#I hold books funny so pinky finger reveal

[bithyspino]

doodles

I was seeing how many characters I could draw without a reference in about 2 hours.

[wellthebardsdead]

Clockwork Heart pt35

Part 34 here

———

Wyrm: *blinks open his eyes to find himself curled up on a giant silver platter surrounded by strawberry tarts bigger than himself* huh?… *sits up only recalling the butterfly flying onto his face as he tried reading his book* what?

???: HOHO! So that’s where you are!

Wyrm: *looks up and goes slack as a giant familiar hand reaches down and picks him up by his shirt* y-you wanted to talk to me mr sheo?

Sheogorath: *places him down on an unfurled napkin with a spread of food small enough for him* oh yes. I noticed your little encounter with poor Clavicus Vile. Shame indeed, weaker than peryite now don’t you know? Even with his faithful hound.

Wyrm: *watches him extend his pinky finger, only to reveal a tiny hand on the end of it as if it were another arm* I- *quickly holds up his cup as the mad god pours him a cup of tea from a tiny teapot* I didn’t know that, I-is that why he couldn’t grant my wishes?

Sheogorath: Oh no! He’s weak not useless! HA! No In truth its old silly sotha sil. Causing you more trouble because he can’t bare for you to find out the truth!

Wyrm: but why?! Why am I not allowed to know?! Why won’t he let me change why won’t he let me know what I’m supposed to do? Why I was made? Why I- *jumps a little as he’s silenced by a strawberry tart in his mouth* Mm- *reaches up taking hold of it and having a bite*

Sheogorath: Wonderful aren’t they? One of my personal favourites~ what were we talking about? Oh yes, the truth! Why doesn’t he want you to know? Well, because you’ll hate him of course! haha!

Wyrm: *swallows the tart* b-but why will I hate him for it? What is he keeping from me that’s so dread- *scrunches up his face as sheogorath wipes the crumbs from his face with a napkin*

Sheogorath: Oh plenty of horrible, terrible, outrageous things! It’s funny how vivec considered himself a liar, and yet, he’s proven to be more honest than sil! Makes me feel a tad shameful about throwing that boulder at his city!

Wyrm: *grabs sheogoraths finger* what lies?! What is he lying to me about?! What is he- *hiccups and holds his stomach as it suddenly rumbles in discomfort*

Sheogorath: hmmmm, well, It’d be shorter to list all the things he’s not lying to you about. Or we’ll be here forever with me trying to dance around his magic keeping the truth from reaching your ears! I’m surprised he hasn’t deafened you at this point!

Wyrm: *finally realises why vile couldn’t grant his wishes* Dance- around? *groans a little hugging his stomach tighter feeling like he’s going to be sick* you- you can’t tell me?

Sheogorath: *colour all suddenly leaving his form as his jovial expression gives way to melancholy* Ah… Indeed, he won’t allow it… While I can keep him at bay from this corner of your mind for the moment, he can still wake you up, drag you away, push you out… But… I can show you one thing… A memory from someone you know in fact…

Wyrm: y-you can- *hiccups again and feels something thin, dry and powdery cling to the back of his throat* please- a-anything! Please- *grimaces in pain closing his eyes tight as his head begins to ache and his stomach twists about like it’s ready to burst*

“Nerevar no! Please don’t do this! Please get me out of here!”

Wyrm: *opens his eyes to see a memory he’d seen before through voryns eyes, voryn screaming unheard for nerevar to save him, trapped within his own body in the heart chamber of red mountain* I- I’ve seen this already. I’ve heard what voryn said-

Nerevar: *turns to face him only to reveal himself as sheogorath taking his shape* you only heard what Sotha Sil would let you hear…

Wyrm: what he wanted me to-

Voryn: *on his hands and knees behind his own body, screaming, wailing and sobbing* Nerevar! Please I’m scared! I’m scared! Seht lied to us! He lied about the tools! He lied about the heart! He wanted to get me away from you! He’s planning to kill you! Please nerevar! No! NOOO-

“Shhhh… you’re safe now.”

Wyrm: *jolts awake to find himself no longer in the shivering isles or red mountain, but in an endless void of crystals adrift on glittering silver light* wh-what- what? H-he lied? He lied about killing neht? Where who- *looks up to see the friendly gentle prince who’d lead him to the sword beneath solitude* I-its you-

Jyggalag: shhhh. *holds him gently in his palm, his thumb tucked over him like a blanket*

Wyrm: *stares up at him for a moment and just starts crying as he hugs his finger* p-please- please I can’t take it anymore! I just want to know the truth! I want to know why I was made! Why did he make me?! What did Voryn mean?! Seht didn’t want to murder ata neht! He didn’t! He showed me- I saw- he-

Jyggalag: The truth is a difficult thing sadly… it is never as straight forward as we wish it to be, even more so when it involves one who understands order, and therefore how to manipulate it. *sighs* what he showed you was the truth masked in the lies of his grief… his regrets. In truth he was the one who- *pauses watching as the crystals suspended in the air begin to fall*

Wyrm: *suddenly whimpers letting go of the prince to hold his head as he feels like he’s being split into four parts. As if his soul itself were being drawn and quartered* n-no- I want to know! I want to know! Plea- *coughs and gags feeling like he’s going to bring up bile, only for a crumpled moth wing to fall out of his mouth*

Jyggalag: *knowing he only has so much time as Wyrm desperately fights to hold on* He was the one who wished for godhood. And coerced almalexia and vivec into joining him for his vision. He foresaw a future in which nerevar had to die, and it consumed him. But in doing so, he was consumed by grief. Grief that he could not save the world, grief that he could not bring back his lost house, grief that he could not bring nerevar back to life… He focused only on the one outcome he failed to see all others, all the possibilities of what could have been, and it left him to decay in his misery and regret. And so he made you. His last attempt to prove to himself that he made the right choice. And yet, you’ve proven him wrong.

Wyrm: *tears pouring down his face as he pulls at his hair, feeling like he’s dying all over again and again* Wh-what did I do?! What did I do wro- *coughs* wr-wrong?! *blinks up at him to see his form suddenly replaced with that of sheograth again, the prince of madness smiling down at him so kindly as he squeezes his thumb down on his stomach*

Sheogorath: Nothing.

Wyrm: *squirms and kicks helplessly as his stomach erupts up and out of his throat in a torrent of moths, all of them bursting into an array of colours as the air touches their wings, swarming the dunmers vision and suffocating him, suffocating*

“Move your hand you idiot he can’t breathe-”

Wyrm: *snaps opens his eyes and tries to scream as he sees the strange figures surrounding him, only to feel a firm hand shift over his mouth as several more grab hold of him* MMNN?!

???: mmmn-

Wyrm: *eyes snapping to the pained familiar voice, and feeling his heart drop as he sees a very weakened voryn across from him, the chimer bound and gagged, trembling and convulsing as sweat runs down his face from trying to pull Wyrm out of his nightmare* mmm?!?! *writhes helplessly staring at the strange figures with a pleading gaze, taking in their equally odd apparel, recognising it as dunmeri in make but being unable to place it*

Cultist: *suddenly kneels down before him stroking his hair back from his face* hush lord seht, we’ve come to retrieve you at last, to save you from those who would stray you from your true path. *smiles behind their mask as they rise back up and draw a dagger from their hands* The Sharmat will harm you no more. We will do as lord Vehk commanded and rid the mundus of him once again. *steps towards voryn and grabs the chimer by his long dark hair, holding his head steady with it as he places the blade to his throat* the tribunal will rise once mo-ghhghg- *drops the knife and staggers back as he stares down to the ebony arrow through his chest* wh-what- *looks back in time to take another right through his head as a blue khajiit emerges from the darkness, his fur singed and matted in blood not his own*

Cultist: They’re still alive?!

Cultist: It doesn’t matter! Run!!! *suddenly stands up grabbing Wyrm and fighting to hold the young dunmer steady* lord seht- please we’re just trying t- *lets him go and drops to the ground as a lance punctures right through his head*

Wyrm: *hits the ground hard and attempts to sit up only to find himself bound and missing an arm* h-huh?

Nerevar: *steps into view covered in blood and with a lust for murder in his eyes only the Hortator could possess* running will do you nothing. *rips his lance from the cultists skull as he stares down the others* I will catch you. And I will rip the still beating hearts from your bodies and devour them!!! *throws his lance impaling one as inigo shoots down another, leaving only one left to fall as a well aimed dagger finds the back of their neck, paralysing them*

Taliesin: *emerges from the trees, limping and swaying slowly over to the cultists body* I’ve had more, than enough. *kneels down grabbing the blade and twisting it slowly making the cultist scream beneath him* Of. *pulls it out and cuts their throat* you… *looks back at the group as he sits beside the body, too sore and weakened to get back up* are they okay?… is Wyrm okay?…

Nerevar: *lifting Wyrm up as a busted up Caryalind & equally worse for wear Lucien untie Voryn* I don’t know… *looks at Wyrm then at voryn as his beloved barely manages to keep his eyes open* I-I don’t… I don’t know…

Wyrm: *whimpers as he’s sat upright and untied, his eyes taking in the state of his friends and guardians, of his Taliesin, before looking back at the cultists now laying dead around them* what?… what happened?…

Nerevar: you’re in a lot more danger than we thought… *looks over at voryn as the other chimer manages to make eye contact with him* we all are…

[babyboibucky]

Project V: As Seen On P***H**

Pairing: College!Bucky x Reader

Summary: Bucky wants to reenact something that he saw on a certain website.

Word Count: 1.8k

Warnings: Cock rubbing against pussy lmfao

A/N: Another filthy piece for these two sksksks

Project V Masterlist ||  MAIN MASTERLIST

“You keep on glancing at me, Bucky. What do you want?”

You kept your attention on your notes as you called out Bucky. The two of you were in the library, it was a little past seven in the evening already but you needed to finish the paper you were doing.

Bucky exhaled out loud and surveyed the surroundings before moving around the table to sit beside you. You looked at him suspiciously, the growing smile on his face giving away that he had something mischievous in mind.

“What?” You asked again.

Bucky bit his lip and shook his head in sudden embarrassment, “Nevermind. I’m shy.”

You slapped his arm, “Just tell me!” You hissed, stretching your neck to see whether the grumpy librarian heard.

She didn’t and kept on rearranging the books on the opposite aisle.

“Okay, so you know how we’ve been comfortable with each other.” Bucky trailed.

“Where is this going, Buck?” You asked monotonously.

Bucky giggled as he tried to compose himself. He was turning red all over and you instantly knew what he was thinking about. It definitely had something to do with his weird ass kinks.

“I’m not gonna peg you, Buck.” You said.

“The fuck, I don’t...I’m not into that, okay?! It was just one weird dream. Can we please move on from that?” He defended himself.

You snorted. Bucky dreamt about you pegging him one time and you never stopped teasing him about it. It was funny as hell, because Bucky called you in the middle of the night to talk about his dream and he couldn’t get over how weird it felt.

“Then what do you want?” You asked, setting aside your notes.

Bucky licked his lips and inhaled, “I watched this porn the other night where the girl still had her panties on and the guy was just you know...rubbing his dick against her pussy until he came. I don’t know, something about pushing aside her panties got to me. I was thinking that maybe—“

“Yes, okay. I’m in.”

Ever since Project V, you and Bucky have been going at it as often as possible. Needless to say, you were one horny bitch and match that with Bucky’s libido, well, you’d get two best friends humping at each other like fucking rabbits.

Bucky did seem to ruin other guys for you because damn, he knows how to turn you on. Except for the times when he’s being a dumbass but whatever, he always gave you one orgasm after another.

“Wanna go at it now?” Bucky whispered, pupils darkening as soon as you agreed to his proposal.

“I’m wearing my granny panties, can I at least change first?” You asked with no shame.

“For the love of fucking, can you please get rid of your granny panties?” Bucky complained.

“They’re comfy. Besides, I never complained about your Spongebob boxers.” You snapped back and started putting away your things.

-

As soon as the both of you arrived in Bucky’s dorm, bags were dropped and jackets were thrown around. Bucky wasted no time to push you against the door, kissing you sloppily as he fumbled with the button of your jeans.

“We gotta be fast, Buck. We have a class in an hour.” you reminded him, shimmying out of your jeans before clawing at Bucky’s shirt.

He merely grunted in response as he took off his shirt followed by his own pair of pants. Your shirt and bra were removed in the process and the next thing you knew, Bucky was already throwing you on top of his bed.

“Wanna bet?” he asked against your lips before kissing you. “Twenty dollars I get to make you cum in fifteen.” he said, biting your lower lip before pressing kisses against your throat.

You sighed, stretching your neck to give Bucky more access. A moan left your lips when his fingers pinched your nipples, making your back arch from his bed.

“No penetration. You can’t use your mouth or fingers. Just your cock rubbing against my pussy. If you cum within the first fifteen minutes, I win.” you reminded him with a glare. “You good with that?” you asked.

“Only if you let me skip the condom.” Bucky said as he looked at you with puppy eyes. “Please?”

You narrowed your eyes at him, “Fine, but buy me a Plan B after this. I don’t want no little Barnes in my fucking tummy anytime soon.”

Bucky grinned and pumped his fist in the air, “I’ll buy you birth control pills too so I can fuck you raw next time.”

“Jesus.” you huffed out.

Bucky smirked and sat up, “It’s just me, Bucky.” he said as he knelt down on the bed, bending your legs up and spreading them wide open.

“Twenty dollars.” you repeated. “Seal the deal. Let’s pinky swear on it.” you said as you lifted your body up to twist your pinky around Bucky’s.

After the pinky promise, Bucky spread your thighs further apart and carefully pushed your white cotton panties aside, moaning out loud at the sight of your glistening pussy. You snorted at his reaction and covered your mouth with your hand, throwing your head back as you bit back your laugh.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, pushing his boxer briefs down to reveal his aching cock.

“You’re so fucking horny.” you said. “You should see yourself.” you quickly added.

Bucky rolled his eyes at you until he hatched an idea, “Maybe I should. Let’s make an amateur video next time.”

You were about to protest to his idea when he immediately slid his cock against your folds, your complaint quickly dying on your tongue when he started to tap the head of his cock against your clit. You fell back onto the bed and arched your back, wanting to feel more friction as your pussy clenched on nothing.

“Fuck, Bucky...” you whimpered.

Bucky kept his gaze on his cock as he rubbed it against your folds, watching how your wetness was gushing out of your entrance as he teased you. His own pre-cum was mixing against your juices, making it easier for him to slide against your cunt. The sight was just as stimulating as the ones he’d seen on PornHub, but it felt so much fucking better now that he was actually experiencing what it’s like.

“Goddamn, baby.” Bucky grunted. “So fucking wet.” he said through gritted teeth as he sped up his face.

His free hand held onto your panties, keeping it aside as he guided his cock along your folds. Bucky pressed the tip against your entrance, teasing you by prodding a bit before pulling back to let it slide up to your clit.

“Bucky, ten minutes...” you warned. “Ten minutes and I get my twenty bu— oh!” you almost squealed when Bucky started moving his cock from side to side, stimulating your clit even more.

You wanted to kick Bucky’s face when he smirked, knowing that he was working you up. Throwing a pillow on your face, you started grinding your hips to get as much friction.

“Take off the pillow, wanna see your face.” Bucky demanded, grabbing the pillow and throwing it aside.

He started thrusting his hips, placing your panties over his dick as he continued to rub it against your pussy. The fabric only added more pleasure for Bucky, as it kept his cock pressed tightly against your sex which was soaking wet.

Bucky sped up his pace, pressing his cock harder against your lips until you could feel yourself approaching your orgasm. You tried to hold back, not wanting to lose the bet. And so you decided to do something that might throw Bucky off and make him finish first.

“Love it when you rub your cock against my pussy like that, Bucky.” you moaned out loud, your hands caressing your sides until they reach your tits, squeezing them together.

Bucky was unable to hold back his groan, “I fucking hate you, I know what you’re trying to do.” he panted, slowing down his pace.

You bit your lower lip and tilted your head as you looked up at Bucky through your lashes, “Come on, Bucky. Keep rubbing, feels so good when I feel the head of your cock press down on my clit. I get so fucking wet.” you moaned again, this time letting you fingers play with your nipples.

“Dammit...” Bucky huffed out, pushing your panties aside again and actually ripping them in the process with how harsh he held onto them.

“Did you just-- oh fuck! Right there, fuck yeah. Don’t stop, Bucky!” you squealed when Bucky rubbed your pussy just the right way.

“Gonna make you cum first and I’m gonna get my twenty bucks.” Bucky said, watching how much wetness was gushing out of your entrance, drenching his cock in its entirety.

Determined to win, you slightly sat up and leaned your weight against your elbows. You could feel Bucky’s cock throb against your cunt, his hips stuttering and the veins on his neck bulging. He was close, so fucking close.

You were just as close to winning the bet so you pulled the big guns and placed two fingers into your mouth, sucking on them while keeping your eyes on Bucky.

You moaned out loud, just enough to catch Bucky’s attention and when his head snapped towards yours, you hollowed your cheeks as you sucked on your fingers. The sight was enough to make Bucky cum first; he groaned and growled as ropes of his cum began to spurt on your pussy.

“Goddammit!” Bucky grunted, both in bliss and disappointment that he had lost the bet.

You started chuckling in victory, falling back down on the bed and ignoring the growing throb in your pussy since you haven’t finished yet.

“I win!” you declared.

Bucky ran a hand through his locks as he plopped down next to you, “All that for just twenty bucks?” he asked.

You sat up and shrugged, “Twenty bucks is twenty bucks.” you said and looked down in between your legs, “Are you going to finish me or what?” you asked.

Bucky snorted, “Bold of you to assume I’d finish you after I lost the bet.” he said, reaching towards the box of tissue on top of his bedside table and handing it to you.

“Fine, I’ll do it myself then.” you said, cleaning up yourself before heading towards the bathroom. “You owe me an underwear.”

-

With twenty minutes left before your next class, you and Bucky have showered and cleaned up.

“Why is this so thick?” you complained when Bucky let you wear one of his boxer briefs.

“Stop whining unless you want to attend our next class without any underwear on.” he said and picked up your jeans from the floor, throwing it on your face.

Just as when you were about to wear your jeans, Bucky’s bedroom door opened and Steve stepped in. Both you and Bucky froze, not knowing how to explain the situation when Steve turned to you and slowly realized what was going on.

He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again before he let out a defeated sigh.

“I don’t know what’s going on but may I respectfully ask...why on earth are you wearing Bucky’s boxer briefs?”

-

Everything Bucky Tag List:

@ddowii @jessou893 @stealapizzamyheart @bagelofthelord @mxnt @dontputyourfckingdrinkonmytable @jeeperky @ohladymacbeth @wildflowergubler @supraveng @twinerd14 @buckysmar @bakugouswh0r3 @sweetcoldharmony @wintersfilm @charminivy @amelia-song-pond​ @iamvalentinaconstanza @mcubqrnes @im-squished @tcc-gizmachine​ @sipsteacasually​ @prettyintopeerpressure​ @weloveyasmin​ @est19xxshit​ @bloodhon3yx​ @dressed-in-prada​ @lizette50​ @thatfangirl42​ @sunflowerbunny2​ @unmagically​ @okiegirl24​ @sugarpunch-princess​ @enlyume​ @vvipgotbb @slimeyderp​ @lyoongx​ @just-deka​ @nobody-will​ @jaziona92 @elisebuitron​ @dpaccione​ @suvikamahes98blr​ @buckybarneshairpullingkink​ @earthtonav @x-judyjude-x​ @nani-kenobi @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @belladonnabarnes​ @iloveangstposts​ @weenersoldierr​ @asemistablehundredyearoldman​ @reidbuck​ @lizzarooni​ @girlfriday007​ @bonkywobble​ @lost-in-the-stars03​ @its-yasbxtch​ @whoth3hellisbucky​

[harmoni-me]

Byakuya Togami x Ultimate Hacker Reader!

Hey! I’m back from a mental break and I’m rip, roarin’ and ready to write again! Though I might take awhile to post now due to me wanting to me time for art, I’ll still give this account the love and attention it needs to give people joy! Anyway, enjoy this little fluffy read of our favorite corporate entity <3

“For the love of god PLEASE work with me….” you sat at the front of your large three monitor build, with each of them set up to reveal lines upon multi-colored lines of jumbling code. Your knowledge of Python and Java were on the brink of becoming something less than fluent from every sip of the sickeningly sweet energy drink that sweat on your spare mousepad. 

It was no exaggeration how jittery you were right now. I mean, you just chugged three caffeinated-stuffed drinks, your mind was ecstatic with what was going to happen after the code had rendered, and also it was 2 am. Though this was bound to happen, with you being the number one hacker in the country, sleepless nights were a given.

But, this little project was mainly for yourself, since you were finished with all the rest of your clients.

Basically, you were trying to hack into Japan’s DIET building treasury databases to see if you could hack the Japanese stock market to temporarily crash, then shoot up into the sky, then somehow sell all of your investments within an x amount of time that this code would provide for you.

So, yeah, that’s another reason why you’re a little on edge…

The rendering was about fifty percent completed, and to say you were having a heart attack was an understatement. You could get arrested for life, maybe assassinated in the night, kidnapped, used as a hostage, maybe even be written about in the newspapers. You spun out of your chair and started anxiously speed-walking from one end of the room to another.

“Holy shit, why did I even go through with this. I’m so stupid it’s not even funny. Oh! The precious PubSec members, take me now!” you sang, crazily talking to yourself as some sort of comforting mechanism. You glanced over to your monitor to see that the loading was buffering a bit, so the rendering had only jumped to 60%.

“You know, I really should have thought of a plan B on this one-” A knock sounded from your bedroom door, echoing and reverberating in the hollow portions of your brain.

“Y/N. What in the world are you doing?” a voice rang from the outside of your room.

“Oh shit…” a realization struck like a bullet in the head. You scurried over to the door, leaning into it while your hand was on the door knob.

“Ahahaha, I-I was just about to go to bed, Byakuya! I was just talking to myself because, you know, I’m an introverted hermit who loves stupid letters and numbers! So, uh, night!” You belched out the words so unconvincingly that it made your stomach cringe in disgust. Whelp, you were definitely screwed.

“Y/N. Let me in…” Byakuya sternly replied. He obviously was not having it, as always when it came to your...personal hacking shenanigans. The last time Byakuya walked in on one of your hacking extravaganzas was when you hacked into the Pentagon. It ended in success, but your husband presented you with a hell of a lot of lectures on the punishment of the law, and how your hacking fun could affect the Togami family.

Like that was going to stop you from making fat bucks.

“Ok….but promise not to freak out too much and take it out on me?” You pleaded through the door, not wanting Byakuya’s harsh words to affect you at this hour of the night, and the situation that you're in.

“It’s all on you whether you get scolded or not.” Byakuya said, frustration present in his voice. You shifted your weight more onto the doorknob, and turned to see that your rendering had reached 70%. Why were you so loud when you talked to yourself?

“I won’t let you in unless you promise me...please…” You mumbled, a bit of your guilt dripping in your words. You heard a heavy sigh on the other side, then a stand-still of silence following after. 

“I...promise. Can I come in now?” Byakuya’s voice softened up, making your tense frame unwind from the now more comfortable atmosphere.

You creaked open the door just a bit, peaking out to see your husband with messy, freshly-washed hair, and comfy clothes that he would only dare put on when he planned to go straight to bed. 

“You have to pinky-swear on it.” You stuck your arm out of the crack of the door, sticking your pinky finger out as a treaty of promise to Byakuya. The blonde just chuckled tiredly, lazily latching his pinky with yours, and shaking it a little as confirmation.

“It’s a deal, now what did you do this time?” Byakuya strutted into your room, now having access to your coding domain. He automatically directed his attention to your multitude of computer screens, all of them running at full power to run the code you had just implemented into the DIET building security firewalls. You walked over to him, slightly nervous from what you had to break down to him, because you KNEW he would understand all of it, and would most likely be in flames about this little project you had going on.

“Alright, so I basically got bored and I didn’t really have any clients, so I did something...questionable.” You started off, swaying back and forth with your nerves tickling your stomach.

“Define ‘questionable’” Byakuya asserted, crossing his arms and shifting his weight onto one side.

“I might have created an AI program that will hack itself into the firewall of Japan’s national DIET treasury building to temporarily crash the stock market for a small increment of time, then make it shoot back up the charts so I can sell all of the cheap as hell stock I would buy when it crashed and-” 

“I’ve...heard enough” Byakya raised his voice, but not in an aggressive way, but more of a shocked sort of fashion. The heir started to massage his temples with his middle and index finger, staying quiet the whole time while doing so.

You shuffled closer to the man, bowing your head down in shame. You knew you shouldn’t have done something so impulsive to simply just keep your fingers warm and your brain entertained. You should have read that book that Byakuya recommended, or maybe baked a little cake and decorated it with fun colors, or finished that movie series that you were meaning to complete-

 Your rushing and regretful thoughts snapped and turned into dust when you felt warm arms around your frame. It was delicate, yet it pulled you in, as if protecting your from the outside world and the horrors it beheld.

“A promise from the Togami family will never be broken, and I also just happen to despise yelling at you, so...I just want to remind you of something.” Byakuya’s low, grumbly, and tired voice had kicked into gear, making his droopiness contagious to yourself.

“I never planned on marrying someone who I couldn’t protect with my life.” Byakuya let out a weary sigh, “But, when you do things like this, there is only so much I can do. You know the consequences, and I’m just…” Byakuya paused, leaving your heart feeling even heavier than it was before.

“I’m worried about what could happen to you, Y/N. I nark on you because I care. What a husband I would be if I simply let you be arrested, or beheaded, or whatever it may be.” The hold on you only grew stronger, yet it was as if you felt wrapped in a shield against any opposition.

“I worry, I scold, and I try my damned hardest to protect you all because I care. I don’t want anybody to take you away from me, alright? Remember that.” Byakuya’s hand tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, and gently kissed your forehead, conveying the words into an action that anyone could understand.

“I’m sorry, Byakuya. What I did was impulsive and stupid and-”

“Did you make sure to code your coverups?” Byakuya suddenly spoke, a serious look in his eyes.

“Well, yeah. It would be kinda stupid if I didn’t-”

“Then it’s settled, you crash the economy, and I’ll monitor. Just don’t do something like this ever again, or you're going to have to sit through something that’s way worse than a lecture on the law, am I clear?” Byakuya let go of your body, and walked over to your workspace to apparently ‘Monitor’ the situation you were about to dive yourself into.

“I can’t really say for sure that I can keep that promise for that long…” You plopped yourself in your comfortable office chair, spinning yourself in the direction of your now only slightly drowsy husband.

You heard Byakuya grumble from your answer, then, after a minute of clear internal debate, he stuck out his arm to you, and delicately lifted his pinky to your direction.

“...”

“Hurry it up, you know what I want, pinky-swear on it.” Byakuya never looked at you when saying those words, but your heart was still stolen from the message either way. This man really knew what he was doing to make your heart throb out of your chest.

“Well, I can’t say no to that...:” You smiled gummily to your husband, cutely locking pinkies together, as if they were meant to be there forever to seal a bond that remains forever unsevered.

[red-kewpie-cap]

Over an Anpan, Really

Shigaraki x Reader, sfw, word count 1,709

"Thank you, have a nice day!" you smiled politely from behind the front countertop. The customer waved as she exited, and the bell above the door chimed upon its closing.

"I'll be out back waiting for the supply truck. They should be coming," your coworker, Miyaguchi, paused to check his watch, "in two minutes. Can you handle the shop for an hour or so?"

You nodded, "Gotcha."

"Alright, thanks. I'll be back!" Miyaguchi spun around the door and left through the kitchen behind you. You listened for the back door as it closed.

Your elbow was propped atop the cool, marble countertop, your head resting lightly on your hand. The pastries encased in the glass displays were freshly baked this morning, and you had to hold yourself back from stealing a few.

It was only your first month in Japan, and you were still learning the ropes language-wise, culturally, and socially. Unlike in your home country, running in to famous pro-heroes was more common here due to living in the most populated city.

You admired hero work greatly, so you kept a small book of the biggest heroes in Japan in case you ever encountered one. The bakery was fairly empty—it was still early, anyway. Adults were commuting to work outside the shop's windows, and students skipped to school in their matching uniforms.

You sighed and pulled your booklet out from the counter's bottom shelf. A green tag stuck out from the top near the first few pages. You opened the book from the marker and began to read about the hero on the page, Mt. Lady.

Fully indulged in your reading, you were startled by the bakery doorbell's chimes.

"Oh! Good morning, what can I get you today?" You fumbled with the booklet and—subsequently—ended up dropping it on the opposite side of the counter.

Damn it.

The customer delivered a judging stare before slowly bending over to pick the book up. They held the stapled spine between their thumb and index, the rest of their fingers held high above the booklet.

Are they afraid of germs?

They dropped the book on the counter. Bashfully, you thanked them, ensuring the distance between you two in case they really were disturbed by germs.

You only then noticed the person's unordinary appearance. A white, detached hand held onto their face, and several more latched onto their upper body. Their baby blue hair was unkempt and tangled, and their black garments were just as tattered; however, you weren't one to judge, so you asked for their order just as any good employee would.

"Give me an anpan." His voice was higher than you expected and oddly soothing.

Although he did not appear as polite as most customers, you followed his directions and wrapped the single bun in paper. Waiting a few seconds more, you then asked with a smile, "Is that all, sir?"

His shoulders dropped ever so slightly, and he shook his head.

"Alright then. That'll be two hundred yen," you said, internally cringing at your slight mispronunciation. Your Japanese was far from perfect.

The man grabbed the paper bag and turned to the exit with no intention of paying.

"Ah, sir! You have to pay for that!" You worriedly glanced at the back door to see if Miyaguchi was still outside. Seeing that he was absent, you hurried around the counter and stood in between the front door and the blue haired man.

"You have to pay for your food, sir," you stated adamantly. If Miyaguchi discovered that the store had been robbed during your shift, you would be in deep trouble—no matter how much money was taken.

"Move" was all he said.

"You have to pay first," you replied.

The man sighed dramatically and dragged himself to a table with two, pastel yellow chairs. He unwrapped the bun, carefully sticking his pinkie finger out as he did so.

What a polite robber.

"Are you going to pay?" you asked, growing more confused than angry.

The strange man tapped the leg of the chair across from him with his foot. "Sit down."

You deliberately followed along. Perhaps showing kindness would convince him to pay for his food.

Slowly, he removed the white hand from his face, revealing a pair of cherry red eyes. He had two scars: one over his right eye, another across the side of his mouth. A mole dotted his pale skin beneath his bottom lip, and dark bags sagged beneath his tired eyes.

You gave no reaction but only observed him further. The man then looked at you, his eyebrows laced with both judgement and confusion. "Aren't you scared?"

"No," you responded, "should I be?"

He rose the anpan to his mouth and bit into the soft bun. Swallowing his bite, he continued, "I'm a villain. I could kill you."

Despite him having no joking tone, you couldn't take his words seriously. Somehow, proclaiming oneself as a villain while dressed in all black felt all too cliché to you.

"Did you just laugh?" He looked up through slit like eyes.

"Huh—no! Did I? I must've thought of something funny." You frantically waved your hands in front of your face, a single bead of sweat dripping down the back of your neck.

He stared a second longer before taking another bite of the anpan. There was an uncomfortable silence.

You've never been in a situation like this before at work—a man who seemed to be stealing was now seated before you, engaging in what could be considered a conversation. Nonetheless—a villain—who was believed to be worse than a criminal. You weren't sure what to do, but as long as he payed for his food, you would be satisfied.

"Are you going to call the police?"

"No. I wasn't planning on it," you spoke honestly. "I just want you to pay for your food so I can keep my job."

"It's only two hundred yen."

"Two hundred yen that could get me fired."

He hummed and took the last bite of the bun. In his palm, he crumpled the paper wrapper, then closed his fingers over the trash. The paper disintegrated in seconds, and you somehow managed to inhale some of the dust left over, making you sneeze.

He tilted his head up and looked at you with another blank expression. It was so difficult to read him.

"Excuse me," you sputtered quietly in English.

Desperate to keep your new job, you resorted to flattery. "You have very nice... eyes... by the way. I've never met someone with red eyes before."

He didn't seem amused, but then again, he didn't seem anything majority of the time.

"What's your name,” his sentence more of a command than a question.

"Sato," you lied. He was still a villain no matter how unthreatening he appeared in the moment.

"Sato," he repeated suspiciously, "really?"

You nodded, following his gaze that traveled from your chest back to your eyes.

"Your name tag seems to disagree, (y/n)."

God, you’re an idiot.

"Right! Sato is my... middle name. I'm not from Japan, so my real name is a bit hard to pronounce. That's why I go by Sato," you stammered, fiddling with your apron the entire time.

"Well, did I say it correctly?" he inquired with the slightest hint of sarcasm.

You rapidly nodded.

"Then go by it. Sato's an ugly name."

You couldn't tell if this was an attempt to compliment you or if he genuinely disliked the name Sato.

"So... are you going to pay now?"

There was the thousandth silence between you before the man groaned loudly, dragging a single hand across his face with annoyance. He continued to pull out a phone and dial a random number.

You waited awkwardly as the phone rang for the longest time possible before someone picked up.

"I need money," he grumbled.

A voice buzzed in response, but the receiver was not loud enough for you to understand. You simply sat still, occasionally fidgeting with your apron as he argued on the phone. He finally ended the call with "Be quick."

Not even seconds later, a flash of purple swirled outside the bakery doors. Another strange man stepped out of the ominous dust.

His entire body was a patched quilt with stitches connecting a purple-ish colored skin to what remained of his natural skin. He had fluffy, yet sharp, black hair and wore a long trench coat just as torn as the man before you.

Villains must not buy new clothes often.

The bell rang for the fifth time that day as the man entered. He immediately turned his attention toward you, completely overlooking his defeated friend.

You gulped.

"You never pay for shit, Shigaraki. Have you finally softened up? Or are you being held hostage." The nightmarish man had a mocking tone in his voice, and he stared at you despite speaking to his friend.

"Just give me the damn money," the villain—who was apparently named Shigaraki—hissed back.

"You got it, boss," the latter quipped, sarcastic and mockingly.

He fished a five hundred yen coin out of his coat pocket and dropped it on the table. Shigaraki was already standing up by that time, brushing his hands on his black shirt.

"Let me get you your change," you exhaled, relieved that you managed to get your way. You swiftly shuffled back to the cash register, but the two men were already on towards the exit.

"He wants you to keep it," whispered the black haired friend with a playful wink, and the doorbell rang for the last time that hour.

You witnessed the same purple cloud swallow the two just outside the front door, and they were gone.

Your eyes stared at the booklet that still lie on the countertop. Flipping through the glossy pages, you stopped at the middle where it transitioned to the "Villains" section. Likely enough, there was a page solely dedicated to the blue haired man who had just attempted to steal an anpan from your bakery.

You spent the next twenty minutes reading about him—his crimes, his victories, and his defeats. "Interesting guy," you muttered to yourself.

[koko-bopp]

Selfless

mark tuan x male!reader

word count - 1.5K

genre - non idol!au | angst-ish? | fluff | friends to lovers

contains - bisexual!mark, unrequited love?, self-doubt, happy ending.

I also had to change the ending upon the request, I just didn't know how I was going realistically paint the ending so I had to cut out the last part. Seoyoon wasn’t emotionally harmed in the making of this fic.

synopsis - You care for your friends more than anything, so when your best friend asks you to ask out Mark Tuan on her behalf, you do just that, because she’s your best friend; even if you have one big crush on Mark Tuan. Maybe you’re just too selfless sometimes/

"Seoyoon," you frowned. It was more of a pout with a whine, but you continued, "Why can't you do it?"

"Awe! C'mon, please, just think of it as a favour," Seoyoon begged, she was holding your hand and shaking it. You guys were at the shopping center, ready to exit the food court with Boba tea and macarons. She stepped in front of you, shaking your hand once again, but literally shaking like shaking a tin, she began pouting harder, “Please, you’re better friends with him than me, can you just ask him if he likes me or something? Initiate something? Pretty please, [Y/N].”

It was kinda funny, you and Seoyoon have been mistaken as a couple more times than you can count, you two once jokingly acted like a couple just to get the discount on Valentine’s day at the pancake parlour. But, Seoyoon has a crush on Mark, and unknown to her, you have a crush on him too.

But you’ve hidden it from her for a while, even though you’ve liked him for much longer, you kinda just ignored that side of your emotions for the sake of your friend. She doesn’t know either, so you don’t have any bad blood for her, it’s just a little bit... inconvenient.. but the friendship you have with the woman matters more to you than some boy; even if it’s Mark Tuan.

You sighed for a moment, blinking away from your friend who was making pleading eye contact with you, “... Yoon, I don’t know, isn’t it a bit weird for me to ask?” 

“Please, [N/N]?" She tried one last time, her blonde hair bouncing as she turned left and right in her spot, the shimmery eyeshadow on her eyelids being more seen as her bangs moved away from her eyes, "I'll buy pizza for our, what? Eighth–?"

"Ninth," You chuckled, interrupting, but ultimately letting her continue.

"Ninth, Haikyuu marathon, okay?" She chimed, brining up her fifth finger, "Pinky promise."

You scoffed with a defeated grin in your face, "Pinky promise," you say, wrapping your pinky finger around hers.

She seemed sufficed with your answer, smiling in glee as she wrapped her arm around yours as you two exited the food court. She rested her head on your shoulder, bringing the straw of her Boba tea to her lips, "Thank you, [Y/N]. I really appreciate it," she added.

"Of course," you said, and she didn't notice the small yet saddened frown on your lips.

-`.°

"Hey, Mark," you grinned, walking into your friend's room. He had his books scattered across his bed a highlighter sitting on his ear and typing away on his phone with a fruit roll-up sticking out from his mouth like a dragon's tongue.

He looked up at you, at first out of curiosity; wondering who was entering his room, then went into panic-mode; to quickly chew and swallow the roll-up while moving the books on his desk. He wasn't expecting you, clearly; you come over to see the guys every so often, but it was close to ten at night, you'd usually let Jaebeom know you're coming over and then Jaebeom would let him know that you're coming over. You probably came on short notice.

You could help but laugh gently at his behaviour, before coming inside and sitting on the space he'd made for you on his bed. He'd even crossed his legs to allow you to take as much room as you wish. He smiled awkwardly, picking up his phone then setting it back down, "What's up? You're, er, do you need something?"

You shook your head, swallowing the lump in your throat, "Not really, I just wanted to see you."

You two were never really alone together, now that you think about it. Maybe that one time at the bar; you said you'd watch everyone's stuff and Mark had said that he didn't want you to be all by yourself, so you two kind of just enjoyed each other's company. Or maybe that time where Mark was cooking eggs in the kitchen and you'd come up behind him to observe, you'd accidentally slept over during a movie marathon and Mark had told you that you could sleep in his bed; poor boy slept on the couch, you felt so bad.

"You wanted to see me?" Mark repeated, a bit of shock in his voice, "What, like, out of the goodness of your heart?"

You turned to him a bit more, taking your feet off the floor so you were fully facing him, your legs crossed as you shrugged, "I mean, it's a mix between wanting to see you and needing to talk to you.."

Mark blinked for a moment, then leaned in a bit, folding his arms by placing them on his knees, "Ight, go on. I'm all ears."

Why was he so handsome? He wasn't even trying; a simple dull-navy hoodie with sweatpants, he was wearing socks but one of them were slipping off his heel, his hair was a mess— a good mess, like the kind you wanna ruffle more to make it a bigger mess then just comb your hair through it just for fun? There was a scrunchie on his wrist too, Yugyeom probably gave it to him just to get his hair out of his face while he studied.

You realised you were staring, and Mark was looking at you patiently. You fought back at your own snicker your own thoughts. You're doing this for Seoyoon, you told yourself. "Mark, you're single, right?"

Oh my god, the day is finally here, Mark bought himself closer to you, his eyes bright in anticipation, "Yes. Yes, I am."

You gulped. This is for your best friend, you reminded yourself, "Are you.. interested in anyone right now?" You asked.

Mark grinned, "Yes. Yes, I am."

"Oh," you mumble. Your heart kind of sank a little. Of course he did, there's probably a dozen people out there worth his time. Maybe it's still worth a shot, though, "You do? You do. I mean, of course you do, you're a catch, somebody would've definitely have caught your interest—"

Mark moved his head a little, making a stretched-out version of the sound you make when you burn yourself, practically correcting your claim, but ultimately interrupting you, "—Yeah, well, this person; I gotta tell you. Immaculate. Everything I could hope for in a human."

"Mark," you said, the little ping of sadness in your voice being noticed by yourself, but you were hoping it wasn't noticed by the man in front of you. "This is stupid," You mumble out loud, but to yourself. Part of you knew you probably wouldn't have been able to do this anyway, but you tried your best and you knew Seoyoon would understand. You stand up, indicating your aim to leave, but turn to Mark before you do so, "..Sorry.. I should go."

"[Y/N], hold on a second, why– what's wrong?" Mark gets up too, verbally stopping you from exiting the room.

You cross your arms over your cheat, looking down at the floor. You were hesitant to talk, but you felt Mark ease his way closer to you, a comfortable distance but you wouldn't mind if he came closer.

This isn't about me, you reminded yourself. You huff, "Seoyoon has a crush on you, and you know, me being a bit closer to you than her, I just wanted to know if maybe you're interested in her."

Mark's expression dropped. He was practically frowning at the answer, it wasn't what he was looking for. Sure, he admired Seoyoon, respected her as an individual and would even call her his friend, but your answer wasn't what he was looking for. Mark finally spoke; "You don't.. You don't like me?"

Your eyes shot up, "What? No, of course I like you, you're a great guy and–"

"—I mean, like-like. You don't have a crush on me?"

You paused, "I'm not here for me, Mark."

"Okay. But I like you, [Y/N]. I've literally liked you for so long," Mark asserted. He really did, and it disappointed him beyond belief when you revealed your intentions, "I thought that maybe you were here to say that you like me too.."

You were suprised without a doubt, but you didn’t feel as though it was right to express your honest thoughts, part of you told you that you’d be selfish by doing so. 

Mark took another step forward, taking your hands out of the fold, holding them softly while leaning his head down a bit to get you to look at him properly, “Stop being so selfless for a second. Just.. tell me; do you like me too?” 

You nodded, still trying to avoid looking at him, “Yeah. I like you too,” It was just above a whisper, but you knew Mark could hear it. 

“I’ll talk to Seoyoon, [Y/N]. She’ll understand. Seoyoon’s passionate, but she puts you before herself too,” Mark suggests and explains. He’s not wrong either. Mark placed a finger under your chin, lifting your head up to have you lock eyes with him. “I like you, [Y/N].”

You smiled softly at Mark, caressing your thumb on his hand, “I like you too.”

[f0rever15elf]

I Just Need Five Minutes: Part 1

Part 1 of the Maxwell Lord “I Just Need Five Minutes” Series: Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4, Part 5 (Coming soon) Pairing: Maxwell Lord x f!reader Wordcount: 2,325 Rating: G  Warnings: Death mentions Part 2 (Coming soon...)

Summary: Lord Corp has become the top business contender on the global stage, lead by none other than Maxwell Lord IV. His rise to glory has taken him from the lives of those he once loved, and you can only watch as he slips further and further out of reach. You had to stop it, before it was too late. You had to get inside. 

A/N: This story is going to call a little bit on the comic book backstory of Maxwell Lord IV, most of which can be found in his wiki article, if you’re interested. I’m excited to write for Maxwell, his character has so much potential. And hopefully this will tide me over since the movie release has been delayed again.

Masterlist  |  Ao3

He was a genius. Shrewd, cunning, and charismatic. His way with words had everyone coiled tightly around his finger; he could sell holy water to the Pope if he wanted to. And with that silver tongue, that guise he wore to stroke the egos of those who ate from his palm and were none the wiser, he continued to climb higher and higher. More and more power fell into his grasp.

But a glass can only hold so much, and as his brimmed and spilled over with power and influence, so did he lose his humanity.

“Maxwell...what have you done?”

~~~~

The sun shines brilliantly in the summer sky over the wide yard in front of the Lord estate. In the lush green grass, two children play, no more than five or six years old. A boy and a girl, giggling and laughing over jokes and stories told in funny voices. It is the picture of innocence, purity. The little girl picks up a flower from the small pile they had collected, tucking it behind her ear before finding a matching one, tucking it behind the boy’s.

“We match now!” she beams in a way only a child can. “It means that you and I will be together forever!” The boy blushes at her words, soft blonde hair blowing gently in the summer breeze. His face is gentle and kind, shy even as he watches her with bright brown eyes that shine in the light. Tentatively, he sticks out his hand to her, pinky finger extended.

“You gotta promise! It doesn’t work if you don’t promise!” His serious voice makes the girl giggle before she makes a serious face, wrapping her pinky around his tightly.

“I promise! Forever and ever.” The boy smiles and nods as she says so, repeating her words back to her before they both erupt into giggles. From the balcony, the mothers of the two children look on fondly over their cups of tea. The sound of the children laughing danced on the warm breeze, pleasant in their ears. If only things could stay like this forever.

~~~~

Your pinky twitches as you stand before the gilded doors of the Lord Building, looking up at its windows, blinding in the sunlight. You would get in. You had to. Things had been put into motion that you need to stop, but the only way to do so is from the inside. With a shake of your head and a sigh, your turn on your heel, heading down the street towards home. It seems that nearly every screen you pass on your way has Maxwell’s face on it, selling empty promises and loaded bargains. And every time you see his eyes, they look a little less like the boy you use to know.

~~~~

“Max can’t meet you today, dear,” your mother says, petting your hair. To an adult familiar with grief and loss, the tightness in her voice would betray the tumultuous emotions she feels. To you, she just sounds uncomfortable, and you tilt your head in confusion. Fourteen years doesn’t provide much time to become familiar with the concept of loss, so you shrug, saddened you wouldn’t get to see your friend today.

Gone were the days of sitting in the grass to play, tucking flowers into each other’s hair. Maxwell was always busy helping his father to run the family business, and you would go months without so much as a word from him before he would show up at your door with a lily, smiling that dimpled smile at you. Promises always poured from his lips that it wouldn’t be so long next time before he came to see you.

But today… Today would change everything. Today, Maxwell’s father died.

~~~~

The door to your apartment slams shut behind you with a thud, shutting out the hustle and bustle of Metropolis. It’s small, but cozy, filled with your plants to bring a little life to the drab living room and kitchen. Taking a seat in the living room, you pull out your computer from your bag as you flip on the TV. It’s Maxwell’s face again, smiling at you with the look of a used car salesman who swears he wants only the best for his favorite customer. You know it’s not a real smile. Maxwell has a dimple when he smiles, and this charade didn’t. You shake your head as his promises of whatever you want in this perfect future fill the room, your eyes refocusing on your laptop, refreshing your emails. One meeting...that was all you needed.

~~~~

You let out a frustrated sigh as the door slams closed, your mother letting out a cry of surprise at the sound before coming to find you, resting a concerned hand on your shoulder as you throw yourself onto the couch.

“He still won’t see you?” Her gentle words just cause your heart to ache further and you nod.

“His mom greeted me, invited me in and made me tea. We chatted, but as soon as I asked about Maxwell, she stood up and ushered me from the house, asking me to not come by anymore since I couldn’t seem to stop asking for him.” You turn to look at your mother, tears in your eyes. “Why won’t he see me, Mom? Did I do something wrong?” Your mother’s heart shatters at the broken light in your eyes. She knew how much Maxwell meant to you, and that having him refuse to see you was tearing you apart.

“My sweet, you’ve done nothing wrong. Maxwell has a lot of responsibility to take on now that he’s running his father’s company. He’s very busy and doesn’t have as much time to see friends as he use to.” She brushes your hair behind your ear with delicate fingers. “I’m sure he still cares about you.”

“I miss him, Mom. I miss my best friend. It’s been three years since I’ve seen him...” Seventeen years of life and you still struggle with keeping your emotions in check, especially when it comes to Maxwell.

“I know sweetheart...When the time is right, you will see him again…”

~~~~

The alert from your inbox pulls you from your reverie, your eyes refocusing on the screen. As they do, your heart stutters in your chest

‘To Whom It May Concern,

We graciously thank you for your interest in Lord Corp. Mr. Lord has personally reviewed your product and would like to arrange to meet you on Wednesday at 3 p.m. You will have thirty minutes to make your sales pitch and answer any questions he may have. The front desk will direct you when you arrive. Please bring a valid photo ID and copies of your pitch for convince. Do not be late, Mr. Lord’s time is incredibly valued.

Cordially,

Sam Preston

Personal Assistant to the CEO’

You had gotten it. That moment you needed on the inside...you had finally gotten it. A relieved smile graces your lips as you begin to amass your files. You had one shot at this, it had to be perfect.

~~~~

You stand alone in the cemetery as you watch the caretakers laying new sod over the fresh grave. Your heart feels hollow, and only the black lace veil conceals the tears streaming down your cheeks from the world around you. Today was beautiful; cool and still with the birds singing in the trees as the sun warmed the earth. It was too beautiful for a day filled with such grief.

As the caretakers pack up their tools, one stops to rest a hand on his shoulder, passing along his condolences before continuing on his way. You nod gratefully before kneeling beside the headstone. It is modest, small and simple with a delicate engraving of a singular rose by your mother’s name. Black-gloved fingers trace along each petal and letter, your shoulders shaking with silent cries. You were now well and truly alone.

You shouldn’t have had to be alone. He should have been there with you, you had made a promise to one another. You were there when his father passed, and his mother. He didn’t even have the time to attend his own mother’s funeral, but you did. You mourned for him as they lowered a woman close enough to be your second mother into the ground beside her husband. So why were you alone now?

Where are you Maxwell?

~~~~

Your hands work to smooth the front of your dress down before you enter the lobby of Lord Corp. Slate gray with a simple black belt that held nicely to your figure but didn’t reveal too much. Professional and classy, with a dash of sexy. Nothing beyond anything any self-respecting company owner would don. Head held high and the bag you specifically reserved for important business trips and meetings over your shoulder, you make your way inside, up to the front desk.

“Welcome to Lord Corp, where the future is yours, do you have an appointment?” The intern who greets you sounds like every last bit of his soul has been sapped from him, and you pity him. Giving him a sad smile, you nod, pulling out your ID.

“I do, at 3 pm with Mr. Lord.” You give him your name as he takes the card, looking you up in the system before nodding, handing you back your ID and a visitors badge which you quickly put around your neck.

“Lily Solutions, you’re still on schedule. I’ll have you head down the hall. Take your first left, you’ll find the elevators. Take it all the way to the top and have a seat on the bench outside the double doors at the end of the hall. Sam will come and get you when Mr. Lord is ready for you.” You smile sweetly at the young man, thanking him before following your instructions. Your ears pop on the way up and you grimace, pulling out the folder with your ‘sales pitch’ inside, flipping through to make sure everything is in order. As the doors slide open and you make your way down the hall, you sigh. This floor was so much more opulent than the ground floor and you feel so out of place. Floor to ceiling paintings like the walls, depicting grandiose battles. Priceless vases and sculptures sit along marble pedestals. It’s like walking through a museum rather than an office, and your jaw clenches as you think about how he had come to acquire some of these items. When you reach the bench, you take your seat and cross your ankles to wait, trying to calm your racing heart.

“Lily Solutions?” The voice that calls out for you immediately grates on your nerves, high pitched and nasally. Looking to your right, so you a man in a pressed navy blue suit make his way towards you, and you stand to meet him, taking his extended hand. “I am Sam Preston, Mr. Lord’s personal assistant. Did you bring your requested documents?” The way he looked down his nose at you makes your blood boil, but you paste on the sweetest smile you can, nodding as you hand over the folder.

“You’ll find copies of all requested articles inside, neatly labeled for yours and Mr. Lord’s personal convenience.” Sam makes a disinterested sound in the back of his throat, snapping the folder shut before checking his watch.

“Very good. This way.” He strides past you and as soon as he is in front of you, you drop the sweet smile. Maxwell, why hire someone like him? You shake your head as Sam opens the door at the end of the hall, getting your salesman smile in place. “Mr. Lord, your 3 o’clock is here from Lily Solutions.” Sam ushers you inside and you are taken aback once again at how over the top the design of the office is. Floor to ceiling windows line the whole back wall with arguably the best view in Metropolis and the curtains that hang every so often are of a rich red velvet with gold filigree.  The marble tiles cause the click of your heels to echo as you make your way to the center of the room beside Sam, your eyes locked on the man sitting at the large mahogany desk.

It’s been seventeen years since you last saw Maxwell, and your heart ached for the man who appraises you with shrewd and cunning eyes. With a wave of his hand, Sam nods, leaving the folder on the desk to make his way out of the room. The large oaken door closing echos ominously through the room as Maxwell stands, coming around his desk to face you, hands in his pockets. If he recognized you at all, he didn’t show it.

“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Mr. Lord. I realize your time is very valuable, so I won’t keep you long.” Maxwell chuckles humorlessly at your greetings, leaning back against his desk.

“You say that, but you bring me this fake, garbage company in an attempt for a sales pitch?” His voice is rough and hard as flint, no trace of that gentle sound he once had. “What game are you playing?”

“No game, sir.”

“I don’t believe you.” He pushes off of his desk, walking back around it. “Everyone has a game they play, and if you’re not going to tell me yours, I’ll have you escorted out.” When he picks up the phone, your heart leaps into your throat and you dart forward pressing down on the receiver, cutting it off. He glares at you in disbelief. The audacity, he thinks, is astounding and he would make sure you suffer for it.

“Maxwell, please.” His eyes flash at the use of his first name, something in the way it sounds in your voice bringing him to pause. “I just need five minutes.”

~~~~~

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[awkwardplant]

Sci-fi/Misc Short Story: Diorama

Weary travellers entered a building to escape from the zombies that had been chasing them. Night-time drew closer and only a little bit of sunlight filtered through the large dusty windows at either side of the room. Despite the dust, everything here looked pristine, unsurprising as it didn't seem the materials here were much use to survivalists.

"Is that an easel?" Johnny the Veterinarian wandered over to the contraption, lifting away a greyed cloth covering it, revealing a canvas with a few marks of brown oil pastels.

A younger member of the team who refered to himself as the Tailor (everyone else called him Ed, or the Cosplay Guy, or That Teenager) dove into some drawers and boxes. "Please tell me there's a non electrical sewing machine, or fabrics, ooh I'll even take sequins at this point! Anything I don't have to make from scratch."

"Don't think this type of place will have those kinda things, Ed. Looks like a kindergarten's arts and crafts room." said Johnny. "Might have glitter though."

Paul the Farmer rolled his eyes at his group. "No point lookin round 'ere, let's settle down, find somethin soft, and kip for the night." He shrugged off his backpack which carried the all the bare essentials it could hold, and popped his spine with a groan. "Food chain these days is all outta whack I tell ye."

At the entrance, Melissa the Engineer boarded up the door with some convenient planks of wood, nails, and a hammer she carried everywhere. "Oughta keep them out. Phew. Bit cold in here isn't it?"

Melissa's daughter, Isla the six year old, stood in the middle of the art studio, eyes filled with wonder at all the creations. Clay sculptures of graceful torsos, pencil drawings of still lifes that looked more or less exactly like the sketches, completed oil paintings of landscapes hung on the wall next to colorful, abstract ones.

Isla spied a light still on behind a door to another room left slightly ajar. "I see a light, do you think someone lives here?"

All the adults tensed and raised their weapons, eyes peering in the direction Isla curiously tiptoed towards. Paul hissed at her to slow down, firmly grabbing her shoulder and pulling her back behind him as he stared ahead. The air was silent aside from the floorboard's weak groans that sounded like a sigh of relief at the return of humans gracing its surface.

Johnny tapped lightly on the door which opened without any creaks or spooky noises, and revealed a warm orange glow of a desk lamp. The desk was cluttered with tiny objects you would expect to see at much bigger sizes such as doors and furniture. Several drawers of multiple sizes surrounded and sat on the desk filled to the brim with paints, glue, craft knives and other materials. A single mug rested on a green cutting board with some stale coffee inside.

Isla squeaked in delight as she darted across the room. "Mommy! There's dollhouses here!"

Melissa strode towards her daughter, blinking in surprise when seeing there was in fact what appeared to be multiple dollhouses meticulously displayed in glass cases on many shelves.

"Some strange looking dollhouses," Ed said. "Why would a kid want to play with a dollhouse that looks like a swamp?" He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at the minature shack on stilts that sat atop fake greenery and resin water.

Paul chuckled. "And this ane's even got tiny critters from my farm! Now tell me that isnae just the spittin image of my wee goat." He tapped the glass of a mini farm with toy animals placed in the field.

"I think, uh..." Johnny clicked his fingers, brow furrowing. "I swear I remember... Ah well, I don't know the proper name of them but I've seen train sets that have these kind of things, do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah!" Melissa chirped. "This is how they used to make movie sets isn't it? Because back then they didn't have CGI to make places they couldn't afford to go to when filming."

"And humanity has reverted back to that time period." sighed Ed, who greatly missed his Friday night Star Wars rewatches with his friends. "Maybe even further back than that. Losing the internet was like losing the Library of Alexandria."

All of them wandered around the shelves to look at all the miniature sets. Mountains formed purely by plastic foam, a landscape of a picnic inside an open altoid tin, a greenhouse cluttered with plants no bigger than a pinkie finger. Some miniatures sat on the floor, the ones that were massive compared to the other sets yet still very tiny versions of medieval castles and gothic architecture.

Melissa stopped in front of a small library room that had holes in the ceiling with trees growing beneath them, books and furniture meticulously littered everywhere. Flashbacks to her days studying in her hometown's library filled her mind.

"This is what they thought the apocalypse would look like." she said, with tears welling up in her eyes. "They thought- they- they made art of stuff like this because they imagined it would look beautiful. How could they romanticise such disaster?"

Johnny walked up next to her, crouching down to see inside the library. "Hauntingly beautiful, maybe. I do remember certain types of people were fascinated with the idea of nature reclaiming the lands that humans built on."

"And that idea was dumb," said Paul. "Because now the deer are overpopulated and they destroyed the forests, and who knows what other animals are causing chaos without conservationists."

"There are pros and cons to everything that happens." Johnny replied. "But yes, it doesn't help that the handful of humans that are left don't know how to handle this... resurgence of nature."

Isla looked around, peering back through the door to the main room of the art studio. "This library dollhouse looks just like real life doesn't it? It's like we're little dolls too."

Melissa smiled sadly, stroking her daughter's hair. "It does put things in perspective." She hoped things would settle down enough for her to be able to teach Isla things she had learned in school at her age.

"The Earth is the size of a pinprick compared to the sun and we're all just ants in the grand scheme of things." Ed said, and one could guess he was trying to imagine how small he was compared to the Starkiller base.

Paul snorted. "But bigger than regular old ants and smart enough to put together nicknacks that make ladies cry." He nudged Melissa teasingly.

Eventually, the group finally realized that the lamp was connected to a solar powered generator with a back up of energy reserved and they attempted to recharge their walkie talkies. After a few near-electrocutions, they finally connected to a radio station broadcasting a rather laid back distress signal.

"This is DJ Smooth calling out to anyone, God, just anyone out there, from the abandoned military base in Alconbury. Been out here for uh, 3 months now, there's not been any zombie sightings for a while and I have been sooo bored. Come find me and we can hang out, maybe fight over my remaining supplies so I can remember how to feel something that isn't dissociation. Stay tuned after this music break for the co-ordinates to my location, and my heart. See ya soon cuties. Over."

Later that night everyone created some makeshift beds out of the cloths that had covered some artworks and easels, which Ed would repurpose at some point during their travels to make some new socks. They all lay on their backs in the dark, close to each other to conserve warmth. If there were any zombies outside they didn't hear them, only the rush of wind and rain pattering on the windows.

"Mommy," Isla whispered. "I liked the song that the man on the radio played."

"Yeah sweetie, I liked it too. It was... something from the 90's? I think? Probably not age appropriate but you didn't understand it so it's fine, I guess. Something funny to look back on one day."

Isla rolled over onto her stomach to look at her mom. "When we go back to Paul's farm I want to play the guitar we found."

"We can't go... Tell you what Isla, we'll go see the music man from the radio, and he'll help us cure the zombies, and then we can get everyone an instrument and all make music together."

"Yes! That's a good idea!"

"And we can do plays in theatres and make movies again." Ed added shyly.

"Movies that don't involve zombies and will make us forget this shitshow ever happened." Johnny sighed, unable to close his eyes and dreading the nightmares.

Paul growled and hushed the others, but then he said "Doesnae matter if zombies are out for us and we've got no artsy stuff, we can still sing."

They all sang Country Roads quietly (Isla could only sing the chorus yet sang with such sincerity), with gentle echoes of their melody bouncing off the walls of the art studio until they fell asleep.

The next day they left to find the military base and made up new songs along the way, with renewed and desperate hope that they might find a cure for the zombies someday soon.

The end.

[idumpyourgrass]

Always Waiting- Chapter Thirteen

Always Waiting- Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader

(I do not own gif!)

Always Waiting Masterlist

Summary: There’s some weird tension between Steve and Y/n, The plan is set into action, Y/n blurts out something crazy

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader

A/n: Tea is spilt in this chapter!! I’m so excited! We are nearing the end of this book, maybe 3-4 more chapters? But don’t worry, I’m already planning my next one! I hope you like this chapter! As always lmk if you want to be added to the taglist!

Warnings: Swearing, mention of guns, typos ofc

Word Count: 1.8k

“That keycard opens up the door,” Dustin explains, “but unfortunately, the person who has that keycard also has a massive gun.” He looks up at all of you.

“Whatever’s in those boxes, in that room, they really don’t want anyone to know about it.”

You groan hopping off the counter and moving towards the table, “there’s got to be a way in.”

“Well you know…” Steve starts, glancing up at you, “I could just take them out.”

You cross your arms, raising your eyebrows, “Take who out?”

“The Russian guard.” He looks around the room receiving unconvinced looks from you, Dustin and Robin. “What? I sneak up behind him, knock him out, and grab his keycard. It’s easy.”

You drag your hands down your face, “Oh my god.”

“Did you not hear the part about the massive guns?”

“Yeah, Dustin, I did. That’s why I’d be sneaking,” He moved his two fingers across the table.

“Oh!” You exasperated, throwing your hands up in disbelief.

“Steve, tell me, and be honest, have you ever actually won a fight?” Dustin asks.

“That was one time,”

“Twice actually, Jonathan, year prior?” You pointed out, “I witnessed you get the shit kicked out of you twice.”

“Who was the one who got knocked out last year? Oh wait that was you.” Steve pointed a finger towards you.

“I had to step in because you were getting your ass beat! What was I supposed to do? Just stand around and watch?” You took a step towards him.

“I had everything under control! Until you decided to try to be a hero or whatever.” He took a step towards you.

“Trying to be a hero? I was trying to help you!” Your voice was getting louder and louder and so was his.

“Yeah? Well I don’t need your help!”

“That’s funny cause it sure did look like it when he smashed that fucking plate over your head!” You and Steve both took a pause, trying to catch your breath. You looked up at Steve and realized how close you were, noses almost touching. You had completely forgotten Dustin and Robin were in the room until Dustin cleared his throat. Feeling the heat rise to your cheeks you quickly took a step back, keeping your eyes on the ground.

“That just might work,” Robin muttered running towards the tip jar, “What?” Robin reached in and grabbed all the money and took off running, “Robin! What are you doing?” You call after her, as you, Steve and Dustin run after her. “To find a way into the room, a safe way. And in the meantime, sling ice cream, and you and Steve behave!”

“Safe, I like that she said that. A safe way, one that won’t get us killed.” You shoot a glare towards Steve and head into the backroom.

*       *       *

“It’s amazing what 20 bucks will get you,” Robin rolls out blueprints for Starcourt mall, “At the county recorder’s office.” She takes out a pen and circles Scoops Ahoy, “This is us, Scoops,” she circles another part of the mall, “This is where we want to get.” You lean in, taking a closer look at the map. “I don’t really see a way in?” You observe.

“There’s not, unless you’re just thinking doors.”

“Airducts,” Dustin chimes in.

Robin nods then goes back to drawing on the map, making a line from Scoops to the door, “These airducts, lead all the way… here.”

You all four look up to the airduct.

“Who’s gonna take one for the team and climb through?” Steve asks pulling out the ladder.

“I can do it,” Dustin suggests. Steve unscrews the vent, “Yeah, man, I don’t think you can fit, it’s like super tight.”

“I can fit, no collar bones remember?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Robin snickered.

“Oh he has some disease, uhhhhh, chrydo…” Steve tries to remember the name.

“Cleidocranial dysostosis.” You correct him.

“Yeah, whatever, he can bend like gumbo.” He explains to Robin

“I think you mean Gumby,” You look up at Steve.

“No, it’s gumbo,” Steve argues.

“It’s most certainly not gumbo. It’s Gumby, with a Y.”

“Gumby? No it’s Gumbo.” You roll your eyes.

“Would you both just shut up? Steve push me.” Dustin yells from the vent. Steve gives Dustin a big push. While they are struggling to get Dustin in the vent, Erica Sinclair comes in for her daily samples. You look up at Steve and Dustin, then to Robin, who seems to have the same idea as you.

*     *     *

Steve slides a sundae for Erica onto the table.

“You see this?” Robin points to the map, “This is the route you’ll take. Then we just wait for the last delivery, then you’ll knock down the grate, hop down, open the door-“

“And then you’ll find out what’s in those boxes?” She looks at all four of you as you all nod. “And you say this guard is armed?”

“Yes, but he won’t be there,” you reassure her.

“You want my help? This USS Butterscotch better be the first of many, and I’m talking free Ice cream,” She locks eyes with you, “For life.”

*.      *.       *

The four of you waited on the mall’s roof for Erica.

“Are you nerds in position?” Erica asks over the walkie talkie.

“Yeah, we’re in position, you’ve got the green light,” you say.

“Green light, roger that. I’ll see you on the other side, nerds.”

You held your breath as you waited for Erica, hoping there wouldn’t be any guards you didn’t catch.

“I’m in,” Erica confirms.

“Oh, thank god,” you let out a shaky breath.

The door opens and Erica comes out, “Free ice cream. For life!” She yells.

You all make your way down to the loading dock and head through the door. Steve talks one of the boxes and opens it, steam rolls down the sides of the box, “Definitely not Chinese food,” Steve says.

“What is that?” You ask, looking down into the box.

“Maybe you guys should stand back,” Steve suggests. You, Erica, and Robin take a couple steps back.

“Dustin,” You try to grab his arm to move him back.

“Dustin get back,” Steve says, trying to push him.

“No! If you die, I die.”

Steve lifts up whatever was in the box to reveal a tube with some green liquid in it.

“What the hell?” You ask getting a closer look.

“What is that?” Erica asks.

You start to hear a rumbling noise, “Guys…?” The room starts to shake.

“Was that just me, or did the room move?” Dustin asks.

“Boobytraps,” Erica whispers.

“You know what? Let’s just grab that and go.” Robin takes the tube and you all head for the door, but before you can make it out, the door shuts.

Dustin rushes over to the panel of buttons and pushes the door open button, nothing happens. Uh oh.

“Uh, Erica, which one do I press?”

“Just push the damn button nerd!” Erica insists.

“Dustin just push the button, please!” You say, starting to panic.

Steve runs over and starts repeatedly pressing the button. Another set of doors close.

“Steve what did you do?” You yell.

“Nothing! I just pushed the button!”

The room shakes again and this time, it drops.

“Oh shit! We’re going down!” Steve yells.

“No shit Harrington!” You yell back.

Everyone starts screaming. You try to grab a hold of something in the state of panic. Steve reaches his hand out and without thinking you grab it, tight. You squeeze your eyes shut hoping the room will stop but it doesn’t, you fall for what feels like an eternity. Suddenly, the room stops, sending you all to the ground.

“Is everyone ok?” You groan, rubbing your head.

“Yeah, I’m great knowing that Russians can’t design elevators!” Steve shouts.

Dustin gets up and attempts to push the buttons again.

“I think we’ve established those buttons don’t work,” Erica says.

“They’re buttons, they have to do something.”

“Yeah, if we had a keycard,” You mumble, sitting up and leaning against the wall.

“What?” Dustin asks.

“The electronic keycard, same as the loading dock? We need it to get out.” You point to the key card scanner.

“Just so you nerds know, I’m supposed to be staying the night at Tina’s tonight, and Tina always covers for me but if I’m not at uncle Jack’s party tomorrow, my mom will hunt you down one by one and slit your throats.” Erica says.

Steve turns around, running his fingers through his hair, “I don’t care about Tina, or Uncle Jack’s party! Your mom won’t find us if we’re dead inside a Russian Elevator!” Steve snaps.

“Steve, knock it off,” you kick his leg with your foot.

“What if we climbed out?” Dustin points up towards the ceiling.

*     *     *

After discovering climbing out would be much harder than you thought, you all decided to sleep in shifts. You sat on top of the elevator lost in thought. You didn’t hear Steve come up and sit down right next to you.

“Hey,” he nudges your leg with his foot, “Whatcha thinking about?”

“Just thinking,” you say, staring off into space, “How do we always get ourselves into these situations?” You grinned, turning your head towards Steve. He looked right back at you.

“I have no idea, but I must say, we do make a pretty badass duo,” he smirked. He moved his gaze down to his feet, “I’m sorry for being such an asshole, I just, I just don’t know how to act around you.” He admits. “Like, I want to be friends, I do, but then I get scared that I’m going to lose you again, so I just think if I’m not friends I have nothing to lose, does that make sense?” He rambles. You just nod. A comfortable silence falls between you two. You sit up and turn to face Steve.

“You know what? Let’s make a promise. No matter what kind of shit gets thrown our way, we are not leaving each other’s lives again. We have gone through too much shit together to just throw away our whole relationship.”

“We have to pinky promise, or else you might break it,” Steve says holding out his pinky. You lock your pinkies.

“Unless I get killed by an evil Russian, I will keep my promise,” you say, leaning back against the wall.

“Hey what did I tell you? I’m not letting anything happen to either of you, or to Robin and Erica.”

“Oh yeah? When did you become such a badass?” You teased.

“When the sailor suit comes on, I’m a changed man,” Steve gestures down to his outfit.

This sends you into a fit of giggles. You turn and look at Steve, studying his side profile. He turns and smiles at you. You can’t stop yourself from blurting out.

“I love you,” Oh god no, you did not mean to say that. You clasp a hand over your mouth

Steve’s smile dropped, “W-what?” He stutters.

“You hide your face with your hands, “Oh my god why did I say that?”

“Y/n I-“

“I’m gonna go, uh, in the elevator, now, to check on everyone, Dustin,” You trip over your feet as you try to stand up.

You hop down into the elevator leaving Steve bewildered.

Jesus Christ why did you say that?

Taglist:

@loulouloueh​ @nighttwingg​ @l0ve-0f-my-life​ @labrujaprincess​ @welcomethefears​ @metuel18​ @polynesianmayo​ @readinthegarden12​ @alafolieee​ @yoheyyosup​ @loco-latte​ @daddystevee​ @hannarudick​ @gertenbert​ @70sgubler​ @used-avocado​ @ggclarissa​ @alonewolfsblog​ @phoebethepheebs​ @random-thoughts-003​ @red-2-0​ @m-blasterrr​ @blueberrylemontea-fanfic​

[nochuuuenthusiast]

manicure

hi everyone! sorry for some delays regarding posts... i’ve been super busy but i’m back with another anon request for a scenario for the dad!jk series. right now, i’m trying to post as many request posts as i can since i have so many of them in my inbox, but yes, requests are still open! so feel free to request something if you want :) and yeah, have a lovely day!

also, here’s a link to my masterlist 

anon request: Could you do a scenario for the dad!jk series where his daughter paints his nails? It could be like he fell asleep or she asks him if she can paint them. I just think that would be so cute🥺💘

genre: fluff

pairing: jungkook x reader 

rating: pg ; warning(s): none 

 word count: 1560

*(y/d/n) = your daughter’s name

Click. You did it. It unlocked. 

The small, blinking green light on top of the digital door lock indicated your success. 

After unsuccessfully putting in the passcode to your door because of the groceries in your arms that were blocking your vision, you were finally here: home. You arrived at your apartment after picking up your daughter from preschool and going grocery shopping for another week’s supply of food... after your constantly ravenous husband and daughter seemed to deplete the food source within a few days. 

Right as you unlocked the door, your daughter, (y/d/n), rushed into the apartment and went straight to the living room, where some of her stuffed animals and dolls were laid messily. Treading behind your daughter’s steps, you went to the kitchen to set your groceries down and looked around the apartment, seeing if Jungkook was anywhere to be found. Because he wasn’t lazily watching some television on the living room sofa or playing games on his computer with his headphones in, you assumed he wasn’t home yet. 

Walking into your shared bedroom to change into some comfortable clothes before preparing dinner, your eyes grew wide, surprised to see Jungkook sleeping on the bed, small snores escaping his mouth. 

I thought he was coming home late today...

Jungkook was exhausted.

After a full week’s worth of back-to-back schedules, all he wanted to do was go home and go straight to sleep... so that he could hibernate and escape from all of the responsibilities that came with being an idol. Jungkook and his members had been promoting for their new album and because their schedule was tight from the upcoming tour, they were completely booked and it was getting harder for you to even see him on the weekdays. So it made sense that you walked in on a sleeping husband... limbs oddly sprawled out across the bed with a little bit of drool coming out of the right side of his half-opened mouth, pooling around the edge of his pillow. 

Although it saddened you to see him so tired from the workload, it was quite amusing to witness this odd sleeping position that you’d never seen him display before: his legs were folded in a criss-cross formation and it seemed like he didn’t even bother to cover himself with the blanket. Smiling to yourself, you wondered how he managed to sleep so peacefully without feeling any discomfort. One of his arms was on his side while the other arm was hanging off the side of the bed... and that was when you got an idea.

You walked into the living room to convince your daughter to join you in the commencement of your little prank; (y/d/n) was sitting in the middle of the living room, hunched over as her small hands gripped a bunny stuffed animal that Jungkook had won for her in a local carnival a few years back. 

“(y/d/n)-ah~, where did you put the nail polish you got from school?” 

Your genius idea stemmed from the conversation that you and your daughter had in the car after you picked her up from preschool; she explained how her friend gave all the girls nail polish as a “party favor” for her extravagant mermaid birthday celebration at school. At the time, you didn’t think much of it... knowing that your daughter loved to ramble on and tell you about her day at school, but after seeing Jungkook sound asleep with his hand hang off of the edge of the bed, you knew exactly how (y/d/n)’s party favor would come in handy.

You could already imagine Jungkook’s pout once he glanced at his nails and found bright, hot pink and orange splotches of nail polish on them. It had been a while since you had pranked your husband... especially since you were both constantly busy trying to balance out work and taking care of your daughter, so you thought that it would be funny to start your own prank war. 

Your daughter ran up to you with her fists clenching her tiny school bag, and revealed its contents as she spilled the small containers of nail polish on the floor, already enjoying the mischievous joke she’d be playing on her dad. You shushed your overexcited daughter, indicating that if she didn’t stay quiet, the plan would be ruined. As (y/d/n) took the hint and covered her mouth, trying her best to keep quiet, you took the bottles of nail polish in one hand and held your daughter’s hand in the other as you led her down the hallway, and into the master bedroom.

(y/d/n) tiptoed across the room and approached the bed slowly, praying that Jungkook wouldn’t wake up; you smiled as you saw how enthusiastic your daughter seemed to be to paint Jungkook’s nails... once she reached the edge of the bed where Jungkook’s hand hung, she grinned and faced you, indicating for you to come to the bed. Once you crouched down next to (y/d/n), you opened the pink bottle of nail polish, with the brush at hand, ready to smear it across his nails. And once you handed your daughter the other opened bottle of nail polish, there was no stopping her. She giggled as she painted his thumb and index finger while you painted his pinkie and ring finger, excited to see her dad’s reaction. But it was when (y/d/n) got too a bit too excited when she slid her nail polish brush against one of Jungkook’s fingers that he started to stir.

Your daughter’s eyes grew wide, scared that Jungkook would wake up and catch you in the act; so she jumped to her feet and abandoned the mission by quickly running out of the room. And not soon after, you scurried out of the room yourself, not wanting to ruin the glorious work that you had half-completed. And with that, you were back in the living room with your daughter in your embrace as you giggled together, relieved that your plan was successful. 

You were sitting on the dining table with your glasses on as you read your book while waiting for your soup to finish simmering before dinner was served. (y/d/n) was also reading one of her many picture books, trying to comprehend the story’s narrative as she sat next to you with her eyebrows furrowed, indicating her immense concentration. 

It was then when you heard Jungkook’s feet shuffling through the hallway, that you and your daughter exchanged glances, ready to see the confused look on Jungkook’s face when he noticed the paint splotches on his nails. 

You looked back down at your book, trying to act as serious as possible so that you wouldn’t give anything away. 

Jungkook’s hair was messy with his shirt half untucked and half tucked from the way he turned in his sleep; his eyes were also half open as he scratched the top of his head and rubbed his eyes as he approached the two of you in the dining room. You daughter got out of her seat to give him a big hug and being the loving father that he was, he took her in his embrace, lifting her up in his arms as a smile appeared on his lips. 

“How was school, love?” he asked in his raspy voice, still not fully awake from his long nap. 

Your daughter couldn’t help but giggle as she glanced at the bright pink and orange nails that her resting near her side. Confused by her sudden laughter, Jungkook decided not to question it and put her down instead in order to let her continue reading her book. 

He then approached you from behind, as he collapsed his body weight onto your shoulders in a lazy bag hug. You peered up at him as you removed your glasses, amazed at how after all these years you were still fond of his looks even when he just woke up from his slumber.

“Hey,” he said shortly, under his breath. 

“Hi.” 

His kissed your cheek and then the tip of your nose, showing you the affection that he hadn’t been showing you for the past few weeks as a result of the busy schedule. 

“You notice anything?” you inquired.

Your daughter was red from holding her laughter, and you smirked as you stared at the hands that were encasing your frame. 

His eyebrows furrowed, still confused about what you were saying; and it was when he decided to follow your eyes and looked down at his hands that a smile appeared on his face. He unwrapped himself from the embrace and faceplanted into his palms, realizing how ridiculous he looked with such flamboyant nails. 

(y/d/n) was exploded with laughter, finding the whole situation hilarious. Jungkook leaned back down towards your ear and smirked. 

“Oh, you’re sooooo on...” You glanced back at him with a nonchalant look on your face, knowing that you had just initiated a prank war with your husband. 

“And you...” he said, turning to your daughter, “are also gonna pay for what you did...” And with that, he ran off, chasing your daughter around the apartment as her shrieks filled the air... making this another typical yet memorable day for the Jeons. 

[mikaa-mina]

At Garden’s Edge- Ch3 Dead Plants and Memes

Beta read by Tarek_giverofcookies

At Garden’s Edge

Chapter 3- Dead Plants and Memes

“You know,” Crowley drawled with his chin in his hand, elbow braced on the register counter as they both stared down at the 5th dead plant Aziraphale had brought back to the shop, “I’d probably give you a discount for bringing the pots back if I didn’t know it was because you kept murdering my plants.”

“My plants, you mean,” Aziraphale corrected, trying to distract them both from the fact that this was the fifth, the fifth!, plant he’d killed.

Crowley tipped his head to the side, a sly tilt to his grin as he looked straight at Aziraphale from behind those dark glasses. “Do I?” he challenged, a hint of a purr to his voice that sent a shiver down Aziraphale’s spine and gave him a feeling that he was perhaps missing something.

“Well, of course,” he insisted, “I did buy it after all.”

He peered at Crowley trying to figure out that feeling and a hint of awareness of... of something but before he could figure it out Crowley’s grin tripped into an amused smile and he shoved himself to standing, palms flat on the counter.

“Right. Victim #6.”

“Excuse me?” Aziraphale’s mouth turned down, offended as much as he was embarrassed but before he could continue on Crowley snorted, gave a dismissive wave and claimed, “teasing, teasing,” and sauntered out from behind the counter to prowl the isles of his shop.

“Well, still!” Aziraphale insisted, trailing after the ginger and worrying the ring around his pinky finger, back and forth, back and forth, “that was terribly-”

“-Rude?” Crowley supplied with a glance back at him over his shoulder, grin terribly bright.

Aziraphale huffed. “-Inconsiderate. Honestly. It’s not as if I mean to kill them Crowley,” he rushed on when Crowley turned around, mouth open to say something, “or feel good about killing them!”

Crowley shut his mouth, twisting it back and forth as if he was literally chewing over his words as he watched Aziraphale in that particular way that made him think he was seeing far more than just Aziraphale’s physical form.

Crowley finally settled on a soft “I know” before abruptly turning on his heel to march towards a purple leafed plant and carrying on in a much lighter tone, “Alright! What about a gorgeous Elephant Ear?”

Aziraphale just watched him for a moment, feeling something else in his chest and a slow wonderment over how very many sides Crowley seemed to have and just how well hidden they all were but the one he chose to front.

Perhaps that quiet admission would have meant nothing or not all that much to someone else, but Aziraphale was used to a lot of his own particulars being brushed aside and yet Crowley hadn’t. The man had been honestly teasing most likely but when it hit a nerve he had paused, looked, addressed it, then moved on to keep from making Aziraphale more uncomfortable. So it hadn’t looked like much, a brush off, a stumble in conversation perhaps, if not for that soft tone of voice. The careful eye contact. The pause.

Aziraphale had nearly thirty years of reading every minutia people revealed in situations more perilous  than this one and even with leaving that life, the skill and passive use of it hadn’t faded. So he noticed it all. Noticed that the loud mouth Crowley, prone to bluster, cutting wit, and dramatics, had decided to stop and be understanding, soft even, for just a moment.

Crowley was still prattling on about the plant, seemingly a touch nervously now.

Ah. He hadn’t yet responded had he? How terribly rude to leave the dear hanging like that after such a kindness. A kindness he hadn’t had anything to gain by.

Perhaps he was still so used to the cruelty of the life he left behind and that was why that small kindness had surprised him and meant so much at the same time.

Crowley picked up the pot and turned to face Aziraphale finally, somewhat half hidden by the plant.

“So. What do y’think?”

Aziraphale smiled terribly fond and reached out to gently run his fingers across a leaf.

“It’s lovely.”

“Ngk.”

-

“You are ridiculous.”

Crowley scowled at the computer screen, knowing that even while being on the other side of the internet that Anathema would be able to tell. “Am not. Shuddup. Are you gonna help me or not?”

She cackled. “With this quest? Sure!” And as if to prove the point, she hexed the monster that had spawned behind them while they were talking and began attacking them.

Crowley groaned, “no you witch,” she laughed and he ignored it, “with the book.”

“For your problem customer? God you really are being ridiculous, just ask him out already.”

Crowley groaned in real life while simultaneously eliminating three more of the threats in their game AlwaysWinter. “Not everything is about that Anathema.”

He could hear her eye roll. “Whatever you say, you closeted romantic. This cave’s clear. Which way?”

“Left. The boss’s right and once we beat him we wont be able to come back.”

They continued for a while, just clearing the remaining monsters and looting the dungeon’s branches, chattering about the game or Anathema’s day. Then as they made their way back to the final cave with the boss and it’s goons, Anathema asked. “What is it about then?”

“What’s what about?”

“Oh don’t play dumb, it doesn’t suit you.”

Crowley snorted.

“Crowley.”

He groaned. “Fine. Whatever.” He was silent for a moment, staring unseeing at the boss as they came to a stop just outside of the entrance of the cave. A few more steps and they’d trigger the boss battle and he wouldn’t have to talk.

She’d never let it go if he did that. She’d just hound him as soon as they were done. At least this way, he could just blurt something out and then start the boss battle after she got one line in and maybe the conversation would be dropped after that.

He sighed. “It’s just- he’s, ugh.. this is dumb- ridiculous.”

“Is not.”

“Of course you wouldn’t think it is. You just want blackmail material on me.”

She laughed. “As if I don’t have enough of that already. You’re stalling flower boy.”

He groaned. He didn’t like this. Or he did. It was hard to tell anymore. Was it freeing to be more honest, more vulnerable with someone you could trust? Or was it bloody terrifying?

“He’s ridiculous, fussy, funny, kind, and a bit of a bastard. I just- I’d- I fucking hate this. I just want to befriend him. Is that good enough for you?”

Maybe he was a bit more aggressive than warranted at the end there but Anathema didn’t say anything, just was quiet for a moment. Just as the anxiety was starting to itch beneath his skin at the thought of having pissed her off, she softly said “you really are sweet Anthony.”

“I am not! I shouldn’t have told you- I’m-”

“-yes yes, you’re scary and mean. What I mean is that’s really sweet. You should have more friends and I think it’s sweet that you want to befriend him.”

“Feel like a bloody high schooler saying it like that.” He complained, dragging his hands down his face  in exasperation, careful not to dislodge the headset he was wearing. Two months of sporadic meetings with the man and he still hadn’t figured out a way to befriend him or make it all sound normal in his head.

In a mocking ‘there, there’ kind of tone Anathema cheerfully added, “and you’re just as bad at it as one!”

“Are you ready to start the boss battle?” He asked a touch desperately, trying valiantly to move past all of this.

“Oh fine, you big ba- CROWLEY What the hell are you doing?!”

“I’m not doing anyt-” his indignant tone spluttered to a halt as he dragged his hands away from his face to look up at his screen just in time to see his character charging in through at least three groups of minions and heading straight towards the boss.

“Just because you want to run away from your feelings DOESN’T MEAN LITERALLY RUN STRAIGHT INTO THE BOSS BATTLE YOU-”

There’s a weightless moment where the blood in his veins freezes, his heart trips on the next beat, and his mind throws itself into a figure eight of panic trying to figure out who found him. And then Warlock’s symbol pops up on his screen, three sixes connected by the stems to make a looping circle figure, and then Warlock’s voice itself hacks into their voice chat yelling “LEEEEEEROY JENKINS!” and all of the breath Crowley was holding rushes out in choked off laugh.

“Who the-” Anathema starts but Crowley cuts her off because he can’t help the feeling of pride that just swelled, “my little hellion! You’re getting better- you didn’t even set off any of my firewalls this time.” Not a peep, and that wasn’t easy to do, Warlock really was getting better in leaps and bounds.

“Little hellion?” Anathema mutters lowly, thinking, as Crowley finds all of his control over the computer is stripped away. The mouse, the keyboard, everything but the voice chat left open for him to still communicate with them. He’s pulling out his laptop when she goes, “oh! So this is one of the kids!”

“Not a kid!” Warlock retorts, offended, and this is good, good, because he’s distracted allowing Crowley some more element of surprise.

“Oh? How old are you then?”

“Sixteen!”

“Sixteen? Who taught you Leeroy Jenkins?!”

“Nanny did!”

Bewildered, Anathema disbelievingly repeats, “Nanny?!”

He’s not going to try and retake control over his desktop computer, a hacking tug-o-war over it would be fun but--

“Oi! Do not kill my character Warlock!”

“Well hurry up and take back control of your computer! You’re getting slow in your old age, Nanny.”

“Slow?! Are you telling me you can’t keep a simple character-” now surrounded and being beat on by no less than twelve minions and a boss “-from dying for five minutes? Some gamer you claim to be.”

His character’s health is dropping dangerously low and it keeps getting stunned and really Crowley needs to look away and focus on getting past Warlock’s firewalls, which have gotten better, good boy, “and don’t think I didn’t notice you not helping Anathema!”

She laughs, “I’m just enjoying the show, Nanny.”

At the same time Warlock and Crowley both make noises of objection to that.

“-guh-wah-Anathema!”

“Hey!! Only I get to call Nanny that!”

“Okay, okay!” She backs off with a bemused laugh, “can’t say I expected that.”

“Full of surprises, me.” Crowley snarked back, half distracted by hacking into Warlock’s computer and yet unable resist sassing back.

“Why are you guys playing this lame game anyways?”  Warlock broke in impatiently, trying to hide the fact that no matter how fast he’s picking up the controls and powers, he might be too late to save Crowley’s character from an unfortunate death.

“Because he doesn’t have enough friends to play dnd with.”

“Excuse you! Where are all of your friends to play dnd with, witch girl?”

“Oh my godddd that’s even lamer!”

“Oh as if you didn’t pick the standard tiefling warlock the first time you played, little hellion.”

“Nanny!! How do you even know about that?!”

Anathema’s cackling in the background is the perfect soundtrack for this moment. He hits the last key and lets the grin take over his face as he seizes control of Warlock’s computer at home. “You had your first game online.”

“You spied on me?!”

“Nah. As soon as I figured it was dnd I buggered off, didn’t want interrupt your game with one of our wars.” Crowley paused, finally figuring out just what was in Warlock’s tone just then, “oh? Wait- did you do something embarrassing that I should find out about?”

“No!!”

That was a yes then. Oh what-

“God take back your character already Nanny!”

“Eh, I’ve got something better.”

“Wait- crap-”

“Language-”

“As if! Just- wait before you shut my computer down!”

“...alright. What?”

“My dad’s got this thing coming up and I may have left your business card with him.”

“May have?”

“Okay fine. I definitely left it. And probably forged a promotional email from you to him.”

“Warlock!”

“It’s fine! I swear it’s fine!”

As reassuring as that was, Crowley was still digging through the boy’s hard-drive looking for the evidence, “you don’t even have my business card.”

“Noooo,” he drew out, “but, uh, it wasn’t hard to recreate. Not sure if I got the right paper but dad doesn’t really notice that kind of thing anyways.” A muttered, barely heard, “he doesn’t notice anything really.”

Crowley found it finally and took a moment to sit and look at it. Surprisingly, it was done really well. It matched his business card and website and could, actually, look like a real email from his business. If he was the sort to keep up with emailing. Newsletters were a bit out dated for him and honestly, most emails like that tended to be entirely too annoying to read so he figured he wasn’t loosing out on too much business that way. Though it would ring as more legitimate for his business to have both to a rich snob like Warlock’s unfortunate father.

He’d been quiet too long evidently, because Warlock’s voice came through less confidently than usual as he asked, “was that not alright?”

He probably only meant well, and, well, it’s not like Crowley couldn’t use the business.

“Nah, it’s fine. You did a really good job on the email, almost looks like I could have sent it myself.”

He could practically hear both the relief and eyeroll over the headset from Warlock. “If you ever sent emails you mean.”

“Eh. Outdated. Anyways, when’s this event? Hold on- does this say- it says I’ll set up and arrange the flowers on site!”

“Uhhh… Yeah?”

Crowley groaned, “no no, I’ll figure it out. ‘s just a pain to do by myself.”

Anathema, sensing a weak point, jumped in, “maybe you should hire someone to help you out at the shop then.”

Crowley groaned, “not this again Ana...”

“Don’t call me Ana and yes this again. I don’t understand why you feel the need to work yourself to the bone in that place by yourself.”

“I’ll call you Ana all I want if you’re gonna keep beating this dead horse. I don’t trust anyone else with the plants! Some of them are delicate and I don’t need any clumsy fingered dolts bruising them or-”

“-or harming them or blah blah blah, just get someone to help you transport them then! Or just run the cash register and not touch the plants!”

Crowley groaned.

“Yeeeah, I’m gonna go now,” said Warlock, the son of two parents who didn’t really get along and often fought.

“Ah, shit, sorry Warlock. Not a real fight, just a...”

“disagreement,”

“Dissagreement. We’ve been through this debate a hundred times and Ana doesn’t know when to stop-”

“-Only because you don’t know when to give in!”

“Anyway! It’s after 11pm on a school night, shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“Well you see-”

“Goodnight little hellion!”

“No- wait!”

A moment of silence and then Anathema asked, “did you just shut down his computer?”

Crowled hummed a deviant agreement before adding, “and all his lights and phone.”

She was quiet for a moment. “That really is evil.”

“Eh. The phone’ll reboot in an hour and he knows how to unlock his computer- hey- wait a minute! When did my character die?!”

He stared mournfully at his dead character, had a moment of silence for his lost exp, and tried not to feel more betrayal at Anathema’s character hiding in the entrance of the cave than the boss and its minions standing over his dead body.

Anathema laughed.

[caffeinated-mendes]

Cozy Nights - Peter x MJ

masterlist

word count: 2k

summary:  A little one-shot where Peter Parker tries to get into reading to share a hobby with his girlfriend, MJ. (I used some referencing to Fahrenheit 451 and quoted Green Eggs and Ham, but I do not own the rights to these books! Just know that the plot they discuss is from the wonderful mind of Ray Bradbury and the book they read to Morgan is from Dr. Seuss!)

a/n:  I love how MJ is always reading a book in the background of scenes she's not directly in, especially in Homecoming. I thought it would be cute to write a one-shot where Peter reads her favorite books and has conversations about them with her. This kind of was unexpected, but it turned into Morgan, MJ, and Peter fluff, but I tried to tie it back in with reading Green Eggs and Ham to Morgan :) I just loved the Morgan part too much I couldn't let it go! I had to pull out my fifteen year old copy of Green Eggs and Ham, so I hope you enjoy, cause it took some digging to write the end. Comments and likes are always appreciated!

warnings: none

*if you prefer, you can read this on my ao3

The creak of the door and shuffle of shoes on the doormat of MJ’s apartment alerted her that her boyfriend, Peter Parker, had made it home from his classes. Curled up on her sofa under a blanket, MJ didn’t move. The book in her hands had taken almost all her focus and right now, and she didn’t care that the boy she’d been waiting for to come over all day was here. “MJ?” Peter’s voice sounded from the kitchen.

“I’m in the living room,” she’d said, reading on. MJ moved her eyes from the page as Peter took her blanketed torso and sat beneath it, laying her head on his lap. MJ turned the page to her book, feeling his fingers running through her hair, massaging her scalp. Peter wore jeans and hoodie and his hair had curled more than normal on this day. MJ guessed it was more humid outside than usual, but she didn’t know for sure, she’d been inside all day. 

“‘Missed you today.” Peter’s voice was light, a soft, tender sound. “What are you reading?”

“Mmh, some book I found on sale,” MJ replied, taking her eyes from the page at last to look at Peter’s brown ones, “It’s about Spain. Did you know that instead of the tooth fairy there’s a tooth rat? I’m pretty sure they have the same job, though. How was class today?”

“Okay. I got to leave a little early though. I had lunch with Pepper and Morgan.” MJ put her book on the coffee table in front of her and settled herself back into Peter’s lap as he resumed playing with her hair. “Morgan wants to come over sometime. I told her whenever she wants, we’ll pick her up from school and spend the afternoon with her.”

MJ smiled, “I love that kid. She’s so funny and doesn’t take shit from anyone.”

“Kinda like you.” Peter laughed as MJ hit him, but she was completely in agreeance of the statement.

“Off topic, but you’re the best person to ask,” Peter watched as MJ raised her eyebrows, “I have to write a book analysis for my English class, and I don’t know what to read. Can I borrow a book from you?” MJ stood up from the couch, and giddily got up to her bookshelf lining the wall adjacent of the TV.

MJ began taking multiple books off the shelf, “I’ll make a little pile of my favorites that you can pick from. You don’t have much time, being Spider-Man and all, so I’ll have to limit it to under three hundred pages or over three hundred, but with a big font and pictures.” Peter felt a little juvenile after that comment, but continued watching her. Placing a great stack of nearly ten books down on the coffee table, Peter sat up in his seat. Some looked old, some new, but all were in pristine condition. MJ never cracked the spines of her books, wrote in them, or even dog-earred the pages. 

“Uh, okay,” Peter chuckled. “Wait. I’ve got a great idea. I always feel bad for never being able to talk to you about books, because I only read Star Wars. So what if I read all of these?” Peter seemed very excited by this, which only made MJ even more excited.

“Peter. I’ve been dating you for four and a half years and never, not even once, have I seen you read more than one book.” MJ smirked, putting a hand on her hip. She looked very judgy, with her hair tucked behind her ears and straightened stance.

Peter crossed his arms and scoffed from the couch, “Well, I definitely have read more than one book, other than Star Wars, alright? You know what? I’m gonna read one of these books a week, so you should expect that in…” Peter quickly counted the stacks, “Eight weeks, I will be finished with all of these, and be able to have a versatile conversation about each of these with you.” Peter took the stack of books and laid them out on the coffee table. There were several different genres for each of the books, all containing some dark undertone: Frankenstein, Fahrenheit 451, The Help, The Book Thief, The Hate U Give, Animal Farm, Little Women, and The Hitchhiker. “Which should I start with?”

MJ walked back over to Peter and took a seat next to him on the couch. Handing him a smaller book, he read the front cover. Fahrenheit 451. Peter had remembered having to read the same book his freshman year, but couldn’t be bothered to pay attention in class when the teacher read it. Reading his mind, MJ said, “I know you probably had to read this in school, but I know if you did you don’t remember it. It’s really good, actually, Ray Bradbury had this insane mind. He was so creative and he honestly predicts so many things happening in the book that actually came true now. I think if you like it, do your analysis on this.” MJ tapped the cover, and Peter opened it up, reading the first page. 

MJ stacked the books back up, and took her own, settling herself back onto his lap as Peter gnawed on his lip, entranced in the pages. She smiled to herself, glad to show someone the world of literature that she adored. It seemed like something she could get used to, the steady rise and fall of Peter’s chest as he held a book in front of him, reading over her head. The silence was nice, to be laying with him and to feel the warmth next to her as they both enjoyed each other’s presence. 

An hour later, MJ had gotten up to make the two of them tea. Her bare feet touched the cold tile, desperate to get back on the couch and under the blanket. As the kettle was placed on the stove and she searched her cupboards for chamomile and mint tea (Peter only drank mint tea, no other kind) Peter called from the living room, “So is Clarisse into Montag, or are they just friends? And did she really die? Cause that’s just random if she did!”

MJ placed the mugs onto the counter, setting a tea bag inside each. “No, Clarisse is a teenager, and Montag’s like thirty-something. And Clarisse’s death wasn’t random. Think about what Millie said, and Beatty, too. Why was that significant?”

“I dunno- wait! Isn’t that what motivates Montag to question Beatty after Clarisse got him to think about their society and all that stuff in the first place? Because Mildred doesn’t question it, ‘cause she’s obviously brainwashed.” MJ snorted at the last comment, and made her way back to the living room.

“You’re catching on, Parker, remember that for your analysis.” Leaning over him, she lifted his chin with her fingertips, pecking them before sitting back down. 

Peter placed his book on his lap, holding his page. “That’s all I get? Just one kiss?” He made a pout as MJ settled herself back onto the couch.

“Read ten more pages and you’ll get another.”

-

Every week passed with Peter visiting MJ like normal, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. College at this point had caught up to the both of them and that was all the time they could really squeeze in between classes, jobs, Spider-Man, and other social activities with other friends or family. 

But every time Peter came over he came with whichever book he was reading, and he had kept up with his promise. He was on his sixth book, with only The Book Thief and The Help left unread. This brought great pleasure to MJ, as whenever Peter came over, they’d read for sometimes over an hour before Peter wanted to cuddle and watch their TV show together. Spider-Man had not been neglected, but people had taken pictures of him sitting around the city, whether that be on the train or a park bench surrounded by pigeons reading.  Peter still surveyed the area for hooligans and thieves.

MJ had felt great pride to hear that Peter had gotten a 93% on his English analysis, and the professor had even written a note on the side of the page that said that Peter had ‘stripped back each layer of this story’ and even ‘revealed themes that are often not mentioned.’ That same day was Peter, MJ, and Morgan’s monthly hang-out day/sleepover, so after the great news was revealed, the two of them got on the subway to make their way upstate.

The Stark’s house was unlike all of Tony and Pepper’s past residences, because this one felt like a home. It was lived in, by all the pictures on the walls and scratches on the furniture and even Morgan’s drawings on the refrigerator. When Peter stepped in it, though, it gave him a bitter taste in the back of his mouth. In every room, he saw Tony. In the living room, he’d be on the couch, drinking whiskey. In the kitchen, kissing Pepper. In the basement, working on hologram-blueprints. In the hallway, carrying Morgan to bed. He took a deep breath, remembering that MJ’s hand was in his and everything would be okay. He’d see Tony again one day.

Little thunks on the wooden staircase came sounding into the living room as Pepper called Morgan from the living room. “Thanks for bringing her back here after school to get her toys. She wouldn’t leave without ‘em.” Pepper smiled to the two of them, and MJ told her it was no problem. A big flurry of pink and blue came running into Peter’s arms and MJ watched as he propped Morgan on his hip, cheeky smiles coming from the both of them. “I was waiting all day to see you, Peter!” Morgan poked her pinky finger into his cheek.

“Me too, Morgan! Where do you wanna go with MJ and me today?” MJ watched the two of them. Peter seemed like he was free, everything looming on his mind was gone once he had the three of them together. She knew that Peter was like a big brother to Morgan, and she loved seeing how they interact, and how much they taught one another. Morgan reached from MJ’s hand, taking her fingers and twisting them into hers from Peter’s grasp.

She grinned, “The bookstore.” Pepper had returned from the kitchen with some packed up snacks for the way back to Queens.

“Ah, yes, she’s been really into reading lately,” Pepper grinned, eyeing MJ.

“So has Peter. He’s read six books in the past two months.” MJ smirked at Peter, who frowned at the comment.

Pepper scoffed,“You’re kidding.”

-

The three of them had a tiring day of playing in the living room with fake Avengers props and having multiple rounds of hide and go seek among MJ’s apartment. Peter had put on his Spider-Man mask, MJ had Thor’s hammer, and Morgan had brought her own Iron Man mask, which made MJ’s heart hurt in a way nothing else could. 

As the sky darkened and the moon shone through the windows, they had ended up in MJ’s bed, with Morgan in between her and Peter. “Can we read my story now?” She asked. Peter was propped up against the headboard, Morgan’s head on his chest and legs on MJ’s lap. 

“Sure.” MJ replied, and reached over to her nightstand, grabbing the small picture book and turning on her lamp, making the room just a bit brighter. “���That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I-am!” The earned a little giggle from Morgan, leaning over a bit closer to MJ to look at the pictures. Later on, “‘Would you like them in a house? Would you like them with a mouse?’

“‘Say! I like green eggs and ham!’” MJ continued on with her little voice that sounded a bit like Mickey Mouse and a chipmunk combined, “‘I do so like green eggs and ham! Thank you! Thank you! Sam-I-am!” When this got no response, MJ turned her head to see that the two of them had fallen asleep, nestled under the covers. Closing the book and putting it back on her nightstand, she turned off the lamp, and moved to put her arm of the two of them. In what felt like seconds, she fell asleep.

[somethinginthewayiam]

PRESSing matters (Part 8)

Pairing: Ben x reader

Warnings: none

Words: 1905

Summary: You are finally at the Oscars, watching from the greenroom with most of the cast as the movie wins one Oscar after the other. But you’re so hungry that, when you all waited outside for the car, almost bite Joe’s arm off when he suddenly appears with a doughnut in his hand...

Previous chapter: Part 7

You rode over to the Dolby Theatre in two cars. Pam rode with Rami, Lucy, Allen and his wife Jessica and you shared the car with Gwil, Joe and, of course, Ben. While Gwil sat in the front seat next to the driver, you shared the back seat, sitting between Ben and Joe.

Now that you got closer to the red carpet, you felt more nervous than ever. Although you would just stay on the side or walk behind the cast during the interview section, you really hoped and prayed that you would not trip over you own feet and fall flat on the red carpet. Maybe you would blend in by wearing the red dress if you just didn’t move until everybody was gone.

You jiggled your foot while in thoughts. “Please stop”, Ben said and put his hand on your knee to stop you. “You’re making me nervous”, he said. Not only for you was it the biggest event of your career tonight. “You’re making all of us nervous”, Joe commented, who was evenly unnerved by your jiggling. Before you could say something, your stomach growled loudly in the car, making Gwil turning his head to the back of the car.

“And hungry”, Joe added with a chuckle. “I’m sorry, I haven’t eaten all day”, you explained and folded your hands in your lap. “Does that mean you’re going to be really fun as soon as we got the first glass of champagne in you?”, Joe asked with an excited glimpse in his eyes. “Well, if I don’t get something to eat first, I’m going to be a cheap drunk, that’s for sure”, you exhaled loudly and twisted your fingers.

“Excuse me, we have arrived”, the driver announced and stopped the car. Showtime!

“Alright fellas, listen up”, you said back in your PR headspace. Gwil turned around in his seat and was now facing the three of you. “These are the Oscars and we’re going to have a blast, but first, you need to survive the red carpet. Smiles up, backs straight, be funny, but no shenanigans. Looking at you Mazzello”, you said to the side. Joe commented with an eyeroll. “You know the drill. BoRhap on three”, you exclaimed and put your hand in the middle. The guys put their hands on yours just like you had done before every big press event in the past five months. It had become sort of your thing together. Usually Rami and Lucy would be there too.

“One, two, three, BoRhap”, the four of you said together, bouncing your hands up and down. Then the guys got out of the car. The wall of sound that hit you as soon as they opened the car doors was deafening. But what surprised you even more was Ben’s extended hand to help you out of the car. You scooted over, anxious of keeping your legs together as you swung them out of the back of the car. You reached out, took his hand and stood up. Your other hand was holding on to your clutch. “Thanks”, you mumbled with a shy smile which he couldn’t have heard but he nodded anyway.

You met up with the others in a little tent at the beginning of the red carpet. Getting everybody ready, some make-up retouches, you trying to fix Rami’s crooked bow tie and the next moment it was a go.

Pam walked with Lucy and Rami, you accompanied the other four guys, Jessica by your side. You were happy that you weren’t alone. Also, it helped your nerves that you had something to do as you moved them from one reporter to the next after the photographers were done. The guys snapped a few pics themselves for Instagram, Allen making a video for his followers.

 Only forty minutes later, it was done, you had survived the red carpet. Rami and Lucy were going to their seats in the big hall, right front and center as Rami was one of the nominees as Best Leading Actor. The rest of the cast, Pam and you were in the greenroom-slash-bar backstage, watching it over big TV screens. “I still think it’s a shitty move that you guys don’t have seats in there”, you said, holding on to your glass of champagne, sitting in a booth, surrounded by Joe, Gwil, Ben, Allen, Jessica and Pam.

“Are you kidding me? This is great”, Joe said. “We have great seats, we have booze and we get to enjoy the show”, he said and toasted you with his drink. You clink glasses with him and took a sip, but you still found it unfair.

You were just two sips in, but it already felt like the alcohol was getting to your head. You felt Ben’s hand next to you on the sofa. While you both still kept looking up at the screen on the wall, you put your left hand on the sofa as well, your pinkies touching. You inhaled deeply at that little touch of your fingers. You took another sip of your drink as you moved your fingers over his, feeling brave thanks to the alcohol. For a short moment, Ben closed his fingers around yours and squeezing them lightly.

“Hey, our first category is up”, Gwil said and you quickly let go of Ben’s hand, scooting to the edge of the seat, pretending to fully pay attention to the TV screen. It was the award for Best Film Editing and Bohemian Rhapsody won. Just like the awards for Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

A little later, the winners came backstage and you congratulated them. You took some pictures of them with the guys and toasting to their win.

When it came to the Oscar for Best Actor, you all stood up from your seats. You watched Gary Oldman and Allison Janney opening the envelope and as soon as they read out Rami’s name, your whole corner started cheering like crazy. You all hugged and filled your champagne glasses as you watched Rami giving his acceptance speech. When you turned around after you hugged Gwil, you found Ben in front of you. You didn’t know why, but for a second you hesitated to hug him because somehow you thought that would reveal your secret to anyone. But it would actually strike more attention if you didn’t. Gladly Ben took the decision from you as he just pulled you into his arms. It didn’t last longer than a few seconds, but you took a deep breath of his cologne as you were pressed against his body.

You turned around to the TV to listen to Rami talking. When he thanked Lucy, you actually had tears in your eyes. “You’re alright?”, Ben asked as he noticed you sniffling. “Yeah, yeah, just…this was just too cute”, you said and motioned towards the screen, feeling your eyes tearing up again. “We should do shots, let’s do shots”, Joe called out and walked over to the bar without awaiting your responses.

There was still one award to go, Best Picture. Sadly, Bohemian Rhapsody didn’t win, but it was the best movie in your book. “Four out of five, that’s still great”, you shrugged your shoulders. “Great? That’s amazing!”, Pam called out and grabbed one of the leftover shots from the trey on the little table in front of you. She knocked it back stone cold and your eyes got big in surprise. “Pam! I’ve never seen you like this”, you called out laughing. “This is a big night for us and as it turned out an even bigger night for the movie we have been accompanying for the past five months. This is a success all the way. It’s time to celebrate that!”, Pam exclaimed, raising her arms in the air. She already seemed a little drunk to you. “Alright, alright. Keep your energy for the afterparty”, you said and pulled her arms down gently.

You were ready to have some fun, dance and drink some more, but before that you definitely needed some food.

 Your little group of Gwil, Allen, Jessica, Ben and you were standing in front the Dolby Theatre, waiting for your car to go to the Vanity Fair afterparty as you saw Joe coming back to your little group with a chocolate glazed doughnut. Lucy had gone back to the hotel to change into a more comfortable dress and Rami was still inside with Pam doing interviews after his Oscar win.

“You can have anything you want from me if you give me a bite of that doughnut”, you exclaimed as you spotted him and stared intensively at the treat in his hand. Where the hell did he manage to get a doughnut from?

“That's quite the offer in a dress like that”, he said with a deeper voice and a wiggle of his eyebrows. “Oh, don't be gross, Joe”, you playfully slapped his arm. “You started it”, he cried out, pulling his arm away from you. It was also the arm he was holding the doughnut with.

“Pleeeease, Joe”, you whined, grabbed his arm and looked at him with your most convincing look. “Jesus Christ, okay! Before you rip my arm off...”, he finally allowed you to take a bite. It actually was the first bite. The sound you made when you finally sunk your teeth into the fluffy, chocolate covered dough could only be described as sexual. “Thank you, Joe”, you sighed as you had swallowed the bite and gave him back the doughnut. He just looked at you with big eyes. “Why do I feel like I need a cigarette now?”, Joe asked and took a bite himself.

“I have spent three nights with you and I have never heard you make those sounds”, Ben whispered at your side. “Well, you’re not covered in chocolate”, you replied with a low voice. He raised an eyebrow and licked his lips. You looked up at him form under your lashes and bit down on your bottom lip.

���Oh, I can do it even sexier than Y/N”, you heard Joe saying to Gwil. Allen was holding up his iPhone, recording Joe. “Wait”, Joe said and got the doughnut in his hand ready. “Make it dirty”, Gwil commented. “Oh, I’m gonna make it gross”, Joe added. “Yeah, yeah, yeah”, Gwil agreed excitedly. “Ready? Wait…”, Joe said and took a little step forward.

Then, Joe turned to the camera, taking a bite of his treat in a very seductive-gross-kind-of-way, chewing with an open mouth. Allen then played it back in slow motion and it was the funniest thing you had ever seen.

“Can I have another bite?”, you pleaded. “That didn’t turn you off of it?”, Gwil asked and pulled a face. “That's it, lady, I'm taking you to 7Eleven”, Joe called out and linked arms with you. “We gotta get some food into you before you take a bite out of all of us”, he added in his dry humor. “Anyone else want something?”, he asked around. “No, I'm good”, Allen shook his head and his wife passed as well. “I'll join you”, Ben announced and linked arms with you on the other side. “Can you guys bring me some pretzels?”, Gwil asked. “Will do”, you nodded and followed Joe and Ben to a cab while Allen, Jessica and Gwil took the car you came with. You would all meet up at the afterparty.

a/n: You know I had to put the doughnut thing in after Joe posted this video on his YouTube channel. Hope you liked my take on it!

Next chapter: Part 9

tag list:

@valentineash @the-limit-doesnt-exist @rogerspoison @rogermeddowstayl0r @i-am-sarah @unbound-chaos @goodiebluebox @the-borhap-boys @leeezie @kimberliinabox @anikatcmh

[onho8991]

onho; “Mas.Eve”

jinki. minho. military and christmas eve.

jinki/minho // pg13 // au, fluff // longish drabble

--

It's during late hours two young men are laughing, one nearly skipping down a narrow hallway of a hotel while the other fumbles with the key into their booked room.

“It's open, it's open!” Choi Minho announces too loudly, pushing his way into the room and directing the other man, Lee Jinki, to follow him inside.

Minho kicks off shoes and sets a bag of alcohol on a table near the hanging mirror, glass bottles clanking noisily. Jinki throws a much bigger bag at Minho on his way in, catching the younger man off guard, knocking the air out of him and swinging half the duffel bag into the bottles that nearly fall to the floor.

Wide eyes stare at each other a long moment as Jinki is paused in the entry yanking off lace boots. The door clanks shut behind them. The two suddenly laugh hysterically.

Both young men are tipsy after many celebratory drinks at dinner together. Lee Jinki is finally home, for a short period, given vacation time from his mandatory service in the military; something required of all able-bodied young men. It's his first real vacation time since leaving the city and being stationed out of town.

Choi Minho is about to finish his first year of university, and he too will likely be called to serve not terribly long thereafter. Jinki, like many young men, has taken time off from university to serve within those first couple years of school. His entry into an elite university left Minho chasing with high hopes to be placed on the same campus. Minho wants to follow Jinki wherever he goes, to take care of him, to keep him by his side. Minho didn't make it into the same university, nor an elite one. And then the military took Jinki away from Minho.

“... I really did expect my parents to be away for the holidays,” Jinki says behind a mask covering his nose and mouth, voice still filled with giggles, other boot finally kicked off. The heavy winter jacket is fought off his body before a cap is tossed like a frisbee and the mask removed and used as a toy slingshot across the room, revealing how big his smile is and crinkled eyes glazed by many drinks. He now stands in the green camouflage uniform assigned to soldiers by the military.

It's a cold Christmas Eve, a time for many couples to embrace families and romances. Not all romances are considered equal though; not one like Minho and Jinki's. The two are in a secret relationship. It's easier that way, than facing the social pressures. Both put effort into concealing themselves, because though there isn't anything wrong with two men entering a non love hotel, if any suspicion of a man in the military is engaged in a same sex relationship he could be arrested for a crime by military law.

“This is fine,” Minho sets Jinki's duffel bag to the floor, and tosses his own cap in a similar fashion, mimicking Jinki's sense of humor with a chuckle. “..I don't mind as long as I'm with you.”

Jinki's smile looks relieved after having said the two could spend time alone together at his home since his parents wouldn't be around and it would be safe from public eyes.

Minho has already given Jinki his Christmas gift; too excited to wait. A long note in a card about how much he admires the older man and a new collectors hand knife by a foreign company the older man had been pining for to add to his growing collection. It's a personal hobby. Minho's gift; Jinki apologized he doesn't have one yet. Minho thinks dinner with Jinki and his sweet reaction to opening his own Christmas present was gift enough.

That didn't stop Jinki from disappearing on their walk to the hotel after swinging buy a store for some more drinks. By the time Minho noticed and circled back, Jinki had been standing near a storefront for nick nacks, told Minho to close his eyes, then presented a toy ring. Minho had a laugh, as Jinki declared it a gift to make up for not having a gift. The child size toy ring fit Minho's pinky. It really struck Minho how much he's been missing Jinki right then.

As Jinki now moves closer through the room, Minho flings long arms out, head tilted, ushering Jinki into him for a clinging, drunken hug. The two sway, slowly twirling around, laughter and groans excited and sleepy. Someone hums a tune, as if a slow dance between them.

“I've missed you so much,” Minho curls his face into the side of Jinki's head, standing taller than the other man.

“You already said that,” Jinki says through laughter.

Minho kisses the side of Jinki's head, his hair still short from the mandatory military crew-cut. “..and you smell really good..” Minho has missed Jinki's scent more than realized.

“I guess?” Jinki snorts. “..what else?”

“You make the uniform look really sexy,” Minho's voice drops with laughter, a bit embarrassed despite all his shameless clinging.

“..that sounds good,” Jinki's voice is muffled as he helps Minho get his winter coat off without fully separating. “..anything else?”

“I wanna suck your dick while you're still wearing it.”

Jinki stops their joined moving, taking a step back. Minho blinks wide eyes, as if worried he said the wrong thing in a loosened, intoxicated state.

Suddenly Minho is shoved, the bed behind him tripping him up but also catching his flailing, tipsy fall. He props himself up on elbows, watching as Jinki steps a foot to the edge of the bed, a grin widening as he stands in front of Minho in that army camouflage uniform.

Jinki knows, because Minho has mentioned it before, that the younger man has a weakness for Jinki's assertive side. “What did you miss more, me or my dick?”

Minho's head flings back with hearty laughter, long neck vibrating the loudness of it. Jinki crawls on top of Minho, causing the younger to flatten out across the bed. Jinki hooves closer. Minho leans up for a kiss but brows furrow as Jinki pulls back, a tease.

“I missed you,” Minho says, laughter ceasing from his voice. He's sincere, a small smile on his lips. He reaches a hand to find Jinki's resting on the bed, taking it to intertwine long and short fingers, the silly gifted ring rubbing between them. “I miss seeing you like before,” he means how it used to be before Jinki's military service enlistment took him too far away. “I miss every part of you and I don't want you to go back,” a whine drawls the slur of his lisp thicker than usual, still not sober.

Jinki, taken aback, stares in drunken amazement. Minho understands Jinki likes assurance that he is loved, and that what they're doing is worth any risks, as Minho likes to be reminded also. But Jinki has a away of always looking as if it's the first time he's been told. Minho's heart always swells; mixed by happiness and sadness, but most of all the resolve to prove any way he must that Jinki is truly loved and worthy of admiration. No matter how difficult it gets for Jinki being away from home in a different environment, Minho will be waiting for him.

Minho uses his free hand to cradle the back of Jinki's head, keeping the older in place this time, as he leans up to press their mouths together. It's the first kiss since visiting home. The two part; a little bit of diffidence in the action of a peck. With a blink, there is a moment of apprehension, before both just as quickly meet each other in a harder kiss, lips parting, tongues touching.

Minho groans first when Jinki says between breaths “..I've missed you a lot.”

Minho is happy to hear it said in return; the first time said out loud since he's been back. He tugs Jinki closer still, as if he holds him long enough he won't have to leave again.

When Jinki leans his head beside Minho's to catch his breath, he soon says near Minho's ear “Did you mean it? Cause my dick isn't going to suck itself…”

Minho's giggling laughter draws Jinki's own out, older rolling onto his back across the bed next to Minho. It's not that funny, but it strikes as an amazing example of a joke in the moment. The belly laughter is contagious.

Despite changes and risks, Christmas Eve is still a joyous time.

[interrogatormentors]

Event Three: Double-Blind Study

Haircuts did not frighten anyone beyond the odd wiggler. No harm came from shedding a few inches, and yet Sollux balked on the threshold of the room. One of his training squad pushed him forward, towards the annoyed blueblood tapping the clippers against her wrist. “Come on, freshblood, if you’re going to call yourself an interrogatormentor you better start looking like one,” the blueblood said. “Don’t be shy.”

Sollux glanced behind him to his group, where Mercuo twirled a lock of his hair while he pouted and the olive Rosmer tucked his glasses onto the edge of his collar. Sollux took in a slow breath to calm his nerves before moving forward, sitting on the edge of the seat before the blueblood. He closed his eyes, bowing his head to bare the nape of his neck. No sane troll trusted anyone with a sharp object behind their head. 

“Nerves, I take it?” said the blueblood, getting to work shaving Sollux all the way up to the crown of his head. Sollux felt the hair falling onto his cheeks and shoulders, and he had to focus to avoid hearing engines thrumming or the smell of helming antiseptic. “Relax, helmbait. You’re not getting shredded, yet.” The clippers came close to nicking the base of Sollux’s skull, jumping over the scar where hair refused to grow. The wound had just resealed itself, healed over after they clawed open his pan for the second time to remove the helming hardware.

Their lessons began immediately. The small block they entered next had just enough space for a desk for each of the training squad, plus a larger desk at the front. An adrogynous jade perched on the edge of the larger desk, one hand delicately placed on the table and another on their tablet as Sollux and the rest filed in.

“I am Instructor Juyure,” the jade said the moment everyone sat down. “Log into the tablets at your desk. Speaking aloud in this class without a cue will not be tolerated, so press the alert instructor button if you have questions. I will decide if it’s important enough for you to speak.”

Sollux looked at the tablet in front of him, logging into the classroom’s chatroom. He didn’t need a lecture to know he liked interfacing through a chat program better than speaking. The chatroom soon filled up with the other members of his squad.

[Welcome to training, twinArmaggedons [TA], glorifiedCorpsification [GC], chronicAcademician [CA], actualizedClairvoyant [AC], castigatedTrepidation [CT], cavortingGratuity [CG], accentuatedAntimony [AA]!]

Sollux felt quite comfortable multitasking, and so started exploring the tablet’s capabilities as the jade began their lesson. He felt a funny pang on seeing some of the usertags, eyes lingering over AA. He shook his head to clear it. Whatever those memories meant, helming had eliminated their usefulness. Life began afresh in the helm. While he wanted to get out of here, he had to play the part of interrogatormentor for now. The instructors had already proven themselves capable of reading him like an open book.

A video opened up unbidden on the tablet then, taking over half the screen while the chat continued scrolling off to the side. “Our first lesson will be on the senses,” Juyure said, pulling on a metallic black glove. Their pinky finger twitched, folding in towards their palm. On the video, a greenblood bound in a chair jerked as a visor folded itself across his face. After some smoking beneath the visor, the troll’s face was exposed again to reveal ruined red eyes. “What can you gain by depriving a troll of their sight? Respond on your tablet.”

CG: a blind Troll can’T fighT againsT You righT? AC: no s-| |-it genius and i said you can’t be watc-| |-ed while you prep. AA: but a 7roll wi7hou7 one of 7heir senses amplifies 7he res7 righ7? TA: ii mean lo22 of control play2 iin ii thiink. TA: the iin2tructor can’t 2ee the chat riight? GC: *I put in my answeR.* CA: gee what wOOuld we dOO withOOut that live update!! CA: i panicked and just said cOOnfusiOOn… O3<

Juyure sniffed, an echo of irritation as they flicked their wrist. Rosmer yelped and whipped his hands from his tablet in unison with Mercuo. The purple, Ophlia, gritted her teeth and let go of her own tablet. Sollux glanced over at those three, raising his eyebrows.

TA: you guy2 good? CA: I gOOT zapped!! OoO GC: *Thanks for the updatE.* CA: o^o GC: *This encourages competition and tests our reactionS.* TA: wow 2mart an2wer from 2omeone who fuckiing biiffed iit.

Sollux looked up to see Ophlia glaring at him and buried himself back in his tablet. The lesson continued then, with a sense of the bound troll in the video getting eliminated with each twitch of the instructor’s glove. Sollux only earned a shock twice throughout the lesson, with his fellows averaging about three shocks each with the exception of the brownblooded Zesaim. The whole affair ended with the bound greenblood slumped in his seat, red eyes staring up at the sky and without a single movement to indicate if he still lived.

The next hour found the group clustered in the mess hall, devouring their rations with enthusiasm. “Well, that was something,” Rosmer said, not even bothered by the gruesome nature of the training video they’d been shown. “That actor knew how to squirm!”

“Are you kidding me?” Sollux said, looking over to the olive. He’d continued poking around the tablet since the lesson, holding the tablet with one hand and his eating utensil in his other. “That was a live feed from a brig channel, genius.” Rosmer swallowed, shoulders hunching as he went back to his meal. He mumbled something about scientific interest, and Zesaim patted at his shoulder. Sollux rolled his eyes, and then grimaced as Trisia slurped down an entire grubsteak without chewing. “Can you fucking not?”

“What, it’s good!” Trisia said. “We get to eat like highbloods here.”

“If you think this is what highbloods eat, you’re more of an idiot than I thought,” Mercuo said, lips curled up into a sneer. “This is trash.”

“Complain to me when you get nutrients pumped right into your acidic digestive pouch,” Sollux said, rolling his eyes. “Spoiled fucking wader.”

Mercuo snarled, standing up as he slammed his hands onto the table only to get shoved underneath the table by an irritated Ophlia. Ualona looked over to Sollux, eyes round. “Is that how helmsman really eat?” he said. “Was it really that bad?”

Sollux huffed, looking back down to his tablet. “It doesn’t matter, does it? We all eat the same shit now and the highbloods will get to eat better again once they graduate.” 

“It’s probably not going to be any good unless you’re on a dreadnought like the DC Reichenbach or something,” Mercuo said then, emerging from underneath the table. 

“You wish you could get on the Reichenbach,” Trisia said.

“Come on, it’s only the admin positions that are closed up,” Mercuo said. “I came to the interrogatormentors because of that, actually. The Head Admin’s not going anywhere anytime soon. I heard he just got named Imperial Consort to the Empress.”

Zesaim pushed around some food with her fork. “That seems odd, and also fake. The Empress doesn’t take consorts anymore.”

Ualona laughed. “Yeah, she’s too busy fucking around with her Helmsman. I heard he’d lick her feet if he could bend below the waist. I kept getting kicked out of the helming channels, though.”

“Yeah, because you’re not a helmsman,” Sollux said. He leaned forward then. “From what I heard it’s just rumors, but why else would the Reichenbach dock with the BC Condescension all the time? The Reichenbach’s helmsman is a fucking gossipy snitch but he’s reliable.”

“Do you know anything else? I don’t want to deny Mercuo his black wiggly,” Trisia said, elbowing Mercuo in the ribs.

“I do not have a wiggly for him, pitch or not,” Mercuo said with a hiss. “Look, he’s just some nobody and it’s his cushy ship job I’m after. No one cares about Eridan Ampora.”

[xankix]

Valentine’s Day Festival Pt.1

               Valentine’s Day Festival

 Sidon x Link BOTW AU and Sidon x Link and Mipha x Zelda Modern AU Pt.1

 BOTW AU

                 It’s been 3 years since the ending of the calamity, everyone was able to rebuild and live their lives without fear. There was still the monsters, but not many and the Yiga were still a problem, but it became a lot easier to tell the difference between a normal traveler and a Yiga member. In a few days, there was going to be a festival, the special part about it. It was the day of love known as Valentine’s Day, couples would spend a great deal of time with each other, new relationships will form and some will just spend the time with all the people they hold dear. Link and Zelda were sitting in the study in the castle, Zelda going over diplomatic and political papers, while Link was reading a book on Hyrule’s history. Zelda put the quill down and stretched in her chair, “That’s it for today, I don’t think my body can take another minute of sitting in this damn chair.” She got up and walked over to Link and placed all her weight on him.

“Zelda, please don’t.” Laughed Link. “But, Link I want to.” She giggled.

She looked at the page he was on, it was the chapter for the Hero of Time, “I always loved his part, it made me feel so bad that he wasn’t remembered like the incarnations. Makes me want to go back in time and give him hug,” she hugged Link in the process. He grunted, surprised by the queen’s strength.

 “By the way my knighty friend, the Valentine’s Day festival is coming up, planning on confessing to your prince.” She said with a sly smirk. Link blushed, it was written all over his face. “I-I would love to, but what if he doesn’t like guys?” Link asked.

“I don’t know what rock you been living under, but I can guarantee, he likes guys.” Zelda replied.

“And how would you know that?”

“Have you ever payed attention to how he acts when around you, how praises you like you’re the only person in the world, how oblivious can you be?”

 Link blushed, but laughed anyway to deny it, “You must be the one living under a rock, because when I talk to him about the festival, he mentions this person he wants to confess to. Yes it hurts he might not share the same feelings I do, but I want my friend to be happy. And Zelda the praises is because of what I did for them, he’s just really grateful.”

Zelda just stared at Link with this face like she was about to say, “Bruh”, ‘Did he just, no one in the world is this stupid.’ She thought to herself, Link went back to reading his book. “You might be right, I don’t know what I was thinking. Well I’m going get a snack, want anything?” Zelda stood up and was heading to the door, “Some milk and apple would be nice,” responded Link not looking up from his book.

Zelda walked out the study and headed to the kitchen.

 (time skip to day of the festival)

                 The day has finally come, the citizens of Hyrule all gathered in Castle Town early to set up their booths for the festival. The Gerudo were selling their specially crafted jewelry, Gorons setting up games for every race to play, Rito had archery games for children and adults, Zora brought in fish based meals and had water games and the Hylians served many other foods for everyone to enjoy, while also setting up games.

Zelda was getting ready in her room, she had just finished putting on her festival dress she had Paya custom make for her. She even had one for Link to match. The dress went down to her knees, the color scheme was pink and white, around the neck was a little bow, around the waist of the dress was a white sash and there were frills along the sleeves and hem at the bottom of the dress. There was a knock on the door and Zelda answered, “Come in!” The door creaked open and walked in Link, in his matching outfit Zelda had gotten made. Of course it was pink and white as well, it was made similar to his champions tunic, with a long white sleeved shirt underneath, the pants being white with a pink stripe going down both legs, the belt around his waist was also white. What topped the whole thing off, was his angry blushing face, Zelda let a big laugh and almost fell over, “Why you look so mad Link,” She continued to laugh as Link got angrier.

“You know damn well, when I got up this morning to get ready. All my clothes in the closet and dressers were missing, but this one with a note saying, ‘All your clothes were removed per my orders, so you have no choice but to wear this. Love Zelda.’ Really Zelda, this is embarrassing!”

All she could do is laugh even more. “I’m sorry, but it’s just perfect for the occasion and I wanted us to match for the fun of it. Your reaction just makes it a lot better.” She hasn’t stopped laughing, ‘Why am I stuck with her, I had the chance to leave live like I want. But nooo, I decided to stay as her knight.’ He thought angrily.

Once Zelda got her composure back, they made their way out the castle and into the busy streets of castle town. The people complimenting on how cute they were matching, some even saying what a cute couple. It made Zelda blush, but she knows she wasn’t the one Link was in love with and she was going to make sure that her friends get together. They passed up a Gerudo stand selling luminous stone necklaces. “Sa’vaaq Queen Zelda, Champion Link,” greeted the Gerudo woman. “Sa’vaaq ma’am, and no need for formalities you can just call us Zelda and Link,” Zelda said with a big smile.

“Such a kind woman you are Zelda, what may I help you two with?”

“Just seeing what is being sold throughout the town, your necklaces are quite beautiful.”

“Thank you Zelda, any lucky people you plan to give presents to?”

“Since you asked, precious cinnamon roll Link here has a crush on a certain Zora prince. And I was just helping him find the right gift.” Linked look at Zelda with the most shocking expression, ‘Did she just tell my business? How does someone say such a thing with a straight face.’ He thought.

“Zelda, could you not?!” He yelled, earning stares from the other people. The Gerudo woman and Zelda both went into hysterics. “I’m sorry Link, but your face just made my day even better.” Zelda laughed.

What they didn’t know, was a few stands down, Sidon was with Dunma, Rivan and Bazz (Bazz is such a hottie) exploring the different types of food. They all heard the yelling just to their right and walked over to see what it was. Sidon’s tail wagged with excitement as he saw his closest friend and champion Link.

               He ran to them with his short legs, “Morning dearest friends!” Link tensed up at the prince’s enthusiastic voice, “Morning Sidon, good to see you enjoying the festival,” Zelda says elbowing Link in the arm. He jumps out of his trance and greats Sidon, “O-oh morning, sorry about that. Yeah I hope some of the stuff is to your liking.” Said Link rubbing the back of his neck.

That made Sidon’s tail wag more. No one else in the world could make him as happy as this Hylian. “I’ll see you guys later, going try to see how much I can stuff my face with,” with that Link ran off into the crowd. “What was all that about?” Asked Sidon. Zelda and the Gerudo woman both looked at each other and smirked.

 (time skip to night time)

 In just about an hour there will be a special fireworks display, this was for many of the future couples to confess their love for each other. The male will reveal a red string and if the other accepts they will tie the string to their pinky finger showing the unity of love.

Link was walking around the town, stuffed from all the food he devoured throughout the day and went to sit in the field where everyone will go to for the fireworks.

He sat under a tree to lean against but not block his view, “I can take a nap until the fireworks, it’ll at least kill some time.” Link said to himself.

He got comfortable and closed his eyes, welcoming sleep to come to him. But the sound of footsteps in the grass woke him up, he opened one eye to see who it was and surprise surprise it was Sidon. “Evening my friend, I saw you walk this way and thought I could give you company. But looks like you were just here to relax,” Sidon was about to walk away, but Link spoke, “I could use it, anything to make time go by faster. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen fireworks and times going by too slow.” Sidon sat next to him and leaned against the tree.

               The rest of the time, they both talked about things they’ve done, the duties they completed, what they did in their free time and the funniest moments in their respective homes. Before they knew it, the field was getting packed with people. There were a lot of couples sitting together and Link spotted Zelda sitting next to that Gerudo woman from earlier, both women looked in his direction and smirked giving a thumbs up. Link blushed madly and Sidon took notice, “My friend are you alright, you’re as red as a tomato.” Sidon said with concern.

“Oh it’s nothing I’m fine, something was just on my mind.” He waved his hand in the air. Soon there was an explosion in the air and a bright red colored flashed across the field. The first firework had just exploded and the people looked in aww.

The display went on for a few more minutes and the males started pulling out their red strings. Each one turned to their lover, Link had a small smile on his face, ‘They all look so happy, Valentine’s Day is such a wonderful time. If only I could spend it with him.’ Link though then he snapped, ‘Wait speaking of, shouldn’t the person he mentioned be here. Why’s he still with me?’ Link thought it over and over again in his head.

He turned to Sidon to ask the question, but stopped. In Sidon’s hand was a red string and he motioned the string to Link. “S-Sidon?” He stuttered.

Sidon just gave him a small smile and spoke up, “Is this the biggest surprise in your life? When I spoke of the person I loved for a while, I meant you. it was really funny to see how oblivious you were to the fact, that I kept it up and waited till now to confess.”

Link sat there star struck, “And you may not have noticed, but I knew you were feeling the same way. You just didn’t think I did, but your troubles can be put at ease.” Sidon grabbed Link’s hand and got closer to him, “Link I want to spend my life with you and only love you in the most romantic of ways. Will you accept my l-.” Sidon was cut off by Link’s soft lips touching his, he melted into the kiss and placed both his hands on the sides of Link’s head deepening the kiss. They both pulled away for air, “Does that answer your question my love?” Link asked taking the string and tying it to his pinky. Sidon’s tail wagged as he tied his end. Zelda and the Gerudo woman were whooing and screaming I ship it, earning looks from the other couples who soon turned their attention to Link and Sidon. Both men blushed, but drowned out everything and went in for another kiss.