#I've been a little nervous about posting him since it's my first attempt at making a small keychain sized plush

[thatonesubwaypenguin]

So.... I tried my hand at sewing and made a smol Butler Emmet! I've always wanted to make a plush of the fancy train lads for a while now! Now I have my own little guy to carry around!

(I have a Butler Ingo version in the works. I will post a picture of him once I am finished!).

I made him using this pattern as a base and made his outfit from scratch!

[kaleldobrev]

The One Bed, Two People Problem (2) — The 15 Year Problem Series

Pairing: MOC!Dean Winchester x F. Reader

Feat. Character(s): Reader & Dean Winchester

Series Summary: Needing help on a poltergeist case, you ask fellow hunter Sam Winchester for help. Despite having a broken arm, Sam agrees to help you. But, just as he’s about to head out and meet you, Dean tells him that he’ll take his place and help instead.

Chapter Word Count: 1.8k

Chapter Warnings: Cursing (2x), Age Gap (15 years), Sexual tension, Slightly vulnerable Dean, Self-Loathing Dean & Implied sexual fantasies (very minor)

Authors Note: A prequel series to the Old Man Universe (OMU) on how Dean and reader met | Takes place a few days after Dean is cured from being a demon in 2016 (please read this post for reasonings why it’s 2016, not 2014) | If you liked this, don’t forget to like & reblog. I really appreciate it! Feedback is always welcome ♡

⋆ The 15 Year Problem Masterlist ⋆

⇠ Go Back & Read Chapter 1

"One room please," Dean said, as he plopped down his credit card onto the desk in front of the motel worker: a big grin on his face.

The worker looked at him tiredly and picked up the card. Looking at the name on the card, he looked at Dean, who maintained the same smile. "John Paul Jones?" He asked, his voice matching the tiredness in his eyes. "Like the dude from Led Zeppelin?"

"I get that a lot," Dean stated, trying to sound convincing, despite the motel worker probably not needing to be as he looked tired enough as it is. The worker nodded and started putting Dean's information into the computer; Dean swayed back and forth on his heels, looking around the motel lobby, not enjoying the awkward silence that was between the two. "It's a good thing I'm a Zepp fan," he added, a bit of humor in his voice, as he attempted to make awkward small talk with the man.

"Huh uh," the worker mumbled, not seeming interested in having any sort of conversation with Dean, as he was trying his best to concentrate on what he was doing, as the lack of sleep and pulling all-nighters the last couple of nights was starting to catch up to him in this moment.

Dean started to get slightly nervous, as the worker seemed to be taking a little bit more time than usual to be placing the information into the computer. "Is there a problem with the card?" Dean asked, after the motel worker started making a face that looked similar to confusion.

The worker shook his head. "Nah man. Just tired. It's my third night shift in a row and it's been a killer. Can barely keep my fucking eyes open. But I'm thankful to be doing anything at least. You're the first person I've seen in days, since the regulars haven't even come by." Dean decided not to ask about who or what the regulars were, but he would be lying if he wasn't the least bit curious.

"Surprising," Dean said. "Thought you'd get more on-going business being right on the highway like this. I mean, I've been to Tulsa a few times, and it's always pretty lively, even this time of night."

The man scoffed, almost chuckling at his words. "People don't like motels like they used to. They rather stay at the Holiday Inn down the street. Apparently, motels give people the creeps now," he said, rolling his eyes. "Too much shadiness I guess for people."

"I've stayed at more motels than I can count, and uh, they basically feel like home to me. They've never once given me the creeps," Dean told him, partially telling the truth, as he has stayed at plenty of motels over the years that have had questionable stains and clientele more times than he could count.

The worker nodded, handing Dean back his card. "Alright, we have one room available with a queen," he said.

Dean gave him a semi-puzzled look, unsure how true that really was, as the worker just said that he was the only person he's seen in a few days, and the parking lot was essentially empty besides his and who he assumed to be this man's car. "Nothing with two beds?" Dean asked. He didn't mind sharing a bed with you, but he wanted to get two to be safe, as he was afraid that he'd somehow hurt you in the middle night if he had one of his PTSD style nightmares he occasionally got, more often than he'd like to admit.

"Look, I have one room left. And that one room has one bed that you're either going to have to share with your guest, or one of you is sleeping on the floor," his voice had no hint of tiredness anymore.

"One bed it is," Dean said, his lips forming into a fake smile.

"And you're in room three," the worker smiled, handing Dean the room key.

After getting off the phone with your boyfriend, you hit your head repeatedly against the headrest, frustrated that you had let him get to you again. He was hours away, and yet, he had managed to re-anger you, which was something that you were close to getting rid of during your nice and peaceful drive here.

In addition to your re-anger, you were minutes away from meeting someone new, and there was a part of you that felt bad for Dean, because being angry and mean was the last thing you wanted as your first impression. "Okay, you got this," you whispered to yourself, taking a few breaths before exiting your truck.

Walking out of the motel lobby, Dean started thinking of ways in which he was going to break the cliche news to you, as a one bed for two strangers seemed like something that came straight out of a chick flick or romance novel. "So bad news, we have to share a bed because for some reason despite the motel parking lot being empty as fuck, there was only one room that had a single bed in it," he thought to himself, cocking his head, thinking how saying that to you might work. Then again, he didn't want you thinking that he got a room with a single bed on purpose because you were a chick, and hoping to get lucky. Then again, he certainly wasn't against it...Then again, Sam told him that you had a boyfriend and you were off-limits.

As he started walking toward the room to put his stuff inside and examine the room, he looked at the parking lot, and noticed another vehicle had pulled into the lot since he had come into the motel; and it was parked a few spaces away from Baby. It was a Generation Seven, F150, in a brownish beige color that looked to be in brand new condition.

And that's when he saw you, or at least he hoped it was you, pulling out a large duffel back from the truck bed, that seemed to be a little beat up.

He started walking toward you, making a mental note to introduce himself just far enough way, because he wasn't sure how quick to the draw you were.

You sighed, grabbing your duffel, and slung it over your shoulder, as you were mentally preparing yourself to meet someone new. But you were tired, angry, and a little bit hungry; and all you really wanted to do right now was take a scolding hot shower and hit the pillow face first, instead of making awkward small talk.

"Hey, you must be Y/N," you heard a male voice say from a few feet away from you. Closing your truck bed, you noticed a blonde-haired man, who appeared to be a little over six feet tall, wearing a flannel and denim jacket similar to you, walking in your direction. This must be Dean, you thought.

"And you must be Dean," you said, when he was just a few feet in front of you. As he stood there, he leaned his arm on your truck bed, and stared at you with a smile that could easily melt the iciness that was inside your heart; you hoped that you weren't blushing. You're here to do a job, and you have a boyfriend, you told yourself.

"Nice truck," he complimented, as he patted the side. "Gen seven?" He questioned, but his tone insinuated that he already knew the model; he just wanted to see if you knew. And of course you did, as this truck was one that you had practically re-built over the course of a single summer without barely any help.

You nodded, and smiled at him, practically grinning from ear to ear; your smile was breathtaking. "He sure is. I practically re-built him over the course of a single summer before I started hunting. You should have seen the shape he was in; the whole body was practically rust," you explained.

Dean listened to the way you spoke about your truck, and he admired it, as it was similar to the way he would speak about Baby. But the way you spoke about the truck was not the only thing he was admiring; he was admiring the way the denim jacket you were wearing was slightly falling off your shoulders because of how big it was, as if you had borrowed it from someone Sam's size. Even though it was still slightly dark out, and the harsh yellow lighting was doing nobody any favors, you still somehow looked absolutely gorgeous in this lighting. Your skin looked so smooth, except for a few scars that he noticed in several places. He couldn't help but wonder the stories behind them. You're here to do a job, he reminded himself.

"That's pretty impressive that you re-built him without any help. Not a lot of people can do that," he said, trying his best to pay you a compliment. "Especially since you taught yourself."

"Yeah. My dad knows some stuff about cars, but he's no expert or anything. My best friend was the one who..." your voice trailed off, and you slightly had a blank stare on your face, as if you were reminiscing about something.

"I've re-built Baby more times than I could possibly count," he said, pointing at her for a moment before turning back to you. Your blank stare finally fading.

"When Sam told me, I honestly didn't believe him. You must be really good with your hands," you said, with a slight hint of...was that...flirting? Were you flirting with me? Dean thought. No, there's no way.

He chuckled a little. "I'd like to think so." I'd do anything to put my hands all over you....he thought. "Oh, um, since I got here first," he began, attempting to change the subject before his brain started to create some fantasies. "I was able to get us a room. But, there's only one bed, so we either have to share, or one of us is going to have to sleep on the floor."

You felt your heart starting to race a bit faster now, and your throat was beginning to get a tad dry. Were you actually nervous about the possibility of sharing a bed with the eldest Winchester?

"I don't mind sharing a bed as long as you don't," you said. But as soon as you said those words, your brain was starting to create a moral dilemma. You have a boyfriend, this counts as cheating, you thought. No, it doesn't count as cheating, I don't plan on sleeping with him as much as I'd like to.

"I don't mind. But uh...just a heads up, I get um...nightmares," he said, sounding hesitant.

"It's okay, I get them too," you reassured. "Want to head inside then and see if we can get a few hours before we go to the station tomorrow?"

Dean nodded. "Sounds good to me," he smiled.

⤑ Move Forward & Read Chapter 3

Tag List: @madzzz0797 ⋆ @dumb-fawkin-bitch ⋆ @nancymcl ⋆ @deanbrainrotwritings ⋆ @roseblue373 ⋆ @jackles010378 ⋆ @deansbbyx ⋆ @uncle-eggy ⋆ @queenie32 ⋆ @jzackles ⋆ @shy-taylorsversion ⋆ @ladysparkles78 ⋆ @zepskies ⋆ @samslvrgirl ⋆ @stoneyggirl2 ⋆ @deans-spinster-witch ⋆ @littletomboy2 ⋆ @foxyjwls007 ⋆ @10ava01 ⋆ @peachhiz

Weren't Tagged & Think You Should Have?

If you weren't tagged, and think you should have, I'm sorry about that! But there may be a few reasons for that. You did not fill out of the Google Form List (which can be filled out using this link), you do not have your mentions on, or you are not currently following me.

If you're having trouble filling out the form, don't hesitate to send me a message or leave a comment! 💜

[fawnfictions]

i know there’s a lot of this same prompt on this app but i love your writing and i would love to see it from you <33

OK!! Macaque and Wukong with a gender natural reader which simply LOVES their fur and gets really clingy on their tail and ear(s for macaque :3), treating them like a literal plushie

monkie plush!

— wukong & macaque, gn!reader

i feel the need to personally apologise for how many months it took for me to post this <//3 i've been SO SLOW recently,, i can't guarantee i'll be getting any faster, either

heheuwudhhey!! none of u should worry about sending me an ask with a 'common' prompt—just because someone else has done it before, doesn't mean i won't want to write it!!! i like giving ppl my own opinion on these sorts of headcanons LOL

;; fluff, fluff, and more fluff!! (+mention of something more spicy, but nothing explicit)...

WUKONG

- he RELISHES in any affection you give him, and he isn't afraid to show it.

- you'll come up behind him, embrace him while rubbing your face in his fur, and he will MELT.

- leans back into your arms, wrapping his tail around you to pull you even closer; and, if you're listening closely, you might hear quiet purring.

- honestly, he'll do the same to you — compared to monkey hair, human hair is VERY soft and feels very nice :3

- cuddles between you two are just constantly rubbing your faces in each others hair.

- i can also imagine that his tail would be sensitive, as most monkey's tails are...

- be careful, though, because certain areas of his tail are more sensitive than others — you may run into a situation you didn't mean to...

- ...ANYWAYS

- while i can imagine him being the big spoon a majority of the time, he could TOTALLY be a little spoon.

- he enjoys being able to hold YOU, since he likes feeling in control, and as if he's protecting you, but he'll happily sit back and let you cuddle him.

- play with his hair, twirl his tail, brush him...

- tbh, the other monkeys would probably join you a lot, interpreting it as a grooming session.

- me and the boys [monkeys], grooming each other on a sunday morning.

- he will complain, though, if you don't let him cuddle YOU sometimes.

- you two are almost sickening with the amount of PDA you show; cue MK pretending to puke in the background, but Wukong does have SOME decency, and will get a little embarrassed if you take it too far.

- if you're both out in public, chilling in Megapolis or something, and you start rubbing your face in his fur and cooing at him? he'll go red pretty quickly, and shyly respond with small affections in an attempt to sate your clinginess for now.

- this especially goes for being around people he feels the need to keep a reputation up with — like, the brotherhood, although most of them would laugh it off, they'll tease him for it at some point, or anyone from the celestial realm.

- he'll make it up to you later with plenty of cuddles, but for now? he's gotta look cool and tough in front of lil' old Nezha /j

MACAQUE

- hes touch starved as hell (we all know it).

- BUT he gets shy when it comes to affection, but he's hypocritical about it...

- constantly drapes himself over your shoulders, resting his head on top of your own when he gets the chance, etc etc.

- however, if you DARE even try to hug him, he's gonna get real nervous.

- doesn't know how to properly relax at your touch; he may not exactly move away from you, but he won't lean into it (at first).

- this especially goes for PDA – he loves you, but not now; he's gotta look cool and mysterious at all times.

- if you're with people that he lets his guard down around, he'll be a bit more playful with you.

- he notices you attempting to sneak behind him for a cuddle attack? next thing you know, theres a familiar cape-covered arm thrown over your shoulder, blocking your affection with his own with a teasing smile.

- he IS different when in private, though !!

- more willing to give in to your touches, but it is clear that he's unsure how to feel about it.

- after a while, though, i feel that he would learn to find a lot of comfort in your hands ?

- like, if he's had a rough day, he'll probably seek you out to be showered in affection,, in a way, it makes him feel very loved and worthy.

- he's such a little spoon too, i'm sorry LOL

- but he has his confident days, just ask and he'll be happy to be the one holding you instead.

- it took a while for him to be comfortable with normal affection, yeah? well, it's gonna take even LONGER for him to be comfortable with touching his ears, let alone losing the glamour on them.

- the day he lets his glamour down around you, is the day he's decided that you're stuck with him forever, sorry to break it to you...

- his ears are VERY sensitive, so please be careful, he's very cautious with you touching them.

- but he'll never admit how nice it feels for you to massages his ears, especially with how much stress they give him from the loud noises in the city (not that you can't tell, he's practically melted into your lap and would ABSOLUTELY be purring if he could).

- overall, it takes time, and he won't ever be fully comfortable with PDA, but he's a big softie in private <3

[tarjapearce]

Hello, it's me again! Thank you so much for replying to my last request. I'm really happy! I have another idea that I couldn't get out of my head and had to share it with you, lol.

So my idea is Gabriela having a small tiktok account where she you know post about her new toys or just do tiktok dances which is of course controlled by her parents! One day, she decided to make a tiktok dance with her whole family, miguel, reader, Benjamin, and her. The only problem was that miguel couldn't fully fit in the camera that hid his upper body since we all know he is 6'9, lol. So once she posted the video, it went viral, and the comments were full of "who is that man??" "Dad face revealed when?" "Can you see the height difference??" "If my man isn't like him, I don't want him." When Gabriela showed Reader and Miguel the comment, they couldn't help but giggle at how desperate people wanted to know him.

I'm sorry if the writing seems wrong English isn't my first language and I had to use grammarly.

I'm a very patient person, so even if you respond a bit late, I really don't mind!! Thank you so much for noticing my first request. I couldn't be happier💖

Glad you liked the first request darling 🥹❤️.

And couldn't help but think about this little Gabi and Miguel doing this 🤭

Hope you like 😊

When Gabi first asked you for a phone, you talked through her with Miguel. The duties and rights of owning a phone were set, and so far, everything was going well. Gabi was comfortable enough to show you what she was upto. Tiktok and toys.

She had explained that she had a little toys review account, but since the last trends were dancing with the family, she had asked you and Miguel if you were willing to participate in a dance challenge.

"It's been years since I've danced"

"Ever since our wedding, actually."

Miguel mumbled as he ate his dinner.

"What do you need us to do, Mija?"

Gabi just smirked.

----

With the current routine of the song, exercise wasn't needed. Laughing at Miguel's attempt to dance anything that wasn't mellow and romantic was sure a treat.

"PA! Así no!" (Not like that!)

Benjamin just clapped and laughed

"Pa pa"

"Yeah, Papa isn't that good at dancing. Just like Mama"

"Remember... that time when we got to Peter's carneada, and-" He chuckled

"I taught you how to dance bachata?" You giggled, "You were so stiff and nervous! Stepping on my foot. Ended up with sore feet"

"Good thing there wasn't any of that in our wedding"

"But you did good! I love you dancing"

"Mama! Stop, let's focus now, kiss later!" You could help but laugh at her words.

You smooched her cheek and soon, got the video rolling.

-----

After several attempts to get the dance right, you finally had recorded the video. And as silly as it was, you had noticed that Miguel's upper part, from his shoulders and upwards had been cut out from the frame. Of course, he was gigantic. He didn't fit properly in the phone's camera. Still Gabriela uploaded it.

----

"Uh, Mama?"

"Yes, cariño?"

"Look at this"

Gabi handed you her phone, shock in her face the comment section in her dance video was wild, just like the numbers of plays and likes

"Miguel, mi amor, come." You giggled, motioned for him to approach.

"Look at this. You're a star."

"What?" He adjusted his lenses as he read the comment section.

Whose that man?

Where do you find a man like this?!

Face reveal when?

Is there really people THAT tall? omg

That baby is soo cute!

Cute. But Momma's cuter.

We 👏🏻 need👏🏻 to 👏🏻see 👏🏻his 👏🏻faaaace.

His eyebrow quirked and he shook his head as he continued reading.

OMG, the size difference.

Momma's a pro.

Slaaayyy it Mama!

That baby's curls tho

Dilf on sight!

Lucky Mama, need me one of those.

"Yeah, no. That's not happening."

Gabi groaned

"Why not?!"

"Trust me. For Mama's sake."

You rolled your eyes at his smirking.

[boba-beom]

All your posts are making me like 🫠 I think I reblogged all three keke

I need to shout about this... In the Miracle tiktok where Taehyun is dancing while SoobKai film with ILLIT... I don't know if he's eating or chewing gum but it looks like he's chewing gum and why is it so attractive to me. Now I've combined this with basketball Taehyun, thinking how hot it would be to watch him doing a solo practice, shooting and doing dribbling drills while casually making conversation with you, chewing gum the whole time. Am I crazy? Maybe, because before now, I'd probably say gum is gross.

WAIT but now I'm imagining this scenario is the first time you hang out after he sees you fraternising with the enemy (Yeonjun) and he's trying to act like it doesn't bother him that you gave him your number, only that you were clapping for the wrong team OKAY stop me and my imagination 😅 I love Taehyun

and I love you, so glad to see you're still around 💕

CEE I love you too! and I'm happy to see you around also <3 you have no idea how much I've been giggling to myself from your tags hehe :> thank you for the rbs and reading your reactions were fun too 🤭 and you saying that I make sport-centric fics fun for you to read is truly a huge compliment to me omg, I always get nervous because I'm not 100% sure about what I'm writing most of the time, so thank you ilysm 🫶🏼

ALSO reading this made my jaw drop because you're literally onto something with that omg. I noticed that too during soogyu's tiktok with ILLIT— it's the way taehyun does it so nonchalantly with the subtle chewing and it is kinda hot. I used to find people who do that quite obnoxious lmao, but like I can't stand if they're really smacking their gum, ygm? ANYWAY—

jealous bsf!taehyun x gn!reader, dialogue heavy

okay so, the first time you and taehyun hang out after the game is a couple of days later. he'd agreed to hang out with you at the park since you both had checked the weather in advance; it was sunnier than usual. you both decided to meet each other at your regular spot and you're not surprised to find taehyun already there, sitting on the grass and on his phone. usually he'd notice you when you walk up behind him, but it was almost like he'd purposely ignored you and waiting until you had to announce that you were there.

"tyun?" you sit beside him slowly leaning in to give him a usual hug when you greet each other but he gave you a lazy side hug. damn. "been waiting long?"

"no."

that's all you get? he pockets his phone, palms against the grass as he leans back chewing his gum nonchalantly and looking at the busy field in front of you. there seems to be a group of high schoolers training for soccer.

"um, are we good?" you ask quietly, heart pounding in your chest and a little afraid for the first time in forever.

he hums, eyes focused on the ball being passed from player to player.

"yeah, why wouldn't we?" his voice monotone but knowing taehyun, that was normal. "how's yeonjun. are you guys like text buddies now or something?"

now that wasn't what you were expecting. well shit. taehyun's mad and you don't know if that's all he has to say about it.

"no, tyun. he didn't even call me so I don't even have his number. I'm assuming he's busy is all. I wasn't really expecting much." you nudge his shoulder playfully, craning your neck in attempt to be in his visual field, but to no avail, his vision doesn't budge. you sit back in your original position, also watching the ball from afar. "does it bother you?"

you best friend scoffs, apparently he finds something humorous that you possibly missed.

"it doesn't. why'd you even talk to that guy anyway, you know he just does that to boost his ego because he lost the game." taehyun finally turns his head to look at you and you look at him within a fraction of a second, eyes holding eye contact for the first time that day.

"I'm sure he had good intentions-"

"good intentions." taehyun scoffs again, almost chuckles after he repeats it again. "that guy never has good intentions, ___. and I thought you were there to support me, then I catch you clapping for his three pointer."

your stomach churns a little from the guilt. you didn't know he saw that. and what do you even say? you thought it was impressive? you had a feeling yeonjun shot that shot for you?

"don't even try and think of some lame ass excuse because you know damn well I can tell when you're not telling me the truth." his voice assertive but his gaze on you softens, wanting you to be comfortable with him like you usually are.

you let out a deep sigh.

"he looked at me before that moment and I assumed he did that to impress me..." your voice trails off, trying to look at taehyun through your peripheral, not wanting to look at him directly. "I don't know tyun, he seemed pretty genuine and he's kinda cute too."

after explaining as honestly as you could, the air was filled with a short silence between the both of you and distant shouting and birds flying by.

"I can be kinda cute too." taehyun grumbles under his breath and you swear it wasn't some sort of auditory hallucination. that is what you heard, right?

"hm?" you turn to him, tilting your head to the side waiting for him to hopefully repeat himself.

"why'd you want him when I've been here all this time." his rhetorical reply left you blinking a couple of times, processing what exactly he's inferring. "in short, you have me. and I have you."

your chest starts heaving slowly. taehyun, your best friend, really said that. his fingers gently caresses yours, also supporting your weight on the grass while you both lean back.

the train of thought in your discombobulated mind is disrupted by him calling your name, now in a softer tone.

"so, what do you say? I'm willing to risk this friendship and try something more with you, ___. if you let me."

his says his confession, almost as if he's been yearning for you to be his for a while, but is it wrong that you still can't stop thinking about yeonjun?

"taehyun," you sit upright, holding his hand in yours. "I'm going to be honest with you, but promise me don't get mad."

the hope in taehyuns eyes disappears, feeling his heart sink to his stomach ready for your rejection. he nods.

"I love you, and always have, but that's because you're my best friend. and at the moment, yeonjun left quite the impression on me so he's still on my mind, but there's nothing much that helps him in his favour."

"so what you're saying is?" your fingers interlock with his, your thumb rubbing the back of his.

"is that I'm willing to try this with you, because, unlike you," you tease, "I like to give people chances."

you prod at his side as he exhales and rolls his eyes playfully.

"I couldn't risk you being whisked away before I even made a move on you." taehyun defends himself the best he could.

"no but really, from time to time I have felt like I've loved you more than a friend. so that's why I want to try, but can we take it slow?"

"yeah, of course. I'll just have to push yeonjun out your thoughts first." his comment makes you laugh.

taehyun's singular dimpled smile returns and it's contagious, he has you smiling back at him too. you didn't realise when you two ended up sitting closer to each other to close the gap, but you took the opportunity to lean your head on his shoulder.

"and you are kinda cute."

© BOBA-BEOM ; all rights reserved. do not repost, copy, alter or translate in any way or platform.

[reriart]

Hi i saw your post about Percy headcannons and I was wondering if you could write about Percy together with an adhd reader and the readers meds make them lose their appetite and he helps them eat and just a generally fluffy headcannon?

Hiii! Thank you for asking :3 I have ADHD too, so I hope I somehow made the story more realistic. I hope you don't mind if I ended up writing a fanfic directly, I've been thinking about this comfort story for the entire day!

I'm safe with you.

Additional tags: reader has ADHD and they're using meds, stimming, food disorder, GN!Reader, not smut for once, love confession, very soft Percy. You can read it on AO3 too! Remember that English is not my native language (plus I've wrote it in the middle of the night). Divider: cafekitsune Summary: It has passed three days since the last time you've eat something. You fainted between Percival's arms, who is deadly worried for you.

“I swear I can burp louder than you!” Grog shouted, swaying the overflowing beer mug dangerously, then drinking it all in one gulp and loudly belching in front of Scanlan's face. 

“Pff. You're a rookie. Take that!” the bard replied, echoing the gesture but intensifying the sound through his magic.

The vigorous man crossed his arms over his chest. “That's not fair! I can't win that way!”

On your end, you stood in a corner at the very end of the table, smiling shyly. Or rather, it wasn't so much a shy smile as a nervous one, which exuded discomfort. The medicine that Whitestone's doctor had prescribed for you (Percival had insisted that you go there) tasted terrible and the side effects were even worse: nausea, tremors, lack of appetite, dizziness. Except for that last one, so far you had checked all three off your daily list. You hadn't told anyone about it, to avoid worrying anyone (or even worse, that someone would force you to stay at the De Rolo castle, especially if that someone was your boyfriend). Yet, as soon as you looked up from the plate full of beans and steaming beef, two pale green eyes, circled by an elegant silver frame, were there, staring at you. Eyebrows bent downward, lips half-closed as if to say something. Percy was doing the dishes -- it was his turn (and, besides, he was practically the only one respecting it, besides you) -- but he was close enough to know that something was amiss. Although his attentions were always appreciated by you, whatever their nature, you just wanted to stay by yourself that night. 

However, the first (and only) attempt to sneak away was a fiasco. Two steps and your knees collapsed like a potato bag. Thankfully, keeping you from hitting your head, Percy was right there. He had thrown the plates in the air to catch you on the fly. You felt your mind getting foggy, your mouth heavy. 

“Hey,” he said, his eyes wide. “Are you okay?” “Mm-hm.” You didn't have the energy to think. Curling up in his arms suddenly seemed like the most reasonable choice. He smelled of jasmine and black powder. Around him, Grog, Scanlan and Vax also gathered.

“Maybe I'd better take you to the room. Hold on to me.”

“Do you need a hand?” asked the half-elf, frowning. 

“No, I thank you. I'll take care of it,” he replied, lifting you up and resting his arms behind his neck. Vax couldn't see it, but he was gently stroking your muscles with his thumbs. He loved to run his fingertips over your body, especially when he could get lost in making little circles. Somehow, he was giving comfort to both of you.

He carried you out of the huge dining room without saying anything else, holding you to his body. He was radiating a pleasant warmth, and you instinctively rubbed your face against his blouse on the way. Within minutes, you were in your bed, him sitting beside you, stroking your face.

“Hey,” he said smiling, stroking your cheek. “It's the medicine, isn't it? How long has it been since you've eaten?”

Three fingers up. You hadn't eaten for three days.

“Three days? Holy shit... you should have told me,” he remarked, running a gloved hand through his snow-white hair. 

“I didn't...want to worry you....” Guilt began to weigh down your heart, forcing you to bite your lips nervously and touch your fingertips to each other in a vain attempt to calm down, but it was only his hand under your chin that stopped the flow of obsessive thoughts. He forced you to look at him.

“It has to stop happening, okay? Talk to me. Let's communicate. You don't have to carry everything on your shoulders.”

Yeah. Percival was right. But it was so difficult even the act of thinking sometimes. Your head was perpetually bulging with thoughts, things to do, external stimuli, sounds, smells, textures. The missions, the places to explore and their dangers, the screaming, the blood, the metal, the fire. Medication had lessened all that, it was true. For a moment, sleep and daily life had become more bearable, but food had lost your attention. 

“I'm sorry.” You felt tears in the back of your eyes. The last thing you wanted was to make him angry. 

“You don't have to apologize to me,” he said softly, then stood up and reached for a pitcher and a glass of water. He filled it, handing it to you. “Let's start with the simple things. Drink a little.” 

Very quietly, the first sips went down your throat. Then, faster and faster. In a few moments you had swallowed all the water. Percival watched you from the edge of the bed, one hand on your leg distractedly playing with the fabric of your pants. 

“Good. Shall we try to eat something?”

Your stomach hadn't fully opened yet, but the idea of worrying your boyfriend made you feel worse. 

“W-What can I eat?”

“Let's see-I can get you a slice of cake, if Grog has left some. Gods, he eats like he's still about to grow!” she huffed, raising his hands to the sky and earning your laughter. His green eyes sparkled and he smiled back. “Wait for me.”

“E-even if I wanted to, I don't think I could move from here except as a worm. Crawling.”

He stood up, chuckling. “You're terrible,” he said, kissing your forehead and then pointing toward the door. “I'll be right back.”

You spent the next few minutes looking at your hands. How worn they were ... then, flashes of hands covered by leather gloves: protecting your fingers, squeezing them, medicating them. Not a moment had passed since you had met Percival De Rolo that those hands had been left to their fate. Since he had become your boyfriend, then, less so. The knuckles had been kissed, the hands held on your warm, milk-white chest. Loneliness was but a distant memory, but ... having someone taking care of you was far beyond your expectations. 

Your thoughts were interrupted by the squeaking of the wooden door and the rush of cold air against your skin. Percival was holding not one, but two slices of chocolate cake, rigorously arranged on finely decorated plates. He placed one of them on your thighs, held the other in his hand, then sat back down on the edge of the bed. 

“Can you sit closer?” 

“How much closer?” “Here. Let's eat together.”

Percy, being very careful not to let his dessert fly onto his jacket, settled down next to you at your pat on the mattress. You rested your head on his shoulder for a brief moment, and he rested his own on top of you. Your free hands sought each other, entwining. It was a quiet, long minute, except for your breaths in the cold room. Then, he broke the silence.

“I know it's hard -- but really, let me carry some of your struggles on my shoulders.”

“Percy...you just got a demon off your fucking back, why don't you leave them in peace?”

“Because I love you.”

You almost had a stroke. Yes, you were now a couple (in a very adolescent way, had been your response after an initial, very shy kiss and his question, “What are we?”), but you had never confessed to each other, you had limited yourselves to a few brief contacts of hands, arms and yes, occasionally lips. Things between you were complicated, mainly because neither of you had ever been in a steady relationship and everything was pretty new. 

And just as you opened your mouth to respond, a forkful of cake flew down your throat, followed by her laughter. 

“Percy! I was going to choke-”

A blow kiss sealed your lips. “Maybe I found a way to get you to eat more often.”

[fandomfluffandfuck]

I've had this prompt kind of floating around in my head and I figured if anyone would be able to create the vision here, it would be you.

Steve in modern day has somehow been turned back to his little pre-serum self for reasons that probably aren't all that relevant. And at first he really isn't happy. (understandably) And Bucky, the sweet boy who is running out of ways to comfort Steve here, suggests how this, if anything, is an opportunity.

Bucky starts whispering sweet nothing's about what they could do, mostly just expecting Steve to get flustered and shove him. But he underestimates the power of Steve's size kink.

Now all Steve can think about is how much a part of him misses being this size in the bedroom and how much he wants Bucky towering over him, how his hand would probably cover the entire plane of his lower back and how much more a stretch he would feel being shoved onto Bucky's post super soldier serum dick.

And NOW he's blushing so hard and Bucky is teasing but he's also a little nervous because he doesn't know if it's exactly going to fit.. he doesn't want to hurt Steve of course.

Steve is sooo desperate for it now though, blushing all pink and embarrassed out of his little Christian mind but desperate.

What can I say Steve has had a size and praise kink since the dark ages, can you blame him for wanting to utilise this once in a lifetime opportunity? ;)

(So excited to see what you do here, I love your work!)

Thank you!! And I fucking love this idea! I can definitely go for that flavor of stucky 👀

"Stevie, babydoll, sweetheart," Bucky wheedles after him, chasing him into the bedroom.

As far as Steve is concerned, Bucky won't be able to "Steeeeve" his way out of this, no matter how much he uses that soft mouth and those sweet, big, grey eyes to his advantage. It's not his fault, so Steve really shouldn't be taking this out on him, but the thing is that he's making it so much worse than it has to be. Steve just wants to fucking go to bed and pretend that he's not 5'4" all over again and stumbling with his heart beating unevenly against his visible ribs. He keeps fucking having to look up at everything and his neck hurts. Did his neck hurt like this all the time back then? He doesn't remember that. What the fuck. If anything is Bucky's fault, maybe that's it--its his fault (it still isn't, but shut up) that he's so goddamn tall in the future and so Steve has to look up at him even more. Now his neck aches.

Ugh.

"I jus'," Bucky narrowly avoids having their bedroom door slammed in his face, only just making it inside before Steve can shut him out, "I just wanna look at you, honey, I don't even gotta talk anymore! C'mon, darlin', you're breaking my heart."

Steve glares up at him, crossing his arms over his chest and only not immediately uncrossing them out of pure stubbornness. Everything feels wrong. Folding his arms feels wrong without the layers of muscle he's used to being wrapped in, his biceps bunching and bulging against his thick forearms and his arms, overall, pushing his pecs together. So, like this, being back to the size he was pre-serum, feels so inadequate. He's stick thin. No real muscle. No physical strength.

He hates it.

He wants to sleep it off until someone else figures out how to reverse this whole mess. Then, he'll get up and deal with it.

Bucky does not agree with Steve's wants. And now he's got his grabby hands all over him, squeezing his hip and wrapping one of his burley arms around his waist to pull him snugly against his chest.

Steve grumbles but doesn't even attempt to push away. He knows he won't be able to break his hold. Great.

At least when Bucky starts to say something else and Steve shoots his head up, he knocks Bucky's chin with the top of his skull--fucking ouch--and is magically able to glare hard enough that he shuts his mouth. He even sticks his metal arm from around his waist to mime zipping his mouth shut and throwing away the key. Steve hopes he flung it far. He doesn't want to hear another word outta that mouth right now. He's had enough.

It takes a minute... maybe two... for Steve to relax into Buckys arms and chest. He's smaller. Fine. Okay. He's exhausted. Okay. Bucky's already seen him like this. Some of his boyfriend's memories are still spotty on a good day, but it's nothing he hasn't seen before. Steve just doesn't want to hear more about it right now. He doesn't want to be talked to and told he's still beautiful and perfect. He doesn't want to be fawned over. He just wants to be normal.

His new normal.

Not like... this.

Bucky keeps his promise and just holds him, keeping quiet. Yet, still, Steve sees the flaw in the mimed promise, because while he agreed to shut the fuck up, he did not agree to keep his touching turned down in the same way. And with Steve in his arms, his hands are wandering. High and low. Groped. Steve is being groped.

Bucky's hands start by clutching him, clinging to him, and holding him tightly around the petite waist, but they don't stay there. Bucky's flesh and blood hand travels up his crooked back until he gets to between his shoulders, where his spine starts to stick out from his skin. He counts each little bump, tapping them mutely with the tip of a gentle finger. Then, he pauses around the nape of his neck, using one big, heavy hand to squeeze gently. It's a little like being scruffed. He should be indigent about it, he's not a fucking scrawny, feral kitten. But... it makes his knees a little weak and has his head going fuzzy.

While that's happening with his flesh and blood hand, his metal hand travels down. He pinches his ass, Steve jolts, only not yelping out loud because it would be too obvious without Bucky's chatter box mouth going, so he won't. Then, though, he goes lower to touch the sides of his thighs but not before cupping his asscheek in one hand. His hand is more than big enough to get all of it.

Bucky uses the grip he has on his thigh to lift his leg and curl that one, then the other, around his stocky waist.

Oh.

Steve's gut swoops as he's lifted. He feels, it feels--

He's lighter than air.

He always feels light when Bucky picks him up but the way his breathing doesn't change and how fast he's being lifted, like he weighs nothing at all, gives him the sensation that he could float away.

Bucky walks forward with him wrapped around his waist, his organic hand hot in the middle of his back. His thumb and pinkie finger feel like they stretch completely across his svelte back--touching both of his shoulder blades, almost his underarms, no problem. Cradling him totally.

Steve shivers and mercifully, Bucky says nothing about it. He does purr, though. Warm and vibrating in his chest. Steve refuses to admit how hard he is. More than halfway there, even when in this body, it's so hard to get it up all the way. He's just--he's not turned on right now, by this, no. It's just the, the, uh, pattern. He's been trained. Anytime Bucky picks him up, he has a Pavlovian response. It's not his fault.

This is Bucky's fault.

Bucky carries him to the bed only to gently splay him out there on their now much-too-large king-size mattress. He puts him down on his back, snakes his mismatched hands out from underneath his lithe body, and positions Steve how he sees fit--his lips still closed. He lays Steve's thin arms out so his boney hands are curled into loose fits up by his head with his elbows bent sharply, and so his slender legs fall open, making space for Bucky between them. Steve feels the stretch in his hips like he almost can't open wide enough for him. He's so large, especially like this. Hovering--towering over him.

A stuttering breath bursts out of Steve's lungs reluctantly.

Bucky smirks but stays silent for now. Instead of words from his mouth, his hands keep talking--

He's having a whole goddamn chatterbox conversation with Steve's body. Going on and on. Small talk and large talk and huge talk. Detailing every. single. inch. Giving him more than the thousand words that the picture of him spread out on their bed equates to.

His metal hand is cool as it trails down his throat, fitting a smooth, rigid fingertip into the hollow notch at the base of his throat. Steve's bum heart pounds like crazy in his slight chest, his breath hitching. Bucky's palm lays flat on his very flat chest while he cards his fingers through his thinner, more fragile but still golden hair. And Bucky's fingers press firmly into his concave stomach while his other hand abandons his hair to lift his hip. He only needs one hand to guide his body up. Steve doesn't have to twitch or strain or move a single muscle. Bucky can pull him, fold him, and--

Steve might whimper when Bucky pushes down on his tummy again at the same time that he guides Steve's hips up.

He doesn't have to say words to remind Steve of all the lazy, hot, smokey summer afternoons they spent in their cold water walk-up apartment like this. Steve melting like butter into crispy, heated toast beneath Bucky, gasps making Steve's chest heave and his lungs rattle while Bucky carved space for his dick inside his little body, then pressing down against him, palm hot, to feel the way his dick bulged through his belly. Murmuring filth with that lazy, smeared Brooklyn drawl about how tight and hot he feels inside, how he makes Bucky sweat with it, he's fucking sin inside. Hot, dripping sin. His little body a fucking miracle the size of the Woolworth Building, the tallest building until 1929, wrapped in a sweet little package made just for Bucky. Made for Bucky to stretch wide and squeeze into. He'll never fucking understand how he can fit in that tiny fuckin' hole but he's so fucking glad he can, it makes him lose his mind--that tiny little hole.

Made for him.

His.

Stretched open just for him, his body just as stubborn as Steve himself is. Tight and unwilling to be opened until it is, then it's unwilling to let go of Bucky's cock.

Bucky cracks, "yeah, honey?" He murmurs, his voice gone hot and husky.

Steve resolutely clenches his jaw, saying nothing back and trying not to make another sound. Whatever expression he manages to push onto his face, he hopes it's not as transparent as he thinks it is. It's hot. Fine. This is hot. But he doesn't--

It's been, like, fuck, five measly minutes since they got into the bedroom. He can't give it up yet! That's just pathetic.

"Sweetheart," Bucky croons, still with enough self-preservation to keep his voice to a low whisper, "if only you could read my mind... I'm not sure I can tell you everything I wanna do to you right now."

Steve blinks up at him. He's tempted to ask why--is he being underestimated because he's like this?--but he's not sure he wants to get him started.

Bucky, of course, elaborates anyway. No needed to be asked. He's just going "'--Cause I can't think fast enough myself, wish I could just give you everything 'm thinking without having to slow down to talk it out," he rumbles dangerously, too hot for the sound not to come out of him.

Jesus.

Why does he have to be such a sweet-talker? It's not good for Steve's health. Nor his libido.

"I wanna do everything to you like this," his hands lock around his waist, his thumbs and index fingers meeting easily around his entire body. Holding him easily in both hands.

Ah, fuck.

Did this always feel this good? This hot? Being held. Contained. Restrained.

"I wanna do everything to you all the fuckin' time, baby," he growls, nipping his shoulder, then his jaw, "it's no different than normal--"

His teeth sting so sweetly, taking Steve's attention away from the dull pain occupying his entire body to focus on just that. Just the good pain Bucky is sparking through him like lightning. He can hardly think, electrical signals bouncing around nonsensically in his head.

"--it's just a little bit different kinda stuff, y'know," he kisses down his throat, so sensual that Steve can't breathe right, let alone think. "I don't even have to fold you up like a pretzel to make you small like this. I can have you any way I want and still overwhelm you. Take you how you come--take you how I want. I don't have'ta do anything, I don't gotta think, don't gotta breath, and I can hold you up so easy. Gah," Bucky shakes his head like a dog with a new chew toy, intent on tearing it apart, "darlin', I want everything. I wanna fucking lick you until you're writhing. I wanna blow you, my nose shoved up against your lower belly. I wanna spread you open and get you loose as I can on my fingers. I wanna fuck you so deep you don't just feel it in your guts, I wanna see it is your guts. I wanna fuck your face when you're lying on the bed, head hanging off, and see my dick bulging in your throat. I wanna throw you over my shoulder, honey. Take you with me. I wanna fucking eat you, Stevie." His eyes are so heavily lidded and so dark that it's fucking hypnotic.

Steve can't look away.

"C'mon, honey, you gotta let me. Don't be sore at me, dollface. Lemme treat you right. Please?" He blinks those big, grey eyes at him, begging. And--

"Fiiine," Steve tries to sound put out. The look on Bucky's face tells him he isn't successful, and it's the same story for the way his fingers tighten on his body with anticipation. "I guess it's fine. But you gotta hop to it then, soldier. Got it? Little less conversation, a little more action, please."

Thankfully, Bucky's pleased enough about having wittled him down that he doesn't even need to croon out the rest of the (old) modern reference--he's always been a singer at heart. Dreamboat. Dork. He just does as Steve requests, giving him just one long look, trying to decide where to start, probably, before a curling, honey-dripping smile pulls at his lips and he flips him neatly over, practically tossing him, so he can get at his ass, tearing his pants off and ducking between his thighs. His hot, humid breath fuels Steve's sudden awareness of his body and how little it is. He feels like little red riding hood on the precipice of being torn into by the wolf--my, what hot breath you have; my, what big jaws you have; my, what sharp teeth you have...

Steve shivers so hard that he has to scramble to hold onto their sheets, balling his hands into fists. Otherwise, he's going to unravel. He's gotta fucking hold on. Oh, God. Bucky's square, bearded jaw between his cheeks, Bucky's hot, heavy hands spreading him open, Bucky, Bucky, Bucky--he's so big. Steve feels so little.

And he likes it.

He fucking likes it.

If his big bad wolf doesn't tear into him now, he's gonna make him. He'll tell him. He'll demand it. He'll beg. If that's what he wants. He'll beg.

Please.

I hope you enjoyed that teaser 😘

[joeys-babe]

(posting this pic again bc, oh my god)

Someday We’ll Be Together

Chapter 9: Game Dey

___________________________________________

September 12, 2021

it's been two weeks since joe and i made up and attended the team dinner together.

the dinner ended up being a really fun night. joes teammates are really sweet, so are their girls that were super welcoming, the food was great, and joe gave me a tour of the facility when almost everyone had left.

when joe dropped me off back at my parents house i couldn't wipe the smile off my face, there were some flirty moments we had shared and i couldn't get him off my mind.

even the next morning, i walked downstairs for breakfast grinning like an idiot. it didn't go unnoticed by my mom either.

"who's got you smiling like that?" - your mom

"oh nothing.." - you

"joe?" - your mom gave you a knowing smile

"maybe." - you

"how'd last night go?" - your mom

"really.. really good. i didn't want the night to end." - you

"so did you and joe flirt?" - your mom

"a little bit. i don't know it could've been one sided. after everyone was mostly gone joe gave me a tour of the stadium that ended at his locker. it was dark in the locker room and at one point we were just looking at each other. it was so intense i thought we were going to kiss, but ja'marr walked in and turned the lights on. we both awkwardly backed away from each other and just looked at our feet." - you

"definitely doesn't sound one sided!" - your mom

"even if it wasn't.. it was probably just in the moment." - you

you didn't know it of course, but later that day joe had a similar conversation with your mom.

"so how'd last night go?" - your mom smiled when the question made joe blush

"really good. it was an amazing night, i'm really glad i found the courage to ask y/n to be my date." - joe

"so did you try to make any moves?" - your mom

"yeah actually. i'm not the best at flirting but i think y/n noticed my attempts at it. after the tour i gave her of the stadium we were standing at my locker, all the lights were off, and we were just staring at each other. i made a split second decision and was going to kiss her but ja'marr walked in and ruined the moment." - joe

"you were gonna kiss her!?" - your mom

"yes, it was the perfect moment. i was gonna finally tell her how i've felt for years." - joe

"i'm sorry ja'marr ruined the moment."

- your mom

"it's fine, at practice a couple days ago he apologized to me after i told him my plan." - joe

"so, you have a plan b?" - your mom

"i was thinking about asking her to go to my first regular season game, since i'll be playing. it's my first game back from my injury and i really want her to be there. if we win we'll probably have an after party and i can confess there." - joe

"sounds good. i'm so happy you're finally telling her." - your mom

"i am too. i just really hope she feels the same way." - joe

*end of flashback*

a couple days ago, my family went over to the burrow's for dinner. after we were done, joe and i went into the basement and were watching a movie when he asked me to go to his game. i could tell he was nervous about something during the movie and when he asked me the sweetest question it made sense.

"hey so, sundays the first game of the real season. it's home, and my first game back since my injury. i really want you to be there. you don't have to go if you don't want to.. but i'd love if you were there cheering me on." - joe

"i'd love to go joe. i wouldn't miss your first game back for the world." - you

"good. i'll give you your ticket tomorrow, i don't know if my parents are sitting in the stands or the suite but i'm sure they'll do whatever you'd be more comfortable with." - joe

"i think sitting in the stands would be more fun, but you have to promise me one thing." - you

"what's that?" - joe smiled

"you'll dab me up when you come out to stretch." - you

"i can promise that" - joe

the next day joe had given me my ticket, and now today was the day. i woke up extra early today, i wanted to look my best for the game (and joe).

i had washed my face and put my mascara on, wearing leather leggings and joes bengals shirt. my speaker was playing lowly in the back ground, it was kinda sad but i had a playlist to hype me up playing. but, if things went the right way tonight i might be confessing to joe tonight.

a song i really liked came on, and since i was ready for the most part i started dancing along to the song. my back was to the door, using my hairbrush as a microphone.

"any reason why i wasn't invited to the dance party?" - joes deep voice startled you

i jumped as i turned around only to see joe with his arms crossed, leaning against the door frame.

"joe! you can't just walk in my room!" - you

"i knocked! no one answered so i thought i was free to walk in." - joe shrugged

"what do you need" - you sighed

"i actually have a couple things for you" - joe

"what?" - you smiled

joe stood up straight and motioned for me to follow him back into my room, when i did i saw a gift back sitting on my bed.

"what's this for?" - you grinned up at him

"just some gifts, want to show you how much i appreciate you by getting you stuff for the game." - joe

i removed the tissue paper out of the bag only to see a cluster of orange, black, and white.

when i pulled everything out i realized that joe had gotten me his jersey, and not just one either. the orange, black, and white jerseys were all in the bag.

"joe you didn't have to get me all this!" - you smiled at him as you held them to your chest

"yeah i did. you've been supporting me my whole career well my whole life. this is your first bengals game and i really want to make you proud, i want to show you that all the hard work payed off. every time i made you pass with me in the backyard helped me get here, i'm just really excited for you to watch me in the nfl." - joe

"awww, joey. don't make me cry." - you dropped the jerseys on the bed before pulling joe into a hug

"i'm already so proud of you." - you

"thank you. there's more in the bag by the way."

- joe gave a somewhat cocky smirk as he pulled away from you

"you really spoiled me huh?" - you

"yup" - joe grinned

i moved back over to the bag on my bed and looked inside. there was a bengals beanie, a snapback hat, and a tiny box in the corner.

"what's this?" - you picked the box up

"open it" - joe smiled

i returned his smile before opening the box to see a dainty necklace with a "9" charm.

"this is so pretty! you didn't have to do all this joe.." - you

"yeah i did. you've done so much for me, this is just a small thank you." - joe

i walked back over to joe and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"i love everything. thank you so much." - you

"you're welcome, y/n. i knew i wanted to get you a jersey because all you have is my shirt, but i didn't know which jersey color you'd like most.. so i got them all." - joe chuckled

"which one do you think i should wear today??"

- you

"mmm, we're wearing the white jerseys today. wanna match?" - joe laughed

"okay so white jersey, what accessories?" - you

"the necklace of course, i don't think you'll need a hat today." - joe

"i'll put it on right now, can you help me?" - you

joe nodded and i handed the necklace to him. i stood in front of him as he moved my hair to the side and put the necklace around my neck.

"why do they make these clasps so damn small."

- joe grumbled as he struggled to get it clasped

"can you do it?" - you chuckled

"yup.. got it!" - joe moved your hair back in place after he got the necklace on

i turned around to face him and he moved the necklace to where it was perfectly centered.

"it looks really good on you." - joe

"thanks joey" - you

"y/n when are you leaving?!" - your mom stormed into your room

both joe and i's eyes snapped up to my mom, who was now awkwardly standing in the doorway with her jaw slightly dropped.

"sorry.. i didn't mean to interrupt. i didn't know you were here joe.." - your mom

"it's okay, i have to get going anyways. gotta get to the facility." - joe started towards the door

"bye joe. thanks again for everything."

- you smiled

"you're welcome. i'll see you later." - joe winked before walking past your mom and out of the room

"oh. my. god." - your mom mouthed

i licked my lips, recalling everything that just happened.

"what'd he get you? that bag is huge y/n!"

- your mom

"this necklace with his number on it, every color of his jersey, a bengals snapback, and beanie."

- you

"awww isn't that sweet." - your mom smiled

"he put my necklace on for me, i couldn't describe to you the amount of butterflies i had in my stomach mom." - you

"i'd say. you need to hurry up and finish getting ready though, robin and jimmy are already downstairs to go to the game." - your mom

"okay!" - you

when my mom left the room i ran my hand over my face in attempts to wipe the stupid smile off my face as i looked at the gifts laying on my bed.

god joe was the best.

*time skip*

"you excited??" - robin

"oh totally, i'm happy to be here for joes first game back. it's still crazy to me that he's in the nfl." - you

"it's still crazy to me too. he's really excited for you to see him, but a little nervous too. he said he was going to be embarrassed if he lost the first game you saw." - robin

"win or lose im probably gonna tackle him in a hug later." - you chuckled

robin and jimmy exchanged a small smile. what's that about?

"joe came to me a week ago asking what he should get you for your little bengals goodie bag." - robin

"aww how sweet." - you

"that's what i thought too, but he shot down all of my ideas. so i hope you liked everything he got you, because he picked it out all by himself."

- robin

i laughed while thinking about how sweet joes gesture was, he has me wrapped around his finger.

"i love everything. especially the necklace." - you

"necklace? i was only showed the jerseys and hats." - robin

"oh uh, yeah he got me a necklace. it's just a dainty little chain with a nine charm." - you pulled the necklace out from under your jersey

"how adorable. i'll need to make sure to get a picture of you two after the game. oh and we're gonna be sitting near the tunnel, it'll be the bottom row so you can say hi to joe during warmups." - robin

"sounds good" - you looked away and out the window, trying to hide your blush

*time skip*

i followed robin and jimmy to our seats, i received a few weird looks from some fans but i understand why. a strange female was walking around with their quarterback's parents so i could see where they were coming from.

"don't take the fangirls looks to heart. they watch joes every move, and here you are a young beautiful woman that's hanging around his parents. they're gonna be a little suspicious."

- robin

"i'll be okay, they'll find out i'm just a close friend soon. but i have to be honest, i didn't know joe had fangirls." - you laughed

"oh yeah, i foresee the number of them increasing with his return. and honey let's be real, you're more to joe than just a close friend." - robin

"i don't know about that-" - you

"here they're coming out to stretch!" - jimmy

my eyes left robin and shot over to the tunnel exit, watching for the familiar 6'4 stature. i was starting to wonder if joe had forgotten because most of the players were out stretching and i hadn't been approached yet.

"he's probably nervous about the game, i'm sorry that he forgot honey." - robin

"it's okay-" - you get cut off by a familiar voice yelling your name

"y/n!" - joe

my eyes darted around till they landed on joe, just a couple rows of people between us. a huge smile formed on my face as i waved at him, he returned the smile and motioned for me to come down.

i stood up and walked down the stairs to the bottom row before sticking my hand over the edge to connect it with joe's.

"you kept your promise" - you smiled

"of course, i always keep the promises i give you. i also thought a picture of us dabbing each other up would be insanely cool." - joe

"you're mom wants to get a pic of us after the game." - you

"we can do that." - joe nodded, his smile never leaving his face

"don't you have to get going?" - you looked around at the other players already warming up

"i've got a couple minutes. i really appreciate you coming by the way. i was kinda nervous because it's my first game since my injury, but you being here really helps." - joe

"of course, i'm happy to be here! do you like my fit??" - you

"well duh. you look amazing always, but you look extra good in my jersey." - joe

"yeah? i wore my necklace too." - you

"it looks really pretty on you." - joe grinned

"thanks, joey." - you

"burrow!!" - zac

joe sighed as he turned around and saw zac motioning for him.

"i gotta go, i'll see you after though?" - joe

"of course. i hope you win." - you

"thanks, i'll try to win it.. for you." - joe

i looked away to try to hide the blush on my cheeks, but joe laughed.

"see ya later, y/n" - joe

"see ya, burrow." - you smiled to yourself as you watched joe turn around and run to his coach across the field

the game was absolutely electric, everyone was so hyped for joes return and start of his redemption story. when the team ran out i got literal chills, it was insane seeing joe play in the nfl and i can’t put into words how proud of him i am.

*time skip*

four quarters and overtime later, i was jumping up and down when the score ended in 27 - 24. joe had won his first game back!

“i’m so proud of him!” - you yelled to robin over the cheering crowd

“i know you are honey! i am too! wanna go ahead and start going towards the players exit?” - robin

“sure!” - you

i couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as i walked with jimmy and robin to the players exit. we stood near the door, leaning against the wall. i knew it was going to take joe awhile, but i didn’t expect him to text me soon after the players got back to the locker room

i’m gonna shower rq, do my press conference, and head straight out to you guys.

okay sounds good, we’re standing by the exit. don’t feel like you have to rush yourself, you need to celebrate the win joe.

i’m going to, we’re going to our go-to bar to celebrate.

oh okay, so are we still gonna get that picture your mom wants?

yeah, why wouldn’t we? just bc im going out to celebrate doesn’t mean im not gonna go talk to you guys. plus i was hoping you’d go with me.

idk joe, i’m pretty tired.

pleeeeeaaaaaaaase??? i want to celebrate this win with you.

fine.

atta girl. i’ll drive you, i don’t planning on getting drunk so i can drive you home too.

okay, sounds like a plan. i’ll see you in a bit, hit the shower and don’t be late to your conference mr. burrow

goin that way rn, ma’am.

“are you texting joe?” - robin

“yup, he just told me he has to shower and then do his press conference before he’ll be out here.” - you

“glad he told someone” - jimmy sighed

“he wants me to go with him to celebrate with the team. so im going with joe when he leaves, no need for you guys to be my ride.” - you

“oh ok” - robin

*time skip*

“hey guys!” - joe

all three of our heads snapped up in joes direction, we were all kind of dazed while staring at the ground waiting for him.

i tackled him in a hug, and he didn’t seem taken back at all when i jumped on him.

“i’m so proud of you.” - you

“won it for you, y/n” - joe

“you’re gonna do great things this year joe, and all the years after that.” - you

“i hope you’re there for all of them” - joe

“i will be, joey.” - you smiled at him as you moved one of his curls out of his face

after that i moved to the side so he could talk to his parents before robin asked to stand together for a picture.

joe had his arm around my back, his big hand on my shoulder as my hand was pressed onto the middle of his back.

“smile!” - robin

she snapped a few pics before showing them to joe and i.

“you make me look so short.” - you jokingly complained

“you make me look so tall.” - joe retorted

“oh whatever” - you laughed as you shoved his chest

joe and i continued to laugh together till robin and jimmy decided to leave, and joe and i were walking to his car.

“im really glad you’re coming with me. you know i dont like settings like that, but you make it more bearable” - joe opened your door for you before he shoveled to the other side and sat down.

“i’m just the best.” - you joked

“you really are.” - joe looked over at you, his eyes going from your eyes to your lips and back.

you didn’t know it, but he wanted to kiss you so bad. hopefully though, if everything goes right tonight, he’ll be able to do that as much as he wants.

_________________________________

authors note: joes contract extension deserves a new chapter the same day. 😭😭

hope you enjoyed ❤️

[0alanasworld0]

Celebrity Crush (Pablo Gavi x reader) *request

Request: Hii can u do gavi having a crush on actress reader and he reveals it after being asked abot his celeb crush in an interview :) ♡

A/N - I know that this request has been completed before but I've always wanted to write one of these and I think that my take is sufficiently different from the other writer's -> I feel justified in posting it. I hope that makes sense lol

Warnings: none

“The love of your life is gonna be there, eh!” Pedri pokes at his best friend’s shoulder, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Pablo scoffs, one tiktok post on his screen is all it took for his little crush to become the team’s hot gossip. And it’s been a month!

“Are we really still on this?” gavi groans, throwing a hand over his face in an attempt to cover the blush of embarrassment as his teammates cackle around him. The joys of being the youngest (!)

“Hey, it's completely natural to have feelings lik-” 

“No no no no no I can’t deal with this today!” He grabs his bag and stomps out of the locker room, shaking his head with a huff. He would never dare admit this to his friends but my god if you weren’t the most stunning woman he had ever come across. Everything about you just oozed grace and elegance. Your voice was smooth and honeyed, striking eyes and a dazzling smile. You had an aura that just drew people towards you yet a shyness: there’s a little glimpse into how nervous the attention made you but you were still an infectiously positive influence on those around you. It certainly wouldn’t be surprising knowledge to anyone that Pablo had a little crush on you, many did. BUT the idea of you ever getting an idea of those feelings from the internet just made him cringe. He didn’t want to join a roster with those creeps. He didn’t even know you!

It was all an especially sensitive topic to him since you had mentioned being a football fanatic in a recent interview and you did express admiration for a certain La Liga goalkeeper that had him slightly disgruntled. However, when you also mentioned a certain Catalonian team as a favourite, he was shocked to say the least. You spoke very highly of them and it was becoming more and more apparent that you likely knew of him. Were you a fan? Did you just think of him as some stupid kid like everyone else? Have you ever been to one of his games and if so how did he not see you??

“So, you’re pretty new and upcoming so there's an air of mystery around you. I mean, we really don’t have anything on you! For a break-out star, it's a bit weird, don’t you think?” the host says, elbow propped up on the table with her head resting on their hand. 

“Yeah, I get that but suppose I’ve been a bit of a recluse my whole life uh… I don’t know! I’m not always on social media and I haven’t really done many interviews so I guess there never really is much of an opportunity? Even with the press stuff I have done, it’s all been very much focused on the show itself so y’know…” you trail off with a bit of uncertainty, wringing your hands under the table.

“Well, I’m gonna try and change that! We’re gonna treat this kinda like a first date, just a basic get-to-know-you type scenario, you cool with that?” she asks tentatively

“Yeah that sounds pretty good!”

“Okay let's start easy uh… favourite colour?”

“I feel like the range between blue and green is pretty solid, what do you like doing outside of work?”

“I’m kind of a soccer fanatic, actually! I used to be a die-hard football fan but something about soccer just makes it feel so much more energetic y’know?” You nod in agreement, smiling at the shared interest, perking up a bit.

“I have to agree with you on that one. I used to play all the time when I was a little kid and I burned out on it as a teenager but seeing it regain that energy over recent years is something so special!”

“Exactly! I really think we’re meshing here!” you both laugh as you jokingly hold hands over the table.

“Okay okay back to the subject matter, what's your favourite league?”

“The EPL.” you say, mouth twitching as the laugh threatens to break out. The interviewer narrows her eyes and takes her hands back, cocking her head to the side. The silence only makes it harder until both of you burst out into laughter, tearing up a little bit.

“Okay no be real…” the interviewer struggles to get the words out through the giggles. You finally manage to settle down and get the words out.

“Honestly I think that La Liga has really been seeing a revival. I still love the Bundesliga and Serie A but it's been super interesting to see the quality of La Liga go up so dramatically.” The interview nods and hums in interest. She raises her eyebrow with her next question.

“Any favourite players?”

“I can’t say any names for fear of it actually reaching them but the goalkeeping last season was stellar and I think that the Zamora trophy was very well earned.” ducking your head down as a small blush appears on your face. The interviewer smirks but continues.

“Okay fine but you have to have a favourite team?”

“Within La Liga, Barcelona has been super inspiring! It was a pretty tough time losing such consistent and reliable talent especially under those circumstances where they didn’t want to leave but I would have never expected a revival like this!”

“Tell me about it, and to come from such young players too?!”

“Exactly, it’s wonderful to see them be so resourceful given their… situation and it’s clearly working so I’d say that those promotions were very wise decisions on their part!”

…..

The teasing had always been there since the team found out about it but it took an upturn after that interview. Fans were picking up on the idea given the fact that the pair of you were the same age. The edits rolled in much more quickly than what he expected: the sensual  music, the mashups of his and your best moments, the illusion of the pair of you looking at each other. He doesn’t understand how they did it and he’s angry at the fact that he isn’t more offended by people imagining you as a couple. He wasn’t overjoyed by the ones of you and Pedri or a certain Moroccan goalkeeper that you referred to in the interview but nevermind. He couldn’t help but be a little curious about whether you two would be compatible. I mean it wasn’t too outlandish of an idea was it? You’re both young, struggling with fame, passionate, who knows maybe-

“Pablo, I’m begging you: get your head out of the clouds and pull it together!” his agent yells, throwing an empty water bottle in his direction.

“When are you free for a fitting?”

“... Huh?” he breathes out deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes in annoyance. The poor man just needs this one date sorted for the gala, he just wants to go home and yet here they are. All he needs is about a minute of focus.

“Okay if I have to say this one more time, I’m throwing the whole water drum at you.” the boy gulped, eyes widening at the threat, nodding vigorously as he straightened his back. Julian was a lovely guy with the patience of a saint and Pablo was grateful to have him as a publicist but he had his limits.

“Y’know that premiere Robert was going to?”

“Vaguely” Julian raises his eyebrows at that. This show has been on everyone’s lips for a good few months and to add to that, a particular name was frequently attached that would have been very familiar. Nonetheless, he chooses not to press. He just wants to get this all over and done with.

“Right well, some idiot insisted that he needed to do some promotional stuff instead so you’re going… well if you can actually cooperate and help me sort out a fitting date, that is.” he says, eyes narrowed at Gavi. Sighing out when he realises that the message has finally been received.

“Wait wait wait, why can’t pedri go?!” Julian decides that he will, in fact, push.

“Okay, I just told you that you’re going to be able to attend a premiere for the film that the love of your life is leading and you’re asking me why someone else can’t go?” Gavi looks down and plays with his fingers. Julian shakes his head, let's get this over with.

“No, magically no one else is available. Let’s get this fitting done at 10:00pm tomorrow, yeah?” any chances of being flexible are long gone, his patience running very thin. Julian hurries out of the room, holding his hand out to prevent Pablo from saying anything that would prolong the conversation.

“You do realise that this girl literally has no reason to dislike you, right?” Pedri says, looking up from his phone to see Gavi messing around with his tie and rolling his eyes. 

“Apart from the fact that I’m largely advertised as a player with a giant ego and no anger management skills?” Gavi huffs. Sure, your comments on the team were largely positive but you had to have seen some of the famous outbursts.

“Hermano, I can assure you that the way that you play completely overshadows the angry  chihuahua behaviour. If she can’t see that, then she’s not worth your time.” he shrugs. Oh if only it were as simple as that. Pedri may have been right but the fact of the matter was that he wanted you to like him. You were ethereal and the idea of you not liking him made his chest tighten. 

“See! This is what I mean! I doubt she’d have any interest in an ‘angry chihuahua’” Gavi turns around to face his best friend, aggressively air quoting.

“C’mon man, I was only joking.” Pedri gets up to give him a reassuring hug. He can sense that his friend is still extremely nervous so he releases the hug before continuing.

“Look, she seems nice enough and she likes the team. The most you have to worry about is the great wall of Morocco sweeping her off her feet before you.” patting his cheek with a smile. Gavi looks away and huffs again but is unable to hold back the smile. Okay, that was funny. He’d never admit that, though. Thank goodness, he’s married.

“Oy, apparently that Gavi kid is gonna be there!” your ears perk up at your friend’s comment. ‘That Gavi kid’ was a phenomenal footballer and very quickly caught your attention the first time you saw him play live. The guys you’re constantly having to deal with are all the same type with very little motivation or ability to do the simplest of things. The fact that there was someone around your age having the talent, motivation and passion to play for (and help resurrect) one of the most iconic teams in the world as well as his national team was so incredibly attractive to you. His doe-eyes and fluffy, chocolate brown hair definitely helped him out in the looks area as well.

“He seems like a sweet guy, I happen to think we’d get along quite well actually!” your cheeks heat up as a shy smile makes its way onto your face.

“Oh there's no doubt about that! Being swept off your feet by Barca’s golden boy is very on-brand for you! And have you SEEN those edits, wow!” She fans herself jokingly as you throw a pillow at her head.

“Okay that's enough of that. Now I beg you just choose between one of these!” you’re holding up the two dresses you spent ages narrowing down to.

“Girl, you’re going to be the star of the show, those edits will be up and out regardless of whether your dress is cerulean blue or midnight blue.” you roll your eyes as you eye the 2 dresses once more.

“What has gotten into you? You usually have this stuff picked out weeks in advance!”

“I don’t know, just having some doubts is all.”

“Look, I promise that your lover boy is going to be blown away with either of these.”

The taxi ride feels like forever. He’s redone his tie more times than he could count. He’s been keeping a close eye on every rumoured attendee’s social media to try and up his morale but finally, they make it to the venue. It’s all glammed up with lights lining up the red carpet. It leads to the doors which are strictly guarded by 2 burly men in all black. The odd nightclub visit may have felt normal to the poor boy but not this. It's a little too much and just as he thought he had calmed down, the nerves make their unwelcome return and his hands are sweating again.

The second he opens the taxi door, the cameras start flashing and people start yelling his name. Gavi takes the time to thank his driver, passing over a generous tip before slowly exiting. Why do they have to be like this? Why do I have to be like this? He asks himself. The suit that he had made to his form by the finest tailors just days prior suddenly felt too tight. It was some of the most expensive material yet it now felt scratchy and coarse against his skin. It was all suffocating: the noise, the lights, the smell; everything. He rushes down the carpet with his head down, ignoring the requests to smile for the camera. The words were barely intelligible anyway.

The temporarily converted mall is still extremely busy and loud but the lack of paparazzi and yelling was a change he felt very grateful for. The noise is more energetic chatter and less ear-shattering screeches as the walk-in was. He sighs in relief when he sees a familiar face. 

“Ah, Gavira! You made i- what’s wrong?” his teasing smile turns into a look of concern.

“What?! Nothing! Why would you ask that?” he’s rambling, still rattled from the entrance.

“Oh hermano you look like you’re about to cry!” Julian gives him a hug which Pablo gladly accepts. It’s just a lot. He has nothing to ground him or divert his attention like the pitch does. There is probably a reason why Robert is usually the one to go to events like this.

“Look, I know that the entrance was a bit much but I promise you, that was the hard part. Now it's just gonna be a couple interviews, some less chaotic photos, try to talk to some of the actors here… you’ll have fun, okay?” Gavi nods with a semi-enthusiastic smile on his face, it probably looked more like a grimace but nevertheless.

It’s been a big improvement from the first impression and Gavi is enjoying himself. He didn’t have very many photos taken at all and it’s been a relief to see footballers other than himself dotted around. Talking to them, among some of the actors, has given him some reprieve. It isn’t so bad after all.

The first interview isn’t too much of a hassle for him either. He’s used to much less friendly people than this.

“So, it must be pretty crazy to receive such high praise from such a highly coveted actress, huh?”

“I mean, yeah! She didn’t refer to me directly but it’s awesome anyway. I’m glad our team is still inspiring so many people and that SOMEONE understands the approach Xavi is taking!” he manages to get a little chuckle out of the man which releases some tension. He continues.

“No seriously, she’s an insanely beautiful and talented person so it really is an honour to hear it from someone of her calibre.” gavi says with a wistful smile on his face, cheeks heating up at the mere thought of you being aware of his existence. The interviewer smirks but keeps things rolling, that footage was going to be golden.

“On a more personal note, thank you for what you’re doing for Barca and the national team. Absolutely phenomenal coming from someone so young and I can’t begin to describe how excited I am to see how things work out for you in the future.” Well that's very different from what he’s used to hearing from older fans. It warms his heart.

“Thanks man, that seriously means so much to hear!” They give each other a bear hug before he walks off, relaxed and confident. But the second he turns around, it all dissipates. There you are, in all your glory. You’re not even doing anything intentionally model-esque, simply looking down and readjusting your dress as you wait for the journalists and camera crew in front of you to have everything set up. It's a moment he feels guilty for intruding on but you smooth down your dress, smiling as you twirl around in it. He’s mesmerised within seconds of seeing you in person, the photos don’t do you justice. At all. 

He can’t hear what you’re saying and doesn’t dare get any closer but the second you start speaking you have everyone’s attention. He can tell whenever someone is complimenting you as your hands move to cover your cheeks as they heat up. He wonders how you feel about the small crowd gathering around you. Did you ever get as nervous as he did? Was this stressful for you too? He’s brought out of his thoughts as the crowd laughs quietly at a comment you made. Oh and she’s funny too? Of course she is!

Much to his disappointment, Julian is dragging him off to another interview before he could even muster up the courage to go and talk to you, with the crowd beginning to disperse. He stills looks back at you, heart pounding as you make eye contact. He sees you offering a little wave before he loses you among the people. Your smile was breath-taking but smiling directly at him was a whole different story. The rest of the interviews couldn’t last any longer, or at least he felt that way. He just wanted to see you again now, nothing else was on his mind. 

That idea was a lot harder in practice, he learned. You’re right there, swirling your sprite can at the drinks bar, looking up and around every now and then. He’s been dawdling for about ten minutes now, “figuring out what to say.” He looks up every once in a while, you’re playing with your dress again and you still look just as mesmerising. Julian has had enough of the situation, pushing Pablo towards you and walking off before the boy could try to hide behind him.

“Oh my gosh, hi! It’s Pablo, right?” good lord you’re somehow even more gorgeous up close and he doesn’t know what to do with himself. Have you seen that interview? They posted that one clip very quickly and he’s extremely anxious at the idea of you being spammed with the clip. It’s a shame he hadn’t been paying attention to the posts other than his interview clip. Or listened when he saw you being interviewed.

“That's me!” he says, laughing nervously. 

“I’ve honestly been wanting to meet you for so long!” you say with a bright smile on your face, bouncing up and down on your toes with excitement. You can’t resist giving him a hug and he thinks his heart is going to burst out of his chest any time soon. You smell absolutely divine and he’s trying to commit the whole moment to memory. You take his hand and pull him to an area behind all of the giant posters where things are a little quieter.

“I could say the same about you, I mean you’re just…wow!” He’s properly kicking himself. One chance to look cool in front of you and he’s fucked it up.

You’re so caught up in the excitement of talking with Pablo Gavi that you forget the fact that you elicit the very same feelings in him. 

“No, seriously you’re incredible! I usually find defensive tactics more interesting but you are absolutely explosive in midfield! I haven’t seen anyone play quite like that for ages!” you gush. Pablo couldn’t be more grateful that everyone forced him to come here. You liked him! You liked him!

“It's honestly just what I love doing, I suppose the passion builds into the output…” he trails off as you nod enthusiastically, giving him a reassuring smile and eagerly waiting for him to continue. You don’t like eye contact very much but his hazel eyes are truly gorgeous and you can’t bring yourself to look away.

“Hey, enough about me, this is a big day for you! You’re finally getting the recognition you deserve!” he says, gaining a bit of his confidence back and nudging you lightly. You can feel your cheeks heat up. 

“Eh, the me-fest was fun online but holy shit am I tired of it after this!” you laugh together and simultaneously realise that you’re still holding onto each other's hands. It just feels too right to let go.

“Do you hate the noise as much as I do?” you whisper in his ear. He feels a chill run down his spine from your warm breath and goosebumps form immediately. He nods softly, confused and suspicious of the mischievous look in your eyes.

“What’s on your mind, bonita?” he narrows his eyes, squeezing your hands lightly, waiting for you to elaborate.

“There’s a park literally 2 minutes away from here! if we manage to make an escape, we can get away from all the noise, look up at the stars…” you trail off, waiting for his response. He seems to have a permanent smile etched on his face with you but it widens with your idea. He wraps an arm around your shoulder and you begin to weave in and out of the crowd which has begun to disperse a little already. 

The pair of you make it out unscathed, giggling to each other as you look back to make sure you haven’t been caught. He keeps his arm where it is, again it just feels too right. You reach one of the park benches and decide to take your seats. The dim glow of the street lamp above you illuminates your features and he can’t help but stare. Your eyes are focused on the stars, you’re holding out your hand to map out the stars you were familiar with. Your other hand is gripping the bench and he inches his own closer and closer but he has an idea of his own. He doesn’t know how but he’s thankful that his confidence resurfaces once more as he stands up, holding a hand out to you. Your focus returns to him and you cock your head to the side in confusion.

“Dance with me” the idea makes you all giddy inside but you can’t help but tease

“Without music?” He sighs in faux-annoyance as he opens his phone to play a soft tune, propping it up on the blazer he opts to take off. He’s a sight for sore eyes in the crisp, white button-up. He offers his hand to you again but you oblige this time. You squeal slightly as he unexpectedly pulls you towards his body, instinctively placing a hand on his chest while his free hand finds a place on the small of your back. His hazel eyes are so much prettier up close. He simply can’t believe that this is happening. You both fall into a rhythm together as you move to the soft melody. 

“I’m a genius.”

“Of many things” he says with a wistful sigh, smiling softly. 

The butterflies in your tummy grow more and more restless as your faces grow closer together. You can feel his warm breath on your face and you can see the little scars that adorn his face. The hand that rested on his chest slides up towards his face to cup his cheek and his eyes flutter to a close for a second as he relishes the warmth. You’re both breathing heavier, almost panting, even though nothing has happened yet. Your eyes are frantically flickering over each other's features, desperately trying to commit even the most minute detail to memory. Your gaze lingers on his pretty pink lips for a second too long and like that: you’re the first to give in. you pull him towards you, finally capturing his lips in a soft kiss. He tenses for a moment, mind completely blanking as he attempts to process what is happening. Just as quickly, he relaxes and pulls you even closer to him, if that were even possible. The taste of your watermelon flavoured lip gloss was borderline addictive and the softness of his lips had you feeling dizzy. You part slowly and reluctantly for breath, your hands stay in each other's hair as you stare into each other’s eyes.

“Promise you’ll call?” you say as the taxi pulls up at your place. You really have no idea just how infatuated he was with you.

“I swear on my life, bonita. I’ll call the second I get home!” he smiles, pulling you in for the final kiss of the night before you open the car door and leave. Before entering your place, you turn around to give him a wave, smiling widely as he waves back. You kick off your heels and flop onto the couch, a wide smile plastered on your face as you recall the events of the night: he, Pablo Gavi, really liked you.

Pablo tries to close the door quietly behind him, finally returning home after going rogue at the premier with you. The lamp in the corner of the living room flickers on, spooking him as he sees Pedri sitting there, wide awake and waiting. 

“Look, I know I should have called about where I was but I swear I know how to handle myself I just-”

“Yeah yeah whatever, I couldn’t care less about that Gavira. You owe me something.” Pablo is stumped, his tired mind can’t wrap around what his friend is trying to get at.

“An apology? I was trying before I got rudely interru-” Pedri turns the laptop around so the screen is facing his best friend. 

Oh god no, this was all much quicker than anticipated. No words can be heard and the camera quality is rather shaky but the faces are obviously you and him. The camera has captured the moment where you drag him to behind the posters to talk privately, your hands resting in his, and they capture the pair of you walking off back into the crowd together in the middle of the escape. 

Pedri gets up, places the laptop on the table and goes to ruffle Pablo’s hair and then shakes him by the shoulders.

“I told you she was into you! I told you! You’re such an idiot I swear!” Gavi rolls his eyes, mouth twitching as he tries to hold off a smile. He doesn’t want to reveal all the details yet but it was a magical night, to say the least.

“C’mon you have to tell me something!” Gavi looks down as a blush dusts his cheeks.

“She said she wants to see me again,” he says, stretching the back of his neck. Pedri wraps him in a tight hug.

“I’m always right, see?” 

“Whatever!” Gavi retorts with a smile, jogging up to his room. He’s itching to call you. Pedri lets him go in peace, oh he’s going to be relentlessly teasing the poor man in the morning.

Once Pablo reaches his room, he quickly unbuttons the shirt, throwing it to the side before falling onto the bed, sighing in relief as the cool and crisp sheets felt like heaven against his burning hot skin. The effect you had on him clearly hasn’t worn off just yet. He opens his phone and immediately goes to call you. A smile immediately makes its way onto his face as he hears your voice.

“Did you make it home safely?”

“As per instruction, bonita.” he thinks he can hear your smile over the line. Oh this was the start of something beautiful.

I’m sorry this has taken so long, lovelies. I have a lot on my plate and have been feeling a little demotivated but I've been feeling a lot better recently so hopefully I can start posting more often again! I hope you enjoy this one xxx

[what-if-i-just-did]

A M B E R

Guilt & Revenge Masterlist (Amber's story)

Okay so this is the first thing I've written for this OC- I will be using him for the entirety of Whumptober. So, let me introduce you to Amber Ruane!!!! Kinda nervous ngl, it's been a while since I've posted writing here and I haven't written proper whump here in forever.

This is also for @alphabetofwhump's alphabetic whump prompts!!! Apology, Memory, Bawl, Emotion, Reinforcement = A M B E R

Trigger warnings: sobbing, begging, victim blaming, mentions of school bullying, hand whump, multiple whumpers, torture device... tell me if I missed anything!

(Credit for the divider to to @steddiecameraroll-graphics)

“No- please please please please please, please no, please- don’t! Please!” Amber begged fruitlessly as they dragged him to the table with the device. The dreadful device that he couldn’t rip his eyes from. The device that was making him beg desperately and mindlessly, scrambling to be anywhere but here.

The device on the table looked gruesome, and it’s function was undeniably obvious. It wasn't anything Amber had seen the likes of before, and yet he knew exactly what it would do to him. It was made of metal, with a hand-shaped base. On top of that base were small metal restraints, meant to restrain each individual joint in his fingers. Then a type of clamps to go on his nails… attached to a mechanism that would yank them right out of his fingers. Like a goddamn medieval torture device.

Of all the pain Amber had already experienced, he did not want this one added to it. It would be horrible. At least they hadn’t figured out yet how to mess with his teeth- the thought sent an extra shudder down his back. He hoped they never would.

“Please- anything, I’ll do anything, please don’t- please don’t- please!!!” 

His hysterical prattling was ignored.

Eileen and Hugo continued to drag him to the table, fastening his hand as the attempts at begging replaced themselves with little terrified noises. 

“Guys, don’t you think he- “ Paul had started to make an argument on Amber’s behalf as the begging and the sheer terror got to him, but he was quickly cut off by his girlfriend. 

“Shush!”, Mercedes said. “Let them do their thing!”

Amber barely noticed amidst his terror, but he tried to make note of it- if Paul was susceptible to begging, and would even go so far as to try to speak up for him… maybe he could push that, could make Paul help him somehow… but that would have to wait until he wasn’t about to have his goddamn nails ripped out. “Please”, he uttered, brokenly.

“You deserve this”, Hugo said coldly.

“No, I don’t, I don’t, I’m sorry, please, please, no, don’t, I don’t..”

There was a wretched grin on Eileen’s face as she tore out the first nail- his pinky finger’s.

A short, involuntary scream was heard, as Amber almost immediately lost his energy and voice.

“Don’t you remember all the times you pulled on my ponytails, my braids? I asked my parents to cut my hair because of you! I cried when they didn’t let me! This is only fair. You deserve this.”, she said, in an accusing and upset voice.

“You stole my backpack- don’t you remember? All the schoolbooks my parents paid for, my lunch, my own books- gone!!! And guess who got blamed for that? Guess who got told to ‘stand up for myself’, like that’s not what got my bag stolen in the first place? HUH?”, Hugo said. 

Amber recalled the event. He’d eaten the lunch, a pb&j. There was a little note in the box, from his mum. Saying she loved him… He’d burnt it. 

He dropped his head… he did deserve this.

Eileen pulled the next nail and, regardless of deserving or not, the yelp that escaped Amber and the instinct to curl up his hand and cradle it to his chest were still present. He started crying in earnest. Heaving sobs wracked his chest as thick tears fell from his eyes, ruining his face further as the third nail was pulled. “Please!!”, he yelled out. Surely no one could deserve this? It wasn’t as if he’d been a child rapist or a murderer. He’d just been a confused kid taking out his emotions on other kids rather than working through them… he’d gotten better since then, on his own! Right….?

“I- I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry, I’m so sorry- “ It was all Amber could do. All he had left to him. Sorry, over and over, falling on deaf ears- another scream interrupted his prattling apologies. Sobs and shaky breaths, his voice wavering and breaking and growing quickly hoarse as he apologized, over and over and over…

“You broke my glasses!”

“You made me hate myself”

“You ruined my desk”

“You got me expelled”

“You made my mom cry”

“You put gum in my hair!”

Amber bawled and apologized, over and over, as the idea that he deserved the pain was reinforced, until it was the only thing he could think about, the pain clouding everything else. He remembered all the things he was being told, and how he’d felt at the time. Proud, smug, mischievous- like a fucking heartless asshole. Or did someone call him a heartless asshole? Amber didn’t know, his thoughts were in disarray. He thanked his lucky stars they only seemed to have the right hand of this horrible device.

Hours later, he would have noticed that Paul left at some indeterminable point. That Mercedes was still there, watching but not speaking. That it was mostly Hugo telling him all the horrible things he’d done to him, Eileen occasionally adding something. That was only two… two of the four that had found him to exact their revenge. How many more had there been…? How horrible had he made the lives of multiple other people? 

Amber had been left with his hand stuck in the device overnight. When they came back in the morning and released him, Amber protectively cradled his hand to his chest, apprehensively looking at them. He knew the day held nothing more but pain and solitude… but he knew now also that he deserved it. Just like they’d been saying all along. Silently, he sat where he was told.

[historyhermann]

Examining Socially Awkward Anime Characters

Komi uses a finger gun during a scene in Komi Can't Communicate

Recently, there have been more socially awkward anime characters than before, which I've noticed as a casual anime watcher. Curious about it, I decided to check out some of these series and offer my thoughts.

Reprinted from The Geekiary, my History Hermann WordPress blog (it will be published there on Dec. 22) and Wayback Machine. This was the fortieth article I wrote for The Geekiary. This post was originally published on May 21, 2022.

Socially awkward characters have appeared throughout anime. There are even lists of shy, lonely, and socially anxious characters. These characters are either protagonists or have supporting roles. Their social struggles often become a key part of each story.

I will look at over 20 socially awkward anime characters. The characters mentioned in this article are only a sample of a wider phenomenon. Many anime characters are insecure, quiet, don't like being around other people, or keep to themselves. I've only chosen characters in shows that I have watched to date.

This post contains some spoilers for each series I am writing about. With that, let me get started!

Komi Can't Communicate

Tadano (right) tries to introduce Komi (left) to a new friend, Katai

The protagonist of Komi Can't Communicate, Shoko Komi (voiced by Aoi Koga) may be the most well-known socially awkward anime character. She suffers from extreme social anxiety and struggles to communicate. She often writes what she is thinking in a notebook.

This clashes with the fact that since she is stoic and very attractive, she remains very popular. She has been a big reason why the anime has garnered a huge fanbase. There are over 170,000 followers across three subreddits related to the series or the original manga. In the series itself, she can speak somewhat awkwardly when talking on the phone.

Through the anime she has a goal to have over 100 friends by high school graduation. She is getting closer to reaching that goal. Her first friend is a fellow protagonist named Hitohito Tadano (voiced by Gakuto Kajiwara). He often helps her communicate with others.

The series does an excellent job of showing her anxiety, through her behaviors and emotions, noting how others around her perceive them. Komi is openly described as socially anxious. As the narrator says from time to time, "When a person has extreme social anxiety, they struggle to communicate with others. Bear in mind, they only struggle to form connections, it doesn't mean they don't want to." That's something which rings true.

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai

Raido (left) and Reina (right) rapping together in an attempt to communicate with one another better.

This romantic comedy centers on Raidō (voiced by Takuma Terashima) who has trouble making friends. He attempts to talk to his classmate, Reina Aharen (voiced by Inori Minase), but believes that she is ignoring him. He later comes to the realization that his fellow classmates had pushed her away. They thought she was timid, clingy, and awkward. In an attempt to bridge the gap, he tries to make Reina be more social and become her friend by any means necessary.

Raidō and Reina are different than Komi. Neither has social anxiety. Instead, Reina speaks softly and Raido's face is naturally unfriendly. She has trouble telling if she enters someone's personal space. As the anime goes forward, they become better friends. They meet other nervous characters like Mitsuki Oshiro (voiced by M・A・O), a nervous girl and childhood friend of Reina who has a crush on her.

Later, Raidō and Reina try and communicate better by rapping. To hammer the point home, Reina rides on fidget spinners in the ED. They have been purported to calm down those with ADHD or autism, even though experts reject those claims. At one point, Reina becomes obsessed, trying to perform tricks and causing little kids to become jealous.

Raidō often struggles to beat Reina in any game and continues to have misconceptions about her. This goes as far as thinking Reina is a delinquent. Although I haven't read the original manga by Asato Mizu, it likely has similar themes. Her other manga, Denkigai no Honya-san, also features a shy character and may focus on social awkwardness as well.

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War

This ongoing anime is a combination of romantic comedy, slice-of-life, and psychological fiction. It features an introverted, inward-looking protagonist: Yu Ishigami (voiced by Ryōta Suzuki). He has a dark-haired emoish haircut with bangs covering one eye. He is often in his own world. Even so, he keenly observes people. Still, his words clash with those on the Student Council, when he points out inconvenient or uncomfortable facts.

Yu remains afraid that Kaguka will murder him. She sometimes threatens him through her looks or comments, especially related to her crush, student president Miyuki Shirogane. Additionally, Chika, sometimes beats him up when he says inappropriate things.

Due to his sense of observation, he is one of the anime's smartest characters. He has extra skills with using numbers as the Student Council treasurer. His taciturn behavior, negative thoughts, and lack of presence, as the manga's author described him, are only part of him. It does not prevent him from going on dates or developing feelings for other students. He fits right into the student council as Kaguka is hypersensitive, Shirogane is not skilled with ordinary things, and Chika is prideful.

By the show's third, and current, season, his bangs no longer cover his eyes. It might be a sign that he is surer of himself and not as brooding and inward looking. After all, Amethyst in Steven Universe went from having her bangs cover one of her eyes to having both eyes uncovered as she gained more confidence by the final season.

In fact, in the most recent episode of Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, he took the initiative. He was less socially awkward than in the past, even though this annoyed the others in the festival planning committee. He used his expertise to shoot down their ideas.

In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki

Rindou nervously introduces herself to the village

The sixth episode of this ongoing comedy series, based on the manga of the same name by Sōichirō Yamamoto, introduced Rindou (voiced by Konomi Kohara). Despite prodding of those around her, she refuses to remove her mask, saying she's ashamed of her cute face. She will be a recurring character in this anime and may have a bigger role in later episodes.

Her characteristics align with others who are socially awkward. She doesn't know how to talk to the girls in the village and comes from a village populated only by men. This makes her like the technowizard princess, Entrapta, who is sweet and autistic. She also wears a mask to hide herself from others, to be within her personal world.

You could argue that Rindou, like Entrapta, is masking herself, in that she is hiding her possible autism to fit in at the risk of burnout or extreme stress. It is something which much of the art created by neurotypical people responds to. It connects with the idea that disabilities are people's superheroes. This idea could be liberating to some, but ultimately is limiting.

In the seventh episode, Rindou practices taking off her mask, wanting to fit in more. While some of the girls plot to have her remove her mask, Tsubaki reassures her, telling her that she should do it at her own pace and not force it. After the scheme by the girls is fooled, she takes off the mask and reveals her face. She is later shown with the mask, which came from the head of her previous village, on the side of her head. She tries to get closer to those in the town, even while Sazanka is jealous of how close Tsubaki and Rindou are getting.

Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club

Rina hiding her face with her notebook

This music series, part of the Love Live! franchise focused on music idols, tends to have more extroverted and few socially awkward characters. One exception is shy library reader Hanamaru Kunikida in Love Live! Sunshine!! who is a gregarious introvert. More pronounced is Rina Tennoji (voiced by Chiemi Tanaka) in the ongoing series, Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, who often is too shy to show her face and covers it with a small notebook with face expressions.

This goes one step further: she wears a small monitor in front of her face and cat-eared headphones during live shows. She has a developed knowledge from taking information processing courses. Occasionally she reveals her face to people, but only in specific instances. Unsurprisingly, she's described as a "face-hiding type school idol".

Hiding the face is a form of masking. It can refer to someone changing their personality to conform to harassment, abuse, or social pressures, including hiding signs of autism. In the case of Rina, she is doing a bit of the latter, as a person who is somewhat socially awkward. Komi also hides her face partially with her notebook. So, it is not unique to Rina.

In some ways, Rina is like the masked samurai in Fena: Pirate Princess, Yukimaru Sanada. He's introverted but leads a group of samurai who ties to keep the series protagonist, Fena, safe from any harm. Unlike Rina, he does not sing. Predictably, he falls in love with Fena, and confesses his love for her in the final episode.

Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu

Hitori struggles to introduce herself to her homeroom class in the first episode

This 2019 slice-of-life comedy centers around a girl named Bocchi Hitori (voiced by Chisaki Morishita). She has social anxiety and struggles with talking to others. After Kai ends their friendship, she decides to make friends with everyone in her class. But she has one problem: every time she gets excited, she passes out. This is compounded by her struggle to communicate (like Komi)!

She isn't alone in this. One of her classmates, Ito Kuri (voiced by Honoka Kuroki), who is a student librarian, is also shy. She gets her first friend by accident, Nako Sunao (voiced by Minami Tanaka) when they share an umbrella after school.

As the anime goes forward, Bocchi gains more friends, and becomes more confident in herself. She becomes friends with a supposed "loser" (Aru Honshō), a person who thinks they a ninja (Sotoka Rakita), and a lover of sweets (Peko Onaka). She also becomes friendly with a kid who comes from a wealthy family (Mayo Ojōsa), and many others.

She encounters a stumbling block in Kako Kurai (voiced by Kana Ichinose). Kako has a personal policy against becoming friends as she wants to be strong by herself. She slowly comes around to Bocchi by the anime's end. Over the course of the anime, Bocchi learns more about herself and what it means to make friends. It's a good anime for those who are socially awkward or struggle to keep friendships.

Mitsuboshi Colors

Yui, one of the protagonists of Mitsuboshi Colors, acting nervously

Since the manga's author, Katsuwo, also wrote Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, its no surprise that this 2018 slice-of-life comedy anime has similar themes. The main character, Yui Akamatsu (voiced by Yuki Takada) is extremely shy. Even so, she leads a group of three girls in elementary school, including herself, Saki Kise (Sat-chan), and Kotoha Aoyama, called the "Colors." They work together to protect the peace in the town, performing errands and deeds. A pandalike cat they name "Colonel Monochrome" often goes with them.

Despite being shy, she is the most level-headed of the three protagonists as they go on their adventures. She sometimes utters her catchphrase, "Trigonometric functions!" This earns her the respect of Saito, a local police officer. He sees her as the most reasonable of the Colors. Even so, she often goes along with the schemes of Sat-chan and Kotoha.

Unlike other characters in this post, Yui is only shy. She isn't socially anxious. During her adventures, she can easily converse with people in town. Her shyness is like Aoi Futaba in Princess Connect! Re:Dive. She is diametrically different from Fafnir in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. Fafnir is a dragon who acts cold toward others, is disdainful, and distrusts humans.

Although she often wears a star on her shirt, similar to Steven Universe, she isn't autistic coded like him. That's because she doesn't always have as much self-confidence. She also doesn't experience any traumatic like Steven. Despite this, both share one characteristic: living relatively care-free lives. This is more of the case for Yui than for Steven.

Märchen Mädchen

Hazuki nervous after receiving the book which allows her to enter the alternate world

In some ways, Hazuki Kagimura (voiced by Tomori Kusunoki) is like Bocchi or Yui. She is socially inept and shy. As such, she has very few friends or anyone she loves. Not surprisingly, she immerses herself in her imagination and story books, which she calls "Story Syndrome," as a big fan of fantasies.

One day, she follows a figure to a mysterious library and arrives in another world. She enrolls in a magic academy so she can become a mage (a madchen)! Although she puts this on hold for a time, she later comes back.

Despite her clear social awkwardness, a book chooses her. She becomes a friend of Shizuka Tsuchimikado, with her attraction to Shizuka growing throughout the anime. By the series end, both are either on the road to a relationship or in a relationship.

Significantly, Hazuki writes her own story. She gains her own special powers, deciding her own destiny. These powers include the ability to create a castle, a servant, change feelings of someone, or even make any wish come true.

She is not alone as a socially awkward character. Mai Sadohora (voiced by Hiyori Nitta) is shy, but dislikes malice. She knows karate and self-defense through the martial arts. There is some fan service in this anime and other issues, like occasional partial nudity of the protagonist. It is something which would require a longer review to dive deeper into the series.

In certain ways, she might share some characteristics with Kana Nakamachi. The latter character is a soft-spoken shy girl, who is often frightened, and protagonist of Kanamemo, a slice-of-life yuri comedy. Unlike Kana, she is older and has more friends.

Asobi Asobase

The Student Council president rejects the typical inappropriate antics of the Pastimers Club

This 2018 surreal comedy is bizarre and made me laugh a lot at its often-absurd antics. In this milieu is one character only named "Student Council President" (voiced by Honoka Inoue). Embodying the stereotype of a shy girl with glasses, she is often quiet. She only got the position after a speech by the beauty-obsessed Vice President appeared to be threatening.

Furthermore, she tries to limit the generally irresponsible Pastimers Club, comprised of the show's three protagonists, Hanako Honda, Olivia and Kasumi Nomura. She vacillates between wanting to be friends with them and trying to undermine the club. At times, she can appear to be terrifying or condescending when she is trying to act compassionately.

The Student Council President is not socially awkward like characters in recent Western animations like Inside Job, The Owl House, Cleopatra in Space, Steven Universe, or She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Nor does she have a gentle or cool personality like characters in A Centaur's Life. Instead, she shares some characteristics with Hougetsu Shimamura in Adachi and Shimamura, who thinks socializing is troublesome. However, she doesn't focus on taking care of other people and her personality isn't as innocent.

Her character is right at home in this anime. There are characters who are childish, pretend to be something they aren't, shoot laser beams out of their butt, love the occult, and are otakus.

YuruYuri

Rise leans against her senpai, Nana

This slice-of-life yuri comedy, the title which literally translates to "Easygoing Yuri", which ran from 2011-2012, 2015, ended far too soon. One socially awkward character stands out: Rise Matsumoto (voiced by Saori Gotō). Even as the head of the student council, she has very little presence. She speaks so softly that only one person can understand her: Nana Nishigaki (voiced by Ryoko Shiraishi), a teacher at the middle school. As a result, she has become the "explosive friend" of Nana, as she suffers from Nana's explosions.

Nana, who is more outgoing, is like Professor Farnsworth in Futurama or Heinz Doofenshmirtz in Phineas & Ferb. In another, she is akin to Raido in Aharen-san wa Hakarenai in that she can understand what Aharen-san is saying, even when others can't. The camaraderie that Nana and Rise have together is one of the best parts of the show.

She has no zany catchphrases or wild actions like Peridot in Steven Universe, a character often interpreted as autistic. The former is directly the case for the show's protagonist, Akari Akaza. Supposedly the main protagonist, Akari has a lack of presence unlike other characters, who comedically tease her about it.

Rise and Akari are joined by uptight and tsundere (Ayano Sugiura) or cold and distant (Chizuru Ikeda) characters. Akari nor Rise is non-talkative, making them different than the Demon Lord in The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!, to give an example.

Akebi's Sailor Uniform

Akebi (left) and Minoru (right) people watching and taking notes

This recently ended slice-of-life series, with some yuri undertones, centers around Komichi Akebi (voiced by Manatsu Murakami). She attends school in sailor attire. However, the dress code of Roubai Girls' Academy, an all-girls private school, has people wear blazers instead. In the process, she stands out. Even so, she makes new friends with her bubbly personality, including some socially awkward characters.

This includes an inquisitive girl named Minoru Okuma (voiced by Konomi Kohara) who does not like to socialize. Instead, she prefers to observe other people and take notes, hoping she can use it someday. She enjoys taking notes about animal life. Then there's Tomono Kojou (voiced by Shion Wakayama) who is quiet, shy, and a bookworm. Not surprisingly, she spends a lot of time in the library as a member of the literature club at Roubai Girls' Academy.

They are joined by Ayumi Tougeguchi (voiced by Shiori Mikami), a loner and roommate of Okuma. She suffers from anxiety so severe she has to take medication. In the latter, Akebi even aids her. Despite all this, she is a member of the school's table tennis club.

Okuma, Kojou, and Tougeguchi fit in with other students who either sleep a lot, are self-conscious, or are stoic. Although I have gripes with problematic fan service in this series, this series is mostly wholesome. These characters are part of that.

Azumanga Daioh

Sakaki struggles to talk about cats to her fellow classmates

This classic 2002 slice-of-life and surreal comedy has a host of socially awkward characters. Most prominent is the tall and soft-spoken girl, Sakaki (voiced by Yū Asakawa), who is uncomfortable with herself. This shyness manifests itself in her seldom speaking. Her reticence to say words is seen as cool or mysterious, even though it isn't. This contrasts with her love of cute things, like cats and cat-related paraphernalia. Sometimes she shakes when nervous, like Komi, although not as uncontrollably.

Her expressions are often misinterpreted. For instance, Kagura tries to "protect" her from cats which bite her on her hand. In fact, she only wants to pet cats on their heads. As such, she is similar to Fumi Manjōme in the coming-of-age yuri anime Sweet Blue Flowers or Sue Mitama in the slice-of-life supernatural comedy anime, A Centaur's Life.

Azumanga Daioh gained a significant following due its majority female cast. No one objectifies or demeans any other character. The series also has a queer audience because Kaorin has a huge crush on Sakaki.

Apart from Sakaki there is Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga. On the surface she might as an easily distracted and slow girl. Her mind functions differently from other people. The child prodigy, Chiyo Mihama, recognizes this. She is as smart as another socially awkward character, Chloe in We Bare Bears. There's also the awkward and strange ephebophilic teacher, Kimura, which some call pedophilic. Others say he could be a parody of the magazine that the manga, which the series is based on, ran in.

Closing thoughts

There are many other examples of shy and socially awkward anime characters. Take for example Belphegor in As Miss Beelzebub Likes, Yui Yamada in Kase-San, and Sumi Sakurasawa in Rent-A-Girlfriend. Additionally, Ian Stuart in My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, and two characters in Strawberry Panic!, Hikari Konohana and Kagome Byakudan, are shy, timid, and socially awkward.

Even so, some argued that autism awareness in Japan is lagging, with no series having  an autistic protagonist. Unlike Western TV series, none of these characters are portrayed at "cartoonish extremes" or have their social awkwardness as a "superpower".

There are many more socially awkward characters in Western animation. There's a character in the upcoming Dead End: Paranormal Park. All the Steven Universe characters were described as neurodivergent by series creator Rebecca Sugar. But that's a discussion for another day.

© 2022-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[nellie-elizabeth]

Writing Patterns

Rules: Share the opening of your last ten published works or as many as you are able to see if there are any patterns!

I was tagged by @ajna-eye-cogitations, thank you!!

[A note that when I picked the last 10 published, I skipped over all my short one-shot collection fics that I've been posting for years now, since those are cases where each chapter is its own individual story. So I just stuck to stuff outside of that!]

where the real road lies

Grief doesn’t feel like anything. Or— well, it feels like a lot of things, but nothing you can pin down. Maybe it’s one of those human experiences that can only be talked about in metaphor. Like, it feels as if my heart’s being ripped out of my chest, or it feels as if someone’s scooped me out, left me hollow, plunged my very soul into darkness. It feels as if, as if, as if.

(can't) get back again

It’s not a decision either of them is actually making. That’s what Michael tells himself when it happens for the first time, that he didn’t decide and Alex didn’t decide and in fact fighting the inevitability of it would only be adding more pain into a world already saturated with suffering.

small town halloween night

Maria gets home before Rosa, on Halloween night. They’d both picked up shifts for their parents, Maria at the bar and Rosa at the diner. It’s not the worst shift Maria’s ever worked, but she can’t help but feel a little melancholy on her drive home. A whole night of watching people her age, people she went to school with, cluster together with their friends, doing cheap shots... A year ago, that had been her. A year ago, dressed up with her skin out, doing shots in her friends’ kitchen, laughing at the movies and getting rice in her hair.

tell me that we belong together

September 2011 Michael always gets a little nostalgic about Roswell right before leaving it behind for a while. School’s starting in just a couple days, and that means saying a temporary goodbye to mornings like this one, lounging in their favorite booth at the Crashdown, the sounds of Arturo making their breakfasts carrying through from the kitchen, jukebox playing some song Michael only recognizes because he’s heard it playing in this very diner countless times over the years. They have their local haunts in Albuquerque by now, but he’ll always be a hometown boy at heart, and for better or worse, this is his hometown.

a work of fine art

Quentin Coldwater has fuzzy arms. It’s one of the first things Eliot notices about him as his volunteer life model settles down on the couch, crossing said arms across his chest in a nervous, nearly defensive move. It’s like he’s trying to fold his body into an origami box so all the outside parts will be on the inside, safe from Eliot’s eyes. But looking at the man in front of him is rather the point, so Eliot looks his fill, careful to catalogue every detail, despite how he can practically feel the waves of energy coming off of Quentin’s body, the frozen full-body cringe as he attempts to deflect the attention. Eliot indulges in it, keeping his face carefully neutral instead of giving in to the smile building up inside of him at the rather lovely display. Squirmy, awkward, cute naked boy, and Eliot gets to stare at him for a full uninterrupted evening. It must be his birthday.

tales from a bookshop

The bookshop has always been something of a sacred space for Crowley. Scratch that— not sacred, certainly not sacred, who the hell said sacred, honestly. And no more is it Hell’s cosmic opposite, profane, it’s only that— well, blast it, it’s only that A.Z. Fell & Co. booksellers has always been an important place for Crowley. Significant. Precious, maybe, though even the taste of such a word makes him want to scream profanities at someone who doesn’t deserve it, just to get the tickle out the back of his throat.

Shelter

The first thing Quentin did most mornings was locate the most excitable, energy-filled dog he could find in the kennels, and take the little terror out for a brisk, damp jog. Damp, because the Seattle air always seemed to be damp no matter the temperature. Brisk, because Quentin was not a jogger and a solid twenty minutes was usually as much as the lucky canine in question was likely to get out of him. He did this because he was usually the first person to arrive at work and he didn’t feel like making awkward chit chat with the night shift people, and also because it seemed a kindness: by the time his bosses Margo and Fen had shown up after their leisurely morning coffee routine, the most excitable of their furry residents had already had some of their energy burned away by Quentin’s efforts.

under the desert sky

Beyond basic necessities, the items Alex brings with him on their trek to the Grand Canyon are a fully stocked iPod, car charger, and a stitch-bound notebook slipped into the front pocket of his backpack. Michael brings his restored Nikon FM 35mm and six rolls of film.

the lengths that i would go to

Summer 2010 It’s early, so early that the sun isn’t up, the air around him still and quiet. Alex is awake, and for a second he doesn’t quite know why. His body is conditioned to wake early each morning, but this is something different. There’s a strange awareness, where paranoia meets familiarity. Alex knows, as consciousness filters into his brain, that there’s someone else in the room with him. He also knows, without having to open his eyes, that there is no threat, because it’s Michael. The bed shifts, and Alex blinks into the dim light, looking down to see Michael crawling up the bed towards him.

it might change my memory

June 2022 It’s Bonnie, of all people, who calms everybody down. Not Isobel with her power to mentally soothe, or Dallas with his preacher training and inviting sensibility. Not Liz with her practical, scientific mindset, or Michael, the one person in this room who theoretically has all the pieces of the puzzle and actually has a chance of knowing what the fuck is going on. It’s Bonnie who cuts through the excited, confused, unintelligible babble and says, quite loudly for such a small woman: “Okay! Seems like we have a situation! Everyone should sit down. I’ll make tea.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow, okay, this was really interesting to see! It looks like a very common approach for me is "short, catchy sentence" followed by longer paragraph expounding on it. Like -- "Grief doesn’t feel like anything." or "The bookshop has always been something of a sacred space for Crowley." or "Quentin Coldwater has fuzzy arms." This is true across all the fandoms I write in!

It's crazy that only one of these ten examples has any dialogue in it at all, because I tend to think my dialogue skills are really sharp! I should start more stories off with it lol.

Tagging whoever writes and wants to participate! @portraitofemmy, @prettyboysdontlookatexplosions, @awildwickedslip, @spiders-hth-is-an-outlier, @r-dtoblack

[deepspacedukat]

Coitarche

I wish to issue a very sincere apology. I know that I had Elnor (ST:PIC) listed for this prompt, but I have been trying for several days, and I just can't seem to capture his voice. (Usually my fics are late because I'm rly bad at time management, but today, it's because he is Incredibly Difficult™ for me to write.) I know there are often small typos in my works despite my attempts to edit them out, but typos are one thing. Low-quality, shitty work is another beast entirely. I always go back and re-edit my works for typos/quick fixes, but I cannot in good conscience allow myself to put out work that makes me cringe as much as my attempts at writing Elnor have. I want to do right by you all, and as it stands currently, I refuse to curse your eyes with my horrendous failed attempts.

That being said: today's fic will feature my Romulan OC, Major Denak (mentioned in "Praetor's Pride" chapter 3). This fic is a side commentary to "Praetor's Pride," but you don't need to have read that first to understand this little drabble. I will, once I have had more time to find Elnor's voice in my writing, release a sort of "make-up fic" about him. I don't like not being able to deliver on something when I've given my word that I will. It probably won't come out until after the SoC challenge is over, but Elnor fans, I will learn your man's voice if I have to listen to clips of him for hours on end!

For anyone who is curious, "coitarche" is defined here. Anyway, enjoy!

Day 29: Loss Of Virginity

SoC prompt list here. SoC Masterlist here. Cross-posted to AO3 here.

~*~

Denak (OC) x Unnamed Romulan OFC, mention of Hiren (ST:Nemesis) x Reader (from "Praetor's Pride")

[A/N: This is smut, so 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI!!!]

Warnings: Mild angst, lost love, arranged marriages, sexual memories, sexual dreams, loss of virginity, mention of masturbation, woman on top, biting.

(Picrew used to make ^this^ can be found here.)

~*~

"Why are you alone after all this time, Major Denak?" The calm, curious voice of Praetor Hiren called out from the balcony railing, and the man in question lifted an eyebrow.

"Sir?" Denak was far from the only guard on duty tonight, but when the Praetor took his nightly walk around the grounds, he preferred that he only have one guard with him. The palace was safe enough, he claimed, and he didn't enjoy feeling as though he was a child who required a large escort even in his own home.

"I have seen many of my guards with their partners, or I've at minimum heard them discussing their various conquests, but you..." Hiren trailed off, pausing as he turned to face the youngest member of his Rei’karansu. "Have you no romantic prospects?"

Denak knew precisely why Hiren was so curious. The pretty Federation Ambassador whom the Praetor had been chatting with tonight had put him in a good mood - a better one than he'd been in since his official appointment.

"None at present, my lord Praetor." The older man seemed disappointed, so, not wishing to sour his mood, Denak allowed a memory to tug at him. "However, there was someone several years ago."

The guard noted a small smile upon the other man's lips, and he continued.

"She was the first woman I ever truly loved. I dare not reveal her identity, though. She is a nobleman's wife, now, and I doubt she would appreciate her name being associated with that of a mere guard," he murmured taking a few steps closer to the Praetor's position and gazing out across the palace gardens. "She was sweet...just as inexperienced and nervous as I was."

Denak could recall every moment he'd spent with her in perfect detail. She'd been carved into his heart as deeply as only a first love ever could. They'd both been so overcome by their passions that despite the awkwardness that was invariably present in a first sexual encounter, both Denak and his lover had overcome their nerves and enjoyed themselves immensely.

"Ah, young love. There is nothing else quite like it in this universe," Hiren muttered as he leaned against the railing. "Were you together long?"

The Major let out a quiet, wistful sigh.

"Five years. Longer than I deserved, but...not nearly long enough," he stated, trying not to sound too much like he was pouting. "Her family arranged her betrothal, and she was forced to break off our relationship. From what I understand, her husband treats her well, but...I can't help but wonder what might have happened if...well..."

He couldn't put into words the thoughts he'd mulled over so often in the dark solitude of his empty bed over the years.

What if she'd chosen to ignore her family's wishes? What if she'd chosen him instead? What if Denak had been her husband instead of that stuffy dignitary?

He knew it was no use dwelling on hypothetical situations, but he still had moments where he couldn't control that nagging little voice in his head.

As the years passed, his feelings for her had dimmed, as was expected, but there were still lonely nights in which his dreams featured the ghost of her lips on his neck and awoke with the sensation of her fingers gripping his shoulders as she rode him. He'd take his length in hand and allow the memories to burn through him until he spilled over his stomach.

Denak still remembered the adoration in her eyes when he brought her to orgasm for the first time. She'd been his first in every respect, just as he had been hers. Elements, she was the reason he knew he enjoyed having his ears bitten!

"I have been with others since her, but none to whom I've formed a serious connection," the Major said, and Hiren nodded his head.

"I know what you mean. I've had a few encounters since my wife passed, but all of them were casual. We all need release, but...being open with someone...being truly committed after a love like that...it's difficult," the Praetor commiserated before turning to look at his guard. "I suppose we're both waiting for the one who will pick up the pieces, aren't we?"

"Yes, my lord Praetor," Denak replied dutifully, but given the sparkle in the older man's eyes, he suspected that one of them had already found what he was looking for.

~*~*~

Taglist:

@akamitrani @android-boyfriends @attention-bajoranworkers @bigblissandlove1 @darkmattervibes @emilie786 @horta-in-charge @live-logs-and-proper @slutty-slutty-vulcans @starrynightgardens @toebeans-mcgee

[piedoesnotequalpi]

Multiples of 6 for the writing thing!

Howdy <3

(Weird writing questions!)

6. What is your darkest fear about writing?

There are two: one, I don't want to put too much of real life into my writing and lose friends over it again (...long story); two, that I'll be unable to finish a WIP that I've already started posting.

12. If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don’t make the rules.

Improved ability to develop the middle sections of longer plots

More energy to write after work

Magic formula for tweaking my fics enough that more irl people (like my family) can read what I write without noticing it's all Newsies fanfiction

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end.

I already answered this one, but it's okay because I'm insufferable and can do another passage! Since I've converted you to the CrutchieAlbert camp ( >:) ), I'll do the Albert-trying-to-flirt passage from chapter 7 of How It Will Be.

Again, this is a longer passage, so it goes from "How'd you get into climbing?" Albert asked suddenly to He winked.

I knew Albert and Charlie needed to kiss/admit their feelings this chapter (and had planned for that to be the case), partially because they were reaching a tipping point in terms of being able to hide it and partially so the story would make sense. The problem was, I needed one of them to make a somewhat ambiguous move (they're both very nervous) that would push the other to wonder if they were being flirted with and then make a more unambiguous move as a result. I remembered that in an earlier chapter, Charlie had suggested to Albert that a good beginner flirting method was to just ask the other person about their interests, so I decided Albert would try to actually put that into practice.

If I remember correctly, I had the idea for Charlie and Jack to have their very euphemistic conversation before I had the idea for this scene, so to provide a bridge from Albert's flirting attempt to that conversation, I had Charlie notice what was going on and also timed the conversation so Albert would be pulled for a date right after it (since the date had been set to happen for quite a while), which gave Charlie an opportunity to talk to Jack without Albert around but also stressed him out enough that he was willing to have that conversation in the first place - the show and what it could lead to was starting to feel a little too real at that point. So yeah! Their confession of feelings was more complicated to write in some ways, since neither Charlie nor Albert knew for sure that the other was queer before they kissed, but that made writing their interactions really interesting.

24. How much prep work do you put into your stories? What does that look like for you? Do you enjoy this part or do you just want to get on with it?

If it's a longer story/more complicated AU I'll usually have to figure out all the characters' roles, AU-specific traits, etc. as well as the overarching plot, and then I need to get at least some idea of what happens in each chapter/when key plot points take place. That can be fun, but it's frustrating when I'm trying to write and realize I need to plot out the chapter in detail before I can keep going. Writing longer stories was a weakness of mine for a very long time (and still is), so I have to do more detailed plotting than some of the other writers I know.

30. Talk to me about the role dreams play in your writing life. Have you ever used material from your dreams in your writing? Have you ever written in a dream? Did you remember it when you woke up?

I don't think they really play a role! I don't remember most of my dreams, though I do remember last night's dream (my coworkers showed up to move my stuff to my new apartment and I was Not ready at all).

36. They say to Write What You Know. Setting aside for a moment the fact that this is terrible advice…what do you Know?

So much random stuff: Juggling, the ins and outs of college organizations and their leadership/admin interactions, rock climbing, various other outdoorsy sports, the ins and outs of moving companies, an unfortunate amount about customer service for online retailers...the list goes on and on because I apparently need to learn something about everything.

I've written fics that feature most of these topics, oops

[inklver]

just because i feel like it:

some random thoughts about the art i made for ironstrange week + the very rough thumbnails for each piece (putting this under the read more so this doesn't take up too much space bc this is a Very long post)

day 1 - red/wrath

first fanart for this fandom! there are a few things i don't like about this piece (questionable anatomy, use of values could be improved, + stephen's hair makes him look like a wet cat /hj) but i do like the lighting and the theme of red spider lilies. i've always wanted to draw them and i love their symbolism of death and final goodbyes—feels very fitting for these goofs :b

i started working on this a good amount of time in advance, and i'm glad i did—this was one of the only pieces i used a painterly style for despite it being my preferred style; it takes me a lot longer than lineart + color, so i didn't get the chance to use it again throughout the event (with the exception of day 6)

day 2 - nervous/orange

i struggled with the anatomy on this one—i don't draw back views often (or, at all really) so the first panel was pure pain. the second panel wasn't much better; it took several attempts to pose the hand in a way that looked somewhat natural. pretty pleased with how this turned out all things considered, though! my only qualm with this is the rushed shading, but that's what happens when you're a slow artist on a time constraint :,)

day 3 - yellow/cheerful

i think this may be one of my favorites from this event. i'm very very happy with the lighting and overall atmosphere of the piece :)

i realize now that i used flowers as a theme for every color prompt—anyways, like i said in the tags of the original post for this, i very loosely referenced yellow primrose (symbol of happiness, warmth, & love, conventionally given to those in long-term relationships or someone who has always been there for you through thick and thin)

day 4 - intrigued/green

i ended up liking this better than i expected to! i had to play around a lot with the lighting/color scheme before i was satisfied with it, though that's on me for not having much of a plan for it beforehand (with most pieces, i already have an idea of the color scheme when i start working on them). not much else to say about this one except surgeon stephen my beloved <3

day 5 - blue/serene

this was the first time i've properly drawn a kiss and holy hell how do ship artists do it. that shit is so difficult. i struggled a lot with the anatomy and ended up changing the poses a bit; i also flipped the composition because 1. it looked slightly better that way and 2. i could include tony's ring <3

and yes stephen's mug says 'cunt' (with the handle being painted in black to form the 'c'—very much inspired by jacksepticeye's mug); for tony's i had to search for funny mug designs lmfao

i was going for a very domestic/warm atmosphere, which i think was more or less accomplished, so i'm pretty happy with this overall :)

also, not really pertinent but i was listening to sweater weather on loop while drawing this so. make of that what you will.

day 6 - grief/indigo

ah, this piece. definitely my favorite of the 7, love how this turned out despite ripping my own heart out a bit while making it :,) listening to hyacinthus on repeat didn't help

my initial idea for this—the thumbnail in the top left—was going to be one of them bleeding out in the other's arms, but i had another idea that i felt more drawn to so i chose that instead (this was a very last minute change so the thumbnail is pretty much just a couple of stick figures pfft).

i decided to go back to the painterly style since it felt more fitting for this & i'm glad i did, although it was a little rushed towards the end when i was adding in the final details (the butterflies are pretty much just lasso tool + glow layer). this was also my first time drawing stephen's robes and. man that was a pain to figure out. get a simpler outfit stephen.

day 7 - purple/disdain

had to end the event on a happy note! this was very rushed but i still like how it looks, though the bg petals are a bit janky.

the prompt 'purple' immediately made me think of violets, which were used as gifts for newlyweds so. here we are (they also happen to be symbolic of faith, mystical awareness, and spiritual passion—pretty fitting for our favorite wizard)

i didn't dedicate as much time i should've to actually making the violets look like violets instead of some generic flower but again, slow artist under time constraint. i did spend a lot of time with the expressions in this one though! i really wanted to convey a sense of pure joy and love, and i'm very happy with the result in that regard :)

something that i noticed was that it had become a lot easier for me to draw these two by this point. suppose it makes sense considering i'd literally been drawing them nonstop for 2 weeks lmao, but it was still pretty cool to see how quickly i managed to finish a sketch i was happy with, compared to when i was working on the first few days (good lord was it difficult drawing stephen in the first piece, especially at that angle)

anyway, prepare to see more of them in the near future because the brainrot is far from over. if i am this attached to them without having seen the majority of marvel movies featuring them (i'd literally only watched ds1 until yesterday when i watched im1—yes i started shipping them without knowing who tony was, i don't know how either), i think i'd be a puddle by the time i catch up on everything :D

whoo that was a lot—if you've read this far, thank you and have a cookie 🍪

[1d1195]

Sam my love I am so glad you’re at a slightly better point! It sucks that you haven’t been feeling well :( I know it’s not easy to just “relax or calm down” but really I am glad that you did take some time for yourself! PLEASE CONTINUE TO DO SO! Don’t feel bad about not posting any new writing too! Honestly if you decided to not post anymore for whatever reason, it’s okay because you're still a person behind the screen. As long as YOU are okay or trying to get there, that is enough! You're never being dramatic, you know your body and feelings! 

Ive had such a busy weekend and I started my summer courses today(monday) which is why i haven't been on here as much :( Weekend was busy since I went thrifting and got some new skirts which I am excited about! And I went to a vintage car show! I love looking at older cars but I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THEM! I just like the vibes lol 

I also have not finished the bear yet, I'm only 4 episodes in 😭 and girl don’t get me started on how i think about the whole claire or sydney thing because I feel like I can make a whole ass dissertation on the bear HAHA especially with this new season I have MANY thoughts lol But I do agree that the first episode was an interesting watch. I think that it was an attempt to give some more backstory especially with Carmy’s training but I think that the transitions from past/present were hard to follow. But the changes were very stuble so it can easily be missed. The way I knew was by looking at his hair?? Idk maybe im reaching lol  Oh I would cry too! I didn’t grow up with so much yelling and I hate confrontation so it would not be a good environment for me lol I'm also a perfectionist so I simply would die :)! Anyways I'm hoping to have more time during this week to finish it! 

How was your weekend? Hows’ the week starting out?!

Sam you're literally the SWEETEST how would I not be nice to you😭?! I love you!!!-💜

I didn't realize you were taking summer courses! I thought you were free! I feel like we discussed that you were and like a goldfish, I forgot immediately 🤦‍♀️ (it's slowly coming back, you're making up for some lost time perhaps?) How long are the classes and are you excited about them? I actually loved my summer math classes in grad school (maybe more than my regular season classes). They were like 👌 the right amount of time and the right amount of work.

New skirts! Are they long skirts or short skirts? Any fun patterns? I also know NOTHING about cars. I would rather walk. The vintage car shows are cool though! (Sounds like another great story meet cute to use 👀)

I just finished ep 5. I think as a whole the season is weird but I'm still invested. I like it a lot. I feel like Sydney doesn't want to part own it. I'm thinking she's seeing Carmy spiraling and she's like "Maybe I don't want to tie myself into him (and the restaurant)" Idk just my prediction. OBSESSED WITH THE FAKS. "How many Faks are coming?" "At least two, less than five." Literally amazing. I think Carmy's obsession is also a little too much this season. Maybe that's the point (obvi, his non-negotiables are/were a lot). Him wanting a new menu every night is a lot for me. I'm stressing about it. I feel like I've mentioned but my bf is pretty into cooking and he thinks Carmy is modeled after Marco Pierre White (I forget his reasoning; even though it's been said The Bear is not based off a real person) but if my bf IS right, it doesn't bode well for Carmy :/ I'm obsessed with the character arcs of some of these characters. Richie and Tina for example. TINA omg I could have killed her at the beginning. What a queen. I'm trying to be vague and also not spoil anything so hopefully I didn't. But I apologize if I did.

Totally agree with you on the perfectionist front. It's rough out there. I would sob into my purees lol

Omg I don't even remember the weekend. I think it was relaxing lol I was so nervous about school stuff. Because of the 4th I'm done with the first week of school so I'm feeling much better now. Mother Nature made her appearance as well and I shouldn't have been surprised since I mentioned last week I wanted to jump into traffic which is a good signal. But anyway, I'm thriving now. Need to do some chores and I'm writing something hopefully to post for tomorrow! I want to read and go for walks as well!

Hope your classes are good, your week is good, and you're enjoying the rest of The Bear LOVE YOU! 💕

xoxo