can make your own drinks at home! Anyone else already eatin' hurry up and pay your tabs!" 

More murmurs until one man in the front frowned and said, "I'm getting my coffee! I've been standing here for twenty minutes!" He snapped back to both you and Sapphire and shouted again. "Why don't I have it yet!?"

"Because they're overworked and there's too many people here that can't see it!," Gordie countered back giving this man a particular look. "If you're that desperate for it mate, make your own pot at home.''

"I said I want my coffee!! And I'm not leaving here until I have it!!", He shrieked into Gordie's face, and to the gym leader's credit he remained calm just looking at the slightly taller man.

"'Lright, bud. Back it up." He held up his hands and started to herd the man back from the counter. "These girls are overworked and need some rest n' by the way yer actin' so do you. Go home." 

His response was to take an actual swing at the gym leader but what proceeded to happen next shocked you again. Gordie like an expect easily side stepped the clumsy swing and with his left hand grabbed the man's arm, yanking the man to hunch over before his right arm quickly darted over to hook around the guy's neck. And the end result was that the man yelled curse words at Gordie, now finding himself held in a headlock against Gordie's side flailing uselessly like a fish out of water. 

"Maybe ya didn't hear me clearly," he yelled louder than you had ever heard him yell before at the crowd. "I SAID EVERYONE GET OUT!!"

Everyone stood stunned for a moment but when the Gym leader started marching his way towards the door with the man still cussing him out and that seemed to motivate everyone else because they either stepped aside or began flocking to the door to get out of his way. Soon the large crowd started to file their way out one after the other and you could only stand there staring....before sliding down the wall until you sat upon the ground and gave a GIANT side of relief. It was as if a weight was lifted off your shoulders. Thank you Arceus. Arceus just THANK you for finally giving you a break. Sapphire practically collapsed against the counter with a half choke half dry chuckle looking like her body would fall over from being made of jello. After a moment the door opened again with a ding from the bell and this time he was...silent. His form paused and blinked for a moment not seeing Y/n anymore before he slowly walked up to the counter and peeked over blinking at your form just sitting tiredly on the floor.

"....Where's the owners?"

Sapphire pointed a thumb behind her where you could still faintly hear the sounds of pots and pans coming from the back kitchen. Gordie again didn't say anything after that but you were surprised to see him literally place one hand on the counter before jumping over it and you blinked when he just...waltzed on into there like he freaking owned the place. You silently sat there and listened. The pots and pans stopped. And there was silence again-

"WHY DIDN'T YOU CLOSE!?" 

Sapphire yelped nearly tripping over as you both stared wide eyed at the doors, an angry yell coming from behind the kitchen. If you both were surprised, you couldn't imagine how surprising it was to the chefs to see a Gym Leader just walk into their kitchen.

"I WALK ON IN HERE N' ALL I SEE IS AN OCEAN WORTH OF PEOPLE BACKED UP ALL THE WAY OUTSIDE!! AND THEN I FIND OUT YOUR SERVERS WERE OVERWORKIN' UNTIL MIDNIGHT!! ONE OF YOU BETTER GIVE ME A BLOODY RIGHT GOOD ANSWER TO THIS!!"

You...unfortunately could NOT make out what Bobby or Billy Bob were saying because it was muffled and not as loud as Gordie's yelling. But you made out a few snippets. "-e didn't mean..." and ''not fault..." and what you maaaayybe thought was ''-ard for us''.

"OH!! HARD FOR YOU!? THE ONE WHO'S SITTIN' IN A CHAIR IN FRONT OF A GRILL LEAVIN' JUST TWO PEOPLE TO DO EVERYTHING ELSE WITH ANGRY CUSTOMERS!!"

One of them said something that sounded like ''-n't mind-"

"THIS IS WHY CIRCHESTER HAS A LAW ABOUT WHAT TIME STORES CLOSE ON HOLIDAYS!! YOU TWO KNOWINGLY BROKEN THAT LAW AND AS A RESULT TWO PEOPLE SUFFERED!! YOU'RE BLOODY LUCKY IF I DON'T DRAG YA OUT AND SERVE YOU TO OFFICER JENNY ON YOUR OWN SILVER PLATTER!! NOW GET YOUR BUTTS INTO GEAR AND GET THIS PLACE CLEANED UP!! I WANT IT CLOSED DOWN!! RIGHT!! NOW!! AND IF I FIND OUT EITHER OF YOU TWO PULL SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN, 'BOB'S YOUR UNCLE' WILL BECOME 'BOB WENT OUT OF BUSINESS'!!"

Both of you still stared wide eyed at the door...before footsteps approached and the door swung open letting Gordie out. The gym leader stood there for a moment silently before inhaling and giving out a sigh and holding out his hands. 

"Ladies! ...You officially have the REST of the week off. No need to thank me. Just grab your coats and head home."

You both remained quiet for a moment before Sapphire asked quietly, "Wat?"

"I said you both need to get out of here. Go on. Go HOME. Get some rest. Go to sleep. Get warm! All of that stuff! Take your pay for the night and vamoose."

"But...what about-"

"Those chefs seem pretty relaxed. I'm SURE they got plenty of energy to clean up their own mess."

"Oh thank you so much!," Sapphire all but practically sobbed and wobble-walked herself on tired legs away from the counter but you didn't have the energy to do so.

Gordie must've noticed because he squatted down next to your exhausted form and gently placed a hand on your shoulder. "Hey. Are you alright there?"

Tiredly you nodded quietly. "I just wanna go home."

"Yeah..Alright. C'mon," he said as you felt an arm start to pry you away from the wall, "Let's get ya on your feet and get you home."

You were pushed up onto shaking feet and forced to walk on sore feet. It was a bit of a blur and you weren't sure how, but you managed to squeeze your coat on and found yourself tiredly trudging back through the snow and cold of Circhester at nearly one in the morning, until you kept stumbling from how slippery the ground was and how tired you were- Until on your third trip, you felt yourself become light as something just lifted you up and you found yourself staring face to face with Gordie carrying you bridal style through the snowflakes. 

"G-GORDIE!? PUT ME DOWN!!"

"Relax. Jeez, you're more hard headed than a diamond."

After maybe a minute, you were tired to fight and just allowed him to carry you all the way to your hotel room. Imagine your pokemon's surprise when you were carried all the way in by the gym leader and gently placed down on the bed in your room gently before giving a frown. 

"Hey...Are you alright?"

You tiredly nodded barely able to keep your eyes open now and reaching a hand up to your mouth as you yawned. "Ye-Yeah. I-I'll be...*yyyyaaaawwwnn* F-Fine. I just need to sleep...Thank you so much for the help."

He nodded with a concerned look. "'Course...Ya want me to stay with you or-"

You waved him off tiredly. "Honestly, no. I just wanna be left alone so I can sleep."

Again he nodded and stood back up. "Alright...It's late anyways. I should head back and make sure the crowd from the party's died down without any damages...Are ya sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah...I'll be fine." 

"Right. ..Goodnight then. I-I'll see myself out. Get some rest. Ok?"

Well he left and the first thing you did was clonk out then and there on your bed. Completely passed out into possibly the deepest sleep you've ever had. In fact it was so deep, that you didn't even wake up until the next day around eleven in the morning. When you woke, you were still wearing your coat with your hair all frazzled and you found four faces looking at you. Silver looked concerned. Zen was giving you a puzzled look. Sparky was just floating around telling you that you had slept through your alarm and was late for work. And Cerberus was sitting with a pout on his face and his food bowl in his mouth. He let out a whine before just letting the bowl drop from his muzzle with a clatter and barked at you clearly hungry for food. 

"....Right. *yyyyaaaawwwwnn* 'M on it."

One shower and change of clothes later, you had fed the three pokemon and gave Sparky a battery to suck the life from as you just plopped yourself back on the bed. You were still tired and just wanted to sleep the rest of the day away if you could but you couldn't because just as you considered going back to sleep there was a loud knock at the door, which made you groan and drag yourself slowly from the bed. You slowly trudged towards the door and when you got close you noticed a delicious smell coming from the other side of the door. Room service?? But you hadn't ordered breakfast or lunch. Well you opened the door and was hit with the delicious smells of  ...bannanas?? And Hot chocolate? Well on the other side of the door was none other than Gordie, and in his hands was a small styrofoam box and cup containing said foods. He stood there but smiled when he saw you open the door.

"Hey, Y/n. Good mornin'!..Or should I say afternoon?"

"Gordie?," you asked blinking confused, "What are you doing here?"

"Well I just checked on Sapphire to make sure she was doing ok after last night-"

Oh right..That actually happened! "Is she alright!?"

"She's fine. Just tired and somewhat cranky. I just finished up evrything else so I wanted to drop by and make sure you were alright."

You gave another tiny yawn. "I'm fine thanks. Just a bit tired, but I feel a lot better now. But why do you have that?" You asked gesturing to the food.

"Oh! Well my Ma heard about what happened last night and she made ya this." He held out the food to you. "It's sweet tropical curry, and hot chocolate. Maybe a bit more on the junk food side o' the spectrum, but it's sure to make a good lunch on a cold day."

"Oh..How nice!" You smiled and stepped aside. "Come in."

"Huh? Oh thanks." He stepped right in and was greeted with your small herd. "Ah. I see that Houndoom of yours is lookin' better."

"Yeah. The food and exercise are really working wonders." You closed the door and walked on over to him taking the food. "Tell your mom thanks for the food. And I can't thank you enough for what you did for us last night. I swear I'd still be there working my feet off if you hadn't stepped in."

"Hey. No thanks needed. My ma would've done the same thing if no one had shut it down. There's a reason we have a law in Circhester that prevents stores from stayin' open late on any holidays. The crowds like to gather big and then it causes problems for the small businesses that can't handle the hoards of people! It happens every Halloween and Christmas! I can't believe they'd pull somethin' like that after that got some new help!...*sigh* Don't worry. I made sure to swing by earlier today and make sure they knew not ta do it again. I'm pretty sure they got my message good."

"I hope they don't fire me-"

"They won't," he stated bluntly looking at you, "If they do they know they'll be in BIG trouble, you on the other hand don't have to worry about a thing. You get to enjoy the rest of the week off so no worries."

"Ah. Well that's one good thing." It was then at that moment that your stomach growled and you let out an embarrassed chuckle. ''All this talk about the cafe is making me hungry. I wanna try this food out! Smells delicious." 

You smiled and held up the food and it was at THAT exact moment he froze. Eyes in full view of your hand and then his eyes widened- "What the- W-W-What happened to your bloody hand!?" He asked pointing to your hand and it was then you turned to the now MOSTLY faded light pink marks on your hands.

Aw crap. You forgot about that. "Oh yeah." You scowled at your hand for a moment. "Some old hag decided to spill her drink on me and burnt my hand a bit."

"SHE BURNT YOUR HAND!?"

"It's not too bad," you assured him as he no gained a panicked look, "It doesn't hurt anymore and it'll go away in a couple days. I'm more mad she didn't pay than anything else- Wha- HEY! GORDIE!!"

He didn't even bother to listen to the last part of your ranting before he literally but gently removed the food from your hands and quickly shoved it onto a small side table and you froze when he grabbed your hand. Blue eyes squinted from behind those sunglasses as his hands gently held yours to his face...and you blinked. F/c eyes watched as he gave a look to the back of your hand before gently turning it over to give a look over at the bottom of your palm. For someone who could throw out someone in a headlock his grip was..soft. Gentle even as he gazed across your hand for a moment. Seeming to examine each part of it like how a scientist would examine a new cell particle, until eventually he slowly turned it back over to where the light pink was the most...and he sighed.

"'S not serious. Thank Arceus," he mumbled in relief.

"I mean...Yeah. It was only a little bit. I'm still mad tho." He hummed again before one of his hands released yours and reached into his coat pocket to pull out a small toothpaste looking tube and held it out to you. "What's that?"

"Burn cream. I've noticed a while ago that a lot of my guests tend to get burnt by hot drinks, and being an older brother you kinda get used to three lil brothers always making messes and causin' trouble. You wouldn't believe the amount of times they spilt things all over me. Nowadays I always carry one or two of these on me in case anyone ever needs it."

"Oh I think I believe you." You could still clearly remember one of Gordie's brothers making Allister spill his own drink the year before. "But...thank you." With a soft smile that made him pink you happily took the small tube from him happily. "That's really kind of you. You've actually been really nice to be lately and a big help. I wish there was some way I could make it up to you-"

"A-Actually.." His face felt pink- No. RED as he gulped down the rock in his throat letting it travel to his stomach letting the heavy feeling sink in. Especially when you blinked back at him. "I-I was wonderin' i-if ya- W-Well- ONLY IF YOU WANNA 'COURSE!! Y-Y-YOU'RE TOTALLY FREE TO SAY NO!!" You blinked at his sudden increase in pitch as he wanted to suddenly punch himself in the face for that embarrassing moment. "I mean if you wanna-..I m-mean-...I-I remember when you came 'round with Piers a lil while back! W-W-When ya helped us o-out with those dynamaxed pokemon..I a-a-asked ya to dinner b-b-but understandably you were a b-bit busy at the moment. S-So..m-m-maybe i-if you only wanna that is...Maybe you'd l-like to ha-have that dinner...With me?"

You continued to silently stare at him. And he shrinked into his coat under the staring. HOLY ARCEUS HE MESSED THIS UP!! WHY'D HE EVEN DECIDE TO ASK AT THIS TIME!? He wanted to ask you last night so he went to see you but then the whole incident last night happened and he asked without thinking this through at all! OF COURSE YOU'D BE IN NO SHAPE TO SAY YES!! HOW COULD HE LET THAT FLY OVER HIS HEAD!? Granted he-...was kinda interested in this for a while. Dinner with Y/n he meant. Sure he showed some interest in other girls before but he never felt like-...THIS before. Not so...intrigued by your sudden boldness and bluntness and how pretty you were and how you didn't seem to give him special treatment and got through his thick skull and how nice you were and how you helped his slowly start to regain his family he missed so much and how much patience, care, understanding, and genuine emotion- OH ARCEUS HE WAS STILL STARING LIKE AN IDIOT!! He cursed himself eternally for going off on a puppycrush rant inside his head as he unknowingly stared at you still like an idiot making his face even REDDER in comparison to his pale white-blonde hair. You however took a LOT longer to process what he was asking you...and it seemed like everything about his behavior clicked now and your f/c eyes widened in realization. 

"...Gordie," you slowly asked making him flinch, "Just so we're clear. Are you...asking me out?"

OH SWEET ARCEUS HE WAS GONNA GET REJECTED SO FAST!! RIP RAIHAN!! HE'S ABOUT TO KNOW HOW HE FELT!! he only slowly gulped again. "Um....Y-Yeah?"

"Oh. Ok then! What time?"

RECORD SCRATCH-

His mind blanked for a moment. "......wot..."

"I said sure. When do you wanna go out?," you calmly responded with a smile. 

Again he could only stare. ".....Did you just say bloody YES to ME!?"

"Yes?," you slowly asked raising a brow. "Is that surprising?"

"W-WHY THO!?"

"Because you asked nicely? And you're really nice so why not? At least you're not being really pushy about it like Raihan was...I still need to talk to him about telling others about my business without asking." Gordie opened his mouth, closed it, and just had trouble processing this. "Are you ok there?"

"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS?!"

You gave him a deadpanned look now. "Gordie. I have dealt with being bowled over by Milo's wooloo, dropped from the sky into a corviknight's nest, falling out of a tree, living with THE worst mom ever, battling against two legendary pokemon TWICE, stopping powerful rich dudes who think they can just use said legendary pokemon to run rampant, getting hit in the head by a roof tile and ending up in the hospital, THE worst room mate to ever exist, almost getting my face getting bit off by a houndoom, and having Raihan and two hairdo weirdos flirt with me and genuinely make me uncomfortable!" Gordie stared. "I think being asked out by you is the least shocking thing I've ever had to deal with up to this point." You left out the magically transported into a video game world part out for obvious reasons.

He raised a hand and opened his mouth-...Before slowly lowering it. "Ah..Well when you put it that way..*cough cough*." He straightened back up. "So uh-...T-Tomorrow works for you?"

"Friday? Sounds great! Can't wait for my first date."

AGAIN RECORD SCRATCH-

"Hold up!...First date? As in-...Y-You never went out with someone before?!"

"No not really. But I'm sure it'll be fine with you..." You paused looking down. "Um..Gordie."

"Y-Yeah?"

"You're still holding my hand."

In an instant he looked down, saw his hand holding yours, freaked out, let go, and immediately began freaking out even more. "I-I-IM SO SORRY!! I DIDN'T REALIZE!! IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN I PROMISE!!" His face deepened a red the more you smiled at him.

"Hey it's ok."

"No it's not! I was h-holding your hand without permission and we haven't even had a proper date yet," he insisted before he again paused and then grabbed his hair. OI!! GORDIE YOU BLOOMING DUMMY!! "I-I-I HAVEN'T EVEN THOUGHT IT THROUGH THIS FAIR!!!" Before you could even say anything he held up his hands and backed away. "D-Don't worry! I'll have everything ready! Don't worry about it-" And then he quickly turned on his heel to zip out the door- Only to forget the door was closed and full on smack into the door with a loud thud. "OW!!" A hand grabbed his face. Mumbling curses to himself, he grabbed the doorknob throwing the door open before turning with a nervous smile and giving you his signature salute. "Don't worry 'bout anything! I'm fully in control! Just leave it all ta me!"

You only watched as he proceeded to trip over the doorframe on his way out leaving the door partially opened as you stood there blinking....before you again smiled and laughed his response. You weren't sure how this date was supposed to go but it would sure be-....

THIRD RECORD SCRATCH-

A date. You just agreed to have your first date with GORDIE in less than twenty four hours and you have absolutely no idea how a date was supposed to go.

"....SPARKY!! CALL SONIA!! I NEED ADVICE NOW!!!"

[samuel-is-an-idiot]

If someone looses their dog and the first thing you have to say is "it's missing care" FUCK YOU really FUCK. YOU.

My dog is a cairn terrier far from an angel, in fact she's a little shit and in the divorce my dad didnt want her but was honest about it and my mom abandonned her the second she had an excuse just like she did with me and my sibling. She (my dog) now lives with my grandma, I live with my dad about 20 minutes afoot away, I suffer from CFS, chronic pain and I'm also ✨️autistic✨️ I struggle with leaving my house most days and taking care of myself since my mom kicked me out but everytime i can; i go to my dog and my cat and my grandma. And I do my fucking best. Today my dog ran the fuck away, which she's been trying to do and succeeding a couple of times since we got her. She's been gone for hours I'm struggling and I already had a fucking meltdown today so to say "it's missing care" FUCK YOU. REALLY FUCK YOU! My dog is the one thing in my life that is a constant happiness, she's scared of storms and today is the french national holiday, she's gonna be out during the fucking fireworks and I hate that because we searched for her for HOURS with my dad. Fuck you seriously.

Do you seriously have so low a life and so low a belief in humanity that the first thing you would think about a dog running away is "it's missing care" she isnt, she's missing a shower and a haircut but she's not missing food, far from it, she's not missing love and care and bits of croissants in the morning and barking time in the evening. This dog is one of the fucking happiest fucking dogs in the entire world and I'm proud she's mine because that's one thing I didnt fuck up. And YOU "it's missing care" lady are missing a LIFE and hobbies!

And I know " but Sam what if she's trying to be good, and warn you about your dog being dirty/unhealthy" then she wouldn't have fucking told me when I explained WHY she needed a haircut and I was going to give her one this WEEKEND with "no need to write a book it's not that hard to shower a dog" FUCK YOUUUUUUUUU I hope there's a spider in your shower tonight and I hope it goes BATSHIT CRAZY when it sees your saggy tits lady (no hate against saggy tits, respect all tits)

Seriously how hard is it for people to mind their own business and be empathetic with distressing situations?

[vynegar]

luke personal story card 2, part six

maybe in the future...

same disclaimer and notes from part one.

youtube link to Sherry’s Gaming Notes video of the card story

links to other parts: one two three four five

more tot translations here

do not repost

[PART SIX]

[32:30] Vacation House Bathroom

MC: ... It's still so hot...

After taking my ring off and putting it away, I turned the water faucet on higher, continuously spraying the sink and mirror with tiny water droplets. I appeared a bit flushed in the dripping mirror, panting slightly. After a short break with Luke in the vacation house, we had gone out again to explore and only got back late at night.

Luke: MC? Are you showering yet?

MC: Luke! I was washing my face just now...

Luke: Okay! Call me when you're done, I want to take a shower. It's still so hot, even at night...

Choice: Tell Luke to come in OR Wash your face*

Outside the half-open bathroom door, Luke walked with pattering footsteps; he seemed to be adjusting the air conditioning.

MC: (He seems really hot, I should call him in for a shower soon.) Luke? Why don't you come in?

After the bathroom door was fully opened, Luke remained standing at the entrance, peering in to "observe" me.

Luke: But did you say you wanted to wash up first? Do you mean...

His gaze slid past me to land on the bathroom vanity. Next to the sink were different colored hair clips, as well as several types of haircutting scissors.

Luke: Oh... You actually wanted me to help you trim your hair?

MC: Yeah. It's way too hot... but it'll better after trimming it a bit, that shouldn't be too much trouble.

Luke: I know, I know. You think I don't know what you're asking?

He seemed to be in a pretty good mood. He hummed as he grabbed the apron, then efficiently fastened the hair clip on my head.

Luke: Preparation complete! This time I'll redeem myself –

MC: Oh right Luke, do I have to close my eyes this time?

Luke. No need. I'm just trimming the ends of your hair. And even if I told you to close your eyes, I'm guessing you would still secretly look at me. Since you're going to look either way, you might as well be open about it...

After I sat down on the chair, I felt the warmth of Luke's body approach from behind me.

Luke: Can I start with cutting this much?

MC: Yeah, everything's up to you.

The familiar rustling sounds began. Aside from that, there were also muffled explosions from outside the house. I wanted to look out the window to see what was happening, but my view was occupied by Luke's body. There were only the continuous, unending sounds of fireworks as the night deepened and surrounded us.

Luke: Can you hear it? They're lighting fireworks outside, just like back then. But this time I don't want you to look at those. Focus on me... don't look away.

Strands of hair gradually fell upon Luke's pitch-black apron. He carefully examined a small lock of hair, unconsciously leaning closer to me. There was only a small bit of distance between us, and honestly, I could have kissed him right there.

Luke: Should I keep cutting? Or stop right here?

But he seemed to be immersed in his work as a barber. I could only suppress my desire to kiss him, and pretend to be focused on giving him advice.

MC: ...You can cut a bit more.

Summer night. The sound of cicadas. The explosion of fireworks in the sky. Him and me alone together. After crossing over time, the feelings had finally become clear and surged upward uninterrupted, about to bubble and spill out into the rest of the room.

Luke: Oh right, MC... Did you know you have a strand of really curly hair?

MC: Huh, really? Where?

I momentarily forgot about all of nonsense I was thinking of and hurriedly touched my hair.

Luke: ...Just kidding. I was just thinking... one day, you really might end up changing your hairstyle on an impulse.

Luke gently twirled a small lock of hair that curled upwards, talking to himself.

Luke: Hm... Will you make your hair curly? Or straighten it... or cut it short? When it comes time, I want to be by your side too, seeing how your hair changes.

MC: Well of course. If you weren't there, I'd feel troubled.

Luke: ...

MC: Luke?

Luke: Don't get mad at me for saying this.

The scissors stopped. Among the unceasing sound of fireworks, Luke moved his lips against my ear. For a moment, I thought he was going to bend down and lovingly rest his chin on my shoulder.

Luke: Maybe in the distant future, there'll be... white strands in this hair.

But at the last moment, he didn't move, only speaking at my ear.

Luke: I want to see you like that too. I really, really want to...

MC: ...okay. Luke, if that time really does come, I'll still want you to cut my hair for me.

There was no more need for unnecessary words. I quietly nodded in response to him. The silent didn't last long when Luke laughed with a quiet huff.

Luke: ...Why does this feel so serious? It's like we're discussing a case.

MC: Then let's just consider this a case. Luke, have you forgotten something very important?

Luke: What?

MC: Compensation for the case, obviously. You accept prepayment, right?

Before Luke could react, I firmly turned around and looped my arms around his neck. No longer suppressed, my kisses surpassed countless words. Luke cooperated with me and opened his lips, his damp exhales suddenly flowing out. In an unnoticed corner, the scissors fell with a clatter back onto the sink. Two figures seemed to flash across the gleaming metal surface.

[END]

*I had trouble finding a video where someone picked the second option. Please let me know if you find a source, I’d like to edit it in later!

[feelingofcontent]

DNP Rewatch: Cards Against Humanity PHAN EDITION!

Date video was published: 02/21/2021 (X)

DNP Main Channel Rewatch: 437

Another joint video! So soon after the last one! Phil teased it in a member’s post the day before. And he posted a joint selfie with a caption I’m still not over (”just a couple of boys who bought a house together...” 🥺 and Dan’s comment as well) to promote this video and the upcoming Stereo shows. 

0:00 - they both look so good in this video. also I love the boxes background and ‘presenting’ Dan with the fireworks effect

0:26 - king of comedy Phil. and then his immediate look at Dan to see if he made him laugh

0:37 -��“I freakin’ did that” I...what was Phil in early 2021. also I had missed Dan’s facial expression reactions so much

0:41 - at least on camera and just from the front, the haircuts don’t look too bad. Dan had posted insta stories earlier in the month about Phil giving him a haircut (1, 2)

0:59 - Dan looks so offended! 😂 I feel like Dan’s curls are a lot more forgiving of mistakes

1:17 - from the texting video, Phil had sent this haircut picture he used here to Dan around this time. I love Phil’s laughter at it by this point

1:28 - there are even more polaroids lower on the fridge than what was in the Keep it or YEET IT video 🥺

1:50 - this clip is SO interesting to me. it’s obviously from a bit later in filming, because Phil has already had part of his drink. and yet he edited it in here at the start, so it was important to them to include. it is incredibly loud...“we were already locked down with each other”... “big commitment” and the look on Phil’s face. and as I’ve said before, just like every public mention or description of their relationship, Dan is doing all the talking. I just have a lot of thoughts about these few seconds

2:15 - love that before he knows what it is Phil goes “mmmm” but then immediately makes fun of Dan for it

2:35 - “this is for you, sugar freak” we’re two minutes in and this video is already so much

2:46 - aka they also made $$$

3:21 - great example of them just bouncing ideas around and off each other. I do love what they ended up doing with the show titles. the first of the Stereo shows (1, 2) was just two days after this video went up

3:56 - Dan on a random tangent

4:29 - Phil being ready to immediately react to what Dan says there...same wavelength

4:34 - “the things it’s seen” 👀 Phil’s face...

5:06 - I don’t want to know 😳 (all I could think about when I saw this clip the first time is the fic @intoapuddle​ had written shortly before this)

5:18 - Phil was ready to hoard them in the last video though

5:42 - I love that the cube turns into a running joke

6:00 - why did Phil say “Phan” like that

6:05 - Phil replied to a tweet from one of the people that made and gave them the game

6:30 - their use of “creativity” like this over the years is very consistent

6:47 - more excellent Dan face reactions. also I notice he kept it zoomed in so we can’t see exactly what Phil’s hand is doing there

6:57 - he really didn’t cover that “fuck” very well

7:29 - “how could I forget the sechs?!” Phil is something in this

7:52 - Phil’s look is saying he’s not sure if this one is okay to do on camera

8:03 - and another (although much more casual/silly) instance of Dan saying out loud something that Phil won’t. and with Dan there, Phil censored it much less in general than in the last video, even though it’s still on his channel

8:24 - Dan looks proud of himself for that one. Phil had tweeted one of those awkward-hand photos back in 2014

8:49 - again...somewhat terrified of the awareness they have. Dan knew immediately...maybe Phil was trying to forget

9:25 - Dan discussed this far too much on the gaming channel too...this was the most specifically he asked that though

10:01 - Dan already knows something that is going to disturb him is going to come out of Phil’s mouth

10:16 - “but I’m trying to be honest” and there’s some truth from Phil about what he was trying to do on YouTube in early 2021

10:28 - the giant “XD” editing bit there 😂

10:48 - this awkward Dan moment was at Big Weekend 2014. (Dan was there alone because Phil was ill.)

11:07 - and this card idea must have come from this Dan tweet in 2015...he can blame himself

11:39 - Dan doing a lot of staring in this video. and Phil thinking about what this would involve far too much

11:52 - they’re only saying who wins the round sometimes

12:01 - I really want to know what Phil was going to say after “I wonder if I...” give us your thoughts about your channel Phil!

12:11 - what is this little Phil smile and sway

12:15 - which is a thing Phil had tweeted back in 2015

12:26 - the parallel of this and the same reaction from Phil to one of the cards Dan did in the CAH gaming video

12:39 - Phil doesn’t want to talk about that

12:46 - Phil choosing that card just to tease Dan and then both being super sarcastic about it

13:04 - Phil saying the words “when I first met Dan...” was maybe the most surprising thing in this video. and then sharing this little bit of their early-on

13:31 - also cannot get over how Phil says “that’s such a Dan one” 😭

13:44 - Phil looks nervous every time a card starts with his name...there are none they used that start with “Dan” although there are a lot of Dan-specific reference ones

13:53 - the sequence of emotions that go across Dan’s face as Phil says he’d “be quite good at lapdancing” 😂

14:09 - I’m really not sure we needed those details

14:33 - this bit is so cute and funny

14:52 - and aww at Dan being pleased that there was still a Phil story he hadn’t heard

15:07 - Dan be so defensive about this and Phil with the “bitch” out of nowhere

15:18 - which is what Dan called himself in a video with Louise back in 2014

15:23 - seeing Dan being able to laugh at “full time internet homo” (which was a freudian slip from a live show that haunted him) is just 😭

15:28 - and then the ‘cheers’-ing of those cards

15:41 - “cheesy sparkling water” is a reference to THE CHEESE CHALLENGE where he tried both of those things

16:09 - “you need to start using it” jesus christ Dan

16:24 - I was speechless when I got the notification for this Phil tweet. and Dan’s reply!!

16:40 - they were both at max chaos during the Stereo era

16:53 - 😂 they are having two completely separate conversations after that

17:05 - Phil’s “I’ve got the Santa hats” just sends me 😂

17:23 - “you want to do something to replace this as soon as possible” I love this video so much

17:30 - no telling us who the winner was

17:45 - they showed these under-the-stairs inspo pics in the texting video too. maybe Dan sent them to Phil to use in this video

17:53 - Dan had this tree ready-to-go for a while; it was visible in the background of the lounge in the pigeon video. I was not so sure about how it looked at the time, but it looks much better actually installed under the stairs

18:15 - lets be honest...it was a lot of degenerative filth. and I wouldn’t have it any other way

18:40 - probably my favorite bit of all. Phil just calling him out on this! and then including it in the video!!

18:57 - it didn’t stop Dan from just staring more, clearly

This is definitely in the running for my favorite video of 2021. It was just SO MUCH after a couple years of basically no joint content at all. And the start of the Stereo era! Such a good time.

[mischievouslittlecreature]

Elias Headcanons #5

I just wanted to give a quick thank you to everyone who’s reblogged, liked, or commented on these! It really means a lot to me that y’all have enjoyed these so much! Credit and love as always goes to @glitter-and-gasoline​ for both providing inspiration and positive feedback! 

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4

Is a good ice skater.

Broke his left arm as a kid when he fell out of a tree.

Was approached for a position with the CIA shortly after being discharged but declined.

His mom made him take piano lessons as a kid.

One of his favorite things to do on a quiet evening is to curl up under a blanket with his SO and any pets if they have them and watch old movies or television shows.

Loves making his SO flustered or getting them to blush, he thinks it’s cute.

When given the opportunity, loves to pick his SO up and spin them around.

Every time he goes back home to visit both of his parents complain about him needing a haircut. 

Has a nice singing voice but isn’t really comfortable singing in public. He will sing or hum softly to his SO if they ask him to though, particularly if it helps them sleep or soothes them after a nightmare. 

Does not respond well to thunderstorms or fireworks, but has developed some mechanisms for coping with them. If he’s with his SO, he’ll want them to hold him with his head on their chest or in their lap while they pet his hair and talk to him. Soft words and soothing kisses are particularly helpful at grounding him. If he has any pets, cuddling and petting them is also helpful in calming him down.

He works hard to hide his PTSD and even lasting physical effects from the war from his parents and siblings, he’s pretty afraid that they’ll see him as weak or a burden if they knew just how much the war affected him.      

He suffered from a collapsed lung from when Barnes shot him and required a chest tube for several days. 

After the war, he went to one of his niece’s birthday parties during which a balloon unexpectedly popped and sent him into a panic attack. He had to run outside and hide out at the side of the house for a good half hour before he felt calm enough to go back inside. As a result, he really dislikes balloons and gets a bit anxious around them since there’s always the chance one of them could pop unexpectedly.

He has 5 nephews and 3 nieces (his brother had 3 boys and 2 girls while his sister had 2 boys and 1 girl). Was quietly horrified that both of his siblings had more than two children each.  

At least gets to use this as ammunition whenever his mother bugs him about having children (”You have eight grandchildren, Mom. How many more do you need?”). 

[introvert--weeb]

Hello :{D I wanted to request a matchup from Haikyuu please! (Lmao sorry I’m new to this )

I’m 20/genderfluid/ 5’5 ^-^

I’m pansexual and INFP

My personality is a mixture of friendliness,down for anything,awkward when it comes to really romantic things but I’m trying my best , very creative *both a bad and good thing at times*, flirty, protective but will let others learn on their own, bad influence with great stories :D okay more like, the” Fireworks Uncle” or “Vodka Aunt” that will babysit and take the kids to concerts and go with them for their first piercings/tattoo and help out with dying their hair or haircuts (will most def shave my hair with you if you want)

My Interests :Art (all kinds even though I’m not too great at it,I still love it ^0^), Skating, collecting Sanrio/anime figurines/skateboards/surfboards, eating grilled cheese sandwiches, partying (before COVID), getting new tattoos, spontaneous trips, learning random trivia,science+marine Biology,beaches,Aliens and sci-fi movies

My appearance: Curvy/plus-size, random tattoos and bunch of stick n pokes, shoulder length curly black hair with two blue strands in front/under cut , septum/multiple piercings on ears/gauges/tongue, between surfer-skater-baggy-thrifted-Adam Sandler aesthetic >:3

THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME REQUEST THIS AND SORRY FOR THE RANT :,D HAVE AN AWESOME DAY AND DON’T FORGET TO DRINK WATER AND GET REST BYEEEEE

Hi! I think you sound cool! ❤️

Now, when it comes to this match up, we are going to be doing this as a post time skip Oikawa! ❤️

I will be matching you with...

(post time skip) Toru Oikawa ❤️

It was entirely by chance that you had met this volleyball star. A case of right place right time. You had decided to visit Argentina for a while, wanting to visit different places throughout the world.

Oikawa had just finished his practice session with the rest of the Argentinian team, wanting nothing more than to visit the local shop before heading to his apartment and sleeping. After all, it had been a long few hours that have left him exhausted. It was as he was reaching for a bottle of water that he accidentally touched your hand that was reaching for the drink next to it.

The male apologised for the awkward moment. He was about to carry on with his day until he noticed how attractive you were. Black hair with dyed blue strands at the front, tattoos peaking through your clothes, and piercings. You may have not been the type the setter would usually go for but now he was questioning whether he actually liked alternative girls.

You waved off the apology before trying your hardest to reply in fluent Spanish. Toru noticed that you were struggling and so had moved his language to English to make it easier on you. He was thankful that he had to learn English as well as Spanish, because it now meant he could talk to you more efficiently.

You were surprised when the male had started speaking English but appreciated it. After all, you wanted to talk to this boy more. So by the drinks of the shop, you both talked about anything that came to mind. At the end, Oikawa had asked you out on a date for the next day and had gained your number. It was a good day.

The first date was spent at a lovely cafe that Oikawa would visit often when he had free time. The whole experience was perfect and you had agreed to go on a second date.

2 months later, you were both in a relationship and everything was perfect. You had moved to Argentina to be with Oikawa and you couldn't be happier.

This relationship was probably the most fun out of the other relationships you had seen. Oikawa would pick you up for surprise trips on his free days, he would even make sure to have your favourite drinks and snacks ready if it will be a long drive.

You both would bond more over your shared love of aliens and sci-fi movies. Movie nights would probably feature films including aliens in some way or another but you don't mind.

Try and convince me that you both wouldn't get matching alien tattoos. I feel like he would want to get it done for ages but you were the one to give him that figurative push that he needed. You had suggested it one morning since you wanted to get tattooed and were a little surprised when he was as excited about an alien tattoo as you were. He would get his on his chest so that his shirt would cover it during games but he could also see it.

His love languages would be gift giving and words of affirmation. Oikawa would love buying you gifts when he travelled for matches, mainly figures he would find in small shops he would pass. The way your eyes would light up when it was presented to you would be enough for his heart to flutter. But he especially adored how you sounded when you told him you loved him. This boy could die happy from that moment!

At the end of the day, this is probably the most fun relationship. Lots of sudden trips and good times! You would support this boy at every volleyball match he had and he would treat you to a date afterwards.

[multishipper-baby]

Hello Dy, can I request some Despair!Mikan x Junko headcanons? If you need a starting point, maybe something about them giving each other horrible haircuts to feel more despair? Thanks!

I love me some Junkan!!! Especially despair Junkan lmao, because it's so dark but also... I can't help but feel happy when seeing Mikan all smiley and confident. I know it's like, not the real her, but still. It's sweet to think that Junko brings out the worst in her and keeps her at her side to destroy the world, in a weird way.

Okay but that idea is? Kinda cute?? Like I can imagine them just going ham with Mikan's medical scissors and just laughing at how ugly they both look now, maybe with Junko making silly faces at the mirror and trying to do some wacky hairstyles with what's left of her hair.

Also Mikan would totally save Junko's cut hair and try to use it to make a wig or maybe something creepy like a voodoo doll of her... Because she loves her evil girlfriend and wants to show her love in a despairful way.

You know how sometimes villains monologue while having a cat on their lap? That's Junkan. Sometimes Junko will just be giving a speech and Mikan will be silently sitting on her lap, being pet.

Most of the remnants kind of do their own thing without much direction, but Mikan always stays close to Junko's location so she can show her all the horror she spreads in person (and get some kisses as a reward).

Of course sometimes Junko leaves her hanging because Despair, but never for too long, because when they don't see each other she misses her too (and also spreading despair with her, because what's better than harming others with your bae?).

Junko gets hurt a lot just for the sake of it, and Mikan always makes sure to properly take care of her whenever that happens. And when I say properly, I mean she doesn't use any pain killers and she makes the recovery as slow as possible lol.

Like sometimes Junko's injuries will get infected since Mikan didn't clean them well enough on purpuse, and they both laugh about it like it's the funniest thing in the universe.

Of all the remnants, Mikan is the only one that's guaranteed protection. All of the others can go die whenever, but Junko wants Mikan's death to be special. Something the both of them can enjoy, you know?

Also, Junko's the only one allowed to mistreat her girl. Anyone else touches her and they get ganged up by Monokumas.

Sometimes they just sit on a rooftop and watch buildings explode as if they're fireworks, holding hands and talking about how much despair has overcome the world. They're Mikan's favorite type of dates.

Bonus sad headcanon: Mikan loved to kiss Junko's hands and nails, and now she's both elated and heartbroken upon seeing Nagito with one of Junko's arms because it makes it so that she can't stop thinking about her.

[tenroseforeverandever]

A Bottle of Bubbly

Characters: Ninth Doctor; Rose Tyler

Tags: Human AU; New Year’s; meet-cute; fluff; hurt/comfort;mentions of cheating; non-graphic mentions of war; drinking; strong language

Notes: Well, here I am again… fashionably late, as usual, an entry for the 31 Days of Ficmas. I wrote just two stories for Ficmas this year, and while I used multiple prompts for each, ironically, the Day 1 prompt, Snowed In, and the Day 31 prompt, New Beginnings, were the forces chiefly driving the muse for my first and second (last!) story, respectively.  

The inspiration for this story was a random prompt I found online somewhere (I don’t even remember the exact wording…) The @doctorroseprompts  prompt from the 31 Days of Ficmas, New Beginnings, was also inspiration for both main characters, although the words aren’t specifically stated in the text. But the spirit of them is strong and a guiding theme throughout the story. I also used the Ficmas prompts shopping and countdown, and the Winter Fic Bingo prompt night. 

As always, my love and gratitude to my wonderful betas, @rose--nebula and mrsbertucci. Thank-you for making me better. I’m an eternal fiddler, so I fiddled with this since they saw it… but all mistakes are mine anyway!

Summary: Rose made directly for the liquor aisle, determined that what she really wanted to bring in the New Year was a bottle of bubbly. The shop was nearly deserted, except for the unlucky few employees who had drawn the short straw for the night’s graveyard shift, so she was shocked to find another customer in the liquor aisle, standing in front of the wine shelves, his hand around the neck of the very last bottle of sparkling wine.

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A Bottle of Bubbly

Rose Tyler staggered out into the night. The pub door swung shut behind her, silencing the raucous shouts and cheers and endless chatter. As she stood on the doorstep, the bubble of silence clung around her like a hug, before dissipating into the city, replaced by the steady rumble of traffic. She took a deep breath, letting the cold air fill her lungs and clear the spinning of her head.

She was alone.

New Years-fucking-Eve and she was alone. Not exactly how she had planned her evening to go, but she swore to herself, it was the last bloody time, Jimmy Stone, her cheating ex-boyfriend, would ever get another chance to ruin her life.

But Rose didn’t want to think about him right now. He was now officially part of her past and could rot in hell for all she cared. What she did want to think about was enjoying the rest of the night and bringing in the New Year properly plastered. She’d already made a decent start of it with a couple glasses of wine and a few shots. She supposed she could try out a few different spots (far away from Jimmy-the-Wanker), and do a regular old pub crawl, solo-style. Dressed to kill, she reckoned she’d never be without a drink in hand and would probably have no trouble finding a bloke to pull. 

A car whizzed by, drunken twats hanging out the passenger windows, catcalling at her, spouting some shite about having her “seeing fireworks all night long.” She tugged her coat tighter around herself and sighed. On second thought, shagging complete strangers wasn’t really her thing. Maybe she could meet up with Mickey, instead, at the local near the Estate. With a little coaxing, he might take her home for a cheeky shag to bring in the New Year. It wouldn’t exactly be fireworks, but it would be safe and familiar. And she wouldn’t be alone. Mickey had never been able to say no to her.

But then – she sighed, and her shoulders sagged – she’d have to explain herself, answer all his nosy questions, admit things she’d rather keep to herself for now. Everyone would know, soon enough. No doubt the Estate would be rife with the gossip of her falling-out with Jimmy by daybreak. Besides, she’d be taking Mickey away from Trisha Delaney. That wasn’t fair, doing to Trisha exactly what had just been done to her.

“For fuck’s sake,” she snorted as she stumbled onto the pavement, her head woozy with drink, “I’m worried about hurting Trisha Delaney’s feelings. The stupid cow! Clearly, I’m thinkin’ too bloody hard about this. More to the point, I’m able to think too bloody hard about this. And I’m talking to myself… Blimey, I need another drink.”

Setting out on her quest for another pub (just for drinks, no pulling, she reminded herself), she tottered down the street, swaying precariously on her too-high heels, tugging down her too-short dress as the bitter wind bit through the too-sheer fabric of her tights. This was rubbish, hopping from pub to pub. All she really wanted was something strong to drink, her warm flat, and her telly. She’d be alone, but she’d be warm and, with any luck, thoroughly pissed long before midnight.

Decision made, she hopped on the nearest bus, and half an hour later, with the effects of her earlier drinks lamentably wearing off, she trotted into the 24-hour Tesco, close to the Estate. She made directly for the liquor aisle, determined that what she really wanted to bring in the New Year was a bottle of bubbly.

The shop was nearly deserted, except for the unlucky few employees who had drawn the short straw for the night’s graveyard shift, so she was shocked to find another customer in the liquor aisle, standing in front of the wine shelves, his hand around the neck of the very last bottle of sparkling wine.

“Oi! That’s my bottle, mate!”

The man turned to her, his brow knit quizzically above his aquiline nose. “Excuse me?” he challenged in a strong Manc accent.

“That’s my bottle,” she reiterated.

“No,” he placed the bottle into his shopping basket with a tight-lipped smile, “it’s not.” Without another word, he turned his back to her and walked away up the aisle with long strides.

“Fuck,” Rose muttered through gritted teeth and rushed after his receding form. “Oi, Mister! Mister!” She caught up with him just as he reached the end of the aisle and she tugged on the battered leather sleeve of his jacket.

He swung around, rolling his eyes at the sight of her. “Oh, it’s you again!”

“Yup, jus’ me. Hello! The owner of that bottle of fizz.” She sidled up to him and flashed him what she hoped was a winning smile. She even poked her tongue between her teeth. That always had blokes dribbling on their shirts.

Much to Rose’s disappointment, the man remained unmoved, stony-faced as ever. Then with a snort, he turned and walked away from her once more.

“Oi! Mister!” she yelped, scurrying to catch up to him again. “You can’t jus’ go swannin’ off like that…”

He didn’t even break his stride. “Yes, I can. ‘Ere I am. This is me, swannin’ off.” He gave the shopping basket a defiant little shake.

Rose knew she should just give it up at this point, go back to the liquor aisle and find something different to drink, but she was determined to have that wine. After having had her night ruined, she reckoned she deserved to have something special. “Hey, Mister! C’mon! You can’t just walk away. That’s not fair. Mister! Mist– Oooph!” She nearly crashed into him when he suddenly stopped in front of her.

He spun around and glared at her. “Seems fair enough to me. W’at isn’ fair is you not lettin’ me do my shoppin’ in peace. Now, scram!”

Rose held her ground, meeting his gaze. He was a striking figure, quite a bit older than she, dark and brooding, his features unconventionally handsome below his military haircut. She should have been intimidated, but instead she found herself getting lost in the blue of his eyes as they flashed down at her.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I could call security, ya know! Tell them you took it from me. So, it’s your choice. Hand it over, or I’ll start screamin’ for help.”

He scoffed. “Is that supposed to sound tough?”

“Sort of.”

He called her bluff, “Doesn’t work,” and started walking again, but this time she tripped along by his side. She wasn’t going to let him go, not while he still had that bottle.

“Mister… I need that wine! If you knew what I’ve been through tonight…”

“You need to leave me alone. Looks to me like you’ve ‘ad quite enough to drink already.”

“C’mon, Mister. Please.”

“No! An’ it’s Doctor.”

Rose quirked an eyebrow at him.

“You keep calling me ‘Mister’. If you’re so set on using honorifics, you’d better use the right one. I go by Doctor.”

“Doctor? Is that supposed to sound impressive?”

“Sort of, yeah.”

“If you’re a doctor, how comes you’re shoppin’ at a 24-hour Tesco… in Peckham?”

“I live ‘ere. Jus’ ‘round the corner.” He stopped at the deli counter and tossed some packages of sandwich meats and some cheese into his basket.

“What? On the estate? You must be new. I haven’ seen you ‘round ‘ere before.”

“That’s ‘cause I jus’ moved in this afternoon, me, and I’m having this champagne (or whatever the hell it is) to celebrate.”

“Blimey, don’t think we’ve ever had a doctor livin’ on the estate, before.” Rose narrowed her eyes and cocked her head at him, curious. “W’at’s a doctor doin’ livin’ ‘ere anyway?”

He didn’t speak, just stared at her with eyes cold as ice, and his jaw set and tense, and Rose bit her lip, wishing she could take back her brazen words. It was none of her business why anyone might need council housing.

“Erm... Doctor, you’re gonna need some bread to go with that other stuff,” she ventured, attempting to make up for her thoughtlessness, “an’ some milk and tea, maybe some eggs. And a couple cans of beans. Ya can’t go wrong wi’ beans-on-toast.” She linked her arm with his and proceeded to lead him through the shop.

As Rose nattered away to him, he maintained a detached silence, except to offer bewildered grunts to her various queries about the items she heaped into his basket. Finally, as she placed a box of tea on top of the mound, he smirked down at her, and spoke: “I hope you’re not attempting to curry favour so I’ll give up the bubbly.”

“Never gave it a second thought,” she fibbed with a cheeky grin. Honestly, she just wanted to make it up to him for being rude, but she had hoped, maybe…

He pulled the bottle out of the basket to peer at it. “It’s proper British Fizz, you know.”

“Oooh, lovely! Somethin’ a bit posh. Don’t know w’at it’s doin’ here, in a Tesco on the flippin’ estate. Guess they reckoned people wouldn’t be thinkin’ about the cost so much when they’re bringin’ in the New Year.”

“Yeah, gonna cost me an arm and a leg, this is.”

“The price don’t matter to me. Not tonight. I’d be happy to take it off your hands if you’re having second thoughts…”

“Ahem… nope.” He placed it back into the shopping basket. “Worth every penny, this. I have plans for this fizz.”

“Yeah,” Rose muttered, rolling her eyes, “so did I.”

They headed toward the checkout each lost in their own thoughts. “So, what’s your story, then?” he asked after a few moments. “Tell me, what makes you so deserving of this posh beverage on New Year’s Eve?”

Rose shrugged, her problems seeming rather small and distant, now.

“C’mon then. You said earlier, you’d had a rough night of it. So?”

“You sure you wanna hear me rattle on? It’s pathetic, really.”

“I’ve been listenin’ to you rattle on non-stop for the las’ twenty minutes, anyway. So, I’m all ears… and no jokes about these silly things hangin’ off the side of me head.”

“I would never! ‘Sides, there’s nothin’ wrong wi’ them. They suit you.”

He looked unconvinced by her compliment. “Well… out with it then,” he insisted, changing the subject back to Rose as he began to load his groceries onto the checkout counter. “I’m waitin’ on this great tale of woe.”

“Alright, you asked for it.”

“Yes, I did!”

“Okay, so, earlier tonight, I found my tosser of a boyfriend (ex-boyfriend now, by the way, and good bloody riddance!) out back of the pub, gettin’ a leg-over with one of the servers. It was humiliatin’. And you better believe I told him what he could do with his bloody– Well anyway, I ended up slappin’ him (and fuck that felt good!) and walked out. Thought about goin’ to a few other pubs, but I decided I really just wanted to go home, watch the countdown on the New Year’s Eve Fireworks programme, an’ get hammered in peace. I s’pose I jus’ wanted the wine to make me feel a bit more… special.

“And that’s about it. See? Pathetic. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She wagged her finger at him.

“Oi, not pathetic at all, Miss, erm… Blimey, I don’t even know your name.”

“Since we’re neighbors now, I s’pose I should probably tell ya, yeah? It’s Rose… Rose Tyler.”

“Nice to meet you, Rose. I’m John Smith,” he returned.

“John Smith? That’s it? Pull the other one! John Smith?”

His shoulders stiffened. “Well, if you don’t like it, you can jus’–”

“Nah, nah, nah, it’s fine. It’s nice and, erm… straightforward.” Rose couldn’t help the smile that blossomed over her face at his sudden offence. “It’s jus’ I think from now on you’ll always be the Doctor to me.”

“Fine...” he huffed, shaking his head at her as he paid for his order and gathered his bags. “Anyroad, gettin’ back to your tale: it sounds to me like you’re well shot of that stupid ape boyfriend of yours.”

“Ex-boyfriend. And yeah, Jimmy’s a right arsehole. To be honest, I don’t really feel all that upset about it. Thought I’d be gutted, yeah? But all I can think is that it’s no great loss. Reckon it was a long time comin’; shoulda dumped him ages ago.”

They walked out the doors of the Tesco and headed in the direction of Powell Estate.

She shrugged, adding, “I’m mostly just pissed off that he ruined my plans for New Year’s.”

“Yeah, rightly so!”

They walked in slightly awkward silence for a short time before Rose braved asking the enigmatic Doctor more about himself. “So… you’re a medical doctor, then?”

“Yup. Was a doctor in the military for years. Resigned my commission ‘bout a year back. Figured I’d seen enough…”

Rose glanced up at him, frowning concern at the tenson etched on his face again. “What are your plans now?” she asked, hoping to take him out of whatever unspoken horrors lingered in his past.

“I’ve always planned to start my own practice, me. Thought I could open one right here on the Estate.”

“Blimey, mate, it’s a war zone here too, sometimes.”

He grunted. “All the more reason you need a doctor.”

“Can’t argue wi’ that. We haven’t had a doctor ‘ere for years. The old one jus’ cleared off one day, no notice. He was just gone. His clinic is still there, though, between the chemist and the launderette. No one’s let it. Bet it’s a bargain!”

“You think?” He offered her a smug smile. “Already made arrangements, me.”

“But that’s brilliant!” Rose cheered, grabbing his arm and bouncing up and down. “When do you take possession?”

“Beginnin’ o’ next week,” he said as they strolled into the Powell Estate quad. “But it’ll be a bit before I can get everything set up properly. Plus, I have my flat to sort out. Boxes everywhere.”

“Don’t ya have some mates to help ya out?”

“Nope. There’s no one else. Jus’ me.” His words were blunt, his voice rough with emotion.

Rose watched his Adam’s apple bob heavily and grabbed onto his hand. “W’at happened? Doctor?”

He swallowed again and looked down at their joined hands.  

Rose gripped a little tighter, but he wriggled his hand free of hers, leaving behind an aching emptiness deep in her heart. She ducked her head. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to pry. I jus’… Oh, never mind.”

The strained silence returned for another minute or so as they walked, then he sighed. “Rose, war changes a person. I came back a very different man. I had plans, me. Was goin’ to start a practice as soon as I resigned my commission. Even had a place all set to go in my hometown. But I couldn’t make a go of it. Too much baggage. I haven’t been able to keep a steady job, all this time. And I lost people, good people, because they couldn’t take any more of my shit. My mates, my fiancée. One way or another, they’re all gone, and I can’t say I blame ‘em. That’s who I am, now. I drive everyone away from me.”

Rose’s heart swelled with compassion. “There’s me…”

They paused as they approached the entranceway to Rose’s building, and he shook his head, rolling his eyes at her and offering a guarded smile. “Yeah, you I can’t seem to get rid of.”

“I’m just too good.” She beamed at him, poking her tongue between her teeth again. This time, she noted, his eyes drifted to her mouth.

“No, you’re jus’ too drunk.”

“Uggghh,” she groaned, “I wish. I never got a bottle from the shop, after all.”

Grumbling deep in his throat, he dug in his shopping bag and extracted the bottle of sparkling wine. “There you go. Happy New Year. Take this and go home and celebrate your freedom from that twat. Now, go on, forget me, Rose Tyler.” He pressed the bottle into her hand and turned away, striding off toward the building opposite hers.

Rose watched him go, feeling rather lost. Numbly, she headed toward the staircase of her building, the bottle dangling from her fingers. She had her prize, but somehow it seemed a hollow victory.

She stopped and turned back. The Doctor was halfway across the quad, his figure illuminated by the dim sparkle of fairy lights strung from the balconies above. “Wait, Doctor,” she blurted. When he paused, she wasted no time rushing forward to meet him.

“Thought I told you to forget me,” he growled.

She was undeterred. “I’m not havin’ you sittin’ up in that empty flat by yourself.” Impulsively, she perched up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Come to mine. Mum won’t be home ‘til tomorrow anyway, and I think we both deserve this bottle of bubbly, wouldn’t ya say? Better with two, yeah.”

“Erm…” He gazed down at her, his gruffness replaced with a sad, gentle smile that teased at the corners of his mouth.

“I’m not on the pull or anything,” she insisted… a little too forcefully. “Blimey!” she laughed, her cheeks burning. “I mean we jus’ met…”

He chuckled too. “And you were trying to steal my bubbly. You’re weren’t off to the best start, anyway, to be honest.”

“Oi!” She grabbed him by his sleeve and tugged him toward her building. “Wait! Hold on,” she paused a few seconds later, sniffing the air, “do you smell chips?”

“Yeah. Yeah.”

“Morrison’s must still be open! I want chips!”

“Me too.”

“And since you brought the bottle, the chips are on me! You’re in for a treat! Best chips on the planet, Morrison’s, an’ they’re right here on the estate. C’mon!”

“All right! Chips it is! And if we’re still hungry later, you can’t go wrong wi’ beans-on-toast.” They both laughed as he held up his bag of shopping. Then he clasped Rose’s hand in his, the gesture warming her to the core. “Lead the way!”

As they walked towards the chippy, Rose leaned her head against John Smith’s shoulder and gave his hand a little squeeze. Her evening, which had started out quite wretched, had completely turned around, and was now looking more promising than she could ever have imagined. Despite his wine-hogging tendencies, she rather thought she was going to enjoy being the Doctor’s neighbor.

“You know what, Doctor,” she grinned up at him, “I bet we’re going to have a really great year!”

[godkilller]

@izzabizz139

I wanna hear you rant about the Gin vs Hitsugaya anime fight bc I love seeing your pov and you clearly write better than whoever extended that scene :) pretty please

          out of character.  DON’T ENABLE ME SO MUCH !!  No but I cackled when I first saw this ask because oh my god, clearly you saw a taste of my annoyance about the anime adaptation -- no, adaptation implies it was accurate, I’ll say the anime’s take was “inspired by” the manga’s quick run-in. I’ll start by saying this moment is supposed to be a bit important considering, via the audience’s point of view, THIS IS THE FIRST WE SEE OF TWO CAPTAIN-RANKED SHINIGAMI CLASHING. The only other captain-involved fight we’ve seen thus far in the manga is Kenpachi  ( who is an outlier and should not be counted... no, I joke... but, still, Ichigo was not an equal to him, his sword was sliced through like butter. )  The whole reason I enjoyed this encounter between Toshiro and Gin was simply this; it wasn’t some fancy multi-chaptered fight. IN THE MANGA, THERE ARE ONLY TWO BLOWS MADE. One, by Toshiro, to begin the fight. The second, to end it, is Gin’s strike.

          I want you to know that I’ve rewatched this specifically to answer this ask, and only due to this, as I wouldn’t have ever sought it out otherwise. HONOR MY SACRIFICE.

          Read more for length. I’m merciful.

          In the anime, they monologue at each other, and it’s mostly a combination of Toshiro making three separate death threats  ( he starts this off by saying “I’ll kill you before Hinamori arrives” and then goes on rewording it each time, and then also repeats the death-threat he gave Gin prior to this conflict about “I’ll kill you if Hinamori bleeds” )  and then also Gin and Izuru talking about how truly powerful and amazing Toshiro is -- no, this isn’t me being bitter or petty, I literally shit you not, Gin has a line that is legit “AS EXPECTED FROM HITSUGAYA TOSHIRO, CAPTAIN OF THE TENTH DIVISION, A CHILD PRODIGY OF TH' SORT THAT ONLY COMES ALONG ONLY ONCE EVERY FEW CENTURIES. HOW VEEEERY DANGEROUS. YOU’RE SERIOUS, AIN’T YA?” like don’t get me wrong, love a good sarcastic little shit comment like that, but the amount of times the anime pumps Toshiro up like he’s their shinest new cash cow ( and he is, at this point, it is not even 50 episodes into the series and they’ve realized everyone likes him and he’s jumped to high ranks in popularity polls... earning him filler spotlights, and eventually his very own non-canon movie )  so everything coming out of Gin’s mouth feels like more bullshit than necessary. Izuru’s already literally monologued, internally, how powerful and amazing Toshiro is anyways. Why this ?

          Not to mention that, prior to saying that long-winded shit, Gin’s haori changed length three times  ( and once it was longer than his entire body by several feet, and no not in a ‘to show motion’ way )  and most importantly Shinso was drawn, consistently, at katana-length for the duration of their little spat where the following, too, happened: Gin frog-leaps after doing a backflip, Toshiro gives Gin two (2) haircuts, Gin ruins some floorboards and gives Toshiro at least one splinter in his arm, Toshiro whilst wearing socks lands on Shinso’s blunt edge and pushes the sword down with his footsie because that’s how that works, there’s another backflip somewhere in there that Gin doesn’t need to be doing, twirl, twirl, and ballet, Gin’s face elongates until his chin is bigger than his face, Gin spends ten+ seconds purely dodging very close strikes to his face as Toshiro is the only one making breathy growly and ‘tsuuaaah’ sounds, there is a brief moment of no gravity as Toshiro keeps hacking at Gin midair and Gin blocks it over and over again but they still stay in the air but they’re not standing or jumping or using reiatsu they’re just like, momentum-locked I don’t fucking know, Gin frowny faces as he blocks because like somehow this kid who doesn’t even have more reiatsu than him, whose arm strength should not be an issue, is like. making him nervous?? as sword sparks fly. if you know me at all you know I hate when they fuckin’ firework sparkler-ify swords clashing.

          Anyways, all of this happens whilst Shinso is the wrong length and Gin’s hair is getting purpler by the second and this entire thing is somehow a big jack-off to Toshiro’s immense strength even though he’s screaming and wailing at Gin like a child and Gin’s just a vessel at this point to Enhance Toshiro, which, fine, okay, but at least be more accurate with it god damn. ANYWAYS,

          THEY JOUST. They literally run at each other, swords centered, and run past / to the side of one another. Jousting. “Cause that’s how that works. No slashes, no cutting motion. Just swords centered, because the animators were like “no worries guys I know swordfighting basics that’s a legit pose” yeah it is WHEN STATIONARY. Not rUNNING IT DOWN.

          And then Gin’s sleeve is cut, somehow, from the Jousting, because wow Toshiro wow wow wowowowow, and then Toshiro comes back and starts wailing at Gin again and Gin blocks it, again, and it’s all very annoyingly repetitive, and Gin’s frowning and sparks are flying and Gin’s using Shinso, the katana-length wakizashi I guess, with two hands because like I said, the animators knew basics and basics are “katana are used two-handed” like. Okay, you’re not wrong, but I cannot stress this enough: SHINSO IS NOT A KATANA. It’s shorter and meant to be used single-handed!!!! sTop!!! So then Gin rips off the tattered part of his sleeve and throws it at Toshiro, who swipes it away from his face using his Zanpakuto because that’s intelligent and a piece of cloth was definitely threatening enough to use your sword to bat it away  ( btw, Hitsugaya wasn’t holding his sword with two hands at this precise moment, so he could have just... used his other hand )  and then Gin goes in for the classic “stabby stabby rapidly at you while the animation gets a little breather because we repeat this cycle a few times with flashy bgs and phew money made” ... WE ARE FOUR MINUTES AND THIRTY SECONDS INTO THIS FIGHT BY THE WAY. Gin does this for seventeen (17) agonizing seconds straight. Yes, I counted. That was sixteen and a half too many seconds for me, personally.

          Toshiro somehow lassos Shinso whilst Gin is stabby stabby-ing with Hyourinmaru’s chain component. I say component like it’s somehow some type of beauty guru’s lipstick holder, but really am I that wrong ? When else has he ever used this feature ? Anyways, he lassos Shinso because yeehaw I guess, god I’m falling apart at this point can y’all tell????? I need a drink.

          and so, because now Toshiro has Gin’s sword somehow trapped with chain even though it’s just looped around it, he backflips over Gin for a cool trickshot, no blow issued, just vibes, and Gin uses a big brain moment to tug Shinso and the chains slide off. okay now what. We’re past five minutes into this fight, nonstop.

          SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD TIME FOR GIN TO PAUSE AND APPRECIATE TOSHIRO AGAIN! “I see, I shouldn’t have underestimated you, HItsugaya Toshiro” I’m starting to have a feeling Gin’s VA was told to just wing these lines because the amount of times he fills silences / Gin’s mouth movements with Toshiro’s long-ass name is astounding, he’s definitely drawing blanks here but he sure as hell knows one thing: that damn ice-boy’s name. He continues by saying “I suppose I’ll end up regretting it afterwards.”

          Toshiro says that’s not enough, and it’s really dramatic and cool. His eyes even glow all icy and blue and pretty, like his flowy reiatsu. Aesthetic points were gifted entirely to Toshiro’s animations in this scene. Gin was finished in MS Paint and each new scene they had to draw Shinso from memory and try to remember what hue of purple his hair was at gunpoint. Toshiro lets off a big wave of reiatsu and then it vanishes, and he jumps up reaaaally high. like this guy’s flying. his eyes arent glowing anymore that’s sad. Bring Back Glowing Eyes For Strong Shinigami 2k21.

          Toshiro releases his Shikai, and it’s badass, the sky darkens, Izuru looks distinctly more worried than usual, and Gin’s frowning with his teeth out like Bugs Bunny’s having a bad day, all is right in the world. Toshiro and his released Shikai have a nice moment for the Pics, and a big epic freeze frame blur moment happens with it all coiled and swirling around him. Wrow!  ( click the ‘wrow’ it’s a link to my exact reaction )  Izuru narrates for the third time about how powerful Toshiro is, his reiatsu, his Zanpakuto being a deity who is only unlocked every few centuries. The strongest ice-type sword. Pardon the pun, but that’s... you could say, so cool.

          It can even control the weather. So hey, next time it’s rainy, cold, icy, or snowing and you’re unhappy, it’s time to direct a big fuck you at Toshiro.

          Gin dodges the first dragon, and blocks the second with Shinso because blocking water and ice with a sword makes sense right? This actually takes a solid amount of seconds as Gin cuts through the entire length of this ice dragon noodle. Things dissipate, and pause, too, to really drag this out. Surprisingly, this reveals that Gin’s made a boo-boo, his left arm’s frozen, which doesn’t even mean anything because Gin is right-handed, and Toshiro teleports himself behind Gin in true fighty fashion.

          We have arrived at seven minutes and just under twenty seconds of this fight, and Gin turns, DOES THE UNTHINKABLE, gasp! He opens his eyes. His red, dull, evil, gray-eyebrowed with purple hair eyes, and shoots Shinso through its hideout spot behind his haori. This nearly takes off Toshiro’s eye and upwards of his head, but the little guy dives down fast. The rest happens in slow motion, supposedly, because it takes an eternity and people talk entire full sentences in its span of time.

          Gin asks Toshiro if he’s sure he’d like to dodge that  ( it’s a little late for that ) and says that Momo’ll die if he does. SHINSO SCRAPING ALONG AGAINST HYOURINMARU STRANGELY MAKES NOT A SINGLE SOUND. Mute. Even though before they had no problem animating and adding sounds to them smacking blades earlier. There are soundless sparks though, so there’s that. Yay. Can you tell how exhausted this’s made me? I need a nap.

          Shinso is already more than halfway towards Momo, still unconscious, she most definitely has a serious concussion via Toshiro backhanding her midair consider she’s been unconscious for longer than ten minutes. Toshiro has time to get up off the floor where he dropped to dodge, realize with a shocked gasp, turn, shout her name, and watch as Rangiku arrives in a random glow of gold which never happens ever again and blocks the attack with Haineko. Haineko almost cracks on the impact, and continues growing in damage as Rangiku holds Shinso there, implying that she’s stopped it from reaching one-hundred sword’s lengths to pierce Momo. Yes I’m including that implication / note in here because we love to see Rangiku succeeding in life and being Not-Helpless, all while potentially damaging Haineko severely if it wasn’t able to hold him off. Yikes, Gin!

          Rangiku threatens to join the fight if he doesn’t withdraw his sword. Gin smiles, withdraws it, and then Shunpos away.

          Whatta mess. Oh, and the anime fight was pretty fucked up, too.

          This is a long post, but here’s the manga version:

Toshiro leaps into the air,

This is where the fight actually starts between them:

And end. 

Five pages. Two blows. Does not equate to ten minutes of non-stop fighting and monologues. Sometimes, and I mean this in the most unbiased way possible, less is more.

[ahkaahshi]

their animal crossing: wild world playing style [hcs]

characters: bokuto koutarou, sakusa kiyoomi, akaashi keiji

genre: humor and crack. what’s new

warning(s): I repeat, this is crack; also swearing

notes: y'all I'm talking specifically about animal crossing: wild world here. for the nintendo ds. that shit hit!! take me back. also, please bear with me; the chaotic energy here is just off the charts for absolutely no reason. when I finished this, it was suddenly midnight and I was listening to k.k. slider music on youtube. what a trip that was. enjoyed it tho.

CHAOTIC

dude the inside of his house has so many different vibes happening

the floors and the wallpapers in every room don't match??

he calls it creative freedom. no, he’s just a cheapskate since y'all know he’s only using that free stuff that he shot out the damn sky or found in the ground.

thinks it’s fun to chase the roaches that are always in his house

boy loves donating his fish, bugs, and fossils to the museum

just so he can go through and admire his work, like yes I caught that!! aren’t I the best??

keeps some of his catches tho and displays them at home. also names them.

once he found out that you could hit rocks and get bells, he was running around town hitting every. single. rock.

is really, really bad at catching bugs bc he just RUNS everywhere and scares them off

loves shaking trees to collect fruit

has been stung by many, many wasps because of this. poor boy can never make it inside in time lmao

talks to all the villagers like they’re actually his friends. also knows where they live by heart. visits their houses. vibes most with nibbles.

girl, don’t even get me started with his villager

y’all KNOW he’s at able sisters making his own clothing patterns with that tiny stylus in his fingers. the concentration is UNMATCHED

same goes for the town flag.

it’s raining. this boy says umbrella? there’s umbrellas in this game?? and proceeds to run around in the rain without one

villager’s hairstyle? permanent bedhead. if kuroo does it, so can he.

NEVER REMEMBERS TO SAVE

resetti’s always on his ass about it every time he opens his ds and turns on the game. poor guy. but he needs to save.

his town’s full of weeds. he don’t give a fuck. he’s just tryna have fun.

drinks way too much coffee at the roost. brewster is concerned for him.

visits omi’s town against his will. akaashi actually lets him come over. 

let him visit you! he’ll plant his fruit for you and send you a love letter

okay, y’all. omi shits on this game at first but ends up secretly loving it

I mean, it’s so easy for him to form a routine and maintain task focus

he thrives off that!! the only thing he hates tho is that it never actually ends. that’ll keep him up at night

his routine: wake up, pick weeds, catch fish/bugs, dig for treasure, make bank

there’s not a single weed in his town. he picks them ALL.

his house is all one, cohesive theme. low key boring.

literal minimalist with like no furniture

he don’t need it, he’s always out grinding and only comes home when it’s time to sleep bc he’s just that hardcore

makes an event out of going to the roost every saturday night to listen to young k.k. slider play his groovy jams so he can collect ALL the cds

wants to catch every. single. creature. y’all know it makes him heated that those plaques in the museum are empty n that there are gaps in his lil handbook

has hella bells in the bank. pelly + phyllis want to be his sugar babies.

his character is probs dressed in the most basic ass outfit but with a ~ mask ~ since that’s on brand for him. picks one look and sells the rest of his fits. truly focused on the coin.

he’s just tryna pay off his mortgage, get a big ass house, and upgrade nook’s store to its fullest potential

is constantly trying to find ways to kick all the villagers out of his town. won’t accept the fact that he’ll always have neighbors. 

will run for the fucking hills if any of them get that lil expression like they have something to say to him. he ain’t doin a damn thing for them.

got his hair done. came out lookin a fool. was too annoyed to go back and get it fixed. has worn a hat ever since.

always outruns the wasps. this bitch ain’t getting stung. 

the way his villager looked after he got stung the first time made him gag so he vowed to escape the wasps like his life depended on it after that.

you wanna invite him to your town? he's taking your fruit, planting it back home, and selling it to turn a profit. your trees will be empty.

special town events? he’s never heard of em. fuck em. unless there’s money involved. then he’s there. wins the fishing tourney every time.

similar to sakusa in that he enjoys task focus, but will put way more effort into the experience

for example, his house is most definitely themed

like every floor has its own, cohesive vibe, complete with matching furniture placed in a very exact manner

visits tom nook’s store like everyday to see if he has the last item to complete his furniture sets

has a different k.k. slider song playing on every floor on his golden stereos. only the bangers tho.

roaches? he doesn’t know them.

his town is completely free of weeds. he hates them.

will help the villagers if they need it but will not enjoy it.

just let him fish, damn

speaking of, yall know how hard he’s smashing that button when the fish bites? hard. that bitch aint getting away. will catch them on the first try!

is a professional bug hunter. the bugs literally never see this man coming!! he is stealth.

spends a lot of time in the observatory and the aquarium sections of the museum bc they have nice vibes

grabs a cuppa at the roost every now n then. will come for the k.k. slider concerts and listen to the entire song. bless his lil cotton socks.

his villager is stuntin. like fully accessorized, new day new outfit type of deal. wardrobe is thriving. we love him for that.

if it’s rainin, he’s poppin his umbrella. he came prepared.

sends the most basic letters but on the ~ fancy ~ paper

will write thx 4 having me over on the firework paper or some shit lmao I can't.

will spend the bells on his haircut until he’s happy with his look. remembers the combo so he doesn’t have to mess around every time his villager wakes up with bedhead.

town event? he’s there. he’s all in for the experience. savors the special moments

is that villager with the sparkler on the 4th of july. also, gets all the love letters from other villagers on valentines day bc he helps literally everyone n remembers their birthdays. he deserves the best.

is 100% that bitch who plays at night just so he can listen to the 10/11pm rainy day music on repeat whilst strolling around the village by himself, twirling his umbrella n getting in his feelings low key (that was also me haha I just called myself out)

invite him to your town! he’ll fish with you and y’all can go to a k.k. slider concert together <3

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, outtoshatter!

Dear @outtoshatter​. You requested fluff, getting together, alternate first meetings, and something!Stiles. This was so much fun to write, and I’m thrilled to have the chance to create something for you. I hope you have the loveliest of holidays!! <3

Read On AO3

*****

Derek is a romantic. He dreams of finding his mate, of connecting with that special someone who will make his heart swoon.

"How did you know Dad was the one?" Derek asks his mom as he digs out a pink, glittery bear from beneath the pile of loose-limbed plushies. "Were there fireworks when you first met, or—?"

His cheeks flame. He can't tell his mom that the spun-sugar scent of Jenna's hair makes his heart race, or that the smell of Mark's baseball jersey gives him a boner. In fact, Derek's embarrassment is so thick she probably scents it despite being surrounded by a bunch of seven-year-olds with sugar highs from birthday cake and soda.

"The first time you meet your mate will always be significant,” Talia says as she hands the bear over to one of Cora's classmates. “It might be passionate and explosive, or it could spark a bond that builds and grows. It's influenced by who you are and where you are in your lives. But deep inside, you'll know. Your wolf, especially, will know."

"But what if my mate isn't a wolf? What if they can't sense the connection?"

"Humans cherish the notion of 'true love' as much as we do. And I bet your mate is someone who's sensitive and wise." She leans down and ruffles Derek's hair.

Derek wriggles out of his mom's touch. He's thirteen, not three.

"You think?" he asks. Maybe it is Jenna or Mark, although he was hoping his mate would be someone more… well, special.

"You'll see." Talia's smile disappears as she studies the line where Cora and her friends are waiting at the stuffing station. She counts their numbers under her breath and shakes her head. "Someone's missing. Will you help me find them, Der?"

Derek sighs. It might be Cora's birthday, but he's missing practice to babysit a bunch of second-graders at a Build-A-Bear. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. I know this seems like an unbearable chore, but it means a lot to your sister that you're here. And to me, as well." His mom runs a hand along the back of Derek's neck and gives him a gentle squeeze.

Perhaps it's because it's close to a full moon, but Derek feels restless and edgy. Guilt washes through him at his snappishness, and he apologizes to his mom, giving her a quick hug before starting his walk-through.

There are bins of bears and cats and dogs and dragons in every color imaginable, their limp bodies waiting to be plumped up with poly-fill. He’s surprised Cora wanted a party here; her interests run more along the line of laser tag than dolls or stuffed animals. Although there's a backstory, he's sure; Cora had mumbled something about wanting to invite her whole class 'unlike that Lydia Martin', whereupon Mom's fangs dropped and her eyes flashed red. The next thing Derek knew, they had made a reservation for all twenty children.

It's not until Derek passes the displays of the Marvel and Star Wars bears that he finds the errant partygoer. Unlike the other boys in the class who dress in athletic wear stamped with Nike and Under Armor logos, he's wearing a faded t-shirt and a plaid overshirt, topped off by a pair of worn trainers.

Derek looks down at the limp plushie in the boy's hand. "Hey. Are you here for Cora's birthday party?" he asks softly.

The boy raises his eyes. They're ridiculously large for his face, amber orbs framed by long lashes and a buzzed haircut that make them look even bigger. Suddenly, they narrow as he looks Derek up and down.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

Derek frowns, the defiance taking him by surprise. "Maybe I work here."

Any shyness the boy may have seems forgotten as he takes a step closer.

"No, you don't," he says, his tone raised in challenge. "You don't have a nametag and you're not wearing a vest."

The kid's smart. Derek is filled with the weird urge to push his buttons and protect him at the same time.

"You got me," Derek says, holding up his hands. "I'm Cora's brother, Derek." He points to the animal in the boy's hand. "Don't you want to wait in line with the others and get your bear stuffed?"

The boy straightens out his arm. "It's not a bear," he says. There's a slight hesitation, then he's turning the animal over. Derek sees that it has a long muzzle, pointed ears, and plastic blue eyes. "It's Can… um, Canis…”

"Canis Lupus. A wolf," Derek says, surprised.

The boy nods vigorously. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I didn't know if I was allowed to get something that wasn't a bear." The boy hangs his head, his fingers digging into the wolf's ample fur. "I've never been to one of these parties before."

Ah. Another reject from Lydia Martin's party list. The news makes Derek inexplicably angry.

"If I was getting one, I'd get a wolf, too," Derek says.

The boy looks up, his earlier disapproval of Derek apparently forgotten. "Yeah?"

"Totally." Derek crouches down and strokes the wolf's fur. "It's pretty skinny though," he says as his hand lingers on the nape of its neck. "We'd better go and fatten it up. Maybe get it some clothes?"

The boy shakes his head. "Wolves don't wear clothes," he says, his exasperation plain. "Duh."

Derek snorts. "Well, how about one of those scent things?" The discs seem to be popular; most of the other kids have one in hand.

The boy lifts the wolf to his face and buries his nose in its fur. "Nah. He smells good the way he is. But he needs a heart."

"Okay. Let's get one, uh—"

"Stiles," the boy answers. "Stiles," he repeats with a small scowl as Derek stares, bemused. "That's my name."

"Oh. Okay, Stiles." Derek stands up and holds out his hand. "Let's go. We've got a wolf to build."

Stiles places his hand in Derek's. It's small and a bit clammy, but Derek doesn't mind, surprisingly. They head towards the front of the store where Stiles takes his time in choosing a red heart out of the bin of hundreds. There's another display close by filled with a selection of noisemakers.

"Do you want one?" Derek asks as Stiles stares. There's a lot to choose from. "They have some songs and animals noises, and—"

"They don't have any wolf ones, though," Stiles says, seemingly put out. He pushes one of the buttons, rolling his eyes as a dinosaur's roar breaks through the tiny speaker. He chooses the dog button next.

God, no, Derek thinks.

Thankfully, Stiles passes on that one, too.

"What about this one?" Derek asks, pointing to number eleven. When Stiles presses the button, they hear the lub dub of a human heart, steady and true.

Stiles' face breaks into a huge grin. "That's perfect."

Derek opens the drawer, takes out the sound chip and hands it to Stiles, who curls his fingers around its edges and holds on tightly. By the time they make it to the stuffing station, Stiles is bouncing on his feet, a bundle of barely contained energy. He's also staring with a horrified expression at a boy who's twirling in a circle while rubbing his bear's poly-filled heart across his chest and down to his belly.

"Uh, Derek? Do I have to do that?" Stiles whispers as a Build-A-Bear employee eggs the boy on.

Maybe it's the vulnerability in Stiles' face, or the wobble in his voice, but Derek wants nothing more in that moment than to soothe Stiles' worry. He leans over and whispers, "You mean, act like something's crawling up your butt?"

Stiles lets out a half-gasp, half-laugh. "I can't move like that! What if I do it wrong and his heart won't work?"

"Listen to me, Stiles. I'm thirteen and I know a lot about wolves. Rubbing your wolf's heart on your pants or doing ten jumping jacks isn't going to make him come to life. What he needs is for you to care for him. To love him, and believe in him with all your might. Okay?"

"Okay." Stiles gives Derek a grateful smile, his face radiating his happiness.

Derek stands a bit straighter and catches his mother's eye. He's sure it's his alpha's approval and nothing else that makes him feel warm and tingly inside.

~*~

Derek used to be a romantic. He once dreamed of finding his true love, of meeting that special person whom he could care for and be cared for in return. But a series of bad relationships with people who either wanted different things in life (sorry, Braeden), or were only interested in him for his family's powerful connections (thanks, Jennifer), or who were, to put it bluntly, vindictive, psychotic stalkers (hello, Kate) has left Derek realizing not everyone is destined to have a mate. Of course, that also means one of the great Hale legacies has come to an end, although he's not sure why the Fates decided to pin that dubious distinction on him.

He doesn't want to end up like his Uncle Peter who, after losing his mate, creeps around with people half his age, filled with snark and cynicism. So Derek tries to settle, without success. His friends and family blame his inability to have a meaningful relationship on 'being too choosy', or 'not trying', or his 'emotional constipation'. He supposes it's a damning statement when even his best friends have given up their matchmaking attempts and relegated him to babysitting duty.

Derek's trying to decide whether he has time for a quick run before he goes grocery shopping, or whether he has enough milk and butter to postpone the errand altogether, when an EMT kit lands by his feet.

"Any plans for tonight?" Erica asks. Her smile is a bit too bright, her tone a shade too innocent.

Derek frowns and gives his co-worker the side-eye as he tries to figure out her angle. He can't believe there was a time where he thought he and Erica could be anything more than friends. She's gorgeous, of course, but she's also too perceptive and blunt as hell, and she calls Derek out on his bullshit more than anyone else aside from his own sisters. She feels like safety—like pack—but his wolf knows there's nothing more. Besides, she's snagged herself a handsome and brilliant ED doctor in Boyd—along with a ring, a two-bedroom Murray Hill apartment, and a five-year old daughter.

"Catching up on the second season of The Mandalorian?" Derek grins, baring a toothy smile of his own.

"Are you thirty-five or sixty-five, Derek? Because seriously, I can't tell. And since you phrased your answer in the form of a question and this isn't Jeopardy, I'm assuming those plans aren't set in stone."

Fuck. Erica had promised after the last disastrous blind date that she wouldn't try to set him up again. "I'm really not in the mood for company—"

"Even if it's a little girl who loves her godfather more than anyone else in the world?"

Derek sits up straighter. "You need me to watch Hailey?" He couldn't love Erica and Boyd's daughter any more than if she were his own.

"If you're up to it," Erica says, actually looking contrite. "I know it's your first day off in almost two weeks and I normally wouldn't ask, except… Well, the New York Public Library's doing this Children's Authors series, and her favorite writer's going to be reading today."

"The Fox and the Spark? I'm somewhat familiar," Derek says drily. He's read the story so many times he could recite it in his sleep.

"Yeah." Erica lets out a small laugh. "So, there's a second book that's coming out and the author's signing copies. Boyd was supposed to take her, but he has to cover for someone who called out with a family emergency. Greenberg won't let me change my shift, and I know you just finished yours, but—"

Derek puts a hand on Erica's shoulder. Next to Laura, Erica's his closest friend, and it's not like he really had plans.

"Don't give it another thought. Of course I'll take her."

A wave of relief sweeps over Erica's face. "I owe you one, Hale."

Derek lets out a small huff. He's pretty sure that if they were keeping tabs, he's going to come out on the short end when it comes to Erica and Boyd. Besides, an afternoon out with Hailey is bound to be better than his last several dates, even if he has to put up with a bunch of screaming kids.

~*~

As it turns out, there are a bunch of kids, but none of them are screaming because the man in front of them's woven some kind of crazy magic and has them in his thrall. He has thick brown hair that's the epitome of hipster chic, a wide mouth that pulls into an easy grin, and is wearing a heather grey t-shirt paired with khakis and a red hoodie. He looks young—young enough that Derek thought he worked for the library at first, a notion that's dispelled once Mrs. Purcell, the head librarian, gathers everyone together. His smile is bright and engaging, although it falters a bit when Mrs. Purcell stumbles over his name.

"Mieczyslaw," the man says with a self-deprecating grin. "Like 'mischief'. But I'll tell you a secret. No one calls me that, not even my family. You can just call me 'M'."

The news seems to delight the kids, who shout "Hi, M" in a loud chorus. M shows his appreciation by running across the front of the room and handing out high-fives.

"Is that really him?" Hailey wriggles in Derek's arms and cranes her neck, trying to get a better look. The construction-paper fox ears that they super-glued to her headband earlier that afternoon gets pushed aside at a precarious angle.

"That's really him," Derek affirms, which earns him an excited squeal.

"Put me down, D!" Hailey says with all the imperiousness of her mother, and it's all Derek can do, even with his superhuman strength, to keep her from toppling over.

"You can find a spot up close. No pushing or shoving, and if you can't see, ask politely. I'll be back here, okay?" He leans in and nuzzles her cheek to let her know she's safe and protected.

"Okay!" Hailey gives him a quick squeeze back before making her way up front. Derek is glad to see one of the other girls make room for her as Hailey sits down in the second row and clutches her book happily.

Derek straightens and runs a hand through his hair. He feels someone watching, and when he looks up, he suddenly locks eyes with M.

M rubs the back of his neck as a light flush spreads over his cheeks. It doesn't help to diminish his already-youthful appearance; in fact, it makes him look vulnerable—like prey—and the thought causes something to flare hot in Derek's belly. It's only when someone nudges him impatiently that he realizes that he's gawking in the middle of the room, surrounded by a restless audience that comes up to his knees. Derek mutters his apologies, then takes his six-foot frame to the back of the room where he watches from behind a row of brightly colored, miniature plastic chairs.

M starts off by saying that his best friend Scott is a veterinarian who works at a wolf sanctuary, and that M always thought wolves were the coolest. The tidbit makes Derek straighten to his full height and he puffs out his chest, inordinately pleased.

Most of the children already own copies of M's latest but choose to watch as M holds up a giant book that's nearly a foot-and-a-half tall. The pages are filled with illustrations—courtesy, M says, of his friend Isaac. The pictures are warm and soft, and detailed in a way that appeals to both a young and older audience. But even though they're beautiful, Derek finds his attention drifting elsewhere. He's mesmerized by the way M's fingers dance across the pages as he reads, how his eyes grow bright and animated when he hears the children laugh at his vocal impressions, and the way M's mouth—god, his mouth—turns down at the corners when he reaches a poignant scene. His voice defies categorization: it's raspy yet young, melodious but slightly off-pitch, and serious yet mischievous, as if an old soul had somehow merged with an adolescent’s energy.

The truth is that Derek's too distracted by M to pay close attention to the story. But after his brain momentarily shorts out from watching M lick his thumb to turn the page, it manages to reboot and catch the his next words:

"You need to care for him," the fairy said as Milo hugged his wolf. "You need to love him and believe in him with all your might."

Derek listens in a daze as M tells the group how Milo's wish for his wolf to come to life comes true. His own wolf perks up, and against the stench of the colognes and soaps and sweat of the crowd, he can pick out the welcome scent of citrus and cottonwood from back home. It's intoxicating, yet soothing and breathtakingly familiar, and in that moment the thread of hope that Derek's long thought cut manages to wriggle into his heart and take hold.

~*~

Derek absolutely does not push his way towards the front of the line. He just has longer legs.

His heart is in his throat and he's holding tight to Hailey, who's clutching her copy of Build A Wolf close to her chest. Derek doesn't understand how he could have missed the signs: the smattering of moles that grace M's cheek, the adorable tilt of his nose, or the warm intelligence of his eyes.

"Hi," Derek says when they reach the table where M's seated, his voice catching.

The Sharpie that M's twirling lazily between his fingers falls with a clatter. M stares at Derek, seemingly lost for words. A beautiful pink flush highlights his cheeks that Derek wants to trace with his thumb.

"You're a bit older than my usual fan. Bigger, too," M croaks. His face turns even brighter, and Derek can smell his surprise and the faint spice of his arousal.

"Stiles?" Derek blurts out. Upon seeing M's shocked expression, Derek tries to backtrack. "I'm sorry, it's just… well, you remind me of someone I knew from back home." When M doesn't deny the assumption, Derek continues, "I'm Derek Hale. Cora Hale's brother?"

M scrubs his face. "Wow, dude… wow, yeah, I am." He looks around and lowers his voice. "I'm surprised you recognized me. Or that you even remember who I am." When he smiles it's small and embarrassed, but Derek can also detect the happiness that colors his scent.

"I know you're probably busy, seeing as you're on a book tour and all, but do you want to grab a bite after you're done?" Derek feels breathless, and it's totally unlike him to be so forward, especially in the midst of an increasingly antsy crowd, but he feels like he's been waiting for this moment forever. "I mean, it can be something low key," he adds hastily, in case he's laying it on too strong. "I haven't been home in a while and it would be nice to catch up, and—"

There's a strong tug on his shirt sleeve. "Hi, Mr. M," Hailey pipes up. She's wearing a sweet smile but her eyes are impatient and determined. "Can you sign my book for me?"

"Sure, I'd love to." Stiles gives Derek an apologetic look. He greets Hailey with a complicated fist bump after commenting on her fox ears, uncaps his Sharpie, and opens the book to the front page. "Who should I make it out to?"

"To Mommy and Daddy and Hailey," Hailey decides. She tugs on Derek's sleeve more forcefully. "Do you think Mommy will like that?" she asks in a loud whisper.

Derek bends down and kisses her forehead. "I think she's going to love it," he says, nuzzling her neck. When he stands back up, Stiles has finished signing, but his smile seems a bit forced. "So, about dinner..." Stiles doesn't answer immediately; Derek falters as he takes back the book, his hopes sinking with each passing second.

Stiles' eyes lower, his once-happy scent souring. "Sorry," he says, his expression unreadable. "I'm on a tight schedule."

Both the human and wolf sides of Derek are confused by Stiles' sudden rejection. "Maybe a drink?" he tries again, desperate. He may have been a terrible judge of character in his previous relationships, but he can't be wrong, not about this.

Stiles shakes his head. Before Derek can press his case, there's a cough as the father and son behind Derek fix him with matching glares. Derek and Hailey get shuffled towards the door, and by the time Derek regains his bearings and looks back he discovers that Stiles is posing for a selfie with the kid, his scent now off, his smile a bit too forced.

~*~

There are several truths about the holidays—and the end of the year in particular—which are that the crowds are larger, the stress is higher, and people tend to avoid hospitals as much as possible. It also means that Derek's unit is flooded with calls, from decorating mishaps and drunken shenanigans to medical emergencies that are so far gone they can no longer be handled by an urgent care. He hasn't hung out with both Boyd and Erica in nearly a month, and even though it's for a quick bite in the hospital's cafeteria, he'll take it.

"Seriously, Hale. You'd better have a smile on your face after your PTO."

Derek looks up from his burrito, his brows furrowed.

"I don't know why you think I have PTO, Erica, but I don't," he says, grimacing as a glob of beef and avocado drop onto the wax-paper wrap. He's never requested a holiday week since he started with the FDNY eleven years ago. His family's all on the West coast, and he'd rather leave the prime vacation weeks to his co-workers. It's not like he has someone special to share the holidays with, after all.

He ignores the ache in his chest as he thinks of Stiles.

"Yeah, well the thing is, now you do. The week between Christmas and New Year's," Erica clarifies as she takes a bite of her burger. "You never exercise the perks that go with your seniority, and don't think it's gone unnoticed. It's the department's gift to you. "

Derek stares, flummoxed. "Greenberg will never go for it."

"Are you kidding me? He was the first to say 'yes'. Said he's tired of seeing your grumpy mug whenever he rings in the New Year."

Boyd grins at Derek's obvious discomfort. Derek gives him the middle finger, which makes Boyd chuckle out loud.

"I don't even know if my family's around," Derek protests. Laura often spends the holidays with her husband's family in Sun Valley, and Cora's hard to pin down any time of year.

Erica and Body give him twin looks of guilt. "They are," Boyd says as he takes something out of his coat pocket and hands it to Derek. "We already spoke to Laura. She can't wait to see you."

"Ho, ho, ho." Erica grins.

"What's this?" Derek asks as he stares at the envelope in Boyd's hand.

Boyd shrugs but Derek's not fooled by his casual stance. "A first-class plane ticket. An early Christmas present from us to you." His usually placid expression grows sheepish. "Look man, we don't want to put you in a bad spot. If you really don't want to go, use the credit for another trip. But we knew that if it were up to you, you'd be spending Christmas alone, eating leftovers and watching It's a Wonderful Life for the hundredth time."

"Who says I need to be in a relationship to be happy?" Derek asks, his hackles rising. Besides, Boyd has it all wrong. Derek has Die Hard on his Christmas queue.

Yippee ki yay.

Boyd holds up both hands. "Not me. If you want to be a bachelor forever, I'm not one to judge."

"But I am," Erica says. "You don't date anymore, Der. Hell, when's the last time you even got laid? Which would also be fine, except it's not, because you're miserable and it's obvious that's not what you really want."

Sometimes Derek has a hard time following Erica's logic. Unfortunately, this is not one of those moments.

"It doesn't matter," he says, digging the excess rice out from his wrap. "I'm better off alone."

Erica and Boyd share a look. Derek feels a pang of envy at the way they so easily read each other's thoughts and their mutual love and support. He'd always fancied himself a romantic, but to finally find his mate only to be rejected flat out hurts worse than anything Kate had put him through. Which… well, it says a lot.

Boyd nudges the envelope towards the remains of Derek's burrito. "Do what's right to you." And just like that, he changes the subject as they argue over whether Brees or Brady will end the season with the most touchdown passes and have the better chance of securing a berth in the Super Bowl.

~*~

Minutes after Derek sets foot inside JFK, he remembers why he hates flying. It's the noise and the stress, the smell of impatience and sweat, and the lack of personal space as he waits to clear security. He jams his beanie down to cover his ears, and the glower he's wearing doesn't help the dubious looks being cast his way. By the time he reaches the concourse, he has to duck into a coffee shop to catch a break from all the commotion.

He's standing in line, trying to decide whether he'd rather have a green or carrot smoothie, when someone's suitcase catches his heel.

"Shit! Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" The stranger pulls back the offending piece of luggage, and Derek suddenly catches a whiff of a familiar scent amongst the flurry of clothing and limbs. "Are you okay?  I'm not exactly graceful on most days, but I'm working on like two hours of sleep and… " The man's voice trails off as he meets Derek's gaze, his whiskey-colored eyes widening further. "Derek?" he squeaks.

"Stiles," Derek answers, his voice equally strangled.

Stiles blows out a deep breath. "Oh, wow. What are the chances?" he mutters. His face turns blotchy.

Derek's wolf is pawing at his chest, begging Derek to not waste this second chance. "Uh… seeing as we're both here, I'm going to repeat my offer. For the drink. And a meal, if you'd like. Although I guess it's more like a grab and go." He's stumbling over his words and he feels the tips of his ears heat.

Stiles glances at the breakfast wraps and fruit bowls displayed behind the plexiglass counter. He pastes on a grin, although it seems strained at the edges. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, man; that'd be great." He orders an OJ and an egg wrap, while Derek finally decides on the green smoothie.

"Is that all you're getting?" Stiles asks after an awkward moment of silence.

Derek shrugs. "I ate before I got here. But you can order something else. I'm in a generous mood."

"Haha, big spender. I mean… " Stiles ducks his head and bites his lower lip. Derek watches helplessly as it reddens and swells. "Doesn't your daughter or wife want something, too?"

"I don't have a daughter or a wife," Derek says, his brow furrowing. "Or a girlfriend or a boyfriend, for that matter."

Stiles' mouth drops. "But who was the girl you were with at the book signing?"

Everything starts to slot together. Derek lets out a small chuckle of relief. "Hailey? She's the love of my life. She also happens to be the daughter of my best friends, Erica and Boyd, and my goddaughter. They couldn't make it to your signing because of a scheduling conflict, and I jumped in as a favor." He hands over a twenty to the cashier and deposits the remaining change in the tip jar, his shoulders suddenly lighter.

"Ohhh." Stiles wheels his bag around as they head out towards the gates. He stays close to Derek and his scent grows brighter and sweeter. "I totally jumped to the wrong conclusion," he confesses with a rueful grin. "And I don't want to make the same mistake twice, so I'm going to ask you straight out: are you heading back to Beacon Hills? Because if you are, I'd like to take you to a real dinner. If you're interested, of course," he hastens. "If not, that's cool, too—"

Derek stops and places his hand on Stiles' arm. "I happen to be going back to Beacon Hills. And I'm definitely interested."

A quick check of their tickets shows they're on the same flight into Sacramento International. When they reach the gate, Derek marches up to the counter and trades in his first-class ticket for a business-class seat next to Stiles. He hurries back to the waiting area, flashing a 'thumbs up' sign and grinning like a loon. The look of pure joy that lights up Stiles' face makes Derek's wolf howl with glee.

"So I was curious... why did you choose Mieczyslaw as your nom de plume?" Derek asks as he sits, resting his bag on the floor between them.

Stiles huffs out a laugh. "Mieczyslaw is my name—at least, it's the one I was born with. But it was too complicated to say, so my best friend Scott nicknamed me 'Stiles' when we were younger." He shrugs, as if to say, the rest is history. "Anyway, I wrote The Fox and the Spark for Scott and Allison's son and they finally convinced me to submit it to a publisher. I really didn't think it would go anywhere, and it seemed like it would be less of a rejection if I sent it as 'Mieczyslaw' instead of 'Stiles'."

"And then you ended up with a best-seller," Derek finishes with a grin. He stares at the label on his cup, rubbing an edge that's grown worn from condensation. "Hailey's favorite book is The Fox and the Spark. But I think I'm partial to your latest. The one where a boy builds a wolf out of snow and wishes he'd come to life."

Stiles sucks in a deep breath. "It's based on one of my greatest memories."

"The memory of a wolf? Or someone else?"

Stiles' cheeks stain a beautiful pink. "Uh, a little bit of both? I've always been drawn to wolves, but I've also never forgotten how nice you were to me at Cora's party. I mean, you're Derek Hale—Cora's cool, older brother. I kind of built you up after that, turned our meeting into some kind of mythos, but even then I hadn't been prepared for you to be so…" He gestures with his long, graceful fingers up and down Derek's torso. "I mean, look at you. You're ridiculously hot, plus you were so amazing with your goddaughter. You probably work saving kittens or puppies or endangered wildlife or something—"

Derek coughs. "People. I'm an EMT."

"See! I mean, your fucking perfect. It's a good thing I didn't know all these things before, because otherwise, like, mind blown." Stiles mimes an explosion with his hands.

"I'm hardly special. Although I do have a book written about me. How many people can say that?" Derek teases.

"Yeah." Stiles' grin fades slightly, his hands falling to his sides. "About that. I know it must seem weird, but I'm not some obsessed fan, I promise."

Derek shakes his head. It's too early to tell Stiles about werewolves and their mates, but he wants Stiles to know that the feeling is mutual. That Stiles' story is the same one Derek's been living in since they first met.

"It's okay, Stiles. I feel the same way, too." Emboldened, he takes Stiles' hand in his, his eyes dropping to Stiles' mouth as his mate licks his lips.

"Dude," Stiles whispers, awed.

~*~

By the time they touch down in Sacramento, Derek's learned all about Stiles' closest friends. He learns that Scott is a werewolf as well, though bitten and not born, and that Stiles is considered part of Scott's pack. He's surprised to know that the infamous Lydia Martin is now one of Stiles' closest confidants, and that they'd briefly dated before deciding they were better off as friends. He also discovers that the Sheriff who busted Derek and his friends on Senior Prank Day (and let them off with a warning) is none other than Stiles' dad.

Derek and Stiles eventually connect the dots and realize that Stiles' friend Isaac went to the same college as, and remains friendly with, Erica and Boyd. He's happy to know that Stiles also lives in New York, on the Upper West Side near Riverside Park, which happens to be one of Derek's favorite places to jog. And he discovers other things about Stiles—like how Stiles is ticklish along his sides (just below the curve of his lowest rib), and how his lips are just as soft as they look, and how Stiles goes absolutely crazy when Derek scents and mouths his neck.

In fact, by the time they disembark, their mutual attraction is pretty much apparent to everybody—including the Sheriff, who pointedly avoids looking at Stiles' neck, and Laura, who just laughs.

Stiles lifts the hem of his scarf to hide the evidence, his cheeks flaming. Derek's just glad that neither the Sheriff or his sister can see the other places Derek's marked.

"Looks like you've finally found a flight you enjoyed, baby bro," Laura says as she wraps her arm around his shoulders and squeezes. "I'm so glad you're home."

Derek closes his eyes and breathes Laura in, his wolf settling at the smell of her shampoo, the warmth of his skin, and the feeling of home. "Me too."

Laura nuzzles the crook of his neck. "You smell different," she says as she leans back, her gaze sharp and assessing.

Derek glances at Stiles, who looks over to Derek at exactly the same time and waves at him with a blinding grin. "Um, yeah. About that..."

"I don't mean in that way," Laura says, wrinkling her nose. "Although he is a cutie. What I mean is that you smell... happy."

"I am," Derek says, realizing he means it. He can't wait to introduce Stiles to the rest of his family and begin formally courting his mate. But for now, he and Stiles know they have something special. They've entered the next chapter of their lives, one that already has a great beginning.

And the romantic in Derek knows this story will have a happy ending.

[blackberryjqm]

Can you name your Top5 ST characters and ships?

sorry it took me so long to get back to you, i really had to think about this one!

characters

will byers - i feel like i relate to will the most, out of the wide range of characters we are introduced to during the three seasons. he’s a little odd, on the outside at school and is generally sad. also, his fear of things changing and everyone moving forward without him? we are practically the same person (but i don’t have a bowl cut). i find him a fascinating character, through his experiences with the mindflayer and the upside down, and how those event affect the way he interacts with people. i’m really looking forward to seeing how his character progresses in the seasons to come. notable scenes: “the demogorgon. it got me.”, the whole of season two, “can we play d&d now?”, “is it early, michael?”

max mayfield - i really liked the way max was written, in both seasons (especially season 3) and really respect her feminist, the very best kind of friend, taking-none-of-mike-wheeler’s-shit attitude. she’s a strong, independent woman, and i really like her interactions with lucas. notable scenes: picking the lock to get into the av club, every time she sticks her finger up at billy, “well, it’s this legal term, called divorce.”, “boyfriends lie, all the damn time”, the entire shopping sequence, all of the el & max moments.

el - the way they wrote her very first interaction with max makes me want to curl up and die, but overall, el is independent, strong, and most importantly, a badass. even through rewatched, when i know what’s going to happen, i still get a thrill every time she saves the gang from an imminent threat. notable scenes: her facial expressions when mike tries to put the makeup on her, all her scenes with joyce, her season 2 haircut and overalls, “yeah, am i your little pet?”, literally getting a knife in her leg and walking on it later in the scene, every time she breathes

lucas sinclair - in my opinion, lucas is a really underrated character. he uses his wits, is realistic, and really cares for his friends. his skepticism of el, in the first season really shows how hard his grip on reality is, rather than mike who trusts her blindly. notable scenes: when he gives his whole spiel about el in season one and it’s kind of on a beat as if he was rapping, his insistence to befriend max, “is that a new zit?”, every time he fights with erica, his firework plan.

erica sinclair - listen, i know erica is mainly used for comedic relief, but i found her character really refreshing. along with having some of the most iconic lines of the series, she’s smart and alert and knows more about capitalism than i ever will. notable scenes: fighting with her brother almost every scene, “just the facts”, “you can’t spell america without erica,”, “plan child endangerment”, “i’m ten, you bald bastard!”

ships (i found this one a lot harder to come up with!)

max/lucas - as stated above, the interactions between max and lucas are funny and heartfelt, and i find them really sweet. i really enjoy their relationship dynamic. notable scenes: their talk at the junkyard in season 2, the snowball, the “is that a new zit?” scene, the very implication that they have broken up five times.

joyce/hopper - the will-they-won’t-they, fighting one minute, friends the next, just really want to protect my kid(s) kinda relationship. notable scenes: every single interaction between them, sharing cigarettes, enzos, “yes, every man i talk to from now on has to be my boyfriend”

nancy/jonathon - they went through so much together, fighting the demogorgon, exorcising will, even getting a job at the same place. even though they fight, i think their personality types just fit really well together. notable scenes: hunting the demogorgon together, visiting murray’s + the pullout joke, “sorry, i had a late night with fagin and the gang”, the entire hospital scene, every single time they’re in a car together.

mike/will - okay, sue me, i’m partial to a little byler. it would be interesting to see it represented in canon, but no matter how much subtext can be found between them, i doubt that the duffer brothers would scrap the relationship they’ve been building between mike/el for the last three seasons, no matter how iffy it came across last season. still, a girl can dream. notable scenes: mike’s determination to find him during season one, all of season two, “what if you want to join another party?”

dustin/susie - it had to be said, the running joke that susie doesn’t exist, only for her existence to be proven in the most inconvenient way, has got to be one of the best moments of season three. notable moments: the never ending story

thanks for the question, anon! i really enjoyed answering it!