#I suppose normal Hyde could as well

[screamingwiththewolves]

Modern day Hyde would have a choker with HYDE spelled across the front.

[tinfoil-jones]

Gravity Falls: For Your Own Good, Ch. 11

Summary: A few years after moving to Gravity Falls and having his lab built, Stanford Pines happens upon his estranged twin brother, Stanley. He mentally prepared himself to be suffocated by his brothers neediness all over again - what he wasn't prepared for was Stanley walking right past him like he didn't even notice him.

Rating: M for language, violence, and adult implications

Preface: Dialogue only, but some actions will be annotated for clarity. Cross-Posted on AO3 Here

First - Prev - Next

CH. 11

“One paddle-paddle, two paddle-paddle-.”

“HEYYY! Miss me, little brother?”

“...What the f-”

“It’s ironic! You used to smother me, with your dependency and lack of originality. Now I’m smothering you, by keeping you in a cage. It’s poetic, in a way.”

“...What are you supposed to be?”

“It’s just me, Stanford Pines. I’m definitely your twin brother, and not a maniac who kidnapped you because I can’t admit when I’m wrong or accept that I push people away.”

“Naw, you’re not him.”

“I assure you-.”

“No. Whatever you are? You’re not the guy who's been keeping me down here. You’re something else.”

“Oh?”

“This some… Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation? You one of those hive mind aliens that possess people? Or…?”

“Sixer was right to not underestimate you, conman. Let’s just say I’m a friend.”

“I’ve heard that before, but I recognize another wiseguy when I see one. What do you really want?”

“Why are you in denial, Stanley?”

“Denial is my fourth best skill, actually. It’s right above hoeing, and right below theft.”

“...Ignoring that. Why do you keep insisting you’re not Stanley Pines?”

“Show me the proof, guy.”

“You and Stanford have the same face.”

“Some people are just like that.”

“You have no memory of having a family, but Fordsy here has a gap in his, a gap you could slot into so easily.”

“Lot’s of families ‘lose’ members to homelessness.”

“Sounding a little bitter there, conman. Got personal feelings about that?”

“People aren’t ‘lost’ to homelessness, they’re forgotten. For the comfort of everyone else; for people who love to wax poetically about how other people struggle, but don’t have the stomach to look at it with their own eyes.”

“Well, well, well, well, well-.”

“Buddy, you get a nickel every time you say that?”

“Funny. What’s also funny is your ‘deep insight’. You’re so mad about people like you being forgotten, and yet… You forgot you.”

“What’s your point?”

“Why are you afraid of remembering? Are you afraid that you’ll remember loving people who couldn’t be bothered to remember you?”

“You seem to think you know a lot about me. Why don’t you tell me?”

“I think you cling to this ‘hardcore vagabond with no past’ persona because it’s convenient for you. Because it’s less painful for you. I think you wanted something so bad at one point that it consumed you, and when you couldn’t have it, there wasn’t anything significant left of you.”

“Wow. That’s quite a theory. Wanna hear the one I have about you?”

“Hit me, conman.”

“Oh, I wish I could. My theory is that you’re a lonely, nosey, parasitic little bi-.”

*‘Ford’ presses the mute button*

“Sorry Stanley, but I’m getting the last laugh here- and you’re giving me the bird. No, two birds. The audience will never know if you’re actually doing that, or if I’m just saying that you are.”

(...)

“Hey, Doc?”

“Yes, Stanley?”

“You know how I normally don’t ask you questions about your life because you’re crazy and I’m here against my will?”

“...Are you about to ask me a question?”

“Did you make a Faustian bargain with some eldritch abomination?”

“...What?!”

“Or… Do you use cocaine? I’d believe either, but I can help you with that second one if that’s it; you see, the key to kicking the habit is-.”

“Stanley. Why are you asking this?”

“Because last night something possessed you and tried talking to me about my feelings. But it failed because I don’t have any. What was that?”

“...Nothing possessed me.”

“PhD, you are terrible at lying.”

“Nobody possessed me! You must have just been dreaming.”

“No, I don’t have dreams. I only have nightmares about being suffocated. Or the IRS. Or the IRS suffocating me.”

“...What?”

“Are you a Warlock?”

“A- a what?”

“There’s this game that dorks play - and there's elves, and wizards, and stuff. Warlocks are those guys who use magic, but they have to get it from otherworldly entities. Are you that? Is that what you are?”

“...You are talking about the tabletop roleplaying game, Dungeons, Dungeons and More Dungeons?”

“Yes.”

“You.. play that?”

“No. I never played it.”

“But you know the mechanics?”

“Some of it. Just the basic stuff. None of the actual- I don’t know, rules? Something something something D38; something something something THAC0.”

“How do you know?”

“I dunno, I don’t think too hard about it. Anyways,  so you’re a Warlock and you’re hiding it because your patron, boss, eldritch pimp, or whatever you wanna call it is gonna be mad at you? Is that what this is?”

“Stanley, please. Stuff like that is simply… fantasy.”

“Oh really? This is coming from the guy who has an anatomically accurate poster of a dissected fairy that you drew yourself.”

“...You can see that?”

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s right over there.”

“Stanley, you should not be able to see that. It’s too far away, and you’re not wearing glasses or contacts.”

“Doc, I don’t need glasses.”

“You have needed them our entire lives, just like I do. You have a bad habit of breaking them, or not wearing them because you think you won’t look cool.”

“Shows just how much you know. Are you gonna tell me what that thing last night was? Or are you going to keep changing the topic and hope that I get too distracted to follow up?”

“Nothing happened last night. I’m not a warlock. I can’t believe you lied to me all those years ago when you told me you ignored all of my long talks about the finer mechanics and lore surrounding DD&D. And you should need glasses.”

*Ford goes upstairs*

“Well, guess I have nothing better to do than to take a nap. I wonder how the IRS is going to suffocate me this time…”

To be continued…

[queen-haq]

Fic: Never You, Part 14 (Polin, Rated R)

Fandom: Bridgerton (TV show)

Spoilers: S3 released scenes.

Summary: They may have been friends once but his callous words decimated their relationship. Determined not to have anything to do with him, Penelope is ready to move on. But Colin isn’t giving up, not at all. Friends or not, they are connected for life - and he intends to remind her of that.

Excerpt:

“You would hate me for not wanting to court you. You would be that selfish?”

“Of course you would think that.”

“What else is this if not punishment?”

Masterlist (contains links to previous parts and my other stories)

A03 link if that’s more your jam

GIF credit: @maxanor

Penelope tugged at the fabric of her dress, feeling her insides coil with tension. It was a dark, gloomy day with occasional bursts of rain peppering the city, reflecting the somber mood that she was in. Hyde Park was nearly empty, not unexpected considering the weather, providing the perfect location for a rendezvous. Earlier today Arthur had sent word through a messenger asking to see her, and she had given instructions for him to meet her at the park. With Martha following behind, she circled the Serpentine for a second time, scanning the grounds for him. A few minutes later she spotted him approaching, and her feet suddenly felt heavy as lead.

Arthur Debling was a handsome man with thick blond hair and a neatly trimmed beard that enhanced his distinguished appearance. A decade older than her, it was his maturity and wry sense of humor that attracted her to him. She was used to being not noticed, even deliberately ignored by the ton, yet he had been the one to seek her out and initiate a conversation in Ayleshire. Awkward at first, she slowly grew comfortable around him and their friendship deepened over time, finally leading to the night they kissed.

“Good day, Penny.”

His smile was warm and friendly, eyes radiating an effusive energy that normally would have put her at ease right away. But today his warmth felt like a loaded burden to bear, knowing how she was going to shatter it soon.  “How are you, Arthur?”

“It’s been too long. I missed you.”

“I missed you as well.”

“You look more beautiful than I remember.”

Guilt flushed through her. “How is your mother? I hope she made a fast recovery from her illness.”

“She did, thankfully. I think it helped when I told her about you. She’s quite excited to meet you.”

“I’m happy to hear she’s in good spirits.”

“And you? How are you?”

She gave him a perfunctory smile. “Have you been well? You mentioned in your letters the expansion has kept you busy?”

“Yes, the bank has been flourishing.” He peered at her closely. “Your last few letters were sparse in details. I am unsure if I even received all of them.”

Her stomach tightened. “Shall we walk? We have much to discuss.”

When he offered her his arm, she hesitated for a moment before looping her own through his. The ground was wet and muddy from the rain earlier, making it difficult for her to keep up with his pace. Arthur possessed a quick gait, and it wasn’t unusual for her to be out of breath during their vigorous walks. In the past all she had to do was bring it to his attention and he would slow down, but today she found herself irritated by the thought. He could clearly see that she was struggling, so why didn’t he simply adjust his speed without being prompted? “Could we slow the pace, Arthur?”

“Yes, of course.”

His sweet tone evoked waves of guilt, and she chastised herself for being unkind. As she paced her breath, she mentally prepared to initiate the difficult conversation. Under normal circumstances she would have preferred to do this in private, but she had given Colin her word she wouldn’t meet Arthur alone.

“I hope your return to society was acceptable. I remember how much you were dreading it when we were at Ayleshire.”

“It has been bearable, I suppose. That is the best I can hope for.”

“And you have not yet reconciled with Miss Bridgerton?

Images of Eloise and Cressida flashed through her mind. She still didn’t know how to feel about them, only that her heart yearned for how alone and confused Eloise must have felt. “I have not.”

“The newest Whistledown sheet found its way to me. It was very enjoyable.”

A small smile escaped her lips. “Was it?”

“You certainly have a way with words, Penny. The crowd at the tavern last night were happy to regale me with past Whistledown gossip. They hold your work in high regard.”

During their months together she and Arthur had talked much about her nom de plume, her writing process, how she had built a network of people who provided her with information that she normally wouldn’t be privy to. It was exhilarating to be able to claim the work she did and be proud of it, and Arthur had reveled in her accomplishments alongside her. It broke her heart to acknowledge she could never be as fully honest with Colin. If he found out the truth it would be the end of Whistledown, and she would be forced to cut out a cherished part of herself.

“Is everything alright, Penelope?” He cast her a concerned gaze. “You are very reserved today.”

“There is something of import I must speak to you about.”

“Yes, you mentioned that in the last letter I received.”

Her throat felt dry, her hands clammy with sweat.

“Perhaps we should go somewhere more private?” he suggested. “We also need to discuss when I should call upon your mother.”

She stopped in her tracks, forcing him to do the same next to her. As much as she wanted to be gentle, there was no softening the truth. She had to be honest with him. “I kissed Colin.”

Immediately he released her arm, taking a step back.

It felt as if the world had come to a stop, everything but Arthur disappearing from her line of sight. His face revealed a spectrum of emotions, from confusion to hurt. He didn’t look at her, probably because he couldn’t bear to. In the months they had spent together, she had never seen him angry. Frustrated, yes, mostly because of strenuous business endeavors but there was no occasion where he’d been furious. But that was the expression he wore now, appearing more and more agitated as the minutes ticked by. He had every right to feel that way, she reminded herself, after how she betrayed him.

For a long time there was only silence, before he finally spoke again. “When did it happen? How many times?”

Penelope owed him the truth but she couldn’t bring herself to share the details. Not only would it hurt him but it simply felt wrong to expose that part of her and Colin with someone else. “I don’t think-”

“Answer me!”

“More than once. That is all I can say.”

“How could you do this to me? After everything you and I have meant to each other? After the future I planned for us?” The contempt in his voice made her ashamed to even breathe. “You agreed to marry me, Penny. How could you betray me like that?

It was difficult to speak. “I did not mean to, Arthur. I never wanted to hurt you-”

“But you did, and you did it with a despicable cad who humiliated you. Was it worth it? Was he worth jeopardizing our future together?”

Arthur’s heated gaze bore into her and she quickly glanced down, unable to stand the crushing hatred on his face.

“Perhaps I was a fool for not seeing you for who you truly are. If you could be intimate with me before marriage, of course you would be a lightskirt with others.”

His words were sharp and cutting, slicing her very soul. She stood frozen in place. No one had hurled such derogatory words at her before, yet there was nothing she could say to defend herself against his accusations.

“I never want to see you again,” he said coldly before storming away.

He left her standing there, spiraling in self-disgust.

***

“Miss, are you alright? You are very pale,” Martha inquired, staring at her with concern.

Penelope nodded, remaining silent. Thus far she had managed not to break down in the carriage ride home, holding herself together through sheer resolve. However her insides were churning, flooded with much guilt and sadness. She couldn’t forget Arthur’s contempt towards her or his vitriolic words, which grew more insidious the more she pondered them. Society did not approve of loose women but she had never thought of herself as one. Up until she met Arthur she couldn’t even imagine anyone desiring her let alone that she would be intimate with anyone before marriage. But she had thought Arthur would be her only chance at passion and she didn’t want to lose that opportunity, so she had laid with him only to be taken by surprise a few days later when he proposed to her.

Suddenly a dreadful thought dawned upon her. If Arthur thought of her as a harlot, was it not possible that Colin also felt the same deep down? Gentlemen wanted their brides to be pure and innocent, virginal, and she was no longer that. So why did Colin want to marry her? What did she have to offer him? If he was pursuing her because he was caught up in lust, wasn’t it only a matter of time before he snapped out of it? Would he resent her after?

“Miss, we’ve arrived.”

Martha’s words brought her out of her reverie and she exited the carriage, walking up the stairwell. Mister Thomas opened the door and Penelope slid past him, absently removing her cloak.

“Mister Colin Bridgerton arrived a few minutes earlier. He’s here to call on Lady Featherington.”

Penelope paused. Her brain went into a tailspin trying to process Colin’s presence, why he wanted to talk to her Mama. Arthur’s hateful words.

“I did let him know she was not here, but Mister Bridgerton insisted on waiting for her to return. He’s in the drawing room.”

“Thank you.”

“Would you like to go upstairs and rest?” Martha asked.

“No, it’s alright. I’ll see Colin now.”

“Do you require a chaperone?” Mister Thomas inquired.

Penelope shook her head ‘no’, already approaching the door to the drawing room. “We will be fine. Thank you.”

Colin was standing by the window that faced the Bridgerton home, looking out while he sipped on a cup of tea. As soon as she closed the door and he turned to face her, her numbness evaporated. All the remorse and sorrow triggered by Arthur came rushing back like a tidal wave, cruel and vicious, devastating her even though he had every right to despise her.

“Pen?” Colin’s blue eyes regarded her with concern, growing darker by the second. “What’s wrong?”

She fell to her knees, breaking into tears.

He stormed over immediately, throwing himself on the ground next to her and cradling her in his arms. “What happened, Pen? What did he do?”

Shame flooded over her, her body wracked with tears.

Panic saturated Colin’s voice. “Did he hurt you?”

“I hurt him. I didn’t want to but I did…so badly… I don’t know how to fix it… how to make things right with him again…” She clung to him, sobbing as she fisted his jacket. “He despises me…”

His voice was strained, his hands soothing whilst he embraced her. “He needed to hear the truth, Pen.”

“Did he?” She pulled back to look at him. The suffering on Colin’s face reflected her own turmoil, as if he was experiencing the same emotions she was. “I could have been kinder. I could have given him some other reason to break the engagement-”

“Then he would still carry hope that you two would reconcile one day.” Colin shook his head ‘no’. “And that will never happen. Because you do not love him. You love me, Penelope.” His words tilted up, filled with hesitation. “That is still true, is it not?”

Her insides hurt, seeing how afraid he was. She reached out to cradle his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb. “Colin-”

“Do you regret choosing me?” His eyes were wet with unshed tears. The fear in his voice was palpable as his voice grew more erratic. “Pen, you can not. You may think he will make you happy but it would be nothing compared to the happiness I can give you, the pleasure I can make you feel.” Taking her hand, he pressed it against his heart. “Do not give up on me, Penelope. Please.”

“I have not. I will not,” she reassured him. “You are who I want, who I love. But… “

“But what, Pen?”

She looked away, flush with trepidation. “Do you see me as…?” The lump in her throat was painful to swallow. “Debauched?”

It took her by surprise when he moved to stand up, pulling her to follow suit. Bent forward, he grasped her face and forced her to meet his gaze. “Why would you think that?”

“Because Arthur…” She shook her head, refusing to repeat his words. “Gentlemen want their wives to be untouched.” Her lips quivered. “And you know I am not that.”

The abrupt change on his face was startling as a dark expression settled over him, his jaw clenched. “I do not care what other gentlemen want. The only thing that matters is you, that you are with me, you are mine. We both have been with others but that is in the past and that is where they will remain.” His eyes darkened whilst he pored over her face. “I will be the last man you touch. You kiss.” His thumb stroked over her bottom lip. “You fuck,” he murmured, his breath humming against her skin.

“And I will be your last,” she reminded him possessively, smoothing her hands up his chest.

His lips swiped the tears from her face, slowly, languidly. “Yes.”

A jolt of current ran down her spine, taking in his seductive focus on her bosom. It wasn’t that he simply admired her with his gaze. No, it was because he devoured her, his intensity heightening every nerve in her body, making her feel alive and bold and wanton. Clarity dawned upon her, bringing with it the realization she didn’t care what Arthur thought. Maybe he was right. Maybe she was a woman of loose morals, but what she felt for Colin was potent enough to push aside her doubts and give into temptation. It was the idea of not being with him that filled her with remorse rather than the opposite. “Will you come to my bedchamber tonight?”

He stilled immediately. “If I do, I will not be able to restrain myself.” The ache in his voice was greedy and demanding. “We will make love, over and over. I will spill my seed inside you. On you. On your beautiful breasts. I will mark you in every way so that you never have any doubt that you belong to me again.” The blue pools of his eyes darkened to a shade she had never seen before, holding her spellbound. “That is what will happen if I come to you. Is that what you want?”

Although they had come close to making love before, she had pulled away because of Arthur. But now there was nothing holding her back and she wanted to be with Colin. Her heart pounded in her chest. She was breathless with anticipation. “Yes.”

He raised her hand to his lips, leaving a kiss on her skin. “Then nothing will stop me from visiting you tonight,” he said with a charming smile that made butterflies flutter in her stomach. Just as suddenly the smile dissipated, his mouth closing over hers in a possessive kiss, ravishing her. She returned the kiss with equal fervor, lacing her hands through his hair, tugging on the strands when his lips trailed down her neck hungrily-

“Penelope!”

She immediately pulled away upon recognizing her mother’s scandalized voice. Standing at the door was Portia, her cheeks pink with embarrassment, eyes widened with shock.

“Mister Bridgerton, what is the meaning of this?” Portia screeched. “You have absolutely ruined my poor daughter! I insist you-”

“Pen has already agreed to marry me,” Colin replied calmly, not even a little flustered at being caught in such a compromising position. His attention remained on Penelope, lovingly tucking a loose curl behind her ear. “Rest assured, I will ask Anthony to procure a special license for us.”

It was a rare occasion that rendered her mama speechless, but that’s exactly what Portia was. Her eyes drifted between Penelope and Colin, her mouth agape with incredulity.

Ignoring her mother, Colin kissed her hand again. “I’m afraid I must take my leave now, there is an appointment I must attend to. I will see you… soon?” His eyes twinkled with wicked delight, reminding her of their plans to meet later tonight.

“Mister Bridgerton!” Her voice back, Portia started pacing the room. “You can not simply leave like this. There are things we must discuss.”

Colin walked to the door. “Mother and I shall call upon you tomorrow to discuss the arrangements. Have a good day, Lady Featherington.”

Penelope smiled, watching after him while he sauntered out of the room.

“How long has this been going on? Why did you not tell me about you and him?”

Penelope knew there was no point in answering. Anything she said would only trigger more queries from her mother and she was not in the mood to cope with them. “I am tired, Mama. I will speak to you later.” Ignoring her, Penelope walked away.  

***

Colin wondered if there was something wrong with him. Arthur Debling was groaning with pain on the floor and Colin did not feel any guilt for putting him in that position.  Before storming into Arthur’s room at the inn, Colin had been bursting with rage and ready to explode. Penelope might have hesitated to reveal the truth, but it quickly became clear to him that Debling had lashed out at her. Colin was determined not to let anyone—anyone—hurt Penelope. “You made Penelope cry, and that’s something I can’t forgive.”

His foot stomped down on Arthur’s arm, breaking it no doubt.

Immediately a sense of calm flowed through him, the anger in him finally subsiding. With the back of his hand he swiped the blood from his bruised lip. Arthur had landed a few punches on him initially, but in the end Colin took him down without exerting much effort.

He ran his fingers through his hair to fix it before reaching for his jacket. Slipping it on, Colin exited Debling’s room.

A/N - Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter will be from Colin's POV :)

@cringycat24, @josephine-waters

[zomboivex]

I Kinda Wish That I Could Feel Sorry For You

[One-Shot Fic of Ritsu x Leo]

[3k words - authors note at the end]

@leatherthorn

.・✫・゜・。. .・✫・゜・。. .・✫・゜・。. .・✫・

Stepping off the train and onto the platform, Darkwick was not what Leo had expected it to be. If anything- it was a letdown. The way that Hyde had explained it to him and Sho- well, you would have assumed there were floating eyeballs that shot lasers off at anyone who passed by. But the reality? It looked just like any other normal school. Minus a few odd things here and there. The zipper crocs that greeted the dismounting students leaving many in awe. But that shit was hardly anything interesting after Leo had seen a demon.

A yawn pressed through.

Boring.

Leo would push past the students that were enraptured with the weird concrete lizards. His feet carrying him towards the building that they all were supposed to head towards. Some tests. To see if any supplementary classes would be needed. Another pointless task. But it was better than being surrounded by doe-eyed buffoons.

Only one other person seemed to be eagerly making their way towards the building in question. Honeyed eyes looking at the figure inquisitively. Taking in every inch of detail he could make out just from the back.

Slender. Posture was as rigid as a board yet somehow the person seemed comfortable that way. His movements weren’t stiff. He just looked rigid and confident. The hair- from the angle he could see- was well-kept. Brushed and clean. Professional with every strand in place. Now that was interesting.

Briskly walking to catch up, Leo would soon match pace to the clean-cut male. His smile overly friendly as he’d lean his torso forward some. “Hello!” His voice cheerful to match the overly friendly smile he wore.

The professional looking male would squint for a moment- looking the other student up and down. Then a smile returned- one that boasted confidence. “Hello.” A cool response. To which Leo would straighten up and walk along.

“You look like you know where you’re going. Exams? I’m tagging along.”

No complaints. The walk to the building continued. And upon their arrival, the two would split to their respective seats. Other students began to shuffle in and take their own spots before the exam proctor spoke of the rules. No cheating. No phones. Standard rules for any test.

The exams being exactly what Leo had envisioned them to be; predictable aside from a few odd questions about anomalies. To which, he did not have the answers for and only guessed based off of what seemed the most logical answer. The room quiet save for scratching of pen on paper and the subtle shuffling of pages. The first to get up being that well-dressed student from before. Leo’s eyes following that confident stride up to the podium where he would turn the paper in and swiftly depart.

Eyes returning to his own paper, the ghoul would breathe through his nose before haughtily from his mouth. A few scratches of his own pen before he stood up and casually strode over to turn his own exam in. As he’d leave the room, Leo found his eyes searching around for that student. No sign of him. No matter. He was a student here. They were hounded to cross paths again, soon.

And, soon, their paths would cross again. A few days had passed since the exam. Most students had settled in, making friends amongst the general students. Most of the ghouls keeping to themselves or their own. They had yet to be placed in any houses- the ghouls all staying in some rooms in the main campus building until they were sorted out.

The young adult casually interacting with those who seemed to offer some benefit. And, of course, Sho. But did Sho really count? They had been friends for quite some time even before this rather bland school roped them in. But despite their closeness, Leo had wanted to branch out. If only to make connections. Doing such with the vice-captain of the house Sinostra. Romeo. Their vapid relationship hinging on their mutual interests.

The two other first year ghouls are what interested Leo the most, however. Ren Shiranami- who appeared to be a chronic slacker. Nothing of interest to the influencer. And Ritsu Shinjo. The one he followed to the campus for exams. A real go-getter. Life planned out ahead of him with clear crystal goals set. An easy enough target. Furthermore, it seems he ranked number one in the exams from all first year students. Leo only placing directly behind him. The perfect excuse to strike up a conversation. They could benefit one-another. Though, Leo viewed it as he had more to benefit but less to lose. In his mind, this was a winning scenario.

The entrance ceremony for general students was held that morning. A boring affair of wannabe guys and girls getting sorted into their respective houses and the general layout of the year explained. Nothing heavy touched up on the anomaly bit. But ghouls- of which Leo was one- would have their own entrance ceremony. Something about needing to weigh their hearts to see where they’d be placed.

Stupid.

Whatever, though.

Leo had made his way to the entrance ceremony that night- this one less crowded. It seemed to be filled with those already placed in their houses- probably only a few prominent figures. Golden eyes assessing the smaller crowd. His own robes plain of any house colors and standing back behind the stage with the other first years; Sho, Ren, and Ritsu. Eyes constantly falling on Ritsu.

He couldn’t deny it. There was something enthralling about the put-together ghoul. Irksome. Attractive. And just- Leo’s thoughts possessing him for a moment as he’d daydream about having him wrapped around his finger.

A plan. One to put into motion.

With a casual step over, Leo would flash the same smile when he first spotted his fellow ghoul. “We didn’t get a chance to introduce ourselves last time. My name’s Leo. I ranked just beneath you in the exams.”

Ritsu would look Leo once over- his ever present and business-like grin clear on his face. “Mr. Kurosagi.” He’d greet, hand extending for a brief and tactful handshake.

Leo would assess the hand extended before going to decline with an ‘apologetic’, “Sorry. Just had my nails done.” He’d show off said nails, which looked perfectly manicured and shaped.

Ritsu would give a small nod of acknowledgment at this- deciding it was not worth questioning for now. But making a mental note to add this to his files.

“By the way, just Leo is fine.” The influencer spoke with a perfectly manufactured friendship voice.

The other ghoul would seem to disregard this, pulling out a business card and offering it to the influencer. “Ritsu Shinjo. Paralegal.”

A hand extended to take the card, looking it once over before pulling his phone out and plugging the information into his contacts.

Ritsu Shinjo - wannabe lawyer.

Saved.

Now. Time to overtake the conversation. The silver haired ghoul giving a cat-like grin, eyes filled with mischief.

“Ritsu, I think we could work exceptionally well together. Don’t you? We both ranked exceptionally high in our entrance exams. And if we’re placed in the same house, we’ll have to work closely, anyways.”

“I’ll be placed in Frostheim.” Ritsu answered with confidence. He seemed to think Leo would not be placed there, judging by how he spoke.

Leo couldn’t help but to feel his lip twitch at this. Subtle. Brief. Before the words came out with more enthusiasm, “That’s even better! More resources available to us, that way.”

Ritsu didn’t seem to divulge any information in his expression. Which remained the same confident smile. The influencer was about to say more before the announcements began, explaining that the first year ghouls would now be sorted.

“I’ll send you a message later, kay?” Leo gave a wink, watching as Ritsu would ascend onto the stage to go first.

Leo watched as Ritsu spoke with a sense of awareness- expecting a very particular result. Damn said result was soon revealed to be anything but what Ritsu had anticipated. A snicker earned from the sidelines where Leo stood. The brief disappointment delicious to him.

Soon, it was his own turn to touch the mannequin. The introduction more than a hassle after that obnoxious and loud chancellor spoke. His voice like nails on a chalkboard- toes curled up in disgust. The reveal only a brief surprise from the change of clothes. Vagastrom, it was. So he wouldn’t be in the same house as the paralegal. Shame. He would have been absolutely fun to terrorize.

Next was that slacker. Jabberwok. With the more than tragic jumpsuit. It made Leo thankful for his own little outfit. Then Sho. A part of Leo hoping they were placed together. To which, they were. Good. Sho couldn’t get rid of him that easily.

The remainder of the ceremony was a bit of a borefest. Leo socializing all the same. Connections were important to maintain, after all. But once everyone would dissipate to their respective houses, Leo would return for the night and finally get settled in to his new home. All his belongings already moved and placed in. And the room was exactly what he had been hoping for. Spacious with a large bathroom. All for himself. Perfect, honestly. Like it had been custom tailored for him.

Weeks had slipped by and life at Darkwick had become normal. Boringly so. Even with all the excitement going on, Leo found himself incredibly bored. Classes weren’t worth attending. He could just take the tests and pass so what was the point in going?

Any requests for R&R also were denied. Which made things that much more of a drudge. Bored. Leo found himself increasingly bored. And disappointed.

Wasn’t Darkwick supposed to be this hot shot school with interesting things happening? So why was Leo bored out of his fucking mind?

The only entertaining thought that crossed over was that wannabe lawyer. He wondered what he was up to, honestly. Hand reaching to pull out his phone. A quick text wouldn’t hurt.

“Ritsu! What r u up to?” Not the most formal way to message someone- and Leo had a sneaking suspicion that the paralegal would not be too thrilled with this lack of formality- but he hardly cared.

Send.

A quick message back, “Please confirm who this is.”

Leo nearly rolled his eyes out of his skull. “Leo Kurosagi. The first year that ranked just beneath you.”

Send again.

“How can I help you today, Mr. Kurosagi?” Prompt and to the point.

“Have u had a chance to explore the academy?” Leo’s texts quick.

“I have not. Have you noticed something that warrants a formal complaint to be sent?”

Another eye roll from Leo. God, this guy was dense. That or plain rude. “Im asking if u want to hang out.”

The prompt reply followed, “I charge 5500 yen per half hour for consultations, tax inclusive. Are you needing a consultation?”

Oh. My. Fucking. God.

This guy can’t be for real, can he?

Maybe Leo had misjudged him.

“No. Im bored and want to hang out. Im asking if u want to go somewhere and do something fun???”

“Fun? I don’t have time for such frivolous matters.” The message was quick. And Leo found himself staring at the screen in growing annoyance.

“Ok then? I need consultation on harassment online. Can u help with that?” Send.

Leo could handle his own online affairs but it was an excuse to get Ritsu to meet up with him. To see him in person again. And, by the text that just came in, it seemed to have worked.

“Very well. We can meet up at the Mystery Diner at 12:00.”

Looking at the time, Leo would note that would be in about an hour. Where exactly this Mystery Diner was, the influencer wasn’t entirely sure. But he had heard rumors of a place opening up recently on campus by the name. Reviews weren’t exactly the best, either. But if that’s where he wanted to meet up, so be it.

Getting ready for the meet up took about thirty minutes. Leo wanted to make sure that his uniform still looked presentable despite not being the biggest fan of it. Especially in this heat. But there wasn’t much to be done so he’d wear it all the same and head to the Mystery Diner. A bit late. By a minute.

Sitting at a table was the wannabe lawyer. He had a coffee resting there and seemed less than pleased about the lack of punctuality. To which he immediately spoke upon, “You’re late.”

The cool smile remained on Leo’s features as honeyed eyes would scan the other ghoul before smirking, “Am I? My watch must be off.” He wasn’t wearing one but that hardly mattered. Now, the real fun would begin.

Going to sit across from the paralegal, Leo would lean back in the booth- regretting it for a moment with how the vinyl seat covers practically suctioned him to it with that odd sticky sensation that only vinyl covers could do.

Gross.

Leo sat upright as the vinyl made an awful ‘velcro’ noise. He would scrunch up his face briefly before looking over at Ritsu.

“Glad you could find the time for a last minute appointment.” Leo began, pulling out his phone as he would go to snap a few photos of himself with feigned worry. The angle of the shoot allowing just enough of a view of someone in the background seated with him. That would get his fans stirred up.

Attention then drifted back over to the paralegal who seemed more keen on keeping things strictly to business. “Regarding the harassment you’re facing online-“ the words began before the paralegal would cut himself off to ask something else.

“Are you taking pictures?”

“Hmmm?” Leo would feign stupidity for a brief moment- a finger pressed to his bottom lip with a pout. “Am I? I didn’t realize.” Leo snapped one more photo for good measure before setting his phone down. “What were you saying? I wasn’t exactly paying attention.” Truth was, he just wanted to get Ritsu to talk more. Maybe rule him up. See what buttons he could press in a short amount of time.

Ritsu seemed unphased by this. His expression remaining the same ever clear and confident one he always wore. “I was simply inquiring about the harassment that you face online.”

“Oh that.” Leo shrugged. “I just have a few threats being sent to me. Was wondering if there was anything I could do about it? I’ve blocked them but whoever it is just keeps making new accounts.” Lips puckered into feigned concern. He didn’t exactly care. But Ritsu, listening to this, seemed to be taking notes. Honey eyes watching the way that pen scratched at the paper before he would dramatically sigh.

“I’m really scared. they keep saying things like how they’re going to string me up and skin me!” Oh the dramatics. More scratches on paper as Ritsu continued to take notes of everything that Leo was sharing. This continuing on for an hour before the meeting came to a natural conclusion.

Advice of legal measures being shared and Leo making a mental note. It could have ended here. But no.

“You know, I couldn’t help but to notice that your cuticles are a bit… hmm… how to say this…. They look like shit.” The words blunt. Now he’d lay it on thick, “And your eyebrows? They’re too thin. You should really work on plucking them better. It looks like someone took a lawnmower to your fucking forehead with how non-existent they are.” A click of the tongue.

The insults rolled off. Ritsu just blinking as if the words didn’t phase him at all. Which only irked Leo further.

“Well, I’d love to stay and chat but you’re about as dense as a loaf of bread and I have better things to do with my time.” With that, Leo would stand up and turn to leave.

“I’ll be sure to send you the bill for the consultation fee.”

And the words were left there.

.・✫・゜・。. .・✫・゜・。. .・✫・゜・。. .・✫・

Authors Note:

Aha sorry this took so long.

Enjoy or don’t .

[dross-the-fish]

Can we get a drabble or doodle of a lucid werewolf Larry seeing his reflection for the first time?

The first thing Larry became aware of was Adam Frankenstein standing over him, watching him closely. To the right of Adam a much smaller figure came into view, Edward Hyde, notebook in hand and a pen clenched between his crooked teeth. Hyde removed the pen and set it against the notepad.

“Nod or shake your head,” he said brusquely, “I’m going to run a few tests and then we’ll unstrap you. First test: can you understand me?”

Larry nodded.

“Second test: do you feel calm?”

Larry thought for a moment, he was anxious but not panicked or enraged. Calm enough he supposed. He nodded.

“Third test: do you remember your own name?”

A nod.

“Tap three times against the arm of your chair.” Hyde said as he scribbled away in the notebook.

Adam watched as Larry complied. He exchanged glances with Edward, who nodded. Satisfied that the serum had worked and Larry was lucid he began unstrapping him. Larry wobbled to his feet, it was difficult to use this form, so alien was it from his natural human state, that he had to grip Adam’s arms for support as he learned to balance himself without his wolfish instincts to guide him. He was aware, for the first time that the air smelled different and that the room, which should have been dim, seemed almost as bright as day. His ears pricked at the sudden intake of new sounds, previously imperceptible to his human senses.

He tried to speak but the sound was garbled and doggish, growling in frustration he indicated his face with a wide paw.  He looked back and forth between Adam and Hyde in the hopes that they’d understand his gesturing. “Do you…do you wish to see yourself?” Adam asked him at length.

Larry nodded furiously.

Adam glanced down at Hyde with a questioning frown.

“Well go on and get him a mirror!” Hyde snapped impatiently, “There’s no reason he shouldn’t see himself.”

Striding across the room Adam retrieved a hand mirror from a drawer and brought it to Larry, “Remember, whatever you see in this mirror, it doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change that we care about you,” he resting a hand on Larry’s furred shoulder.

Hyde made a derisive noise and Larry could practically hear him rolling his eyes. Somehow that cheered him a little. Adam’s grave countenance often made Larry feel more anxious and, while he knew the creature cared, Adam’s tendency to treat him like a baby chick with a broken wing grated on him.

Slowly Larry lifted the mirror and gazed into it.

It was…

Terrible.

The sight of the wolf creature, with its hairless dog face and the rough bristly fur framing it and tufting up in all directions filled him with disgust. He opened his mouth to examine his teeth. His muzzle was too blunt to be a proper dog’s snout but elongated far past what was normal for human jaws and filled with fangs. Fangs that had torn out his own mother’s throat…

A wave of panic overtook him and he shoved the mirror back at Adam. Chest heaving, he looked down at his clawed hands. He was going to cry; he was going to be sick. He whined and covered his face with his paws, mind reeling and he could feel his consciousness beginning to careen towards the edge of something terrible.

It was Hyde’s hand on his forearm that brought him back.

“Easy,” he said, “Try to keep calm. You’re still you right now and you’ve got to hang on to that, no matter what you might be feeling.”

 It took some effort but Larry managed to still the turmoil that threatened to take over his mind. Once he felt stable again, he looked over at Hyde as though to ask, “What next?”

“I think a walk on the grounds might do you good, get you used to that body of yours,” Hyde made a few more notes and pocketed the notebook, “Adam and I will hang close and observe you for the night, just to make sure the serum lasts. If all goes well it means no more strapping you down at night and you can roam the manor or the grounds as you please.”

Adam laid a hand on Larry’s back, “I think we should go and show Quincey, he’s been worried about you. Last night I found him asleep outside in the hallway.”

The mental image of his good, steadfast, Quincey waiting up all night him made Larry’s chest fill with a pleasant and welcome warmth. There was no one Larry wanted to see more right now than Quincey Harker and he nodded enthusiastically.

A look of brief understanding passed across Adam’s features and he smiled, “I think perhaps that would do you a lot of good. Come on, let’s go and find him,” he said guiding Larry out the door.

[bindi-the-skunk]

Let me hurt him for you chapter one

Stir Stir Stir

Drip Drip

"I really hope this works," Henry Jekyll muttered to himself as he watched the clear liquid turn blue as he added some powder, smiling as the Doctor got the reaction he wanted; it felt good to have the beakers and glittering liquids around him once again despite how much trouble they had caused him in the past.

It had been a mixture of joy and stuttering shyness when Mina had told him to borrow her equipment whenever he needed them, but it was nice to have his own once more, especially in light of what he was doing would require an extended period of having the beakers and vials.

"If it does, we will get to see our Mina as she was," Hyde said. "Do you think she will like it? It will only last a day."

"I was hoping for a cure…but this should do for now" Henry shrugged, eager to see Mina's face when he presented her with the vampirism suppressor. Not the best name, but it would do as expected; it would be amazing to allow her to once again be able to possess her humanity, that she thought was long lost…he hoped it would make her happy.

It almost did not seem real when Mina chose him, the moments between them, starting as small touches here and there before the usually reserved Doctor had worked up the courage to offer a quick kiss to Mina's cheek on a whim after she had helped bandage his injured hand when he had cut it on some glass and had been rewarded when one had been returned on the lips.

The cure had been in the back of his mind for a while, working on it in his spare time and doing his best not to let anything slip to Mina before it was ready. Finally, he had found just the right mixture that offered the reaction he was hoping for, but the best results only lasted twenty-four hours before showing signs of the vampire infection again.

But results were results, and he did not want to keep her waiting any longer for a cure that might never be possible. At least she could enjoy a day of being a human woman again.

What would she want to do first?

Jekyll remembered when he had found a way to return to his own self, finding just the right components to return him to normal, but also the added benefit of leaving his transformations into Hyde limited instead of requiring a second dose to switch back.

His first reaction was to find one of his old suits and put it on, enjoying how it did not hang on him, Hyde had grown by that point, but not nearly to the monstrous proportions he was at now, but he had thankfully not grown any bigger after he and Jekyll had found an understanding once joining the League and Edward, well still being Edward, seemed calmer, though them having Mina as their mate might have helped with that too.

Hyde enjoyed boasting about his more heroic moments even when the only one to brag to was Henry, nothing the other did not know, the rush of a proper battle getting his blood pumping more than chasing around a rude sailor or crushing the skull of an attempted rapist before enjoying the screams of the would-be victim as they ran in fear of their rescuer's appearance.

Though these instances did take the edge off when Edward felt cooped up after too long without some of his regular 'sport' to enjoy. And it was an easy enough thing to procure in most places they visited.

Edward had been just as excited for the new elixir for Mina, he loved her power and strength, but their lover also afforded the supposed darker half her affections too, that being loved, even as abhorrent as Hyde appeared, still received Mina's love, her soft touches, and warm kisses, it had almost broken Edward and Henry's brain.

Mina wore her vampirism well, controlling the inner urge for blood and suppressing her emotions, rare moments of passion being coveted more than the rarest of gems by both the outward and inner form and thoughts of the Doctor.

But she no doubt missed being able to express herself freely, human emotions, something taken for granted by most people, something Jekyll himself also once underappreciated, tried to rid himself of impure emotions and feelings, only to have them grow beyond his ability to control, enjoying the overabundance of anger, the elixir enhancing his feelings a thousandfold…

But Mina was forced to hold her emotions back with her curse, afraid of what an intense feeling could unleash from within her, causing her to hurt others, the chemists fear that just a knick on one of her friends would cause her to go into a blood lust, so she controlled her vampiric nature in all ways that she could to avoid this fate.

A day of being free, Henry owed her at least that…and could make more of the potion if she liked it.

He hoped she would love it.

Soon the final steps had been finished, and Henry grabbed a nearby bottle he had picked up; it was a pink upside-down heart-shaped glass vial meant for perfume with a rose-shaped stopper; he honestly felt ridiculous trying to 'pretty up' an elixir of all things. Still, it was also a gift, which should be presentable, especially a present that was from a (supposed) gentleman to a proper lady, right? Right.

Here goes nothing…

0-0-0

Or rather not

As it turns out, Mina had decided to go out into the town for the evening (no doubt out to look for…refreshment before they had to head back into the depths again). Henry had offered his blood to his lover before but had always been refused; she did not want to risk infecting him with her curse.

The docks or southern part of the town would be the best bet to finding her, where all those for which decency held no meaning resided.

"Let's go there too! Perhaps we can share a lowlife or two, I can tenderize them for her" Hyde chuckled at the idea of joining Mina in his preferred sport. "Then, after we get our fill, she can take her own elixir, and you can do your boring strolls or a proper lunch".

"We should wait till she has a somewhat empty stomach; Mina could become ill if when she becomes human, she has a stomach of blood," Henry pointed out. "That would be a rather poor demonstration of love on our part, Edward."

Edward grumbled a bit but seemed to accept this explanation "We still should go find her."

"It does seem she has been gone a long time…" Henry admitted and started to head out, only to almost run right into Sawyer, who dropped what seemed to be a mixture of tools to the floor where they scattered.

"Oh, I am sorry," Henry apologized before bending down to help pick up the tools.

"No problem," Sawyer smiled nonchalantly, piling the items into his untucked shirt which was acting as a pouch.

The agent had been disappointed when Mina had ultimately chosen the Doctor to be her partner, but he had bounced back quickly, though both he and Skinner still liked to teasingly flirt once and a while with the vampiress for 'old times sake'.

It annoyed Mina, and it annoyed Henry. Despite there being no worries in the action swaying anyone's feelings, it was still tasteless in both chemist's opinions.

"Where are you going, Doc?" Tom asked, "You seen Skinner? He promised to show me how to pick this new lock."

Lovely pastime…

"I think he was in the library, and I was going to find Mina, then hopefully have her join me for a walk."

"Oh, alright, well, you two have fun. I'll let the Captain know you are going to be out for a while," Sawyer said before offering a cheeky grin making the Doctor fight down a blush at the implication.

As Mina had said, both him and Skinner needed to get themselves a girl and get out of her hair!

But worry about that later, for now, it was time to find Mina and tell her the good news.

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

Let me know what you think!

[notebookmusical]

Hi! Sorry I meant to reply this morning and ran out of time. I have dressed up my dog before and sometimes he's wearing a shirt anyway but that's so cute and always look cute in their little costumes. Apparently my mom said there were quite a few kids out and she gave them candy..I was not home at the time. It's funny cuz she had a Wonka hat and costume on and kept singing Candyman. I told her I could use it to see the Wonka movie as a joke lol. Aw is everything okay? I hope you get enough rest! I'm also a klutz most of the time too so don't feel bad. I hope you had fun otherwise. 🩷

That's what I figured..even if I could not remember it in the movie lol. I would definitely go to Speak Now or Red but would've picked Rep if I didn't get to go. I actually almost went to 1989 but my mom bought me 1D tickets instead. I told her I would've preferred Taylor but looking back, I guess I'm glad I got to go since they broke up the next year. However I did not get to see Zayn on tour which I was bummed about. He was my favorite.

I've actually never seen any of those horror adaptations. I remember at one point I wanted to watch Carrie and American Psycho bootlegs but never did! I'll have to check them out if you recommend them. I remember seeing the clips from it though. I've seen Jekyll and Hyde and Bloody Andrew Jackson. I also love Rocky Horror and Little Shop, which are more campy. I know what you mean and agree completely. .2015 and 2016 were so good! I remember it well cuz that was the first year I watched. Even Fun Home which won was an adaptation but at least the staging was interesting and so were the songs. Something Rotten was also great. I remember watching Jeremy in Finding Neverland and liking that as well.

For Sweeney, I think they will do good in the roles but I am also used to original cast and also the movie. I knew he is 40 but he always seems younger, but I also associate him with Next to Normal, and thought he was good in Company too. So maybe that is part of it. Sutton was in Music Man and this is a lot different lol but I'm excited to see! Maybe I'll see part of a bootleg someday hopefully.

Sorry I will send a part 2 later and you can just reply to the next one if you want!!! 🩷

hi hi friend! 🤍

what kind of dog do you have? what's their name? i would love to hear more about your dog! (and if you want to send a photo 👀 ) and i'm okay! i just have ... a very large bruise on my knee (and my knee just doesn't feel super great); hoping it'll heal up before i go to boston but i don't think it will!

i actually sold my 1d tickets back in the day! i didn't really care for them/never really got into 1d, but a lot of my friends did — i think that was around the time i was really getting into musical theatre, and so i mostly only listened to taylor and showtunes haha.

i've never seen j&h or bloody bloody andrew jackson (i don't think i've listened to it either), nor have i seen rocky horror or little shop live!! something rotten! was such a fun show, i wish i'd gotten to see it live — if i remember correctly, it was supposed to do an out of town tryout here in seattle but then went straight to broadway instead! finding neverland was also a fun show! did you ever listen to/watch a boot of gentleman's guide to love and murder? it's one of my favorites from that season! fun fact: american psycho is apparently my most listened to album of this week, according to airbuds!

i loveeee company. it's my second favorite sondheim (only second to sunday in the park with george). i'm really excited that it's coming to seattle on tour next year; i'm going to try to see it! and i liked aaron in that too! will reply to part 2 of your ask momentarily 🤍 xxx

[danieyells]

A few notes in reponse

Taiga expresses a desire to eat the Kyklos as well. I think Taiga was distressed because he went some two days without eating any anomalies--he was probably just completely starving at that point and broke down. (In the files with the images the chapter is called "Taiga Gives In" which suggests he was restraining himself. He also bitterly mentioned there not being anomalies in the gallery room. "Doesn't do shit for me." As if to say it would have been better if there were anomalies there. Probably so he could actually eat.) i doubt it has anything to do with Romeo specifically since he eats anomalies even without Romeo being present(campus chat, tries to eat Peekaboo, wants to eat the Kyklos)

Ed said the Kyklos passes its curse onto humans. The ghouls aren't humans anymore, they're also anomalies. It makes total sense that it would run away, Taiga can't catch the curse.

I'm not sure Hyde is leveraging his relationship with Romeo. . .rather, he'd acknowledged that Romeo is coming to him out of desperation but probably wouldn't bother if he and Taiga could properly work together again--if Taiga would just ask Romeo to capture anomalies with him again then maybe things would go back to normal. Taiga used to be great at capturing anomalies but now he kills and eats them. This cuts into Romeo's profits. Romeo probably wouldn't rely on Hyde much if he could rely on Taiga to do what he's supposed to do. So if Taiga went to Romeo and proved he wanted to do things the right way then Taiga wouldn't have to worry about Romeo bothering with Hyde? That's how it seemed to me anyway. Romeo relies on Hyde for favors and deals and special missions for profit. But Taiga doesn't trust him, perhaps because he feels like Romeo's just carelessly putting himself in danger to appease Hyde(Romeo's always been greedy and everyone knows this, so sending him to a black market auction is kind of preying on his greed--Romeo even said he'd bring him back a souvenir. Of course they didn't necessarily know the auction was a deadly anomaly but. . . .)

Episode 8 Think Post

ah the taiga stans aren't going to like this chapter unless they wanna share with romeo huh

anyway:

Both of the episodes featuring Sinostra have to do with memory, memory loss, time, and death. In Episode Four, Ristu assumed the students died because they bet their birthdays, in this episode all the attendees of the auction are dead. We don't know what caused the place to become an anomaly, but we do know Taiga seems confused about it... almost like this auction didn't happen or Taiga feels like it isn't supposed to be happening. Which he is right about, if the action happened last year and something bad happened he would not expect it to happen again.

Taiga always seems to eat anomalies when he is in a severe state of distress. It's almost like he doesn't want to eat the anomaly but he feels compelled to? Now that I am thinking about it, the two anomalies we see him eat 1) like dove and 2) barong mask were both consumed after he saw Romeo. The way he spoke in this episode made him sound afraid for Lulu's life... so if there is a time loop going on did Taiga see Romeo die because of an anomaly? He doesn't remember that clearly but the emotion and fear is still there so he feels compelled to prevent Romeo from interacting with the anomalies so he does the only thing he can think to do which is eat it.

On that note, when MC tells him "hey we met on a train 2 months ago" he almost sounds like doubts her. He remembers the red train and the flowers, but I don't think he remembers that happening just two months ago.

Haku being able to get rid of curses if he has access to the source makes sense for his whole sketchy priest vibe.

The Kyklos running away from Taiga does not make a lot of sense based off of how Yuri and Ed have described it. If it wants to spread its curse... why not try to curse Taiga as well? Unless Taiga really is just that scary which I could see. He does give off those apex predator vibes that would kick flight or fight into over drive

Hyde is up to something, he seems to want Taiga to do something and is trying to leverage his relationship with Romeo in order to get him to do it... not too sure where that fits in my mind but I will work on it later in the week

[mikeyss1ut]

UH Can i request Wednesday x fem reader where she gets possessive of her gf plss🫠 i need more fics of her😔

Yes, you were so quick with this and I love that:))

“ imbeciles “

Summary: In which Tyler gets way out of his league and starts flirting with you. Wednesday puts him in his place very fast.

Spreading the sunshine x grumpy tropee.

You were always happy. Well not always , but you always tried to make sure you were nice. Your girlfriend Wednesday Addams was quite the opposite. She could care less about what people had to say. She could care less on what she said. She embraced her weirdness. You envied her for it.

“Hi! Could I get a Carmel frappe with not whip cream and sprinkles please!” You said, the worker at the counter whose name you knew from the would purpose he and Wednesday sometimes work together for her mystery’s. Tyler. He was always nice to you. Just maybe a little to nice. He knew you were Wednesdays girlfriend. But he didn’t really care, he liked you and was still trying. Even though he knows how Wednesday is about stuff like that, especially when it came down to you.

“Yeah sure.” He quickly made it and set it down my the cash register. You went to give him the money but.

“It’s on the house.” He said with probably the biggest grin on his face.

“Oh, okay thank you!” You took your frappe and went to sit down with Wednesday in your guys booth.

As you sat down the glare her eyes had on you could kill.

“That imbecile needs to check his self before he does something he might regret.”

“He’s just being nice Wednesday, maybe you could learn a little something from him?” You said. She hummed. “I’m unsure wether or not your visions on me are clear. I’m not nice.”

You smiled. She wasn’t nice but that’s what made Wednesday, Wednesday. Tyler walked over to the table.

“Hey girls do you want anything else?” He smiled “Oh um could I maybe-“

“We don’t need anything else. If we wanted something we would come to the front counter like your supposed to. Because in case you forgot this is a coffee shop where you go to the front desk to get your food. Not a restaurant where you get waited on.”

You kicked her leg under the table just gently so she would look at you “Wednesday!” You whisper yelled.

Tyler walked away without saying anything. And Wednesday went back to pretending everything was normal.

“So according to this book and uncle fester. This Monster we happen to be looking for is other than the one behind the counter. There’s also one called a Hyde.”

“Wednesday! Please be good. I’m gonna go use the restroom you stay here. Wednesday took out a pen and ripped a piece off of a napkin and wrote.

Here’s a tip. Don’t look at other’s people girlfriends like you did mine. Next time I won’t be so light with my regards and insults towards you. She got up gripping the book in between her arm and placed the napkin In the tip jar. Then waited for you outside the restroom.

When you got out she immediately took your hand and did a fast strut out of ten coffee shop. “Wednesday, what the hell? I thought you we were gonna study this monster and have our frappes?”

“I’d prefer to study with Eugene at his little beehive castle.”

“Okay, fine I guess.”

[startanewdream]

“Hmmm. First kiss?”

Harry blinked, diverting his gaze from the kites in the sky (he was just considering if he was too old to learn how to fly a kite).

“What?”

“Your first kiss,” said Ginny calmly. “How was it?”

“Why do you wanna know about my first kiss?”

“You were the one who suggested we try dating.” She shivered exaggeratedly as if the word offended her. Harry couldn’t help his laugh.

“How scandalous of me.”

“Usually people go on dates before they are in a relationship,” she noted, raising their intertwined hands.

“You know me, I don’t do things the usual way.”

Ginny smiled, moving closer to him on the bench. “This feels pretty normal,” she said in a small voice, winking at him.

Harry flushed, pleased; Ginny was right. So far, the day had been ordinary and that was the best compliment he could give it. Leaving the wizarding world behind to walk upon Muggle London had been a simple and yet brilliant idea. Here, there was no pressure, no tension upon any of their shoulders.

Here he was just an eighteen-year-old guy enjoying the day with his gorgeous girlfriend, two unknown faces in the middle of this very crowded city; a normal couple sitting on a bench at Hyde Park.

“So—your first kiss?”

“How is this a first date type of question?”

“Probably because it involves so many embarrassing moments that you know it can’t get worse afterwards.”

Harry supposed she got a point. “I have to say, I improved a lot afterwards,” he assured, pulling her hair behind her back casually. “You never complained,” he added. His lips traced the column of her neck, which earned him real shivers this time.

She giggled as she pushed him away.

“Nice try—but you are not getting away from this.”

“Ugh, a bloke had to try.” He placed a soft peck on her cheek before resuming his position on the bench. “Wet.”

“What?”

“How my first kiss went. Wet.”

She frowned. “Wet like—you were underwater or—”

“No, no. You know back when—well, she was crying so—”

“Crying? Oh. Oh.” Ginny patted his back. “It was not your fault.”

“One would think it would help to cheer her up.” He rolled his eyes, ignoring the pinkness on his cheeks. “That’s what your brother told me, anyway.”

“You know Ron is not the best relationship advisor in the world, right?”

“Considering how long it took for him to realise Hermione is a girl… yeah, looking back, I see it now.”

Ginny laughed for a moment. Then she threw him a furtive glance before looking up, to the same kites that Harry had been admiring before.

“Was it a nice kiss?”

“I… I don’t know!”

“Well—did you want to kiss her again?”

“I—I think so, I don’t know, I was fifteen and I was a mess. Why are you asking me this?”

She sighed. “Because I got curious. I couldn’t ask you before and for all she knows Hogwarts, A History, by heart, Hermione is terrible at details. We talk about this kind of thing,” she added, unashamed.

“Like—”

“Like everything. Well, almost everything. Turns out I can’t deal with details involving my brother.”

“Ugh. That makes us two.”

“Anyway—details.”

“I think in this aspect I am like Hermione.” He shrugged. “I didn’t pay enough attention.”

“It was your first kiss.”

“Hm.” His fingers traced the back of her hand. “She threw her arms around my neck. I looked at her and then I just knew what I had to do. So I kissed her—first I tugged her lower lip, and it was as soft as I thought it would be—and I had spent a lot of time considering it. And then I was holding her face and—funny thing about tongues, right? You don’t really know what to do until you are doing it and it is just so nice. I felt like I could go on like that for days—you know when time stops and it feels as if there are just the two of you in the world, but in fact, you are in the middle of the Common Room and everyone is just staring—”

“Hey.” Ginny’s eyes were sparkling. “That was not your first kiss.”

“No, but it was ours—and at that time I was noticing everything. I would have given a much better recount to Ron and Hermione, except—”

“They witnessed firsthand, yeah.” Ginny laughed warmly. “And you know what, kissing the girl you had a crush on for ages—that’s also a pretty normal thing.”

“Didn’t we kiss after I missed the match because I got a detention for cursing my school archenemy with a spell invented by a professor who spied—”

“Fine, fine. Not the usual way.” She kissed him softly on the lips; it was just a peck, a brush innocent by any standard, and yet Harry felt again that same brightness that always came attached with kissing Ginny. “I know you won’t ever ask, but I don’t remember either.”

“What?”

“How it feels to kiss someone else. Not to say I didn’t like them, or that snogging wasn’t nice—”

“Er—I would rather not think about it. Though—” He fidgeted with his free hand. “It was seeing you and Dean together that made me realise how I felt about you. So—silver linings, I guess…?”

“Oh, no.” Ginny slid closer to him again. “That’s not the kind of silver lining we enjoy,” she said, and then there was nothing innocent about their kiss anymore; it was pure light, warming and glowing, the kind that made Harry lose any sense of time and space. 

When they broke apart, at last, Harry traced her face. “Sunlit days,” he declared.

“What?”

“Kissing you feels like this.” He gestured around, to the bright green grass behind them, where people were picnicking over towels; to the lake in front of them, where a water fountain was turned on, sprinkling them with steam when the wind turned; and then to the blue sky, only a few fluffy white clouds in sight. It was a hot day, and the sound of bird songs and people chattering just added to the normalcy that Harry most craved. “Like a summer day.”

She kissed the palm of his hand. “We will share all seasons now.”

He couldn’t wait for it.

[trainsinanime]

I’ve been reading way too much Wednesday Addams/Enid Sinclair fanfic these days, and one thing that struck me recently is how well Enid fits in with the classic Addams family. 

Wednesday (the show) is completely different from all other Addams family things in terms of its vibes. It’s actually horror instead of horror-themed comedy, there are high stakes and high drama and much more interpersonal conflict, to a degree that can sometimes even feel a bit grating (e.g. the conflict Wednesday has with her mother that does not feel genuine to how I saw these characters elsewhere). That does not mean it’s a bad show, it’s actually a great show, it’s just different. 

But as a result, many of the characters in the show don’t fit well within the Addams world as established by the 90s movies. Xavier and Bianca are high intensity drama; they don’t fit. Principal Weems could fit and there should be more Gwendolyn Christie in everything. Tyler doesn’t fit. The Hyde fits, but as a family friend, not a threat. Look at him! He’s supposed to be scary but his design is just a little creature. He fits as a monster in the show; he does not fit as an antagonist in "normal" Addams Family media.

Enid fits perfectly, though. Yes, she’s colorful and cheerful and (deliberately) the exact opposite of the Addams family aesthetic. But the Addams’s are enthusiastic and supporting of weirdness, and those are both qualities Enid has in spades, as shown in her unlikely friendship with Wednesday. Enid is very unlike Wednesday, but they share some common qualities, such as doing their own thing regardless of what others think, and respecting each other for it.

The Addams’s, for their part, are weird, and sometimes in turn a bit weirded out by other people, but they are at their core generous and friendly, no matter how they look. And they can absolutely form relationships with people from the outside after a bit of adjusting. Cousin Itt and Margaret are a good example. Enid could absolutely thrive in such an environment. Plus, she can turn into a wolf beast and kill people with her claws. 

I don’t think this is necessarily a shipping thing (although it certainly supports shipping). Wednesday and Enid have a deep and meaningful friendship, and for Enid to become an honorary member of the Addams family works whether you decide to have them kiss or not. It also fits perfectly with Enid’s disappointment at her own family. I suppose her father will be allowed over, the Addams’s would love him as well.

Anyway: Enid and the Addams Family is a surprisingly good match, and I hope we get to see more of it, in fanfic or maybe even season 2.

[always-a-joyful-note]

Okay I forgot I posted this and died of laughter when I went back on my blog and found this. And since I actually kinda sorta remember what I was thinking, I'm gonna expound on this because I can rather than erasing just cause it's funny.

Warning, though, I actually am not all that familiar with the original Addams Family characters. My criticism of Wednesday is just purely thematic and based on story reasons so...

First thing's first. One of the themes that I found Wednesday the netflix show was trying to portray was that even amongst the outcasts, there existed outliers that were ostracised. Kinda like how a lot of communities have people excluded for "not being *insert thing* enough" even though they, too, are excluded from the "normal" people.

So basically, it was a neat theme they were trying to explore. The outcasts among the outcasts and the normal people who weren't all that normal and the breaking of stereotypes for what their kind actually was (normie or outcast), etc.

So it was immensely funny to me that they made the main antagonists (spoilers) a Puritan ghost, a weird plant lady, and a Hyde.

The weird plant lady was actually not that bad a call....some rich kid with a rich background appropriating a community to destroy them, etc. A bit dramatic but it's a dramatic show. And I apologise because I love her but I could not focus on whether she was well written or no.

I can't say much about the Puritan ghost except that it felt a lot more like your typical villainisation of Christianity - the whole all puritans were evil thing - rather than a commentary on the hypocrisy of early settlers/a commentary on the cycle of discrimination they continued to spread (weren't they supposed to flee religious discrimination I mean? Idk...). A caricature, I guess, in a show that seemed to say there's more to everyone? But I'm not familiar with the history of that time period or the discourse surrounding it, so I'll shut up now.

But whatever was wrong or right about the above two, they didn't bother me as much as what the show did with the Hyde dude (I'm so sorry, I forgot your name...).

Ah, the Hyde.....

This show was all about breaking stereotypes, and to have the antagonist be part of a race stereotyped as evil and demonic...and have all his complexity stripped away by saying "that's just what being a Hyde is, I guess" is just a tad bit questionable, thematically. Maybe they'll fix it in season 2, but there was something deeply discordant on having the main characters be these kids that break the stereotypes of their groups, being outcasts among outcasts, and one of the main evils be an outcast amongst outcasts who reinforces the stereotypes of his race. If I got what a Hyde was correctly, then it's not something he developed due to Being Evil (like LotR orcs, which are basically elves who chose to be corrupted) but something he was born with. And to villify that in a story that was all about accepting differences...?

I mean....at least they could have made a character who...broke the Hyde stereotypes?

I don't know if I even explained myself okay but the short of it is that the Hyde as the antagonist was a strange thematic choice in a show that seemed to try to celebrate differences and the way you were born.

As for why MLP did a better job in portraying this theme of outcasts among outcasts and breaking stereotypes?

The changelings. Creatures who NEED to eat love to sate their hunger.

Like, MLP would have been completely justified in saying "that's just how the race is. Evil love eaters. But yay friendship won again and the bad guys were defeated!" It's a kid's show, after all. They could have gone the this group is evil-coded because reasons route and left it at that. Like Wednesday did with Hydes.

But no. They created a character who sought a way to resist the inclinations they were told were natural. And what do you know? He realised that instead of eating love, he could SHARE it and be transformed.

And he did that without invalidating their natural-born hunger for love. That still needed to be fed... He - that is, Thorax - found another way to sate that hunger. Not by stealing love but sharing it.

So you have Wednesday's Hydes, who are born with pretty dark inclinations and the characters portrayed falling easily into those and using it for evil. And then you have MLP's changeling, who are born with pretty dark inclinations and the characters portrayed falling easily into it because that's all they've been taught by their awful leader...and someone realising those "dark inclinations" don't have to be dark if you reframe the solution for it. It's not bad to hunger for love if you fill it by sharing it, right?

I'll cut it off here cause this turned long and I don't have anything else much to say. Just a disclaimer that I actually did very much enjoy Wednesday somewhat (the YA nature of it all combined with the theatre kid emo drama was...funny enough that I HAD to unironically enjoy it). Just that I think that if MLP could show how stereotypically "bad" wants could be both validated but reframed to do something good, Wednesday could DEFINITELY have done that with their poor Hydes. (And yes, I do in fact know the Jekyll and Hyde story but the og tale was more like LOTR orcs than whatever Wednesday repurposed them as)

My controversial fandom opinion is that My Little Pony did what Wednesday tried to do but much better and somehow with more nuance

[realmermaid333]

Wednesday- Hyde Monster Analysis *SPOILERS*

IF YOU HAVENT SEEN EPISODE 8 OF WEDNESDAY LOOK AWAY FAST!!!

I have been reading some people’s theories/comments about the Hyde monster and whether or not Tyler will have a redemption next season and I wanted to explore my theories on what will happen with him in S2 and with how the Hyde monster may work. 

First, lets go over what the Hyde monster is. The Hyde monster is a monster in the Wednesday Addams universe that is based on Jekyll and Hyde. In the show itself, it seems the Hyde monster is supposed to be what Mr. Hyde from Jekyll and Hyde was. 

A Hyde is a person who can transform into a violent and homicidal monster, we don’t know that much about them except for the fact that Nevermore academies founder, Nathaniel Faulkner, was killed by one when trying to study them. We also know that Hyde’s are unlocked after a traumatic experience or by the use of a chemical. In Wednesday, Hyde’s also can have a master who controls them (in Tyler’s case it was Ms. Thornhill, aka Laurel). 

Because Hydes are unpredictable, they were banned from attending Nevermore 30 years ago. We don’t know if there is any way for Hydes to control their abilities, if there’s been non-violent/homicidal Hydes, etc. Hopefully that will all be answered next season. 

But we do have the original source material to make theories from! 

If you look at the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (written by Robert Louis Stevenson), it is a tale about how hiding and denying the dark parts of ourselves (the shadow self) doesn’t help us and only makes us feel more shame and less control, which would in turn make the shadow self worse. 

In the story, Dr. Jekyll is a kind and selfless doctor who loves to help people, but he has this other part of him, a monsterous man named Mr. Hyde who is capable of horrible things. Dr. Jekyll attempts to separate Mr. Hyde from himself so he can be pure and good and be rid of Mr. Hyde. But unfortunately, this just makes Hyde stronger and he commits heinous crimes and kills people. In the end, Mr. Hyde becomes too strong and Dr. Jekyll commits suicide because he no longer had control over Hyde. 

Because of the story the Hyde monster is derived from, I can see Tyler’s story going two different ways. The first, is that Tyler is now gone and dead and the Hyde is the only thing that is left. That is honestly super sad and I would like to hope it’s not what happens, but also it doesn’t fit the source material as well.

In the story, when Jekyll died, Hyde did too, because they were the same person. Jekyll only ended his life because he didn’t know how to control Hyde anymore and he knew if he died, Hyde would too. Meaning Tyler has to still be in the picture. That leads me to the second and more positive outcome--- Tyler is still in there somewhere and he could have a redemption and end up being a good person. 

From Tyler’s story, we know that he was once a normal, sweet teenage boy. It wasn’t until he was manipulated, groomed, and tested on by Laurel that his Hyde was unlocked. Tyler was not aware he was a Hyde because his father kept the fact that his mom was one from him. We don’t know if he could have somehow got help or if there is some way for Hyde’s to learn to accept and control their abilities, we will likely learn more next season. 

Since Jekyll and Hyde is a bit of a cautionary tale about the shadow self, there is a chance that the show could explore what happens if you don’t do what Dr. Jekyll did. If Jekyll were to have accepted Hyde as a part of himself and instead learned to control him without attempting to make him a “separate” entity, things could have been different. 

I know Tyler told Wednesday that he used to be horrified and not remember much from his transformations, and that eventually he remembered and started to love hurting people. The thing is, we don’t know if that was really Tyler and his opinion or not. That very well could have been his Hyde talking--- and it would make more sense if that was the case as in the original story, Mr. Hyde became too strong and overpowered Jekyll. The same could be happening with Tyler. I don’t think Tyler as a person actually liked killing people. Perhaps Tyler could learn how to be his own master and control what his Hyde does. 

I would also want to see Tyler somehow get better since it is very clear he is a teenage boy who was groomed by a grown woman who showed him the affection that his father didn’t and his mother wasn’t alive to. It is rather sad to think about Laurel manipulating him and obviously being kinda pedo with him, just using him as a pawn for evil. 

But, this is all just my wishful, hopeful thinking! We won’t know until next season comes out, and the show hasn’t even gone through the renewal process yet. The actors don’t even know anything about the next season yet! So we will see :) 

[ryder616]

The Inhuman Superhero Formerly Known as a Mutant*

Since the finale of Ms. Marvel there's been a few confused takes on the issue of comics!Daisy Johnson's origins, including mine.

So, let's clear things up.

It's true that comics!Daisy was thought to be a Mutant, but the keyword here is "thought". I suppose she could have been called one in the standard biological meaning but not in the specific Marvel meaning, as she didn't have the X-gene.

Daisy's first appeared in Secret War, a limited edition series by Brian Michael Bendis and Gabriele Dell'Otto published in 2004 and 2005, and there she already explicitly denied having the mutant gene.

Here's the relevant panel from Secret War #5:

"Technically, it's genetic damage, handed down from my jerk of a father. I don't have the mutant gene"

So, from the get-go, her powers were innate, the result of some genetic anomaly/mutation, but these anomalies were the result of the altered DNA inherited from her father (Calvin Zabo, the supervillian Mr. Hyde), not the mutant factor of the X-Men & co.

A decade later - issue #7 of S.H.I.E.L.D. volume 3, The Strange Case of Daisy Johnson and Mr. Hyde, published in 2015, a month after AoS had finished airing its second season - her mother was revealed as Inhuman.

This didn't really alter her origin drastically, since it was her father's experimentations with his own DNA that had triggered her genetic peculiarity, said peculiarity now being the Inhuman gene rather than genetic anomalies passed on by her father as previously established believed.

As a result, comics!Daisy hadn't needed to go through Terrigenesis to unlock her powers, which explains why nobody had thought she was Inhuman before.

(btw there's a narrative reason why she's so angry, this isn't normal)

In the comics, Daisy's mother isn't the leader of the Inhuman community on Earth, but a prostitute that Mr. Hyde frequented. Her name was Jennifer Kim Johnson, and, unlike her AoS counterpart, she was unaware of her Inhuman heritage.

She was also never tortured by nazis, and had simply given up Daisy for adoption rather than having her baby stolen by well-meaning SHIELD agents.

In the one holographic image of her, she still looks Asian, in line with comics!Daisy's new looks there were now closer to Chloe Bennet's than Angelina Jolie's.

Bonus

Here's Daisy's file from Secret War, her first appearance. There is no mention of her being a mutant. Note the part where she's said to be immune to the harmful effect of her vibrations. Comics!Daisy also has psychic shielding, strong enough to impede Emma Frost. And of course, blue eyes, because her first look was inspired by Angelina Jolie in Hackers.

Below is her file from Secret War: From the files of Nick Fury, the companion volume to the series, which calls her a mutant. This file also makes her 5 inches taller and 20 lbs. heavier, and her place of birth has moved to New Orleans (it's Portland in the previous file) 🤷‍♀️

[vvintagerose]

Ok for that character ask game: Hyde

HEHE OK

Sexuality Headcanon: raging bisexual

Gender Headcanon: i’m conflicted on smth: i hc jekyll as a trans man, so would that make Hyde trans as well? or would he then be a cis man because he’s supposed to house Jekylls desires. but he’s def not cis, i could see him using any pronouns and dressing however he wants to

A ship I have with said character: him and Adam is kind of cute, and Utterson, and i ship TGS Hyde with Lanyon because i am trash for enemies to lovers

A BROTP I have with said character: i like to think he and Poole have a frenemies thing going on, and ofc with Adam as i mentioned in the last post

A NOTP I have with said character: none tbh! all the ships i’ve seen for him i’ve liked

A random headcanon: he hates that Jekyll made him solely to carry all of his sins just so he could continue on in respectable society. he resents the world that resents him for existing and wishes he could live a normal life, his life

General Opinion over said character: funny silly little murder guy that can actually hold so much trauma

[skzsauce01]

Bird Is the Word

Synopsis: A series of drunk texts leads to one of the best and worst things that has ever happened to you. Or, Han Jisung is never going to let you forget the time you forgot the word ‘bird.’ College AU. Not a text fic but does include some texts.

Warning: alcohol, a lot of bird puns

Word Count: 8.1k

Pairing: fem!reader x Han Jisung

2:23 AM [Me]: sOS SOS SOS SOSOSOS 2:23 AM [Me]: I NEED HELPPPP 2:23 AM [Jisung Bio]: You okay?? 2:23 AM [Me]: YOU SMART HELPPPPP

2:24 AM [Jisung Bio]: Do you want me to call the police?? 2:24 AM [Me]: WHAT ARE THE FLUFFY ANIMALS THAT GO FLAP CALLED 2:24 AM [Jisung Bio]: Is this a code word? 2:24 AM [Me]: THEY GO FLAP AND EAT SEEDS 2:24 AM [Jisung Bio]: Do you mean birds? 2:24 AM [Jisung Bio]: Are you drunk?

2:25 AM [Me]: [blurry_photo_of_your_window.jpg] 2:25 AM [Me]: HERE LOOK 2:25 AM [Me]: YES BIRDS 2:25 AM [Me]: THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH 2:25 AM [Me]: LOVE YOUUUUU

In your defense, you were drunk. And when you are drunk, your critical thinking skills disappear and are replaced by pure, uninhibited stupidity. It’s like some twisted Jekyll and Hyde situation, but only when you drink, you transform into this other version of yourself instead of suppressing it.

You mostly remember the things you have done and said while under the influence. The most embarrassing ones tend to be fuzzy. If it weren’t for the grainy phone video taken by Seungmin and your own voice cheerfully declaring that you had an idea, you wouldn’t have realized that you were the idiot who tried to make a chalk mural at the four-way intersection in the middle of the night. You didn’t even have chalk, but that didn’t stop you from drawing on the asphalt with a broken pen you found on the sidewalk.

Good thing Seungmin had the foresight to drag you back to the crosswalk before a car could come speeding by.

However, that legendary act of idiocy doesn’t even compare to this new one. Forget the fact that you could have died.

Your biology class just went over survival of the fittest using Darwin’s finches as an example. How in the world did you forget about the word ‘bird?’ Why did you think it was a good idea to ask the cute guy in your bio study group about “THE FLUFFY ANIMALS THAT GO FLAP?” And why, why, why did you insist on telling him that you loved him? The ‘THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH’ was already enough.

Jisung is never going to let you live this down.

It’s fine. You’re fine. It’s not like you spent the entire Sunday morning knocking back glasses of water and wishing it was vodka instead. It’s not like you drafted about five different apology messages and deleted them all. It’s not like you have to see him in class tomorrow.

Really, you’re fine.

You go out of your way to make yourself as inconspicuous as possible, which probably means you are very conspicuous. Do normal people not wear hoodies and sweatpants to class now, or are you just overthinking everything? The two people in the row in front of you are wearing jeans, and the girl heading down your row has a polka-dotted dress on. A secondary glance at the girl tells you that it’s another member of your study group. Speaking of the study group, maybe you should find another one. Preferably one without Jisung in it.

“Morning,” Lia says as she takes the seat beside you. She sets down her purple water bottle on the floor with a light clink. “How was your weekend?”

Terrible, but you say, “It was fine. I finished up the readings and did some notes. How about you?”

“Those readings took me forever!” she groans. “I was trying to finish everything on Saturday, so I could go out on Sunday. Which I did manage to do, so it all worked out. I got a new dress!” She plucks at the bodice of her dress, and you finally take a closer look at the pattern.

They’re not polka dots. They’re freaking birds — swoopy doves with outstretched wings. Or at least you think they’re doves. Your lack of bird knowledge speaks for itself.

“It’s pretty,” you hollowly say. The universe seems determined to remind you of your texts. Lia’s face falters, and you realize your disdain came across as you lying. “No, it’s not like that! Just… bad experiences with birds. You look really nice in this.”

She brightens up. “Oh, thanks! What do you mean by ‘bad experiences?’ What happened?”

“Good morning, birdbrain!”

“That happened.”

Looking far too happy for a Monday morning, Jisung takes the other seat beside you. He has a cup of coffee stacked high with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle, and you wonder if his extreme cheerfulness is from the caffeine or from your impending public humiliation. Why did you have to pick this guy to have a crush on? Sure, he’s cute and smart and sometimes nice, but there are plenty of people who have those traits without his witticism.

Lia looks at you with more amusement than concern. “So what happened?”

You tell her about what really happened during the weekend, and Jisung laughs all the while, reenacting his facial expression when he received your first frantic SOS message. Meanwhile, you sink lower and lower into your chair, ignoring your tailbone’s cries of pain as you slide further down the thin cushion.

“You can’t hide forever,” Jisung remarks as he looks at your slumping form. “C’mon, it wasn’t that bad. And you were drunk anyway.”

Yeah, you were, but the whole thing is doubly embarrassing because of how much you want him to like you. The overenthusiastic, all-caps messages are normal whenever you text while drunk, but ‘I love yous’ and the even rarer ‘I LOVE YOUUUU’  are few and far between. Only six people excluding Jisung have received them: your parents, your best friend, and your statistics group project members because you accidentally sent the message to the wrong chat.

On the bright side, seven is a lucky number. It means absolutely nothing in this case, and it’s hardly relevant to how you’re feeling, but everyone copes differently. Yours just happens to be clinging onto any silver lining available for solace.

“Anyway,” Lia cuts in, saving you from replying, “you’re here early, Jisung.”

He shrugs and flashes her a playful smile. However, his eyes are focused on you when he says, “You know what they say: early bird gets the worm.”

You give him a pitiful attempt of a withering glare. “I hate you.”

“Okay, fine.” He tugs at the shoulder of your hoodie to motion for you to stop trying to melt into the ground and to help you up. “It’s ‘cause I knew you would be here early.”

You are calm, you are fine, you will not be flustered. He just teased you five seconds ago; you should not be this willing to forgive him under these circumstances. Nonetheless, you slide back up to a more normal sitting position and try to pretend that you are still mildly upset. His next sentences make that impossible.

“You guys want brownies? Felix was stress-baking again.”

One may call you easily swayed by food, and they would be right. Jisung lets you have a coveted corner piece, and you decide that he’s alright again. He stretches an arm in front of you to get to Lia, and you lean back to avoid bumping into him. It also gives you a clear view of his profile. Wow, is he pretty. Look at that jawline. Suddenly his eyes go wide, and his mouth splits into a familiar excited grin.

“Are those birds?”

“Yep,” Lia answers, looking over at you to check your reaction. She tries to hide her smile, but it’s clear as day. You’re not entirely sure what she’s going to say next, but you already know it’s going to involve your current least favorite animal species. “Pretty… dove-ly, don’t you think?”

At least you were right about them being doves. “I hate you both.”

Jisung laughs at her pun and holds out his palm for a high-five. “You know what they say: birds of a feather flock together.”

“I really hate you both.”

Your initial prediction that Jisung is never going to let you live this down is correct. When you meet your bio group again Thursday night to study for the upcoming quiz, Jisung brings lemon poppy seed muffins for seemingly no other reason than to tease you. His housemate is still stress-baking, and judging by the bird silhouette made of glaze, Felix is very stressed and very eager to indulge in Jisung’s ideas.

“They’re finches!” Jisung proudly announces as he sets one right in front of you. The stupid decoration on top mocks you, but the muffin looks and smells delicious.  

Hyunjin, who does not know about your current plight but does know about Darwin’s finches, appreciatively coos at them. “They’ve even got different beak shapes! These are so cool. Man, Felix must hate econ right now.”

“No kidding,” you mutter as you begin peeling off the wrapper. Felix must hate you as well because one bite of this is almost enough for you to forgive Jisung again. It’s that good. How are you supposed to stay mad at Jisung when he gives you free delicious food? “Forget college, he needs to be in culinary school.”

He smirks from across the table, and it takes a lot of willpower for you to pretend you’re unphased. “What if I told you that I made these?”

“Then I would call you a liar.” He better be lying. You do not need another reason to justify your crush on him.

“And you would be right.” He slides his plastic container down to Lia, who has just arrived and is eyeballing the muffins like a predator. “But I did help him.”

“It’s really good,” you admit. You continue nibbling on it, determined to make the muffin last as long as you can. “What part did you help him out with?”

“The birds on top. Turns out drawing them with runny glaze is hard. I gave you the prettiest one, so don’t get mad about the whole bird thing. It goes with what we’re studying too.”

“Fine,” you sigh as you fold the wrapper into halves over and over again. “But only because these are amazing.”

Hyunjin leans in closer, effectively popping the intimate bubble you and Jisung were in. “What’s ‘the bird thing?’”

Fortunately, Yeji has finally arrived, which gives you the perfect excuse to stop Jisung from letting another person know of your drunk texts. You make a big production of pulling out your notebook from your backpack and rifling through your pencil bag for a pen.

“Should we get started?” you ask. Lia nods and uncaps one of her many highlighters.

“I’ll tell you later,” Jisung whispers to Hyunjin, winking at you. You could cry, melt, die. You could do a lot of things, but you opt to stick your tongue out at him. So what if you’re being childish? You can barely concentrate on the real world after that wink. To Yeji, he says, “There’s snacks, if Lia hasn’t eaten them all yet.”

“Hey!”

Hyunjin laughs at her notorious sweet tooth before turning to Yeji. “He gave Y/N the prettiest one, so there’s probably only his fails left.”

“They’re not bad!”

Lia has only had two, so there are more than enough to choose from. Yeji peers inside the container before selecting the one closest to her.

“Is this a plague doctor?” she asks as she suppresses a laugh. “It’s got a top hat.”

Jisung shakes his head and groans. “You chose the worst one on purpose. It’s one of Darwin’s finches. You would have known if you studied.”

“It’s not my fault you can’t draw.” Taking no notice of Jisung’s affronted expression, she takes out the textbook the five of you split the cost to buy. “Okay, plague doctor cupcakes out of the way, what are the four main theories of evolution?”

“They’re lemon poppy seed finch muffins,” he clarifies.

“That’s not an evolution theory,” Hyunjin cheekily replies, earning him an elbow nudge from Jisung and a laugh from everyone else.

You end up answering Yeji’s question and reward your correct answer with another muffin. Besides them being addictive, you’ll need some energy for the rest of the study session if all this talk about birds persists. You select the most plague doctor-ish one out of the box, and Jisung notices.

“Seriously?” he pouts. “I give you the best one, and this is how you repay me? I thought you said you weren’t mad about the bird thing.”

You ignore the last sentence. “What? You’re not proud of these?” you say, mock astonished as you give him a good view of the glaze on top. “They look exactly like plague doctors.”

“I hate you.”

You smile and shrug before returning back into the discussion about Lamarckism. Let him get a taste of his own medicine.

Unfortunately, as promised and as possible revenge, Jisung tells Hyunjin about ‘the bird thing,’ and Yeji overhears since she is only two chairs away. You try melting into the ground instead, but Lia holds you in place as the story continues, so you are stuck reliving the memory. You knew Jisung wouldn’t let you forget, but you didn’t account for everyone else in the group finding out and joining in on the torture.

But thanks to Jisung’s brilliant idea to bring those spectacularly decorated muffins, he doesn’t go unscathed either. It’s a mediocre consolation prize, but you’ll take it.

All around, it’s a productive study session, if a bit long, courtesy of everyone’s unrelenting shots at you and Jisung.

Your study group splits off in three separate directions once you’re all at the library entrance: Yeji back to the on-campus dorms where she’s an RA, Hyunjin and Lia to the off-campus apartments a few streets down, you and Jisung to the bus stop to your apartments on the other of campus. There’s a few people already sitting at the bench, so you and Jisung stand under the streetlight nearby. A moth intent on reaching the light source rams itself repeatedly against the glass covering, and you tiredly watch it. You yawn.

“Not much of a night owl?” he asks. With no clever reply ready, you gently shove him towards the bushes, but he only sways at your push. He throws his hands up in surrender. “Alright, I’ll stop for today.”

“I’m really sorry for sending you that,” you say. You haven’t touched the chat between you and him since the incident. “And for not apologizing earlier.”

“It’s alright. Although I almost had a heart attack when you sent me ‘SOS’ like five times.”

You grimace as you remember your frantic texts. If you think back hard enough, you remember furiously tapping at your screen, trying to get his attention as quick as possible because you really, really, really needed to know what the animal that landed on your windowsill was called. Your housemate was in the next room over. You could have asked her instead, but no, you decided that Jisung from bio was the best option. Not even the group chat, just Jisung himself.

“Sorry again,” you weakly reply.

“It really is alright. Finding bird puns is my new favorite hobby now.” He wryly smiles. “I have so many more to try on you. You’re gonna love it.”

Is that endearing or annoying? Living rent-free inside his head isn’t terrible, especially since he seems to do the same in yours. You’ll probably have to endure lots more puns from him in the future, but for now, you’ll decide that it’s endearing.

The bus arrives, and you sit in the back with him. The ride to the apartment complex is quiet; only a group of people near the front are speaking to one another in low voices. Jisung makes no attempt at continuing the conversation, and you are content to stare out into the neon lights outside the window. You can see him in the reflection on the glass. The empty container devoid of muffins sits on Jisung’s lap, his phone placed face down on the lid. If it weren’t for all the other passengers on the bus, you would be convinced that it was just you and him, enjoying each other’s company.

You’re almost sad when you reach your stop.

“Do you want me to walk you to your apartment?” he asks as you step down to the pavement. “Yours is farther down, right?”

“Isn’t your place right here?” you say. You’ve seen him walk out from this particular complex several times while waiting for the bus. That’s not stalking. “You don’t have to go out of your way. It’s just a block away.”

“Yeah, I’m definitely walking you home.”

You hesitate a bit, but Jisung is already taking small steps in the direction of your apartment. A little more time with him doesn’t sound too horrendous right now. “Okay.”

Just like the bus ride, no conversation, which suits you fine. Jisung seems more enthralled by looking into the windows of apartment residents anyway. You can’t blame him, especially when it appears that someone is having their own mini rave in their living room. Once at the doors to your building, you thank him and tell him good night.

“No problem and good luck tomorrow.” His voice is softer at night, or maybe it’s because he’s tired as well.

Your tone matches his as well. “You too. See you in class then.”

“Good night.”

A few minutes after midnight, just as you’re about to get into bed, a message from Jisung pops up. Not Jisung in the study group, just Jisung.

12:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: Hey, I know you’re not much of a night owl, so would you call yourself a morning lark? 12:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: You’re always an early bird to class 12:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: Are you emu-sed? 12:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: :D

Well, he did say he would stop for the day. It’s technically the next day. You reply with an annoyed face before burrowing yourself under your blankets. There are other things to worry about, such as your quiz in nine hours.

You dream of birds, namely finches, that night. Thanks, Jisung.

“This is why I tell you to never drink alone,” Seungmin laughs. He picks up the last slice of pizza from the pan and folds it in half like the heathen he is before taking the first bite. “Bad things always happen.”

“To be fair, Ryujin was home.”

“In a completely different room from you.”

You groan and supplement your exasperation with an extra aggressive tear on your crust. “Okay, fine. I’ve learned my lesson. The point is, he won’t stop with the bird jokes, and I’m going insane.”

Seungmin, having been collateral damage from your drunken mishaps before, is unsympathetic. He still hasn’t quite forgiven you for the time you tried to make a Molotov cocktail in his kitchen. Look, the clickbait video you watched online promised that it would be a fun and easy science experiment, and your other self decided that it was a fantastic idea. Nothing bad happened in the end though since you couldn’t find a lighter. So, Seungmin, it really wasn’t that big of a deal.

“You have a crush on this guy. Why are you upset that he’s flirting with you?”

“He’s cute until he opens his mouth and starts giving me grief about birds.” You sigh as you remember the last text he sent: a photo of the sunset from his apartment window with the caption, A bird’s eye view of the neighborhood. On one hand, you were thrilled to have received a non-homework related picture. On the other hand, bird joke.

“You would do the same.”

“I know, but it still sucks.” You wipe your fingers with a napkin and amuse yourself with spinning the empty pan as Seungmin (slowly) finishes eating. “No more Jisung talk. How was your date?”

Seungmin turns flustered, just like you knew he would. “It wasn’t a date! I’m just her photographer. This is a business arrangement, nothing else.”

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.”

“Hey, is that Jisung over there?” he asks, nodding over your shoulder.

“I’m not that gullible,” you sigh, though you can’t say you aren’t tempted. Seungmin loves to make fun of you, and he probably wants to get back at you for teasing him about the girl he’s been spending a suspicious amount of time with.

“Gull-ible?”

“Not you too," you plead. It's already awful with one person. To deter him any further, you continue, "Anyway, back to your definitely-not-a-date date—”

“Hey, Y/N, is that you?”

Seungmin has his “I told you so” face on. After sending him a glare, which he promptly pretends not to see, you turn around, resting your forearm on the back of your chair. Jisung, holding a pan of oven-fresh pizza, smiles back at you.

“Hey,” you greet. He's wearing the same black and red sweatshirt he usually has on, but why does he look so much better in it when he's in a pizza place than in class or in the library? “How are you doing? How’s your Saturday so far?”

“I just woke up like an hour ago, so it’s been pretty good, I guess.” His eyes go to Seungmin, who is now sipping on his soda, pretending to not eavesdrop. “Is this your…”

“This is my friend, Seungmin,” you quickly answer. Other than the fact that you need to make it abundantly clear that you are available, there is no way you’re ever going to date Seungmin. Apart from the girl he claims to not be dating, he’s even more merciless when it comes to reminding you about your drunken ideas. You can’t pass the intersection without him nudging your arm. “Seungmin, this is Jisung. We have bio together.”

Seungmin nods like he hasn’t heard of Jisung before. “Hey, nice to meet you. So, do you guys learn about birds in bio?”

Jisung lights up like a Christmas tree, and you want to cover yourself with the pizza pan. Praying for the ground to swallow you up also sounds like a decent option. In the midst of debating whether hiding under the table would be too odd, you notice that Seungmin has finally finished his slice.

“We should get going,” you interrupt. You do not need Seungmin to start sharing other stupid things you’ve done. He’s about five seconds away from telling Jisung about the intersection chalk mural. “And you probably want to eat dinner.”

Jisung sees right through your act, but he lets it go. “Yeah, Felix is probably starving. See you on Monday?”

“Yeah, see you.”

You expect him to go to wherever Felix is, but he still remains behind you. With a lopsided grin, he asks, “Should I expect any quail-ity texts at 2 AM tonight?”

Seungmin laughs, Jisung laughs, and you stare at the ceiling, wondering what you did to deserve this. Surely there were other people you could have in your life besides these two jerks.

“Winner, winner, chicken dinner!” Jisung sings as you correctly answer his question. This week’s study session consists of a game show Jisung has created, and you almost want to believe that he put in all this effort just to say that phrase. “Another point for you.”

You sigh as Yeji slides a wrapped piece of candy towards you. It’s her turn to bring snacks, and though milk chocolate the size of golf balls are great, you’re still dreaming of those wickedly delicious cake slices Jisung shared with you yesterday. Hummingbird cake, he claimed, it was called. Bananas, pineapples, and pecans, all combined together to make a sweet treat. When you cheekily asked why his housemate was so stressed all the time — you really don’t mind. Sorry, Felix — Jisung cheerfully informed you that he made the entire thing himself. After you picked up your jaw from the floor, you stammered something about it being passable. Not nearly as good as Felix’s stuff, you said, lying through your teeth. Jisung, again, saw right through it but let it slide. See? Sometimes he’s nice. However, you did not need another reason to be attracted to Han Jisung, but here you are.

“Seriously, Yeji?” you mumble as you pull apart the blue foil. “You just had to pick the brand named after a bird?” It doesn’t stop you from popping the chocolate into your mouth though.

“They were on sale!”

While you and Yeji bicker about Dove chocolate and how the universe is conspiring against you, Hyunjin answers the next question correctly. Yeji absentmindedly pushes his reward towards him.

“No chicken dinner for me?” he asks.

Jisung shakes his head. “Your question was easy. You get a pheasant instead. Or a quail. Any bird smaller than a chicken works.”

“A hummingbird then?” you suggest. You really need to stop thinking about that cake. “But I hear those aren’t that great.”

“You already ate every single crumb of that cake I gave you!” Jisung says, but there’s not a drop of displeasure in his tone. In fact, he seems rather happy that you liked it so much that you remembered about it. “All my hard work gone in five seconds.”

“You made her a cake?” Lia gasps in disbelief, secretive note checking forgotten. She’s in last place with only six points, so no one cares too much about her cheating. “What about us? We’re your study buddies too!”

Hyunjin and Yeji chorus their agreements, and you realize that he only shared his cake with you. He followed you out of the lecture hall and gave it to you in a plastic container, so you assumed that he also hand delivered a few slices to everyone else. Never mind that he oh-so-conveniently had a fork with him. Never mind that he sat with you at a bench and watched you try a few bites before devouring it all. Never mind all that.

Wait. Does this mean he likes you too?

You fold and unfold your discarded foil wrappers as you contemplate over this revelation, sneaking glances at Jisung all the while. He looks… normal. Infuriatingly so. Same carefree smile, same arguments with Hyunjin, same lackadaisical chair leaning even though he fell backwards that one time. How is one supposed to tell if someone actually likes you when said someone is the same all the time?

Jisung promises to bring something for the next study session to make up for not sharing his cake and continues on with the review game like nothing has happened. However, those thoughts are still in the back of your mind when the session ends. You have gained five more pieces of chocolate and no further information as to whether Jisung is actually into you or not. As per usual, you and he head to the bus stop together. It’s more crowded than last week since it’s only eight.

“Did you have a pheasant time today?” he asks, pausing next to a hedge.

You keep your eyes on the asphalt instead of looking at him. It’s much easier to pretend you’re calm when you don’t have vision of his face. “I see you discovered pheasants recently. And yes, it was fun. Thanks for making it.”

“You don’t want to crow about winning the game?” When you grimace — you did kind of want to point out how amazing your score was but now you don’t — he quickly adds, “Okay, okay. But you’re going to ace that quiz tomorrow.”

And you simply say, “I know,” because you are and because you have nothing else prepared to say.

It goes quiet, and with only the sounds of cars racing by, Jisung abruptly says, “This is a little awkward now. Or should I say… hawk-ward?”

You groan and break your staring contest with the road to give him an exasperated look. A mistake because he’s smiling so wide, squirrels would be jealous of his cheeks. He has no right to be so cute after those jokes. “Why do I feel like you searched up ‘bird puns’ online and are trying to insert them in every possible scenario?”

“Because I did and because I am.” He sighs in contentment. “Those were the best texts I’ve ever received. I’m never letting you forget it.”

You were right about that, and now you have verbal confirmation from the man himself. Another mediocre consolation prize you will gladly accept. But for now, you say, “Well, toucan play at that game, plague doctor Han Jisung.” The only perk of hearing all these wretched jokes is that you are now rather knowledgeable about them. Thank you, Seungmin, for making that one a few days ago.

“They looked just like finches!” he protests, but he’s laughing along, head tilted back. He sighs again. When he turns to face you again, his eyes are soft. “That was a pretty good one.”

“Seungmin came up with it.” There’s a warm feeling spreading across your chest, constricting your air flow and making all your blood rush to your cheeks. It was one compliment; why are you like this? What are you going to do if he keeps looking at you like that? You swiftly go back to the road, counting the number of cars that pass by. One, two, three, four…

And a gray bus pulling up to the curb.

“Bus is here,” you uselessly announce. Jisung follows you into the growing crowd surrounding the entrance. He hovers behind you as the two of you wait for the people in front to board, and his presence is more palpable than usual. “There’s a lot of people today,” you remark in a vain attempt to distract yourself.

“Yeah, everyone’s heading home for the day.” He pauses dramatically before adding, “The birds are all going back to their nest.”

The joke successfully snaps you out of your haze. “That’s not a real saying.”

“I think it should be. It makes perfect sense!”

“You’re—” As the line shuffles forward, you try to think of something bird related, but he beats to the punch.

“Cuckoo?”

It’s almost impressive how much time he has invested in annoying you. Does it make you fall for him more? No, not really, or so you try to convince yourself. It’s strangely endearing, just like everything about him. You merely answer, “Yes.”

He chuckles and nudges you forward up the steps of the bus.

Even though there’s a little bit of daylight left, Jisung walks you back to your apartment building. You’re not upset by this, but where was this chivalry two weeks ago after the first study session? You teasingly ask him about it, and he turns bashful. How unlike him.

“I thought you lived in my complex, for some reason. You were always at the bus stop before me, so I assumed you lived nearby. I didn’t know until I overheard you and Yeji talking about it,” he says, hiding himself with his collar.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Well,” you say, stopping in front of the walkway to your building, “see you tomorrow then. Thanks for walking me back. Good night.”

The Jisung you’re used to seeing, is back with a mischievous smile and yet another joke. “Good night-ingale.”

You bite the inside of your cheek and try not to seem too amused by it. He’s not charming, not even a little bit. “That was awful.” It’s the smile, you tell yourself. No one should have one like that. It has too much power.

“Yet I can see you smiling at it.”

Remain calm. You can do that. You’ve faked this before, so why is your head not cooperating right now? Jisung really needs to stop looking at you with anything more than a neutral face. It’s bad for you, like really, really bad. No witty remarks at the ready is typical, but you can’t even think of anything to say.

After an excruciating five seconds, you manage to stammer out, “Good night.” Cheeks aflame and your heart threatening to pop out of you like a cuckoo clock, you roughly yank open the door and bolt up the stairs. You have too much adrenaline in you right now. Waiting for the elevator knowing that he could be observing your twitchy movements, would be too nerve wracking.

Ryujin asks if you’re alright when she sees you hunched against the kitchen counter, out of breath and muttering to yourself.

“I decided to take the stairs,” you say, which only partially explains your dishevelled state. “I’ll be alright. I think.”

“I’ll get you some water. You look like you're about to collapse.”

Then your phone chimes with a new message, and you decidedly won’t be alright.

8:22 PM [Jisung Bio]: Did my nightingale pun quack you up that badly? 8:22 PM [Jisung Bio]: Was it that ducking good? 8:22 PM [Jisung Bio]: :D

8:23 PM [Jisung Bio]: Anyway, good luck tomorrow. Sleep well and sweet dreams, morning lark

There is no food in the fridge. Well, no proper food. A bag of spinach that expired three days ago but still seems okay, does not count. The same goes for the half empty jar of peanut butter, but Ryujin would likely disagree with that. There’s a reason why the jar is half empty. However, if you actually want to eat something for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow, you need to go shopping.

For some strange reason, it does not occur to you that you can run into Jisung at the grocery store. Jisung belongs in four locations: the bus stop, the lecture hall, the library, and the pizza place you saw him at last week. Not the dairy aisle on a Wednesday night.

“Hey.” You stop in front of him, basket at your feet and hands folded in front of you like the world’s worst defense. Heart, stop beating so fast.

Jisung looks up from his phone to search for the owner of the voice and brightens when he sees that it’s you. “Hey, morning lark.” He has taken to calling you that ever since he sent that particular message. You wish it produced another reaction from you besides pure bliss, but that is the price you pay for pretending to be still annoyed by his jokes. That’s how bad your crush on him now is; you are increasingly beguiled by the puns. “Oh, did you need milk?”

“Yeah.” You grab a blue carton with a picture of a smiling cow from the shelf and place it in your basket. In the meantime, you can’t help but peer into Jisung’s. There is a bag of chocolate chips and a packet of gelatin. “Is this stuff for tomorrow’s study session?”

He nods and grabs the same brand of milk as you did. You get a rush of excitement, much to your chagrin. It’s just milk, and this is the most popular brand too. “Yeah. Felix is trying a new recipe, so you guys get to have some of the failed ones too.”

“What is it? Cheesecake?”

“You’ll see,” he mysteriously says. Then he adds, “You’re gonna love it,” which immediately gives away the theme.

“It’s something to do with birds, isn’t it?”

“You’ll see.”

And when you do see, you’re wrong. Library food rules ignored, at each seat, Jisung has set a slice of layer cake topped with chocolate ganache, no bird motifs of any sort. You take your usual spot at the end of the table and find that yours is slightly larger than the others. Well, except for maybe Lia’s. He has to placate her sweet tooth and her disappointment of not being able to have hummingbird cake.

“Did I not get a message or something?” Hyunjin asks when he takes in the over-the-top display. “Is this a dinner party?”

“Isn’t this against the library’s rules?” Yeji asks as she surreptitiously looks around for any librarians. The surrounding tables of fellow students won’t care.

Jisung elects to not answer Yeji’s concerns. “This is tonight’s snack,” he proudly replies. “Also, Felix wants feedback on it.”

You cut a section off with the plastic fork and marvel at the airiness of the cake. It’s unlike anything you have ever had. The frosting in between the sponge layers is so light, and the ganache is so dark and rich. “This is really amazing. It’s so fluffy. Wow. Tell Felix that he really needs to consider culinary school.”

“Wanna guess what it’s called?”

“Isn’t this just an extra fancy vanilla cake?” you ask. You take another bite, but other than the chocolate ganache on top, you can only taste vanilla. “I don’t know. The… vanilla fluff cake?”

“Nope.” He leans forward, face inches away from yours, lips curled into a smirk, and slowly says, “Bird’s milk cake.”

This can’t be real. Birds don’t even produce milk. “No way. You’re lying.” Even as you say the words, they sound false to your ears. Jisung has made it his mission to find anything and everything bird-related for you, so you doubt he’s lying.

“It’s called this” — he holds up his phone screen — “in Russian. It translates to ‘bird’s milk.’”

Ptichye moloko.

“You convinced Felix to make this, didn’t you?” you say. What are the chances that Felix conveniently wanted to make bird’s milk cake without any nudging from Jisung? Absolutely none. You have never even heard of this dessert before, let alone by it’s Russian name, and you’re willing to bet that Jisung searched up ‘bird cake’ or something of that nature just for this. Maybe that’s how he found out about hummingbird cake too.

“It’s all for you, morning lark,” he cheerfully replies, winking at you. He leans back in his chair again, precariously balancing on the two back legs. “I knew you’d like it.”

Jisung is really not making this easy for you. Forget subtleties, he’s just shamelessly flirting with you now. And in the sanctity of the library of all places! In a poor attempt to save yourself from this mess, you unconsciously begin to slide down the chair, trying to shield your hot face with your raised shoulders. Lia notices this — one of the perks having sat next to you for nearly four weeks during lectures — and grabs your forearm.

“No melting,” she reminds you, “or else you’re going to hit your head on the seat again.”

“I wasn’t melting,” you protest as you wriggle back up. Slowly dying might have been a better descriptor. That wink shot arrows into your already fragile heart. “We’re gonna get in trouble if one of the librarians sees this.”

“Guess we should get started then,” Hyunjin says. Yeji, the only responsible one in the group, begins pulling out the textbook, and everyone laughs at her eagerness. “Not what I meant, but that too.”

After you’re done with the cake and while the others are preoccupied about the timeline of human evolution, Jisung whispers across the table, “Did you still like it?”

“Yeah. No hard feelings about the name because it was good,” you whisper back.

“I thought it would turn out like this, morning lark. I know you love free food too much to be mad.”

The nickname again. You rest your cheek against your palm in a vain attempt to tamp down the growing heat. “Can I get a different name, plague doctor?”

He’s not at all phased by his own nickname, which doesn’t bode well for any future snarky remarks from you. “What, you don’t like birds or something?” He blinks so innocently back at you that you have to stifle a giggle.

“Yeah, well, that’s the—”

“Hey, lovebirds,” Hyunjin interrupts, making you profusely blush and Yeji lightly laugh at the expression, “we’re gonna move on to the next section now. Is that okay?”

“It’s okay,” you reply even though you are most definitely not okay. Jisung, who you notice is uncharacteristically sheepish, echoes your sentiment.

It’s difficult not to stare at Jisung during the remainder of the study session. It seems to be true the other way around as well.

You’re sober when you read the messages, but you don’t think Jisung was when he sent them. Oh, how the tables have turned.

3:02 AM [Jisung Bio]: Good morning morning lark!! 3:02 AM [Jisung Bio]: Winner winner chicken dinner remember? So yes or no?

3:03 AM [Jisung Bio]: Or maybe yes or yes? 3:03 AM [Jisung Bio]: I really want to go on a date with you 3:03 AM [Jisung Bio]: Not lying I swear

3:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re always on my mind and every time I see a bird, I think about you 3:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: I bought grey goose because of you 3:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: [jisung’s_hand_holding_grey_goose_vodka.jpg] 3:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: I don’t even like it that much

3:05 AM [Jisung Bio]: You make me dizzy sometimes and I don’t know what to do 3:05 AM [Jisung Bio]: You’re probably sleeping so good night larky 3:05 AM [Jisung Bio]: Or morning

3:06 AM [Jisung Bio]: Fly high in your dreams!!!

He must have been wasted and under no responsible supervision because this is what you would have done if you were in his place. Does he not have a Seungmin in his life? Or a Ryujin? There’s a Felix, so where was he when all of this happened?

But forget about Jisung’s own problems.

He wants to go on a date with you. A real date, not a study date with three other people and fake quiz questions. If his words are to be taken literally, then one involving a chicken dinner. Possibly a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, but a chicken dinner nonetheless.

He can’t stop thinking about you. All those bird jokes had you charmed, and all those cakes were baked with you in mind. They weren’t just for show. They were all about you.

You make him dizzy, which is hilarious because he does the same to you. He smiles at you so brightly, laughs so easily, and flirts so shamelessly that you never realized that you could ever make him feel that way.

And “fly high in your dreams?” You’re practically soaring in real life. Han Jisung, cute bio boy, plague doctor, pun enthusiast, surprisingly decent baker, wants to go on a date with you.

You, you, you!

While you alternate between hyperventilating and forgetting how to breathe as you process all this, three gray dots appear at the bottom of the chat. You clutch your phone as you wait. Apparently, your body is on the ‘forgetting how to breathe’ cycle.

11:14 AM [Jisung Bio]: I am so sorry about that. I was very drunk when I sent that

11:15 AM [Jisung Bio]: You can just ignore them or delete them 11:15 AM [Jisung Bio]: Highly recommend deleting 11:15 AM [Jisung Bio]: Also sorry if I woke you up

Your fingers hover over the keyboard. Should you answer him over text, call, or in-person? Is in-person too dramatic though? You feel like something like this is supposed to be done face-to-face, but he’s probably hungover beyond belief.

11:16 AM [Me]: It’s okay. A morning lark is always up early anyway :) 11:16 AM [Me]: Were you serious though?

11:17 AM [Jisung Bio]: Can we meet up in an hour? At the bus stop? I want to talk to you 11:17 AM [Me]: Yeah. Me too

The bus stop is neutral territory or maybe just the closest meeting spot you and Jisung have. If it’s supposed to be neutral territory, it most definitely is not since his apartment complex is right behind it. Despite his close proximity to the spot, you arrive first, so you make yourself as comfortable as possible underneath the sign, standing in its shadow. It’s silly when you think about it, but you wish you dressed in something nicer than a hoodie. In your rush to leave the apartment, you threw on whatever, but maybe you should have worn something prettier for this confrontation. Make Jisung go dizzy and gain a little bit of power from that.

This is even worse than when you had to face him after you sent your drunk texts. At least then it was just a middling attraction and not a full-on crush.

“Hey, morning lark. You’re early. As expected.”

“Hey. You’re… alive.”

Jisung is strangely fresh-faced, not a hint of hungover clouding around him. Why can’t you look like him after a night of seemingly heavy drinking? Where are the pinched eyebrows from the blinding lights? The ghostly gray face? The haunted eyes as one remembers all the incredibly stupid things they did the night before? Unfair. Completely unfair.

“Yeah.” He’s wearing his usual sweatshirt, but his hands are stuffed into its pockets instead of being out and about. He rocks back and forth on his heels. “Well, uh, I meant everything I sent. And I’m serious about taking you to dinner, so do you want to go on a date with me?”

You anticipated this. Why does it feel like you have just finished running a marathon? “Yeah, I do. I really want to.”

He smiles so brightly, the sun would be jealous. Correction, should be jealous. You don’t think you’ve seen a prettier sight than this since he sat down next to you on the first day of class and asked if you wanted to start a study group. He pumps his fist in the air like he’s a movie character, and you hide your laugh behind your hoodie sleeve. You’ve never seen him so happy before.

“How are you not hungover?” you ask as he raises his face to the sky, taking in the afternoon light, basking in the moment. He’s really living his movie character dreams. “You said you were really drunk.”

“I kind of lied?” he says, sounding more wistful than you would expect. When he looks back at you, you finally see dark circles underneath his eyes, but he is still as jubilant as before. “I was more tipsy than drunk. So, when do you wanna get that chicken dinner, winner, winner?”

It’s amazing how shy, excited Jisung disappears and how the usual casual, teasing Jisung reappears. That’s his Jekyll and Hyde moment, you suppose. And the switch is all activated by his one-track mind of bird jokes. How wonderful.

“Next week, after midterms? I’ve got two this week to study for. I should be free on Friday night.”

He enthusiastically nods. “Sounds good to me.”

2:57 PM [Me]: I’m done with all my midterms! Are you free tonight?

2:59 PM [Jisung Bio]: Free as a bird :D 2:59 PM [Jisung Bio]: Also congrats on being done 2:59 PM [Me]: I hate you

3:00 PM [Jisung Bio]: So chicken dinner? The restaurant next to the pizza place just opened 3:00 PM [Jisung Bio]: I heard it’s really clucking good 3:00 PM [Jisung Bio]: A hen out of hen

3:01 PM [Me]: I might actually kill you during our date

3:02 PM [Jisung Bio]: Don’t you mean 3:02 PM [Jisung Bio]: [flock_of_crows.jpg] 3:02 PM [Jisung Bio]: Murder :D

3:05 PM [Jisung Bio]: I’ll see you at 6? 3:05 PM [Me]: See you then

You do not end up murdering Jisung on your date, though you do come pretty close after you audibly ask the ground to swallow you up when he compliments your egg-cellent outfit.

“Swallow?” he slyly says. “Like the bird?”

Instead of committing a crime, you kiss him on the cheek, effectively silencing him. You’ve been waiting to do both those things for some time now, and look at you now, killing two birds with one stone.

Jisung turns a delightful shade of pink and mutters something about needing to get to the restaurant before it gets too crowded. All of his bluster from just five seconds ago is gone. You merrily follow him down the pavement, feeling a little bit like the cat who swallowed the canary.

Yes, you did search up bird expressions beforehand. Jisung will be Jisung, and like you told him before, toucan play at this game. You will not spend your first date with him being humiliated by his large repertoire of puns. Besides, if he retaliates like you expect him to, you will have the perfect excuse to kiss him again.

See? No fowl play at all.

Then he takes your hand into his, his warmth enveloping yours, and everything suddenly isn’t fair again.

And based on his all-too-pleased grin, Jisung knows this as well.

~ ad.gray