#I could probably list 200 off the top of my head these days

[itwasagoodjoke]

no because it’s my roman empire too. you touched on basically everything but i wanted to add a few thoughts that i’ve been thinking about for a while.

i’ve not read the books yet. i’ve only seen the movie so bare with me here.

so when we see jack rise, it’s night time. we know that time has passed because 1. it’s a different time of day and 2. because where he fell has been completely frozen back over. this means that it’s been a a little bit at least, based off of how long it would take a lake to completely freeze over again. but it still looks like the same time period so it hasn’t been that long.

and imagine how confused he must have been. it probably would have been terrifying. being alone with no memories and hearing a voice in your head that apparently is the moon! only to have it never talk to you again! that would have been so scary!

and like you said, he was obviously just left there because no one could get to him, so imagine how his little sister felt. having your brother not just dying in front of you, but dying for you. if he didn’t take her place on the crack it would have been her that died.

and what happened after? did she just go home and tell their mom? does he have other family? friends? how did she react? they never even had his body.

and based off of the context clues, i don’t think the other guardians have died. i have more feelings and thoughts about this but i do t know how to put them in to words right now.

but how would they react if they knew he died. he DIED (!) and he became a guardian because? what? because he was joyful and playful in life and died to save another child? it’s not like he knew he was gonna die.

and the loneliness part oh my god don’t even get me started. so when he is chosen as a guardian the others react like they hate him. so that means that they’ve all interacted or in toothfairy’s case at least heard of him (well tooth doesn’t seem to hate him, she just seems really interested in his teeth. and i have more thoughts on that whole situation i’ll get on in a bit). bunny knows of him as just an annoying good for nothing spirit who always is causing trouble and is at fault for causing a terrible blizzard on easter of ‘68. idr if sandman knew him previously but north has. north knows him from him being top of the naughty list. the yetis know him from jack trying to break in on numerous times. so he’s been known for and interacted with other spirits and guardians for a little while. but that’s nothing in comparison to the fact that he’s been a spirit for around 300 years.

i’m gonna ignore the like myth and legends aspects of like winter spirits and the conflict with the other seasons and how they’re usually disliked.

so let’s say jack has been known as a spirit by other spirits and guardians for like 100 years. that’s still 200 years alone. not even the man in the moon to talk to. as he said in the beginning of the movie, “he told me who i was, and that’s all he’s even told me in 300 years.” or whatever idr what exactly he said. that means he was talked to once and then never again by the thing that made him who he is. how cruel is that (i tried to look up the quote from the beginning of the movie and it recommended me a video called “how the moon was needlessly cruel to jack frost.” and yeah.). manny essentially was like i’m gonna create you and then leave you. and we know he’s friends with the wind, but for how long? he was alone for a VERY long time. like you said, he’s gotta be at least a little nutty. it might be different for spirits but still, there’s absolutely no way he would act normal while being around and talking to others. but you know maybe he has practice since he’s been talking to the humans around him. but with no one talking back you still would not be okay.

and i totally agree! manny would have HAD to take his memory away from him. i don’t think we could possibly imagine what that would be like. to not just die, but in front of your sister. still not just that, but to then be resurrected and INVISIBLE to all those around you. to have someone walk THROUGH YOU! WHAT THE HELL!

and oh the thought of him following her descendants and watching out for them is something i’ve never thought of before. that is so sick. he could have still had him family kind of (i did see this headcanon somewhere where someone said that jamie is a descendant of jacks little sister and that made me happy for a bit but still). he could have watched over his family, his little sister, what would have been his nieces and nephews. he could have at least had that! but no, mannny took that away. i can see why he did but both options suck.

i also kinda hate mim but yk that’s a talk for another day

his whole thing makes me crazy and i will try and find you some fics cause i know i want them too. i might even already have a few bookmarked.

Rise of the Guardians/The Guardians of Childhood is low-key my Roman Empire.

Like, specifically in the movie verse, there's just... so much that was never elaborated on. It's one of the unfortunate side effects of being kid's media, things get dumbed down for no reason.

Like, Jack Frost in general as a character. He died. DIED. He DROWNED in a pond saving his sister and??? Nothing. The entire moment when he remembered became "Oh I'm the fun guy that had a family and saved my sister!" AND DIED. Very important part that is completely glossed over other than the idea of sacrifice. Like, the other guardians were "chosen," did they not die too? Did Jack lose his memories because he died, but the others were chosen while alive, chose to leave their lives and remembered?

And just, what were his early years? For a very long time, at least a decade, he probably thought he was totally invisible, that he could never have a true conversation with another person, because I doubt that he stumbled upon another spirit/legend for a while.

Like, that would have driven him INSANE. There's no way he wouldn't be super socially awkward from the isolation, much less just totally mentally well. Are spirit's brains built different? They'd have to be, but I don't think they should be able to withstand that level. Like what was the mim thinking??? Seriously just abandoned a TEENAGER he resurrected with no memory or possibility of support, that's wrong.

And on that note, let me reiterate that Jack died. In front of his little sister. Who had to go back home and tell her family what happened. Did he have a father too? More siblings? Friends and family? They had a funeral no doubt, mourned him. Because he died.

The worst part? He was right there. The whole time. Jack came back to that pond and settlement for hundreds of years, even when it became Burgress. He probably watched his funeral not knowing what was going on, saw his family mourn him without knowing it was for him. He was there when they died, not knowing who they were to him. Did he realize later on? I can only imagine the devastation.

The worst part is Manny probably had to take his memories, because Jack would have been DEPRESSED. He would've tried everything to make them believe, and they probably never would. His parents would probably never see him again, they were adults. His sister was plausible, but she's still mortal. She would have died, Jack would have seen his little sister grow old and die while he stayed eternally young. He might've not ever recovered from that, mim taking his memories distanced him from the pain for when he remembered 300 years later.

But he also could have moved on, grown and loved her descendants and honored her. The mim took that choice away, and that's pretty fucked up.

Then yeah, 300 years of pretty much no acknowledgement. Going into live blind with no guidance or memories, trying to figure yourself out but being ignored by the once who brought you here. Jack would realistically be a little nutty, because wow. It's shown the even other spirits didn't really talk to him, he made them acknowledge him by playing pranks and pissing them off till they confronted him. Maybe it's in spirit's nature to be recluses, but it's not in Jack's. He wanted attention and to be seen, but no one wanted to or could give it to him.

That's why Jamie seeing him for the first time always makes me tear up. This is the first time for HUNDREDS of years that a human has acknowledged him, not an out of touch spirit, but a regular person Jack can connect with, that chose to see him, to believe. That's beautiful, and special.

There's just so many layers to this story that we never got to see, and I'm forever sad DreamWorks abandoned the franchise.

(If anyone has any good fics that explore topics like this, especially Jack's family, please share)

[fairytalearista]

Sometimes I think about the time when a guy friend of mine did not believe me that there were "that many fairy tales" and I was like "I know at least a hundred" and so, while everyone else enjoyed the concert, I sat there, writing a list of every fairy tale I knew at the time. I did have to squeak in a few that were technically duplicates, towards the end (I.e. Puddocky and The Frog Princess are almost the same tale, but I listed both), but I did it.

And he didn't even care.

It was a good concert though. Bluegrass, I think, but I don't exactly remember.

[ohworm-writes]

main m.list •• •• •• mcyt m.list

▬▬ Clair de Lune ▬▬

And sometimes I have kept my

feelings to myself, because I could

find no language to describe them in. 

Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility

Pairing - irl!Jschlatt x gn!Reader

Warnings - one [ 1 ] suggestive joke , regular Schlatt foolishness

Note - i wrote this in the dead of night, so i apologize if it sounds off in any way. the title of this is based off of my favorite song sharing the name. it’s a beautiful piece, of which i fully reccomend listening to if you’d like! otherwise, i hope you enjoy this.

Word Count - 1.2k

Prompt -  Your lover makes a fool of himself while you’re out shopping, and with some convincing, you decide to join in. 

You had never particularly minded the fact that you were often the one who went grocery shopping in your relationship. It was never something to be viewed in a negative light, rather it was more of an ‘if we plan to eat something sustainable tonight, I should probably head out to the store.’

Your partner, Schlatt, was a wonderful man. He was caring, funny, charismatic; everything you could have hoped for in a partner. However, ‘good at grocery shopping’ was not something on that list.

Whenever you sent him out to shop on his own, he’d end up forgetting the main objective and come back hours later with $200 worth of items neither of you would ever need, the ingredients for that night’s dinner plan left forgotten on the shelves in the market. 

Instead of viewing the task as a chore, you found it rather calming. Sure, a bustling grocery store with rowdy patrons and underpaid workers wasn’t calming in and of itself, but being able to be out and doing something productive was. Days could be stressful, no matter the cause, and could leave you drained. So, a quick car ride to do some light shopping was a great way to clear your head.

Now, however, you wished you would have done it alone as you normally did.

“Pushing you around in the cart wouldn’t get us kicked out of the store, believe me. Scout’s honor.” 

A sigh leaves your lips as you listen, once again, to the absurd thoughts that seem to pass through your boyfriend’s head and out of his mouth.

“Schlatt, you were never a scout in the first place.”

He feigns offense, bringing a hand up to splay against his chest as you push the rickety metal along down the aisle.

See, you and your partner had both had a rather busy past few weeks. Caught up with work, social lives, and whatever else had plagued the two of you, you seemed to have no time to spend alone with one another. So, when the opportunity presented itself, with both of your schedules cleared for the hour, he took his chance to join you on your little outing. 

Since entering the store not 15 minutes ago, Schlatt seemed to have made it his top priority to embarrass you in any way possible. While this chaos was in character for him, you’d rather not have the other patrons in the store send you looks while your partner makes a fool out of himself. 

“You wound me. But- c’mon! What would they do to us? Kick us out?!”

With slow movements, you bring the cart to a stop in the middle of the aisle, taking an unimpressed glance at him over your shoulder. He has a smug grin on his lips, one where self-confidence seems to radiate off of him.

“That is exactly what they would do.”

Your voice comes out breathy and desperate, but the two of you know that it’s lighthearted. You had always come to adore the little bits he’d do, never minding the stupidity of them. Sometimes you’d even play along! Now, however, you just wanted to finish your shopping and get home.

His grin seems to widen as he tucks both of his hands behind his back, bowing slightly as to appear more innocent. Taking his spot at the side of the cart, he nods his head down the aisle, keeping eye contact with you as he bats his lashes playfully.

“I do believe we have places to be. Chop chop!”

The horrible British accent he puts on cracks your facade the slightest bit, a glimpse of a smile showing on your lips. However, before he can call you out on it, you’re pushing the cart down the aisle once more, Schlatt following suit.

The wheels of the cart squeak against the cheap market floors, providing an unpleasant sound each and every time you turn it more than an inch. Schlatt, of course, takes this as an opportunity to mess with you, purposefully bumping his side into the cart when the store seems to be the most silent. 

Once you reach the produce section, though, that’s where all hell breaks loose. 

While you take your time to look over the different products, Schlatt hums from behind you. 

“I think we should get this.”

A beat of silence.

“We are not buying a fucking eggplant, Schlatt, put it down.” 

You bring your hand up to rest right below your hairline, looking at your boyfriend with an unimpressed look. He holds the vegetable with both hands, his grin widening like a child on their birthday. 

“Look, I’m just saying, we could have fun with it-”

An expression of horror takes over your features as you make quick work to shut him up. 

“We are in the produce section of a supermarket! This is not the time nor the place!”

The desperation in your voice makes him erupt with a laugh you know he’s only doing to annoy you. The shrill sound attracts the attention of other shoppers, most of which shoot the two of you looks. With your face flushed and burning from the second-hand embarrassment, you grab a hold of his arms and lead him away, mumbling ‘sorry’ to the other shoppers as they continue on with their afternoons. 

“You are impossible.”

He only tightens his grip as you lead him back to the cart, grinning from behind you. He lets go of your hand abruptly, long legs carrying him to the cart before you can get there. Sending a look of mischief to you, he grips the handle of the vehicle and runs.

You can only follow after him, watching from behind as he leans over the front of it to gain speed. For a few moments, you only walk after him, keeping him in your sights with slow paces. The second he turns a corner and out of your vision, then you book it. 

You would not be losing track of this idiot right now. 

When you turn the corner of the aisle he had disappeared behind, you see him patiently waiting for you, the shopping cart blocking your access to the rest of the empty aisle. You cast a glance his way, watching as a much softer grin forms on his lips. 

“So, hear me out.”

You can already tell he has something up his sleeve, but decide to humor him, staying silent as he smiles.

“Let me push you around. In the cart. This aisle is empty, so we don’t have any old fucks bothering us.”

You let out a soft laugh, shaking your head at him. 

“Baby, we’ve got to go home and have dinner though-”

“Yeah, but when else are you going to do something like this? It’ll be worth your time, I swear. Just- let me do this for you, okay?”

If it wasn’t for the lovesick expression on his face, you would have told him no and just have gone home with him then and there. But his words stick to you like honey. ‘When else are you going to do something like this.’

“If we get in trouble, you’re doing the dishes tonight.”

For the next few minutes, you let him race you up and down the aisle. More than likely, the store’s patrons and workers can hear your combined laughs and giggles as the two of you have fun. Walled in by the sides of the cart, you let yourself back in the bliss of the pure moment.

With your boyfriend’s wide smile and your own giddy laughter, you swoon. For now, as the lights dim outside the store, you relish the moment, keeping it close to your heart and never letting go. 

[bluejayblueskies]

Hey I hope I'm not too late for the kiss prompt <3

70 perhaps?

kiss prompt list!

70 - Starting With A Kiss Meant To Be Gentle, Ending Up In Passion

for jonmartin! takes place in an au where jon and martin are married when they first start working in the archives.

.

Three perfunctory taps on the doorframe are all Jon gets before Martin steps halfway into his office, a mug of tea in each hand and a soft smile on his face. “Hey. I brought tea?”

 Jon looks up from the frankly enormous pile of paperwork on his desk and manages a smile of his own that he hopes doesn’t look too strained. “Thank you, Martin. You can just…”

 He surveys the expanse of his desk, looking for an open space for the mug, before letting out a weary sigh and shuffling one stack of papers on top of another. It’s not like things can get even more disorganized.

 God, he hopes not.

 Martin sets the mug on the now-clear corner of the desk and leans against the wall, taking a careful sip of his own before cradling it between his palms. It’s a lovely mint green with little white flowers peppered across the ceramic. Jon’s pretty sure it had been a holiday gift from Tim several years prior, back when he, Tim, and Sasha worked in Research and Martin in the Library and he didn’t have to deal with stacks and stacks of horribly misfiled, horribly dusty paper.

 His allergies have not been pleased about the development.

 “Any luck on figuring out where to start?” Martin says, nodding his head at the papers. “It’s… it’s a lot.”

 Jon bites out a bitter laugh. “That’s a hell of an understatement.” He flips up the nearest paper distastefully, sets it down with a frustrated noise. “I don’t know what Gertrude spent all her time doing down here, but it was not archiving. I find it hard to believe it was any sort of work at all, given the state of the place.”

 “I- I mean, she was getting up there a bit…”

 Jon levels Martin with a flat, unimpressed look. “If she was no longer able to do her job, she should have retired. Or Elias should have fired her. Either way, this is unacceptable. I’ll have ‘gotten up there a bit’ before we finally begin to make a dent in all of this.”

 “Well, you’ve still got us.” Martin gives Jon what is probably meant to be a reassuring smile. “Four pairs of hands are better than one and all that.”

 We’d need a hundred pairs of hands to get this mess sorted, Jon wants to say. But he’s distinctly aware of the bitterness coating his tongue, and so he swallows it back and offers Martin the warmest smile he can muster. “Yes, well. Thank you. I suppose that’ll have to do.”

 “Ever the optimist, I see.”

 Jon buries his face in his hands and lets out a low groan. It’s been two days since he first stepped into this office and he’s already so very, very tired.

 “Hey,” Martin says softly, and then his hand is on Jon’s shoulder, warm from the mug and pressing down firmly enough to be grounding. “I’m sorry. I know it’s been difficult, but I mean it—we’re here for you. You picked us to be your assistants for a reason, right? Let us help you. You don’t have to wade through 200 years of dust mites and spooky stories by yourself.”

 Jon sighs and drops his hands from his face. He reaches for the hand Martin has on his shoulder and covers it with his own, squeezing gently. “I know. I… I know.”

 Martin presses a soft kiss to the crown of Jon’s head, and Jon feels a bit of the tension melt out of him at the contact. Then, with a hint of amusement in his voice, Martin says, “It is a bit weird, though, isn’t it? You being my boss.”

 Jon makes a face. “I… suppose. Feels a bit unnecessary to worry about- about power dynamics or what have you when we’re already married, though.”

 “I don’t know,” Martin says with faux gravity. “What’s to say you won’t fire me the next time I forget to get milk from the store? Or- or lose one of your socks in the laundry?”

 “Or steal all the covers in the middle of the night,” Jon says pointedly.

 “Hey, I apologized for that one.”

 Jon laughs softly at the offended expression on Martin’s face and squeezes Martin’s hand. After a moment, though, a thread of anxiety worms its way through the levity and he says, quietly, “You… you know I wouldn’t, right? I- I know it’s odd, and- and maybe it was a bit inappropriate, asking you to be here with me, as my assistant, but it’s not…”

 Jon’s mouth pinches into a small, unhappy line, and he lets his sentence trail off into silence. Martin seems to understand, though; his hand shifts underneath Jon’s, twisting until their fingers are interlocked, and he tugs gently on Jon’s hand until Jon gets the message and stands. Martin brushes his free hand against the side of Jon’s face, his knuckles ghosting across Jon’s cheekbone. “I know.”

 Jon lets out a slow, shaky breath before offering Martin a tired smile. “Good.”

 Martin brushes a thumb across the curve of Jon’s cheek, rests his fingers lightly against the shell of Jon’s ear, and leans down to press a gentle, closed-mouth kiss to Jon’s lips. It draws the last remaining tendrils of tension out of Jon’s neck and shoulders, and he makes a small, contented noise that elicits a smile from Martin in return.

 “You know,” Martin says conspiratorially, pulling back just enough to speak, “I’ve always wondered why ‘snogging your boss’ is such a common romantic trope.”

 “Oh?”

 “Mm. Yeah, never really got it. Felt a bit too clichéd for my liking.”

 “And now?”

 Martin gives Jon a pleased smile, almost a smirk. “Well. I can definitely see the appeal.”

 “Is that so?” Jon says, amused.

 Martin hums, then leans forward and gives Jon another kiss, light and lingering, his hands moving to rest gently against Jon’s hips. Then, with no more warning than the ghosting of Martin’s hands against the back of his thighs, Martin lifts Jon up with startling ease and places him on the desk, capturing Jon’s noise of surprise with another quick kiss. There’s the soft thud of folders hitting the floor, and Martin stifles a laugh.

 “Martin,” Jon says after Martin pulls back, and he’s not sure if he means to sound startled or offended. It ends up coming across as a bit of both.

 Martin bites back a laugh and rests his forehead against Jon’s. “Sorry, sorry. I just- got a bit carried away.”

 Jon makes a grumbling noise, but his tone is affectionate when he says, “Well, I suppose they weren’t going to get any more disorganized.”

 Martin hums, pressing another soft, gentle kiss to Jon’s lips. Jon tilts his head up, his hands coming to rest on Martin’s forearms and then moving up to his shoulders, resting gently against the side of his neck as he melts into the kiss like butter in sunlight. Martin slips his hands from Jon’s hips to the small of his back, holding him close as he allows his lips to part, deepening the kiss with a small sigh.

 Jon rests his forearms on Martin’s shoulders, his fingers slipping into the soft curls at the nape of Martin’s neck and tugging gently. Martin lets out a sound embarrassingly close to a moan (which sparks a small amount of pride within Jon) and sinks fully into the kiss, and Jon closes his eyes and lets the stress of the day melt away beneath the press of Martin’s lips against his.

 It’s too soon when Martin finally pulls back, his cheeks red and his mouth curled into a fond smile, and says, “I suppose I should get back to my desk. I can’t imagine statement number… 0147187 is going to follow up itself.”

 Jon lets out a groan. “I wish I could say with confidence that you made that number up, but then I’d have to have any confidence at all in Gertrude’s filing system, which I do not.”

 Martin presses a soft kiss to Jon’s forehead before stepping back entirely, his hands lingering on Jon’s hips for a moment before retracting. “One step at a time, yeah?”

 Despite the anxiety still clawing at the pit of Jon’s stomach, he finds that he means it when he says, “One step at a time. Yes, you- you’re right, Martin.” Then, more affectionately: “I love you.”

 “I love you too.” Martin reaches forward and tucks a stray strand of hair behind Jon’s ear. “It’ll be all right. We’ve got this.”

 Jon’s acutely aware of the mess on the desk he’s currently sitting on, of the even bigger mess sitting in document storage, of crates and crates of misfiled papers specifically designed to torment him. Still, he leans into the lingering warmth of Martin’s lips on his, gives Martin a small smile, and says, “Apparently so.”

[rainy-day-gracie]

To Lose a Bet

HELLO !!

This was a request for Spencer and Reader to be dating and have a bet going on who out of the team has figured it out. 

FILLED with fluff, and implied smut :) thank you for requesting, I had so much fun writing !! 

MASTERLIST

__

“I’m sure Hotch has already figured it out,” I joked to Spencer in the elevator. “He can see things through walls, everyone knows that.”

Spencer rolled his eyes. “Honestly, I don’t even know if Hotch really even cares if he does know… Who else do you think knows?”

“JJ knows something’s up, but she doesn’t think that we’re-” The elevator opened, making us in earshot of Garcia and Morgan who were deep in a compliment battle. I nodded my head, as if we were in the midst of a professional conversation. “So, yeah… I’ll let you know about those reports-”

Spencer huffed, playing along. “Yes, I’ll review them and get back to you… whenever.”

I tried to suppress a giggle as I heard Morgan pull Spencer aside by the elevator. “Man, do you know if YLN is single? Because a woman like that… there’s no way she’s single… is there?”

Garcia jumped in, adding to the conversation as I walked away. “I saw a hickey on her neck the other day, she tried to hide it but there’s only so much powder can do.”

I stopped by the water fountain, laughing into the faucet as I heard Spencer’s reply. “Um, I don’t know… I don’t know, if she’s single I mean, or about the hickey. Um, I’m getting coffee, you guys want any?”

Once in my office and my laughing fit had passed, I texted Spencer. 

You are one smooth dude

His reply made me laugh even harder. 

Don’t I know it? :)

__

Spencer dropped a stack of files in my office, a sticky note stuck on top. He put the files on my desk and left, a hint of a smile across his face. The sticky note was covered in Spencer’s chicken scratch handwriting. 

$200 to whoever is the closest My bet: Hotch, Rossi, Prentiss know Garcia, JJ, Morgan don’t know

Later that day, I was briefing the team on a new case in Seattle and slipped a note in his pants pocket as we left to board the jet. 

My bet:  Hotch, Rossi, Garcia know Morgan, JJ, Prentiss don’t know You’re on pretty boy :)

Spencer was determined to embarrass me on the jet. I could see it in his face, the twinkle in his eye. 

“Hey YLN, what were you saying about the new guy you’re seeing?” Spencer asked out of the blue while reviewing the case. 

The team was suddenly extremely uninterested in the case, paying close attention to the question Spencer had asked me. 

“Do you have a new man?” Prentiss asked, eyeing me closely. 

A smile came to my face, and I hit Spencer lightly on the arm beside me. “Reid, I told you that in a private conversation.”

Spencer just shrugged innocently. “Oops, forgot that part.”

“I knew you were seeing someone!” JJ said with a grin. “No single person smiles as much as you have in the last few months.”

I tried to hide the blush on my face by looking down at my files, thankfully saved by Garcia’s video call.

“Why is everyone smiling?” She asked, examining the faces of everyone on the jet. 

“YLN is just getting a little lovin’, that’s all.” Morgan replied, a smirk coming to his face. 

Garcia gasped, then furrowed her eyebrows in curiosity. “Who is he?”

Spencer looked over at me with a sly grin. “Yeah, who is he, YLN?”

I made a mental note to slap him when we were in private. “He is going to be a mystery man for now.”

The jet groaned in disappointment, and Spencer winked at me when no one was looking. 

I slipped him a note while Hotch was giving assignments. 

Prentiss didn’t know, Hotch and Rossi didn’t even blink Hope you have $200 to spare, genius

__

After solving the case in two days, Hotch agreed to let us have the night off and enjoy the city of Seattle. 

Spencer shot me a text as the team started to leave the police station. 

I think your stomach hurts. 

I furrowed my eyebrows, looking at him from across the room. He quickly explained, sending another text. 

I think your stomach hurts and you need me to drive you back to the hotel.

I tried not to laugh, faking a grimace as JJ walked past me. “You okay?”

“Uh, yeah... my stomach just hurts really bad, probably something I ate.” I held my gut like it was hurting, and I saw Spencer coming up beside JJ. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t go out drinking with the team, we don’t want you do be sick,” JJ put a comforting hand on my shoulder, and Spencer spoke up. 

“I can drive you to the hotel, I didn’t really want to go out tonight anyway,” Spencer said, looking to me then back to JJ. I tried not to laugh at our stupid lie, JJ rubbing my shoulder like the mom she is. 

In no time at all, Spencer and I were in the SUV driving back to the hotel. 

We piled up in the room I was sharing with Prentiss, watching a stupid soap opera and drinking out of the mini bar. 

Two characters on the screen started having sex, their butts and boobs concealed by carefully placed furniture. 

“Do you wanna do that?” Spencer whispered in my ear, his arm resting across my shoulder.

I laughed at his question. “Wow... that was so smooth, Spencer.”

“So... is that a no?”

I swung my leg over his lap, straddling his hips. “When did I say that?”

Spencer laced his hands roughly in my hair, crashing my lips onto his. Drunk hookups were rarely any fun, but buzzed hookups were where it was at. 

His tongue pressed gently against mine at first, and he suddenly flipped us over to where his heart beat over mine on the bed. 

“We do have some time to kill before the team comes back,” Spencer murmured, his lips attaching to my neck. __

“What the hell?” A voice yelled, light from the hotel hallway illuminating the dark room. 

“Oh shit,” I murmured sleepily against Spencer’s bare chest, turning my head towards the voice. “Prentiss, you’re back?”

“You’re asking me the questions? Do either of you even have underwear on?” Prentiss stared at us tangled up in bed like she had we’d grown a third eye. 

“Nope,” Spencer answered before I could stop him. “We were both tired after... you know, so we just went to sleep.”

Prentiss just opened and closed her mouth, and JJ at that moment chose to join her in the doorway. 

“Oh my God, Garcia was right.” JJ said with raised eyebrows. 

I tried to understand what she had said in my sleepy brain. “Garcia was right about what?”

“That you two were dating, we had a bet going. Prentiss just thought you guys would drunkenly hook up, I thought you were just friends, and Garcia was totally convinced you were dating,” JJ said flatly. “Guess Garcia wins, since neither of you guys are drunk.”

I turned back to Spencer, who was staring at Prentiss and JJ with wide eyes. “I told you, pretty boy! I am so getting at 200 bucks!” __

Breakfast the next morning was... awkward to say the least. The team all sat around a table, eating the hotel breakfast in silence. Finally Morgan couldn’t take it anymore. “What’s going on? It can’t be just me getting weird vibes.”

Prentiss looked to Spencer and I across the table and smirked. “I found an... interesting view when I got back to my room last night.”

Morgan furrowed his eyebrows. “What was it?”

“Reid and YLN are dating, and they lost track of time last night, as you might say.”

Morgan was completely dumbfounded, looking from me to Spencer then back to me. 

“Close your mouth Morgan, you look like a fish. Those two have been dating since April.” Rossi said casually, taking a sip of his coffee. 

Hotch nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Yeah, but they’ve only been sleeping together since late June.”

I laughed hysterically at their comments, gaining the attention of the people around us. “How... did you... know that?” 

Rossi and Hotch just shrugged. “Profiling.”

I giggled, patting Spencer on the back next to me. “Oh wow... you officially owe me $200, genius.”

Spencer just down at his coffee with a blank expression. “This is the first time in my life I’ve ever lost a bet.”

TAG LIST : 

@squirrellover1967 @yomama-umbridge @vixengustin88 @tiktokslut @ sknnymnne

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh Season Zero: The Yo-Yo Crimes of Jounouchi Pt 1

It’s been a while since I visited the many times Yugi should have gone to jail, AKA season Zero, and I’m excited to visit it again.

If you just got here, this is Season Zero, which is very different vibe and a different direction plotwise than the other seasons and you can read the season zero recaps from the start in chrono order here: https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yuugi%20muto/chrono

So be warned, this is a 90′s anime, and it will do 90′s anime things, and I expect y’all reading this aren’t like 12.

Like I said in an earlier post, I wrote this out fully when I was going through the symptoms from my second dose--which PS, is worth it--but those symptoms knocked me out for 10 days. I was kind of a space cadet, and yo, I made some mistakes. Including writing this post out in full and then not clicking “save” on this post and then not realizing I had done that until several days later.

So long story short, I don’t remember what I originally wrote here, but lets all assume it was weird, and didn’t make sense and wasn’t funny. We’ll just assume this was for the best that it was deleted forever.

So this episode is about 2 things: Yo-yos and Jounouchi. Both get used as a tool for violence, and both need to get just a little bit cursed by Yugi to scale it the hell back. So, understandably, we start off this episode with Jounouchi, who has eagerly identified with this off brand yo-yo he apparently got out of a dumpster for being just a huge ass defect.

(more Yo-Yo crimes under the cut)

I see you dodging copyright infringement, Yugioh. Eireboy.

Also whenever I read “Eireboy” I do it in my mind in the same pacing and vocal tones that Pegasus uses to say “Kaiba boy.” Something about it’s conjunction to Yugioh, I see anything with “boy” at the end of it, and it’s voiced by a weird guy with one eye.

So I wrote these caps under the influence of my second dose, just assuming y’all understand the life I lived, but I realized writing this episode...traveling bands of yo-yo performers that go to your school and shill yo-yos with yo-yo shows in the hopes that it will get you so obsessed with yo-yos that you will not join a gang and do drugs and have sex may be just an American thing.

So when I saw a yo-yo episode I was like “Tight! Clearly, the yo-yo clowns have come to town!” and I assumed everyone in this class would be draped in yo-yos, because I just assumed that at some point at School you will get MAD OBSESSED with yo-yos for about 2 weeks.

But in this episode, everyone was like “Jounouchi, why are you playing with a random yo-yo?” and it didn’t occur to me until typing this out just now: only Jounouchi is doing this. He did this unprompted, without the encouragement of a bunch of middle aged performers doing tricks to techno music.

So instead, I have to think of Jounouchi as Ralphie in this scenario, and he just got a official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time for Christmas, but he’s gonna shoot his eye out.

Because yo-yos in this episode are basically guns.

...Kind of like a duel deck was also just a gun...

...or the wands in Harry Potter...

...which honestly...I’ve probably said this before but where I’m from, we just use straight up guns in these elaborate analogies because we freakin have to make the point crystal clear. The moment Ralphie finally got his hands on a bb-gun, he very nearly shot his eye out and broke his glasses. And that scene will haunt me until my dying day...

...but fine, we can use yo-yos, I guess it works, although to me, yo-yo’s are just teachers hoping you’ll become such a dork that no gang will accept you (and then in this universe, it does the opposite? So freakin weird).

The beginning of this episode is Jounouchi trying do his best to impress with his skills, but in actuality, getting very close to clubbing Anzu with a yo-yo. And, while Anzu is the strongest person in Yugioh in the later seasons, I feel like Season Zero Anzu is another level. It’s a serious tempt of fate that Jounouchi is doing, so Honda wisely cuts him off from doing any more of that so she won’t end up strangling yet another person in broad daylight in the middle of school.

Remember your yo-yo safety, children.

Straight up, Honda’s version of yo-yo safety is to just Never Use a Yo-Yo and that’s the most gun safety thing ever that they’ve slipped into this Yugioh Episode. I almost expected Yuugi to pull a “well, actually, I use a hunting yo-yo to get enough venison to feed my family.” But youknow, he lives in a city, so while Yugioh is pretty weird and Yuugi has to worry about a lot of things--he doesn’t have to worry about that.

This is actually foreshadowing, which I only realized in hind sight, mostly because I just can’t associate a Yo-yo with crime. Joey knowing how to use a yo-yo was foreshadowing that he was absolutely part of this gang in a past life.

Yeah that one went completely over my head the first time and the second time and it really wasn’t until just now that I finally caught it. Hoo boy, sometimes I wonder why y’all let me analyze this show.

Jounouchi decides to confront the yo-yo bandits and everyone else is like “Silly Jounouchi, he’s not gonna do that. That would be stupid.” And...in S0, they don’t know him well enough yet to know that he really is that much of a well meaning dumbass.

I think a S1-5 Yugi would have been sprinting out the door to keep Joey from killing himself (again), but Season Zero Yuugi had hope that Jounouchi would just naturally tucker out and fall asleep or something.

And he was so wrong.

Anzu’s “New Tricks” line was from the dub itself and man that’s a good line. I love Anzu’s sass in Zero.

So, Honda decides to help them find Jounouchi so all of them together could give Jounouchi an intervention for skipping school. This is the same Honda that once skipped school to babysit a tomagachi and said it was because of “Maternity leave,” but don’t worry about the hypocrisy, because from this episode we learned that Jounouchi needs a very short leash.

So this episode is a great Jounouchi episode to explain stuff that still hasn’t been explained in 5 seasons of Yugioh. In S1-5, we don’t get much about his home life other than his Mom left and his Sister lives far away and is like sickly as hell. We know nothing else. But this is the episode where we finally get to find out why Yuugi and his Grandfather decided to basically adopt him from S1 onward.

Yugioh is tackling some pretty heavy territory, but I respect the show for not trying to magically change Jounouchi’s parents like they did to Dartz. Instead, the crew decide to reach out and try to find their friend who clearly didn’t go home last night (and won’t be going back for a while), by checking every alleyway in Domino.

Fun fact Yuugi drops this episode, Domino is one of the biggest cities on Earth. This makes the Battle City Tournament even more crazy when you realize Kaiba shut down several blocks but, it also makes a tiny bit more sense how we have so many Millennium items in one place. (Yet...it still doesn’t explain Bakura and Joey’s accent.) And, I guess if your city is just extra large, you get an extra large warehouse district, too.

Speaking of, they eventually find Jounouchi at his new (but also old) crime antics mugging some random stranger next to this Game store that I just realized was cropped so it looks like it says “GANG.”

Say hello to our crime clown. He’s sort of like a discount joker, and that beanie is...man it is green.

I forget this green exists sometimes, but Season Zero has it as one of their prime colors. Good ol’ Retro Kaiba green.

I’m a little tempted to swatch Season Zero a bit and figure out their full color scheme--it’s really saturated, which is interesting when you compare it to the later seasons which are a lot more muted since...the 00′s were like that, they greyed a lot of colors out. But I’ll do it later if I do, maybe another post for another day.

Jounouchi and Honda, before they moved to the school with Yuugi in it, used to go to the same school and up until now I just assumed they were close friends. But apparently they were a lot more distant than that. I’m sure they met up several times as Jounouchi destroyed stuff and Honda came along in his volunteer janitor outfit to put the stuff the hell back, and maybe that’s how they got to know eachother better?

But basically, Jounouchi was the freakin worst, and Jounouchi’s best friend was Hirotani--this 45 year old 15 year old with the blue pony and turquoise fade--and Honda has SO MUCH hot goss to say about it.

I really get the gist that Honda may not have liked anyone else at his old school, like at all. Like maybe Honda likes cleaning up trash so much because his school was just trash top to bottom.

As is tradition, Yuugi got his tar beat in by Hirotani. Another concussion to add to his list of issues to tell his future therapist that lives in that puzzle he wears around his neck.

I still expect him to do a double cross, but it seems they wanted to keep it a relatable and more realistic fall-out, where Jounouchi has just bounced on them without even a goodbye. He and his Dad had a bad fight, and Jounouchi was like “well so long to all of this and everyone that has anything to do with it.”

In later seasons, Joey is the one trying to save other people. He’s saving his Sister, he’s saving Mai, he’s saving Yugi, but in this season Jounouchi’s friends had to save Jounouchi from himself a few times now.

I like this depth to his character, I’ll be honest. I can understand why S1-5 don’t touch on it, and I don’t think it’s because they didn’t want to have an abusive Dad storyline, because they did that several times over with Seto Kaiba (man the Dad situation in Yugioh is DIRE.) Instead they probably just felt like Season Zero already did it, so why do it again?

It’s just a shame that it wasn’t talked about in the other seasons. Joey makes a lot more sense to me now because we get to see why Jounouchi is so hard set on saving people. S4 Mai Valentine, who ditched everyone and joined a gang? That’s basically a Joey move, and that was why Joey Wheeler was all over that.

Really would have added a lot to that particular arc if the show...actually talked about Joey’s history at all rather than assume I would have watched something that was never released in the States. Instead...it just looked a lot like he had only romantic motivations, which may not have been what they were going for.

Speaking of romantic, check out this sunset. Like the sun is exploding for some reason--just a wild sunset you only see for a still frame before a commercial break.

As Joey, youknow, takes on an entire rival gang single-handedly.

Hey guys, I lived near a pretty big city most of my life and I have been on a roof...once. Just the one time when I was doing an internship in SF with a painter and we needed to take a reference photo of his painting for a gallery (and it was hella sketch, and we weren’t exactly allowed up there). Who are all these people giving teens Roof Access? It’s so hard to get! Even if you live in an apartment of a tall building, I can count on zero of my fingers the amount of times I was allowed on that roof. But TV shows and movies--they freakin love roof gardens and roof hangouts and roof fights.

Am I missing out?? How did y’all get on the ROOF? I know I’m on S5 of Yugioh now and I have seen a lot of roof stuff, but like...is this normal for everyone else? I know there’s schools that have roof sport--that’s common in the city everywhere--but that’s like...specialized roofs with 30 ft chainlink fencing and really good supports to your body doesn’t fall straight through it when you jump too much. The hell is using their normal ass roof?

This gang should have their legs swinging halfway into the floor below them, is all I’m saying, if my roof couldn’t handle our solar heating, then a normal ass roof cannot support a gang fight.

But it does look really, really cool.

Anyway, Anzu does some offscreen snooping and finds out where the crime hangs out, and suggests that we step right into crime zone and just yank Jounouchi out of there. Which is something you would only do and say if you were Anzu and cannot fear death.

If it were Jay’s it would be with an ‘s. That’s how you do a plural Jay. But it’s the 90′s, so we put a “z” on the end of everything that should have been an “s” and that’s how you get the...

I mean, thank you, dubbers, for not saying “Jizz” but for reals...that be Jizz.

Please don’t flag me, Tumblr. (which, PS, I think they turned off the flagbot, Tumblr hasn’t flagged me in forever and I’m so thankful. Mods are asleep, we can talk about anime again)

So even though Honda decided that he was fed up with Jounouchi and didn’t want to save his ass, he decided to give it another go but complete with some new sash. He also did this without telling any of the others, who just kinda spectated him for a little while.

Honestly, if they weren’t laughing at him, I wouldn’t have known that this sash was any weirder than any of his other sashes. I don’t know really know what a school uniform should look like. It’s a shame, I feel like this series has a lot of jokes and puns probably soaring right over my head.

A little bit embarrased he was caught being vulnerable, Honda decides to give us a little more context to why he ever decided to give Jounouchi the time of day in the first place.

They had PE class once, and Honda apparently loves the hell out of PE. Jounouchi ran really fast in a straight line that one time, and that is why he’s trustworthy friend material. He just needs to stop joining gangs, and he’ll be solid.

I have no idea if the fandub put that in there or if that was native to the show, but Miho legit stans Honda/Jounouchi and acts as if she’s off to write some fanfiction about it. Honestly if she did, it would make her so much more interesting of a character.

And so, until next time, we shall have to wait and see exactly what Yami Yuugi is going to do with a freakin Yo-yo and I’m sure it’s all sorts of real effed up. Excited to get there, honestly. A shame it had to happen on the part that isn’t dubbed yet, but I’ve done these subbed before, it’ll be fine!

[saharamae21]

We Were Wild - Prologue

Hey guys. As you may be able to tell, I am a HUGE Minnesota Wild fan. A huge hockey fan in general. I decided to write a fanfic about the Wild and Kaprizov (the love of my life). I’m writing this for my own entertainment but I also hope you guys like it. Even if you aren’t a NHL fan, I think this will be a cute love story. You don’t need to know the players.

Thanks guys.

Also the title will probably change... Haha.

____________________________________________________

Prologue:

The cold always felt like home to me. Winter always made me happier than the summer ever could. With winter came skating and hot chocolate. It also brought blizzards and freezing temperatures, things that often reminded me of myself…

I woke up with the air feeling extra heavy within my room. The humidity would not let up, especially during a Minnesota summer. On top of that, my air conditioner sat broken in the window, mocking me.

I could hear the sounds of rush hour beginning. I pulled my curtains open to see the city bustling around me. I smiled down at the busy street below me. Whenever I looked out the window at the traffic below, I felt on top of the world. Something about the busy city made me feel at home. After spending my time at college up in the northland, I was happy to be back in the cities.

I let out a yawn and made my way down the hallway. I could see my college best friend and current roommate pouring a bowl of cereal out of the corner of my eye as I slipped into the bathroom.

“Kat! You aren’t really going to spend the rest of your summer in an ice rink, right?” Eliza yelled across the apartment at me when she heard the faucet running. I chuckled as I splashed the cool water on my face.

“You know I love hockey,” I retorted, grabbing my toothbrush. I heard her snicker and told me to come eat breakfast before I left. I shook my head though. My stomach was filled with butterflies at the idea of starting my new job.

I pulled my long brown hair out of my face and up into a high ponytail. I couldn’t have it getting in the way today. I applied a small amount of makeup before really looking at myself in the mirror. I smiled, trying my hardest not to look too tired.

“Come at least sit with me while I eat breakfast!” Eliza whined. I chuckled and walked out to the kitchen. I filled a glass of water and sat down next to her. She rolled her eyes when she saw the excitement in me. “You know they only want you because of the new Russian kid they’re bringing in. You’re basically going to be a translator, Katerina.”

Sadly, she was right. They hired me as a photographer, but they asked me to help their newest rookie out. I had a feeling that pictures would be lower on my task list then I had initially expected.

They hired me because I had hockey photography experience from college. I took photos for my university’s hockey team. Not to mention that they were one of the best college teams in the US. However, they also hired me because I was Russian.

Katerina Petrov, first generation immigrant. My parents immigrated to the US when I was four. My mother didn’t speak a word of English and my dad had a limited vocabulary. He basically got a factory job by saying, “I fix that for you,” and pointing at a machine. Russian was my first language and English was my second.

“I know…” I muttered. “But on top of that, they’re paying me to shoot their games. That’s my dream. Plus who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by the hottest team in the NHL.”

She laughed at my joke, knowing damn well that I was right. The Minnesota Wild has some of the best looking hockey players across North America. Still, Eliza looked at me and told me not to get my hopes up. She was right, this job might not be what I think it would be.

After she had finished eating, we both went back to our rooms to get ready for the day. She was off to her engineering job and I was heading to the TRIA Rink where the Minnesota Wild held practice. We lived very different lives.

My jaw hung open as I walked up to the building. I couldn’t believe that I was actually here. I secured my camerabag on my back and took a deep breath. I slipped my face mask on and pulled the door open.

Inside the lobby, Bruce Kluckhohn waited for me. He smiled at me as I walked in. I walked up confidently and offered him a handshake. I greeted him nicely with a huge smile on my face.

“Katerina, right?” he asked me. I smiled and held back my chuckle. Hearing my full name in an American accent always caught me off guard.

“You can call me Kat,” I said. He nodded in response and took me around the practice arena.

It was cold and empty when we got there. There was no sign of players anywhere. My head swiveled around to see everything about the room. I took mental notes on where the lights were and where the best spots to stand would be. I glanced at the plexiglass around the rink and smiled at how clear they were still.

“You won’t have to worry about that,” Bruce said as he motioned for me to follow him. I tilted my head in confusion and walked slowly behind him. We made our way around the rink and onto the bench. I could feel the chilled air radiating off of the ice. Bruce turned to me with a smile. “You will shoot from here.”

I stared at him in silence for a moment as my mind tried to process what he was saying. Why would I get such an awesome spot to shoot from? I opened my mouth to ask questions but I was interrupted by someone behind me. I turned around at the call of my name and saw someone I would recognize a mile away. Dean Evanson, the Wild’s head coach, stood right in front of me.

“Katerina, it’s wonderful to meet you,” he said with a smile. He shook my hand.

“Hi,” I said, freezing up a little bit. “You can call me Kat.”

I could tell he was surprised by my voice. I sounded very American and he was not expecting it. Even though I was Russian first, I lost my accent at a young age. I spoke English everywhere except for at home and having an accent made things harder for me growing up.

“Okay Kat,” he said, a smile on his face. “C,mon. I can show you the rest and explain things a little bit more.”

I nodded and followed him through the rest of the training facilities. It was a huge building and I could see myself getting lost before I got used to it. I listened carefully as he explained the situation to me. As I listened, I felt myself getting more and more discouraged. The reason I was here was to provide Bruce a hand. There was no guarantee that they would use my photos anyways. The main reason I was here was to help with communication between the coaches and their newest team member, Kirill Kaprizov. That’s why I would shoot their practices from the bench. It was so I could provide clarification at practice whenever he needed it.

“We really appreciate having you here and we look forward to seeing the talent you bring to our team,” Dean said as we made it back to the rink. I forced a smile on my face and nodded, telling him I would do my hardest before he walked away.

After he left, I looked out at the rink and noticed a few of the players skating on the ice. Bruce was over on the side opposite of me taking a few photos of the guys. There were no coaches around, but they looked like they were working on some drills. I walked over to the bench and pulled my camera out. I attached my 70-200 mm lens and adjusted my settings carefully. I snapped a couple of photos, observing the players on the ice. I immediately recognized a couple of them. Jared Spurgeon. Mats Zuccarello. Kevin Fiala. Matt Dumba. I could name them all. Well, all but one.

He looked young. He had to be around my age. His dirty blonde hair stuck out the back of his helmet. However, the thing I noticed the most was that he looked frustrated. He skated over to the bench, muttering to himself.

“I’m trying to understand, but I keep messing it up,” he said under his breath. However, he didn’t say it in English. This was him. This was Kirill Kaprizov.

“You’re working hard. Don’t worry, it will get easier,” I said to him.

His head shot in my direction. He had this dumbfounded look on his face as he stared at me.

“You can understand me?”

[nursegracecreates]

Sound Effects and Overdramatics, Pt 28

🎊🎉✨(200 Followers Comfort Special!)✨🎉🎊

Cw: just pure fluff and my love of the John Dies at the End series! I was going through a hard time while writing this, so it was more for comfort. The plot will thicken next chapter; self ship pairing Grace H x Toby "Ticci Toby" Adams

Tw: tattoos, marijuana mention

One would think that, since I woke up so suddenly, effectively foiling Toby's sneak tickle attack, that he would have given up. These random "attacks" had been occurring since Toby discovered that either a) I wasn't ticklish, or, b) I was ticklish, just very good at hiding it. He had settled on option B. So his plan was to keep trying until he caught me off guard. I could actually see the moment Toby decided to go through with his plan. His eyes sparkled as he dug his fingers into the skin of my ribs, slightly flexing them as he moved his hands around on my sides. He studied my face closely, watching for signs of laughter to show him he had found success and a sensitive spot.

Toby eventually drew a laugh from me, but it was more because of my opinion that this was Toby at the height of adorability. I couldn't help but to give him the giggle he was working so hard for. Toby smiled crookely and victorious, and leaned down to kiss me slowly, nothing rushed or hurried about it. When he was done, Toby moved his body so he could rest his chin on my chest and rolled expressive but clouded eyes up to me. Light from one of the wall lamps, burning dimly on low, reflected off of Toby's milky eyes and it made them appear to glow like a cat's in the dark. He had something heavy on his mind, I could see it lurking under the surface. I reached out to push Toby's hair from his eyes.

"That's a pretty heavy look" I said, letting my fingers trail down to his cheek, "So what's wrong, love?"

Toby sighed and grinned sheepishly, "Nothing, sweetness, it's just..." Toby paused to find the right words, his eyes moving minutely as if he were physically searching through a list of words. "Things are about to really pick up, I can feel it. Especially with this meeting and- I don't know. I don't want you to leave later because nothing about my life is normal. But I want it to be."

"What? Normal?"

Toby nodded, his expression angsty as he averted his eyes, unable to meet my gaze. He started chewing his bottom lip.

"Oh sweetheart" I chuckled and cupped Toby's scarred cheek so he would look at me again. "Things have never been normal for us. We aren't a date night couple and probably never will be." Toby's once honeyed eyes met mine again and they looked a little relieved. But not by a lot, and he was still worrying at his bottom lip, his top right front tooth drawing his lip in for his left canine to nip at. "And that's fine" I reassured him, stroking my thumb softly along the bottom of Toby's cheek scar, "I was a homebody to begin with. Just my home has changed, that's all."

"The mansion?" Toby asked with a furrowed brow, confused, "Cos we can get a house of our own if you want. After things settle down."

I smiled, honestly about to laugh over Toby's obliviousness, "No, Toby, silly man" I slapped his shoulder playfully. "I said my home has changed because you're home. We could live in a cardboard box and it would be home because you're there with me. But if you're feeling mournful for a normal dating phase in our relationship, we could do that today." After all, Toby was right. Things were about to pick up. I remembered Zalgo's deep rumble, "Soon." A moment of brief panic hit me. How do I warn Toby about Mother's fears?

Toby pulled his head up, smiling hugely and suddenly excited, his moods transitioning fluidly. It was as if the thought had never occurred to him. He hovered over me on hands and knees, "What like a date day?"

I stole a glance at the clock across the room 12:47 pm. After we'd gotten in from Jack's, we'd showered and fallen asleep immediately. "Well, a date afternoon. But- yeah! Why not? It'll be our first and last shot at normalcy. Then we can be as weird as we need to be."

The last traces of worry left Toby's face, leaving him looking boyish and charming as he grinned at me.

He leaned in and kissed me again, nipping at my lips playfully before he pulled away and got out of bed. I followed, but my back complained at me for it; my spine protested being upright br aching dully at my lumbar region. I stretched, putting my hand over the stretch of spine that was bothering me. I could really do to have it popped.

And like that, Toby was there, taking be into a backwards embrace that smelled like crisp water, sharp geranium and amber wood. His hands captured my wrists and pulled them until he held my arms crossed over my chest. Then Toby adjusted his arms and grip until he clasped his right wrist with his left hand and his arms were wrapped around my chest and upper arms.

"Breathe out for me sweetness" Toby muttered into my ear, causing my skin to break out in gooseflesh, a little thrill sped my heart rate. Toby had always been able to do that to me, with just his voice. I closed my eyes and slowly exhaled all of my breath

Toby did two things simultaneously. He squeezed me, so tightly, in his arms as he lifted me from the floor, making it so my feet dangled as he stood to his full height. My back responded by popping in rapid succession, all the way up and down my spine. I let out a moan that, admittedly, sounded very lewd and Toby chuckled that masculine chuckle men normally reserve for after sex. I relaxed into his body with a sigh.

A few moments passed this way and if I'm honest, my left hand was starting to ache from clutching the amulet Mother had given me in a way that kept Toby from seeing it. I needed real clothes with pockets, not Toby's old worn out Denver Broncos shirt that hung to my knees.

"We should get dressed" I said, trying to steer Toby away from the bed. If allowed, Toby would spend the majority of his time there, quiet and enjoying time alone with me.

"Hmm" Toby hummed, "I suppose. How fancy are we getting?"

"I dunno" I laughed, "I need to explore my new wardrobe further. I've barely seen any of it. But dress nice. Just in case. Wait" I stopped, "we're going into the same closet."

"It's separated" Toby said, pulling me towards the door in quarrying and then opening it. Past the door, it looked like we were entering a mall bathroom. There was a wall in front of us with a dresser, the one is been getting some of my clothes from. The entrances to the closet(s?) were to the left and right, hiding behind ornate, dark wooden doors with x's not just carved over the doorways, but into the wood of the doors themselves, over and over, in a tiny alternating pattern.

Toby shuffled to the left door, so I assumed my clothes were to the right. Oddly, I'd not noticed the doors any of the other times I'd come here. I'm not sure if I thought the closet only contained one closet or what and mentally kicked myself in the ass. I opened the door, curious to see what lay beyond.

Toby had said Slenderman had sent Myra, Tommy's lady love, to buy some extra clothes for me. I expected a few outfits, maybe a dress or two that were completely not my style and didn't fit.

What I found, however, was that it looked like Myra had bought out the store. The clothes were organized, not by type or color, but by length. Floor length dresses gave way to short dresses, then shirts from tunic length to midriff tops, followed by bottoms, from skirts to jeans. Dressers took up space under the shorter items, and there was a wall of shelves holding shoes and bags. I was immediately overwhelmed.

I went to the shorter dresses and looked at the tag of the first one, the paper hanging from a little tie belt in the front. Not only was it my size, it was the size I preferred to buy, a size up so I had room to move around. Impressed, I checked the tag of a calf length with three quarter sleeves in emerald green. It was also my preferred size. I hurriedly checked several more dresses. All my preferred sizes for the dress styles.

"Incredible."

I backtracked and took my time looking at the dresses I'd skipped though, starting my search in earnest. Finally, I settled on a knee length dress with long sleeves in dove gray. The dress had a full skirt that had 100% twirlability, and it transitioned smoothly into the bodice of the dress, which was form fitting with a scoop neckline. When I put it on, I decided Toby would be very happy with the neckline, plenty of cleaveage, cleavage, it still managed to be modest. The sleeves were long but the material was thin. It would keep me warm without a coat or jacket.

One of the drawers contained a pull out mechanism that held jewelry, mostly silver, white gold, and platinum, and a wide selection of necklaces, chains, bracelets, anklets and rings- there was even a smaller box filled to the brim with 8mm plugs and tunnels for my ears. There was also a selection of regular earrings. I picked out a long, silver necklace chain and looped it through the amulet, then put it around my neck. It hung to my upper abdomen, but looked as I hoped it would: ambiguous but likely meaningless (and therefore harmless), quirky jewelry any woman my age might wear. I selected a bag to carry my, an probably Toby's, things

There were eighteen pairs of shoes on the shelves, but only six pairs fit me correctly. Apparently, Slendy's recon for my clothing sizes didn't extend to footwear. The shoes all came in groups of three, a pair in my size and a size smaller and larger. A pair of boots, ballerina flats, heels, fancy sandals, and a pair of white canvas on white rubber sneakers had been selected. For this night, with this dress, I picked the boots, which were made of black suede and hugged my legs all the way to over my knees, with a small heel. I have myself an assessing look in the mirror that was next to the door. Not bad at all. I'd forgotten how well I cleaned up.

I poked my head it and checked the antechamber for Toby, then hurried to the door that led to our room when I didn't see him. The bedroom was empty as well as the bathroom, allowing me to grab my makeup bag and quietly make my way back into my side of the closet. Then I sat on the floor in front of the mirror and put on some basic makeup, a little powder, eyeliner and some shadow, and a pop of deep pink lipstick at my lips. I used a travel sized hairbrush from my bag and brushed it until it fell in loose curls to my shoulders. I needed to redye it, maybe a different color this time, but there was no time today. Instead I put a loose crown braid in my hair and was lucky enough to find some nail polish to touch up my nails. One last look, and I was hitching the bag I'd picked out after putting my makeup in it. And then I left the closet, feeling confident in my wardrobe choices.

I was so preoccupied coming out that I collided with Toby when I reached the bedroom door. I hadn't even seen him until I was face first in his chest, my hands clutching his shirt as he gripped my upper arms, holding me to him so I didn't fall. He looked down at me in surprise, and then took my hand in his and swung me out so he could see me better. I posed and Toby's face reflected slight awe and excitement. I hit another pose and smiled for him.

"Y- you look amazing" Toby said, a ghost of his stutter returning for a moment. He was smiling just as brightly as I was.

"Likewise" I told him "You look so nice!"

And he did. Toby wore a pair of dark gray dress pants that looked to be specifically tailored to his long, lean frame. An olive green sweater vest covered a tucked white dress sheet and his shoes were black loafers. He looked like he had just stepped off the cover of GQ, so handsome. "How did you manage to match my choice so well?!" I asked.

Toby grinned, lighting up with my compliments, "It was either this or the tux" he said and he gave my hand in his a tug. I took the hint and leaned in so he could kiss me. When he pulled away, his lips were slightly pink and his fingers lifted the chain holding the amulet, lifting it to let it slide from his fingers, "I like your necklace. I've never seen one like it."

I touched the amulet. Did Toby know what it was for? Had he been peeking and was now giving me a chance to own up to the information? I studied Toby who was smiling excitedly and decided no. Toby was too direct. If he knew I knew something he needed to know, he would just ask. I needed to figure something out soon, though. "Thank you" I replied, "It just looked interesting, you know?"

I was hoping I would never have to use it, or tell Toby why I had it. But if Mother was worried about it, it was probably something that would happen, and soon.

We headed to the door after ai added a few more things to my bag, Toby in the metaphorical driver's seat for door travel, but I had to stop Toby from grabbing his hatchets on the way out.

"We're supposed to be normal today" I reminded him, "Normal guys don't bring hatchets on their dates."

"But what if-" Toby started with a smirk on his face.

"Normal guys don't take hatchets on dates unless they're doing are throwing barbecue" I amended, "And I'm pretty sure they supply the hatchets there."

I slipped the gun out of my bag just enough for Toby to see, then put it back. Toby raised his eyebrow, the graceful curve of his scar gapped eyebrow arcing skeptically, "So normal girls carry a handgun on their dates?"

I cocked my head as I thought about it, "Yeah," I replied, "Some do."

We passed through the door and were through the void so quickly that I didn't get a chance to see it. It seemed as if we had just stepped out of our bedroom into-

The rain.

Well technically we were under an awning. We were standing under the awning of a construction site trailer. The partially constructed hotel the site was dedicated to loomed tall in the gloomy sky. I looked at Toby in confusion and he nodded his head toward something behind me. I turned and saw a sprawling pedestrian mall, complete with multiple restaurants, a warehouse store, a chain pet store, and a marijuana dispensary, amongst other, smaller businesses. All we had to do was cross the road.

"Shall we?" Toby asked, holding his hand out to me. I gave Toby another smile as I took his hand, "We shall."

Toby led me down a gravel driveway for access to the trailers and we jogged, hand in hand, across the street. We were lucky that it was a road adjacent to the much busier highway. We walked around the edge of the shopping center. We'd been on the back side of all the businesses, and could now see that this place was packed with places to explore. A thrill of excitement lit through me just thinking about spending the afternoon with Toby in these stores.

The first place of interest was a smoke abs CBD shop. The store's walls were lined with glassware; bongs pipes, bangers, nectar collectors of all shapes and sizes.

"Whoaaa" Toby breathed as he just stood in front of the shelves, taking it all in. The cashier came up to us, asking if they could help us with anything.

"We're just looking" I told the employee kindly and nudged Toby in the ribs so he would stop staring at the shelves in the open mouthed way he was. We looked around and found that they sold Tim's brand of rolling tobacco, even the flavor Toby said Tom thought had been discontinued. We bought him a few bags, but Toby kept returning to this one bong.

"Toby, no" I laughed, amused, "That thing is just too big." The bong in question came up to my knees and was made of thick, heavy glass. It was blood red at its base, but faded to frosty white and then clear at the mouthpiece. Salamanders were etched among flames around the beginning of the neck, three of them crawling up the neck where red faded to pinkish orange.

"But Grace..." Toby reasoned, "It's perfect."

"Perfectly huge" I sighed, "What are you gonna do? Haul it around with us all afternoon?"

"I can take a door-"

"You know you get logy if you use the door too many times in a row" I reminded him.

"I could carry it" Toby bit his lip, chewing as he thought.

"Toby, baby, that thing has to weigh at least fifteen pounds" I reasoned, "Plus, it's definitely attention grabbing."

Toby was rubbing his chin as he chewed his lip and thought, stroking the strip of hair he had started keeping on his chin. He pulled his hand away and snapped his fingers, "We can come back for it! Or, OR, I can take the door and put it in our room..."

"And this is where I argue that that bong is too heavy for me" I sighed, "And it's so big that I'd have trouble using it."

"I'll lift it for you, Sweetness, no trouble" Toby grinned, "And we'll get something smaller for every day use, a pipe. Big Lizzie can be for special occasions."

"Oh my gods, you've already named it" I breathed as Toby said "Besides I already named it." We blinked at each other and laughed that we'd had the same thought at the same time. "The name is subject to change" Toby chuckled.

"Okay" I relented, "We'll come back for it when we call it a night. Now, pick me out something either pretty, or cool. Or both."

Toby spent at least fifteen minutes picking us out a pipe. He finally settled on one that was opalescent white. It was shaped so you could stand it on end, reminding me of a brick oven if it were round. Three glass drops were lined up on the neck of the pipe in pastel pink, yellow and cyan.

"What do you think?" Toby asked, "It's both pretty and kinda cool. I've never seen one like it."

"It glows in the dark" the cashier said from behind the counter. There were no other customers and the store was small.

"Ooh" I turned the pipe in my hands, "You did wonderfully, honey."

Toby beamed, chest puffed up with pride as I handed the pipe to the cashier so we could check out. Toby even worked out with the cashier to come back for both the bong and our bags before the store closed at nine.

Toby held the door for me as we walked out into the unseasonably warm gloom.

"Where to next?" I asked Toby as I caught his hand. I brought it up as we walked, his left hand held in my right, and kissed the big scar going through the center of his hand like stigmata.

"Is that a bookstore?" Toby asked, "The lighting is messing with me, hard to see." He was squinting from the overcast sunlight, holding his free hand up to block one of the few rays of sunlight.

I nodded, "Yeah, do you want to check it out? Pick up a few books?"

"Yes, fuck, yes please!" Toby said excitedly, "I've already read everything on my shelves at least twice. Even the books I borrowed from Jack. The mansion has a library but... the books are hard to keep up with."

We started walking, passing a few stores. "What do you mean? You lose the books or something?" That didn't sound like Toby, who was usually pretty organized, so my interest was piqued.

"No" Toby laughed as we pushed into the bookstore, "Nothing like that. But the books are weird, Slender has some sort of spell on them. So if you leave them unattended for more than thirty minutes, they start kind of just... making their way back to the library. They even push bookmarks out, it's freaky." Toby pushed open the inner doors of the store and took a deep breath of paper-and-ink scented air. "That smells so good."

We headed over to the sale table. Hardcover editions of a selection of classics like Poe's Complete Works, as well as Lovecraft and Dickens. Toby started a "to buy" stack, adding the Poe and Lovecraft books, and upon further consideration, Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

"Do you have any books you've been wanting to read?" I asked Toby as I smoothed my hands over a purple blank journal that had a glittery purple cloth cover set behind a silver filigree frame. "You know, a good recommendation, or a series that's expecting its next part?"

Toby added the purple journal to our stack as soon as I stopped touching it. I smiled as he kissed my cheek as he picked it up. "No, not really. Like, Kate tells me I should read this series she reads about a witch, a vampire, and a pixie who live together in an abandoned church. But I don't think it's for me."

I nodded, "The Hollows series, and you're right. You'd hate them, especially Nick."

Toby grinned, "Good to know. What about you?" He gave me a sidelong glance with happy eyes as we moved to another table, "Any recommendations? Since you know my taste so well?"

I nodded with a placid look on my face, "Of course. To the W's!"

We hunted down the W section and I found books by David Wong, three of them. I pulled them from the shelf and handed them to Toby. He took them and read the covers. "John Dies at the End. Huh." Toby blinked and shuffled to the next book, "This Book is Full of Spiders. Good to know." He shuffled to the last book, "What the Hell Did I Just Read?" Toby looked to me, "Okay, Sweetness. Why should I read these?" Toby crossed his arms, holding our books to his chest. His facial expression said 'Wow me' and his shirk said he kind of already was.

"It's about these friends, John and Dave. And a drug called soy sauce. Now you don't take this drug. It takes you. And it like... opens you up to well... basically your world, really. Dark or weird beings, strange creatures, interdimensional struggles. These dudes catch the attention of this dark, all powerful being and basically nothing is ever the same." Toby was listening with rapt attention. "And it's also a love story. But from the guy's point of view. Dave falls for Amy hard and she has to learn how to live in Dave's world."

"Okay, you're good" Toby said, adding the books to our growing stack, "Does he have any others? David Wong?"

I smiled because I had already been leading Toby to the next books, "David Wong is his pen name. His real one is Jason Pagrin. He just released a new John book 'If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe'." And then I pointed to them on the shelf.

"Encouraging" Toby chuckled. His eyes were alight with amusement as he read book spines, "What about Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits?"

"You'll want that one too, and the sequel" I plucked it from the shelf and started another stack, which Toby added Futuristic Violence to.

We added a few more things to our purchase. Toby found a pair of readers that help him see a little better when it came to print, and he insisted on buying me an adorable stuffed kitten with tentacles instead of legs. I immediately named her Calypso Paige. We also wasted money on a few bookmarks, even though I think we both knew we wouldn't be able to find them in a month's time. We checked out, I think even more excited for the dates conclusion, so we could go home, cuddle up, and read the books we'd bought.

We realized it had been a shameful amount of time since we'd eaten last. Neither of us were to great at scheduled meals nor were we particularly hungry. But we figured we should get something anyway and picked up a couple cinnamon rolls at the pastry place next door. Toby had to beg them not to put any topping on his. We ordered drinks and sat down, debating on whether we should go to the pet store to look around.

"I'm not so sure" Toby replied, "I'm just gonna end up seeing some dog, or cat, or lizard. And then I'm gonna want to bring it home with us. Badly. But I can't take care of an animal full time. And don't say you'll take care of it" Toby said as I opened my mouth to say just that, "Then it would be your animal. Plus you're just as busy as me."

"True" I said "Maybe at a later time, we could revisit the topic." I didn't voice the obvious "when things calm down".

The batista called Toby's alias, Aaron, and he left to get our drinks with a nod. He brought back his usual black coffee, but had gotten me a treat (in his eyes), a white chocolate latte with cinnamon. He acted like he was going to pop the bottom of my cup with his hand and I jumped, knowing he wouldn't but instincts are hard to overcome with hot coffee in your hands.

I sputtered, which made Toby laugh and pull me closer in the booth seat, hugging me.

"Tch, asshole" I said, but smiled even as I halfheartedly swatted at Toby's chest as he hugged me with his arm

"Yep. And you love me anyway" Toby said proudly, "What a day to be alive."

After our break, we perused a record shop. Toby found a vinyl copy of Old Crow Medicine Show's Wagon Wheel, which he played on the record player the shop supplied for customers wanting to test their records. While the folksy Americana tune played, Toby danced with me in the middle of an aisle, just a simple two step as he sang along in my ear, "Rock me mama like a wagon wheel. Rock me mama any way you feel, heyyyy mama rock me. Rock me mama like the wind and the rain. Rock me mama like a southbound train. Heyyyy mama rock me..." Toby was a little flat, but it was music to my ears. The cashier, a tired looking old lady, watched us with a snaggletoothed grin.

While we browsed the shelves of a fragrance shop, Toby spoke up, "We should get something really nice to commemorate today. It's been so awesome."

"The date's not over yet, maybe we'll find something" I said as we walked, Toby's arm draped over my shoulders. I held on to his fingers with the hand not wrapped around his waist and leaned my head over until Toby's shoulder while we made our way to the front of the store.

When we went outside, I noticed the sky beginning to darken, afternoon transitioning to evening. Suddenly, Toby stopped walking, and I looked up at him.

Toby was staring at a storefront a couple doors down. "It's perfect." He started towards is, pulling me along behind him.

He was striding towards the tattoo shop with purpose.

"A tattoo?" I asked him as we stopped at the door, not hating the idea.

"A tattoo" Toby confirmed, "Matching ones, even."

I thought about it a little more and Toby asked me, "What do you think?"

"I mean, I don't hate the idea" Toby opened the door for me, "What should we get?"

Toby thought about it as we walked in. "Don't you know all that stuff about flowers? Like how people used them to send messages back in the old days?" Toby asked me, "What's a good flower that sums us up?"

This to a considerable amount of quick thinking. What would be a flower I would have sent Toby two centuries ago? I had to think about what the relationship was for both of us. Well... this was definitely a relationship unlike any other I'd had. As d Toby was picking up the pieces, learning how to love and trust again after Natalie. It was kind of a new beginning for both of us, a new life. Yeah! So flowers that symbolize new beginnings. There's daisies, but they seemed to girly for Toby. Calla lilies usually get associated with death instead. And if daisies were too girly, daffodils were definitely out. "... What about a dandelion?" I asked, "Like after it's gone to seed, when it's all fluffy? They symbolize a new beginning."

Toby leaned over me, curling his body forward, to kiss my forehead as I leaned against him where he stood. "I love it. I love you."

I was beaming as we went up to the counter and Toby told the attendant that we were looking to get two tattoos of the same design. We had to fill out some paperwork and show our (fake) IDs, but soon we were being led back to the work area.

We met the tattoo artist and worked out a design with him. It was three dandelions with a sprig of green leaves. One was a fluffy, fat dandelion flower in full bloom, the middle was one gone to seed, a few seed pods floating off on bits of fluff. The final was a baby dandelion, curled up before it blooms. All three were bound together with a leafy sprig by a piece of baling wire, cut short and neat.

"So you two are happy with the design?" our tattoo artist, a red mohawked, pierced punk with dark skin covered in ink named Robert.

We were both nodding and Toby took the chair first, so I could watch how it was done.

"Look at my man, being all valiant and shit" Robert said, "You gonna be honest about if it hurts? That's gonna be a pretty tender spot." We had decided to get the tattoo on our left collarbone area/upper chests.

"It'd be a moot point" I said, taking Toby's shirt and sweater vest as he disrobed for Robert to ready the area. "He's got congenital insensitivity to pain. You could carve those flowers into him and he wouldn't even flinch."

Robert looked at Toby in surprise, pausing in wiping down Toby's skin with alcohol to clean the area. "No shit? That's fuckin wild. I got a friend with insane pain tolerance. That's gotta be similar."

The tattoo gun was soon buzzing and Robert was laying ink into Toby's skin as he talked and bullshitted with us.

"So how long you guys been together?" Robert asked in his accent that I could quite place. Sometimes it sounded foreign and others, a very clear Pittsburgh inflection was there. He wiped the excess ink away. Half of the linework was done. River was a fast worker, especially since he was freehanding.

Toby gave me a glance and I handled it, snorting out the shocking part of our bond, its relavative newness, by saying, "Around a year and a half."

"Cool, cool" Robert hummed, starting in on the shading, "I like that you're getting this ink together, but not each others names. I always say name tattoos are a curse. Unless it's like your kids or your dead or something."

We continued making small talk and soon, Toby was shaded, and then done and it was my turn. I had to pull one arm out of my dress so Robert had access to the whole area. Between my dress and Toby's sweater vest as a cover to hold to my chest, we managed.

The tattoo actually didn't hurt too badly. At first. At first, it felt a little like bee stings and then a sunburn. However, once Robert started in on the finer details of the wild flower bouquet, it really started getting sensitive. And with every pass of the needle bundy, a sharp, but aching pain was establishing itself amongst my nerve endings. My eyes were starting to tear up a little.

Toby noticed and came to wipe the tears from my eyes before they even had the chance to fall.

"Almost done" Robert said in a distracted way as he shaded in what felt like another petal. He repeated this a few more times, then wiped my skin clean again. He produced a mirror and held it up for me, so I could look.

There, in black ink, looking red and irritated, but absolutely perfect, was dandelion tattoo. I noticed Robert had added a little metal heart charm to the wire holding the flowers together, something I hadn't noticed until I saw it on my own skin, but Toby's was identical. 

"It's perfect, Robert" I said, "thank you so much."

Toby walked up and gave Robert a tip. I spotted at least three twenties, but the bills were kind of stacked on top of each other, so I couldn't be sure. Robert said his thanks and nodded to the table where he was set up, and Toby sat the money there. Robert covered my tattoo in ointment and then a shiny black wrapping that reminded me of the pads under prepackaged meat. He handed me a care sheet and a couple of tiny vats of after tattoo cream and Toby took his sweater vest as I rearranged my dress top.

Toby was grinning widely as he paid up front. The grin lasted through getting burgers and dropping back by the smoke shop for Big Lizzie and our other purchases there. 

"One last stop" Toby said and he led me to the dispensary. We went inside and Toby picked some flower from their specials menu. He flashed a medical card with an alias under his picture. Toby looked mad enough to kill, he was staring at the camera with just the surliest of looks. This ex change with the card, however, resulted in the employee taking off the sales tax of his (generous) purchase.

Bags dispersed between the two of us (Toby with the books and smoke shop bags, me with the food and flower) we returned to the construction site. Only this time, we actually went inside the half constructed hotel. I wondered how there could possibly be a door here. The halls and rooms were in various stages of completion, the place probably only having existed a week or two, tops. But, sure enough, Toby led me directly to a doorway that looked like it had just been created today, while we were shopping. I realized when we found it, that I had been feeling a vague pulling sensation in my gut that had only gotten more noticeable as we got closer to the door. I'd always wondered how Toby managed to locate doors, and now I think I figured out the answer. 

We had to shearling link arms before we stepped in because of the shopping bags. It wasn't pretty, nor was it comfortable, but it worked, keeping us from getting seperated in the void. W stepped out into our bedroom and Toby crossed to the dresser to set his load down, pulling me with him accidentally. I had to run a little bit, Toby's legs were just too long for me to keep up at a normal pace, and I sat our other bags down. I sat our food to the side and we ate while we put things away. The flower containers went into the safe along with the gun from my bag. Toby sat our first book on the bed and then carried the others upstairs to the bookshelves.  Toby left Big Lizzie on the desk and I put the journal and bookmarks in my bedside table drawer. My stuffed kitten with tentacles took up prime real estate amongst the pillows where Toby and I slept. The pipe joined the bong and Toby sighed in exasperation upon finding Tim's tobacco. Toby left to take it to him so he wouldn't forget with a "Be right back, Sweetness."

Everything had been put away between mine and Toby's efforts, so I left the bedroom for my closet to undress.  The dress went into a hamper next to the door, and I put the boots back where I had gotten them, filling their space on the shelves. I went to the drawers, curious about what was in then and found more pajamas, a wider selection than what was in the antechamber dresser, along with regular clothes that I would check out later. 

I picked a camisole and shorts in black. Toby is such a hot sleeper that I had learned to sleep in as little clothing as possible. The cami was lace, and transparent in the midriff. The cups of the top were mercifully solid instead of see through like the rest of the top, or I would have never been able to wear it in confidence. The shorts were nothing special, just black silk with a lace hem. The urge to remove my tattoo covering was intense, but Robert had told us both to keep our new ink covered for the first night, lest the ink get pulled out by the fabric of our shirts or sheets. I had to stop myself from picking at the edges and decided maybe it would be best to cover up more, for my own sanity's sake.

There was a cute robe in the next drawer down and I shrugged it on. The black, slightly sheer material was actually pretty warm, but the lace cutouts in the arms helped ventilate the robe so it didn't get too warm. Satisfied, I left the closet and found Toby was back from visiting Tim. He had stripped down to his boxers and was kicked back in bed, Calypso the Cthul-kitty tucked between his arm and ribs on the right side. Our book was resting on the bed in the space that I slept. 

Toby looked up, it looked like he had been reading the book's back covet from where it sat on the bed. When he saw me, his expression was content. But contentedness turned into something else that resembled if I had hit Toby between the eyes with a ball ping hammer.

I crawled up onto the bed and joined Toby amongst the pillows and blanket. Toby was still looking dumbstruck and when I reached the pillows and sat, I asked, "What's wrong love?"

Toby shook himself out of it, literally shaking his head as he blinked hard a few times. 

"Nothing, Sweetness" Toby murmured as he moved to be closer to me. He produces the new pipe, freshly loaded to the top with fluffy green ground weed. I accepted it and cooperated with Toby as he lit it for me, my lungs filling with pungent smoke that tasted slightly of mint, but mostly very green. I almost coughed, but managed to suppress the urge as I handed the pipe back to Toby. He took one of his usual monster hits and I watched as his eyes went wide. Watching Toby fight not to cough was amusing as always. He always took more than was necessary and he slapped the bed a few times as his body shuddered with the effort not to cough. Finally, Toby was able to get a quick breath in through his nose and we exhaled together. 

"Okay" I gasped, "Clever distraction, but what's wrong, honey?" I bit my lip in worry, hoping Tim hadn't reported the first zombies or something. 

Toby sighed and laughed at the same time, the sound coming out as whooshy along with a good amount of rasp. "Sweetness, everything is completely fine right now. Including you." He reached forward and moved the robot for a little peek, "Just appreciating the view. Honestly I didn't think the dress could be outdone."

I blushed and accepted the pipe again and we smoked before really settling in to read. Toby ended up shoving my stuffed animal up towards the headboard and sat the now empty pipe on his beside table along with his Zippo. Toby opened his arms after flopping onto his back, and opened his arms, creating space for me. 

I laid down on my side, facing Toby and gave him a quick kiss before I snuggled up to his body. I picked up the book, the first of the John series, and started reading, making sure the delivery was right. 

[writingwithacupoftea]

Quiet

Summary: Following Grace’s death, Tommy shuts himself off from the rest of the world, dealing with all of the noise in his head alone. But Y/N Shelby will be damned if she doesn’t try to help her brother...

Word Count: 3158

A/N: This has unexpectedly become my 200 follower celebration fic, so thank you again!! I was getting my doctor-prescribed daily dose of Cillian Murphy the other day watching his video about the rise of Tommy Shelby, and the part where he talks about Tommy being burdened by his intelligence for some reason made me think of Matilda. So, the song ‘Quiet’ from Matilda the Musical (which I love btw, I’m a massive musical theatre nerd) became the inspiration for this fic. Hope you enjoy it!!

Y/N Shelby was always a source of amazement to the rest of her family. Being the second youngest of the Shelby clan, it had come as a shock to her three elder brothers that she could be quite as ruthless as them when it came to business and enemies who threatened her family. However, it wasn't just that which truly surprised them: it was the fact that she still managed to retain her heart of gold. This was largely reserved for her family and, despite the violence and atrocities committed by them in front of her very eyes, she loved them unconditionally (even if they were a pain in the arse sometimes).

When Tommy bought Arrow House, he also acquired the little cottage on the estate. Knowing that Y/N was getting restless at the prospect of still living with her family as she approached her twenties, Tommy had given the place to her to do with as she wished. This arrangement pleased both siblings immensely. Tommy and Y/N had always had an incredibly close relationship, despite the large age gap, and the cottage's location meant that Y/N got the independence that she so desperately wanted, whilst also being close enough for them to see each other as often as they wished.

(As well as this, it gave Tommy peace of mind that the only way to access the cottage was to cross the grounds which lay in front of Arrow House. This meant that any enemies would have to go past the blinders stationed in front of his house, then through Tommy himself, and finally deal with the blinders outside of Y/N's cottage in order to get to her. Oh, and he always knew when she dared to bring a boy back with her.)

Everything was going perfectly, and Tommy and Y/N were, for once, happy with their lives.

And then Grace died.

For two weeks after the funeral, Tommy spent most of his time riding around the estate, thinking by himself. He didn't want to see anyone apart from his son. Sometimes, depending on where he stopped at night, Y/N could see her brother at a distance from her living room. She longed to run to him, not to tell him that she was sorry and offer her condolences because she knew he'd be sick of that already. Y/N just wanted Tommy to know that he didn't have to fight every battle alone.

Then, out of the blue, there came a point when he stopped doing that. Instead, Tommy chose to throw himself into his work, providing a different type of isolation. He barely left the house, locking himself away in his office, and when he did go out on business he hardly told a soul. According to Mary (who secretly phoned Y/N every week to let her know how Tommy was doing) he seemed lifeless now, as if he were the one that died, not his wife. Her employer was even quieter than he usually was, and Y/N knew that that was when his brain got the loudest.

Y/N refused to sit by and let him destroy himself for any longer...and she knew just the trick to bring her brother back to life.

***

The phone on Tommy's desk seemed to ring even louder than usual, adding to his pounding headache. He hadn't left the house in three days, not that he'd noticed it, and was more on-edge than ever. With a sigh, he picked up the receiver.

"Tom?" Despite the million thoughts that clogged up his brain, he couldn't help the flicker of a smile that passed over his face upon hearing his little sister's light voice, something he'd gotten so used to when she'd lived with him. But that calm didn't last long before his brain went into overdrive again.

"You alright?" He had tried his best to keep any tones of alarm and worry at bay, but knew that he had failed when his voice faltered on the last word.

"I'm fine, I just need to you pop over and help me move a bookcase."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Tommy replied steadily, "Y/N, I'm waiting on about three different phone calls and I have a business to run. Why don't you ask -" He paused, looking at the list in front of him, "Ben or Harry to help you, eh?" (They were in charge of guarding Y/N's house during the daytime this week, according to the rota.)

"I mean I would do, but I've given them the weekend off, and quite frankly you're the closest other person, Tom."

The man in question froze. "You've sent Ben and Harry away?"

"Yes."

"For an entire weekend?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't tell me about it?"

"That's about the size of it, yeah."

"What the fuck do you think you're playing at Y/N?" Tommy was shouting now, furious that his sister would be this stupid. "I thought you had more sense than this!"

"Actually, Thomas, I think in this case I've got more sense than you. They've been outside this house for two, nearly three, weeks now because you haven't stood them down and you won't let me do it myself. How do you expect them to do their job properly if they're dead on their feet?"

Tommy fell silent, his heart beating at a mile a minute, worry taking over from his anger. What if someone took advantage of this moment? What if they used this opportunity to take his sister from him, like they took his wife? He was terrified, and the worst part was that it would be entirely his fault: he should never have let this fuck up happen, he should've kept a closer eye on his sister. Y/N lived on his grounds, anyone that came for Tommy would inevitably go for her as well.

He didn't even bother to try and conceal the tremor in his voice when he finally spoke again. "Okay, I'm coming over. Do not, I repeat, do not leave your house, alright? Don’t open the door to anyone but me, either. Have you got a gun with you?"

"Tom, you made sure that an entire armoury was installed here before I even set foot in the place, yes I have a gun."

"Good. Keep it with you, make sure it's loaded. I'm on my way."

Tommy hadn't even put the receiver down before he was on his feet, scrambling to get ready. Guilt and worry consuming him, Tommy made another phone call to get some more men stationed outside Arrow House, went up to the nursery and kissed Charlie goodbye, and then told Mary of his plan. Tommy would be staying with his sister until Monday morning – he was taking his sister's safety into his own hands this time.

It was common knowledge that the patriarch of the Shelby family didn't give a toss about religion any more, but as his pace quickened down the drive of Arrow House that Saturday morning, he sent a prayer up to anyone who was listening that he wouldn't be too late.

***

Livid. That's the only way to describe how Tommy felt upon turning the corner to his sister's cottage. For there she was, stood in the open doorway, clearly waiting for him. As he got closer, Tommy noticed that Y/N was wearing one of his old shirts under her worn grey cardigan, with a gun tucked into the top of her rolled up, oversized trousers. She also had a gentle smile on her face, the one that was reserved only for her family members.

Shaking a stern finger at his sister as he marched over to her, Tommy stated in a dangerous tone "I told you to stay indoors."

Y/N's smile moulded into a smirk. "Yeah, and I told you that Ben and Harry had the weekend off, not that there was no one guarding the house. Eddie and Will took their place last night."

Tommy ran a hand through his hair, whether out of relief or frustration, neither of the siblings knew. "You are in so much trouble." His tone was far from teasing, and anyone else would be quaking at the knees. But not Y/N.

"I thought I would be, but you can shout at me as we walk." Y/N grabbed a large basket from inside the door before locking it. "Come on!"

"You're not going fucking anywhere until -"

"You know, Thomas, the further away I get the less I'll be able to hear of you telling me off." Y/N hadn't even turned around or stopped to say it, she just kept walking.

"For fuck's sake," Tommy muttered angrily under his breath and then started moving to try and catch up with her.

***

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for making you panic so much." Tommy had only just caught up to Y/N, and had opened his mouth to continue speaking when she cut him off. "I knew you wouldn't leave the house unless I made you think that I was in danger. You were always too good of a big brother to risk that."

Tommy was rendered speechless by her words. He had neglected her for over a month, barely speaking to her and never visiting – how could she still claim that he was a good brother?

As if she could hear his thoughts, Y/N continued to speak. "You're grieving, Tom. I didn't expect anything from you, no matter how much I wanted to see you. Although you haven't been checking that the blinders change over, that part of my call was true. But I've been taking care of it, so I've been safe the entire time. Don't go blaming yourself for anything else."

"We thought that Grace was safe." That was the first thing that Tommy had said in minutes, and his anger at being lured into his sister's trap lay forgotten for the time being. Y/N simply placed her free hand into the crook of Tommy's arm and squeezed it.

"You probably think I'm so selfish for doing this, but I promise I'm not just doing it for me." She paused, almost reluctant to put her next question out into the open. "Everything's getting loud again, isn't it?"

Tommy stared at the ground as they kept walking further and further away from either of their houses, wordlessly confirming her suspicions. He let out a small chuckle. "You always know, don't you, sweetheart? For someone so young, you don't miss much."

Y/N breathed out a laugh. "When you grow up with John and his bloody booby traps all over the house, you do tend to notice everything and more."  

That was enough to bring out the first proper smile that Tommy had produced since his wife's death. He had forgotten what a tonic his sister could be – just her presence and gentle voice was enough to soothe him and ease some of his pain. Tommy brought his free hand up to rest on top of her small one, still nestled into the crook of his arm, and she responded by leaning her head against his shoulder contentedly.  

They continued to walk in silence before Tommy realised that, for once, he had no clue what they were doing. When he asked, his sister's answer made him stop in his tracks.

"Nothing?"

"Yep." Y/N smiled at him proudly. "Absolutely nothing."

"Y/N, I don’t have time to -"

"Everyone has the time to do nothing, Tommy, even you." Her brother sighed in defeat, knowing that there was no point in starting an argument over it (the look that Y/N was giving him was enough to tell him that he'd lost it before it had even begun).

"Alright, fine. But how am I supposed to do nothing and clear my head at the same time, eh?" His tone boarded on impatient.

"You'll figure it out soon enough." Y/N responded, calmly.

***

She was right, of course. They had laid down the blankets that had been tucked away in Y/N's basket and for a while they simply watched the clouds dancing across the sky, bringing back fond memories for Tommy: he had done this countless times with his mother before she passed, and afterwards he used to take a much younger Y/N out to do the same before the war took over. Tommy let the rustling of the wind in the trees and the singing of the birds melt away the endless stream of thoughts in his head. His sister had also been clever enough to bring them so far out into the Warwickshire countryside that he knew that no-one would find them, causing a feeling of safety and freedom to wash over him for the first time in years.

Tommy reached over and held Y/N's hand in his, and whispered "Thank you, bug," just loudly enough for her to hear.

Y/N turned her head to smile at him and squeezed his hand. But then she frowned at her brother, causing him to mirror her expression. "Tom, you've got some grey hairs coming. Seriously, I can see them now, just at the side."

His lips parted in shock as her expression turned into one of mirth. "You cheeky fucker." Tommy's tone was deadly serious; however, Y/N knew her brother well enough to know what was coming next. She just managed to roll out of the way before Tommy's hand reached out to tickle her stomach.

Before they both knew it, Y/N was running like her life depended on it and Tommy was following in hot pursuit, uncontrollable laughter bubbling out from both of them.

***

A few hours later and night had fallen. Tommy had built a fire some time ago, and Y/N was sat by it, reading. He realised that, whilst the scene wasn't too dissimilar to the one he created every night in the weeks following Grace's funeral, it was also entirely different. Before, he had only focused on the thoughts constantly whizzing around in his brain, not noticing anything else going on around him.  

But now, everything was quiet. Not silent, for that would surely send all of the noise flooding back into his head. The sounds of the pages turning steadily in his sister's book provided that nice sort of quiet which meant that that noise just...stopped. Y/N hadn't actually tried to distract him from his grief or his thoughts, either, or tried to get him to talk about it as so many other people had done; all Y/N did was bring him physically away from everything and been there, a strong presence without pressure. For that, he loved her more than ever.

Tommy looked up as Y/N released a long sigh, having just finished her last chapter. He noticed her shiver slightly when a cool breeze brushed over the field, and fished another blanket out of the basket as she walked over to sit next to him. Tommy wrapped the soft material tightly around her and placed his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in for a one-armed hug.  

Breaking the silence, Y/N looked up and said "The stars are so much brighter out here than in Small Heath."

Tommy hummed in agreement. "When you were little and we were on the road with mum, I used to point out all the different constellations to you."

"I don't remember that."

"Well, you were always about half asleep."

"Do you still remember them?"

"I do."

"Would you show me them again?"

The question was asked with such innocence that Tommy glanced down at his sister, and saw her bright blue eyes staring back up at him, eyes that had him wrapped around her little finger. He laid down, patting the space next to him, encouraging her to do the same. "Let's have a look then, shall we?"

He was rewarded with a big, beaming smile.

***

When Y/N started to yawn and her eyelids began to droop, lulled by the warmth and her brother's steady voice, Tommy decided that it was time for them to head back. He bundled everything back into the basket bar one blanket, which he layered on top of the other one covering his sister once they started walking away from the dying fire (despite Y/N's apparent annoyance at his fussing).

Tommy was still set on staying in his sister's spare room for the weekend, wanting to make up for lost time. Part of him also still worried that she would be taken away from him, and knew that there wasn't much chance of him sleeping if he returned to his own bed. After all that she had done for him today, Tommy couldn't bear to leave her just yet.

He carried the basket in one hand, and Y/N had wrapped both of her arms around his other arm, revelling in the chance to be so close to her brother again, and not just physically. Y/N wasn't naïve in her view of Tommy: he was cold, brutal, rude and relentless, and she knew that. But she had also never wavered in her belief that parts of the Tommy that she knew before the war were still there; they were simply buried deep within, so much so that it was slowly becoming more and more difficult to bring them to the surface.  

However, looking up and noting the absence of a crease between Tommy's brows, she couldn't help but feel that she could afford herself a small victory this time.

"I'm always here for you, Tom," Y/N mumbled, seemingly out of the blue. "When you need some quiet, and remember that I always know when you do, I'll never get bored of things like this."

Tommy was silent, and Y/N wondered if she'd ruined it and pushed it too far. But then she heard him clear his throat and quietly reply "That sounds perfect, sweetheart," and her worries washed away in an instant.

***

As the siblings stepped over the threshold of the cottage, exhaustion hit both of them. Y/N headed to the kitchen and Tommy made his way towards the living room. Upon his arrival, however, he stopped in the doorway and simply stared in...

"Y/N?" He called, confusion seeping into his voice.

The woman in question appeared behind him, and peered over her brother's shoulder at the bookcase abandoned in the middle of the room. "Fuck, I'd forgotten about that. Well, you can move it out of the way while I make tea – it's what I called you here to do anyway." Y/N began to wander back towards the kitchen, ignoring the befuddled, yet amused, expression on her brother's face. "Thanks Tom, love you!"

"Love you too, darling," Tommy murmured, not loud enough for her to hear, a full and genuine smile gracing his features.

Yep, he thought, his sister was definitely one of a kind, but he wouldn't change her for the world; and no matter what else he did, he refused to fail Y/N again.

[fencesandfrogs]

hi my name is matthew and i have some thoughts about haes

okay disclaimers: i’m a little jumpy around the subject so while i don’t feel i’m being unnecessarily harsh/unfair, if ur firm on haes w no yielding, and you don’t want to argue about it? either skip this or don’t respond. i don’t really care. but i’m putting the body under a read more.

[3k words, 10 minute read. sections headers, some text italicized for emphasis/some readibility. no images/videos, a few links.]

second disclaimer: i’m not planning on going heavy on sources. i will happily provide sources to people who want them, and i haven’t written the actual post yet but it’s unlike me not to cite anything, but doing an in depth well researched and sourced post on this type of subject is not something i’m up for right now.

like i said, i’m jumpy around this subject. and on the off chance someone decides this post is Bad and i must be banished to the Bad Blogs Bin, i’d rather not put a lot of work into it.

third disclaimer: i’m not particularly interested in reading X study that says actually no people who way 700 pounds are healthy and people who weigh less than 200 are going to die early deaths. i know that’s a straw man i needed to a) get it out of the way now and b) i just am tired all the time and don’t have a ton of itme for it. that said, if you do send one to me, i will probably read it at some point, and i may or may not provide my thoughts.

right then. moving on.

with no more waffling, my thesis is as follows: weight stigma is bad, however obesity is killing people and i really would like people to stop pretending it doesn’t.

i. really hate that that’s a controversial opinion. i mean i hold a decent number of somewhat controversial opinions, most of which i keep to myself because i’m a firm believer that what i think about something should not interfere with how other people live their lives. as a noncontroversial example, i think mormons are in a cult. children, being minors, being indoctrinated is a problem, one i myself am not dedicated to solving because i have other issues but as far as adults involved, that’s their business.

(*please note that i’m not expanding on my thoughts because this post is about haes but i do have a more complicated opinion i’m just trying to demonstrate something please don’t at me about cults i know that they’re bad and adults in them also need help getting out that’s not the point of this post & i’m anxious enough so like, please.)

anyway so. obesity. is bad. it is bad for your health. if you are obese, you are not healthy. that said, i am not going to tell you to lose weight. no one should tell you to lose weight except for your doctor and maybe your immediate family, and that should be from a place of “you are not living your best life and i care about you.” i, an internet stranger, along with pretty much everyone you know, does not get to tell you about how terrible your life is and what a horrible person you are for existing, because you are not a bad person for being overweight. you do not deserve discrimination or mistreatment. even if you’re not actively trying to lose weight. it doesn’t matter. you are a human being like any other and i will fight like hell for you.

i’m not planning on going heavy into eating disorders because a) that’s a triggering topic for me and b) it’s going to muddle the point i’m getting, but since it is a large part of the arguments re. haes, it’s certainly going to come up, so i’d like to list the officially recognized eating disorders.

Anorexia Nervosa (AN)

Bulimia Nervosa (BN)

Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder (OSFED)

Pica

Rumination Disorder

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder (UFED)

Other (aka “we are considering making this its own category but for matthew’s purposes it fits into AFRID or UFED well enough because the details aren’t important”)

so yeah. we’ll circle back to this.

section one: haes

haes initially stood for heatlh at every size. that doesn’t really matter anymore because people say healthy at every size now, however, the distinction is important. because.

okay. when i say being obese makes you inherently unhealthy, i am not saying you are having health problems for being overweight. i am saying you have a chronic illness. i have asthma. that makes me inherently unhealthy. i don’t necessarily have an health problems because i am asthmatic, but i have a chronic illness and it certainly would, say, make me more likely to die from covid. that is a fact. saying healthy at every lung functionality would not change that.

but you know, i can still be active and like smell plants and interact in the world like anyone else. i just try to keep my inhaler near by.

so similarly, if you are overweight/obese (i’ve been saying only obese because its less letters so i’m sticking with that), you can, like, live ur best life and take care of your health. you can feel good about your body and eat good food and move and again, i really don’t want anyone reading this to feel that i think everyone who’s obese needs to lose that weight because adults can do whatever they want.

what i’m angry about is that a good thing (encouraging people to make good choices no matter what so they can feel good in their bodies) got turned into a bad thing (telling people they don’t need to change what they’re doing because they’re perfectly healthy).

section two: but what about...?

see my third disclaimer. but as a fast rundown of things i probably won’t talk about in detail later:

the obesity paradox is a specific thing about a specific type of illness in the elderly. it’s also not about obesity, it’s about being slightly overweight. it’s a complicated thing, but it’s not true most of the time

sumo wrestlers have major health problems as soon as they stop exercising like crazy.

did you know there are countries where girls are force fed to become overweight? diet culture goes both ways

if you want to say healthy at every size, you have to mean that every. that means you are not allowed to say shit about underweight people. i’m sorry, is someone you care about wasting away? are they 5′10 and weigh  90 pounds and their hair is falling out because they aren’t eating? i’m sorry, you said people are healthy at every size. you can’t make fun of skinny people. you have to suck it up because you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

section three: self care

a hypothetical that is blindingly obvious to where i’m going: if a small child wants to play with a knife, are you caring for them by giving into it? what if they want to drink some vodka? what if they want to run away from home to live with a stranger in a white van?

i really really hope all those answers are “no, you’re neglecting that child, and also possibly actively harming it.”

so my point is pretty obvious: giving yourself something because you want it does not mean you are caring for yourself.

you know what i want  to do all the time? sleep and rewatch twilight every day. but that makes me feel worse. so even though it’s terrible and i hate it, i have to take care of myself (because there is only one of me that i ever get) and go outside and talk to people and eat something that isn’t popcorn because you need protein to live.

(sorry i tried to keep nutrition out of that but i have to actively seek out sufficient salt and protein due to my campus doing a lot of low sodium food, which is bad when u actually need to eat a good amount of salt to keep ur body working, and also i’m vegetarian. so i’m constantly making myself seek it out.)

that doesn’t mean self care is always supposed to be work, but i mean. i’ve always not really gotten into it. i think because i’m hella depressed and i’ve been depressed long enough i can recognize it as this separate entity when it comes to a lot of the mental stuff. like, why do i feel like everything is meaningless? that’s just the depression.

but i digress, this isn’t about me. [proceeds to talk about me again]

one phrase i like a lot for myself is “bad food makes me feel bad.” now, i’m not a fan of putting moral judgements to food. but this works for me, personally. sure, eating a bunch of ice cream right now is good, but it’s going to suck when my stomach flips the fuck out because of all the sugar. and so it seems quite obvious to me that eating that ice cream is not, in fact, caring for my body.

and i think we’d collectively be a bit better served if we could learn to distinguish between self-care and self-kindness. ask anyone who does caregiving (childcare, nurses, etc): it is hard, often thankless (at least for children they’re devils who don’t realize that their toys will get wrecked if they don’t pick them up) work. you care for them not by doing what they want, but what is best for them.

section four: diet culture

as i’ve already played my hand up above with underweight vs haes, i think it’s kind of obvious that i have strong feelings about underweight not being healthy also. so i just want to take stock of what is and isn’t diet culture, and what i think about it. this is probably the most subjective part of this essay.

things i think are diet culture

people trying ridiculous diets. obviously diet culture in the purest sense. it’s real dumb. you need all the food groups to live. sometimes it’s okay, like cutting out sugar, but i’d say its a net negative

not trying to do lifestyle changes. that’s the sustainable way to lose weight. so. yeah.

weight cycling. actually still up for debate if this is bad. this paper says no, along with a lot of others, but i’m not sitting down and reading through all of them, and all of the ones that say its bad, to offer my opinion. i’m leaning towards “it’s better than nothing,” but we’ll see

a lot of other stuff i’m doing this off the top of my head and trying to avoid issues w eating disorders so.

things i think aren’t diet culture

women being pressured to look a certain way. that’s been going on for a long time. being skinny used to be bad. it’s a fact of the patriarchy.

most things? idk i have this impression that like, anyone exercising or eating healthy is a part of diet culture, when in reality, people just have different lifestyles. (also, again, if you’re going with haes, as in HealthyAES (hyaes?) you can’t call it unhealthy or you’re not respecting that damn E)

in conclusion: diet culture has issues, but the correct response to them is not “fuck you, i’m eating fourteen pounds of sugar.” eat fourteen pounds of sugar because you want to. (also it should be fat because if you really want to stick it to the man you should be eating fat, big sugar is responsible for a huge amount of todays dietary problems, both on the under/overweight side)

section five: discrimination

yeah no fuck people who discriminate about fat people. that’s all i’m just moving along to a transition since i was drifting away from my point about health.

section six: weight stigma

...is not responsible for your health issues. being obese is. accept the consequences of your lifestyle.

well. okay. that’s a little unfair. accept the consequences of not treating your chronic illness. and i feel i’ve probably lost people for calling obesity an illness but that’s the whole point of my post.

just like carrying externally heavy objects hurts your joints, so does carrying a lot of weight inside. fat does not cushion your organs, it kills them. getting rid of weight stigma will not make these issues go away.

the treatment for obesity is eating the number of calories you need to sustain a healthy weight at your current exercise levels. (*please consult with your doctor this is more complicated when you have to lose a lot of weight.)

section seven: cico. or, why your metabolism is fine

your body does not break the laws of thermodynamics. it cannot magically create more energy out of a given amount of calories.

there are issues with calorie counting, yes. i think it’s usually done in an unsustainable way that isn’t teaching people to make decisions, just to do math. it can be hard to get an accurate count.

but you are not a miracle of science. you have not discovered how to create and destroy energy. i’m sorry to be the one to break if to you.

if you don’t believe me, if you’re really sure your metabolism is different, go on and get it tested. tell your doctors. because it’s a major problem if it’s not working right.

similarly, i’m sorry, but if someone is the same height as you and a (very, like, +- 50 pounds) different weight, and neither of you have exisitng health conditions, you are not eating the same things/doing the same exercise. you have not broken the laws of physics.

possibly, one of you have untreated celiacs or something of the ilk meaning your body is actually malfunctioning. but if that’s true, i excluded you already, so shoo. get out of here and play in the sun with the other kids.

if you don’t believe this, there’s not much i can do to convince you. but i encourage you to count your calories for a month. find some tdee calculators. weigh yourself. make sure you count everything, it all goes down. check the math. (you can do any amount of time but a month is what you need for weight to be meaningful imo otherwise you’re just proving weight fluctuates a lot).

section eight: cico. or, why counting calories is not disordered eating

it can sure be a symptom of disordered eating, and it can certainly make disordered eating worse, but it isn’t an eating disorder.

also, assuming you’re not trying to verify the laws of thermodynamics, i don’t think counting every calorie is necessary. i have approximate values (500/meal, and around 300 in snacks), which i try not to go over or under.

yeah. i actually use calorie counting to make sure i’m eating enough in one sitting. some of my medication screws with my apetite and then i only eat like 300 calories and suddenly its like 11 and i need to go to bed but i’m hungry but eating before bed makes me feel terrible and it sucks.

but hey, according to some people, avoiding that is unhealthy.

okay i’m moving on before i get salty because the next section is touchy

section nine: eating disorders.

the three main eating disorders are listed way up there. they’re the first three. AN, BN, BED.

oh, yeah, binge eating? that’s actually disordered eating too. it’s not normal.

i’m not going to elaborate on the point because i absolutely know i can’t do it without getting really fucking angry that people call calorie counting disordered eating, like i haven’t watched a fifth grader eat one meal a day because she’s scared she’s overweight. like i haven’t watched a sixth grader cram food into his mouth until he’s sick because he’s worried he’s not bulky enough for sports. like i haven’t watched an eleventh grader tell me he hasn’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday, but it’s fine, he doesn’t want his mac and cheese anyway, since he needs to lose weight.

you think someone keeping track of some numbers is an eating disorder? then either you’re lucky enough to never have to deal with eating disorders on a personal level, and i’m very happy for you, or you have, and you should maybe reevaluate that.

alright i’m cutting myself off now whoop.

section ten: intuitive eating

you know, much like haes, i want to like this. it fits in with my bad-food-makes-me-feel-bad mentality. i’m angry and tired and hungry because i ate like, a late breakfast/early lunch and now i need to eat again because if i don’t eat every six to eight hours i have a medical condition that makes me feel like shit (an aside: unless you’ve been told by a doctor, you don’t need to eat every 2-3 hours. unless you’re a child or have an applicable medical condition, you can probably eat one meal a day and be firne.)

but much like haes, it now has a meaning i can’t in good consience endorse. i can’t stand for a movement that tells people who acknowledge weight makes their joints hurt that they just need to keep eating until they feel better.

section eleven: conclusion

i have a lot more thoughts but again i’m hungry. i meant to talk more about IE and my problems with it but maybe that will be its own post.

i won’t say i’m happy to talk about this because i can’t promise i am (see: eating disorder issues.), but i will most likely respond to constructive discussion if someone sees this and wants to. i can also provide sources. i hate going, “sources available on request” but i tried to provide some stuff for some of the heavily disputed/i already had a source for it and didn’t have to dig through google scholar to find information that’s been peer reviewed.

and i do sincerely wish everyone, at any size, that they fracture the disconnect between them and their bodies (oop didn’t talk about that either another time then) & that they find peace with who they are, and that they get to live happy & fulfilling lives.

[moldisgoodforyou]

lost time (chapter two)

pairing: rafe cameron x oc

warnings: drinking, cursing, mentions of sex

wordcount: 1.6k

MASTERLIST

_______

By some strange coincidence, Rafe and Sophie were in the same section of their debate class. (Some might call it fate. Sophie would call it a curse.)

It was one of the less popular general education options in the communications section that all Ohio State students had to pick from, but they were both drawn to the idea of the challenge while enrolling. The class was fairly small for a gen ed, only about 40 students. When Rafe walked in on the first day, two minutes to start, he spotted Sophie immediately. She was poised with her notebook laid out, colored pens and all, and Rafe couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He deliberately sat opposite the room from Sophie, hoping and praying they would never be paired together. It was fun to argue about useless things at parties, but less fun in an educational setting. About a month into the semester, the thing he wanted least, happened. 

“Rafe Cameron...and…” Their professor trailed off, scanning around the room to find him a partner for the timed debate. Sophie kept her eyes trained on the doodles in the margin of her notebook, only halfway paying attention as she added another. She had been chosen once at the beginning of the semester and briefly entertained the short debate, something trivial about reality TV, but was left disappointed by her partner’s lackluster effort. “Sophie Flint!” 

At the mention of her name, her head snapped up, caught off guard. “Hm?” 

“You’ll be debating Mr. Cameron, here. Come up to the podiums please.” Their professor instructed. 

She sighed under her breath and rose from her seat as Rafe did the same, both of them standing at the podiums at the front of the classroom. Sophie laced her fingers behind her back, lifting her chin slightly to acknowledge Rafe. He just smirked. Asshole. 

“Alright, you two know the rules, keep it civil. Five minutes.” Their professor glanced down at her list of topics. “You’ll be debating...ah. Should golf be a sport or not? I’ll let you pick your sides -” 

They spoke at the same time. 

“Of course it should.” 

“God, no.” 

She held back an amused smile. “Alright. Carry on.” 

Sophie nodded curtly, then turned slightly toward Rafe, stating her position. “Golf courses are an absolute waste of real estate.” 

“Hold up - Professor Welch, are we talking about the sport or the course?” Rafe interrupted the debate, annoyed as he tugged at his cap. 

Their professor just shrugged. 

“Well you can’t have the sport without a course. Unless you want to play completely in the rough, which, with your skill level, you probably -” 

“Ms. Flint.” Professor Welch warned. 

Sophie barely held back a smirk. “Right. Anyways, courses are about 100, 200 acres on average? And say there’s at least 32,000 courses in the world. So by that standard…” she paused for a moment, doing the mental math. “You have roughly four and a half million acres of land occupied by golf courses.” 

Rafe raised his eyebrows, curling his fingers around the edge of the podium as he leaned slightly toward her. “I don’t see an issue with that. Golf is a valuable, fairly low-impact sport that provides an outlet for many. It’s accessible even past retirement, so it’s a sport that grows with you.” 

“Except the sport is classist. It’s expensive and typically located near neighborhoods that at least have a middle-class income. It’s only accessible past retirement if you have the option to retire, or if you retire with enough spare change to keep up the hobby.” She explained, almost seeming bored. “Not to mention, golf courses are destroying the environment.” 

“No they’re not.” He shot back. 

She raised her eyebrows at the meager comeback. “They are. What’s the one thing you need the most to keep the fairways groomed?” 

Rafe thought for a moment. “Water. But you can just use rainwater -” 

“Great, except most courses don’t.” She interrupted, rolling on. “It’s a huge waste of resources just to water the grass, instead of using that land for farming or preserving the biodiversity of the area.” 

“Thirty seconds.” Their professor chimed in, keeping an eye on her watch. 

Rafe hurried to make his point, knowing he was losing the debate by miles, but Sophie cut him off before he could even speak. “Not to mention, circling back to the sport being elitist, most courses require a country club membership to even play a round -” 

“You belong to a country club, Flint, that’s hardly a leg you can stand on.” Rafe interjected just as their professor called time, a broad smirk tugging at his lips as he sensed Sophie’s frustration at not getting the last word. 

“Enlightening.” Professor Welch turned back to the class. “Show of hands, who won?” The majority of the class voted for Sophie, only a few frat boys raising their hands in support for Rafe. The bell rang and their professor nodded as the class started to pack up and shuffle out. “Right then, don’t forget to read chapters three and four this weekend!” 

Sophie just rolled her eyes at Rafe’s smirk and grabbed her backpack, starting off down the hallway with a satisfied smirk of her own. Sure, he might have gotten the last dig, but she clearly had a stronger argument. 

“Sophie!” She didn’t need to glance over her shoulder to know it was Rafe calling out after her. “Flint!” She ignored him again as he jogged to catch up until she felt his large hand grip her arm. “Hey, I’m talking to you.” 

She yanked her arm out of his grip but turned around anyways. “Get your hands off - oh.” She mumbled the last word as she saw her phone clutched in his hand. 

“Chill out, you just left this behind.” Rafe offered it to her and she took it, giving him a short smile. 

“Right. Thanks.” 

“Hey, um. You did good, I didn’t know all that stuff.” He tried, offering her a rare compliment. 

“It’s well.” She corrected before she could stop herself. 

“Huh?” 

“Well. I did well, not good.” The second it left her mouth, she regretted it.

Rafe scowled slightly at the correction. “Whatever. See you next class.” He headed off, shaking his head. She stood there for a moment, watching him go and silently cursed herself in her head. Would it be that difficult to accept the compliment?

_________

“You need to get over yourself and just go say hi.” Sophie’s friend and roommate, Julia, interrupted her train of thought as Sophie was completely zoned out later that night, staring across the bar at Rafe. He wasn’t even doing anything remotely interesting, just talking with his friends and drinking the Wednesday special dollar beers, but there was something about the backwards cap - that damn backwards cap - that did it for her. 

Sophie shook her head absently, taking a moment until she redirected her gaze. “Huh?” 

Her other roommate, Allie, shook her head with a smile at Sophie’s delayed reaction. 

“Oh my god.” Julia snapped in front of her face to get her attention. “Look, if you’re not going to make a move, can I?” 

“Can you - what? With Rafe? Rafe Cameron? Like, my Rafe?” Sophie stuttered, slightly in shock. “Why?” 

“Have you seen him? He’s cute. And he’s always been nice at parties. I need a date for the Theta party this weekend, please?” Julia asked, shooting a glance over at Rafe. He caught her eye but his gaze shifted over to Sophie for a moment as he sent her a nod of acknowledgment and a raise of his glass.

“I - um, fine, yeah, whatever.” Sophie knocked back the rest of her drink as a final statement, not wanting the conversation to last any longer as she flushed just slightly under Rafe’s stare. “I’m getting more, do you guys want something?” 

After a chorus of no’s from her friends, she pushed her way up to the bar alone. A few moments later, Rafe sidled up next to her, ordering a drink and leaning against the bar to face her. Sophie tried  her best to ignore him, keeping her gaze trained on the glowing neon signs behind the bar. 

“Not gonna say hi?” Rafe asked. 

It took everything in her for Sophie not to roll her eyes as she turned slightly toward him. “Hi, Cameron. Are you free this Friday?” 

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Are you asking me out?” 

That was enough to warrant an eyeroll. “No.” (She bit back the ‘no, stupid’ that threatened to roll off her tongue.) “My friend Julia doesn’t have a date for the Theta party. Are you down?” 

“Oh, shit, yeah.” He turned as their drinks arrived, sliding enough cash across to cover both of them. “The taller one, right?” 

Sophie tried to grab his cash back and cover her half before the bartender could take it, but she noticed too late. “Yes, the tall one. Here.” She shoved the $5 bill into Rafe’s hand. He just pushed it back into hers, taking her hand and closing it into a fist around the bill. “Rafe, I don’t want your money,” she tried again. 

He grinned. “So you can cover me next time we go out, then. What’s Julia’s number?” 

“Right.” She sighed and gestured for his phone. He handed it over easily. “Um, I don’t know it off the top of my head and they have my purse, but. Here’s mine and I’ll pass it on.” She typed her number into his phone quickly, saving her contact then handing it back.  

Rafe nodded with an easy grin, hand lingering for a moment as he took back the phone. “Even better. See ya Friday, Soph.” He gently bumped his elbow against hers, hands full, before heading back to his crew. It wasn’t lost on Sophie that she was left standing there, again, without the last word.

taglist: @oopsiedoopsie23​ @butgilinsky​ @taiter-tots​ 

[tatertotthethot]

The Doms Next Door 2.0

THIS IS A TEMPORARY REUPLOAD FOR THIS CHAPTER CUZ TUMBLR IS RAN BY A BUNCH OF BOTS. 2.1 HERE

Warnings/AN: frequent, casually cursing; comical, gay Jimin; insecure reader; steamy flirting; tattoo/sexualized Tae 🙃. Enjoy~ (TAEKOOK EDIT ABOVE IS ARTKOOK DONE BY NONCONMAN ON INSTAGRAM)

copyright © 2018 all rights reserved

_________________________________

Your tires came to a stop outside of the tattoo shop you've seen online— a brick building, covered in spray paint and street-style art. A sign buzzed over the awning of the entrance doors, with the built-in UV lights and graffiti-styled font displaying the name of the place in neon-red letters. Kink For Ink! The name alone was what first caught your attention last week, when you Googled "Tattoo shops near me" and it pulled up a list, with "Kink For Ink" being the first option. It just seemed so uncanny and fitting at the time, considering the previous run-in you just had with the sex-crazed neighbors a couple nights before. You couldn't help but to click the link to their Instagram.

A profile came up with 53.4k followers, which immediately blew your mind... but you quickly saw why. Every tattoo and piercing, no matter the body-placement, skin-type, or quirky design, was vividly appealing— certainly done by the articulate hands of certified experts. Even in the comments of the piercings that were posted, people were praising them for the "minimal" amount of pain they experienced, despite the fact that some of piercings were done in places you couldn't even fathom the thought of having a needle jammed through.

It said in the bio that the shop is owned by the two artists that work there— Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook. You couldn't find out much about them, all their pictures showed was their work. You even went back to search for a personal account of their own, but nothing came up. You then went back to the bio and clicked a link to the official website, hoping to find out something, but you were met with a disclaimer rule at the top that automatically deemed your chances of even getting your piece done by them, slim-to-none.

• No walk-ins allowed.

• Every request/idea must be sent in through the DMs of our Instagram page. You will only be accepted only if it spikes our personal interests.

Yikes; You were instantly discouraged by this. The piece you wanted was something so common and cliché, that you actually got the image out of a child's coloring book.... It was the cartoon layout of the glass vase and enchanted rose, from the Beauty and the Beast movie. Cheesy, yes. But it was something of personal, nostalgic value. You remember when you were little— roughly around 3 or 4 years of age— when your parents started fighting and would spend all day screaming and throwing things at each other, putting you in a constant state of anxiety. But then you'd go to bed at night and pop the VHS tape, and the movie never failed to put you in a peaceful state of mind— a hopeful one. It's remained as your all-time favorite love story throughout the years. Which, is ironic, considering that the relationship itself was different, but almost as dysfunctional as your parent's. However, the fact that even the Beast was capable of change, and everything wound up so perfect and happy in the end, makes your heart happy. And even now, at age 19, it still puts you in your feelings. The previous remake of a movie is what actually inspired you to get the enchanted rose as a tattoo, after seeing it in 3D not too long ago. But you're only willing to shell out up to $200 for it, at most. You've just started college, and even though Jimin's parents own the house and let the two of you live there, rent free, you're still responsible for half the utility bills from month to month. Blowing every bit of money you have saved up, right at the start of the semester, would just be irresponsible. But $200 was manageable, and you're looking for anything that'll give you a little extra "oomph" to break you out of this introverted shell you've always known. Pushing it off would just delay it, and you were ready for change. The nose piercing you want is just a small little thing that'll hopefully add a bit of flare to the features of your face. These two guys could probably do the piercing/tattoo with a blindfold on and a hand tied behind their back. So, if it meant that you'd be able to get these things done in confidence, without having to worry about the outcome, you figured it wouldn't hurt for you to at least ask, even if they straight-up ignore you. So, after spending an unnecessary amount of time overthinking the wording of your text, you finally constructed a message in your notes and DM'd it to business page, after sending them a small, simple outline of the cartoony rose, and pressed send.

• You: Hello! I've been wanting to get this tattoo done for a very while now, and was hoping one of you will be willing to do it for me... along with piercing my nose? I know it's a very mediocre and cliché piece, and a nose piercing can be done anywhere. But I'm new to the area and I've never gotten a tattoo/piercing done before and I haven't really checked out any other places either because I found this page first. And from what I can see, you guys are pretty efficient and CRAZY talented. So, I trust it'll get done right.... only if you want to! I'm willing to pay $200 for this, but if it costs that much for just the outline I've sent then that's fine as well. But I understand if neither of you want to do it cuz that is really cheap compared to the ones I've seen lol. But either way, thx for ur time 😁

A few minutes went by and you had just unlocked your phone to check the message again, when the word "seen" popped below the message. You held your breath for a second— but seconds turned to minutes, and time went by with no reply, what-so-ever. You figured maybe you sounded a little too immature to take seriously; kind of like a prepubescent 12-year-old asking someone out for a dance... and you blew it. Which was disappointing, but predictable. So fuck it. Maybe it's a sign; you shouldn't get it after all.

11pm rolled around, many hours later. You were now hiding beneath your covers, beginning your "amateur threesome" exploration on PornHub. You were ready to see what this whole "2 guys, 1 girl" thing was all about. But just when you were about to type it into the search bar, you were interrupted by an Instagram notification dropping down from the top of your screen.

"KinkForInk sent you a message."

You audibly gasped, eyes turning to saucers as you clicked on the notif and switched over to the Instagram app.

• KinkForInk: Hi (Y/N). This is Tae, one of the artists of the shop. The tattoo you sent in is worth roughly $100... but I want to run an offer by you in hopes that you'll be interested.

— Your brows scrunched in oddity, stomach fluttering. An offer? For you?

• You: Okay, sure. What's that?

• KinkForInk: I've been looking for someone willing to showcase the custom design I've come up with, specifically for a much more... exclusive version of the Beauty and the Beast tattoo you sent. And if you'd be down for letting me and my partner put it on you, it'll be free. No charge. BUT you'll also have to sign a contract saying that you'll do a little bit of modeling for us once it's done. You think you'd be in to doing something like that, even if you get it?

— Your head spun for a second, reading the message over and over again until you could fully wrap your mind around what he was saying.

• You: Hold on... YOU wanna put a tattoo on ME so that I model for you? And it's FREE? Are you sure about this? I'm not even model material lol.

• KinkForInk: Yes, yes, and yes, you are. You'd be perfect for this.

• You: How do know that? Is it a face tattoo? Cuz I only have 6 selfies on here and you can't see anything past my shoulders.

—"Seen" came up as soon as you hit send, but a couple of minutes rolled by with no reply to the message, nor was he even typing. Maybe you came off a little rude. But it was already sketchy and it was a logical question.

— An image suddenly popped up: a screenshot of your Facebook profile. Then another— and much to your horror, it was the photo Jimin tagged you in last week, when the two of you were swimming at a local community pool. You were wearing a simple two piece, sitting at the foot of the lawn chair Jimin was also sitting in, as his legs were visible on either side of you and his lap was practically framing your ass. The photo was at an upward angle and looked so scandalous— but really, you had just asked Jimin to put sun screen on your back and he didn't want to stand up because the pavement was too hot against his bare feet. But you actually liked the picture at the time; it was just a silly joke and your ass actually looked quite nice from that angle. Plus, everyone knows nothing sexual actually goes on between the two of you, for obvious reasons. But Taehyung doesn't, so you couldn't help but dreadfully cringe when you saw the caption of the screen shot.

"Babymama 💦🍆"

• KinkForInk: Is this you??

• You: Yes, that's me. The caption is a joke tho... pay no mind to that. But this is like, really happening? You really think it'd look good on me?

— Why that picture though? You couldn't help but wonder.

• KinkForInk: Yes. Like I said, you're perfect for this piece. Are you down to at least see what the tattoo will look like? We don't expect you to be experienced with modeling or anything, but if you listen to us and cooperate, you'll do just fine.

• You: Yes I wanna see, and I'll do the best I can if I decide to get it... I'm just a bit shy, is all.

• KinkForInk: You'll be in good hands. I promise.

• You: Okay... are you going to show me??

• KinkForInk: Can't send it over a message, I don't want it plagiarized or the concept stolen. But the piece itself isn't necessarily crazy or anything, just more creative. I'd be more than happy to show you at my shop some day this week, if you'd be willing to swing by.

• You: Yeah, I can do that. When should I come?

• KinkForInk: Are you available after 5 tomorrow?

• You: I am, I get off at 4:30.

• KinkForInk: Great. Be here by 5:30, and make sure you've eaten in case you like the piece and wanna get started. It's pretty big for a first timer and gonna take a lot of time and patience. It'll have to be done in sessions but I hope you have a fair enough pain tolerance to at least get the outline of it done first.

— It can't be any worse than a bikini wax, you thought, shivering at the memory. That a story for another time. You decided on an alternative scenario.

• You: I give blood from time to time... but that's easy and doesn't really hurt that much. I think I can handle it though... maybe. I honestly don't know lol, I'm sorry 😣. But I can try my best. Can I ask where it's supposed to go?

• KinkForInk: That's okay, I'll work with you. It's supposed to go down the middle of your back. Starts between the center of your shoulder blades, and trails down the length of your spine to your lower lumbar. You'll see how it looks once we transfer a template on your back. But if you don't like it, there will be no hard feelings from my end. I can still do the tattoo you want if that's the case, free of charge just for your time.

• You: Oh no, you don't have to do that! I'd still pay!

• KinkForInk: Not if I don't accept your money. Trust me, I'm not worried about it. The nose piercing is gonna be $30 regardless, though. JK isn't so lenient.

• You: Of course. Will I have to take my shirt and bra off for the tattoo?

• KinkForInk: Yes, and for the pictures once it's done.

— Your mind blanked at that; thumbs froze over the keypad. He was typing again.

• KinkForInk: Don't let that discourage you. Again, you're in good hands. You can bring something to cover your chest. And the pics will be if your back as well.

• You: Okay, I can handle that. So 5:30 tomorrow?

• KinkForInk: Yes, please don't flake on us!

• You: Lol, I won't. I'll be there.

"They're gonna knock us the fuck out and sell our organs to the black market," Jimin declared. He had parked next to you outside of the shop, and was now sitting in the driver seat of his car with his door locked and windows all the way up, refusing to get out. You were standing right outside his door, still having to talk on the phone. "And is this Tae-guy an AllState representative or something?"

Jimin is petty. You wanted him here for moral support— which he's usually reliable for— but this time, he's just plain salty right and doing everything he can to remind you of that. Reason is, he's been begging you to get a matching tattoo with him ever since your 18th birthday, and you've always refused because of what he wanted to get.

Cupcakes. Jimin wanted to get matching cupcake tattoos... in honor of Cupcakke the legend. Sorry, but H E L L no.

You rolled your eyes, growing frustrated. He only has enough time to pop in and confirm that these two aren't gonna kill you, and then he's gotta head home to get ready for work. You were already supposed to be in there. It was 5:33pm, 3 minutes past the time.

"Jimin, you're the one that insisted on coming along! And now you're making me late!" you ranted. "I'm going in without you."

"Hold your horses, hoe! I'm finishing my blueberry slushie," He retorted, sassily bringing the straw to his mouth and loudly slurping it into the phone. He then abruptly flinched away from the straw with a disgusted expression, nostrils flared, body locking up; lips drawing into an air-tight knot that was so extreme and unnatural, it caused an ugly snort to break out of your nose.

He smacked his lips in exaggeration to the taste, face falling back into stone as an eyebrow arched over the top of his aviators; unamused and saltier than before... Like you were at fault for that, too.

"Or... Blueberry-ass, I should say."

That forced another giggle out of you as Jimin stiffly rolled his window down, phone still pressed to his ear and eyes still scowling at you behind the inspector shades. He bit down on the straw and withdrew it with his teeth before dumping the dark-blue contents of the drink out of the window, making it a point to shake the styrofoam cup empty of every drop before tossing it over his shoulder and into back seat. He then spat the straw out of his mouth with an audible "PLUUUUH!" of a French accent, and waited until the window rolled all the way up again, just so he could hang up the phone. You scoffed at this as you shoved your phone back into your pocket, scornfully watching Jimin exit the car and slam the door behind him. He snatched his glasses off his face as his cotton-candy hair swayed in the breeze, revealing his scornful eyes right back at you as he gestured for you to lead the way in exasperated manner— as if you were the one wasting his time now.

"Go on, lead us to the grave," He shooed, a snippy little shit. You sauntered away, walking up the side of the shop, then paused just before reaching the glass entrance door, when you remembered how much of a coward you are. You've never even stepped into a parlor before, and supposedly, this was a famous one. Which makes it more and more surreal when you think about it.

"Are we doing the mannequin challenge now? Is that what we're doing?" Jimin sardonically inquired.

"You go first, I'm nervous!" You whisper-hissed.

"You don't want me to go in there first— I'll show out," he reasoned, simply stating a fact.

"Please don't," you whined.

"Then, again, I'll show out?" He reiterated, as if to say duh. "How else am I supposed to break the ice? I look like Timmy Turner's Fairy-Gay- Parent."

You gave him a wary look... he's right. You sighed, slightly kicking your foot in distracted defeat. Fuck, you hated making an entrance to new places—

"Hold up— is that Drake?" Jimin suddenly blurted, holding his hand up to silence you. You honed in on the muffled track playing from behind the glass door, and Jimin's face soon light up like a Christmas tree before he spun around you, unstoppable.

"Jimin, NO—!"

"KIKI, DO YOU LOVE ME—?!"

It was already too late. The door was flying back behind him as he Milly-Rocked his way into the shop, leaving you no choice but the chase in behind him.

"—ARE YOU RIDING? SAY YOU'LL NEVA-EVA LEAVE FROM BESIDE ME— hello there."

You were panting, coming to a stop right behind Jimin, where you instantly latched on to the back of his shirt as you met the face of the man behind the studio counter. And, as corny as this is gonna sound: the world actually stilled for a solid beat... or maybe you were in the verge of cardiac arrest.

A pair of glossy-Black eyes looked up at the two of you; A series of silver-studded earrings trailed along the outer cartilages, peaking out beneath a head of soft, layer-swept hair. It was a Carmel-tinted blonde in color— thick and shaggy, and neatly spilling in waves around a headband that proudly sported a high-dollar brand-name you've never seen anyone wear in person before. G U C C I, it read— Meaning that the headband alone was probably worth more than some of your college text books, put together. It sat just a few inches above a pair of dark brows, that oddly brought out the shape of his cat-like eyes— irises like polished marbles. His ample lips had a sharp, well-defined Cupid's-bow, and a natural shade of pink that fit the porcelain appearance of his melanin-kissed complexion, to the finest degree.

And here you are, looking like an actual bum. You had just enough time to clock out of work and head straight over here to make it in time. You didn't even have any makeup on, and the only thing hiding your raggedy hair from those captivating eyes is your old baseball cap from high school. It took a second for him to take the bold presence that was Park Jimin— who was also frozen to the spot as he openly checked the guy out. He was hunched over the counter, a v-neck hoodie covering the rest of him with a thin, loose-fitting material. It was Black and allowed a full visual of his tan neck, and prominent collar bones. And it certainly didn't hide the fact that he had a pair of wide-set shoulders, either. A pencil sat in his hand— one that was laced with masculine veins, and lot of decorative ink. There was a silver ring on his thumb.. and a very heavy-looking Rolex watch.

The man cracked a grin at Jimin— a boxy one that dimpled in at the corners.

"Love the hair," he humorously began, twisting a quirky eyebrow at Jimin. You subconsciously snagged the bill of your hat as your eyes went a little wide at how mature the man's voice was.

"Love the watch," Jimin retorted, then reached around and gripped you by the wrist before pulling you into full view beside him. "You wouldn't happen to be Taehyung...?"

"Mhm," the man hummed, absentmindedly moving his wrist at the mention of his watch. His eyes cut over to you, and you swore you could see a minuscule reflection of yourself in his eyes, before they flashed back at Jimin and blinked. "You must be the babydaddy?"

Blood rushes to your ears. It's really him... a guy who looks like a high-dollar model himself, asking you to be his canvas model. Your own conscious didn't even know what to say right now. So you stayed quiet and still as Jimin took charge... which was a mistake.

"She wishes, but no. I'm the best-friend— and a gay one, at that," Jimin replied, and you knew he did that for his benefit. Thot. "I'm just here to make sure you're not gonna sacrifice her to Satan, or anything of that nature. I need her around in case I ever forget the Netflix password."

Taehyung chuckled at that, mouth opening to reveal a row of teeth shinier than Chip Skylark's. But then, you caught something behind his teeth that caused your gut to leap. A silver ball... a tongue ring. Your thoughts clouded over for a second.

"Well, I can assure you, she's safe with me," he said, looking over at you again. You blinked, nothing more. His brow arched at your lack of response, but this time, it was done more handsomely as he was still smirking at you. "Still, you don't look too thrilled to be here... You sure you wanna do this?"

"She's just nervous because you're really fucking hot," Jimin announced, unyielding. "You should feel how sweaty her hand is."

"Don't listen to him— I'm gay too," You lied in panic, trying to defend yourself from the absolute truth Jimin spoke just then. You snatched your hand away from him and jutted a finger at the door, eyes beading and lid twitching as your nerves ran amuck. "Goodbye, Jimin."

"She's a lonesome hetero," Jimin told Taehyung, assuring him with a face that showed no bluff. "One look at her camera roll, and you'd see for yourself—" You were yanking him away by the arm now, in a tug-of-war game that Jimin obviously could've won if he really wanted to. But he figured you suffered enough and eventually let you drag him out of the shop, waving bye to Taehyung before turning to look at you with beading eyes.

"I think he wants to fuck you— text me as soon as you can," Jimin uttered with unmoving lips as before he walked to his car. You stopped for a second, noticing he was actually being serious. How could he possibly think that he wants to fuck you, just from that small encounter? And what is the odd sensation currently coiling in your stomach? Things grew awkward again when you re-entered the shop, coming to a stand at the same spot... only alone now. He was still amused, it seemed. And so calm and cool despite this odd, intense look in his eyes. It gave him a Casanova effect, where all he had to do was give you that look and it'd instantly make you blush.

"He seems like a fun person to be around," he noted, somewhat honestly, but more so making fun of the red-hot appearance of your face.

"He's a pain in the ass," you muttered, trying to conjure up a smirk but hardly even able to speak properly from how dry your mouth was. It felt like there was a white-hot iron expanding in your throat. "I'm really sorry about him."

"Don't be. I'm just glad you're here— thought you'd chicken out." You nervously wiped your clammy palms over the back pockets of your jeans as Taehyung got up from the barstool behind the counter and approached you on the other side of it, a whole head-and-a-half taller than you. He was wearing black cardigan jeans and matching combat boots.. his headband and jewelry the only thing not black on him. And oddly enough, he made it look fucking fantastic.

"Mh-mm," You hummed, not trusting your voice. You've never needed a sip of water so bad in your life— he even smelled expensive.

"Well, It's very nice to meet you," he formerly began, and you mustered up the normality of placing your (dried) hand into his much larger one, as he held his out to you in greeting. And boy, was he close. So close that the heels of your spine itches to lean back from the proximity.

"It's nice to meet you, too. I'm really sorry if I'm acting weird. I'm just nervous." — Your mind struggled to stay focused on your words, arm tensing at the skin-to-skin contact. You were extra-effected by the firmness in his grip. You really wanted to look down at all the bold ink you saw dashing across the veiny surface of his tanned hand, or see if those were images or scripted letters on the knuckles of lengthy fingers... But you were held captive by those God-blessed eyes... And that fucking tongue ring. It was infecting your head in ways that weren't necessarily healthy for your current state of mind, as you saw it peering in and out at certain words.

"And physically shaking," Taehyung pointed out, brows twitching down at your trembling hand in his as if he was concerned for it. But his smirk gave off an odd sense of fascination to the involuntary symptom, like it was cute or something? Hm. He glanced back up at you, causing your dehydrated throat to bob as his other hand came to clasp over the rest of yours, swallowing it completely from the wrist down. "Intimidated?"

"V-Very," you spluttered, a small slither of saliva copulating down your throat as you looked back up at him. He absentmindedly rolled his tongue ring over the button row of his teeth as he watched you with tainted eyes— undoubtably getting cocky with that damn grin of his and proudly teasing you about your reaction to him. It gratified the effortless sex-appeal he had. You were even beginning to imagine that tongue ring elsewhere, and you literally just met him. Then, as you felt the band of a ring move along with the pad of his thumb as gently ran it across your trembly knuckles, chills shot up all the way to your shoulder. Oh... oh wow. You glanced down at his knuckles on reflex this time, and saw a four-letter word scripted in black ink across the bottom row of his knuckles, and another word scripted on the middle section of his fingers. A silver band on his naked thumb. STAY TRUE, it said.

"And why's that?"

"I.. feel like you're a celebrity," you sheepishly admitted, your other hand wedging into your back pocket as you had to stop yourself from reaching for the bill of your hat again. Is he flirting? The words seem too innocent for the way he was making you feel. It was getting so hot in the oven of his massive palms, and he wasn't even squeezing you hard enough to cut off any circulation, but yet your fingers were beginning to tingle.

"Mm, no. Just a little popular, really," he granted, teetering his head a little as he pondered the thought. You could see his vocal chords contract in his sleek neck as they project his smooth, pungent voice. "You still trust me?"

"Mhm," was all you could muster. He'd gotten even closer, to where his hand had gone into a prayer stance around yours. You were aware of how wide your eyes had gone from the awe you... you knew this was just the beginning. He was going to be very handsy throughout this whole process. But in a very twisted way, you were more than okay with that. Even if it meant you were at risk of fainting from actual dehydration. Maybe you were in over your head. But you couldn't will yourself away from this now. And then, just as a wide, heart-stopping smile edged out on that mind-numbingly handsome face, the door at that back of the room swung open, and heavy-metal rock blasted through the quiet vibe of the scenery and caused you to jump a little at the disturbance. Taehyung shot a wicked smile over his shoulder, and his next words nearly knocked you out right then and there as you beheld yet another, breathtaking sight.

"Oh, there you are," Tae eagerly acknowledged, one hand still holding yours as he walked around to grab your with the other, presenting you to the.. hulking presence in the room. "This is (Y/N), our next little experiment."

[starrybluez]

Tagged by @astarrynightinparis @music-on-canvas @fatal-plastic-kiss @whats-her-name-virginia-plain @wonhakwoon & @duranarchy-in-the-uk - thank you 💙💛💚💜💙💛

Rules: Answer these 20 questions and then tag 21 people you want to get to know better...

Nickname: I've been called numerous nicknames but I just go by Dina. I think my middle name is prettier and has a much nicer meaning, but no one's going to start calling me that now.

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

Height: about average

Last movie I watched: “Where The Wild Things Are”. Another movie I wasn't into.

Last thing I googled: "Curacao", just to check if I was spelling it correctly

Favourite musician: Paul McCartney & Duran Duran are the main ones.

Song stuck in my head: “Everybody Is A Star” - Sly & the Family Stone; "Christine" - Siouxsie & the Banshees

Other blogs: @dcdesign-photography: all types of art, design, & photography. Some of it is my own photography with a small amount of art & design. Come give it a follow if you’d like. It’s sooo dead over there.💀👻 If anyone has any suggestions on how I could make it a little more interesting, let me know. And if you happen to have side blogs that are as dead as mine, let me know too! Here's one of my photos below to break up this monster of a post:

Blogs following: The blogs I’m following: 348 tumblrs.

Amount of sleep: I fall asleep, then I wake up and then I fall asleep again. I can’t keep track of that.

Lucky number: Favorite number is 4 but I don’t think it’s been so lucky.

What I am wearing: Comfy casual blue t-shirt, black yoga pants and purple slippers working from home for now.

Dream job: In a perfect world it would be something in design or photography. That’s hard for me to get these days because I’m not really “top of my class” in either of those fields. I still try to do both of them as side gigs though sometimes. If I could just find another office job that would be fine.

Dream Trip: Australia; Spain; Tuscany, Italy; and the English countryside

Favourite food: So many kinds. The best kind? Dark Chocolate.

Play an instrument: It used to be piano, but now it’s just my voice (no “Sing Blue Silver” jokes plz)

Languages: Fluent in English and just over 200 days into learning Italian. I am a long way from being fluent in it though. Both sides of my family are Italian and I still struggle.

Favourite songs: “New Religion” & “A View to A Kill” by Duran Duran; “Maybe I’m Amazed” & “Only Love Remains” by Paul McCartney. Oh but that last song I listed hits differently these days. 

Random fact: Well, I probably should explain why I always write “pls don’t reblog on almost all personal tagged posts like this. It’s mainly because I’d rather not get a bajillion notifications that aren’t even for me but for the people who reblogged it from me. Anything else, it's fine, feel free, duran stuff, any kind of art crap on my art blog, go right on ahead, please. I say this because there were people who thought I didn't want them to reblog anything! 😮 No, anything that doesn't say "don't reblog" is fine. I also noticed that I accidentally turned off my ask option and it was off for I don't know how long. So go ahead, ask away!

Describe yourself in aesthetic things: blue & purple starry stuff, dark blue skies, sunsets, night skies, bright colors, modern art, impressionism, abstract art, old architecture, colorful flowers, animals, lame awkward dad jokes, too many tags, rainbow colors, mostly retro music, vintage (I cringe when anything from the 90's is tagged as "vintage" urrghh let me just crawl under a grave 💀👻 but I have to remember most people on here were either just born then or not even born yet. I still just consider anything up until early 80's to be vintage lol). I think that's about it or at least what I can think of!

I don't know if I can think of 21 people since most of the folks I tag have already tagged me! 😂 I'll tag a few though...to do only if you'd like! Tagging @slashscowboyboots @see--emily-play @soundsof-thunder @sotheredrhodes @sharkeysnight @aprilaady @discreetmusic @musicacuantica @medazzabon @ourfracturedomens and anyone else who wants to do this (if you've already done this just ignore it)!

*pls don't reblog

[virgil-is-a-cutie]

Marinette switches classes after Lila is made the new class rep, Alya saying it doesn't matter because none of them need Marinette. Have Alya realize how wrong she is. Horribly wrong.

Switching Classes and Leaving Destruction Behind

Ok this is kind of class salt, except Nathaniel and Chloé, sorry but nope can't do that to my babies. This will also have a bit of bio!dad Hugo Strange and another surprise.

They were surprised that the Monday after Lila was chosen to be the Class Representative that Marinette, Chloé, and Nathaniel weren't there in class when they arrived.

Everyone shrugged it off as them being sick or something. Not really thinking anything of it.

They mostly thought that Marinette would wake up late like the usual or come a minute or two before the class started.

But when Ms. Bustier didn't call on their names during roll call they became a bit suspicious, only a little bit but they shrugged it off not caring at all really.

They did question it a little before the bell rang for them to go to another class. As they passed by Ms. Mendeleiev class they noticed three of the students in there.

Nathaniel, Chloé and... Marinette?

The girl the two were talking to had bluish black hair but they had their hair down with a pink bow keeping her bangs out of her eyes.

Her bluebell eyes.

She looked sorta like Marinette.

"Marinette want to go to a café after school?" Aurore asked the bluenette who smiled brightly and nods.

They all froze. Marinette looked... quite different.

She now wore a pink ruffled skirt with red flowers decorated in it, a black halter top with a bee and turtle pin on her shoulders and black flats that completed the look.

They were about to confront the group before the warning bell rang for the students and they quickly made their way to their next class.

-----

Lila smirked brightly from her seat, glad to have taken Marinette's spot as Class Representative as well as have made the bluenette leave the class.

She had sent a smug smile to the bluenette before she left, although she was a little confused at the small smirk she was given back. More so when a cackling Chloé took her arm by the elbow as well a jittery looking Nathaniel when they had made their way to the principal's office.

Ms. Bustier smiled weakly to the class, "alright, we have a few events that are coming up as well in a few months. However, since Marinette was our last Class Representative we cannot use what she had already reserved as she has already called to cancel those reservations she had already set before switching classes."

Everyone in the class froze before shrugging it off, the bluenette probably had something boring stored for them really. Not at all remembering the fun trips that Marinette had been able to book for them.

"What a pity, she had such great ideas. I don't know how that girl got us on the list for a tour at Wayne Enterprises, Channing-Black's Cupcake Shop, The Umbrella Academy, as well as to see PK Academy," she says with a sigh, just a bit quiet to herself as to not have her class hear what she had just said. Not at all realizing that the class had heard her perfectly clear and were very extremely shocked at what they heard from their teacher.

Wayne Enterprises? They....they just missed out seeing Gotham, of possibly meeting Bruce Wayne or even Batman.

Channing-Black's cupcake shop? They could've met the woman who's life story was made into a movie and her wife who baked! Alya could've had an interview with Mrs. Channing-Black about how it felt to realize her father was sent to prison, not at all thinking it was a sensitive subject to the poor blonde that was relieved that her father had been let out early because of good behavior.

The Umbrella Academy? A chance to see the headquarters/home of the used to be superheroes when they were younger?!

But what shocked them more was the news that they wouldn not be able to tour PK Academy. It was a well prestigious private school in Japan, only having 542 students on campus, a well known Japanese teen actor's younger sister went there!

Lila was frozen, those trips sounded...amazing. Now it was her turn to find a way for the class to go on trips. However, she had bragged about being able to get them into great trips, but...with what Ms. Bustier had said it sounded amazing.

She was screwed because Marinette had her ways to get those reservations and now that she had cancelled them she couldn't just use them as her ideas.

Before she could say anything Alya stood up and hissed, "Lila can get us better trips! We don't need Marinette's stupid help!" she argued while the rest of the class argued in their heads before weakly nodding.

"Oh! Since the trips haven't been paid for we still have a few fundraisers to complete, we're halfway there," Ms. Bustier said weakly lying. Most of the money came from Chloé's parents a bit from Marinette but both had pulled their money out when they decided they wanted to transfer out from the class.

-----

It was a nightmare for both Lila and Alya when they were given the rundown on how much the class had made with their few fundraisers. Alya having forgotten that Marinette made small fundraisers when she could that made tons of money while the large ones were with the class that she organized much to her distress.

Lila did not even know where to start with fundraiser ideas nor did she know what place to even try and get them a trip to.

Alya and her were shocked at seeing that the class had only risen $800, which was from the fundraiser that Marinette had a big help with the class but they really didn't do much. It was a fundraiser that made Marinette frustrated with her class.

Alya wasn't that mad really, she just smiled at the class, "we don't need Marinette! We can raise enough for the trips!" she said excitedly which the class nodded.

They were determed to raise enough for their trip.

-----

Marinette, Chloé, and Nathaniel were relieved when they switched classes and both Chloé and Nathaniel howled with laughter as Marinette called each reservation that she made for the trips and cancelled them.

Marinette was relieved that she was not Class Representative anymore, but that didn't stop her nor Chloé from helping out Aurore, Ms. Mendeleiev's class representative.

Both girls gave sent their portion of funds to the go fund me that Aurore had set up which shocked their new class but they insisted since it was basically their right to do so. They wanted to help as much as the class needed.

Ms. Mendeleiev's class only had $10,050 when they asked which surprised the three newcomers.

Aurore had told the whole class that their class trip could be a trip to America to visit perhaps New York.

Marinette groaned and lightly blushed as her two friends told the class the amazing reservations that she had cancelled before leaving Ms. Bustier's classroom and that perhaps they could help Aurore make those reservations with Marinette's help as well help with fundraisers that would help the class be able to reach their goal.

Their goal was $15,000 just to go to New York, but with all the places Chloé told them about the class became excited. Aurore asked the three for help, to which they agreed and they went gone and they changed their goal to $55,000 so they could be able to fly to Japan to be able to tour PK Academy while in Japan.

With the addition of Chloé and Mari's money they reached $16,050 much to the shock of their new class.

Saiki and a blonde soothsayer sighed in relief from Japan when they felt a weird amount of stress being lifted for some odd reason.

Their first fundraiser with their new classmates was a Karaoke party that Chloé had hosted at her father's hotel. They had Marinette and Ondine mention it to a few people during lunch who sent the news out to their friends who told their parents.

Their classmates Instagrams were filled with videos of parents just singing songs and each child of said parent being embarrassed. Chloé got an amazing video of Marinette's parents just singing a Beatles song while Marinette had a video of Chloé hiding in shame as her parents sang badly to a Bruno Mars song.

They sold food and drinks while it went on as well as ticket numbers for those who wanted to participate in the karaoke.

They made $7,635 because miraculously Jagged was there for the week and had crashed the party and in his Instagram it showed him and Penny singing Eleven Minutes by Yungblud and Halsey which led to more people coming.

Aurore and Marinette were baffled and shocked when $16,000 more appeared the next day only for Marinette to squeak in shock as both Jagged and Clara called her to say the contributed to the fundraiser wanting to help their favorite designer and honorary niece. They told Marinette they did not care how much they sent, they wanted their niece to be able to travel with her friends in the class.

The class was shocked when an excited Aurore told them they were half way through their goal.

-----

Lila scrambled for a good idea to what to create and how to start with the class's first fundraiser without Marinette.

Alya came to her a few minutes before lunch was over and informed to brunette about people talking about something with about a few students talking about karaoke.

Lila and Alya then decided to make a karaoke party at the last minute that took place at the school auditorium. Alix and Kim send out a text to their friends as well as the rest of the class. They sold snacks as well as had people pay to request a song.

All in all the class raised $200 which they were sort of proud of while their parents secretly winced at how bad the whole thing just was.

Lila still didn't really know what she could plan for the trip and in the end she informed them that the trip they could go to is London, England and visit for an entire week and have a tour to a few of the well known places or New York.

She was glad that the class agreed to the staying at London for a week plan. Even if she hadn't gotten a reservation set she believed she had time.

She would later regret she ever believed that.

Their next fundraiser was a bake sale that they held outside of a gig that Nino had.

They made $263, they were glad that Rose knew how to bake since the last bake sale had both her and Marinette make the goodies much to both girls frustration since the rest of the class just basically made drinks, easy ones at that, to go with the treats.

Rose was a bit sad that not all of them sold, she didn't sleep for almost the whole night before the bake sale because she made a lot of cookies trying to make up for Marinette not being there.

Didn't help that each time one classmate went to a potential customer, they mentioned it was a school fundraiser.

-----

For the next fundraiser, Aurore had decided since Halloween was close that they have a bake sale for Halloween full of Halloween themed treats along with a movie night at the park that would play scary movies.

The class agreed and surprisingly, Marinette was not tasked with having to bake any goods all by her and Rose's self.

The class were able to ask to use the kitchen in the hotel and with the help of Marinette telling them what baked goods to make and how to prepare them they were done by 10 PM when they had started at 3:40 PM.

Both Marinette and Marc informed the class that they could handle being in the table with the goods since Marinette HATED scary movies and Marc just did not like them because he was not really comfortable with really gorey movies. Nathaniel of course stayed with them.

They sold tickets to people that arrived so as to be able to see who were allowed in, of course. Other than the baked goods, the class sold lemonade or hot cocoa since it was starting to get chilly in the fall weather.

Over all they raised $4,860 that night and most of it was because of the baked goods as well as the amount of people who came to watch scary movies.

-----

Lila drank a large cup of black coffee alongside Alya as they scrambled around to help the class with their play that was part of a grade in theatre class. There wasn't any set design nor any costumes done, it was so last minute because Mylene had barely remembered to call her classmates to tell them the horrifying news.

They got an F on the small play because of how frazzled the actors were and no good costume or designs were there to charm their theatre teacher. They were disappointed, not remembering that Marinette and Nathaniel always helped with the set design as well as draw up costumes and have Marinette make them.

Alya pushed it off as bad luck, but Lila suspected it being something else entirely.

When November arrived they decided that they should have another fundraiser.

They hosted a pool party at the community pool that was close to closing due to the weather.

Nino djed and they brought just drinks and sold tickets.

...they raised only $75 since not many came.

Unbeknownst to them this was during which Mari's class made another bake sale only with other clubs. Selling only pies and making a contest for people to show off their pumpkin or any other vegetable as well as selling ticketd for people to watch the contest. It was a fun event that got more huge when Luka volunteered to have his new band, Little Nightmare Heart, play during the event.

After they divided the money they received $500 which they were ok with.

-----

Alya muffled a scream behind her hands as Lila swayed from where she was standing, the class had been tasked with decorating the classroom for Christmas and they had gone a bit last minute to get the decorations.

Turns out they didn't have enough money to get all the decorations needed so Alya had sent the group chat a list of things they could do.

Lila was tasked with making paper snowflakes.

They got to class early to decorate, Alya had just placed her and Lila's large black coffee beside the decorations for a moment when Nino accidentally bumped into it and causing the coffee to spill on the decorations most of his classmates spent a night on half heartedly making.

Lila wanted to scream in frustration at that, but let Alya scream for them both.

They were envious of Ms. Mendeleiev's classroom whenever they had her class. It looked like a winter wonderland since the whole class helped each other out.

Marinette and Nathaniel were the only ones who could draw decently well, and were the ones to be tasked with creating the difficult decorations much to the bluenette and redhead's frustration.

Two weeks before Christmas Ms. Mendeleiev's class set out to do another fundraiser, this one a contest taking place at Marinette's family's bakery. They had people sign up and write down the goodies they were going to make to enter the contest and the best one that entered would have their recipe of said baked good that would be added to the bakery's menu for only that month.

They sold tickets and hot chocolate as well as small gift baskets filled with candy and other little small goods for people who just came to watch the contest.

They made about $3,640 in total.

Although, Marinette did make a small auction to auction off an MDC original dress that sold for $3,000 making her ten times the price of materials she invested in it much to her utter delight.

They were ecstatic that they just needed $8,175 more and they had close to 5 months to raise it.

Well...$5,000 left to raise after Kagami's mother picked up wind of what her daughter's class was doing and donated $3,175 to the go fund me.

Felix, with the help of Claude, was able to persuade his mother to help the class and basically a month after meeting Marinette she gave them $4,500 just so that Marinette could model a few designs for her which an embarrassed Marinette agreed to.

They just needed $500 and they were glad they were ahead of schedule.

Marinette had helped Aurore already set up the reservations as well helped the class get the necessary things for their trip as well as the chaperones.

-----

Alya groans weakly as it rained on them, their next fundraiser idea was a dog shower where they would shower people's dogs.

They raised $400 before it began to rain.

They were fine with that.

Sadly they didn't in account of the rain and Kim and Alix broke their skates because of the rain. They were doing a contest but it did not end well because one of them opening a gash on their chin. They also were not remembering that Marinette kept it in her classmates schedule as well as the weather to see what could be done that day and be able to schedule contest or class outings with everyone.

-----

Ms. Mendeleiev's class decided to rest for a while from fundraising and all of them had gone to the bakery to relax and buy, ignoring the protest from Mari's parents, a few pastries.

Chloé and the rest of the class were absolutely shocked to see tiny petite Marinette just eat a huge chocolate covered croissant, 3 of them to be exact.

-----

A month or two passed before their goal was going to be met when a scream could be heard from Ms. Bustier's classroom as Lila slammed her hands on the table as Alya cried on the desk, turns out that the night before, the money they had been collecting for the trip went missing and they had no clue as to where it could've gone.

Again, forgetting that money that was cash Marinette kept locked up tight in her room.

An excited scream could be heard from Ms. Mendeleiev's classroom as Marinette hyperventilated as she showed Chloé her phone, turns out her great uncle Cheng, the chef, had send $3,000 for his niece's class.

They could all finally relax.

But Ms. Bustier's class couldn't.

-----

Ms. Bustier's class had just went to the zoo when the school year ended, their Instagrams being filled with pictures of tired looking teens.

However, Ms. Mendeleiev's class had the students' Instagrams being filled with videos and pictures for the next two months.

They went to Japan first to see PK Academy first and Marinette's Instagram had pictures of Saiki's class, so did her other classmates.

One had a pouting Teruhashi Kokomi who was being hugged by Marinette, the glow that the other bluenette had that always attracted everyone in the city looked dull compared to being next to the French Asian teen girl hugging her much to her annoyance.

A blushing Chloé was posted on all their Instagrams that had her being lifted in the air by Hairo Kineshi who kept basically complimenting the blonde as he bench pressed her.

Marinette was the second person he bench pressed but he stopped when he was shocked how light the bluenette was much to her embarrassment.

Another had Marc and Nathaniel talking with a platinum blonde boy, Kaidou Shun who looked at the boy oddly but the next few pictures had the boyfriends blushing around the blonde.

Most of the pictures had the class in selfies while there were a few videos. One of them was of Nendou eating noodles with Marinette beside him who watched him with wide eyes while the rest of the class were amazed at how much he could eat.

THEY EVEN GOT TO MEET KOKOMI'S OLDER BROTHER.

Only Marinette was able to get a picture with the Saiki teen.

Everyone found it adorable since it was the bluenette and the pinkette eating coffee jelly at a café.

A video showed the bluenette raving about it while the pinkette nodded.

A few people were jealous.

Their next trip spot was to Brooklyn, New York City where they got to tour the bakery of the Channing-Blacks.

The pictures from Marinette's Instagram was just of Chestnut, Caroline Channing-Black's horse with a few students every now and then.

Chloé had a few pictures with the blonde Channing-Black while Marinette had some with the raven haired Channing-Black. A few of her Instagram videos had Max show her how to bake a cupcake since the two Channing-Blacks were excited to have a daughter of a baker be in the group.

Luka had pictures with him and Earl, the gentle grandfather like man holding his baseball bat and smiling wide.

What made it better is that bumped into the Avengers who they took pictures with.

Their next trip was to Argyle, New York City. The class only had a few pictures really.

Most of them with either Diego Hargreeves or Allison.

A few had taken a picture of Grace.

Marinette as well as Luka mostly had pictures of Klaus Hargreeves, who was 5 years sober thanks to his boyfriend Dave Katz, as well of Five Hargreeves who had a look of pure confusion when looking at Marinette. The 15 year old space jumper was looking at her with a wide a look of calculation.

There was a 10 minute long in both Instagram and YouTube that had Marinette gushing to Grace about how amazing her style was.

A lot of people found it adorable.

Nathaniel and Marc had pictures full of aesthetically taken shots of a few rooms of the house that they got permission to take.

One video however, took the cake.

Vanya was in a few of the pictures, both her and Marinette bonded over tea and in the video it showed Luther patronizing Vanya before a loud slap was heard which was from Marinette who quickly defended the brunette.

It got a lot of views and more reasons to not like Luther Hargreeves, Number 1.

Another was a shocked class watching as Vanya slightly panicking before Marinette ran up to her and held her hands before helping her out with breathing exercises. The camera catching the slight trembling of the things around them that those watching also caught on.

It wasn't a surprise since the whole world realized what a monster Reginalf Hargreeves was with what he did to the youngest member and her powers.

What surprised them more was that Ben, who was alive thank you very much, was actually Mari's uncle because Sabine's parents weren't ready for another kid so they gave him to Reginald.

The news was abuzz and so was Paris, France that Marinette was the niece of one of The Umbrella Academy members.

Their last trip was Gotham and well...Marinette instantly caught the attention of a few rogues, did not help that Hugo Strange brought to light that she was his daughter because him and Sabine dated before she left for Paris and had her when the class were able to book a tour to visit Arkham.

Which had a few sneaky reporters.

And there was now more news of Marinette's family as it came to light and her name shown on the news.

Marinette Haruhi Dupain Cheng-Strange was now known.

There was videos of the class meeting the batfam as well as the Wayne family when they had made their way to Wayne Enterprises.

Even a few rogues got on their Instagram.

Fish Mooney was a big one, the mind controlling meta had complimented Marinette and Marinette was just excited to meet a meta, although, the whole class was weary, of course.

The was even a video that was for fun that had the whole class meet the rogues as well as the Suicide Squad.

"Can we make them our partners in crime?" Mooney asked an exasperated Penguin and Batman.

"This isn't how it works Mooney," Batman said which she scoffed at.

"You have those bird boys!" she hissed at before placing a hand on Marinette's head and everyone was glad that Mooney now wore gloves.

"I get Marinette, because both of us love fashion unlike the rest-"

"Hey!" could be heard from a certain Quinn.

"-of you. Poison Ivy can get Nathaniel and Marc because he's a redhead and they seem to like plants. Harley gets Claude, Katana gets Kagami since both know how to use a sword, Oswald gets Aurore..."

The video went on for 10 minutes and in the end it had both Oswald and Batman shouting in disbelief.

That video got popular quick. It was trending especially when Hugo Strange shouted that no one gets dibs to have Mari as a crime partner other than him much to her embarrassment.

Alya watched all this through the screen of her broken phone that she had thrown against her bedroom wall when she saw the pictures of the class at Channing-Blacks bakery shop and Aurore's interview with both women on how it felt when they went from the bottom to the top.

So did the rest of her classmates. They looked through their phones in envy and Lila was shocked at where they went.

They even felt their stomachs drop when it came to light who Marinette's biological father was none other than one of Batman's rogues. They had at first been excited that Marinette was related to an Umbrella Academy member before remembering she was not their friend anymore.

-----

When school started back up Ms. Bustier hoped that Marinette as well as the other two would be put back in the class. However, much to their disappointment she was not in their class.

She was back in Ms. Mendeleiev's class and they watched in envy as she was hugged by her new classmates when she arrived.

For the next few months the only talk of the school was about Ms. Mendeleiev's class trip and about Marinette.

Mostly about how she was basically a Gothamite because of her biological father as well the niece of an Umbrella Academy member.

The bakery boomed in business, having started selling all sorts of cupcakes and coffee jelly that Marinette was able to get the recipe from Kusuo who was shocked when Marinette had sent him a package with the recipe her parents made that made it much more delicious. It also boomed in business because of Max and Caroline sending shout outs to the bluenette whenever they wore something of hers they commissioned.

Her old classmates watched in envy and sadness.

They had been banned from the bakery as well Marinette had been able to get a restraining order for each of them much to their shock.

Paris was shocked when a new Black Cat came along when Ladybug was fighting another akuma.

This one was a much older gentleman who had black curls and was lean, as well as sporting green eyes.

His name was Alley Cat, Chat de Ruelle, and he was Klaus Hargreeves. He had received the miraculous because the Hargreeves siblings went to Paris so that Ben could reunite with his older sister. Master Fu had seen him and Plagg could see the destructive power behind those green eyes.

It was a low blow to Adrien who had been out of Paris for the school year because of a movie he was staring in. However, at least he had a fun time unlike Ms. Bustier's class. As well he was grateful a bit that Ladybug had better help after Master Fu explained to him why he could not be Chat Noir anymore.

Lila screamed in her pillow as she was reminded that she was class representative and had to start planning for the next trip that the class could go to.

She regretted making Marinette leave the class. She regretted it a lot now really.

At least Marinette's family was getting bigger by the day and their business was booming at a rapid pace that had Klaus becoming a cashier and Dave a baker to help the family as help was eventually needed.

Even a certain pinkette popped in. every now and then for a coffee pudding who went on to tell Marinette of his powers after she got suspicious on how he arrived to Paris so quickly a few hours after the bakery posted in their Instagram page of the coffee pudding.

Kusou may or may have not received the Horse Miraculous a few months later much to Max's disappointment and the pinkette's annoyance before it was agreed that Five would receive the miraculous, although he had to be restrained from murdering the akumas much to his annoyance.

All in all Ms. Bustier's class were scrambling quickly to raise enough money this time around to go to a great trip that year.

They barely could think straight as they begged and yelled at a distressed Alya and Lila to raise enough for them to take a trip to New York. The two poor girls needed a lot of coffee to be able to hold on their responsibilities as Class Representative since Lila couldn't lie her way out of her duties because she just couldn't really.

The school dance was that year and all the other class representatives started fundraisers to be able to get good stuff for it.

Ms. Mendeleiev's class were the talk of the class for months as well as Ladybug's new partner who was overprotective of the young Ladybug.

All in all Ms. Mendeleiev's class were looking forward to the school year much to their delight. They had three classmates that were amazing and they would not trade them for the world no matter what as they helped greatly with fundraisers that instantly met their goal a month or two much to a bluenette's great embarrassment and the class' great astonishment.

Tag list: @thyladyanput @unmaskedagain

[azurika-writes]

Starstruck

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: you win a competition for a tour around the compound with a group of other winners and a meet and greet with the Avengers afterwards. You’re there to meet your idol, Bucky Barnes but he gets swarmed by other people who are there to meet him and so you almost miss your chance, until Steve Rogers sees the desperation in your face, he comes to your rescue. 

Warnings: this is a slow burn one shot, Bucky is your idol, language, Tony can’t mind his own business for a minute and is rude, sweet Bucky :)

Words: 4,215 (holy shit)

Authors Notes: I don’t know why this is so long holy shit, it’s my first slow burn fic I’ve written so far instead of drabbles. This idea came to me in a daydream and I don’t know if anything like this has previously been written but regardless, I hope you enjoy and feedback is more than welcome as always :)

It was a big day for you, full of excitement and nerves as you glanced down at your VIP pass. It wasn’t often you won these competition things, and you don’t really know why you participated, maybe it had something to do with a certain superhero that was listed to be apart of the special meet and greet or maybe it wasn’t that reason but you’re glad you did as you were one of 5 winners. Winning a special tour of the Avengers compound and then meeting the superheroes in the flesh afterwards. 

You were most excited to meet one particular superhero. The one with the black and gold vibranium arm and the shaggy hair and a full-grown beard covering his adorable cheeks. The one you’ve read and studied so much about the last couple of years. 

Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. Former veteran soldier, former Howling Commando, survivor. 

You surprised yourself because, history books, you would normally find quite boring, but knowing he was apart of that era made it all that more interesting and you became hooked, infatuated even as you researched every detail about the war he was apart of, understanding what he had to endure during his time in captivity, the ins and outs of his and Steve’s friendship, the good and the bad. The further you dug into his life, the more your heart clenched tightly in your chest. 

The more recent interviews of him, you wouldn’t believe he was once a different man. You half expected him to be this closed-off person with no interest in the public whatsoever but to your utter shock and surprise, Bucky was so down to earth. Paying close attention to the interviewer’s questions. Answering them in-depth with so much philosophy behind his words. You watched hours upon hours of YouTube videos of Bucky meeting with fans, he took pictures and smiled for the photo. Autographed their merchandise. Bucky was always smiling, despite everything he had been through. You followed him on Instagram and Twitter. He’s never noticed you, but some other lucky fans were noticed, it didn’t bother you because you preferred not to have the attention, you looked forward to seeing his posts, stories and tweets he puts up for the world to see.

You admired him. You wanted to tell him face to face just how strong he was. The strong soldier has endeavoured so much in his life. Hydra stealing his freedom away from him, turning him into their own little puppet. He deserved this peaceful life he was being given. 

You wanted to meet Bucky Barnes and here was your chance, you just hoped you wouldn’t trip over your words once you finally did. You held the folder that contained handwritten stories, artwork and letters of encouragement that you wanted to give to Bucky as a gift and a picture you wanted to be signed under your arm. 

You hung the pass around your neck as you waited with the crowd outside the large black iron gates. A muscled and tall security walked over a few moments afterwards and asked for everyone’s names, checking them off the piece of paper he had in his hand on a clipboard.

“Please pay attention to any instructions you’re given. Please stick together. Do NOT venture off on your own. If you do NOT comply with any rules, you will be asked to leave. Any questions?” The security guard asked and there were mutters of no’s from everyone in the group. “Alright, follow me please.” You all followed the man in silence, occasionally glancing at the other people.

The iron gate that was hinged upon two stone pillars opened easily and quietly. And once everyone was inside, it was closed with an echoing ‘clang’, momentarily startling you. The security guard walked ahead and led the group up a really long pebbled footpath. The bright green grass on either side of the path was littered in gorgeous flowers and blossoming cherry blossom trees. Your feet scuffing across the stones as you walked, taking in the scenery around you. The place was absolutely magical, if someone was to describe it to you, you would think they were just fantasising. Something that you would absolutely do As you continued walking, to your left was a large space where the quinjets were receiving their maintenance from engineers. The large A on the front of the building came into view. The place looked enormous, larger than you ever expected. 

You almost stumbled into the person in front of you. It was only then you realised everyone had stopped walking and was waiting near the doors.

The security guard turned around one final time. “Alright everyone’s attention, please. As I mentioned previously, please stick together. Do not be tempted to break away from the group and roam around by yourself. Please abide by these simple rules. Other than that, have fun and enjoy your experience. Mr Stark himself will take the guide over once you’re inside.” And with that, the guard flashed his key-card and the large glass doors opened. He stepped aside and motioned for everyone to go in. 

The lobby was probably the biggest you’ve ever seen imaginable. Even pictures from Pinterest couldn’t compare to the sheer size of this. The floors and walls were marbled. Workers behind their desks typing away on their computers and phones ringing off the hook.

The ding from the elevator caught everyone’s attention. Excitement bubbled up within you. You knew it was most likely to be Mr Stark since he was going to be the tour guide from here, but something in you wished for a moment it would be Bucky Barnes. 

But when the doors opened on the lavished elevator, it, of course, wasn’t. You hoped your disappointment wasn’t too noticeable. 

“You’re the groups of winners?” Tony wondered, pulling up his tablet to check the list of names. He called each name out one at a time to receive a stamp on their wrist. Once everything was validated, Tony led the way. The group following him closely but quietly. 

“As you folks can see, this is the lobby. We currently have over 10,000 staff employed in this area alone with over 200 security guards.”

“Why do you have so many?” A man from your group asked Tony. 

“Because we’re the Avengers, you don’t know who is out there to harm there. Hydra could walk through those doors at any given time. Moving on.” Tony walked towards the staircase, he explained it was because of maximum weight capacity in the elevator. The stairwell was echoed and so many stairs. You were quite winded when you got to the top.

“Are you alright there, Y/N is it? Do you need a medic?” You didn’t know whether Tony was joking or being serious, but you took quite a few deep breaths and shook your head no. 

“Alright. So welcome to the main floor. Here we have the common room, debriefing room, offices, a kitchen and numerous bathrooms along the hall.” Tony explained, pointing to each doorway down the long and narrow hallway. This was the floor of the common room? Bucky Barnes could be here, he could be through those doors, and that thought alone made your heart jump in your throat. 

“What is the common room used for?” A younger lady asked Tony. 

“The common room is where we, The Avengers hang out, unwind and relax after kicking ass. Follow me.” 

In the near distance, you could hear hushed voices as Tony led the group into the actual common room. It was empty besides two people; Clint and Natasha. Two superheroes you easily recognized.

“I wonder where Bucky is?” You leaned in and asked the girl standing next to you. She smiled back politely, “I haven’t seen anyone yet. They are due for the meet and greet right?” She asked you. With a nod of your head, you noticed Tony had stopped talking and was looking in your direction. 

“If you two are done with your conversation.” You both muttered an apology. “This is Natasha and Clint, our finest heroes. You’ll meet them and everyone else a bit later, let me show you the kitchen area.” Tony led the group further into the compound. The architecture was just incredible and out of this world. It was something you never really expected.

Tony showed you every nook and cranny of the compound; The indoor swimming pool with sauna and jacuzzi, the gym on the lower floor, the sleeping quarters one or two floors up, and he showed you the helipad where the quinjets received their maintenance and checks before takeoff. 

“Have you guys enjoyed yourselves?” Tony asked as he led you all once again into the common room, where this time more voices were heard. Everyone answered incoherently but you decided to keep quiet, afraid of getting told off again by Tony. “It’s been a pleasure having you.” He sighed, stopping just outside the door of the common room. “Now is the time you’ve been waiting for. You will have a chance to meet each superhero and please, don’t be shy. They are not as scary as they seem.” Tony winked, opening the door and motioning for all of you to walk through. As you were about to walk through, Tony grabbed your wrist and held you back. For a moment you were worried you would be denied this opportunity to meet your hero, “Are you alright? You’ve been the quietest out of the group.” Tony consoled. 

“I’m fine, I’m just taking everything in.” You smiled and Tony nodded, letting go of your wrist, allowing you through the door and once you did and made eye contact with those baby blues, you almost died. You became starstruck and it was almost impossible to peel your eyes away from him. In a line next to him stood the Avengers in their casual clothes, each with a glowing smile on their faces as they saw the pure shock on the group’s faces. 

“Hi and welcome!” Wanda smiled ushering everyone forward.

“Hi, Wanda. I’m your biggest fan.” One of the girls gushed as she stepped towards Wanda, tears running down her cheeks. You watched the group approach the one superhero they wanted to meet the most, you didn’t anticipate 3 other girls would approach and crowd Bucky so quickly. But the guy took it well, smiling and talking to them as he answered their questions, they were giggling and no doubt flirting. You stood back awkwardly, unsure about what to do. 

“Hey, kid. Are you gonna meet anyone?” Tony asked amused as she stood next to you, pushing his glasses up his face. 

“He’s kind of occupied.” You chuckled, your eyes wandering over to Bucky. 

“Yeah, he usually gets all the ladies.” Tony chuckled, stepping away to help someone. 

Your heart sank into the pit of your stomach as you noticed more and more people were now waiting to meet the former Winter Soldier. He was a lot more popular than you had realized, and it was just a realization that maybe you weren’t meant to meet him. You instead chose not to waste this once in a lifetime opportunity and decided to approach Steve Rogers who was free from a crowd and he was your second favorite superhero.

“Hey!” He said smiling as you approached, his perfectly lined teeth on show. His T-shirt was pulled across his broad chest. Steve stretched a hand out for you to shake.

“Hi! How are you?” You asked politely, returning the firm handshake. His hand was silky smooth like he had dipped them in a butter dish prior to meeting everyone.

“Can’t complain. Got a few days off to enjoy the sunshine. What do you have there?” He pointed to the folder that you had under one arm. 

“Oh, it’s kind of embarrassing but these are some things I wanted to gift to Bucky Barnes, but it looks like I won’t meet him.” You chuckled sadly, looking down at your feet. 

“He’s the popular one with these greets. He really outshines us all, I’m sure he would really appreciate it though.” Steve comforted but knowing time was running out and people just kept swarming him. You pulled your lip between your teeth, desperately willing yourself not to let your true disappointment show, but you couldn’t help it. You would never get this opportunity again and Bucky was impossible to reach out to on social media with over 50 million followers on Instagram and a whopping 20 million on Twitter. Even if you did reach out, there were too many people trying to reach him, your messages and tweets would be swallowed. This just annoyed you since you were only a couple of feet from the man you’ve spent a long time learning everything about, sympathizing with and he was still out of reach. 

Steve had been looking at your contour of emotions while you remained quiet. The folder under your arm was thick, he knew you were a genuine fan of Bucky’s and not just some fan girl who was here to flirt and try and get a hold of his personal number or request a follow on social media. 

“May I take a look?” Steve asked, pointing to your folder. His voice startled you slightly and you nodded shamefully. There was far too much dedication in that folder and you were sure he was going to lecture you for being too invested in Bucky when Bucky didn’t know who you were. You passed him the folder and Steve quietly looked through, you watched his eyebrows rise and fall on occasion and small smiles here and there. You swallowed the lump in your throat and bounced on the balls of your feet. 

“Alright, guys. That’s it, time is up! I really hope you all had a wonderful experience and could I please ask you all to calmly exit the common room and I’ll meet you in the hallway.” Tony spoke up and you panicked. Bucky was still laughing and joking with the girls and it was a moment lost. But Steve still hadn’t given you your folder back and you knew he must have heard Tony. 

“See you later ladies!” Bucky called out to them as they waved and blew kisses. You heard Bucky chuckle, “Man I thought they’d never leave.” He told Clint before walking out after the group.

“Uh Y/N?” Tony started but Steve looked up with glossy eyes. 

“Wait Tony, I’d like to keep her a while longer, don’t worry I’ll show her out afterwards,” Steve said, Tony was confused and you were confused, was there something he found in that folder that bothered him? Were you in trouble? Oh god, maybe your letters were too personal.

“Alright, freezer burn. Rest of you follow me please.” 

One by one the avengers left, except for Steve. You were still standing in front of him awkwardly, your heart beating a thousand beats per minute. You noticed he was now taking his time flicking through your folder. 

“This is really beautiful.” Steve complimented, he made sure Bucky was out of earshot before he continued, “You’ve spent so much time on this, your dedication, you really meant every word you think about him don’t you?” You knew he was referring to one of your many letters of encouragement, reminding him he’s human and a good man. 

“I meant it.” You replied sheepishly.

“You should meet him, Y/N. He would love this so much.” 

“I can’t. Tony has already kicked everyone out.” You chuckled, reaching for your folder but Steve wasn’t giving it back just yet. 

“And I’ve already told him I wanted to keep you a while longer. You’ve clearly come here to see him and it’s only right you did. FRIDAY, where did Barnes disappear to?” Steve asked the disembodied AI.

“Sergeant Barnes is in his room, Captain Rogers.” Steve sighed and rubbed his neck. 

“Please tell him to come back to the common room.” 

“Yes sir.” The AI responded almost immediately. 

“Cap? Can I have a word?” Tony walked through the door with his arms folded. Steve nodded and handed your file back to you. 

Your heart rate was still accelerating at a dangerous speed once you were left alone in the common room with your folder clutched to your chest. You were still worried Steve found something that might have bothered him, you were confused why he wanted to keep you behind while everyone else had to leave and you didn’t understand why he wanted you to meet Bucky so badly, you were already given the opportunity and it didn’t happen. 

Your thoughts froze when you heard heavy footsteps in the hallway and a tall, muscular figure round the corner with his hands shoved in his pockets. His eyebrows creased together when he saw it was just you in the room and not Steve. 

“You’re still here?” Bucky asked, his eyes narrowed and you gulped, nodding your head. “Not keeping you hostage is he?” He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. A smile grew on your face as he stepped closer to you. The purest of blue eyes you’ve ever seen in your life and they were looking right at you, one side of his shaggy hair was tucked neatly behind his ear and from this distance, you saw the dog tag chain around his neck and the tags clanking under his black Henley. This was your last opportunity to say what you wanted, to give him this folder, you knew you wouldn’t get this chance again and you were grateful to Steve for helping you out. 

“I um… sorry I’m a mess.” You chuckled and blinked the tears away. It was like a reunion you weren’t really prepared for. 

“It’s okay, let’s take a seat.” He motioned to the couches and you followed him. He sat on the coffee table opposite you and once you were ready and collected, you spoke more clearly. 

“This is for you.” You handed your folder to him and he took it gracefully. “I um…” your voice came out shaky and nervous but you kept going, “I just really have to tell you that I think you’re wonderful, a true hero, one of my heroes and um, I never really thought I’d get this opportunity to meet you in person and definitely not, um one on one, this really means the whole world to me.” Tears were starting to run freely down your cheeks at this point and Bucky sighed happily.

“You know, I’m extremely grateful for wonderful people like you. I noticed you when you walked through the door but unfortunately, I got swamped and I felt kinda bummed out myself that I didn’t even get to say hi. Thanks for coming here today and staying behind. I’m really glad you did and thank you so much for this.” He waved the folder in his hand. “I’ll definitely take a good look through it later in the privacy of my own room.” He smiled. 

“I do have one thing for you to sign if that’s okay?” 

“Yes of course!” He shifted on the coffee table slightly and the wood cracked under his weight. Your hands immediately covered your mouth as you tried to suppress a giggle. 

“If anyone asks… that wasn’t me.” He chuckled and stood up, choosing to sit next to you instead. 

“What happened to the coffee table?” Tony asked as he reappeared through the doors. “You’re here an awfully long time Missy.” Tony pointed accusingly at you. 

“Sam did it and leave her alone Tony. She has Steve’s permission to be here as well as mine.” Bucky glared and your cheeks heated up. “What did you want me to sign, doll?” Your heart almost choked on its own blood vessels at the pet name you knew very much about. It was more common in the 1940s and you wondered if Bucky or Steve ever used it today as an endearment to their women. 

“Make sure she’s gone so-”

“Fuck off Tony. Excuse my language, doll.” God, was he trying to kill you?

“You... you called me ‘doll’.” your breath got caught stuck in your throat. 

“Twice.” He winked.

Tony muttered under his breath as he left the common room with a weird looking android following him. Once you collected your thoughts, you pulled out one of your favorite pictures of Bucky that you had printed off the internet and handed it to him. Bucky reached into his pocket to pull out a sharpie and pulled the lid off with his teeth as he signed it. Your eyes slightly wandered over to his metal hand, it was the black and gold you loved so much. You remembered reading into so much detail about the different bionic arms, this one was made in Wakanda by Shuri herself with a lot of features that weren’t disclosed to the public. It looked more comfortable than the old silver arm with the red star which symbolized Hydra. 

“There we go!” His voice startled you. Your eyes shot up to meet his own and you blushed under his stare. 

“Th-thank you so much.” You stammered. Feeling hotter than a cookie baking in the oven. 

“You’re welcome!” He smiled, clipping the lid back on the sharpie. 

“Again, I really do appreciate this. Thank you for being so humble and I hope you find the letters encouraging.” You grinned looking down at the signed photo with a long message scripted on the back that you’ll read a little later.

“Well as I said, I really appreciate you for staying behind and for the folder. I can’t wait to look through it.” 

“Could I… could I be cheeky and ask for a quick selfie with you?” You bit your lip nervously. You were prepared for him to say no and that you had outstayed your welcome, so you were a bit surprised when his face lit up like a Christmas tree. 

“Yes!” You pulled your phone from your pocket and brought the camera app up. Bucky scooted in closer to you. “Tag me in it so I can add it to my story.” he smiled for the camera and you clicked the button, checking the photo to make sure it was good. You thanked him for the hundredth time.

“Okay, but I doubt you’d see it.” you chuckled and stood up, putting your phone back into your pocket. 

“Why’s that?” He deadpanned and you chuckled. 

“Um, sir. I don’t know if you know this but you have like 50 million people following you and probably 100 million DMing you to try and talk to you.” 

“Hmm. You’re right, maybe I’ll have to try and find you then.” He winked and before you could react, Tony reappeared. 

“I’m leaving,” you told him before he made another snarky comment about you still being there. 

“If you’re ready, would you please follow me.” He started to walk towards the door but you, for some reason kept still in your spot, contemplating whether to throw your arms around his midsection and give him a hug or walk away and regretting not hugging him. You went with the first option, and Bucky, seemingly reading your mind already had his arms opened wide and embraced you gracefully. They were big and strong, just like you had anticipated. His cologne was like sandalwood and vanilla, mixed with spearmint. Daring yourself further, you reached up on your tiptoes and kissed him quickly on the cheek. 

“Thank you, Bucky. It was a pleasure meeting you.” you smiled, pulling away from his embrace. He nodded curtly towards you. Tony huffed impatiently by the door and you reluctantly walked away from your hero.

Tony led you to the elevator since it was just the two of you. You felt the need to apologize for outstaying your welcome.

“Mr. Stark I’m so sorry for staying longer I-”

“Don’t stress kid. Cap explained everything, and don’t worry I almost guarantee Barnes will be in touch when he gets to the end of your folder.” you smiled but knowing that wouldn’t be true. Bucky probably wouldn’t think about you again after today. After all, he did receive hundreds and hundreds of gifts each week. 

The lavished elevator dinged and you stepped out in sync. Tony nodded to the security guard and you handed your VIP pass back to him before he opened the large glass doors for you to exit. 

“Thank you again, Mr. Stark.” You walked out, taking one last look of the compound before walking down the long pebbled path once again. Once you reached the iron gates, you gave the first security guard your name and he ticked you off the list, opening the gates and allowing you to exit. 

“Have a nice day, Miss.” He said and you nodded with a small smile. You walked further down the sidewalk and stopped. Turning the photo Bucky had signed for you. Smiling greatly as you read it.

Dearest Y/N,

It’s not often I get fans like yourself. You’re truly one in a million and for the record, I’m glad Steve kept you behind, I’m glad he connected us. We will meet again soon, doll. Until then, please keep safe and please keep reaching out. I notice more than you think.

Best regards,

Bucky

[fredweesleyismyslut]

Fred & George x Muggle!kpop fan! reader

A/N:  Thank you to @kpopgirlbtssvt for these ideas(I really hpe I haven’t disappointed you with this!!!  I decided to do a quick headcanon list of what it would generally be like to be a kpop fan and date the Weasley twins because it’s like 1am and I’m tired haha.  But anyways I do want to eventually write a full on little story.  Anywho, I hope you enjoy!!!

First and foremost let’s get this out the way, these boys are definitely confused, like “kpop...what’s kpop?”

You definitely have to explain it to them like you’re talking to a five year old, “It’s like pop music but like...y’know korean.”

And they’re just like, “Whatttttttt”

The conversation definitely got brought up once at the table because you were fangirling over a new BTS album, which you then have to proceed to explain what kpop is to the rest of the group

Hermione is the least confused because having muggle friends and growing up a muggle she’s probably heard of kpop and BTS’s growth as a worldwide boyband during the summers like she kinda likes them even though she doesn’t admit it, and her bias is definitely Namjoon but no you didn’t hear that from me

Also, I 100% think that Ron is definitely that friend who’s like, “Kpop?  You don’t even know what they’re saying why do you listen to it?  Also, they’re wearing makeup...”  Like, Ron honey, I say this in the kindest way possible, shut up… Like, yes they’re speaking korean but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it and two: you’re just jealous they pull off skirts better than you could when you wore whatever that fashion hazard was that  you wore to the Yule ball

Ron is just like, “Aight, I’m out”

Anyways, you definitely are out on a date in the muggle world one day and as you’re walking by a store you see a BTS ad

Immediately running into the store, you buy albums, posters, and other merch.

Fred and George are just sitting there like, “What the actual fuck?  Did you really just spend $200 on all that stuff?!”  Like yes, yes I did in fact spend $200 on kpop merch, do I regret it...hell no.

One day, you’re lounging around in the common room and you scream, dropping your phone on the floor.  

Fred and George are running down the stairs thinking that you just got murdered or something

Nope, it was just the sound of you fangirling over the new NCT album, and screaming about how good looking your bias is

They give each other that look of, “I’m going to fucking murder someone”  as they pull you into a hug, “We thought somebody murdered you.”  “Ummmmm yes.  Someone did in fact murder me, these handsome ass boys.  Merlin, they could stomp on me and I’d sit there and say thank you.”  

Fred and George are just like….ummmm should we be concerned or……

They start to listen to kpop with you whenever you’re studying together or hanging out.  They also start to eventually learn the names of the members, and I feel like their bias would be Jhope because of his energy or Jin since he’s always cracking jokes.

Like they don’t even realize that they’re slowly also being sucked into the rabbit hole that is the kpop fandom, like first they’re watching funny compilation videos of BTS in America next thing you know they’re humming Boy With Luv in their heads while taking showers

Eventually, you invite them to go to a kpop concert so that they can really get the experience

At the venue, it’s like full of fangirls(and fanboys), who are screaming at the top of their lungs with lightsticks in hand and they’re just like, “Damn, I didn’t think there was going to be this many people...over seven boys?  You muggles are absolutely mental.”  and you’re just like, “Well, it’s kind of like you two with quidditch sooooo....”  and they’re just like, “You right…”

And then during the show, you know when fans do that little synchronized lightstick thing and it like turns off and they make like waves and patterns

Yeah, the boys are definitely fascinated by it, like wow these fans really put their all into supporting these boys

Overall, 10/10 the boys definitely enjoyed the kpop performance and are whining to you about when the next concert is and they’re like, “Oh my, Merlin’s balls when that guy like jumped into the air, and their dance moves like I’m not gay, but dear Godric I’d definitely let them take me any day of the damn week.”

Anywho, now you have boyfriends who are equally, if not possibly more, infatuated with kpop than you.  One day you’re going to be sitting in their room, he’s about to kiss you and then wham he gets a notification, “Wait a second, Jin is doing his Eat Jin, I’ve gotta watch it…”  and you’re like sitting there with the surprised pikachu face like ummmmm first of all where’d you get a phone…. two: Can I have my boyfriend back… but also stop hogging the screen, you buffoon.