#I was in a bit of a funk yesterday but I’m better <]

[matcharabbit]

heyy, saw this post so uhh, here’s random stuff that helped me:

- clean up sketches instead of doing line-art, i’m not sure why it helps but it does! (if you don’t do this already)

- try skipping out on lineart AND sketching, just get some simplified shapes and colors! (bright ones if you like eyestrain)

- try rendering, you can find an old piece and make a copy if you don’t want to draw a whole new piece

- you can even just draw like a little kid would because there’s beauty in every art piece no matter how it looks and everything you create was worth doing even if it turns out bad

AH TYSM! :,]] Planning on getting some things done soon, this definitely helps a lot!

[coldfanbou]

A Night Out

New chapter for the mommy series. Sana shows us her way to get out of a funk, so we'll see what comes out of it.

Length 3.3K

Sana X Jeongyeon X Mreader (featuring Nayeon)

Previous Part

Next Part

You wake up a couple of hours later, still a little early for work, but you need to get some new clothes from home. You nudge Dahyun awake, “Dahyun, I need to get some new clothes from home. I’ll come back to pick you up after I get dressed and take a shower.”

Dahyun clings to you, reluctant to let you go. “Just a few more minutes, please.” 

“I’ll pick us up some food.” You whisper into her ear. 

“Mmm, fine, but you better come back quickly.” Dahyun rubs her head into your chest one more time before letting you go. You put on your clothes from the previous day and head out. Your drive home is quick, and the lack of traffic in the early hours of the morning provides you with extra time. After showering, you wear a new suit and drive to Dahyun’s home, stopping to get food. You grab some extra, a sign of your concern for Jeongyeon. As you reach the exit, you hold the door for a group of women. They were sweaty from a run, by the looks of it. They thanked you as they passed by; at the end of the line was a face you recognized. 

Sana recognized you, too. “Oh, it's…nice to see you again.” She stops in her tracks. “How’s Jeongyeon?”

“Hi, Sana. Jeongyeon’s not doing so well; her husband has been cheating on her.”

Sana’s jaw drops, her eyes widening in shock. “What did you say?”

“I guess she found out yesterday because she didn’t come to work. She’s been with Nayeon this whole time. It would be nice if you could visit her.”

Sana blinks quickly and swallows her spit. “Are you going to see her right now?”

“Yeah, I’m going to take her some food before heading to work.”

“I’m coming with you.” Sana's voice was firm, and her determination to visit Jeongyeon was evident. She tells the other women she’s leaving, earning her oohs from them. “It’s not like that!” She clarifies as she heads out with you. While driving, you notice Sana tapping her feet incessantly on the floor. She was anxious and worried about her friend. You speed up getting her there quickly. Together, you head to Nayeon’s apartment and knock on the door. You wait a few minutes, but she eventually comes to the door. 

“Hello? Oh, it’s you.” Nayeon pauses as she notices Sana with you. “Sana? What are you doing here?” 

“He told me the situation. Now let me in.” Sana pushes her way inside Nayeon’s home, leaving you standing outside.  

“I brought you guys some food.” You tell Nayeon when she looks back at you. 

“Thank you. I’ll handle this; you should get to work.” Nayeon grabs the food you offered and pats your chest with her other hand. “Really, thank you.” She heads back inside, and you return to Dahyun. 

Sana looked around for Jeongyeon inside the apartment, surmising she would be in the bedroom. She found Jeongyeon burying her face in a pillow, sleeping. Nayeon came in soon after. “She’s still asleep. She cried all night, but I think she’s getting over the worst of it.” Nayeon pulls Sana away and brings her into the kitchen. “Jeongyeon’s a bit of a mess right now. It’s been hard to get her to do anything.”

Sana stays silent as she thinks about what Jeongyeon must be going through. “That bastard. I should beat him until-”

“Sana, calm down. We should focus on Jeongyeon.”

“Jeongyeon gave up everything for that jerk, though. She wanted to do so many things but gave it all up to support him,” Sana responds. 

“I know, but the best we can do is help her through this.” Nayeon passes Sana some of the food you bought. “Here, we can share this. The rest can go to Jeongyeon when she wakes up.” 

“I’m awake,” Jeongyeon says quietly as she stumbles through the doorway into the kitchen. Jeongyeon’s eyes were red and puffy from last night. “Hi, Sana.”

“Hi, Jeongie,” Sana replies before standing up to hug her friend. “How are you feeling?” Jeongyeon replied with a low hum, indicating she wasn’t feeling good. “Jeongyeon, I know you’re going through a lot, but how about we go out? I’ll call everyone. It’ll be the first time we’ve all been together in a while. We need to get your mind off all this.” The three consider this option further inside as they share their meal.

You head inside Dahyun’s apartment to find her walking around naked. When you open the door, you scare the daylights out of her; she squats down and covers herself. “Why didn’t you say knock!?” She cries out.

“Why are you naked?”

“It’s my home!” She yells back, still cowering in the middle of the room. Dahyun grabs the closest thing she can, in this case, a seat cushion, and throws it at you before scurrying away into her room. You head to the dining area and lay the food out, waiting for Dahyun to return. 

“Come on, Dahyun. The food is going to get cold.” Soon enough, Dahyun comes out dressed in her pajamas and with a sleepy Eunsoo. The baby rubs her eyes with balled fists and yawns. You catch Dahyun’s smile as she catches it. 

“Eunsoo, are you still sleepy? Does mommy need to give you five more minutes?” Eunsoo nods her head involuntarily. She was nodding off, unable to keep her head up.  Dahyun gives you a small smile. “I’ll be right back. I thought she would be awake enough.” Dahyun returns a moment later and sits beside you. She shyly looks at you and scoots her chair closer. “Hey, can you feed some?” When you glance at her, Dahyun turns away. You pick at the food, a wicked smile growing as you pick up a large spoonful of the breakfast. Dahyun gives you a skeptical look, wondering what you were thinking. 

“You've had bigger things in your mouth.” You tell her. Dahyun is shocked by your words; you get closer to Dahyun. “Don’t you remember last night, slut?” You ask teasingly.

Dahyun’s shocked expression turns into a frown, “Don’t say things like that.” She whines before taking some of the food from your spoon. 

“Okay, I won’t say anything like that unless we’re having fun.”  The meal you shared with Dahyun was quick, and she’s soon preparing for the work day. As you and Dahyun head out, you see Sana stepping out of Nayeon’s apartment. You both meet at the exit, and Sana stops you. “Jeongyeon is doing a little better now. We’re going to take her out. She and Nayeon wanted me to thank you for the food you brought.” You give Sana a nod and leave for work with Dahyun. The day is uneventful, and after dropping off Dahyun at her home, you finally get some time for yourself. You lay in bed, resting your eyes.

Your peace and quiet was disrupted late in the night. Rowdy voices could be heard on the other side of your door. You see a group of familiar faces as you cheek through the peephole. Sana, Nayeon, and Jeongyeon were all together, leaning against each other for support as they swayed from side to side. You open the door for them, “What are you all doing here?” 

“Hey you,” Sana giggles. Can we come inside?” You take a deep breath and step aside. The three women stumble inside, with Sana falling on her side. Jeongyeon and Nayeon break out into laughter, falling themselves. 

The scent of alcohol coming from the group is fierce. “How much did you all drink, and why did you come to my house of all places?”

“Jeongyeon wanted to come visit you,” Sana says with a big grin on her face, her words slurred into barely intelligible speech.

“I think you should all just get some rest,” you say, grabbing Sana’s hands and pulling her onto her feet. You pull Nayeon and Jeongyeon up and corral the three women to your room. They throw themselves onto your bed, lying back and giggling away. You’re a little disappointed your night wouldn’t be as peaceful as you thought. You head to the nightstand by the table to grab your phone when Sana pulls you into them. You land on Jeongyeon, placing your hands on either side of her head to stop yourself.  

Before you could react, Sana reached into your shorts, grabbing your cock. “I need something big and hard. You do, too, right girls?” You grunt, feeling Sana’s hand slide along your shaft. Jeongyeon leans up, kissing your neck while Nayeon watches the scene unfold, her hand sliding down her stomach and under her skirt until she reaches her slit.

You break away from Jeongyeon’s nipping and kiss her. She wraps her arms around you, pressing her lips against your harshly. Her grip was firm as if scared to let you go. Your hands run along her sides, squeezing her soft flesh as Sana’s hand runs along your shaft. “Do you like that? It would feel a lot nicer inside, something warm.”  Sana pulls your shorts down enough for your cock to be on full display to the women. “Nice and big,” Precum coats Sana’s hand as she strokes your cock. She places her head between Jeongyeon’s lap and your pelvis, her tongue taking minor licks at the tip. Wrapping her lips around the head, Sana swirls her tongue around your cock. Reveling in the pleasure, your hands wander Jeongyeon's upper body, pulling her button-down shirt open and groping her tits. Her soft mounds melt into your hands as you squeeze them through her bra. Jeongyeon moans into your kiss, her hands moving to your shoulders, gently holding them as she pushes you away to catch her breath. More moans flow from her as you pull down her bra and play with her nipples. Her bra causes her tits to be pressed together. While you pinch and pull on her left nub, you use your other hand to hold Sana’s head in place as you push more of your cock into her. Sana tenses her muscles around your cock, tightening her throat. You moan; the sensation sent shivers down your spine.

Nayeon watched on the side of the bed, her hand inside her panties and fingers rubbing her clit. She hadn’t expected this when the others gave the idea to come here, but she wasn’t going to complain. Nayeon moved away from the group, setting herself up in the corner of the room as she fingered herself. 

You reached around Jeongyeon, undoing her bra and getting it off her before planting kisses between her breasts. She cooed, running her hands through your hair as she seemed to relax. Glancing at her face, you notice how flush she is.  You move up to her neck and whisper, “How are you going to want it?” You gently pinch Jeongyeon’s nipple between your pointer finger and thumb, “Soft?” You pull on it, “Or rough?” 

“I don’t care. I just want you.” You give her a mischievous grin before latching onto her neck and marking her with a hickey. You pause your actions and grunt. You were getting close to cumming from Sana’s blowjob. You pushed her head forward and thrust your hips as your cock began to throb, dumping your cum down her throat. Your eyes follow her body, finding that Sana was vigorously rubbing her clit. You kept your cock buried inside Sana until you finished cumming. As you pulled out, you rubbed your saliva-covered cock on her face. You felt Sana’s lips against your shaft; she was doing her best to kiss it as you directed her.

You pull away from the women to strip Jeongyeon of her pants. In the meantime, Sana decided to spread the wealth, kissing Jeongyeon and letting her have a taste of your cum. Their tongues explored the other's mouth; Jeongyeon did her best to steal away as much of your cum as possible. She held onto Sana’s head. The younger woman began stripping herself, pushing her skirt and panties off her lower half. When the kiss was broken, she threw off her shirt and bra. 

With her panties gone, too, you slid your cock between Jeongyeon’s folds, and in time, her nectar covered your cock. She let out light moans that grew louder as Sana squeezed her tits. “These feel so full, Jeongie. I want a taste,” Sana said with a smirk before diving in and attaching herself to one of Jeongyeon’s tits, suckling on them to get at her milk. You heard Sana’s enthusiastic moans as she drank the precious liquid.

You glanced up, noticing Nayeon in the corner. You kept an eye on the woman, seeing how she groped herself through her clothing and stretched her panties as she fingered yourself. Having someone watch the action was exciting, and you thought that either Sana or Jeongyeon would enjoy it. You hedged your bets and decided Sana would enjoy it much more. You dragged Sana’s body over Jeongyeon and adjusted yourself so Sana would be looking straight at Nayeon. Grabbing Sana’s waist, you plunge deep into her cunt in one movement. Her Jaw drops, and a loud roar rings out of her as you treat her roughly. Sana locks eyes with Nayeon, watching the older woman masturbate to her getting fucked. It seemed like you were right. Sana got tighter as she realized Nayeon was going to be watching her. You spanked Sana whenever she looked away from the older woman, forcing her to keep eye contact. She bit her bottom lip, loving the attention she was getting. Jeongyeon, while she waited for her turn, was playing with Sana’s tits. The modest mounds were being squeezed and toyed with in the same manner Sana had been earlier. 

You felt Sana’s walls tighten around your cock, and enjoyed every second of it. Each thrust of yours pushed your cock deeper into Sana until every inch was being buried inside her. Sana’s cunt was being stretched by you, and she was loving it. Every thrust brought a louder moan and pleas for more. You gave Sana what she wanted, thrusting faster and faster, moving like a piston, with the sound of your bodies colliding only being drowned out by her moans. You gave Sana a slight reprieve by not spanking her when Jeongyeon pulled her into a kiss.  The younger woman reached for Jeongyeon’s tits, squeezing the heavy mound for the moment she was given to please someone else. Soon enough, though, Sana was nearing her climax. 

Nayeon could hear Sana’s cries of pleasure; the pure bliss on Sana’s face gave her more than enough information, too. She watched as Sana’s arms gave out, and her face fell beside Jeongyeon’s. Her back was arched, and each thrust pushed her further into the bed. Sana’s cunt tightened around you as she came. She forced your orgasm, and her cunt greedily took every drop of your cum. From where Nayeon was standing, she could just barely see your cum drip out of Sana’s pussy as she kept her ass in the air. Your cum splattered onto Jeongyeon’s pelvis, running between her legs and over her folds. You weren’t going to leave Jeongyeon alone for much longer. You didn’t tease her this time, instead pushing the head in slowly to listen to her groans.

As each inch went inside, you heard her moans get louder, “You’re so big.” You moved Sana to the side before grabbing Jeongyeon’s waist and pulling her closer. Jeongyeon played with her tits as your eyes looked her over. The woman before you had her eyes shut and was solely focused on the pleasure she felt. You began thrusting slowly, giving you the stability to lean over Jeongyeon and drag your tongue along her neck. She groaned, enjoying the sensation of your rough tongue moving along her skin. You squeezed Jeongyeon’s other tit, watching it jiggle in your hands when you gave it a little shake. When you kissed Jeongyeon, she wrapped her arms around you, gently at first, as she held you closely. “Make me forget,” She whispered into your ear, seemingly not wanting Nayeon or Sana to hear. 

“Okay, Jeongyeon.” You reply before lifting her lower body and increasing the strength and speed of your thrusts. You put Jeongyeon into a mating press and began to use her like a toy, flooding her senses with pure pleasure. Jeongyeon’s cries of pleasure filled the room, getting Nayeon closer to cumming. This entire time, she had been fingering herself, slowly losing more of her clothing. She was in her bra and panties. She could hardly control herself at this point, playing with her clit, and her voice beginning to match Jeongyeon’s. You felt Jeongyeon’s walls clamp down on your cock, making it a little more challenging to pull out for the next thrust, but you loved it. You heard Nayeon cry out first; glancing over at her, you watched her lean forward, her nectar soaking her panties before running down her legs. Jeongyeon and you came at the same time. Your cum flooded her womb before spilling out and onto her stomach. Having Jeongyeon’s lower body raised created a momentary mess. One that Sana was more than happy to clean up as she recovered. She licked Jeongyeon clean, going as far as to eat her out. The three of you continued the night, having sex with Nayeon, playing the part of a voyeur.

The following day, you woke up in bed with Sana and Jeongyeon on either side of you. Nayeon had found herself holding onto Sana. You weren’t the only one awake for long, as Nayeon woke up next. “Oh, my head. What happened?” She groaned, rubbing her head.

“You all drank too much.” You reply in the middle of the mass of bodies. 

“What are you doing here?” Nayeon yelled, grabbing a blanket to cover her naked form. The yell inadvertently woke the others up, too.

“No yelling, please. I have the biggest headache.” Sana said. 

“You all came to my house.”

“What did we do?” Nayeon said, almost too afraid to ask. 

“Do you want to hear the whole story?” Nayeon gave you a hesitant nod. The women listened to your story of the previous night.

Sana was more than alright with the outcome. “I remember a little bit of it all. It’s mostly the feeling of that cock in me.” She said, feeling some of your cum between her legs.

“This is so embarrassing. At least it wasn’t with a stranger.” Jeongyeon said, burying her face on a pillow.

“Now that it’s been mentioned, Nayeon, why didn’t you join us last night? You just watched,” Sana asked, turning to the older woman. Nayeon didn’t have an answer ready for her, though. “Do you like to watch people?”

“N-NO!” Nayeon yelled. “I must’ve done something last night.”

“Yeah, you fingered yourself to us.” Sana retorts with a laugh. You slip away from the women, telling them you’re going to the bathroom. You could hear Sana teasing Nayeon from outside the room. It was a little funny to you. 

You took your time in the bathroom, needing just a moment of peace. When you came out, you found the women standing outside, lined up. “We need to borrow your shower. We’ll be out of your hair after.” Sana said, leading them inside. 

You sit on the edge of the bed, hoping they will leave soon; you have to get to work. Looking at your phone, you see that you have a few messages from Jihyo and some from an unknown number. You’d deal with those after you got your shower.

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

Hello folks.

So, I waited a while to let everything marinate in my brain before writing this. Haven is an interesting album to discuss in the grand scheme of the Trench discography. Everything feels familiar & status quo, but different, new & exciting all at once. Its production is fantastic throughout and truly allows for everything to shine. It’s also their most cinematic album to date, which is saying something given what Astoria was inspired by.

So let’s break down each track, shall we?

A Normal Life: Already gushed about this one when it came out and my thoughts haven’t changed one bit. This just might be my new favourite opener. There’s just a little sprinkling of everything from all across their discography that allows this beauty to marinate and stand on its own.

Lightning & Thunder: I’m torn. I like it still, but I do think that when you listen to it within the context of the album it loses something. It was definitely made to be a radio single. There’s nothing wrong with that.

I’m Not Getting Better: Straight to the point, catchy & fun. I really have nothing else to say on the song.

Down To You: Arguably the biggest earworm on the album. This one gets in your head and it just stays with you.

Now or Never: The By Now of the record for me. Soft & yet full of momentum all at once. This is a dream worth fighting for, indeed. Also, while both INGB & DTY show off a more R&B/Funk flow, it really sticks on this song, and now that you’ve noticed it, you’ll be hearing it a lot throughout the record.

Into The Storm: Hello, Porcelain. But also… it’s own thing. It might not be giving up, but I don’t see it as surrender either. I see it as going with the flow, facing your problems head on. This is also the first true dive into Josh’s relationship with Amanda on the album, and how he’s so happy they finally figured out how to co-exist.

Ancient History: Oh hi, Astoria. You mind if I take elements of Burning Up & Yesterday and blend them into something new? And how about the past arguments in his and Amanda’s relationship don’t matter, and how it was nice to meet back up with her. It shows how time can heal relationships. Also, SAXOPHONE. That is all.

Stand and Fight: The actual Porcelain of the record. People thought they were gonna go in a This Meets War for this song, when instead it’s a slow burn that truly stays with you.

Turn & Run: Here’s how you do a sequel song and then make it stand out from its older brother. Much like the combos of Celebrity Status/Perfect & B-Team/Toy Soldiers, both sides of the coin make me giddy inside. And holy cow… welcome to the edge indeed. That hint of Fix Me screaming… I need more of it Josh. Please? I’ll be a good girl. There’s also a lot of Masterpiece Theatre II on this one. Easily my favourite of the short songs.

Worlds Collide: I go back and forth on this one in my head. There’s parts of me that love it, there’s parts of me that feels it’s too similar to the two tracks before it…. And then we have the end. And that just… made me smile. Also, I love Josh SCREAMING “Nobody’s Safe” and the fact they left in the vocal crack. That’s how you can tell his emotions are in full display here. So yeah.

Nights Like These: The comforting palette cleanser after three songs hit you with whiplash back to back to back. It’s very reminiscent of tavern songs, sea shanty’s & is just a warm hug of a track. Also, breaking down the fact that sometimes it’s nice to have just a cozy, relaxing night with friends. Feels like the Who Do You Love of the record too.

Remember Me By: Um, Micheal? Did you just possess Josh again? This feels so 80’s R&B I can’t help but love it. Also, Ian! Nice to hear you sing, bud. We’ve heard the other three all throughout this record and now we get your voice on top of the amazing percussion. Kudos.

Haven: So, here we are. The closing track. And, it’s good. It feels like they took The Killing Kind , Masterpiece Theatre III & End of An Era Abd threw them in a blender… and the result came out great, but… it does lack something to me? And if anything, it brings out the fact this album fits into the Relationship Theory too: It is about starting anew like I said ages ago but also about how their relationship (Josh & Amanda) isn’t perfect but he loves the imperfection now that they’ve figured out how to make it work. She might’ve broke his heart once but he reconciled & became stronger because of it. And now he can show that all across these 13 tracks.

So yeah. Haven’s likely my album of the year, and I do like it. But I do think that while it has some of the highest highs the band had ever reached, I do think they didn’t fully nail the Hero’s Journey theming & that it’s not as cohesive as some of their other work. It’s a sturdy S-, easily #2 or #3 in my overall rankings, even #1 depending on the day.

[niceboyeds]

just hold me (e.m.)

Eddie Munson x reader

summary: Eddie comforts you after your best friend moves out of town *fluffy fluff*

word count: 1.2k

a/n: one of my best friends lives over 4,000 miles away from me and she facetimed me today crying because she misses me. so now i’m sad and i miss her like crazy and i wrote this super fast before bed because i desperately need a hug.

nav

——————

“you’ll call me every week?”

“every Thursday at five o’clock.” your best friend promises, hugging you tightly as both of you try your hardest to push back tears.

“i can’t believe you’re leaving me.” you whisper, pulling away to hold her face in your hands. trying to show her you understand why she’s going. “but i’m so, so proud of you. i know you’re going to do great things.”

both of you collapse into each other’s arms for one final squeeze before she hops into her parent’s station wagon. she rolls down the window, holding out her hand for you to grab and you follow them down the driveway, only letting go when they turn into the road.

you can’t find the motivation to go back inside your house. instead you watch the car get smaller and smaller until you can’t see it anymore. then you’re just staring at nothing.

“come on baby. let’s go inside, yeah?” Eddie’s voice is soft and caring, knowing this is extremely difficult for you.

“okay” is all you can seem to say before trudging up the driveway and into your home. you immediately walk into your bedroom, crawling into your unmade bed and curling into a ball.

“do you need anything?”

“can you just hold me please?”

he does without a second thought. wrapping his arms around you, cradling your head with his hand as you weep into his chest. his other hand rubbing up and down your back gently.

he doesn’t once tell you that you’re being overdramatic. never saying “you’ll see her soon” or “you’ll talk to her next week”. he knows how hard this is for you, because he knows she’s your person.

he didn’t get it at first, confused with thinking he would be your person. but he quickly learned there is no way he could possibly replace her, and he never once took offense to it.

“it sucks, i know.” is all he can think of to say, not fully knowing how to make you happy in this situation.

“it sucks ass.” you sniffle, your breath shaky from crying.

“what can i do to cheer you up? i hate seeing you like this.”

“nothing. i’m just going to wallow in my sadness right here.”

“hm, i guess we can wallow for a bit.” he says, his arms still wrapped around you. “maybe a nap?” you nod as you cozy into him more, if that’s even possible.

the next couple of days are filled with nothing but sadness. no one prepares you for when your childhood best friend moves away from you. you feel like you’re missing a part of yourself, like there’s a hole in your heart.

this is worse than a breakup. a whole new kind of heartbreak. it might seem dramatic, it’s not like she’s dead. but the fear of not knowing when you’ll get to see her again, to hug her again, it’s so painful.

“are you still in the same position i left you in?” Eddie asks, walking through the door of your bedroom.

“maybe.”

“have you eaten?” he’s always so worried about you, making sure you are taking care of yourself. you consider lying, but he would see right through you.

“not since you made me yesterday.”

“okay, c’mon pumpkin.” he grabs your hand and slowly pulls you up, despite your groaning and attempt to hold yourself onto the mattress.

“maybe a shower will help? and a movie night?” he suggests, helping you stand from the bed and you let him win. you don’t have the energy to fight with him on it.

“okay. but if you’re making me get out of bed then i get to pick the movie.”

“naturally.” he kisses your forehead before you walk to the bathroom.

he was right, of course. the shower did help get you out of your funk. feeling clean and scrubbing the dried tears off your face made you feel better.

until you were brushing your hair, thinking about how every time you’d come out of the shower at a sleepover your best friend would always braid your hair. something you had never been able to master. she always did it best.

you walk out of the bathroom in a set of clean pajamas and make your way to Eddie. “aw sweetie, i thought it would help.” he frowns once he sees your tears.

“it did. i just want her to braid my hair.” you whisper, bringing your hands up to wipe your tears.

“i know, i’m so sorry.” he sighs, unsure how to further console you. all you do is curl up on the couch next to him, laying your head on his arm as you sniffle quietly.

“i ordered your favorite pizza…” you look up at him, trying your best to smile. 

“thank you.” he’s trying so hard to make you feel better, to help you. you hate that you’re being like this. “can you just hold me?” 

he moves his body slightly to hold you against him once again, rubbing your arm gently. slowly you start to feel better, thinking that soon enough you'll be back to normal.

Thursday at 4:59pm you wait by the phone, giddy with excitement to hear your best friend’s voice. 5 o’clock sharp you hear the ring and jump to grab it, feeling so relieved it’s her. the two of you have a lot to catch up on.

the conversation flies by, talking about her new job and weird roommate, and suddenly it’s been an hour. you both agree to talk again next week, saying another round of saddened goodbyes before hanging up the phone.

you’re proud of yourself for only crying a little bit, easily wiping away the few tears before your sweet boyfriend walks through the front door.

“hi!” he smiles, kicking off his shoes in the entryway.

“hi baby.” you smile back, trying your hardest not to be upset again.

“i know you probably just got off the phone, and i'm sure it was hard on you… but i have a surprise.”

“thank you, i really appreciate it.” you give him a kiss, truly grateful to have him to lean on. “i’m just gonna shower real quick.”

once again the shower distracts you, feeling refreshed and excited to spend the rest of the evening with your lovely boyfriend.

“okay what’s my surprise?” you tease, walking into the living room with your damp hair where he’s sitting on the couch.

“sit on the ground!” he sits up excitedly, patting the area of the couch between his calves to tell you he wants you to sit in front of him. you sit skeptically, surely he’s up to no good.

or so you thought, before he starts running his fingers through your hair and slicking it back. he starts following a pattern you know like the back of your hand.

he’s braiding your hair.

you let him finish in silence, smiling to yourself as he tightens the hair tie around the ends to keep it together. you immediately turn around to look at him.

“how did you—”

“i asked Max to teach me.”

you melt right there. this man has been nothing but supportive and loving for the past week and a half. doing everything in his power to make you smile.

“i don’t deserve you.” you whisper as you hug him, never wanting to let go. “i love you so much.”

as time goes by you’ve learned to come to terms of not seeing your best friend every day. and even though you still have rough days of missing her here and there, Eddie is right there to hold you and braid your hair.

[crinkled-emotions]

Day 22: Drawing a dick on someone's back in sunscreen (only for them to find out later)

This... damn, I had to take a breath.

Happy 2024 team! How crazy is it that we're in 2024?? It feels like yesterday my family hauled ass from one side of Australia to the other (it was actually 2013 but who's counting?).

We have some Daggers being Daggers! Lately I've been in a bit of a funk but I think I'm slowly coming out of it now :)

This one is shorter but I don't have a problem with that, I feel like it lowkey suits better.

-

“Tasha.”

Phoenix glanced at Bob over her sunglasses.

“What?”

“Don’t look now.”

“Look at what?”

She followed his gaze, spotting Rooster asleep on his lounger... on his stomach. Fanboy winked as he passed by, waving the sunscreen bottle in his hand. Phoenix cocked an eyebrow when Hangman and Coyote also started watching. To her surprise Maverick was also asleep; dogfight football had been off the table that morning but real football wasn’t. Turns out Hangman was of course the stereotypical high school quarterback but to everyone’s surprise Payback had been a linebacker... Rooster and Bob had both dropped out of football at their first opportunity (Bob was a consistent winner in debate club and Rooster played baseball all the way through his schooling years). Fanboy was a strong defender and Coyote was enjoying tackling Hangman when he had the opportunity. Phoenix was a soccer player throughout high school and she didn’t have the slightest interest in football despite having three brothers so when the others mentioned setting up a game she’d laid out with her book to watch them fall over each other. Bob had been snoozing on and off beside her for the last ten minutes, but apparently the others were done with their football to move on to another game.

It had been a long week on base; hops, simulations and lectures kept them all busy and often drained. Maverick did his best to keep morale up but he had things he had to complete and things he needed to ensure the Daggers were competent in to pass on to their classes. Their classes alone had been overwhelming with over-confident kids measuring their dicks at all times – no, seriously Bob was never walking into the locker rooms without knocking ever again.

In order to give the team a moment to recover, Maverick had suggested meeting at the beach by the Hard Deck in the afternoon for burgers. Of course it had quickly turned into sports and now everyone, fed and satisfied, had found various locations to get comfortable for a nap. It wasn’t just Rooster asleep; Payback and Maverick both were asleep and despite the smirk on his face, Hangman looked like he was considering his nap potential too. Bob and Phoenix exchanged looks, Phoenix passing over her book so Bob could subtly film what Fanboy was up to. Fanboy grinned, wiggling his fingers.

“Oh he’s totally gonna wake up,” Bob muttered. Phoenix elbowed him.

“No he’s not; Rooster sleeps like he’s dead, he’s not going anywhere.”

They watched as Fanboy drew a phallic symbol in sunblock on Rooster’s back, winking at the others as he then made a run for it. Plucking her book from Bob’s hand, Phoenix flopped back against her seat.

“Well, now we wait.”

-

Missed call from Rooster (7:14am)

Missed call from Rooster (7:15am)

Missed call from Rooster (7:15am)

Rooster: Tasha CALL ME

Phoenix woke to the notifications and immediately called Rooster, holding her phone to her ear as she got out of bed. Whilst she fumbled into clothes just in case it was that kind of emergency, he finally answered.

“Oh, so now you’re out of bed?”

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Phoenix demanded, shoving her (clean, relax) sock into her mouth so that she could do up the button on her jeans.

“I’m glad you’re so well rested, I got up early for PT and I just had them tell me the funniest thing ever.”

Phoenix paused. Spat out her sock.

“Bradley Bradshaw,” she started carefully, “please tell me you didn’t send me an SOS – on a Sunday of all days – to tell me about the PT you flirted with?”

“What- no! She was cute though... no, she asked me if I had a new tattoo and when I said I had no idea what she was talking about she handed me a mirror so I could see my back.”

Phoenix’s eyebrows raised as it all came rushing back.

“Oh my god, I totally forgot about that!”

She burst out laughing, doubling over as she howled. She could almost feel the irritation through the phone but it only made her laugh harder.

“Thanks, Phoenix. I can’t believe someone drew a dick on my back – wait. Who was it anyway? Just out of curiosity. It was Hangman wasn’t it?”

Phoenix took a moment to gather herself, flopping back into bed.

“No way am I throwing anyone under the bus. Figure it out yourself, Bradshaw – and holy shit, I hate you so much right now, it’s 7:30am on a Sunday morning and I’m awake. Ugh, this is cursed.”

Now it was Rooster’s turn to laugh, and he did until Phoenix hung up on him.

-

“Can we see it?”

Rooster glanced over his shoulder at Coyote, raising an eyebrow.

“Are you propositioning me? Take me out to dinner first, man, damn-“

“-no, the dick- shit.”

Coyote sighed while Rooster chuckled, finishing getting into his flight suit.

“C’mon- please?”

“Ooh, sorry man, too late. Better luck next time.”

“Damn.”

Coyote went back to his own locker while Rooster struggled to get his flight suit to not rest against his sunburned back and shoulders.

“Bradley.”

Rooster groaned, glancing up when Maverick approached.

“Yeah, Mav?”

“I’ve been... hearing rumours today.”

“This is about the lilly white dick on my back isn’t it. You have your team to thank for that.”

Maverick’s mouth twitched. Rooster sighed.

“Go ahead; laugh it up. You’re not the first. I’m gonna kill Hangman when I get my hands on him.”

“It doesn’t sound like it was him, Roo.”

Maverick ruffled his hair and then continued his walk up to the podium.

“Good morning, aviators- hey, has anyone seen the penis on Rooster’s back? Gives a whole new meaning to his callsign, really.”

The rest of the Daggers laughed, Maverick flipping open his file.

“Okay, let’s get to it. Uh, today we’re going to be not doing the intense hops we’re used to; we’re going back to basics because I’m starting to notice gaps in your training...”

-

“C’mon, guys, fess up will you? Who drew the dick on my back in sunscreen and then let me burn?”

“To be fair, you slept for hours and we woke you when we were worried about you getting dehydrated,” Bob commented as he moved around the ready room. The others exchanged nervous glances; if anyone would dob another team member in it would probably be Bob.

Damn stealth pilots.

“The joke’s over, guys, I’ve got a burn along the lines of my callsign and I don’t think Maverick has stopped laughing yet.”

“He’s not the only one,” Hangman grinned. Rooster cocked an eyebrow as he turned to the blonde; no one said he was above bribery-

“Tell me who it was and I’ll blow you-“

“-it was Fanboy.”

The others groaned, Bob facepalming.

“Yet again, Hangman, you live up to your callsign,” Coyote said to his best friend. Hangman shrugged.

“I’ll never say no to a-“

“-did you seriously just give Fanboy up? Dude, not cool.”

Phoenix walked into the ready room at the perfect time, smacking Hangman upside the head. He winced but he couldn’t keep the grin off his face.

“Guys; I’ll send you photos I promise.”

-

[moonglittering]

Dear Diary. Go moon boy give us your diary and knowledge!

✨ @75bpm. meme. still accepting!

Ever since I was a child I’ve been introverted and sensitive. The memories are vague now but according to my old diary entries I was clearly not a born optimist, and I would feel down from time to time. It was in high school when the depression really hit, which affected my studies, prevented me from going to college and compromised my future. Perhaps it was a given that I would end up depressed as an adult. But even when I changed all the parts of my life that I had wanted to change—my weight, education, hobbies, friends. 

I was still depressed. I didn’t always feel that way, but I would go in and out of a funk that was as inevitable as bad weather. I might go to bed happy and wake up sad and sullen. I couldn’t keep food down when I was stressed, and I would cry constantly when I was ill. I simply gave in to the fact that I was someone who was depressed from birth, and let my world grow darker and darker.

Obviously, I can’t be that person anymore. I have to be as loud and powerful and open as possible, even if others might find me kind of impalpable. I’ve had people tell me I’m a bit too much. I don’t give a single shit about that, though. I have to live loudly! I will live loudly. I’ll be myself and I’ll try to smile through it even through the days the hurt the most. I can’t wake up wishing I was dead ever again.

I’ll be my own strength and pillar. When I open the curtains, the sun will make me feel better. I’ll never let myself down, again. I’m capable, intelligent, sharp-minded, and can do anything. I’ll take my meds and watch a pleasant morning segment about some good news in the world. I’ll be a version of me that my younger self would find cool. Keep your chin up! You don’t have to lug around that version of you from yesterday. Sit them under a tree, tell them to rest, and keep moving forward.

[mapsofnonexistentplaces]

QUESTION TIME !!! any recent game or movie recs you’d like to give ?? i know youre a big prog rock guy but are there any other genres you like or any bands/artists u feel dont fit under the prog descriptor that you enjoy a lot ? & maybe somebodys asked this before but i would love to know if you have any inspirations for ccsimulacrum ? i mean just in general but i would also really love to know how you came up with the name specifically !

ALRIIIIGHT much to talk about! lets bite into it

friends and i have been noting down some movies though we haven’t watched any of them and are simply going off of reviews and images. earlier tonight we found a movie called zardoz from 1974 which looks like complete shit and i’m so excited to see it

in terms of games i’ve been rotating a couple! discovered i’m just very fond of roguelikes and Number Go Up games so naturally i’ve been insane about balatro. i also played vampire survivors ages ago back when the mobile port came out but i decided to get the desktop version literally yesterday because i miss playing that game and it’s a bit better on my eyes on the wide screen hah. have also been playing a lot of darkest dungeon. uhhh i’ve also recently checked out a handful of games that have just like. incredible art direction but are a bit all over the place regarding genre so rapid fire round of that: blasphemous, where the water tastes like wine and the shrouded isle. have also been getting into them’s fighting herds that’s a very fun fighting game to learn :+)

QUESTION 2 for genres i’d say i hang around adjacent genres quite a lot, big into math rock especially. i’m also big into prog pop but that overlaps so much with prog rock i hardly think it counts hah. otherwise i like most other kinds of like. ‘quick and dirty’ metal. like power metal thrash etc. however leaving the realm of rock i fucking love jazz (and jazz fusion. goes without saying) and funk, also new wave though i’m picky with that shit, and have also been slowly delving into both afrobeat and italo disco LOL i’m a simple man who loves good baselines more than god what can i say

with regards to specific artists, i think the biggest non prog rock one for me is everything everything HOWEVER their main designation is art rock which is basically just prog rock and i do very much consider them progressive pop so lol. otherwise hmmm…. there’s this one moldovan band called zdob și zdub that i’ve been really into lately and uh rule of thumb for most romanian/moldovan bands is that they’ve GOTTA throw in some traditional folk instruments so it’s kind of just. weird eastern european folk rock. it’s funny. similarly rubycone is a moldovan math rock band that does a little bit of that shit but they’re actually fairly based in like. more english conventions of both lyrics and the genre itself. very interesting to listen to

bringing up jazz fusion again one of my favorite bands in there is acoustic ladyland real good shit. oh also i’m not like. the most well versed with any kind of electronic music, i’m actually very picky with stuff esp if it’s meant to be more listenable than danceable but osamu sato’s music is extremely evocative to me and i love it a lot

special mention also goes to talking heads i’ve had a lot of their songs on my rotation recently but after learning of the remain in light 2020s tours with adrian belew singing for part of the sets i’ve just been like. way more smitten with those versions than anything with byrne in there hah. take a listen

AS FOR THE CCS QUESTION. god i could literally talk about that shit all day and i absolutely have when it comes to minute character references and whatnot but to speak about inspirations for the story broadly….

i started writing it in the midst of getting into the coheed and cambria album ‘the afterman’ which is about a guy travelling into space to investigate a series of planets that end up hosting the dead souls of everybody in the world. something roughly like that. and then also when i was getting into psychonauts! so the two kind of crossed in my mind to form a story about a kid with great magical prowess who usurps a space journey to save people from something, and as i furnished the concept and made it more ‘its own thing’ and changed it into a space train instead of a spaceship, made the space train actually go into a place between dimensions rather than space, and then i decided it’d be more interesting to have the train itself be a point of conflict rather than something external. and i also added a lot of interpersonal drama and themes of communication and character interaction that resembled psychonauts’ a lot, since that was the most memorable and charming part of the game to me

i’ve wanted to write about this point in the past and kept forgetting but initially the main conflict centered around some kind of cosmic serpent that wanted to kill everyone and dalisay was going to bargain with it. uhhh and there was a very blunt side plot about the spaceships being advertised as ‘cruises’ of some kind that were in fact intentionally made by rich people to supply the serpent with sacrifices. it ended up feeling very determinist and impersonal so i did away with a lot of that and instead framed the story around the concept of voluntary isolation and the idea of being an ‘outcast’ in society and the ways people may try to refute that or fall into that role…. a lot of those ideas are kind of just natural philosophies i’ve argued with myself about over the years as an extremely schizoid guy and they’re themes i feel are very uhhh. inaccessible? just not talked about or represented in a lot of media. but it’s something that hits home very hard and if my story’s like one of the only stories to depict the schizoid dilemma in a non-clinical fashion i’m pleased

i have all kinds of things to mention about the development of the narrative but honestly i’ve been thinking about just making an actual little zine or something detailing the various changes in the plot and why i made them + more detailed pointing out of inspirations. from the beginning i’ve preserved a lot of old documents and a lot of old variations of them entirely for the sake of revisiting early ideas and tracking progress so im excited to put that to work :+) we’ll see! but for now getting into how i makes the thing

i actually have a complete record of the process! basically what i did was just note down the names of various things i liked that had very pleasant names, not necessarily informative ones (which was an intentional choice — i wanted ccs to sound like the title of an overdone pompous concept album!) and i tried to brainstorm similar titles based on the word order, syllable structure, etc of those titles while also reeling in some tangential concepts that i felt were cool. and then once i had enough of them i whittled down those ideas into smaller and smaller groups until i eventually just had one title i liked best

first i want to note that ‘trainstory’ as a title is part of the tradition i have of just naming new projects very simple two-word descriptive titles, and i often still use those as ‘informal’ names for said projects. among others i have are wizardworld (corpusmancy) and moldaviaworld (argent rattle LOL)

i wrote the top and bottom lists out first and then slotted the titles list in the middle, to sort of visualise the mixture of the two. i was initially trying to think of words relating to retro technology, navigation, and human incoherency, ambiguity, attitude, etc. i think simulacrum stood out to me because initially i conceived of ccs as a game that was very. busy and complicated in terms of being a communication based jrpg with characters changing their regard of you quickly and doing things like lying, etc etc it was just meant to convey the flighty changes in the human mind and then it ended up being very appropriate when it became a story about technological progression and artificial life and ghosts and shit. and also matched the setting from the get-go since i always wanted it to have the basic principle of ‘yeah, it’s the future and people everywhere are trying to emulate retro fashion and architectural styles’

there was a mild fixation with blood and circulation at first? i wasn’t feeling it though, obviously. also i’m never really fond of just giving a project a one word name partially because i dont want to make searching for things a pain in the ass and also because i like the novelty of nonsense word salad names that sound cool. as you can clearly tell from the fact i like prog rock and also kurt vonnegut novels

i’m still fond of stage one simulacrum honestly, but i think that sounded far more scientific for my taste, which was also the problem with ice cold simulacrum. i think with that one i realised i wanted something that’d relate to dalisay’s weather theming, so i remembered the term ‘cold case’ existed and i thought it was appropriate considering the story dealt with the unsolved mystery of the fornax train while also being a pun on being a ‘cold’ case. like snow or something. and then i just tossed the word simulacrum on there and called it a day, which is a lazy way to put it but it is basically all there is. uhhh i’m very fond of it now though, ccs is a snappy acronym and the c in the middle of simulacrum does just give the whole thing a nice rhythm

that’s all i got this successfully tired me 🫡 hitting the hay now thank youuu

[keefwho]

July 25 - 2023 Tuesday

10:47 AM

My friend just needed someone to talk to and I’m always happy to help in any way I can but I did a bad job trying to comfort her, even if she only needed someone to listen. I’m also a little scatterbrained today or just vacant so I wish I could have been more help. I literally couldn’t think of anything good to say. I guess I’m most worried about coming off as indifferent or uncaring because I care a LOT. She probably knows that though. 

2:53 PM

I feel things and think things but I don’t want to write about things or think about them. Mostly because I feel mentally tired right now. Im not in the best shape to be making progress but I have learned that progress must still be made regardless. I can’t always wait for the right moment. I guess there also isn’t anything pressing me right now so I can take a smol break. 

In general I know I’m having a hard time feeling like myself right now and instead am following what I’d describe as a sort of natural code. Im doing things without thinking about them. There is little exploration and creativity going on in my head right now, I’m just existing. My capacity for true deep empathy is lowered because of this. I’m not really here in a sense, or not at the capacity I want to be. I know this must be normal though, I can’t be on top of this kind of thing all the time. I’m sure this kind of thing happens to everyone. I’m just trying to get to know it better so I can accurately appraise myself whenever I get like this. 

I also had a very small incident with an onion. Its the kind of thing that harks back to the peak of my anxiety surrounding food and my stomach. I chopped an onion in half so I could use one half in my lunch and the other half went in the fridge. I still have some iffyness about eating anything “raw” even if it’s safe to do so. I hinged a lot of my sense of food security on making sure everything I ate was fully cooked no matter what it was (except for some obvious exceptions like chips, crackers, canned stuff, etc.). So I still found it to be a little exercise to take a slice of that onion and use it on my chicken burger uncooked. It’s an important little exercise though and I’m proud I did it, even if it wasn’t a very big deal. 

10:56 PM

I want to get on bed this time so this has to be brief hopefully.

For breakfast I had left over rice a roni from yesterday. I watched one of the newer episodes of Craig of the Creek before streaming. 

Stream went okay, I only did half commission work again since I’m doing it for the paying double guy. I had to stop the stream halfway through to call and listen to my friend but I started it back up for a little bit afterwards. I completed a little colored sketch in a way that I liked so hopefully I can keep doing that to get more of my ideas out. 

I cleaned up some and did my mini workout for the first time. Im really starting to feel it in my legs again so it must be working. During my shower I watched a new video from Lemino about the JFK assassination, it was interesting. Im surprised and also not surprised at how stupid people can be when giving testimony. 

Lunch was a chicken burger and a granola bar, very good. 

During today’s drawing request I edited one of my coloring brushes to be easier to blend with and I really liked the result. It offered more flexibility per stroke. After that I worked on this cute drawing of mine and my friend’s sonas again, it’s REALLY coming out well. When work was done I spent some time working on my horse avatar again, it’s also looking good and I’m so excited to be horsies with my bestie.

I hung out with her while I worked on it and we chilled for a bit while she showed some things. I didn’t know what to do with myself, I just wanted to chill so I wasn’t very lively. My eyes also hurt all evening. After she moved upstairs we played Zelda for a bit, it was nice. 

I wish I could have been less out of it, I’ve definitely been in a funk today and yesterday. I could probably figure out some straightforward exercises to turn to that could help me realize that I’m a living, thinking person when I’m struggling to perceive myself. 

[crazybigredlove]

4th September 2013

Oh Pete. Miranda pulled me aside at work yesterday. 

Gulp. I would've told you yesterday but I was completely consumed with self-pity after that phone call from the ginger King Kong. 

Tried not to nervous vomit my lunch on her when with a sympathetic look she took me by my forearm down the hallway towards her office, all the while the unmistakable feeling that something bad might be about to happen began to well from deep inside. 

Sitting in her little office she folded her hands and looked over at me with such a caring, maternal expression that I knew it could only be bad news. Had there been anyone in the company that I cared dearly for (obviously with the exception of Michael, but had been talking to him only seconds before so knew that he was okay) I would have feared she was about to tell me that someone had passed on. As it was, I was starting to suspect that maybe my own doctor had asked her to deliver some tragic, terminal diagnosis. 

Turns out she is increasingly concerned by my mediocre performance of late. It has not gone unnoticed that I have missed the last three deadlines, and while all three pieces were eventually turned in, each was well below the usual standard. 

Honestly, it just seemed a little harsh for her to keep kicking me like this. How many times have we had this talk now? 

Of course, I start to shift uneasily in the seat. Sweating in that gross way that I do when I'm nervous, I'm practically sticking to the chair. This is it. Going to get fired. I will lose my job and be forced to turn to prostitution in order to keep Buffy in the manner in which he has become accustomed. 

Or worse, I’ll have to start touring him in dog shows to make money. I would rather prostitution. 

Just as I'm about to pass out from anxiety and lack of oxygen in the room, she suggests to me that she is aware that things haven't been great in my private life and perhaps I should take a week or two of annual leave to sort my head out so that I can come back refreshed and ready to tackle the world. 

Oh sweet baby, Jesus. Thank you. 

Now, safe in the knowledge that Buffy and I are not homeless as yet, I am actually quite excited about the prospect of spending some time during those two weeks weighing up my career options. No doubt Christopher will tell me to write a novel, but I'm not sure that's ever been done before. An entire manuscript in two weeks? This is one of those times when self-belief can only get you so far... Then again, I am completely broke and can neither afford to go away nor leave the house for even short periods. Staying at home writing is actually my most feasible option. And watching movies. Probably mostly watching movies. Having romantic fantasies of writing in all different cafes across the city and eventually finding the one that will inspire me to write a hit novel in the manner of JK Rowling. Aiming high, yes, but what is the point in having dreams and goals if achieving them doesn't take you to a level higher than the funk you're in? 

It sort of brought home how tough things have been lately. Those fine-tuned coping mechanisms I thought I had in place are clearly failing if Miranda is onto me. As surprising as it was that she's helping me out like this, it was a bit unsettling that she kept squeezing my hands and looking at me like, well, like people used to look at you when you first got sick. It's pretty obvious that she thinks I'm completely insane. It was nice to hear her say that she appreciates my work though and that the fitness section wouldn't be the same without me. She also said that she feels perhaps lately they haven't been challenging me enough, and if when I get back I am doing better she will give me some features to write, but without the extra demands. 

Never has a near breakdown been more rewarding. 

Rather than celebrating the start of a two-week vacation from the comfort of my couch wearing yoga pants, I had dinner with Jamie instead. Insistent as she was that I drink copious amounts of wine with her, I couldn't possibly say no or I'd be that rude guest, so I'm writing this from her spare room relying heavily on the autocorrect function in my email and apologise profusely if certain words or sentences are nonsensical. We went full pathetic and watched How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days. Pointed out to her the ridiculousness of watching that movie given that I practically have a Masters degree in how to lose men in far less time than that. Sympathetic as her eyes were at first, the wine flowed and they made a definite transition to pitying. Relax, she wasn't so saddened by the state of my life that she was discouraged from talking incessantly about Holly's fast-looming wedding. 

"Seven." I cut her off and squint at the wedding picture hanging on the wall. "Seven what?" She eyes me quizzically. "Seven days," I state matter-of-factly. 

"For what?" "Seven days was the length of my shortest relationship." "No! Really?" "Yup. Seven days. Although if you count Big Red it's less than twenty-four hours. He asked me to be his girlfriend and the next time I heard from him was like a fortnight later when he was telling me he had a new girlfriend, so I feel like maybe that was a pseudo-relationship and shouldn't count. If that one doesn't count then it's seven days." "Wow. I mean I knew things didn't always work out for you, but that is just cruel." "Yeah," I try to hide a hiccup. "He turned out to be more of a jerk than he let on. I think that's the unfair bit. They shouldn't be allowed to hide it. They should just have to be open at the start. Like, 'Hey I'm a jerk. Don't date me.' Why don't they ever say that?" "It would make it significantly harder to get laid." 

"That's right. And all they care about is getting laid. See. Jerks." "Liv, you knew he was bad news. You knew it from the start. Right now I think you're only holding on so tightly because you realise you want a committed relationship, you want your life to move to the next phase, and you're scared you won't find someone to do that with. It's okay, sweetie. Lots of people in your situation feel that way. No one ever thinks they're going to be the one who is in their thirties and single. Now hand me those ribbons would you? I want to put bows on the envelopes. Did you think the silver and blue theme like the invites or the usual penis theme on the night?" 

Is it clear to you now why I'm drunk? I'm refusing to be lured into bridal shower talk. Especially when it is penis-themed bridal shower talk. 

"I mean, I knew. I wrote a list. But I didn't really know. How can you ever really know that?" Jamie's tongue pokes out the side of her mouth as she drunkenly tries to paste a ribbon on an envelope and it was impossible to tell whether she was even listening. "I think it was the point about his maturity level that should've made the argument to not date him beyond refute. With a quizzical expression Jamie looked up. "Why are you still thinking about him? He has a girlfriend and he spends his time calling you and trying to make you cry. That guy is bad news. Such bad news. You have got to get rid of him." 

She's right. Of course she's right. And I have. I think. Until the next time he calls anyway. I'd block him but then I wouldn't know if he called or not and the fact that I need to know tells me I may not have completely grasped how people act when they are over someone. 

"Yeah. I will. Find me a Franco. That would make it easier." 

"This probably isn't the time to point out to you that it's unlikely you'll be marrying a Hollywood heartthrob." "Feed my cookies, tell me I'm pretty, and let me have my fantasies." 

"Here. Have a cookie." She reaches out with a plate and a smile. "You already know you're pretty. If you want to marry a famous actor I will even got ordained so I can be the celebrant for you." "See, I knew you could be supportive." 

"Now no more cookies or you'll get fat." Supportive only goes so far apparently. 

Liv x 

[twistedmusings]

A/N: Planning to post some finished requests tonight thankfully but I wanted to share something super self indulgent with you guys since I just recently got an Alexa! I'm still kind of in a funk (since classes are STILL not over with) so thank you everyone for your kind words in my inbox q wq For now I only have Riddle and Leona...but if everyone likes it I'll make an effort to finish! I kinda am working on Azul's as we speak >:3 Warnings: Boys missing you terribly, Riddle justifying the breaking of rules and Leona realizing that he is talking to an inanimate object.

The Ramshackle Prefect leaves to go to RSA for a month, following a lead that could get them back home. And while the dorm leaders do miss them terribly, it seems one of them is hiding something.

. .

“AZUL-SHI DO SOMETHING.”

The Octavinelle dorm leader barely listened to his friend's request as he also crowded over Idia’s phone, the other five dorm leaders looking down at the screen as a pair of familiar eyes stared back at them.

“Where is Idia? Can you please hand me back to him?”

Riddle blinked at the sprite on the screen before looking back at Idia with a frown.

“Explain yourself, Shroud.”

Idia whimpered as he hung his head low in shame.

“[Y/N]-san...I mean...the Prefect left to go to RSA for a whole month, right? Crowley said it was to help them find a way back home but apparently there was some trouble there too and...and he brought them to fix it...”

Malleus’s neutral expression changes into something a bit sadder while Kalim lets out what everybody was thinking.

“To take them away so suddenly...I didn’t even get a chance to give them a goodbye party!”

“They’re only away for a month, Kalim.” Vil’s eyes stay on Idia’s phone screen.

“But I’m sure a party would have let them know how much I would miss them!”

Riddle clears his throat, “That still doesn’t explain anything about what I am seeing. Why in the world do you have something that looks like...that looks so much like them on your phone!”

Idia was sure this was hell. Of all the people to catch him using his phone during a dorm leader meeting, why did it have to be Riddle? What was he even supposed to answer to that question! That he missed talking to [Y/N]-san about the new animes that were releasing this week that he had purposefully made an AI from data Ortho had collected on them and their mannerisms?

He would rather die!

“I--I was testing a new AI! Just...for schedules and stuff like that! And I didn’t have anything else to base it on so I just took [Y/N]-san’s information and made a prototype! It’s not just going to go out to the public like that! They can customize it however they like--!”

Azul hums as he taps the screen, the sprite giggling as he touches their cheek before looking up at all of them expectantly.

“...A prototype, huh.” he smiles and leans back while taking his phone out, “Everybody stop crowding around him, we might as well be breaking his arm slowly at this point.”

The rest of the dorm leader's move back with only some protest, Idia’s eyes shining as he looks up at his other friend.

“Azul-shi…”

The dorm leader of Octavinelle grins, “If it’s a prototype then that means it needs users, correct? More people to test it out?”

“Eh?”

Azul puts his phone in front of Idia and smiles at him like he was just about to close a rather important business transaction.

“Well then I want the prototype as well. Download it to my phone, will you?”

“Eh?!”

Idia presses his phone to his chest as if Azul was about to take it, looking around nervously as the other dorm leaders take their phones out and set it in front of him.

“If it’s an application for scheduling then I could use it to keep Heartslabyul’s matters in check. I’ll take one too.”

“Ruggie is gonna be busy during exams...this thing better work as an alarm.”

“Surely this would help me keep track of my schedule for both the Monstro Lounge and school. I’ll take one with a statistics program built in, Idia”

“Oh!! I want mine to be able to sing! And can I also get them in Scarabia’s dorm uniform? I want to see what [Y/N]-san would look like!’

“I’ll take that as well. I also want a photo re-touch feature as well as one hour updates as to what is going on in my Magicam account.”

Each phone was placed in front of him as Idia felt his head start to spin. He just wanted to keep this thing a secret only for himself! He wasn’t even planning to release it, it was all just a lie so they wouldn’t know his greatest shame!

A shadow was casted over him, Idia looking up slowly as Malleus smiled and placed his phone down.

“I am eager to see your finished product, Shroud.”

The tarts in front of him looked absolutely delicious.

Trey had really outdone himself this time. The strawberries were cut into perfectly neat shapes and the glaze over them made them so mouth wateringly shiny that he could practically taste the sweet treat without even having to taste it!

Which only made his want of one grow even more.

“And here comes the next batch.” Trey smiles as he puts down another plate in front of him, Riddle’s eyes now staring at that plate while his vice dorm leader cleans himself up.

“When did you say the Unbirthday party was going to be today?”

“A-At three o’clock sharp.”

Trey nods as he looks at the clock in the kitchen.

“Perfect. I promised to meet Jade to get some herbs he has been growing as well as letting him teach me how to make this one soup they had in the Monstro Lounge about a week ago.”

He grabs his phone and heads out, leaving Riddle with a quick goodbye and a promise that he would make it back as quick as possible.

Leaving him all alone with two plates filled with his favourite treat.

The dorm leader looks around once...then twice...checking if anybody was coming into the kitchen before going back to stare at the plates.

It wasn’t like he was going to grab one

The Unbirthday party today would be using pastries that Trey had made yesterday. It was the third of the month so the rules required a completely different pastry. The strawberry tarts were most likely for tomorrow.

So Riddle could wait. He was the Heartslabyul dorm leader after all so not only could he wait but he was required to wait! As the dorm leader he was to set an example and he couldn’t let himself be seduced so easily by just two plates of such yummy looking tarts--!

He quickly takes his phone out and looks down at the screen, face flushing as he tries to remember how Idia told him to open up the new app.

“[Y/N]-san…?”

A face peeks out from the corner of his phone, smiling as it recognizes his face and steps out while giving him a polite bow.

“Good morning, Riddle-san! What can I help you with?”

He can’t help a small rush of excitement at seeing the Prefect’s face after not seeing them for two weeks. Riddle would make an effort to stop and talk to them whenever they made their way to Heartslabyul that not seeing them for so long had almost thrown him off his schedule.

And...he missed the conversations he had with them.

As the dorm leader and a student in NRC he didn’t necessarily have time to go to any other events or take part in any of the shenanigans others would get up to, not that he necessarily wanted to, but it was entertaining when the Prefect talked about it with him.

It felt like they were letting him into their world.

So maybe this substitute would suffice...it was a scheduling app after all so it wasn’t like he was using it for pleasure only.

“Would you please repeat rule 56 of the Queen’s handbook?”

The AI clears their throat as a book animation appears before them.

“Rule number 56: On the third of April, black tea should be served along with pineapple tarts. Followed by a game of cards in which the loser must pour the Queen tea for the rest of the Unbirthday party.”

Riddle sighs as he looks back at the plate of tarts.

“...I guess I’ll wait until tomorrow…”

“Wait until what?”

He looks down at the AI, the sprite blinking in confusion as it waits for an answer. Idia had mentioned adding a conversational feature…

“There is no rule about what to eat tomorrow so I decided that we would have strawberry tarts.”

“Are those your favourite?”

Riddle nods and steps out of the kitchen, making his way to his room as he stared back at the open door.

“They are. Ever since I was little. I couldn’t have many because of--”

He decides to not go deep into the subject.

“I’m sure Trey’s pineapple tarts will be excellent. I will just have to wait until tomorrow to enjoy the strawberry ones.”

The AI hums before the book animation pops up again, looking down and flipping a couple of pages before speaking up.

“Riddle-san. While it does say that black tea should be served with pineapple tarts...it does state that it should be done for the Unbirthday party and the Unbirthday party only.”

He frowns, “Your point?”

“I am sure no rule would be broken if only the Queen has a tea party before the Unbirthday party. From what I am seeing here--”

They flip a couple more pages.

“There is no rule about a tea party of one enjoying a strawberry tart.”

Riddle blinks before looking down at his phone, the sprite smiling as they shut the small book and lets it disappear with a ‘poof.’

No rule would be broken...if it was only a tea part of one?

He looks down at the AI when he hears them giggle.

“Riddle-san looks really happy.”

A blush covers his face at being called out on how big his smile probably was.

“Did I help in any way?”

The dorm leader takes a deep breath before smiling as he looks down at the phone and presses his fingertip on top of their head, rubbing it back and forth as if they were petting them. Something he knew he could never really do with them in real life lest he was looking to get odd looks.

“More than enough. Would you like to accompany me during this tea party?”

“Yes please!”

Riddle nods before looking around once more and clearing his throat.

“And...would you refer to me as ‘dorm leader’ from now on?”

The sprite nods as they give him a polite bow.

“Yes, dorm leader!”

He would need to send his report of the app as quickly as possible, Idia had really outdone himself this time...maybe he could ask if he could get them dressed up in the Heartslabyul uniform?

Riddle still wished you would hurry back.

“Leona-san! Please wake up!”

The blankets on the bed wriggled a bit as the phone was tousled over from one side of the bed to the other, the sprite inside frowning as they tried again.

“Leona-san! Please wake up! Ruggie-san texted you!”

A hand comes out of the blankets before holding the phone up.

“Read the text out loud then.”

Sighing, the AI pulls the text up and reads out loud.

“Please be awake by the time I get there, Leona. I need to make sure I get your signature on these papers for the dorm budget. If you don’t I’ll hold your lunch captive!”

Leona’s face finally pops up from under the blanket, the man sitting up and running a hand through his hair as he speaks up again.

‘Oi. What time is it?”

“It is 3:14 in the afternoon, Leona-san.”

“And when did Ruggie send the text?”

“At 3:00 o'clock.”

He groans and lays back down, the pillows flying about as he holds the phone to his face and smiling when he sees the sprite looking down at him worriedly.

“You really do look like them…” Leona whispers before tapping the screen so that he is poking the sprite’s cheek, “What is that face for?”

“I’m just worried for you, Leona-san. Too much sleep is a symptom of some sicknesses so--”

“Hah? You think I would get sick so easily?” he yawns and stretches, “I’m different from humans. Beastmen need a lot more sleep than regular humans do so...I’m just doing what my body tells me.”

Green eyes watch a notepad appear before the AI as they write down the information, smiling as they close it up and watch it disappear.

“I’ll keep that information in mind so I can serve Leona-san better. Thank you so much.”

Leona blinks at the words before a lazy smile crosses his face.

“Serve me better, huh? Never thought I would hear you say that.”

Usually the herbivore would be frowning and telling him to get up and actually take charge of his dorm and how he didn’t act like any grown up they knew. The sprite, however, tilts their head in confusion before speaking up once again.

“I am yours, after all.”

“Damn right you are.”

He looked at the phone a bit more, the sprite smiling up at him as he poked their cheek or patted their head. A part of him wondered if you would react like that with him as well. You always seemed so annoyed with his antics yet you never failed to come back to talk to him, telling him how he needs to get his act together if he is ever planning to go back to the Afterglow.

Leona would bet money that if he patted your head out of nowhere you would be highly flustered. Getting praise from him was something that didn’t happen often, after all.

“What day is it?”

“The 12th day of April, Leona-san.”

Another two weeks of you being gone. He frowns and closes his eyes as he thinks about you meeting those other students. RSA was just full of idiots...like his brother--

“Dammit.”

He slams the phone down but blinks when he hears a small yelp, turning the phone back around to find the AI looking rather frazzled with their eyes closed and hair all over the place.

“Shit. Are you....okay?”

Great, he was asking an application if it was okay. He could understand why Idia would hide this, right now he felt like he was crazy.

“Y--Yes! It was just unexpected!”

The sprite fixed itself up quickly and smiled back at Leona.

“Are you okay though, Leona-san?”

The dorm leader chuckled and nodded as they set the phone down gently and laid down next to it. At least that part was very much like you, worrying about others before focusing on yourself.

“You’re not going to complain? I almost just threw you.”

Without missing a beat, the AI stands up and looks at him.

“Leona-san is still working hard despite his body telling him to sleep. My program tells me that it would be a natural emotion to feel frustrated if you are not allowed to do something you want. Normal actions of frustration speak of physical manifestations such as kicking, punching or throwing. I was simply calculating it for it to be the latter and for it to happen towards a pillow. I’ll make sure to fix my calculations next time.”

He shakes his head and sets the phone down gently.

“Weird thing. You shouldn’t forgive someone so easily after they wronged you.”

“But you didn’t wrong me, Leona-san. I didn’t feel any pain. I just want to make sure you are feeling your best! You are my number one priority!”

This machine is going to make him go insane, he knows you would never say that but the fact that Idia had gotten your voice down so well that it was almost as if you had just told him he was your number one---

He was already getting a headache.

“Set an alarm for an hour. Ruggie will take around that long anyway.” Leona lays down and wraps the blankets around him.

“Of course. Alarm set for one hour. Would you like to be woken up with a personalized message?”

Leona hummed before grinning.

“Wake me up by calling me ‘King’.”

The sprite fixes its settings before giving a polite bow.

“Yes, my King. Please enjoy your rest.”

After this he would send his report to Shroud and maybe ask for an outfit upgrade. He only needed to show him some Afterglow clothes and the nerd would probably be able to make the AI wear them, right?

Whatever, the moment you came back Leona would make sure that you gave him some headpats for making him wait so long.

[clementinesjourney]

Record Shop Funk - Pt. 1 Like real people do

A.N. : Hey guys, so i had this idea yesterday, and i really hope you'll like it. <3

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.

Words: 1,9k

Pairing: camboy!Steve x Reader, roommate!Bucky x reader, Stucky x reader (as the story goes)

Warnings: nothing yet :)

Summary: Who knew that having a secret crush, then a hearbreak will end in such a sweet thing..

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

You and Bucky shared an apartment above the recordshop you both worked in. Your aunt was the owner of both, so it was a fairly good payment, and a fairly good apartment for a cheap price. It was a bright and big apartment with two bedrooms, so your decided to rent it out, all while searching for a helper to the shop downstairs. When Bucky came in applying for the job, you asked out of joke if he needs a place to live since you had seen around 5 people already and none of them felt right. His eyes lit up as he said he is in fact looking for a place. Since he was fitting for a job, and looked like a decent guy, you congratulated him on his new job, and asked if he wants to see the place today. You still had one and a half hour to close, but after it you would gladly show him the apartment.

He had nothing better to do, so he agreed to it, feeling happy about having a job he might actually like and a coworker he might actually will get along with.

-Do you drink coffee? I was thinking of getting one in the meantime. My friend works close by, and they make the best coffee in town. - He asked.

-I could go for one thank you - you smiled at him - iced cold-brew, no sugar, i'm sweet enough.. - you said with a smile.

He couldn't help but smile back at the joke. When he arrived at the café, he saw his friend Steve flirting with a girl whom he could visibly see trembling just cause he talked to her. Steve always had his way with girls, ever since the serum of course. After he broke up with Peggy, it was mostly just hookups, never finding a girl worth keeping around. Not as if they werent kind, pretty or good to him, it just never felt right. Bucky smiled at his friend, Steve immediately shifted his gaze from the girl, to a very happy Bucky.

-Did you get the job?

-Better.. I got the job, and she has a room for rent which i'll see tonight.

-Wow Bucky, i didn't know you were even better then i am.. sooo how does she look? - asked Steve with a slight wiggle of his eyebrows. He wanted Bucky to get a girl since ages and hearing this, his mind immediately ventured there.

-5'7, ginger, green eyes, freckles, curvy just the right places. why?

-Nothing Buck.. nothing.. - Steve said smirking at his friend.. Bucky never realized when he liked a girl, so he never really acted on it. He last had a woman back in the 40's.

-Sooo i know you didn't come to have chat with me, one black coffee and.. ?

-ah, iced cold-brew, no sugar..

After paying for the coffee, he hurried back to the shop, hoping to get to know his coworker a little bit better.

You thanked him for the coffee, and when you tried to pay, he refused.

-Next round's mine then. - You smiled at him with your 1000 watt smile, which again he couldn't help but smile back at.

-So tell me about you Bucky, what do you do in your freetime?

-Nothing really, just reading, spending time with my friends, kind of thats it.. I have a boring life really. What about you?

-Well, i work here, then i go home and listen to music, cook, god i love to cook, thats a big pro for the apartment.. just saying. - you said with a playful wink. - besides that nothing much. Sometimes i go to a nearby bar with my friends maybe concerts and thats it.

-I like washing dishes if that helps with the application for the room. - he said with a shy laugh which made your heart skip a beat.

- It sure does.. Do you leave your stuff around?

-No i'm a tidy person.. thank you very much. - he said cockily (just for the sake of being funny really).

-Okay okay, if you like it you can have the room, just promise to tell if you bring up a girl so i can leave. The walls are kind of thin.

-It's okay, i don't really...

-Oh um i'm sorry, i didn't meant to intrude, it just something i would really like everyone to add to their rental contracts. - you chuckled embarassed.

-Noo no, it's okay, i'm not embarassed by it. I guess i don't want hook ups, if one day there's someone i'll tell in advance.

-yea me too, i promise. If you end up renting it anyway haha. on that note it's time to close so i can show the room in a min.

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

When you opened the door to the apartment Buckyquietly took in it all. It was really bright, white walls with paintings all over the walls, plants in every corner or shelf you can put one on, a comfy looking mustard couch, aztec-y rug under the coffeetable, and a wall fully shelved, filled with books and little trinkets, it looked like a home he never had a chance to have. The livingroom had an american kitchen on the side, island in the middle of the kitchen area, it was white, and blue which reminded him of greece, down the hallway you showed him the bathroom which of course had a lot of plants that liked the atmosphere of a bathroom, a shower in the corner and a bathtub under the window. You then showed the empty room he could rent out. It only had a shelf and a wardrobe, and a queen sized bed. No decorations, no signs of anybody ever living there. You then pointed to the room the opposit of what could possibly be Bucky's in the future, saying that is yours. You didn't show your room, he wasn't gonna go in there anyway, and showing your most private space on the first day didn't seem like a good idea either. You then invited him out to the balcony, watching the setting sun, smoking a cigarette.

-So thats about it, what do you think?

-I really like it, and i mean.. my workplace is pretty close so thats a plus, also you said something about cooking all the time.. sooo if it's alright with you i would love to rent it out.

-It's settled then roomie. I'll give you the keys, you can move in whenever you want to. Tomorrow we are closed, so maybe that would be ideal.

-Yea, then tomorrow it is then. I'll ask my friend to help, then we can maybe hang a bit if you're free.

-Sure, i have nothing planned, and it's good to know who i'll be living with. - you said with a smile.

Before closing the door, you said your goodbyes, and you realized what did you just do, after he wished you good night with a killer halfsmile that almost had your knees buckle. You just agreed to living together with possibly the most handsome man you've ever seen who is also your new coworker, so you will basically spend most of your time with him.. Guess we'll see how this goes you thought to yourself.

Morning came soon enough, you were sitting out on the balcony when you saw Bucky arrive with a very tall, just as handsome man, carrying boxes of books, and bags of clothing. Bucky looked up at the balcony, waving towards you, you waved back, then moved to open the front door before going back out to the balcony, resuming your coffee and smoke.

When they finished bringing all Bucky's stuff in, it was already midday, so you decided you'd order pizza for all of you, as in like a welcome present.

-Hey guys, i'm thinking of ordering pizza, what kind would you like?

-Oh (y/n) you don't have to. - said Bucky, earning a smirk from Steve as he looked back and forth between you two.

- Noo i insist, today won't be the day i'll start to slowly kill you with my cooking. - you said giggling a bit.

- Whatever's fine peach. - said Steve with a wink, that you decided was just out of friendlyness. You didn't veen knew his name, and he seemed like a lady's man anyways. Not really your type no matter how handsome and muscular he is.

- Steve, by the way, nice to meet you.

-(Y/n), likewise. - you shook his hand.

When the pizzas arrived you called them to the kitchen, listening to all their shared stories from their early years. They seemed like really close friends, and genuinely good people. You had a really great time. It was nearly 9 pm when Steve left, for saving a dame from dying cause of boredom he said. You and Bucky chuckled, then he let him out, closing the door, locking it for the night.

-I guess i have some packing to do, so.. good night (y/n).

-Good night Bucky, if you need anything just knock. - you said with a smile, and he couldn't help but smile back. He felt at peace. He had Steve, now he had a job, and a room to make a home of, and you as a new addition. You were so kind, so eager to help if he needed anything, he loved how the scent of raspberries and flowers lingered in the apartment mixed with coffee and cigarette smoke. It seemed to have a calming effect on him.

You heard a soft knock half an hour later. WHen you opened the door you saw a smiling Bucky, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

- Hey, um.. sorry. I forgot i didn't bring a blanket, could i borrow one until i get my own?

-Yea sure, i'll get one in a min. - You said, leaving the door open, letting him see a bit of "you" while you were searching for your spare blanket in your wardrobe. The room really was you. White, with mustardy curtains on the window, plants everywhere, books piled up here and there, a really comfy looking bed, pictures of you and your friends on the walls. And damn, your room smelled even more like you. If he wouldn't pay attention your scent would lure him into your room and never let him leave he thought.

-There you go. - you handed him the blanket smiling.

-Thank you very much.

Then he stood there for a moment drinking in the sight of you in front of him. You were wearing an oversized tshirt, that ended just around the middle of your thighs, hair in a messy bun, no makeup. He could swear he thought you were pretty before, but seeing you as you were made him fancy you even more.

With a small smile you told him goodnight again, then closed the door in his face.

You could hear his little laugh on the other side of the door, then his door closing. For the first time in months he didn't wake up in the middle of the night, and he didn't had a nightmare either. He was afraid he would, and then he would wake you up with his screaming, but looks like the blanket which smelled just like you calmed him enough.

After waking up because the rays of sunshine on his face, he smiled to himself guess i'll wait with getting my own blanket then...

[sickonthedancefloor]

77-Minute Consequence...

Prompt: Not everyone left the pool from Run 132 unscathed...

Sickie: Hoseok, Jimin Caretakers: Jin, Namjoon, Yoongi... so far Content: fevers, flu-like illnesses, emeto

Hoseok had fun filming the double-dose of run episodes, their second being a watery debate that ended in non-stop splashing and drenching, but he could feel the chill once they were out of the water. Even if the water was so forceful it really almost hurt, after their long morning of tennis battles, it was still a great day. The pool water was warmed, not quite at the intensity of the hot tub but it certainly wasn’t freezing. But they could feel the draft every moment they stepped from the water, the feeling of the air drafting over their soaked clothing the moment they left the safety of the pool.

“Come on, hyungie, time to get out,” Jimin urged, pushing his foot against Hoseok’s. They were still in the pool trying to soak in the last bit of warmth they could after Jungkook pushed them in while horsing around, hair plastered to their necks and foreheads while they bounced across the shallow end.

Laughing, Hoseok tried to grab Jimin’s foot, only to assist in tripping the younger member as Taehyung hurried in after them.

“Come on, guys, let’s get ready to go.”

Suga, with a new towel wrapped around his shoulders, stood from the sidelines. He already worried about all of them catching something, but he definitely didn’t want to be the first. While the pool was relaxing and the hot tub even better, it was just slightly too cold for them to enjoy it to its fullest. Hoseok, ever the one of reason, let go of his roommate in favor of wading towards the exit—but Jimin was quick to jump on his back to shove him in, cackling as Hoseok barely had time to grab his nose to prevent inhaling water. When he came up, spluttering and wiping away fresh water from his eyes, he leaned back in an attempt to dunk Jimin off.

…just kidding about reason, Suga realized. Laughing, he just turned and hurried off to find where Namjoon had gone.

Hoseok sneezed again, small but powerful; it shook his core, his sinuses burning, his nerve endings tingling uncomfortably from his shoulders to his fingertips from the force. It startled him.

“Uh-oh.” Came a voice behind him in the water.

When Hoseok shook water from his eyes, slightly dazed from the force of the sneeze, he caught Jungkook wading over, hands outstretched. Hoseok barely had time to reach back before Jungkook had latched onto his shoulders, slowly dragging him back.

“Jungkookie, what are you doing?” Hoseok mumbled.

“Taking Hobi-hyung to the steps. Come on, let’s go, I’m hungry!”

“We need to shower first,” Hoseok started. “The chlor—clor--… claahh…” And another sneeze, which had him shaking suddenly in Jungkook’s grasp.

Jimin, who’d been lazily wading behind them, sniffled with a frown. “Hob-ah, that doesn’t sound so good.”

“Aish… I just need a hot shower when we get back. You too, Jiminie, your nose is running.”

“Is d’ot!” Jimin protested, but he had to bring a hand to his face to wipe away what he had originally thought was just water. It felt wet but warm, stringy; definitely snot. And disgusting. He turned his head from Hoseok to hide the move, but Hoseok had already begun ascending the stairs, already trying to peel himself out of his soaked tops. On Jimin’s own way out of the pool, he sneezed—and it was enough to drop him back into the water with a melodramatic air about it. Jungkook lost himself to laughter immediately.

 ~*~

 The next morning, Hoseok woke up with two major complaints. His blanket was part missing, and he was hot. The dorm room had felt frigid the night prior which prompted Hoseok to crawl underneath the comforter and the sheets, but his bed felt so warm he began to regret his choices the moment he stirred awake. It felt almost… stuffy. A little gross. As he blinked open his eyes, ready to push back one blanket, he noticed a familiar lump pressed against him that was holding on to his blanket like a lifeline.

“Jiminie?” he mumbled, voice hoarse and thick with sleep. Still as ever, Hoseok recognized that messy blonde hair from anywhere. He and Jimin had shared enough beds that he could tell in an instant.

The room still seemed too dark as Hoseok tried to blink the sleep from his eyes, but he knew something had to have been wrong if Jimin had maneuvered over to his bed that night. Stifling a yawn, he reached a hand over, gingerly pressing his palm against Jimin’s forehead. He could feel heat, but… not too warm? Maybe? Jimin felt clammy to him, which he was sure wasn’t his own sweaty palms. Something still seemed off to Hoseok, but even with his sleep-logged brain he wanted to do something about it. He figured, while he was up, he’d at least check on him, perhaps get him medicine and water to shake whatever he seemed to be coming down with. The older dancer moved carefully, sliding his legs from the covers first so he could slip from the bed without disturbing his younger guest. The floor seemed chilly under his feet, but what startled him awake was how fast the world seemed to sway the moment he stood.

Was he really so tired?

Taking a moment, hand pressed flat against the wall, he just reacquainted himself with his sense of balance before he took another step. He felt… sore, tired from yesterday’s events. Perhaps he just really needed more sleep; Hobi hated not getting enough sleep when he had the chance to. But today’s schedule was light—he could go back to sleep after he took care of Jimin, squeeze in another hour or two. Grumbling, he shook his head; once everything seemed to right itself, he shook the funk from his head and just left the room. That sure was strange. With a soft yawn, he headed over to the bathroom on their side of the hall, as he could hear the shower running in the closer one, moving towards their first aid and medicine stash they had.

Given the seven of them were always prone to falling, overworking, or catching each other’s illnesses, their bathrooms in the dorms were always stocked with various painkillers, bandages and cold medicine or prescriptions for various circumstances. For organizational purposes, Hoseok had placed them all in a plastic container, so different bottles wouldn’t just get knocked over and passed around the bathroom. It still had a crack from the last time Namjoon knocked it over. Pulling over the container closer to him, Hoseok reached in for one of the bottles of painkillers, looking at the specifics on the label. His vision blurred, and he spent a few moments just blinking, trying to will his eyes to focus so he could read the label.

Wow, he must have been really tired…                          

“Hoseok-ah?”

The light turned on suddenly. That would’ve helped, but it had Hoseok grimacing, an odd heavy feeling forming in his head. He didn’t often get headaches from lack of sleep, but he was starting to wonder if an impending one was coming along. He looked into the mirror at the new offender, and was surprised to find Jin standing in the doorway with his toothbrush. The two made eye contact through the reflections.

“Ah… Hyung. Good morning. Using our bathroom?”

“Yeah, Taetae’s hogging the shower in ours.” Jin’s head tilted to the side, a small frown tugging on his lips as he noticed the medicine kit in front of them. “Did something happen? Hoseok-ah, are you okay?”

“Hn? Ah… Jiminie’s sick, I’m pretty sure,” Hoseok explained. “He crawled into my bed last night, but he’s really warm today so I think he’s got a fever.”

“Hm… Well, let hyung help with that.” Jin set his toothbrush down and moved a little closer, brushing his shoulder against Hoseok’s as he slid the container of medications closer to him. “And you?” he asked, head turning to Hoseok directly. “How are you feeling?”

“Ah…” How was he feeling? Hoseok just yawned again. “I think once I check on Jimin, I’m—” but he paused, bringing a hand to his mouth to force out a rough cough. It hurt, an uncomfortable heat overwhelming his chest as he tried to choke out whatever offending phlegm had gripped into his lungs. After a few rough coughs, accompanied with Jin’s hand patting his back, he manages to stop, taking in a harsh breath. He looked up, shaking his head. “Once I check on Jiminie, I’m going back to sleep for another hour.”

Jin’s arm draped around his shoulder to give the younger rapper a hug, but he paused and moved his hand back, pressing it against the back of Hoseok’s neck. At the offending heat, he brought his other hand up to Hoseok’s cheek, pressing the back of his fingers to clammy skin. Hoseok didn’t bother fighting him off, not bothering to entertain his concern, and just continued to rummage through the kit until he could find the thermometer.

“I think you’re also sick… It’d explain why you’re so sweaty. You’re really clammy.”

Hoseok just shook his head. “Jiminie was too hot is all,” he answered. “Jin-hyung, I’m okay--” But his breath hitched. His sinuses suddenly burned, and it’s all the movement he could do to turn his head away before letting out a loud, nasally sneeze onto his own shoulder. His nose felt wet instantly, and he screwed up his face in discomfort, leaning over to grab a tissue.

Jin’s frown grew in intensity, and as Hoseok wiped his nose, the older one turned him to face him, looking closer at his face, catching view of the glassy look in Hoseok’s doe eyes. Despite his determination, Hoseok merely looked too dazed to stay on his feet for long. “Seok-ah… Come on, listen to hyung.”

Hoseok sniffled, blinking almost owlishly at Jin. “I’ll take something later, but I’m fine.”  With a soft laugh, Hoseok shook his head and stepped back, grabbing the painkillers and thermometer on his way back to his room. Jin watched after him, frowning heavily.

“I’m going to get you both some water.”

“I already have water,” Hoseok called after him, but he grimaced at how harsh it felt against his throat. He pointedly ignored Jin’s pressing stare and scurried back into his room, crawling back onto the bed. Leaning over, he gently pressed his weight against Jimin, resting his head against the younger dancer’s. “Jiminie, wake up, wake up,” he said softly in a sing-song voice.

Jimin grimaced, but immediately turned his face towards his pillow to cough roughly as he tried to clear away any phlegm that settled into his chest during his slumber. Hoseok eased off, dropping the pill bottle on the bed to pat Jimin’s back until the fit ended. It took a minute, but by the time the fit ended, Jin was back with a water bottle, Hoseok slowly urging Jimin to sit up while Jin brought the cool water to his lips. Barely awake, Jimin sipped at the water slowly, his small hand reaching up to grab it from the older vocalist. After a few seconds, with Hoseok just rubbing circles against his back, he handed it back, taking a deep breath with it.

“Sorry, hyungs…” Jimin mumbled. He brought a hand to his face to rub at his eyes. “I didn’t feel great last night… I was cold.”

“You’re sick, Minnie.” Jin ran a hand through his hair, then pressed a hand against Jimin’s forehead, taking a moment to gauge his fever himself. His eyes widened, which had Hoseok tilting his head in confusion. “Your fever feels really high, too…”

“It didn’t feel that bad when I checked earlier,” countered Hoseok, though the exasperated frown he received in response had him shrinking back. He glanced around, a little surprised to find another water bottle and cough syrup on the side table. Turning his lips inward, he handed the thermometer over when prompted, and Jin removed the cap.

“Under your tongue, please. And no talking until it gets a reading.”

Jimin blinked in surprise, glancing between the two of them. “You guys came prepared… Wasn’t expecting that.” But he did as instructed, letting Jin position the thermometer in his mouth before closing his lips around it. Hoseok turned his face away to let out another sneeze, grimacing as the sensation set his nerves temporarily aflame. Still holding the tissue from earlier, he just wiped his nose again.

“Did—”

“Don’t talk.”

Jimin’s lips closed back over the thermometer, but his eyes turned to Hoseok as they waited. Jin pointedly avoided looking at Hoseok. Once the small device beeped, Jin moved it from Jimin in order to gauge the reading: 38.8°C. Jin read it aloud as he stood from the bed.

“Not dangerously high, thankfully… If we stay on top of it, it should go down. Feeling anything else besides the fever, Minnie?” Jin questioned his dongsaeng.

“This dumb cough… my head hurts a little, but the painkillers will help with that.”

The eldest nodded. “Alright… I grabbed cough syrup too. Take that while I go wash this off.”

As Jin left the room, Hoseok leaned over Jimin to grab the cough syrup, frowning when he noticed the two small dosage cups tucked on top. Jimin seemed to notice them too, looking over at his roommate.

“Did I get you sick, hyungie?” he asked softly.

“You didn’t, Jiminie, so cute of my precious roommate to worry about me!” Hoseok cooed playfully, though the rasp to his voice was evident to the younger man given his little pout. The older dancer worked on finding the proper dosage for the syrup. But as he attempted to read, his brows furrowed; for some reason, they words weren’t focusing as well, but it was probably due to the lower lighting. He brought it closer to his face, but his eyes watered a bit trying to stare too closely.

Jimin’s own clammy hands gently eased the bottle from his grip, a soft look in his eyes. Hoseok could see a look of worry; he didn’t like that at all. “Let’s just wait for Jin-hyung for that one. Where’s the painkillers?”

Oh, those he had. Hoseok picked up that bottle and opened it with slight strain, but paused as he turned his face away with another sneeze. He sniffled, then knocked out two tablets to hand to Jimin. The smaller singer tossed them into his mouth and washed them down with a large swig of the water, then glanced at his roommate again.

“What, Jiminie?”

“Are you just going to pretend you’re okay all day?” Jimin asked softly, pouting once again.

“W-what?”

Jimin didn’t get a chance to answer before Jin was back, sitting down near Jimin’s legs. He leaned over, holding the thermometer to Hoseok. He had his stern face on, something the others hadn’t seen in a long while. Jin was a rather easygoing member, usually more playful than anything, unless there was something truly bothering him or if he was concentrating too hard. “Humor me.”

“Jin-hyung, this is ridic—” Jin cut Hoseok off by pressing the thermometer in his mouth.

“Under your tongue.”

“Ji—”

“And no talking!”

With a frown over the small device, Hoseok pulled the thermometer from his lips and merely climbed from the bed to clean it. What he didn’t expect was to catch Jimin’s hand gripping his own, tugging him back down. It was almost embarrassing how easy Hoseok stumbled back, eyes wildly blinking as his view changed suddenly. He frowned, and the uneasy sensation from earlier returned almost full force. Jin wasted no time pushing the thermometer back in his mouth, but he sat still with a small huff, waiting. Jin busied himself with filling both dosage cups with liquid, handing Jimin one of them. Once the thermometer beeped, Hoseok pulled it from his lips and frowned at the reading: a 39.1°C. Jin quickly snagged it from him before he could erase the reading, which had him sighing.

“Hyung, I’m fine,” Hoseok insisted.

Jin just handed him the second cup. “Drink up.”

With a sigh, Hoseok just nodded, drinking the small cup like a shot. It burned just as badly going down, but far less satisfying, than soju. As Jin collected the cups, he handed Hoseok the second water bottle and left the room again.

Jimin sighed, flopping back on the bed. He definitely looked worse for wear, and Hoseok brought a shaky hand up to run fingers through his hair. Jimin smiled softly. “Hyungie… Since we’re both sick, we should just nap all day. Cuddle me?”

With a grumble, Hoseok just crawled his way back onto the bed next to Jimin, pushing away the covers on his side. With this fever, Jimin felt like a furnace and it was extremely easy to overheat. Hoseok didn’t sip the water, merely held onto the bottle pressed to the side of his chest; although he wouldn’t admit it, the cold temperature in his hands felt nice to just hold onto. Jin didn’t say much else, merely reached over to ruffle both of their heads before standing.

“Go ahead and rest, okay? I’ll stay in today. If you need anything, call hyung.”

Jimin smiled up at him before tucking his face into Hoseok’s neck, yawning loudly. Hoseok merely pulled him close and let his eyes flutter closed. He didn’t even remember falling asleep.

 ~*~

 Waking up was a startling affair. Still half-asleep, Hoseok barely registered the feeling of someone pulling him upright, and he bumped his head immediately against someone’s knee.

“Whoops, sorry, Hob-ah.”

“Yah, Namjoon-ah! Be careful!”

Faint coughing from Jimin, then the immediate sound of retching. Hoseok opened his eyes to see Jimin hunched over the side of the bed, Jin rubbing his back gently while looking at someone over Hoseok’s head. Namjoon, Hoseok guessed, but he couldn’t understand how Namjoon ended up standing over him. And then the overwhelming scent of vomit just attacked his nose, overpowering the scent of sickness that had begun to permeate the room. He felt hot, and sticky, and feeling Namjoon’s large arms holding him up by his armpits didn’t help.

“You awake, Hobi?” Namjoon asked. “We’re gonna have to help you two shower after this.”

Grimacing, Hoseok brought a hand up to rub his eye—only for both Namjoon and Jin to yell at him to stop moving. He paused, hand lifted upward—and it was wet. A warm, sticky wet, and smelled sour… He was quick to realize it was vomit, in its gross and putrid glory. Jimin let out another heavy, loud retch, and Hoseok’s own stomach flipped at the sound of liquid splashing into something plastic. Hoseok didn’t do well with vomit on a decent day, barely being a step above sympathy puking, but the uncomfortable warmth and the heavy odor in the air was more than enough to make him nauseous immediately. He whimpered, mouth already beginning to salivate uncomfortably.

“Yaaaah, Hoseok-ah, let Namjoon get you to the bathroom first! Namjoon--”

“I got it!”

The younger rapper came into view as he stepped to Hoseok’s left side, letting go of the dancer in order to flip the blanket to the side. Hoseok could see the liquid already seeping through, and his shirt was drenched in sweat and speckled in leftover stomach bile. He felt gross… His stomach rolled immediately. Namjoon wasted no time in pulling Hoseok to his feet and off the bed, ignoring the dripping mess from his hand as he ushered him to the bathroom. Hoseok wasted no time dropping to his knees when they made it past the door, not even waiting for Namjoon to turn on the light before he gave in to his body’s demands. The pressure forced bile from him like it had been waiting for hours, the cramp in his stomach twisting to empty the contents. He didn’t eat much, so he was startled when one mouthful became three, which soon were too many to count. Just what did he even have in his stomach to expel so harshly? His shoulders shook with exertion, cleaner hand trembling as it gripped the edge of the commode so tight his knuckles were white. All the while, Namjoon knelt beside him, wiping his messy hand with a wet wipe before just rubbing his back, reassuring him that he was okay, to just let it out and he’d feel better soon. It felt almost never-ending, each few seconds forcing out another painful retch as he tried to cough up whatever he could have eaten in the past week, his esophagus on fire. His back hurt, tense from the strain, and he could barely feel his fingers.

It took a long few minutes before the cramping let up, and Hoseok, extremely winded and drained, rested his head to the side of the bowl. He’d needed a shower anyway; this wasn’t the worst. Namjoon sighed softly, more of relief than anything.

“Nothing else in there?” he asked.

“Nn-nn. Joonie… that felt bad.”

“It looked bad.”

Hoseok could feel Namjoon easing his face away, hearing the sudden roar of the toilet flushing before him. He let him go, and Hoseok’s cheek found the porcelain again while he just let his eyes fall closed and listened to the ruckus happening around him. Namjoon swearing softly as he messed with the cleaning wipes, probably cleaning up whatever mess Hoseok may have made of around the toilet. He could hear the shower running, and Namjoon soon tugging the toilet paper roll—the entire roll, judging by the sudden clanging of metal—from the ring. It didn’t take long for Hoseok to feel toilet paper wiping at his mouth, and he pouted at the feeling.

“Sorry, we should probably rinse your mouth out before you shower, but let me get this extra off your face.”

“Can I shower here?” Hoseok muttered.

With a soft laugh, Namjoon just helped him remove his dirtied clothing. Hoseok leaned back to realize Namjoon also seemed to be shirtless, and opened his eyes to find that his friend had already stripped to his own boxers.

“Wha…?”

Namjoon laughed softly. “You’re really not in any condition to shower by yourself, Hob-ah.”

That earned him a pout. Hoseok wanted to believe he wasn’t so incapacitated that he needed help… but given how the fatigue seemed to stay settled in his bones, he knew his friend was right. Namjoon was at least kind about it as he helped him move into the shower, taking extra effort to massage Hoseok’s scalp as he conditioned his hair just to help him relax. Hoseok didn’t even feel shame as he let the shower’s water splash against his clammy skin. He let Namjoon sponge away grime and sweat from his body, and the gentle scent of the soap already brightened up his mood. Namjoon urged him out before he got too relaxed, helping him dress in fresh pajamas. Upon closer look, Hoseok realized that neither the pants nor the oversized shirt were his, but they felt nice nonetheless.

“Finally got in your pants, Namjoooon,” Hoseok laughed breathlessly.

That got a chuckle out of his friend, who just toweled his hair for a few seconds before walking him down the hall. As they passed his shared bedroom, Hoseok found himself squinting over his shoulder in surprise. “Mm… Joonie?”

“Jin-hyung’s letting your room air out a little more,” Namjoon replied. Instead, he was led right into Namjoon’s own room, and the taller rapper helped ease him into bed. With a soft sigh, Hoseok pressed his face right against the pillow. Feeling considerably cooler, more comfortable, and on one of Namjoon’s feathersoft pillows, he was already doing better. The fellow 94-liner draped a blanket over him and straightened it out, then, to be safe, pushed his desk trash can to the side of the bed. “Rest for a while, okay, Hobi?”

Hoseok didn’t need to be told twice. Eyes closing, he fell asleep easily.

 ~*~

 Hoseok awoke feeling way too warm. With a grimace, he lifted a hand to push the blankets away, only to find that he apparently had been hugging some sort of companion. Confused, he paused, lifting his head up as he squinted forward.

From there, he saw Yoongi, earphone in one ear, phone in a hand with stylus in the other, He seemed to be jotting down notes. Yoongi absently placed the stylus in his mouth and moved his hand to Hoseok’s hair, petting it gently. The notion had Hoseok moving to drop his head against Yoongi’s chest, his arm still draped across his stomach. He hummed softly.

“Hyung?” Hoseok mumbled.

Yoongi’s hand didn’t stop petting his hair. “You’re awake, Seokseok-ah?”

Hoseok gave a slight nod. “It’s hot in here.”

Yoongi looked down, and his hand moved from ruffling his hair to covering his forehead. “Shit… you missed a dose. You need more medicine.”

Shaking his head, Hoseok let out a whine. “I don’t wanna be asleep anymore. Yoongiiii…”

That got a chuckle out of the older boy. “Come on. Meds, a little bit of juk, and maybe we can crash in the living room for a bit—”

Before Yoongi could finish discussing the game plan, the door to Namjoon’s room swung open carefully, and Jin’s head popped in. Hoseok turned to look at him, putting on a smile.

“Hey, you’re up! See, Jimin-ah? He’s okay, he was just resting in here.” His voice remained low and soft, and Hoseok had to smile at how careful their eldest hyung was being. As Jin moved back, Hoseok could see Jimin peering in, eyes tired but delighted to see him.

“Hobi-hyung!” Jimin wasted no time in crossing the room, immediately draping himself over the two on the bed.

Hoseok fought back a grimace and smiled, small hand reaching over to ruffle Jimin’s hair. Jimin’s extra weight pressed against his tender stomach and just made him feel warmer, but he was glad to see his roommate. “Jiminie, feeling better?”

Jimin sighed dramatically. “Only a little bit… I’m sorry I threw up on you.”

At that, Yoongi laughed, hand reaching over to gently shove Jimin’s shoulder. “Better get out before you throw up on this bed too.”

“Hyung, don’t tease me, I’m sick,” whined the small vocalist. He received another shove in response.

But with a laugh, Jin merely headed in to tug Jimin back to his feet, promising they’d visit again later. As they left, Hoseok could hear Jin convincing Jimin to return to bed now that they’d seen Hoseok, and the gesture made Hoseok feel warm inside. It was nice to know that Jimin cared for him even as they were; he just hoped the others were taking as good care of Jimin as they were of himself. He was sure they were, especially if Jin was there. Jin was the best.

“What’s that make me,” Yoongi asked, “Chopped liver?”

Hoseok laughed, not realizing he’d spoken out loud. “You’re my best hyung.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Yoongi chuckled at that, bringing a hand back up to stroke Hoseok’s hair. As Hoseok began to relax against him, the older rapper nudged him with his shoulder. “Come on, Seokseok-ah… Food and meds. Food and meds, and then you can sleep again.”

With a grumble, Hoseok just pressed his face further into Yoongi’s shoulder and tried to pretend he didn’t have to get up.

[janicho88]

Falling For You - Part 1

Pairing- Dean x Lisa(past),  Female!Reader x OMC Justin(past), Eventual Dean x Female!Reader

Word Count-3019

Warning- Mentions of cheating, slight angst. This is going to be a bit of a slow burn.

A/N- I had an idea for a one shot, and giving a backstory to Dean and the Reader meeting took on a life of its own. This story is AU, and un beta’d.

Summary- After being burned before you had sworn off finding love for now. Coming home from work one night there is a strange man pounding on your door.  Neither of you knew what this meeting would lead to. 

Series Masterlist

  It had been a long day at work and you just wanted to get home to your couch, although you knew that would have to wait.  The apartment needed some cleaning, and you needed to wash laundry too. You had put it off, work keeping you busier than usual the last 2 weeks, and you really should go hit the gym.  You had been slacking there too. 

The elevator was being inspected when you walked in the building so you had taken the stairs  Reaching your floor you were surprised to find a man standing in front of your door continuously knocking.  Slowing walking over you looked around, no one else seemed to be near.  Knowing the time, your neighbor across the hall, Jess was probably on her way home from work, you weren’t completely certain about her fiancé though.  The other two apartments on this level kept to themselves. 

“Hi, Can I help you?”  You cautiously asked.

“Nope.”

“Are you sure?”

The greenest eyes you had ever seen turned to look at you with a grin forming. “Thanks, but I’m just waiting for my brother to let me in, unless you want to give me your number for later?”

“I’m good thanks, but why is your brother letting you in there?”  You didn’t get any danger vibes from this guy, so you weren’t too worried about standing here talking to him yet.

“Well miss nosey, it’s because he lives there.”

“I don’t think he does.”

“Really, and how would you know anything?”  The man back to pounding on your door.

Before you could respond Jess’ fiancé Sam came running up the steps sweaty from his evening jog.

“Dude, you weren’t supposed to be here till tomorrow, and why are you blocking Y/N’s door?”  Sam unlocked his door across from you and went to hug his brother.

The man backed away from him, “Seriously man? You’re sweaty and gross, shower first. I needed to get out of there, and traffic on the way up was pretty light.  You told me you and Jess were 44.”

“No Dean, I told you we were 43. We live on the fourth floor in the third apartment number 43.  You weren’t listening,”  Sam turned to you still unable to get into your apartment.  “Sorry Y/N, this is my older brother Dean.  He just got up here from Kansas, he’s staying with us for a little while.  I’ll get him out of your way,”  He leaned down to grab one of Dean’s bags before heading into his apartment.  

Dean turned to look at you then looking at your door before he leaned down to pick up the other bag. “Oops!”  With that he headed into the open apartment and shut the door.  Shaking your head you went to unlock your own door. 

Heading to your bedroom after setting your things down,  you figured if you didn't get your workout done first it wasn’t going to happen.  Quickly changing you grabbed some laundry and went to throw a  load in the washer so the first load would be done when your workout was finished.  Very thankful to have a washer and dryer in your apartment.  Grabbing your key you headed the gym on the ground floor.  An hour on the bike left you feeling a little better, getting out some of your frustrations.  

Back inside your apartment you changed the laundry and started on your dusting and window washing before vacuuming.  Finally finished, you headed for a shower to clean off the dirt and sweat.  

All clean you ventured to the kitchen to see what you could whip up for dinner. When a knock at your door pulled you away.  Who could be here now you wondered.

Opening the door you came face to face with Mr green eyes again.  Shoot, what did Sam say his name was.

“Your brother still lives across the hall.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.  I swear Sammy told me it was 44.  I just wanted to come say I was sorry for bothering you earlier.  I know the right place now.”

“It’s fine.  Have a nice visit.”

“Thanks it’s not really a visit.  I’m Dean, like he said, I’m his older brother.”

“Y/N, the neighbor.  Nice to meet you Dean.”  Holding out your hand to Dean his bigger hand engulfed it in a firm shake.

“Would you let me take you out for a bite to apologize for my first impression?”   

“I don’t know if that’s a good…”

“It’s not a date,”  He hurriedly cut in.  “It’s just, I mean, you seem like a nice person, and you would probably be a great date, but it’s not.  It will just be food I swear.  Tomorrow afternoon, or night?  I don’t know if you have big Saturday plans?”

“Shouldn’t you be spending time with your brother?”

“He has a work dinner with Jess they can’t miss.”

You thought about it for a moment.  You had been friends with Sam and Jess a little while now and trusted them, so you should be able to trust his brother.  “I’m supposed to go dress shopping with my friend Meg, tomorrow.  We should be done by 6 if you really want to grab some dinner.”

“Sounds good, sweetheart, I’ll knock on your door again then.”

“Okay, goodnight Dean.  Oh and welcome to Michigan.”  Shaking your head you shut the door to go back to your search for tonight’s dinner.  

The fridge was pretty empty, you didn’t even have any frozen microwaveable meals left.  Looks like grocery shopping just became part of your weekend plans.  Settling on a bag of popcorn, it is a vegetable of sorts, somehow right?  You finally headed for the couch and turned on the Hallmark Channel to see if there was a movie you could get lost in for the rest of the evening.  Before you know it, it was time for bed so you could get an early start on tomorrow.

It was an honor to be asked to be the Maid of Honor, right?  You needed to keep reminding yourself of this as you wandered through the dress shop the next day with Meg.  Meg was a friend from elementary school and sometimes you think you are the MoH because many others would not have been able to handle this process with her.  She could be a little blunt and rude, but you were used to this and could take the wedding craziness coming from her.  5 hours and two shops later she finally found the perfect dress for herself.  You couldn’t be happier since you had already spent two other Saturday’s out searching.    

Her fiancé Cas, thankfully had the patience of an angel.  They had met when Meg left for college in Kansas, he was a year older than her.  After graduation he had followed her back up here. Six years later, Cas finally got her to say ‘yes’. She seemed to be a better person with him around, a little kinder.  They would be good for each other and you were very happy for them.

Your love life on the other hand, was not so lucky.  Two months ago, you had broken up with your only serious boyfriend.  A night out with friends had ended in tears when trying out the new bar in town.  You had turned around in time to see a flash of Justin in a corner booth, walking over you found him lip locked with another woman.  You stood there shocked for a moment when the woman noticed you staring and commented on it.  A look of shock on Justin’s face as he quickly moved away from her and tried to explain  The rest of your drink ended up on him as you walked out of the bar.  Meg having seen the whole thing took you home and kept your now ex out when he came over to try and talk to you.  The guys you had been out with before him, hadn’t done much for your faith in men either, having made the choice to give up dating for now.  You were two years away from thirty, and had always thought by now you would have settled down.  Maybe that wasn’t in the cards for you.  

It was only a little after three so you decided to stop at the grocery store on the way home, this way you wouldn’t need to run out tomorrow.  You would be able to just enjoy a day at home.  Arriving home you pulled into your assigned spot and went to empty your car, you were one of those people who tried to carry everything in one trip.  At least the elevator passed yesterday’s inspection and was running today, or it would be a challenge carrying everything at once up 4 flights of stairs.  Although you couldn’t open your door with your hands full and keys in your pocket.  Freeing a hand you finally worked it open as the door opened behind you.  

“Need a hand?”  Turning around Dean was standing in the doorway leading to the opposite apartment.

“You don’t have to, half the challenge was getting it up here.”

“I know I don’t have to,”  As he finished talking Dean leaned down to pick up the discarded bags.  “Dinner for tonight or are we still good to go?”

“Still good to go, I just had an empty fridge and decided to hit the store today and enjoy tomorrow.”

Dean set the bags on the counter and started to unpack them.  Looking at the various items he turned to you holding up molasses and baking soda, “These aren’t your typical dinner items.”

“No, this is me getting a head start on what I need for Christmas baking. I know it’s the start of October, but December comes quick, and I like to have my baking done for my family’s Christmas party the first weekend of December.”

“You bake?”

“Yes, I actually really enjoy it.”

“So what all do you make cookies, cakes, pies maybe?”

Laughing at the hopeful look in his eye at the last item you nodded your head.  “Yes, those plus bars, and different candies.  Christmas I do the most, although not usually pie for that.  Different holidays or events vary, or when I’m in a funk and just want to get lost in my kitchen.”

“Ever need a pie tester, I’ll gladly volunteer.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”  The groceries unloaded Dean looked around before heading out saying he would be back at six.  Glancing at the clock you saw it was almost five and decided to hop in the shower to get cleaned up.  

There was a knock on your door right at six, dressed casually in jeans, a sweater and tall black heeled boots you opened it to see Dean smiling at you. Also having gone casual with jeans and a dark green henley. “Ready to go, Y/N?”

“Yep, all set.  So where are we going Mr. Winchester?”  Dean turned, giving you a funny look, as you got into the elevator “What?”

“How do you know my last name? Been looking into me?”

“You’re Sam’s brother, right?  I kinda thought they would be the same.”

“Oh, yeah, true.  As for our destination, I thought I’d surprise you.”

You screwed up your face but just nodded.  You didn’t want to come across as rude to whatever he was thinking.  Getting in the car he turned to look at you, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”  There wasn’t much you hated more than surprises. 

“Your face said otherwise a minute ago.”

“I was just thinking about something else, all good here,”  You gave him a smile before looking out the window.

A short while later you pulled up outside a bar you hadn’t been to in a few months. Quietly getting out of the car you followed Dean inside.  “Sam told me about this place, he said it was fairly new, but the food is good.  Have you been here yet?”

“Once, but I wasn’t here long enough to eat.”  It was early enough still it wasn’t too busy yet, Dean heading over to a booth asking if that was alright.  You agreed and sat across from him. After ordering drinks and food it was a little awkward between the two of you.  This wasn’t a date, what was it.  You didn’t know the man so it wasn’t even friends hanging out.  Not wanting to sit in silence any longer you decided to break it.

“How long are you visiting for?”

“I’m working on moving up here actually, I’m staying with Sam and Jess while I look for a place and find some work.  Then I’ll head back to Lawrence with Sam and we’re going to drive my stuff back.”

“Oh wow, like the mitten state that much huh?”

Dean was quiet for a moment before answering,  it almost seemed like he was having an internal battle on how to respond.  “I needed a change and my brother and best friend both moved up here. Sam and I were pretty close growing up, and it would be nice to be near him again.  My parents are still in Kansas but have talked about moving for a while.  I can see them heading up here if Sam and Jess are here, especially if they end up having kids. I guess I’m going before I get left behind.”  There was a sadness in his eyes that told you something was missing from his story. 

“What kind of work are you looking for?”  

“I actually was in business with my dad before I left.  Owned an auto repair shop and we specialized in classic car restorations.  Dad’s keeping the shop, but I’m guessing he’ll retire in a year or two and sell it.   Going to see if anyone around here is hiring for now. How about you, what is it that you do?”

“Oh, I work at a physical therapy clinic in the business office.  It’s usually a nice 9-5 job, but we had someone leave unexpectedly in the front office so I’ve been filling in for her and trying to do my work too.  Makes for some later days.  Someone new is starting next week so once they are trained it should calm down again.”  

Dean was watching you and noticed you were doing your best to avoid looking around the bar, your focus either him or the table.  “Is there someone you don’t want to see you here?  A boyfriend I should worry about coming to beat me up?  What’s up?”

“No, nothing like that.”  Taking a deep breath you look up at Dean, “This place doesn't have great memories for me.  The one time I was here I caught my then boyfriend making out with someone else.  It was definitely a surprise, I wasn’t a fan of surprises before, but that was one of the worst I could have.”

“I’m sorry, I guess I should have checked the place with you first.”

Reaching across the table you put your hand on top of Dean’s, “No it’s okay.  I really should just get over it anyways.  It’s stupid on my part, right?”

“Not at all Sweetheart,”  Dean turns his hand over giving yours a squeeze.  “I understand to well how much that stings.”  Letting out a deep breath he continues, “I had been dating this girl for over a year.  Thought she was it ya know.  I came home from work early to surprise her one day and found her in our bed with another guy.”

“Oh Dean, I am so sorry!”

 He gave you a little smile before continuing, “It was my house. I kicked her out and put it up for sale, packed up my stuff and ended up storing it at my parents while I was staying in my childhood bedroom.  I just couldn’t stay there.  Got lucky it sold in a few months. I would see the two of them all around town and needed to get out of there.  Sammy, and my childhood best friend, Cas like it up here so I decided to give it a shot”

“Wait, Cas?  Is he engaged to Meg?”

“Uh, yeah why?”

“She’s my best friend, I’m her maid of honor.  I’ve met Cas, he’s a great guy.”

“Yeah, she’s good for him.  Takes him out of his comfort zone.  Good for them, me on the other hand.  I don’t see myself dating anytime soon.”

“Me either, I don’t have the best luck with relationships. I’m sorry for what you went though, you didn’t deserve that.”  

“Neither did you.” You both sat there taking in what the other had said. 

Dean spoke first,  “I wouldn’t mind making a new friend though.  Especially if she needs any taste testing when baking.”  

Laughing before leaning back against the booth more relaxed than you had been, “I think new friends are good.”  

Deciding it was time to lighten the subject you asked him another question.  “So what brought Sam up here?  I know Jess was from Indiana, not here either.”  

“After law school Sam had been offered a position in a big firm in Ann Arbor, which I guess is like  30-40 minutes from here.  Jess didn't want to live in the bigger city, she wanted to be in a little smaller town if they could.  She said they did big city living in California during college and could visit Ann Arbor, or Chicago from here.  Sam liked the idea of that too.  I think they are both thinking of where they want to raise kids eventually”

“This is a good town to grow up in, I did.  Why they moved here never came up in conversation. I’ve hung out with her and Meg before, and neither mentioned Sam and Cas were from the same town.” 

  The two of you spent the rest of the night talking and laughing more at ease knowing where the other stood. It was after 11 when Dean pulled back into the apartment parking lot.  This had been one of the best nights you had had in awhile.

Part 2

Thank you for reading!!

Tags  @talesmaniac89 @katehuntington @winchest09 @flamencodiva @whatareyousearchingfordean @waywardbeanie @deanwanddamons​ @smol-and-grumpy @emoryhemsworth @anathewierdo @malfoysqueen14 @superfanficnatural @jensengirl83 @atc74 @sandlee44 @akshi8278  @fantasydevil2002

[fluffy-lee-boa]

Arkham’s Sweetheart and the Grumpy Riddle Bug

a batman rogue ticklefic uwu

A/N: hey everyone!!! this took me a bit, but it kinda got away from me and turned into a little story of its own haha. i wrote this with the animated universe in mind, but honestly i think it’ll work with a few.

anyways, this was a request! lee!edward getting ganged up on by ler!harley and ler!pamela. hope you like it!!!

It was rare that anyone in Arkham would be such a ray of sunshine, being the drab and dank place that it is, but Harley Quinn was definitely the exception. Despite her treatment at the hands of guards, her clown of an ex, and the bat alike, she was always surprisingly upbeat as she passed through the halls of the facility, hands cuffed behind her back.

Her cheery attitude didn’t exactly mesh with her fellow rogues, though none of them were immune to her disarming charms. This meant that the room full of murderers and scoundrels all took pause when she entered, giving her soft smiles or begrudging greetings as she went ahead to settle into the rec room.

Well, all but one person.

Edward Nashton, or Nygma, as he had legally changed it to, was not exactly chipper on this stormy day- not that he was ever “chipper.” It’s just that today he seemed more put off than usual, based on the way he was stewing in the corner. There was an abandoned chessboard on the table beside him, likely from Jervis or Jonathan having grown frustrated with his attitude mid-game. It wasn’t uncommon, though it did present a challenge to the doctor as she assessed the situation.

Edward was one of her closest friends. It would be a crime not to help him out! He obviously needed someone there to cheer him up, for whatever reason, and who better than the sweetheart of Arkham herself?

(No, not Ivy. She was currently busy by the window, gardening. Though Harley was sure she could get her to help out if necessary.)

“Hey Eddie~!” She cooed as she skipped over and took the seat across from him, giving that same magical smile.

Edward gave her a half-hearted, “Quinn.” not even looking up from the floor.

Hmph. This was worse than she thought!

“What’s got ya so wound up today, hon?” she asked, a bit of her professionalism seeping through from her days as a staff member in this same institution.

He raised an eyebrow at her, before staring back at the ground with a rather childish, “You just wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.” she deadpanned, leading to her fellow inmate to purse his lips.

Edward knew that Harley was not somebody to underestimate. While Joker had tossed her aside and treated her like a jockey, he could tell she was much more intelligent than she let on. She was also stubborn- Which meant there wasn’t much of a chance of him getting out of this without telling her the truth.

He sighed, finally looking directly at her as he laid his chin in his hands, “It’s Batman. I’m sure you’re aware I was only just sent back here yesterday... I have reason to believe he’s found someone else to antagonize. Why won’t he realize that I’m the only one in this city who’s worthy of being his equal...?”

Harley blinked, a part of her tempted to admit that pretty much everyone but him knew he was a second tier villain at best. Though she knew how fragile the other’s ego was, and what he really needed right now was moral support. Like a break up! He’d been there for her when she went through her messy separation, albeit with his usual awkward stoniness, so it was only right that she return the favor.

“Aw, come on Ed. He’s not worth your time.” she waved her hand dismissively, “If anything, he should be locked up in here with us! He’s no better than... Jonathan! Just using fear to escape a lonely life and exert some sort of sick power over others.”

From the couch across the room, Crane looked up from his book, unimpressed. Clearly, he wanted no part of this.

Harley gave an awkward laugh and wave to her old professor, before turning back to Edward, “-Either way, I think you could do better.”

Edward raised an eyebrow, “...Really?”

She nodded, swinging her legs excitedly, “Yeah! Once we bust outta here, we should get you on some dating apps. Maybe go to a few Comic Cons. There’s gotta be someone out there who’s just as nerdy as you-!” she giggled as she poked him in the shoulder teasingly, watching the other puff up defensively.

“I don’t need a partner! I need a rival to sharpen my wits. I just- I want him to see that we’re the same. Is that too much to ask?” Edward snapped, pouting once more.

Harley’s smile faded for a moment, and she seemed to think for a moment, “....Get up.”

“What?” Edward seemed baffled at the sudden order, especially coming from her.

“Stand up! I wanna try somethin’!” She beamed, motioning for the other to get out of his chair. At this point, most of the other inmates were busy in their own little worlds, though a few took notice when Nygma stood. Especially since Harley looked so unnervingly excited.

Quinn walked over with a rather threatening look in her eye, hidden by her giddy smile, “Ok, now put your hands up.”

He hesitated, leading to a gentle, “Come on~! I’m not gonna hurt ya!”

Edward nervously raised his arms above his head, his baggy uniform falling over his slender form due to weeks of avoiding meals. He’d probably been up for days, based on his demeanor. He really put his whole heart and soul into this rivalry, Harley thought.

These small details of the other’s appearance only spurred on the psychiatrist as she stalked around him like a predator, deciding she knew exactly what she had to do. Then, when she was sure he wouldn’t expect it, Harley clamped down under his arms, wiggling her fingers against his skin through the loose fabric. In her opinion, laughter was the best medicine, and if Eddie was going to hold back like that, she certainly wasn’t.

If no one had been paying attention to them before, Edward sharp yelp would have tipped everybody off. He immediately brought his arms back down with a strangled giggle, doing his best to shoot Harley a look as she continued with her hands wedged under his arms.

She merely laughed along in response, cooing, “Awh Eddie, you’re so cute when you’re laughing like this. Kitchy koo~!”

“Harleen!” he hissed through gritted teeth, his cheeks already a bright red color as he tried to squirm free of her grasp.

After a moment he managed to pull away and get those blasted fingers out from his hollows- only for his arm to once again by suspended above him by some unidentifiable force. He looked up in horrified confusion, only to find thick vines wrapped around each wrist, holding him up like he was the catch of the day at Gotham Harbor..

“ISLEY!”

The purring voice of the botanist did nothing to soothe his flustered anger as she appeared beside her current partner in crime, “Yes, Edward...?”

Eddie bit down on his cheek to keep himself from bursting into laughter from the light yet overwhelming sensations, leading to his fiery responses being entirely silenced. Harley had barely even let up while the fiendish red-head had done her work, her fingers now trailing up his biceps and back down just to make him jump.

“Look Eddie, we just wanna help ya! Now, be a good little gigglebug and laugh.” Harley gave her victim an evil smirk, before moving down to dig into his prominent ribs.

Edward immediately acted like all the air had been sucked from his lungs, before he finally fell into real, authentic laughter. It was honestly a marvel that no guard had come to check on the group yet, considering how noisy they’d become both from Edward’s current predicament, and the snickers of onlookers.

His laugh was more sweet and melodic than most people would think, and it was almost bouncy as he squirmed around. It sounded much more innocent than the man who was behind it.

“C’mon Eddie, that’s it,” Pamela hummed as she stepped around him, obviously enjoying watching the other get so flustered. His cheeks heated up as she fluttered her leaves and flower petals across his neck from the greenery continuing to hold him up, affectively turning his mind to mush.

“Youhou’re both dEAHAHAEEEE-!” Edward’s final attempt at a threat fell off into a squeal when Harley suddenly moved down to his hip bones with her own sporadic movements, making him buck as he tried to pull his arms free.

“Jackpot!” Harley sang, focusing all her attention on the dips and protruding bone. She was pure evil alright.

Edward’s squealing soon tapered off into begging and hiccuping giggles as he slowly lost his energy, all of which were practically indecipherable anyways, “Harleen! Pleaseheheheease-! Noho-!”

Harley hesitated, making an over-exaggerated face as if contemplating something grand, “Mmm... I don’t think you’re all cheered up yet...”

“I aham Ihihihiamm-!!!” He wheezed, his laughter starting anew as Quinn moved up a little to trace at his sides.

Harley and Ivy shared a look, and Harley eventually shrugged, slowing her movements to a stop. He’d had enough for the day.

Edward immediately sunk to the floor as Ivy’s vines guided him in a manner that would keep him from injuring himself, and soon the green weeds bloomed flowers to serve as a sort of mattress for the man to rest on. He continued giggling airily from the leftover ghost tickles and slight movements of the flora, the two watching. him curiously. Eventually he looked up at the both of them with a more genuine, honestly pretty cheesy smile.

There’s the Edward they knew and loved!

Harley was the first to react, per usual. She squealed excitedly and went to tackle him in a hug, which he begrudgingly returned as Ivy sat down cross legged beside them on their living carpet. The rest of the rogues had gone back to their own business, leaving the three to their own devices now that Edward had been so fiercely pulled out of his funk.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Edward spoke up with a surpassingly shy, “Er... thank you. Both. I needed that. Even if it was insufferable, it was... nice.”

Harley simply hummed happily and hugged him tighter, while Ivy was left to wave him off. He made Harley happy, so he was clearly worth their time.

Harley remained cuddled up between the two indefinitely after it was all said and done, rambling on about nothing in particular and helping get Ed’s mind off of the Bat for once in his life. And after recreational hours were done? She would get Edward to a meal and help him get back to his feet before their next breakout and/or parole hearing. And even if she acted aloof, Ivy would be with them every step of the way.

[ghoste-catte]

I absolutely adore how you write kankuro.💕 Could you bless us with some random headcanons for him? ☺️

ALWAYS excited to talk about my favorite boy!!!

Kankuro has 0 brain-to-mouth filter. None whatsoever. People think Gaara is blunt and rude? At least Gaara is trying. Kankuro is 100 times worse. He gets away with it a little bit because he says everything with a slightly sarcastic tone, so sometimes people can brush it off like he’s joking (He’s not. He means it.) Part of why the shinobi corps like him so much (and part of why some of them think he should be Kazekage) is because they think he’s “brutally honest” and “plain-talking”, but in actuality he’s “kind of a dick”. (Also he wouldn’t last 10 minutes in the verbal sparring session that is a Suna Council meeting. He’d be much more likely to start hollering at all the old geezers and upend the table with his chakra threads.) 

He has an absolutely nasty temper in a fight but is less likely to go hands-on than he is to posture and say something vicious he’ll later regret. He’s much more a poke-at-the-other-guy-and-see-if-he’ll-bite fighter, the sort of person who would play ‘I’m not touching you’ as a kid to see if they could get the other person to hit first. He’s got a hell of a lot of patience with this technique. His and Temari’s verbal battles are legendary, and it’s often Gaara who has to intervene and tell them to go fight it out on the practice field to get the negative energy out. Temari is much more likely to hit him than he is to hit her. 

His greatest fear is something happening to Gaara or Temari when he isn’t there to protect them. That’s why he’d rather be Gaara’s personal bodyguard than take any other high-status position he could rightfully have. When Temari requested permission to move to Konoha, he was actually the biggest hold-out--not because he didn’t want her to be happy, but because he was worried about her safety. He resented Shikamaru for a long time because he felt like Shikamaru took his sister from his protection, and only warmed up to him after a very minor scuffle where he saw Shikamaru throw himself in Temari’s way to protect her. 

He has better-than-average eyesight (good news for working with all those fiddly screws and tools), but when he gets older he ends up needing bifocals from long-term eye strain (working in his dank little basement room all the time) ... which he resists until the very last moment because he’s vain. This ends up making him even more reclusive and secretive when he’s working on his puppets. 

He does remember their mother, but he lies and tells Temari he doesn’t, because the only memory he has is of her crying. 

I hadn’t really considered this before I got into a discussion about him yesterday, but Kankuro has major trans vibes to me. He basically wears a full-body dysphoria hoodie every day of his life from puberty onward. When he’s young, the fact that he looks like his dad is something he’s really proud of (until he realizes what an asshole Rasa is and decides he doesn’t want to be associated with him anymore). He picks puppeteering as his art because of the clothing and because the paint lets him both masculinize and anonymize his features. Likewise with his manner of speech, the movie tough guy talk makes his speech feel more masc. I also think he sees himself as a straight guy for most of his teenage/young adult life--partly because he feels like that’s How Guys Should Be--until he’s like. Oops. This is no longer on a bro level anymore. (I can pretty much ship him with anyone who’s around his age and unrelated to him, lol. You could sell me on him working with most people. Except maybe Sasuke?) 

This is really @egregiousderp‘s headcanon, but I’m gonna mention it because it’s really good. He and Temari were trained from a very young age to be able to take down Gaara, and his puppets have chakra seals in their bodies for that reason. That’s also why he and Temari are such unusually skilled and advanced shinobi for their ages. 

He loves kids, but only on a fun uncle level. He wouldn’t want the responsibility of them on his own. He initially didn’t want a genin team, either, but Gaara assigned him one because Kankuro was getting into a late-twenties slump and griping about becoming an old man. Gaara’s logic was that having the kiddos around would make him feel young again. It didn’t really work, but Kankuro does really like being a "cool sensei”. (The kids don’t think of him as a cool sensei, but HE thinks of himself as a cool sensei and that’s all that matters.) 

Being Gaara’s bodyguard is a pretty boring job, but Kankuro has stashes of all sorts of weird shit shoved into nooks and crannies all over Suna. Puppet parts, toys, poison ingredients, comic books, little travel-size drink bottles and snacks. This also means he knows every excellent hiding place for a trap or weapon, and he can tell easily if an area’s been tampered with or disturbed. 

He sucks at talking about his feelings. If he’s feeling upset, he’s much more likely to retreat into his dark basement alone. The avoidance doesn’t necessarily help him feel better, but he does come up with his most devious mechanisms and poison techniques in this state, and successfully completing the task sometimes tends to snap him out of his funk. Temari was the only one who would go down and try to coax him out of his crummy little dungeon, and after she moved out, he was basically down in there 24/7 unless he was at work. Gaara eventually wrote Temari a letter and she had to tell Gaara to go in after him and pull him out, because he won’t come out on his own. 

So there you go! Ten headcanons about my favorite dude. 

[milliethesillie]

h e l p m e

Dear Mister Foo,

I have stumbled across your old game, Chaos Quest. Very good, by the way. Been really intriguing up to this point. Anyways, I have reached the rapping riddle, where you must recreate the "first music." I've been stuck on this puzzle since yesterday and have spent over an hour trying to figure it out. I have meticulously went over the murals several times and have tried any combination of lyrics that seems to make any sense at all, more than once. I feel bad to thrown in the towel, but I'd feel even worse if I never knew the answer, and at this rate, I don't think I will. If you could shed some light on this mystery, that would be lovely.

Sincerely, Pnod.

Dear Dr. Pnod,

First off,I'm very glad to hear that you have been enjoying Chaos Quest. Honestly you're probably the first person to contact me about this game so I'm flattered. Secondly I'm 90% sure I warned ya that the Dennis Portal was filled exclusively with inside jokes but still as a developer I should have made the answer more accessible for people who wouldn't get it. I'll give you the short answer in this youtube link

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On the off chance Tumblr still doesn't work heres the link again, start at 2:19 https://youtu.be/foeHbon3XX0?t=139

For the long answer the entire Bird Liking Side of the Dennis Portal is based on an old Lets Player I watch BikdipOnABus. I've watched so much of this that Its greatly affected my vocabulary and sense of humor. The first music bit is based on something he said in a stream once and I quote "I never really understood how to get into music... like where do I start? what is the first music?" I thought it would be funny to make the first music something he made which is some food rap he wrote in highschool.

On the Off Off Chance that Youtube melts tomorrow and the source Material is gone for good I'll also just say the lyrics here

My name is L. Piddy and I’m here to eat Don’t lay the funk down on a nasty beat I’m the best rapper slash eater on the street And I’m looking forward to a tasty treat Food tastes so good when its in my mouth Munching and Crunching and Tumbling about Here is my handle here is my spout My rapping ability you better not doubt