#I’m so happy that she has so many outfits but I still wish she got a bdsp redesign like May did in Ora’s

[sugiarttime]

Some dawn doodles :]

[osohchoso]

Shattered Ice

Chapter Seven- Surprise!

Hockey player!Choso x F!reader, ex bf!Toji x F!reader

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Content: college au, hockey au, lots of fluff!! big brother Choso, you're both down so bad, a bit of violence

“Let me know when you're here,” you send the text to Choso as you add the finishing touches to your outfit. He was lucky enough to manage some free time before tonight’s game, meaning he would be able to have lunch with you and his brothers, like he hoped for. You were nervous to meet them and make a good impression; the younger generation can be ruthless.

After Choso’s surprise visit, your week vastly improved. While the heartache is still present, it feels significantly less now. Every day is a little better than the last. It also helps that you finally blocked Toji’s number and deleted any remaining traces of him in your phone. Leaving him in the past and focusing solely on the man who has shown more support than you believed possible. 

Your friends have been great too. The night following your talk with Choso, you decided to share the story with your roommates as well. The three of you cleared all your plans that night, making it just for the girls. Sobbing over one too many glasses of wine, eating an absurd amount of snacks and watching every comfort movie on your list. 

You felt lucky to have so many that cared for you.

You pick up that perfume bottle they gifted to you, happy to have it back in your possession while trying not to think about the night you reclaimed it. You bathe your skin in the familiar scent, letting out a deep exhale. Choso should be here any minute.

A knock on your front door echoes throughout the dorm, almost as if your thoughts summoned him. Excited, you rush to the entrance, pulling the door wide open.

He stands on the other side, dark jeans and a black crewneck with red drippy letters that say ‘Piercing Blood’ across the chest. His hair styled in the most perfect matching spikes known to man, his cheeks sporting the faintest hint of color when he looks at you.

“I told you to text me, I could have just met you downstairs,” you roll your eyes as you bend slightly to slip into your shoes.

“I know,” he shrugs. His eyes lazily track your movements as you adjust your clothes and sling a purse over your shoulder.

“I’m ready,” you announce, closing the door behind you and locking up. He leads you down the stairs and outside to the parking lot. The two of you make your way to his car, which he yanks the passenger door open, ushering you inside. 

“Thanks,” you smile, sliding into the worn leather seat. He nods, slamming the door with enough force to shake the whole car.

You watch him walk around to the drivers side, taking note that he almost looks nervous. Was this a date? The thought quickly crosses your mind, but you push it away. There is no possible way it was, not when his three brothers would also be involved. 

Choso turns the key in the ignition, the engine stuttering as it protests, his lips a tight line of annoyance. For a moment, you thought the car was finally done for. The old piece of junk eventually gives in, roaring to life. Choso relaxes into his seat, backing out of his parking space.

“Sounds like you need a new car,” you let out a small laugh.

“Yeah…I do.” He sighs. “I wish I could afford one right now, cars are so expensive. Even the used ones.” You nod in agreement. “But she’s gotten me this far and I know there's still got quite a bit of life left, don’t doubt her too much.” He lets out a hearty laugh, one hand patting the top of the dashboard.

“So…where are we going?” You ask, glancing out the window and watching the college buildings pass by. 

“A small diner, it’s just outside of campus. Sukuna recommended it, it’s called Malevolent Kitchen. Sometimes we go there as a team after practice. They have the best burgers.” You hear his stomach growl at the mention of food. “But their other stuff is good too, and they serve breakfast all day if you're into that.”

“Sounds yummy,”

He wasn’t lying when he said it was close, just a quick drive off of university property, a left turn and there it was. A small white building with big windows, the restaurant name in bright red neon lights. It didn't appear busy at the moment either, only a few other cars in the lot. He parks the car and looks around.

“Looks like we are the first ones here.” He pulls his phone out to check his texts. “Eso’s last message said they were running a little behind, but they will probably be here soon.” He pockets the phone and turns his attention back to you. “Come on, let’s go grab a table.” You both exit the car and head in.

The diner was cute inside, resembling that retro aesthetic many similar places try to mimic. Checkered floors, teal walls and red leather booths. The front wall even had a few old-school arcade cabinets that appeared to be in excellent condition. Choso points to the large corner booth at the far end of the restaurant, plenty big enough for the five of you.

“After you,” he waves a hand toward the padded bench, allowing you to climb in first. Once you're comfortable, he sits on the end. His arm brushing against yours. His body felt stiff, his spine extended as he sat straight up, eyes constantly darting toward the entrance. His foot bouncing up and down, causing the table to shake with every movement. 

“Are you nervous?” You ask, he hums and nods, still watching the entrance. His nerves only made you feel even more anxious. What if his brothers don't like you? Would he decide he no longer liked you, too? “Are you worried they won’t like me?” You accidentally vocalize your fears out loud. He whips his head to face you, his pigtails swaying with the quick motion, eyes wide.

“No, no! Nothing like that!” He tries to disarm your anxious thoughts. “I have no doubt they will love you! It’s just…” he trails off, closing his eyes tightly.

“Just what Choso?” You urge him to continue.

“They can be a handful sometimes. I just know the three of them will find some way to embarrass me.” He sighs, looking at you with big brown orbs. 

A server walks over and interrupts the conversation, tossing a handful of menus onto the table. You grab one for yourself and scan the vast number of items the diner offers. Everything from gyros to pancakes. You notice how Choso doesn’t reach for a menu himself, his order probably memorized by the staff with his frequent visits. 

“What can I get you to drink?” The waitress asks, smacking her gum loudly.

“Cherry cola for me. Bring a kid's chocolate milk and two regular colas for the others, and whatever she would like.” Choso looks over at you, signaling your turn to speak up.

“Just a water is fine with me,” the brightly colored pictures of the menu catch your eyes, urging you to add one last request. “Oh! Can I also get a vanilla milkshake, please? With two straws?” You smile at Choso. The waitress nods and writes down the orders on her pad of paper, tossing the bright white braid over her shoulder as she walks away. 

“Oh? You decided to be nice and share with me?” Choso teases with a goofy smirk. 

“Maybe…or maybe I just want two straws for myself so I can drink it faster.” You stick your tongue out at him. He starts to laugh but it quickly dies out in a choke as he catches sight of something at the front entrance.

“God dammit,” he groans, hiding his face in his palms. “I told those idiots not to do this.” The front door swings open, your eyes dart in that direction while Choso chooses to not look up or acknowledge their presence. 

Three boys step inside the diner and look around for their older brother. You can hear the older of the two arguing loudly about whether they were at the wrong restaurant or not, clearly unable see him sitting next to you. This isn’t what is distressing Choso though. It’s what’s in their hands.

The oldest one is clutching strings that are attached to colorful balloons with one hand, the other holds a carefully wrapped box with a red ribbon. The middle brother has a plastic container of store-bought cupcakes and the smallest one was given the task of carrying a small envelope. 

“They never listen” Choso continues to mumble into his hand, the tips of his ears turning bright red and you're sure his face matched the shade if only you could see it.

“Choso! Choso!” The youngest one darted away from the others, spotting Choso next to you in the booth. A blur of pink hair as the child, no older than six, ran straight toward your table. “Happy birthday, big brother!” Though he is small, his voice sure was loud, getting the attention of the few other patrons in the restaurant, causing them to turn and look. 

Your jaw drops. His birthday! It finally dawns on you why his brothers made the trip out here, why Choso said they always visit this time of year. He failed to mention that very important detail. 

Choso can’t ignore them any longer, not after he was spotted. He slides out of the booth and scoops up the squealing child, holding him close. The other brothers trot over to join, wrapping their arms around him in a group hug.

“Happy birthday Choso!” they all cheer in unison. 

“I told you guys not to do this,” Choso murmurs under his breath, his whole face bright red. He glances over at you with an apologetic look. Whether he was sorry for not telling you or sorry you had to witness his brothers causing a scene remains unknown. When the brothers release him, he turns his whole body to face you.

“Y/N, these are my brothers: Eso, Kechizu and Yuji.” He introduces them in order of oldest to youngest, setting Yuji back on the ground once he says his name. He turns to face the three of them, waving a hand to where you sit in the booth. “This is my…friend, Y/N”

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Eso nods in your direction. Though he was just a few years younger than Choso, he was slightly taller. Even with the long-sleeved shirt covering his body, you could tell he was muscular, making you wonder if he also played sports to follow in his big brother's footsteps. Two pairs of piercings adorn each eyebrow, a dark brown tuft of hair atop his head and skin several shades darker than Choso’s.

“Choso has told us a lot about you,” Kechizu smiles, throwing a teasing look toward Choso. The middle of the three was significantly shorter than Choso and Eso, but you remember that he is only a high school freshman and likely has a lot more growing to do. His hair was dyed an artificial teal color, with thick bangs that covered his eyes. He must have just entered his emo phase, you think to yourself. He also had light freckles on his pale cheeks, and when his mouth opened, you would catch a glimpse of a slight gap between his top front two teeth. 

“Hi! I’m Yuji!” The youngest boy introduces himself. His happy energy is infectious; just looking at him makes you smile. 

“Great, now that we are all acquainted with each other, let's sit, calm down, and act normal.” His eyes quickly shift in the direction of another couple in the diner who was still watching your noisy corner. 

Eso and Kechizu nod, tying the balloons to the table leg, then setting the preset and cupcakes on top of the surface before filing into the other side of the booth. Yuji, however, tosses the envelope he was holding on the table and hops into the spot next to you, essentially stealing Choso’s seat.

“Yuji…” Choso frowns, not happy that his little brother claimed the spot next to you.

“It’s fine Choso,” you assure him, ruffling the strawberry hair of the littlest brother. “I don’t mind.” Choso is unable to hide his pout, looking at you as if you just told him Yuji was your new favorite.

He can’t accept this defeat, so he lifts Yuji from the booth and sits down beside you, letting his brother sit on top of his lap. Both boys happy to be next to you now. 

“You're really pretty, just like he told me!” The young boy announces, eyes shining as he looks up at you. Choso quickly looks away, his face heating up from embarrassment yet again. You can faintly hear him muttering to himself about not being able to survive today.

“Thank you Yuji!” You giggle, enjoying Choso’s flustered reaction. 

When Choso finally calms his beating heart, he turns to look at you again. Being met with your jokingly disapproving stare, your eyes narrowed at him.

“What's that look for?” He scoffs.

“When were you going to tell me that today is your birthday!?” You nudge his shoulder with your own.

“Preferably never” he mumbles under his breath, glaring over to Eso and Kechizu across the table. Thanks to them, his cover was blown completely. 

“Big bro has never liked his birthday,” Kechizu speaks up.

“Why not?”

“I don't like the attention,” Choso grumbles. “Everyone looking at you, expecting you to act a certain way. It just makes me so anxious” he pouts, resting his chin on top of Yuji's soft pink hair.

“Sorry,” Eso sounds a little guilty. “We didn't want to make you uncomfortable, but you always go above and beyond for all of our birthdays, we wanted to surprise you”

“I know,” Choso sighs. “I know you didn't mean to. I'm not mad, I love you guys.” Choso’s smile returns. “Thanks for coming up here today, I'm so grateful I could see you all on my birthday.” 

The waitress returns and passes the drinks out to each of you, placing the milkshake with two pink paper straws between you and Choso. She writes down your food orders before disappearing yet again.

You lean forward to sip the milkshake, but Choso had the same idea. Both your noses bumping together as your lips meet the straws.

“Sorry,” he pulls away hesitantly. 

“No go ahead, it's your birthday after all,” he nods and leans forward to take a sip. “I wish you would have told me though!” You pout as you continue to speak.

“I'm sorry” he sighs, his lips releasing the straw, a fleck of whipped cream sticking to the tip of his nose. “I really am, I didn't mean to keep it a secret.” His knee purposefully bumps yours under the table.

“I forgive you…for now” you tease, wiping the mess from his face with your napkin. Across the table, Kechizu is making loud gagging noises at you two. Choso rolls his eyes.

Time is passed waiting for the food by learning about each of them individually. Eso does in fact play sports, football in the fall and soccer in the spring. Kechizu, on the other hand, is really good at art. You can see the pride in Choso’s eyes as his younger brother shows off his recent projects to you. 

“And I start t-ball this year!” Yuji announced.

“Is that so?” Choso smiles, messing up his baby brother’s hair.

“Will you come to my games? WIll you help me practice!? Will you bring her too?” Yuji bombards Choso with questions.

“We will see,” Choso laughs as he catches a glimpse of your smile, a low rumble in his chest. 

While all the brothers vary drastically in looks and personality, you still catch sight of the small details of Choso rubbed off on each one. It’s clear how much they look up to him, a product of how he helped nurture them during their childhood. During his own childhood even. Choso has always been by their side, caring for them even as he struggled with his own youth.

The way his brothers look at him across the table let you know just how much they appreciate him. The bond between these boys makes your heart feel so full. Losing your parents at such a young age must have been so hard for them, but at least they had each other through it all. 

Choso was right about this place, the food was delicious. You had never seen him devour anything so fast, it's almost like he inhaled the burger. Not a single bite left behind. You also watched how he pretended not to notice when Yuji’s little fingers would swipe fries off his plate.

You lean back in the booth, feeling utterly stuffed. But just when you thought you couldn’t handle another bite, Kechizu begins to pass cupcakes out.

“I’m so full,” You goran loudly. 

“Aww come on, just a little cupcake. If you can’t finish it, I will.” Choso teases, already unwrapping his own and taking a large bite. You sigh, deciding to appease him and try to enjoy his birthday treat. Your teeth sink in, the flavors bathing your taste buds.

It’s sweet, so sweet it makes your teeth ache almost immediately. Rich red velvet with a thick dollop of cream cheese frosting. One bite is all you think your stomach can handle, setting the cupcake back down on the wrapper. 

“I can’t” You groan, giving up in defeat. 

“Give it to me,” Choso mumbles as he finishes his last bite, crumbs and frosting clinging to his cheek. You grab what remains of your cupcake and raise it to Choso’s lips, he doesn't hesitate to lean closer and take the remaining cake in his mouth, his lips gently brushing against the tips of your fingers. With eyes shut, he hums happily as he enjoys the overly sweet dessert. 

“You're such a messy eater,” you whisper, rolling your eyes as your thumb wipes the remnants from his skin. He slightly leans into your touch, letting out a low hum in agreement.

After his cake, Choso opens the card Yuji was holding earlier. It was just a simple store-bought card with a crisp twenty-dollar bill from their grandpa sitting inside. But Yuji took liberty in decorating it, drawing a picture of all four brothers together. 

“Is this me?” Choso asks, pointing to the purple stick figure with scribbled spikes for hair. 

Yes!” Yuji beams, clearly proud of his work. You notice Choso’s eyes start to get a bit glossy, looking from Yuji and back to the drawing again. 

“We got you this, too,” Eso slides the wrapped box across the table. Choso stared down at the present. “Kechizu and I did some work around the neighborhood the past few months to get you this.” Both boys smile at their older brother.

“You guys…you didn’t have to...” Choso pouts, his fingers carefully pulling the ribbon off. Gingerly tearing the wrapping paper from the cardboard box before opening the top, his breath catches in his throat when his eyes land on the gift inside.

He holds up a vinyl, you recognize it as Piercing Blood’s newest album, it only came out last Friday. Choso sent you the link the second it was released, which you immediately listened to so you could talk about it with him all night. The cover is matte black with a glossy red arrow cutting through the band’s name. But the silver ink gets your attention, signatures from all the band members.

“I can’t thank you enough, this is so amazing,” Choso’s voice is hoarse, barely restrained tears clinging to his bottom lashes. “How did you two even afford this?” He sounds almost worried, unworthy of the gift.

“Don’t worry about it, happy birthday big brother,” Eso smiles. Kechizu and Yuji echo their own happy birthdays as well. 

“Can I go play that game!” Yuji points to the arcade cabinet across the restaurant, interrupting the emotional moment. 

“Not right now, Yuji” Choso begins to say, you can see the defeated look in the younger brother’s eyes.

“It’s ok Choso, I can go play with him” You offer, Yuji’s grin immediately widening and looking up at his brother with pleading eyes. Choso opens his mouth, almost looking like he’s about to decline your offer. His mind battling between keeping you both as close as possible and wanting to prove he trusts you with Yuji.

“Okay,” he finally nods. Sliding out of the booth so you and Yuji can walk over to the arcade corner. He continues to stand as you both walk away, only sitting back down when he is sure you were in front of the games.

“Let’s play this one!” Yuji shouts, pointing to the two-player fighting game. You nod, helping him climb onto the high-top stool before sitting on the one next to him. You drop a few quarters into the machine, taking you both to a character select screen. 

You decide to take it easy on him, he is just a kid after all. And what would Choso think if his baby brother ran back to the table crying because you showed him no mercy. Your strategy was simple: jump around a bit, face the wrong way when you kicked, purposefully let his attacks land. Just show him a good time.

Oh how wrong you were.

Yuji was faster, he hit harder. He was able to figure out combo attacks you have never even seen before. You stare at the screen, jaw dropped as the K.O. flashes brightly. 

“I win!” he gloats.

“Oh you're so on now,” you taunt back, really getting into game mode now.

You aren’t sure how many rounds the two of you played. You won a few, but he seemed to come out victorious time and time again. Both of you were having a great time, you didn’t think it would be this much fun playing games with a six year old. 

“How is he?” Choso’s voice catches your attention from across the restaurant. Looking over your shoulder, you see him still sitting with his other brothers at the table. The waitress comes by with the bill, placing it face down. Choso turns it over, winces slightly and pulls out the cash from the card before grabbing some extra bills from his wallet.

“Pay attention!” Yuji snaps at you as he lands blow after blow on your character. You attempt to play but you can't help overhearing their conversation.

“Ok…but not great,” Eso responds. 

“He wanted to come today too,” Kechizu adds sadly. “But he's been so weak lately, so frail.”

“Plus, being around so many people wouldn’t be good either, he’s been getting sick a lot more.” Eso continues. “He’s been spending a lot of time in bed, eating less, and lots of doctor’s visits.”

“I hope I can make it home for Christmas this year, I want to see him before–” Choso’s worried voice is drowned out by Yuji’s excited squeal next to you. He beat you again, easily as you were only half paying attention.

“Okay, I think that's enough games for one day.” You announce, attempting to stand up. Yuji’s small hand wraps around your sleeve, tugging at you as he says your name quietly. “What is it?” You ask, leaning your head close to his so he can whisper.

“Um…do you like my brother? Like, do you like like him?” He whispers, an almost hopeful gleam in his brown eyes. His question throws you off guard, but just like Choso, this kid proves to be extra perceptive. 

“Can you keep a secret?” You ask back, watching as he nods up and down enthusiastically, even though you don’t believe him one bit. “I do.” His smile widens.

“I think he likes you too”

“What are you two whispering about?” Choso asks, skeptical, narrowing his eyes as he approaches. Eso and Kechizu following close behind.

“Oooh nothing,” you tease, throwing a look at Yuji who giggles in return. 

“We should get going, I need to head back and prepare for the game later,” Choso continues. You and Yuji slide off the stool before joining Choso at his side. He leads the group out into the parking lot to where his car is parked, carefully securing the present, card and balloons in the back seat.  

“It was nice meeting you! Will we see you at the game later?” Eso asks, Kechizu leaning on the side of Choso’s car. 

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

Before leaving, the brothers give Choso one last hug. You can hear his hushed murmurs of thanks before they depart. Eso and Kechizu walk off toward the white truck he drove, borrowed from their grandfather. Yuji pauses, giving you a hug too before scurrying off to join his brothers.

You and Choso both settle into the seats of his car, sitting in silence for a moment as he starts the engine. He extends his arm and rests it on your seat, head turning to look out the back as he reverses out of the parking space and drives out to the main road.

“Seems like my brothers liked you, especially Yuji.” he comments as he faces forward.

“I liked them too, all of them.” You admit sincerely with a smile. “Thank you for taking me today…and for buying my lunch, I could have paid for my own meal.”

“It's nothing, I asked you to come along anyways.” 

“You shouldn’t have to pay, it’s your birthday after all!” You pause. “God Choso, I didn’t even get you a present! Here I was sitting at lunch with your brothers, who all brought something for you, and I came empty handed like a jerk.”

“You're not a jerk,” he laughs to himself, unable to control the smile on his face. “And you don’t have to get me anything, I just enjoy spending time with you. That's all I want for my birthday anyway.”

You open your mouth to protest, but stop as you feel the rapid succession of vibrations in your pocket. You quickly check the messages, confused by the unknown number spam texting you. Your brows pinched together as you read them.

Unknown #: Hey!!

Unknown #: Y/N??

Unknown #: You there? 

Unknown #: Sorry, I got your number from Shoko. Hope that’s ok!!

Unknown #: It’s Yuki!

Oh! Yuki! You've hung out with her a few times, but she was more of Shoko’s friend than yours. You weren’t exactly sure why she would message you out of the blue like this.

You: Hey! What’s up?

Yuki: Hi! I just wanted to see if Choso mentioned the party to you tonight?

You: No? What party? 

You: After party for tonight’s game?

Yuki: Of course he didn't…

Yuki: Yeah, it’s at the hockey house, its kinda for Choso too

Yuki: He mentioned to me that no one has ever thrown him a party before

You try not to feel offended that other people, especially another girl, knew it was Choso’s birthday today, and you didn’t. You try to tell yourself that it’s because they are teammates, they have known each other longer. But it still kind of stings.

You: Does he want a party?

Yuki: Suguru and I asked him and he told us to ‘do whatever’

“Choso?” You speak up, he turns to look at you for a brief second before turning back to the road. Just enough to let you know you have his attention. “Why didn’t you tell me about the party at your place tonight?” He groans the second the word party leaves your lips.

“Because I didn’t want to go.”

“But what if I came with you? Think about it, we could recreate the night we first met…but I won't get as drunk this time.” He considers your offer, chewing his bottom lip.

“Deal” he pulls the car into the parking lot outside your dorm. “Just promise you won’t wake up and forget my name this time.”

“I promise.” You laugh, sending Yuki a follow up text letting her know you will be there tonight. You reach for the door handle to exit the car.

“Wait,” Choso stops you. “I have something for you.”

“Cho, you're supposed to receive presents on your birthday, not the other way around.”

“It’s not like that,” He laughs, reaching for a paper bag in the back seat, setting it in your lap. You reach in and your hands feel some kind of thick cloth inside. You grab it and lift it out, navy with red accents. A shirt you assume. Unfolding it, you see the KU Curses logo on the front, and when you flip it around, you're met with a big 07 and KAMO in bold letters. You look at him, wide-eyed, as you set it back down in your lap, clenching your fists around the fabric.

“It’s clean, I promise!” He teases. “But it’s supposed to be good luck when someone wears your jersey to a game. And I want my good luck charm to be extra lucky tonight.” He reaches one hand forward and wraps it around your fist, softly gripping both you and the jersey below. “Would you wear this for me?” He looks deeply into your eyes.

“Anything for you, birthday boy.”

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You looked damn good in his jersey, even with how big it was due to the absence of gear underneath. Hidden out of sight instead is your favorite matching pair of bra and panties…just in case. You walk happily up to the arena, Shoko, Utahime and Satoru trailing behind.

“What's got you all happy today?” Satoru teases, locking his arm with yours as the two of you skip along the sidewalk. Both of you almost matching, your back proudly showing off KAMO while his says GETO.

“Not much, just having a really good day today.” Nothing has been able to wipe the smile off your face since Choso dropped you off, your cheeks were even starting to hurt.

“Your date with your boyfriend went well, I take it?”

“He’s not my boyfriend, and it wasn’t a date.” You correct him for the 4th time today. 

“Right, right. Just meeting his family…totally not a big deal. Totally not boyfriend-girlfriend activities.” You both stop, he grasps both sides of your arms as he locks eyes with you through his dark shades. “And giving you his jersey to wear tonight, that's something casual friends do too, isn’t it?” You bite your lip, unable to think up a witty retort. Unsure what you and Choso even are at this point. Caught in limbo between friends and dating.

“Give it a rest, Gojo,” Utahime sighs as her and Shoko catch up to you. Satoru turns to her and scrunches his face into an exaggerated frown at her scolding.

“Come on, I’m just teasing her. She acted the same way before me and Suguru first got together.” It’s true, you teased him nonstop until he finally admitted he did have feelings for him. In the end he thinks it helped, without you pushing him slightly out of his comfort zone to explore the connection, they may have never gotten together in the first place.

“You gonna be okay tonight?” Shoko asks, leaning her shoulder into yours as she watches the opposing team unload from their buses. 

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?” It seemed like an odd question until you recognized the other team’s logo, the two pronged blade you've seen so many times on Toji’s gear. Your heart beats a little faster, you didn’t think the curses and assassins would face off again so soon.

You feel a soft hand lace with yours, giving your sweaty palm a tight squeeze. 

“We are here for you this time,” Shoko promises, holding your hand and not letting go. “All of us.” Utahime places a hand on your opposite shoulder while Satoru nods in front of you, his glasses hiding his genuine concern in his eyes. You take a deep breath to steady your emotions.

“I’ll be okay,” You announce, and you actually believe it. This time you won’t be alone. You're surrounded by so many people who care for you, who will never let you face him alone again if they can help it.

“Hey! Over here!” Another male voice calls to you, you scan the crowd looking for the person calling your name. You spot the tan hand of Eso, waving at your group. Kechizu stands in front of him, holding Yuji’s hand. You wave back, beckoning your friends to follow.

“Hey guys! These are my friends Satoru, Shoko and Utahime.” You motion to each one as you introduce them. “These are Choso’s younger brothers Eso, Kechizu and Yuji.” The group begins to split into several small conversations, Yuji sticking close to you as he fills you in on what the brothers did in the few hours since seeing you last.

Choso walks out of the arena, hair soft and loose, the slight breeze tousling it as he joins the big group. After dropping his gear off in the locker room, he had expected to meet up with his brothers for a quick second before changing and stretching. He was pleasantly surprised to see you had joined up with them yet again.

“Hey,” his voice startles you as he announces his presence. You spin around to face him. He almost seems like he's glowing, his smile lighting up his whole face, just as gleeful as you after today’s shared lunch. His eyes scan you up and down for a quick moment, voice dropping down an octave. “You look…really good.”

“You like seeing me in your clothes?” You smirk, you expect him to get flustered, but you're only met with his new found confidence. 

“Yeah…I do.” His husky voice makes your whole body feel warm. Your throat goes dry as you look at his perfect lips, watching as his grin only grows wider when he realizes where you are staring. God, how you want to feel them pressed against your own. 

The brothers interrupt the quiet moment the two of you shared, stealing Choso’s attention away. The next few minutes you watch them gush about how excited they are for tonight’s game, Yuji attempting to give his big brother a pep talk as if he were the coach. Choso played along too, nodding and saying ‘yes sir’.

“I have to go now,” he announces, patting the heads of his two youngest brothers. “And you should probably go snag some good seats before the rest of the crowd gets here.” Yuji looks alarmed, reaching for Kechizu’s hand again.

“Let's go! I want to sit by the goal!” He drags him toward the entrance. “And we need enough seats for Y/N and her friends too!” Choso watches the two race inside before turning back to you. 

“See you inside,” Eso smiles at you and your friends before following the younger boys.

“Good luck,” you murmur as you wrap your arms behind Choso’s waist, pressing your body up against his. Your touch doesn’t seem to make him hesitate anymore, instead, he wants to fuel it. One of his hands resting on your low back while the other cups your cheek, dragging his calloused thumb across your cheekbone as he looks directly into your eyes with a mixture of affection and barely hidden lust. 

Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me! Your whole body is screaming so loud you wonder if he could hear it.

But he never does.

“I wish we could stay like this forever, but I really do need to go and get ready.” He sighs, leaning forward slightly until his forehead rests against yours for a brief moment before slowly releasing his grip. 

“I know,” You weren't ready to let go just yet, still holding him to you tightly. Leaning forward, you decide to send him off with one last parting gift. Your lips meet the skin of his cheek, lingering long enough to feel him grow warm underneath. You finally release him, backing up. “See you after the game.”

He doesn't respond, just smiles as he presses a hand to the spot you pecked before turning back towards the building, a spring in his step.

⋆⁺₊❅.⛸️. ݁˖ .⋆⁺₊❅.⛸️. ݁˖ .⋆⁺₊❅.⛸️. ݁˖ .⋆⁺₊❅.⛸️. ݁˖ .⋆⁺₊❅.⛸️. ݁˖ .⋆⁺₊❅.⛸️. ݁˖ .

Yuji wiggles in your lap trying to get a better view of his older brother. The puck skirts across the ice and, as if it were instinctual, the goalie drops to a crouch, the puck coming to a stop as it meets Choso’s thick leg pads.

As the buzzer sounds, a mix of cheers for the home team and boos from the opposing team echoes through the arena. The game was tied, it has been close all night. Only six minutes remain, it could be anyone's game.

Choso looks over to where you, your friends and his family sat. Yuji and Kechizu were able to find the perfect seats, right beside the goal. He lifts up the helmet and flashes a cocky smile your way before grabbing the water bottle on top of the goals netting.

“Choso is so cool! He's the best!” Yuji continues to praise his big brother. 

“He is the best,” you respond, unable to take your eyes off him. You see a blur of deep purple and white, one of the opposing team members, circling around him and the goal he protects. Choso immediately goes stiff, his eyes snapping to the other player before he skates off to take his place around the center circle on the ice.

“What was that about?” Satoru leaned over to whisper.

“You noticed too?” You thought maybe you just imagined Choso tensing up, but something seems off. Your eyes track the player and scan his jersey, the big 66 grabbing your attention. Toji.

“Oh no…this can't be good,” you say under your breath.

The puck drops and sticks clash as the next play commences. There was a lot of back and forth between the two battling teams until the puck was taken by the opposing team. Suguru races after them, hot on their heels but the enemy passes it to another. To Toji, who is farther from the scuffle and closer to the home goal. 

With the puck now at his stick, Toji swings, putting all his strength behind it to send it soaring. Choso does not react in time, the puck flying straight past his side and into the net. Loud buzzer and flashing lights alert the stands of the away team's victory, bringing the opposing team up by one point. 

You can tell Choso is upset right now, the grip on his stick tightening slightly. But it doesn't help that Toji is circling him again, taunting him. Even with how close you are, you couldn't hear what they were saying with all the commotion.

“Whatever that guy is doing…is really getting to him,” Eso leans in from your other side. Toji buzzed around him like a pest while Choso stood still, his head tracking every movement, watching him like a predator.

A sharp crack echos around the arena, Choso threw his stick down to the ice. He sheds his gloves and rips his helmet off too before racing after Toji.

“What!” You gasp loudly. In all the games you’ve been too, he has never been caught up in a fight. Always the calm and collected goalie who thinks over every move he makes. Countless failed saves and taunts from opposing players, he has never reacted like this.

Toji sees him coming, almost like he was waiting for it to happen, throwing his own stick and gloves aside as he prepares for the inevitable. One of Choso’s hands grabs a fist full of his jersey and yanks him forward, pulling Toji’s face straight into the path of his fist, knocking the helmet clean off his head. A wicked grin curls on Toij’s lips.

“Oh fuck!” you yell, the crowd drowning out your voice as they break off in cheers and cowbells to urge the fight on. Both the home and away team players rush for the fight, surrounding them in a circle as they yell. The cameras zoom in on the two players, casting close-ups of the fight to the large screens above the rink. Toji mirrors Choso, grabbing onto him as he throws a few punches into his heavily padded body before delivering one to his cheek. This seems to only fuel Choso further, the two continuing to exchange blows.

Your hands fly to cover Yuji’s eyes. He doesn’t need to watch his brother go for the throat of another player, does not need to see the person he looks up to get hit over and over again.

“Move your hands! I can't see!” Yuji protests, his smaller hands attempting to pull yours away from his face. Yet you don’t budge.

Toji lands a solid right hook to his jaw, Choso slightly recoiling from the force. He’s had enough. Lost in some sort of rage, he slams Toji to the ice, falling to his knees on top of him. He pulls his arm back, gearing up for another blow now that he has him pinned beneath him.

The ref grabs his arm, finally putting a stop to their brawl. They help Choso and Toji to their feet, putting some distance between the two. Both boy’s dark hairs are slicked to their face, a trickle of blood running from Choso’s nose. He turns his head, spitting onto the ice, staining it red.

“Kamo, penalty box!”

taglist: @v1x3n@lavenderdaydream97@simplyraeblue@huang-the-geek@sodapop182@angel04-01@liiiacke @ravester @ladytano420 @raedollsstuff @superstar-t20@cryingoverpixelsetc@spicy-woodland-queen

A/N: this chapter turned out so big...I decided to split it in 2 haha.

[genoskissors]

The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy - First Ending Thoughts

I won’t be saying my thoughts on each ending, but since the first ending is the same, I might as well. I also want to talk a lot, specifically about the characters, because they are what make the story for me.

Major Spoilers for the first 100 days!!!

I've already seen some criticism for characters, but I am filled with love and joy, so the majority of my commentary will be positive. I will say that overall, this game was insanely fun. Each battle had a different aspect to it and there were so many twists and turns. Didn’t proof read, so sorry for any mistakes.

Darumi Amemiya (飴宮 怠美)

I really liked her at the beginning and was sad when she became so depressed later in the story. She seems a bit too attached to the killing game idea but I was kinda hoping she’d develop a different idea. I also wish she had more serious moments, like Genocide Jack did, but that’s okay. Even if the fighting was for fun in her case, it still made her feel like a reliable person in my eyes.

Great for battle and has both fun animations and combat voice lines. I’ve said this before, but she also looks a million times better in her battle armor rather than her regular outfit. It just looks so much better with her hair colors.

Eito Aotsuki (蒼月 衛人)

I’m pretty observant, I could tell he was going to have some sort of twist, yet still found myself surprised at his weapon hitting the capsule. I did really enjoy his innocent facade and am kinda sad his true nature is so twisted. I thought it was interesting how they’ve never heard of the moon, but “tsuki” means moon. I’ve seen people compare him to Nagito but I honestly see them as complete opposites. Also, he looked good with his hair back.

He’s decently fun to play and does good damage. Even though he loses energy after one turn like everyone else, save Tsubasa, I often used him repeatedly for nearby enemies. He gets the job done quick and easy.

Gaku Maruko (丸子 楽)

I really ended up liking him. I had my doubts due to his personality, but as he was more fleshed out, he grew on me. Especially with the backstory, the idea of loving people even when you feel like they don’t care about you is so sad. Having to work every day and never reap any benefit sounds miserable, I can’t even hate him. I still wouldn’t exactly call him a “mood maker” though. He has his moments.

Very good for when there are a ton of enemies, because then he can deal with the 1 HP ones easily. I didn’t use him as much as I think I could have, looking back, he’s a great character.

Hiruko Shizuhara (雫原 比留子)

Ugh, I am so sad our time with her was so short. I really thought she’d be leading us to the end. When the group discovered her corpse, I genuinely had to put my switch down and just sigh. They didn’t even need to say anything, just seeing the glasses made me realize. She was cold and ruthless, but I could see a side of her warming up to the others, I do think she would’ve been a good leader after some more time.

In the little time we got with her, she was my favorite. Her damage is great, and I know that’s the whole point, but still. The only downside was she could only attack one at a time, but I understand everyone needs some limits on their abilities.

Ima Tsukumo (九十九 今馬)

Absolutely love his character development. I never disliked him from the start, but he grew to be one of my favorites. The implications at his past are also heart breaking. Kako is all he has and he’ll do anything to protect her. I was so happy when they joined battle together. He went through a lot, straight up getting a new body Nekomaru style. When he still ended up dying I knew Kako was going to go crazy. Also how did he drive the bus as Sirei?

He was fun to play but unfortunately did not get much time with him as he joined late and when he came back he couldn’t even fight. Still was good in that little bit of time he had.

Kako Tsukumo (九十九 過子)

If you asked me who would be my favorite before I played the game, never in a million years would I guess Kako. But, here we are. Her development is amazing and I really felt her pain. When she said her and Ima had promised to die together, but then they promised to keep living without each other, my heart broke. Kodaka said they’d be even more controversial after release, so I thought it might get very incestuous, but that was not the case. At least in the first route, the twins relationship progression was very wholesome yet sad. I love how Ima means present, Kako means past, and she can see the future.

She was good it battle, especially the hellfire move. Some enemies reflect damage if you are nearby, so long distance characters are very useful. I would not say she’s a need in battle, but fun to have nevertheless.

Kurara Oosuzuki (大鈴木 くらら)

She came on very strong at the beginning and I was worried that I would find her annoying, but I did not! I really enjoyed her character and her soft spot for Nozomi. Her real face is cute too, but I honestly like the tomato mask. Perhaps I’ve just grown use to it. I did enjoy her dynamic with Kyoshika, it reminds me of Hiyoko and Mikan but if Mikan was more assertive. I also love how the tomato changes with her expressions.

I’ll be completely honest, I did not care for her combat. She is useful in building barriers, but it kinda loses meaning when everyone can build when and Shouma can straight up be one. I did like how she repairs the barrier if attacking an enemy nearby.

Kyoshika Magadori (凶鳥 狂死香)

I love her! She’s stupid and funny and great. I really enjoyed her voice actor as well. I love how she just. Cannot read the room. I really would like to learn more about why her name is so violent, but perhaps I must wait a while longer. Also her voice lines during combat are stuck in my head and have been all day. “This is my true power!” “Nin nin!” “You’ve left yourself open!” “I’m burnt out!” Great stuff.

Without a doubt, my favorite in terms of combat. She is such a fun character to use and does great damage. I often took her out on explorations because of that. I already knew I was going to like her but her attack really sealed the deal.

Moko Mojiro (喪白 もこ)

Okay so�� I don’t really have anything to say here. We barely saw the real her and couldn’t even fight with her. I do like her based on Nozomi’s word, but when it comes to forming my own opinion, there’s not much to work with. I didn’t really find her wrestling stories in the cafeteria engaging. Idk, sorry Moko fans.

Nozomi Kirifuji (霧藤 希)

THE BABYYYY. It’s common for characters that are liked by everyone to be hated, but I genuinely just could not imagine hating her. Even Kurara loves her. It’s well deserved, she’s wonderful. The twist made me so sad, I didn’t want to make her cry!!! Her death was awful and knowing it could’ve been stopped made it so much worse. I will save you in my next route, I promise!

Next to Kyoshika in favorite for combat. I pretty much never used her for direct combat, but her healing is a lifesaver. When she died I thought I was screwed for upcoming battles. I really like hearing everyone’s thanks after being healed, it’s sweet.

Shouma Ginzaki (銀崎 晶馬)

Shouma, I am sorry for doubting you. He was annoying at first, constantly being a pessimist in ways that didn’t even lighten the mood. When he finally agreed to battle, he grew on me so much more. He maintained his low self esteem but still became a part of the team and used his weakness of being bad with fighting as a strength, being a shield. His stupid hat has also grown on me as well.

Not much to say in terms of combat, he kinda just stands there, but was definitely useful when a lot of enemies are nearby and you need to keep someone with low health alive. His voice lines are also great during battle, even if they are sometimes sad.

Takemaru Yakushiji (厄師寺 猛丸)

Another character I must apologize to for doubting. He had that whole dynamic with Hiruko going but later in the story he shows he misses her and that was a really strong moment for him. Again, when Takumi brought up going back in time, I thought I would dislike Takemaru for being so aggressive, but he ended up accepting it. His “punishments” for Ima and Kako were also a good moment. I do like him.

This is the kind of character I’m looking for. Attacking all around is great, despite the low amount of damage, it’s still good when the enemies have low health. I do wish he kept the shades on when he was on his motorcycle.

Takumi Sumino (澄野 拓海)

Incredible strong protagonist in terms of character. Like he might actually be one of my favorite Kodaka protagonists. I love how he didn’t follow the usual “I’m just a normal guy” trope and actually saw his own strengths and used them. His loyalty to Karua is also very strong. He isn’t outright about his feelings until later, but even if they never were romantic, they were still incredibly powerful. He’s a great character.

He looks cool in every combat scene. I really loved when his sword turned blue because it still matched his color palette, at least his eyes. Very helpful in defeating groups since he can just go row by row. Even though it’s nothing crazy, he’s still fun.

Tsubasa Kawana (川奈 つばさ)

I love her very much. A total cutie patootie. I really enjoy the moments when she gets really excited. I was very happy at how Takumi accommodated her issue with throwing up. She helped the team a lot with everything mechanical, a lot of things would have been impossible with out her. She didn’t end up being my favorite like I thought, but is still very high on my list.

Even though she doesn’t do much damage, the fact she can do continuous attacks without loosing any distance is great, even if i do end up spending a lot of AP on it. Either way, I really enjoyed having her in battle, her voice lines were cute as well.

Yugamu Omokage (面影 歪)

One of my favorites but I fear I projected Genocide Jack onto him a lot. I just really like her, sorry not sorry. Either way I still ended up liking him, despite his oddities. He also came in clutch multiple times, so I think he needs more love for that. Love his voice actor, especially during combat, he sounded great. I thought it was funny how Takemaru called him pretty boy, because this boy is ugly, sorry. Still like him.

Despite my love for him, I didn’t really get much out of using him in battle. Yes, he makes the enemies bleed, but I’m a bit busy to keep track of that, sorry Yugamu.

Sirei and Nigou (ＳＩＲＥＩ) & (ＮＩＧＯＵ)

Can’t say much for these two as neither got much screen time, like surprisingly low. Due to the announcements it felt like Sirei was there every step of the way. Still, I can’t say much on them, but I definitely did not hate them.

This will likely be my last THL post for a while, I want to get back to Danganronpa and also get through more endings. I might do a similar style post with Danganronpa characters, but I’m not sure yet.

[soppingwetlegs]

MHA HeadCannons x fem reader (AgedUp!MHA guys (early 20’s))

Jealousy jealousy jealousy

************************************************

*********Katsuki Bakugo*********

soooo handsy, the moment he sees literally anyone looking at you he’s grabbing your waist, your ass, your hands, anywhere he can touch.

he will definitely full blown make out with you while making direct eye contact with the person looking at you.

“do you wanna die?!”

“the fuck are you lookin’ at, extra?!”

death glares every person you walk passed to make sure their eyes stay where they should be.

“I will obliterate you with you no hesitation.”

“You know you’re mine, right?” Of course you do, you smile and kiss his cheek.

“I’m gonna make you wear a bag over your head next time we go out.” he’s joking obviously…kinda..

absolutely NO hesitation to blow up on some rando in your Instagram comments. “WHO ARE YOU?! WHY ARE YOU COMMENTING ON MY WOMANS STUFF?! I WILL FIND YOU I PROMISE!!!”

loves to post himself on your social media stories, whether it be pics of him kissing you, holding your hand, his hand on your ass, you sleeping on his chest, etc. he’ll always caption it “just reminding her followers to stay in their fucking place. 💣”

definitely gives toxic vibes but he means well, wouldn’t be bakugo without a smidge of toxicity.

“I love you, woman…but dammit I wish you were ugly sometimes..”

**********Izuku Midoriya*********

honestly it takes a lot to make Deku jealous, he’s very comfortable with people looking at you because he sees it as admiration and takes it as a compliment.

sometimes people push his limits though.

“oh wow, that man has been staring at you for a while.” He’ll say as he moves to block you from the strangers eyes.

“excuse me, sir. you’re staring at my girlfriend, i know she’s beautiful, but I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t do that anymore, please.”

handsy but not too crazy about it, he’ll rest his hand on the small of your back or take your hand in his when he sees too many wandering eyes.

will always stand in front of you if you have to adjust any part of your outfit.

doesn’t hesitate to grab something for you to prevent you from bending over. “oops, no need to give anyone a show, they don’t deserve. I’ve got it, beautiful.”

ensures that the waiter at any restaurant you two eat at talks to him the most, he has no problem ordering for you.

“I feel like he hasn’t said a word to me since we got here. I’m still gonna tip him 20% of course, but I am not happy about it.”

always encourages you to wear his clothes when you go out by yourself. “I’m not jealous! I just think you’d be more comfortable in my shirt is all!”

prefers to stay in on date nights.

“You’re so beautiful, sweetheart. I’m starting to think it’s a curse.”

**********Eijiro Kirishima*********

genuinely finds humor in his own jealousy.

“what the hell is that guy looking at?”

loves PDA and will sometimes take it a bit too far and piss you off. only for a sec though. “sorry, babe…too much?”

he will absolutely walk over to the person checking you out and talk with them about how hot you are, encouraging them to flirt with you before walking over to you with them and laughing in their face when you tell them he’s your boyfriend.

“HAHAHA dude you totally fell for it! now keep your eyes to yourself, perv.”

love love loves when you wear revealing clothes for a date night just so he can be mean to strangers.

smirks at people checking you out before pulling you into a kiss.

“hey man, MY eyes are up here. got something to say?”

Denki is truly his biggest opp. “Dude I promise I will break every bone in your body if you keep looking at my girl like that.”

will carry you over his shoulder when there’s too many people looking at you. “alright, shows over everyone! let’s get the hell out of here”

“man how did i bag such a babe like you? it’s kinda infuriating.”

*********Denki Kaminari*********

literally doesn’t get jealous. just agrees with everyone that compliments or flirts with you.

“I know dude, she IS so hot.”

will purposely point at your cleavage and give a thumbs up to anyone looking.

everyone tries to mess with him but it just doesn’t work out.

“she’s way too hot for you, sparky.” he laughs “man, tell me about it!”

posts you all over his social media, treats you like an actual prize.

“how did i get so lucky?!😍🔥” “guys look how hot my girl is!!!” “she is unreal”

makes sure everyone looks at you at least once when you wear a dress or anything slightly revealing. “have you guys seen her?! I mean look at that!!”

he’s literally the biggest green flag ever.

loves to shower you with compliments and affection at any given time.

“I’m so lucky you’re mine…”

not jealous of literally anybody…except Shinso. “dude don’t smirk at my girl…”

***these were so fun to do omg. sorry if they don’t seem super accurate but they make so much sense in my mind lmfao***

masterlist

[not-your-damsel]

Listen, y’all can wild for the hair in the hairstyles released in Tomorrow’s Catch-22 event going in now in Love and Deepspace. But y’all CANNOT tell me Sy didn’t EAT!

⚠️ATTENTION⚠️

There’s a boycott going on started by the CN fan community. Depending where you look, there are people upset by this thinking that it’s to get the game shut down. This. Is. Not. The. Case! I’m sure many of you know or have realized by now that in this first ever Quint-Banner, the outfits have been separated, you’re not automatically getting the hair that comes with it as usual. This is a huge problem for free-to-play players and any future players, as farming isn’t gonna be enough with the allotted time for the event. What the CN community is boycotting is the hidden price hikes for gaining the hair, incentivizing players to buy despite their little notice to play the way you want to, that’s not exactly feasible for everyone. Which will inevitably leave some players out. LaDS has an advantage in the otome genre by being so stunning looking with 3D character models. Infold/Papergames should be making the example for future games to not pull this BS, considering they’re currently king of the genre atm.

If you want to join along with the CN community in this boycott, it’s simple. I already know of a few people here in the US who are participating, myself included.

Try NOT to spend money in the first 3 days of the event. Use your saved diamonds/tickets instead.

Or, limit your time in-game for the first 3 days as well. Simply log in, choose your favorites, wish, and get the fuck out. Their analytics show how long someone stays in-game and they count it during the first few days of an event as a success. You can also find more on YouTube from Gacha Goblin, she’s wonderful.

Will it be hard? Yes. Will it be worth it? I also think yes. Don’t trash the CN community when it was them in the first place who enabled us all to receive Heartfelt Wish crates when the game launched because it wasn’t easy snd still isn’t for many to get who or the ones they want. It was them boycotting that got us that very thing in the first place. This isn’t to shut down the game, just for companies to not abuse the ones who literally are giving them recognition, popularity and money for those who pay. Yes, it’s a business, but one that should be done responsibly and respectfully to us as the consumers. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to, it’s your choice. I already got Zayne and Sylus just from my saved diamonds. I’m not spending any money until day 4. But outfits and hair are separate this time around and the formula is changing. We don’t want it to stay like that when it affects everyone, including free-to-play and new players. Happy and responsible gaming!

[pacthesis]

our vietnamese tea ceremony

some may or may not know i just got engaged to a weird guy i met in college that (to put it lightly) i wasn’t too fond of but after like 2 years of snubbing him he somehow won my heart i guess

i scribbled a comic about it cause whenever people ask how i met him they sometimes get invested haha

some people also may have seen him on america’s got talent or cbs news or jimmy fallon or on tiktok doing his pizza man shenanigans lol

people often ask if he pulled me with his dough skills and i have to clarify i didn’t even know about the dough spinning hobby until after we started dating and he didn’t do the tv/media appearances until like 6 years into our relationship 🤣

my parents were both boat refugees from vietnam (they fled during the war when they were teenagers and met as adults) and i’m american- but we’re not really that “traditional” i guess

i think many viet people don’t get married or commit without having a tea ceremony haha

a hetero buddy asked who were my bridesmaids and when i told him i don’t have any he asked why and i just said “i like my friends” 🤣 (my childhood friends were there as guests though!)

i also didn’t want/ask pizza man’s family to bring the customary gifts cause i didn’t wanna cramp my style

basically the purpose of this event was for people to witness us getting engaged and be an opportunity for our families to meet one another!

5/23/2015 is when we started dating

for our first anniversary i got our initials and anniversary date stamped onto a penny and pizza man still carries it around 🥺

so 8 years later we got engaged on 8/5/2023

8 for august (8 years later)

5th of august (5 for the month we began dating)

year of 2023 (23 for the day we began dating)

i think people often go to a fortune teller or someone who knows what they’re doing to schedule important dates using the stars and other factors but my grandpa doesn’t believe in that and the rest of us aren’t really superstitious

we wore áo dài- it’s a vietnamese ensemble consisting of a tunic with a long front and back panel that is worn over pants

áo means “shirt/clothes” and dài means "long"

a lot of the time the bride wears red and the groom wears blue i guess but i wanted my outfit to look bridal when i imagine an american bride or a vietnamese bride!

i also wanted to wear a gold khăn đóng headpiece and to incorporate pearls to resemble what my mom wore when she got engaged to my dad

sunflowers are also my fav

(after we started dating i thought pizza man was tall and sunny like a sunflower haha 😭)

my makeshift shoebox altar- or as i like to call it: my “spirit pager” 😤

the double happiness symbol is two copies of the chinese character 喜 (xǐ) which means joy/happiness and red symbolizes luck for the couple

my mom asked if we should put up pictures of our deceased and i was like i don’t wanna make pizza man’s parents go out of their way to bring photos 😭

i think we were supposed to ask our ancestors for permission to get engaged or married or whatever but since my mom raised me to believe my life is mine to live i just announced it to em

as far as i know it’s not really a buddhist thing- ancestor worship is more of a vietnamese thing apparently

my mom said vietnam is a country with a lot of war and death in its history- so imo it makes sense how they incorporate the dead into their culture and traditions

after introducing each of our family members and friends- we lit a couple of incense to (casually) announce the news to our deceased grandparents and relatives

apparently burning incense is an invitation to ancestral spirits and to deliver wishes to predecessors

smoke from the burning incense guides people to safety or safe passing when they die- it also guides em back home on days like these

the spirit(s) depart when all of the incense has burned

next month is my grandma’s "deathiversary” (giỗ) so we’ll be paging her again soon

we used a tea set that was used to celebrate my 1st birthday to pour and serve (my pick) of vanilla caramel black tea to my grandpa and our parents

pizza man’s mom doesn’t like tea so i was happy i picked something she did enjoy!

but when my mom brought her family to america from vietnam- she asked them if they could bring a tea set specifically for me

my mom said it’s meant to be used to celebrate any of my special occasions

then me and pizza man said some nice words to each other and exchanged rings

my ring was pizza man’s grandma’s- his grandpa initially proposed with a smaller diamond but after he saved up enough he got her this bigger one

i don’t listen to any comments that suggest or imply this carbon rock is not humongous 🤣

pizza man paid to get it resized and to repair its prongs (it was well worn by grandma mercedes 🥺)

also found out my ring size is 3.25 (US) haha 😭

he also decided to get his grandpa’s ring resized and to wear it too!

my mom put this necklace on me- she says it reads “happiness” (i can’t confirm lol) but she received it from her mother-in-law when she got engaged to my dad

my mom was too scared to wear it after their tea ceremony cause it’s 24 karat gold and she didn't wanna wreck it

she said 24 karat gold hasn't been combined with other metals so it’s soft

i guess couples at viet tea ceremonies often get 24 karat jewelry- the idea is they can quickly sell it/melt it down for hard times

my mom also passed down her favorite jade bracelet and my grandma’s favorite diamond earrings to me 🥺

and on my 1st birthday my mom got a special ring made to celebrate my birth- she put it on a chain so the person i marry can wear it close to their heart

my mom also got a special ring necklace made to celebrate my sibling’s birth and gave it to their fiancée during their tea ceremony

it’s just the two of us so no more shiny token trophies up for grabs! 😤

i laughed when pizza man had to squat down so low so my mom could put the necklace on him 

after the ceremony i asked him if he wanted me to help him take it off (my sibling's fiancée keeps theirs in a safe cause she’s too scared to wear it daily) but pizza man was like "no i like it 😄" and wore it to sleep and showered with it and hasn’t taken it off since 😭🤣

at the end of the ceremony we lit the candles on the altar to represent the union of our families!

then we ate lots of food haha

my parents both cooked! egg rolls, fried rice, lo mein, bột chiên (fried taro rice cake)

my mom was excited because she knew many of our guests weren’t very familiar with vietnamese food and wanted to share that with them 🥺

and my dad was just so excited for me and pizza man and had so much fun getting the supplies and decorations 😭

my aunt and uncle and sister-in-law brought vịt quay (peking duck), heo quay (roast pork), gỏi tôm (shrimp salad), bánh hỏi (rice vermicelli), xôi gấc (sweet red sticky rice topped with coconut, peanuts and salt)

and pizza man’s mom and family brought lots of desserts

we have always been so amazed with how good their sweets taste and look! 🥺

we also got an ice cream cake

i wasn’t thinking and asked em to write “nicholas and amy lễ đính hôn” and they called me and were like wtf is this and i was like oh no it’s ok haha don’t worry about it! 😭🤣

we had some photos displayed but my sibling took lots of nice pictures of the whole thing!

i was happy i actually got the chance to spend time with and talk to everyone who came!

it went so well and we had so much fun that we’re thinking of doing something similar for our wedding- probably a backyard wedding haha

i was telling pizza man apparently some tea ceremonies have the first half take place at the bride’s home and then the later half is at the groom’s home 🤔

anyway reminder that leftover egg rolls can be reheated in the toaster

[cabinofimagines]

A Graveyard Smash

and here is the last one of the year! Hope you guys enjoyed our shorter but still there Halloween fics :) Pairing: Platonic the seven + a bunch of other ones x reader Word count: 2k Warnings: none! -Asnyox < prev.

You didn’t know what to expect from the grove as a party destination, yet you were slightly blown away. You noticed how most of the decorations were themed around the destruction of nature- pollution was replicated by snack stashes for the satyrs (and perhaps some fauns from Camp Jupiter, you were certain you saw Don somewhere sneaking around), there were red and yellow lights all around, simulating fire and there were many skeletons (which, given how Nico had immediately left after the group call two days ago, probably was courtesy of him). You didn’t know how to feel about the possible real skeletons laying around, so you opted to ignore the possibility of Nico summoning them. 

However, you also saw that Meg and her siblings had deemed that to be a rather serious theme to decorate in, so here and there you found some more, handcrafted of reusable materials, generic halloween decorations. Except for carved pumpkins. There were so many pumpkins, but they were all uncarved. You guessed they didn’t want to show actual body horror to the dryads. There was some old-timey Halloween music playing, although you were unable to find any speakers. Guess the trees to really speak to you if you listen.  

As you saw Leo and Jason’s costumes you just knew that Leo had bribed Meg to know what the theme of the party would be like. He must have, why else would he think of these costumes? You had to admit, you didn’t know Leo owned a hat this tall, but you didn’t put it above him to have crafted it himself. 

“I don’t think the Onceler’s hat was that big?”  You walked up to the duo, “Or the Lorax’s mustache that big.”  

“I am lucky to not have to deal with the orange paint,”. Jason grimaced. Leo elbowed him. 

“Say the line Jason!”  Leo whispered, loudly. Jason sighed and deadpanned. 

“I am the Lorax! I speak for the trees!”  Jason tried to make a more spooky sound at the end of the sentence, after which Leo jumped forward, borderline belting.

“How ba-a-a-ad can I be?” Leo’s ‘be’ ended, somehow, on a S-tone so it rhymed with Jason’s phrase. He was grinning proudly. Jason tried to hide it, but he did seem to get amusement out of his friends' behavior. You laughed. 

“Jace, I have to be honest with you,” you looked at your friend, “I had a bet with Nico that you would be a tree. Will won though, he guessed the Lorax.”  

“You had a bet?”  Jason shook his head, “Let me guess, you do have a spare tree costume and want me to put it on so you win?”  You laughed again. 

“I wish,” you turned to Leo, “How is your hat staying up when it’s this tall?”  

“Support beams made out of metal rods and foam!”  Leo’s eyes sparkled, “carton in between, I can show you after the party, I swear it’s so structurally sound. Annabeth would love to know the skeleton of. this hat.”  Leo pouted,“ It’s too bad she has been so busy with school lately, she would have loved to work on this thing together.”   

“Everyone was suffering under me indeed,” you sighed dramatically, intentionally showing off your outfit. 

“Wait, you’re-“ Jason got up real close to one of your sleeves, “That’s my English essay! How the fuck did you get your hands on that!” Jason shivered, “I still haven’t heard back from it, I sure hope I passed.”  

“I shalt not say, dear Grace, whether you passed or not,”. You smiled, “However, I have my sources and thankfully an amazing artist who hand copied all of your work.” 

“Luckily I do not have anything on here,” Leo laughed, “Dying was the best decision for that.”

  —- 

You found two sheet ghosts with cowboy hats a bit further out, talking to each other. 

“But you’re so cute though!” Hazel exclaimed, “I’m sure Nico meant no harm.”  

“I know it was just weird seeing that.”  Frank sighed, “Hedge seemed really happy though.”  

“Boo!”  You yelled and the pair jumped up. After a second Frank leaned back. You couldn’t see his face underneath the sheet, but you figured he looked upset. 

“That’s our line (Y/n)!”  He faked exasperation. 

“Yeah! We’re the cow-boos after all!”  Hazel snickered while saying her phrase. 

“Cow-boo? Oh- I get it,”. You smiled, “Yeah that is funny.” 

“It doesn’t seem like that when you say that,”. Hazel sighed, “Well, what are you then?” 

“Oh, for you I have my left leg,”. You smiled deviously, “Praetor's have a lot of paperwork after all.” You held out your leg. Frank and Hazel moved their eye holes to see more clearly as they bowed down to take a look.

“Uh Frank,” Hazel hesitated, “I think we forgot something.” Hazel pointed at your knee, “I did not fill out this document which we had to hand in yesterday.” 

“I did uh, I did not either.”  

“Fuck” they said in unision. 

“Also how did you get these?” Hazel sounded panicked, “These are classified documents!” You laughed.

“Look, most of my costume is deadlines,” you added a spooky ‘ooooooohhhhhh’ to the last word, “but for you two I also choose to be a security breach. I can give you the name of the one who gave Calypso the files.” 

“That would be great.” Frank said, “Uh, Hazel, maybe we should quickly IM someone at Camp Jupiter about the deadlines we missed.”  

“Yeah, also (Y/n) you better hide your legs or we will steal your pants.” Hazel glared at you. You slowly backed away. 

“How about dinner first?” You joked, as you ran for it. 

——

You quickly weaved around the crowd, trying your best to get away from Hazel and Frank. You stumbled into what seemed to be the heart of a gathering. On one side of the circle you had Rock, Paper and Scissors. On the other side you had The Argo II, together with the seven demigod heroes who defeated Gaea. 

Except that Will was just standing on the side. You joined him quietly. 

“This was Nico’s plan?” You asked him and he sighed, 

“Yes and he stood on me being Percy.”  Will looked at you, “As if he wanted to rub in that Percy was his first crush.” 

“You look nothing like Percy though,” You laughed, “You’re blonde.”  

“Nico wanted to force me to wear a wig,” Will shook his head, “I opposed him, wigs are itchy.” Will smiled softly, “Although the Cocoa Puffs are adorable, and it warms my heart to see Hedge in his element like this.” 

“I look nothing like Will!” Percy’s voice sounded loudly. He seemed offended, “At least Frank looks really cute.”  Percy pouted. One particular Cocoa Puff puffed out their chest in pride. Nico stood in the middle of it all, dressed at what you assumed to be a Reyna costume, as Reyna stood next to him, dressed in Nico’s clothes. Nico could hardly stop smiling at the reactions to the Cocoa Puffs. You were about to ask Will something when

 “BAM!” Hege yelled as he hit you from behind with a blow-up bat, “YOU JUST GOT ARGO’ED!” 

“Amazing,” you looked Hedge up and down. He was wearing a boat around his middle, and on his head was a … Festus Hat? Hedge looked like an excited child. 

“Whatcha think, huh? Valdez even delivered on the hat!” Hedge let out an excited bleat, “Although it was all the kids idea,” he pointed at Nico, “I’m really happy to be included though! It’s been a while since all my cupcakes were in the same spot with me! And now I even got two batches! OH! I see Zhang over there, gotta hit him too!” And Hedge ran off. 

After a moment of silence Will and you locked eyes, and both started laughing. 

“He’s having a blast,” Will smiled, “Nico was right to get Hedge involved. How’s the scaring going?” Will turned to you. 

“Hazel and Frank are panicking about some forms they forgot and the security breach,” You grinned devilishly, “Jason is just mostly disappointed, and I still have to show the Rock, Paper Scissors trio my outfit.” 

—

Annabeth hated your outfit. Whether it was the fact that you got her only failing grade paper on the back, or the fact that she did not want to think about the last minute mistakes she made in two of the other papers she would not tell you. However, she did say she would find Leo to, and you quote, ‘definitely not set fire to your costume and ruin Calypso’s hard work’. Percy held in his laughter until Annabeth was out of earshot. 

“So where’s my work?” Percy eagerly looked around your jacket, and you pointed him towards  the sleeve. 

“Sally was eager to give it to me, she seems proud of your grades, even if they aren’t that high.” you said, and Percy had a bit of an embarrassed blush on his face. 

“Whenever I get a passing grade she keeps it,” Percy explained, “to remind me what I am capable of.” He was still inspecting your arm, but suddenly stopped, “Wait, is this- I wrote this when I was 7!” he was now a mess, “Please don’t tell me you read it.”

“I did, Percy.” you cackled crazily for a moment, “Percy Jackson or should I say Aqualad!  I am your embarrassing past!” Percy glared at you. 

“Just because I wrote a Aquaman and Little Mermaid crossover does not mean I wanted to BE aqualad (Y/n).” 

“I think it does,” Piper spoke up, “Also I appreciate the effort but I will not be looking for my work, thanks.”

“Aw, Pipes, come on,” you begged her but she shook her head. 

“Deadlines cannot be scary unless you face them, so I am procrastinating.”

“Unfair!” you glared at her, “Piper Mclean I will come for you! You can run, but deadlines always catch up to you!” 

After a moment of silence all three of you laughed. 

Your moment was interrupted by Meg calling for attention. She was dressed as Gollum, while Apollo stood next to her in a Frodo outfit. A bit further in the back stood who you guessed to be Grover from the satyr legs, dressed as Gandalf. 

“It is time to announce the winners of tonight's costume contest!” she yelled, and everyone cheered, “We have seen many amazing costumes, but one duo certainly blew us away.”

Percy, who still stood next to you, breathed out a soft ‘dam’.

“What? You really thought you would win with ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’?” you whispered and he just looked at you.

“I could dream okay?”

“Please come forth!” Meg paused, “Gideon Nav and Harrowhark Nonagesimus!” After a moment, filled with cheers, Calypso and Thalia took the stage looking absolutely stunning and creepy. Calypso was dressed as Harrowhark, with intricate face paint and basically wearing a skeleton around herself. Thalia was Gideon, with more shabby facepaint, the iconic sunglasses and with a six feet claymore on her back. They both bowed, looking up smiling. 

“By my rules,” Meg continued after a moment, “You get to decide where to host next year, so where will it be?” 

Thalia and Calypso looked at each other and Thalia shrugged, “I don’t know where I will be with the hunt, so it’s up to you Calypso.” Calypso looked a bit panicked, before taking a deep breath. 

“I guess it will be at the Waystation then!” she announced, and there were loud cheers from the crowd. 

As the party resumed, you hoped Calypso would be earlier with the invitations than Meg had been. After all, working with deadlines was pretty scary.

[marinas-ashtray]

Two: The creek

Of course as soon as I got home the other day my mom interrogated me about making friends and how I liked the area. I didn't have the heart to tell her that it’s basically identical to Williamsburg. I haven't done much exploring since I got here, I haven't had the energy. 

Chris, my stepdad, has been trying really hard to connect recently but it’s not really working. It’s all too soon. I don’t dislike him at all, he’s nice and makes my mom happy.  He gave us Andy, who’s seven now and objectively the coolest person in the house. But my dad died a few months ago and I moved in here with them for school. What else was I supposed to do? I can't afford to get my own apartment and I wanted to avoid living in the dorms if possible. Thankfully they live near the University. 

This morning mom made breakfast for us before she took Andy to school. 

“How was your first day of classes yesterday honey?” She asked in her normal sweet tone. She was standing in front of the stove making eggs and Chris was right next to her making bacon and toast. I don't eat bacon.

I hesitated to tell her about Orin and the manhole cover but that's the only thing that happened yesterday worth noting. So I told her. 

“I met this guy before class, his name is Orin. He’s weird, he led me into the woods and showed me a manhole cover.” I tried to make it sound less odd than it actually was. Her clearly confused gaze told me I had not succeeded. She placed my portion of eggs, bacon, and toast onto a plate and handed it to me. 

“Why did you follow him?” Chris asked as he sat across from me with his mug in hand. It was a mug I had made him in my 4th grade art class, before him and mom got married. It seemed well worn. A small chip in the rim and slightly faded glaze. “You need to be more careful.”

I didn't have a good answer so I just shrugged as I shoved bacon into my mouth, trying my best not to cringe at the taste. “Dunno, just felt like it. I was bored.”

There was no more talk about it. Andy came down in an outfit he had clearly picked out himself. A spiderman shirt with ill fitting green shorts and mismatched crocs. Mom’s raising him very differently than how I was. She lets him express himself and lets him be a free spirit. It’s cute, I just wish I had been allowed to do the same. 

She wasn’t ever mean to me, she was great. She just never liked how I dressed. She still doesn't. She always comments on my piercings (I don't even have that many) and the oversizedness of my clothes. But I like them, they’re comfy and I think I look cool. 

Andy waddled to his seat and started talking a mile a minute about a friend at school and how today was “gonna be the most epic day ever.”

I cleaned both his plate and mine. 

“What plans do you have today, Rina?” Mom asked, wiping down the table. 

“I’m meeting with Orin to hangout,” He invited me to go hangout with his friend, Ethan. I figured it could be fun. He said he was gonna show me around all the fun and niche hangout spots in town and I figured it could be fun. “I have class before that though, College Algebra and Drawing 1.” 

“Sounds busy, I hope you have fun. Will you be home for dinner?” She smiled, carefully. I can’t tell if it’s genuine.

“I will,” I said, and I meant it. She’s trying, even if everything feels like walking on glass.

I helped her clean up while Chris got Andy ready for school. Then I walked them out and headed off to campus.

Nothing major happened in class. Syllabus day, classic. But I did meet a girl in Drawing 1, Cassie. Pink hair, nice smile. She lent me a pen. That’s probably the highlight of my academic career so far.

-

Orin picked me up at the house once I got back from class. I heard him coming before I saw him. He was blaring and jamming out to David Bowie like it was a heavy metal song. His car is a faded red Corolla from the early 2000s. I noticed a Bigfoot sticker on his rear window and an alien bumper sticker below his license plate as I approached it.

As I opened the passenger door I was greeted with the strong smell of old weed and lemon. Like lemon-scented cleaner. To sit down, I had to move a small stack of DC comics. Red Hood: The Hill, and Absolute Batman. 

He greeted me with a wide smile. “Hey dude, whats up!”

“Nice chariot” I snarked

“Hell yeah, man, it’s my older brother’s old car. A 2001 Corolla. A classic.” He was way too proud and excited of this beat up car. 

“This is a death trap,” I said as I struggled to get the seatbelt to latch. Only adding to the creeping anxiety that had been growing in my chest since he said he was on his way. Fear-type anxiety or excited anxiety, I couldn't yet tell.

“Also, Aux is broken, and I don’t have Bluetooth. We only listen to CDs in here.” He reached into his back seat, moved what seemed to be a Wolverine action figure, still in the box, and grabbed a huge case full of CDs. There was pretty much every genre in here. N.W.A, Slipknot, Willie Nelson, Billy Joel, and of course, every David Bowie CD ever put out. But there was nothing after 2002. I shuffled through them until I found a CD labeled “Orin’s Zombie Apocalypse Playlist!!!!” in bold Sharpie letters. Of course, this is the one I pick.

I pop it in as he pulls away from the curb. I am greeted with some old, generic, dad rock. It could be Nickelback? I don't know, I'm not a fan of them.

We talk about our days for a while but soon into our drive we stop at an old bookstore with a very tall man sitting on the bench outside of it. 

“ETHAN!” Orin yells, rolling down the window as he pulls up in front of the bench.

Ethan stands, and I see how overwhelmingly tall he is. Easily 6 '5 and he is built like Saquon Barkley. His hair was buzzed short, and his smile was the kind of smile you only have when the world has told you “yes” a lot. He strolled on over, shoulders and head back.

“Damn, you actually showed up on time,” he said to Orin, clapping him on the shoulder as he sat in the seat behind me. Then he noticed me. “And you brought someone.” His cologne masked the scent of weed and cleaner in the car. I was grateful for it.

His gaze moved over me, curious, amused, maybe a little too slow, but not in a gross way. The kind of look people give when they’re used to being the most interesting person in the room.

“This her?” he asked.

“Marina,” I said before Orin could introduce me like I wasn’t there.

“Marina,” Ethan repeated, like he was testing how it felt in his mouth. “Pretty name. Orin said you were cool, but he’s prone to exaggeration.”

“And you’re prone to talking too much,” Orin retorted, “where should we take her first? The river or the tracks?” 

“Let's take her to the river.” 

The “river” turned out to be a glorified creek, the kind of place you’d step into by accident while trying to get somewhere actually interesting. It trickled lazily through a shallow dip in the woods, littered with rocks, soda cans, and old shopping cart with a slab of wood on it. Maybe a makeshift table. Still, it was kind of peaceful in a grimy, forgotten way. The sun filtered through the trees in pale stripes, casting flickering reflections on the water like it was trying to pretend it had more depth than it did.

“This is the magical river you both hyped up so much?” I was underwhelmed, again. 

“It’s got character,” Orin insisted, kicking a rock into the water. It made a weak splash.

Ethan laughed behind me, hands in his hoodie pockets as he stepped around a muddy patch. “You gotta understand, Marina. Orin’s been coming out here since we were in middle school. He thinks it’s sacred or something.” He pulls his hand out of his pocket, revealing a bag with a well rolled paper surrounded by flecks of green. 

A smile crept on my face. “Y’all smoke?” I took a few steps closer to Ethan, going around the same muddy patch. 

“Why else would we hang out in the woods by this dinky creek.” Orin laughed, pulling out the same lighter from yesterday. For half a second, my chest tightened, but I'm choosing to ignore it.

We sat on the soft ground, it was a little damp, but Orin laid down a towel, so it worked out well. Ethan pulled out the weed and handed the blunt to Orin. Orin lit it and took one long pull. The smoke curled around us as he exhaled.

Chest tight. Remember, we are ignoring it.

When he handed it to me, I hesitated. It’d been a minute since I smoked anything other than cigs. But I took it and copied what Orin did. The smoke clung to the lemon-weed smell already baked into my hoodie. I closed my eyes for a second, just listening to the soft ripple of water, the creak of trees above, the murmuring of two boys who'd clearly known each other forever.

Ethan was stretched out like he owned the dirt, leaning back on his elbows, still talking. He had one of those voices that carried, always ready for the punchline, even if there wasn’t one.

“So,” he said, eventually turning to me, “what are you studying?”

“Illustration, I want to be a tattoo artist, you?” I asked, passing the blunt to him.

“Criminal justice, I want to be a lawyer, like my mom.” He said, taking a hit. 

“But you smoke?” 

“God forbid a man has hobbies.” He laughed, a wall of smoke hitting me in the face.

We sat by the creek for a while. The conversation drifted the way the water did slow, a little aimless, but never still for too long. The creek had begun to grow on me. Clearly, they were the only ones who came down here. Peaceful, quiet, and a pretty enough area to enjoy your high.

Orin was picking up small rocks and inspecting them like they might be ancient artifacts. “This one looks like a tooth,” he said, holding it up to the sunlight. “Probably cursed.”

Ethan made a noise like a dying bird. “Bro, why is everything with you cursed? One day you’re gonna manifest something actually haunted and I’m not saving you.”

“I don’t need saving,” Orin replied, flipping the rock into the creek. “I’ll simply join the ghosts.”

“You would,” I said, flicking ash off the end of the half gone blunt. “You’d be the type of ghost that turns all the electronics off and then just sits there, staring at people.”

I get up to hand it to Orin and I join him in looking for stuff by the water. I found a tooth and some kind of bone, hollow, likely a bird bone. We continued looking for a while. Eventually, Ethan joined us. We all crouched like frogs for a while until we were sufficiently stoned and had found a decent amount of odd rocks to add to Orin’s collection.

We eventually all made our way back to the towel and laid down on it together. I closed my eyes, crossed my arms behind my head and just enjoyed being stoned in the woods for a minute.

“What made you want to be a tattoo artist?” Ethan asked, propping himself up on his elbows

“Been drawing since I was a kid. Bodies just… feel like a cool canvas, I guess. Everyone’s a little weird and a little messed up, and I like that. Makes art feel alive.”

“That’s dope,” he said. “I’ve got two tattoos. My mom doesn’t know about either.”

“What are they?”

He chuckled. “A really bad skull on my back I got at 16. And a Roman numeral for my little sister’s birthday on my arm.”

“That’s not bad,” Orin said, surprisingly sincere. “Kinda poetic for a guy who still wears socks with dinosaurs on them.”

Ethan shot him a look. “Dinosaurs are eternal, bro. Respect the sock.”

I rolled over onto my stomach and propped my chin on my arms. “What made you want to be a lawyer?”

Ethan went quiet for a beat. “My mom used to take me to court with her when I was little. Not, like, criminal court, just the boring stuff. Contracts, real estate. But watching her up there, holding her own in a room full of old dudes in suits… I don’t know. She made it look like art.”

It was a weird answer. Honest. Vulnerable in the kind of way people don’t usually get in the middle of the woods on a random Tuesday.

“You don’t seem like the courtroom type,” I said gently.

He smirked, not offended. “Because I’m hot and annoying?”

“Basically.” 

That earned a laugh from both guys. 

Orin was sorting through his rocks, tossing ones he didn't like so much back into the creek and putting the ones he did like into his bookbag.“This one looks like a sad frog spirit,” he said, squinting.

Ethan looked over his shoulder. “Bro, that’s literally just a rock.”

“You’re not looking hard enough,” Orin replied, dead serious. “This rock’s seen some shit. Probably has wisdom to share if you’re brave enough to listen.”

Ethan groaned, flopping back onto the towel. “Why are you like this?”

Orin shrugged. “My mom let me read Goosebumps and didn’t make me go to church.”

That made me snort.

“I think it’s cool,” I said. “At least your weird makes sense.”

“Thank you,” he said, placing the sad frog spirit carefully into a side pocket of his backpack like it was a gemstone. “I’m cultivating an army. When the end times come, my rock sons will protect me.”

He stood and brushed his jeans off. “E, let’s go to the tracks. I want food.”

Both Ethan and I stood up with him. I was still hazy and lightheaded. All three of us had worse posture now than when we had first walked out here. Smiles were permanently plastered on our faces involuntarily. The woods looked much nicer, and I didn't really want to leave. But Orin mentioned food, and now I can't imagine anything better than a nice, warm grilled cheese.

I raised an eyebrow. “Is this what you do for fun? Assign tragic backstories to geological debris?”

“It’s a spiritual exercise,” he said, now turning the rock gently in his hands. “Each one has a vibe. Like this one? Bad breakup. You can tell by the jagged edge and this little patch of discoloration here, clearly the emotional damage zone.” He tossed it into the river, making a soft plonk sound.

“I don't like the sad ones.”

He grabbed his bag and led us back out of the woods.

[hayffiebird]

Taste of Strawberries, chap. 40 (part one)

Hayffie Post-Mockingjay (Canon divergence) Multi-chapter, Rated M SUMMARY: Four years have passed since the end of the war when Effie becomes a fixture in Haymitch’s life once again. An old friendship is rekindled. Will it lead to something more? Meanwhile, Panem has entered a new era. The rebellion’s over, the borders are open but in the shadows, anger and mistrust are smoldering. Something which will affect Haymitch and Effie’s life in a way they never saw coming. READ MORE

Author’s note: As always, dearest readers, thanks for supporting ToS through likes, reblogs, kudos, bookmarks, follows, favs, comments and messages! You fill my hayffie beating heart to the brim and I’m so happy you enjoy reading. Happy New Year to you all and I wish you the best 2024!

MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING for chapter 40, both part 1 and 2. Mentions of sexual assault, physical and mental abuse, eating disorder, suicide and animal cruelty.

Chapter 40

The writing on the wall (part one)

God, he needed coffee! Something strong at any rate.

Arms loaded with laundry Haymitch pushed inside his guestroom, a towel wrapped around the waist. The dirty clothes landed at the foot of the bed and he parked himself next to it. Cautiously so as not make his head explode.

Effie wouldn’t let him help with the twins. He offered but all she did was tell him to stay put while she carried them upstairs. One at a time.

Her excited murmurs fluttered in through the wall. A groan, more like a whine, slipped between Haymitch’s lips and he rubbed his face, still dripping from the shower. Big mistake. The room tilted. Like a bloody ship. Aspirin. I need aspirin.

Breathing through his nostrils, he sifted through the pile of yesterday’s clothes. Not a minute in, the silver hip flask dropped to the carpet with a sloshing sound. He peered at it, like finding a patch of strawberries. Or a rattlesnake. He hesitated, then plucked it. Cleared his throat. Swallowed what felt like a bucket of phlegm and gave the flask a little shake.

More left than he expected. But then again, Mr. Neighbor Whose-Name-He’d-Forgotten had been more than generous last night. All those stowaways in cupboards and cabinets. Apple whiskey. Passion fruit vodka.

He unscrewed the lid. Inhaled. Relished in the sting of those fumes. Inviting. Familiar. Full of promises.

But he could almost hear Effie’s voice, low and dangerous like a Buttercup growl,

“Go ahead. Do it. You’ll be on the next available train before you can say ‘Happy birthday!’”

The words were enough to cork the flask up. He headed for the garment bag instead. The one Effie laid out for him. Draped over an armchair.

The towel dropped to his feet but Haymitch paid it no mind. Curtains were all pulled and no one had any business going in here in the first place. Well, Effie possibly. But she‘d seen him naked so many times she wouldn’t bat an eye.

Z-i-i-i-p!

He peeked inside. Suspiciously.

Hm. At least I won’t be punished with a tuxedo in August.

He draped the outfit across the bed, having a proper look. Yeah, it could’ve been way worse. This was “casual” or pretty close. Something you might wear on the beach. A white floral shirt, patterned with soft green leaves and baby blue … forget-me-nots? Dress pants with room to breathe. Even a pair of underwear.

In short: a worthy male counterpart to Effie’s strawberry dress that she would have worn had he not ballooned her up via a twin pregnancy.

He pulled the shirt on. Worked the buttons, save the last two. Unlike her own self, post-birth, Effie knew his size down to the T. Still! Pants on he ran a hand through his damp hair. Combed it with his fingers.

Really, he’d got off easily.

Don’t fuck this up.

The quest for coffee brought him downstairs. Gray skies. Sun gone. Fingers crossed, they’d make it through today without a downpour.

He had but a second to relish in the empty kitchen before he realized it wasn’t.

Annabel stood by the counter, bent over a glorious chocolate cake the size of a small district. With deft, dexterous motions she piped out buttercream swirls through a star-tip, all along the edges. One more elegant than the last. He recognized the frosting technique from the bakery. And in the middle of the creation: a lone, unlit candle shaped like a teddy bear.

“Hey,” he said to say something. “That is some cake.”

“Thanks,” Annabel replied, eyes on her work. “It’s Eden’s old recipe.”

“That your sister or …?”

“Our nanny. We had many coming through but she was always my favorite. And she baked a chocolate cake every time one of us had a birthday.”

“Must’ve been a lot o’ cake.”

“I guess.”

They lapsed into silence. Annabel wasn’t the kind of woman who cared for pointless chatter and Effie’s spirit loomed over him, nudging him forward.

“I’m really sorry ‘bout last night. Don’t know what the fuck happened. That’s no excuse but …”

“I don’t need your sorrys, Haymitch.”

The words were spoken without anger. Without distance. No more heat behind it had she asked “Can you pass the marmalade?”

Haymitch gave a slight nod. Point taken. His eyes wandered across the room. The stack of plates. The pretty glasses. The napkins yet to be folded. “Something else I can do?”

Annabel’s hands stilled. He just had time to ponder if he said something stupid when she put the star-tip down and looked him straight in the eye. The sight pinched his insides. Chocolate brown eyes, holding within them the ghost of her father. Caesar Flickerman. Whom at the least expected moment would spring forward and send his 16 year old ass flying back into that plush interview chair of long ago.

But this wasn’t Caesar. This was Annabel. Just Annabel.

He waited for the berating, the chew-out, the more than fair scolding. Wondered if she’d serve him a dish he hadn’t already gotten over the years from Effie, Peeta, Katniss, Hazelle … The list was endless really.

Annabel brushed a lock from her forehead. Using her wrist, what with her fingers stained with chocolate. And the words finally uttered were the last he ever expected to spill from her mouth.

“Do you know we had a fall-out? Effie and I.” His surprise must have shown for she nodded. “Oh, yes. This was years ago. Before Kane and Alexander. Even before I became a spy for Plutarch.”

Leaned back, she rested her palms against the edge of the kitchen counter top.

“In the Capitol that Snow molded like a lump of porcelain clay … well, him and Volumnia Gaul, the Trinkets and the Flickermans weren’t even supposed to be friends. We’re all the top 1 % to the rest of Panem but there’s a strict hierarchy also within the city. But I guess Effie’s already told you all about that.

The higher up you go the less important the Trinkets get. There’s a reason you won’t find their name on any tape in any archive, before Effie became a Games escort. They’re wealthy enough but new money and trifle in comparison. In the eyes of the big dogs the Trinkets are what their name suggests: Knick-knack. Fool’s gold. Of little value.

We became roommates at the Academy through a simple error, nothing more. One I could have easily corrected had I reported it to professor Sickle. But why on Earth would I? She was so much fun. So fun and full of life. Extremely ambitious. Hungry to prove her worth, up to the point she sometimes didn’t see the forest for all the trees.

And a fashionista, of course. Oh yes. She loved her dresses! I barely knew her family existed but one hour with her and it was like I’d known her all my life. I wish I’d met her sooner.”

The woman fell silent.

“The Flickermans were part of Snow’s circle. The inner circle. One of five grand families moving in his orbit. The Heavensbees were another. The Cranes a third. So while Effie had play dates with people like Flavius Dolittle, I ‘networked’ over at the president’s mansion. From the moment I was born I belonged to Cordelia Snow.”

Haymitch’s eyebrows creased together.

“Cordelia?”

“Yes. His oldest daughter.”

“I thought he only had one.”

“Mm-hm.” Annabel’s voice was dry. “That’s what he wanted people to think at any rate. But he fathered four children, whether he liked it or not. Two boys first, back to back. I reckon a woman in Livia Cardew’s position wouldn’t dare otherwise. Two strong, blonde, sturdy little gentlemen with dimples to carry on his legacy. 18 months apart as is the ideal between your first and secondborn in the Capitol.

Oh, the citizens all but devoured them and it wasn’t until a few years later that they came sniffing back for a baby girl Snow. They adored the idea of a little briar rose. Adored and expected it. And before long, their first lady was pregnant again.

It almost killed her to have her. And the moment the girl was born it got clear something was wrong. Wrong in the eyes of the Capitol, at any rate. The light skin. The snowy hair. The red eyes.”

“Albinism?” Haymitch asked. He’d read about it somewhere. Annabel nodded.

“And there was something wrong with her foot as well. Some kind of birth defect. Even after multiple operations done by the finest surgeons the Capitol had to offer, she still walked with a limp. She was a slip-up in Snow’s eyes. A blunder. A chapter you didn’t particularly like and so you leafed through it as quickly as you could. When the baby was first presented to him, did he entertain thoughts of eliminating her? Seneca once told me that the president, and I quote: ‘takes pride in not being wasteful. He takes life for very specific reasons.’ So, at the end of the day, I guess he saw no reason to kill his infant daughter. Maybe that’s how unimportant she really was to him.

He still needed a girl, of course. A proper girl, worthy the name of Snow. And he got one, years later, despite the doctors’ verdict that his wife would never bear children again. His miracle daughter. A rainbow baby, at least in his book.

After that, Snow wouldn’t give Cordelia the time of day. Not the way he did the two boys and his youngest: ‘A once-in-a-lifetime beauty that people will write poems about.’

His oldest was brushed to the very corner of the Capitol’s eye. ‘Too sickly’ to preside over the Hunger Games or any other televised event alongside her family. The Capitol wasn’t that interested in the gangly, odd-looking, never-smiling girl anyway. Not when they had the little sister with her long eyelashes, lush curls and cute little hand-wave.

You’d think being confined to the mansion like an embarrassment, would turn miss Cordelia into a rebel but no. The little girl worshiped her father. Idolized him. I spent most of my childhood in her company. Apart from Tigris, Cordelia was the lowest of the Snows but she was still a Snow. A piece that would strengthen her father’s empire one day once she came of age. So, she never lacked company. Her rooms were always filled with girls, carefully handpicked. Saplings of prominent family trees going back generations. Not friends. More like ladies-in-waiting. All eager to win her favor, and yet I was the one she gravitated toward. Right from the start. I used to come home covered in bruises from where she pinched me. ‘Love taps’ as the grownups called them.

I think, of all the people in my life – even before my mother and father, before my sisters – Cordelia was the first to figure out I like girls. I remember when we were eight or nine, playing with her doll house, just the two of us that day. How those peculiar red eyes bore into mine with a fire that made me cower in fear.

‘Have you ever kissed someone?’ she asked. I didn’t know what to say and she never gave me the chance. Her little hand took mine with the grip of a child getting what she wanted. Then her lips pressed to mine and I was so chocked I couldn’t move. I just sat there – frozen-still, eyes open – until she bit my bottom lip so hard I shrieked and tasted blood.

I was scared to death of her. But I soon realized how dangerous that was. To be anything but delighted in the presence of a Snow. Just as it was dangerous to be anything but delighted when watching the Games.

The Capitol was a prison. A fancy prison but a prison nonetheless. We never suffered the way the districts suffered. We didn’t starve. Our names were safe from the reaping bowl. But life under Snow’s reign wasn’t a bed of roses either. Not in the way you may think. For every petal there was a thorn and if you weren’t careful they ripped you to shreds.

Do you know the suicide rate used to be sky-high in the Capitol? Especially among young people. Up to the point Snow created a new law, charging the family a penalty fee if your child jumped in front of a train.

Like most people, I learned to keep my feelings on the inside. Made myself a master of self-control. But back then I was still a child. And I dreaded the Games season every year. Since they wanted Cordelia out of the spotlight, Mrs. Snow arranged slumber parties during those weeks. At the mansion. Just for her daughter and her closest friends.

Big television screens. Loud girls dressed in their finest, packed tightly on sofas and recliners and pillows on the floor.

And food. Tables loaded with delicacies. All of Cordelia’s favorites. Way more than any of us could finish. Plates just carried in and carried out. Hours and days and weeks of leftovers just scraped into the trash while kids, kids like us, starved and died on the screen.

How many of us understood what was really happening? That the scenes played out wasn’t just some pretend reality witnessed through a camera lens? Watching, I wondered if I was going crazy. Wondered why no one seemed bothered by the nightmares unfolding before our eyes. The cold hard reality of those boys and girls pitted against each other. Children whom had done nothing wrong.

Every single one of us spectators were born into families whose wealth and privilege were built upon piles and piles of dead children and we could all stomach it?

I think that’s when my struggle with food first started. During those annual slumber parties. Even years after they released me from the psych ward there were still moments when I gagged on my food because images from the Games flashed in my brain.

Not Cordelia. She soaked up the Games, like a sponge. Each year getting just a little fuller.

They kept animals at the mansion. Snow may not spare her a minute of his time but he never questioned the expenditures when the girl wanted a new puppy. A new goldfish.  A batch of kittens. Without hesitation, without remorse she’d stab a tortoise shell with a corn holder. Clip a bunny’s paw with a stapler. Break her songbird’s wing and give it to the cat, watching the warbler fight for its life. I tried to stop her. Truly I did. I begged her to leave her pets alone.”

She held her arms out, palms up. Haymitch’s eyebrows came together getting a clear look on what he’d only glimpsed before. Cuts. Marks. Scratches. Pink reminders, not of Annabel’s unhappy mind like he thought, but another child with sharp objects. Scars not so different from his own.

Her arms dropped to the sides.

“Her own family didn’t care whether she lived or died. She hardly ever got to see the world outside those walls. Maybe torturing creatures smaller and weaker that herself gave her a sense of control. Made her feel big and powerful.

Maybe she hoped it would draw the attention of her father. Show him she was capable of doing what he already did to those children in the arena. In many ways she was his most loyal ally. Maybe he would have noticed, seen the potential in her, had she lived longer.”

To be continued …

[amazingmsme]

Okay but what about some of your favorite headcanons that aren’t tickle related? For Curt and Owen, or any of Hatchetfield, whatever you wish. Just curious to hear what you’re thinkin’! 🎤

Think I’ll stick to the spy boys for now just so it won’t get too long cause I already know I’m gonna get carried away lol

So just like we see at the beginning, Curt & Owen love fucking around with the bad guys they find on their missions & “use them for sport” as Owen says. & they love to rub it in their faces just how damn good they are that they can just use them for fun in their own little games

Sometimes they get more roughed up if the other is the one interrogating them. They’re both masochists who never want to admit defeat, so yeah they’ve walked away with blood & broken bones (only minor breaks but STILL)

Curt loves playing with the spy gadgets regardless of how many times Barb tries to warn him, or how many times he ends up hurting himself with them zksvksjaz. He never tells her when he does it tho because that will just end up in a lecture

Curt & Owen will mock each other’s bosses to make each other laugh after they get chewed out for being dumb & reckless

They have to share hotel rooms quite often to “save the agencies money” & before they actually got together it was just straight up torture for them

The first time they had to share a bed on one of these missions, they were both freaking out internally & trying to play it cool. But then Owen found out Curt hogs all the blankets & suddenly he wasn’t feeling so smitten, just pissed off & cold

They flirt in the job soooo much it should be obvious at this point

One of the first epiphanies that Owen has about his partner comes when Curt fixed his tie for him & Owen was a little off his game for the rest of the night because he kept thinking about Curt’s hands so close to his throat & his lips in perfect kissing distance

They absolutely help each other pick out their outfits when they go undercover

After they get together, they play a game where they talk about what their lives would be like if they weren’t spies & they just make up a whole ass fake domestic life for them where they adopt a dog, then a cat (as practice) & when they’re “ready” they adopt a kid & have a happy lil family

They also play this game where they pretend they went into different professions & make up different ways they met each other

Curt is great at poker & wins most of the time they play

Before they met, Curt really wasn’t a tea guy, but Owen makes him “real” tea & makes him realize he actually likes it as long as it’s made right. Perks of dating a Brit

They have matching daggers carved with the other’s name. The height of romance

Cynthia has her suspicions about them, but they work so well together she couldn’t care less. That’s none of her business & tbh she couldn’t care less

Curt is actually a pretty good cook because he’s a momma’s boy & helped out in the kitchen any chance he got. But once they got together, he wanted to blow Owen away with his skills & made a candlelit romantic dinner with garlic bread & spaghetti & meatballs & a huge salad & Owen was literally speechless. YES they did the lady & the tramp thing where they kiss on the same noodle & they kept trying until they got it right!

Ok I held off long enough, here’s a few nsfw headcanons. No minors beyond this point, I’ll kick your ass

Ok but they’ve LITERALLY had a dick measuring contest. Like, they got out the tape measure to see whose is bigger. & no I’m not gonna say, y’all decide for yourselves. There’s no WAY I’m sparking that kind of debate

They legit take turns on who tops & bottoms

You’d expect it to be rough kinky sex, but it’s actually the most tender lovemaking ever ok they love each other more than anyone & they take their time exploring each other’s bodies

Of course when the time is right they absolutely get kinky with it

Their fake interrogations take a turn like 50% of the time (only after they’ve killed everyone in the building)

Even the interrogations that don’t end like that still get them both all hot & bothered. Owen especially loves the roleplay element

They kinda really like the thrill of almost getting caught so they’ve definitely hooked up when others are around

Ok that’s all I got. If you stuck around this long congrats, here’s your prize ⭐️

[jedimasterbailey]

Hello there, Bailey! How we feeling about Ahsoka Part Five?????? I am so unwell, I loved every bit of it and I was wrecked emotionally 😭😭😭 💜

ALEXEI!!!!! Oh my god you have no idea how big of a smile I get on my face whenever you inbox me, I love it 🥰 And I’m with you, I’m still recovering emotionally from it 😭

Anyhow, I will admit that Ahsoka part 5 is the best episode of the series so far. For once I wasn’t angry or disappointed (I must admit I’m not a hard core Rebels fan so everything up to this point has been frustrating for me) because I was finally seeing the one thing that I think many of us have been dying to see which is Ahsoka reconnecting with Anakin post ROTJ. I absolutely loved the flashbacks and I loved every moment of Ahsoka and Anakin together, I only wished we had more! I love that we got to see teenage Ahsoka with the mind of a much older Ahsoka realizing how distressing her past really was, etc and finally making peace with it. Absolutely beautiful and I was smiling from ear to ear just seeing all the Clone Wars characters again from Rex, to Ahsoka in her Padawan outfit and green lightsaber, to Anakin in his Clone Wars armor. Just amazing and it hits so good when you’ve been watching the Clone Wars since you’ve been a kid! Seeing animated stuff come to live action is truly something.

With that being said, there are a few things I wish we could see (that I doubt we’ll see in this show and that’s fine but I’d love to see it nonetheless). One, I wish Anakin would apologize to Ahsoka for all the trauma he’s inflicted on her as Vader and for all that the Clone Wars have put her through. We saw Obi-Wan apologize to Anakin in the Kenobi show (and let’s be honest here, the only one responsible for Anakin’s fall is well ultimately Anakin), so I’m not sure why that has yet to happen with Ahsoka. She deserves all the apologies but I digress maybe we’ll see it elsewhere because I do believe Anakin and Ahsoka have much to talk about still. Two, I wanna see Barriss! Barriss is such a HUGE part of her past and literally changed the trajectory of her life so why it’s still never discussed is a mystery to me. However again, I think that’s not relevant to this show but when it comes to the story of Ahsoka as a whole, I do believe Barriss needs to return. Like you can’t have a Obi-Wan show without Darth Vader, so why not have Ahsoka make peace/amends with Barriss? Omg can you imagine a live action Clone Wars flashback with Ahsoka AND Barriss?! 😍 Oh I would be in happy tears! ☺️

What did you think my friend? And to everyone else out there, I’d love to hear your thoughts! 😁

[rodolfoparras]

!!! Mars does get over his internalized homophobia and !!! He ends up with Damien😋 he gets along with Lucien (Damiens son) pretty well as Mars was major punk in his teen/young adult years (he still has his piercings and a few little tattoos) Lucien thinks he's badass even if he doesn't still dress all punk anymore🙏 Damien is very appreciative that Mars understands his son so well because he was low-key confused about half the shit Lucien says or does😭

Also Mars wears a white tank top with ripped black jeans and bulky belt😋 (so he dresses like Logan Howlett basically because damnnn is that outfit so😍)

Mars gives Lucien some of his old clothes, with permission from Damien ofc, like old leather jackets, a patch vest, some accessories💪 and Mars' daughter loves gardening!!! She sees Damiens fancy ass garden and is so impressed she asks him so many questions about how he takes care of it, where he gets his seeds, etc. Their kids getting along with the other was definitely a big part in Mars and Damien moving forward with their relationship🙏 because no matter how much ya like someone if your kids don't vibe with them, it's gonna be a huge mess

And just gonna say that Damien absolutely loves biting and being bit, Mars comes back from Damiens house and has so many bites all over his neck but Damien is even worse, luckiky his usual attire hides it but when he's at work??? He has to cover up with his makeup because there's so many bites you'd think he got attacked by an animal😭 the bites are all over his torso and thighs too😋 Mars is so feral, bro is pent up and finally has a pretty boy to fuck🔥🔥🔥

Also !!!

I'm rewatching the xmen movies so I can be caught up for deadpool and wolverine (whenever I watch it) and Logan in the first movie with no shirt underneath the jacket???!! The way he cares so much got Rouge??? husband material and rather material I gotta breed this man immediately🔥🔥🔥

-🌱

HELLO THATS AN ABSOLUTE BEAUTIFUL WAY TO WRAP UP HIS STORY ARC I love when a character ends up having a really good relationship with their partners kid it makes my heart so full!! And I know he’s overjoyed having a stepson who has similar interests that he used to have!! Also the outfit of choiceJesus Christ?! How does Damien get anything done around him🧎🏻‍♂️

AND THE KIDS ARE GREAT FRIENDS TOO?? I LOVE THIS SO MUCY!! I’m so happy all the puzzle pieces fell into place and they can have a happy and thriving relationship wishing them the utmost best for the future!!

oh hello 👀 can’t help but imagine Damien getting all fussy when one of the marks starts to fade literally hunts Mars down so he can renew them 🧎🏻‍♂️

LOGAN IS A S L U T IDC WHAT ANYONE SAYS HE KNOWS WHAT HES DING AND IF I DONT GER TO IMPREGNATE HIM WITH TRIPPLWRS IM GOINF RO GO INSANE!!

[revserrayyu]

2.2 Penacony thoughts [part 2]

**Spoiler warning** in place for the story as per usual. Got through a decent amount I think since the other night but I haven’t a clue on how much is left. This time I stopped right after we received a special hat so if you haven’t obtained such a gift yet then of course turn away now.

So we’re wandering around Golden Hour as the siblings, even running into Sparkle who was cosplaying Robin and tosses in a couple chicken wing boy comments as usual, as we listen to a few people’s opinions about dreams. I understand both the sibling’s perspectives, with Robin saying that the dreamscape is a nice escape once in a while but shouldn’t exactly be lived in and mistaken for reality, while Sunday believes it has given so many people the opportunity to actually live a life worth living. The idea of having a stress free life is indeed an inviting ideal but too much of something is never a good thing.

The options the game gave us to choose right here are hilarious and it’s perfect!

The challenges for the competition went along fine. I chose the battles for the first round and then some Hanu stuff for the second, but for the final round, I certainly wasn’t expecting our fabulously gorgeous knight Argenti!! I recall the announcer mentioning that there was someone ahead of us with striking red hair, but I thought he was just referring to Himeko since she teamed up with March and presumedly went another way, but once we approached the final stage and our beloved knight slowly came into view, I got so excited! Even the trailblazer was like “No way, I think I just saw someone…someone extraordinary.”

Only I was faced with instant disappointment because WHY WAS HE NOT VOICED?? I thought my sound was messed up or my earbuds weren’t working properly but then I heard Firefly speak no problem, so what happened to Argenti?? He has such a nice voice and it gets bugged? I’m so sad. I waited for the day he would actually appear in the main story and it’s all scuffed! Ahh! But I love that everyone resorts to calling Aventurine a peacock.

The fight went just fine, so much better than the first time I encountered him on the train during his mission, even though I don’t think I had anyone to weakness break him. Soon enough we appear in front of Sunday who is undoubtedly showing his bad side now as we get a flashback of him, Welt and Robin chatting with the “Dreammaster.” Things seemed to be going well until they weren’t and we see Sunday using those creepy Harmony rainbow waves on his dearest sister.

Turns out our holy man isn’t as harmonious as we all thought, striding on the path of Order instead. No wonder I saw so many theories floating around with that one image of its Aeon, Ena.

Jumping into a brief Sunday flashback where he’s chatting with the “Dreammaster” about a letter he received about Robin while she’s away and I’m honestly quite surprised to learn that our precious idol was actually shot. In the neck of all places too. Definitely the worst place for a singer. (Reminds me of Black Clover where Vetto pretty much attacked Kahono the same way in the Underwater Temple.) Thank heavens Robin didn’t actually perish from such a wound though. “Dreammaster” mentions that’s why she chooses to wear accessories on her neck which makes sense. I love when lore is the reason behind some sort of outfit choice. All that aside, yes hearing Sunday so panicked and ready to drop everything at a moments notice to go help her is sweet, but I’m still skeptical about him.

His motives seem dreamlike though. Yeah it’s admirable that he wishes to eradicate all feelings of despair and free people of their sorrows so they can experiences true happiness in their lives, but surely there’s gotta be a better way to go about doing it than living in a false reality.

Like.. of course I understand. Two or three days never really feels like enough time to rest after working a full week. There’s so much we wanna do in life, but limiting our free time to certain days doesn’t seem fulfilling. So, he proposes a new world (see? I knew this dude gave me Cocolia vibes for a reason!) where everyday should be a relaxing day. Where everyday can be..Sunday. And if this is the reason why they named him this then that’s too funny yet also clever. I can’t be mad at it.

It was at this moment I thought he was gonna reveal that the sacrifice was going to be one of us, or worst of all, Robin, and got a bit scared. If you want such a perfect world, why don’t you become the sacrifice yourself, chicken wing boy?

Speak your truth girlie! Love that Firefly called him out a little bit. Sunday believed that she could relate to such a wish due to her condition, but she completely tossed his meager comments aside and stood up for herself.

Now forgive me, I don’t recall if this whole ordeal with Misha is a flashback before we started that competition to see Sunday or if some magic caused it all to happen somehow during that conversation but anyways, we finally get the opportunity to learn about this child. We arrive at that place where we first encountered the Memory Zone Meme with all those flashy tvs and creepy callouts and it all seems rather familiar to Misha as his distant memories slowly come back to him. One thing I’m not too surprised about is that Mikhail was his grandpa who was acquainted with the Nameless and perhaps even one himself.

What I didn’t expect what to hear that this boy is actually from this memory bubble, much like “Dormancy.” It’s also clarified that the Express can all see Clockie because everyone has a childlike spirit, unlike Firefly and Acheron, so it seems neither of them could’ve ever found the Watchmaker’s legacy.

Yeah.. mhhhm. The confusion begins now alright. Is he is own ghost or something?? That’s how it’s making sense in my head. I dunno. Misha remains a whole dang mystery to me.

Thanks for clearing it up a little bit but. Nope. 100% denying that last part with every fiber of my being. If I wanted a mechanic on the Express I’d venture all the way back to Jarilo-VI and pick up Serval like she had originally wished during her companion guest. I’ll honestly so ticked off if after all this if Misha somehow comes to reality and officially joins Express. And don’t start saying “oh but he receives a ticket from Welt in the ‘Incredible Promise’ light cone.” That ain’t Welt. He wears his glove on his right hand, not the left hand that’s depicted in the artwork. Also the description of that light cone doesn’t even sound like it could’ve been Welt. (Sorry I’m only focusing on that last bit but I’m so passionate about Serval if that wasn’t clear as day already.)

Apologizing once again because I know this is supposed to be an emotional scene, but all I could think about was “yes, good, you stay here. No train mechanic job for you.”

I don’t really have the words to explain why I like this explanation of clockwork and how it connects to trailblazing, but yeah. All we need is that extra bit of encouragement to make our choices.

The smooth transition they did from this..

.. to this was real nice. Also, I’m realizing now that the head piece of the Watchmaker relic set is an eyepiece. For the longest time I thought it was just a real tiny hat.. and no I didn’t even think to read its name as it’s literally called “Watchmaker’s Telescoping Lens.” I’m not perfect. I’ll admit to being a little stupid.

The cutscene continues as we inherit the old dude’s hat and I love how proud mommy Himeko looks at us.

Sunday on the other hand.. well, certainly not happy that Xipe chose to smile upon us.

Eeehehe look at our girl, serving up looks! We’re so dang snazzy now and I’m loving every moment of it!

As awesome as this moment is, it does look a bit ridiculous with all us ladies there and then.. Clockie, sporting that giant grin on his face as usual.

And just like that, a new path has been acquired! Thank heavens we don’t have to be quiet about it anymore. I feel like it’s been so many weeks since I first saw the Harmony Trailblazer’s gameplay. It was a bit difficult to not get so excited while watching the 2.2 livestream and seeing little sneak peaks of the hat finally make its appearance.

And to think they teased our new ultimate all the way back during the White Night trailer. Amazing. Spectacular. Brilliant. Dazzling.

This was also another reason I decided to skip out on Robin. Didn’t think I needed two new Harmony units in one patch. But that’s all for now. I’m hoping to finish the story this weekend. First things first, however, is to hunt for a proper relic set for our dashing new Trailblazer. I did pre-farm most materials to level up traces since I was aware of the new path, but I’m still in need of more decent Watchmaker relics.

[serafiel-jacobs]

Royal Wedding (Fanfic)

New chapter from my main series 🩷

Geppetto and Pinocchio packed their bags and were ready to leave, they will only be here for two days, just so that they can enjoy the wedding, as Geppetto has to come back to work.

Geppetto was bombarded with questions about how he got invited to the wedding, and then he got bombarded with even more questions when he mentioned that it was because Pinocchio was friends with the crowned princess, Geppetto was feeling a little overwhelmed with the attention everyone was giving him, even by coworkers who he had never spoken suddenly wanted to talk, some people left him a few gifts, but he did saw Conrad fuming with envy and that made him smile.

He left Venigni in charge while he was gone, well the sub-director is the one in charge, he left Venigni in charge of stopping any office drama from getting out of hand.

“You look so handsome,” Geppetto said to his son while he played a little with his hair.

“Father!” Pinocchio began to fix his hair, he had brushed it perfectly for the wedding. His father keeps embarrassing him like this lately.

Pinocchio was wearing a beautiful tuxedo, the vest was blue, and his pants were a different shade of blue along with his shoes and he was wearing a red bowtie and a red flower in his vest. Gemini was also wearing clothes, a blue top hat with a yellow shirt and red vest, including a black fancy jacket.

Geppetto settled for using the typical black suit, he is too old to try to make himself stand out.

Pinocchio felt a little scared when they arrived, he had never been in a place so crowded, and filled with people and they were only at the entrance, but those were the people who were watching from afar, they showed the invitation, allowing them to be inside. There were fewer people there, but still too many, Pinocchio hid behind his father until they got to the chapel inside the castle, sitting down and waiting for it to start.

Cinderella looked gorgeous and so happy, she was radiating with light, her dream finally coming true, the wish her heart desired.

The ceremony went as planned, the vow exchange, the ring exchange, and the kiss. Cinderella felt as if she was still dreaming, it all felt too good to be true, but her fairy godmother had reassured her that this was her reward, that her kindness and humility were finally being recognized.

Once it was all done, it was time to celebrate, Pinocchio and his father were by themselves and they thought they would be alone until…

“Guess who?” Someone covered Pinocchio’s eyes and asked him the question in a sweet voice.

“Sophia?!”

Sophia took her hands away from Pinocchio’s eyes.

“And her I thought it would take years before we saw each other again” Sophia was smiling, her was vibrating with joy, she thought she would have to spend her time alone in this wedding.

Sophia was wearing a beautiful blue dress, she was wearing her signature butterfly brooch and she was wearing transparent slippers that had butterflies in the middle, the light reflecting the color matching her outfit. Her hair was partly a bun but only a small part, the rest was down and straight.

“Sophia I’m so glad to see you here” Geppetto is glad and confused, “How did you get invited?”

Sophia signaled at them to look at someone, it was another Princess.

“Snow White was so kind to invite me” Sophia felt as if she didn’t deserve such honor.

“I get the feeling you helped her out somehow, just as we did with Cinderella” Gemini chirped, he was on Pinocchio’s shoulder enjoying himself.

“It’s a long story” Sophia can’t wait to tell them all about it.

Pinocchio was beaming with joy when he got to see Sophia again, sure, he talks with her sometimes with the power they share but he also thought it would take years before he would see her again so he began to cry.

“I missed you” Sophia hugged him, “You big cry baby”

“Hey!” Pinocchio didn’t understand why everyone was teasing him today.

They began to talk, catching up on what each of them was doing.

“Oh my, it does seem like something dark is happening inside of Krat” Sometimes Sophia feels as if Krat itself is haunted by some entity that attracts problems like that.

“Please be careful clever one” Sophia will always protect him no matter where she is, but it’s never bad to remind him that you can never be too careful.

“Son, I really wish you didn’t have to get involved in this” Geppetto sighed, “It’s good to help others but maybe we should leave this to the proper authorities”

“Geppetto since when has Krat had a proper police force?” Sophia had a grin on her face.

“Touché” Geppetto can’t deny that, there was no way they didn’t know what Simon was up to.

There is no way they are that incompetent in general, things like this just get covered up.

“I’m still just worried, you can assist those who need help but remember that you have to also take care of yourself, I don’t want you to get hurt while outside”

Sophia is noticing that Geppetto is being a little more overprotective than usual, “Are things too on edge inside Krat?”

“Well… there had been news of a serial killer on the loose” Geppetto knows how evil people can be, yet something about serial killers makes them even more scary, and the way this one has been leaving those bodies as if they were artworks, it’s disgusting.

“Is that why you don’t let me go outside at night anymore?” Pinocchio asked innocently.

“Seriously Pinocchio you didn’t know?” Gemini was baffled, even he knew, “Don’t you read the newspaper?”

“No, it’s boring” Pinocchio doesn’t like reading the news, but he does like reading the comic section.

“Son, you have to keep up with the news and this is a big reason why”

After a few more time talking, Sophia noticed that Snow White was calling for her, and as soon as she left, Cinderella made her way towards them, the prince next to her.

“Charming, this is the kind boy who saved my life” Cinderella introduced him to the prince.

Charming grabbed Pinocchio’s hands. “Thank you, thank you so much for helping her”

Charming was so madly in love with Cinderella; Geppetto, Pinocchio, and Gemini wondered how they got married after just having met for one day, but looking at the two of them interacting, they were clearly meant for each other. They were recalling their time planning this wedding, this huge event, a nightmare to organize as the fondest of memories.

The prince left, the king wanted him to meet some acquaintances and Cinderella asked Pinocchio if they could talk in private, his father and Gemini were left behind for a moment.

They went to the garden and gathered in front of a fountain, Jaq and other mice joined them, Cinderella introduced Gus to Pinocchio, a few birds were flying around them, more friends of Cinderella.

“You are so lucky Cinderella” Pinocchio said, she got her live her dream, she became a princess, maybe if he dreams hard enough like Cinderella he can become a princess.

“I truly feel like I am…” Cinderella should have sounded happy but her voice was filled with sadness, a few tears fell from her eyes.

Pinocchio noticed immediately “What’s wrong?”

“You and your family Pinocchio, you are the only guests from my side that were invited”

Pinocchio was quiet, he remembered how Cinderella’s family treated her, yet he wished that maybe they had changed, that they were here at the wedding but that because it was too crowded it was the reason he hadn’t seen them yet.

Sure Cinderella had her animal friends, and she wasn’t truly alone, yet her family not being here was hard, but enough was enough, they weren’t allowed at her wedding, they wouldn’t ruin her happiness any longer.

“Do you believe people can change?” Cinderella was venting to him, venting because she didn’t want to bring her sorrows to Charming on their special day. “Can family really change, even if they mistreated you?”

Pinocchio sank into his shoulders.

His father… is a good father, the best father he can ever ask for, he loves him so much, but he hasn’t always been the best father. He made a lot of mistakes, he neglected his brother by not being there for him, and then when his brother passed away, his father was forcing him to be Carlo, someone he wasn't.

“I think they can”

“How do you know?”

“Trust me” Pinocchio composed himself, this was supposed to be a happy day, this was supposed to be the best day of Cinderella’s life, “I know”

Almost as if fate had heard them, a tiny blue bird flew towards them, delivering a small letter to Cinderella who began to read it out loud.

“Congratulations to my sister,

Cinderella you don’t have to but please, forgive me, I was awful,

I wish you nothing but the best”

From: Anastasia”

Cinderella shed a few more tears before composing herself.

“It looks like more of my dreams are coming true”

Cinderella gave him a big hug, before leaving one last time, saying how she will never forget about him, how she will write him letters, how she is forever grateful.

Pinocchio was alone but not for long, he was about to turn around to find his father when Sophia went to his side.

“I can’t believe I’m actually at a castle, at a royal wedding” Sophia plays with her ring as she says this, trying to calm herself, “When I was a child I had dreams of a life like this, filled with excitement, filled with doing what others couldn’t”

“Cinderella was right” Pinocchio was smiling.

“Huh?” Sophia was confused.

Right, she doesn’t know what he is talking about.

“That dreams really are wishes that come true”

They were both smiling, but it was quiet, Pinocchio began to play with his ring as well.

Sophia wonders what she and Pinocchio were even thinking when they got the rings, they are so important but at the same time so silly.

She definitely knows now that she truly doesn’t love him that way. She had more time to reflect, more time to properly analyze her feelings, she truly was in love with the idea of him, because he was her savior.

Maybe in a weird way, she is a princess, and Pinocchio is the prince who saved her from the clutches of evil.

“Um… Sophia, can I ask you something?” Pinocchio finally broke the silence.

“Yes?” Sophia had come out of her thoughts.

“So well, the other day my father was teaching me things and…”

Pinocchio proceeded to explain the conversation he had with his father.

The talk his father gave him.

“And well I don’t think I got it right, and you are so smart and always guide me, I guess I just got confused and I wanted to know if you could explain-“

Sophia burst into laughter, it was loud and she was desperately gasping for air.

Oh my God, she had no idea Geppetto was so bad at explaining that.

“Sophia?” Pinocchio looked at her weirdly.

She couldn’t respond, she kept laughing hysterically, she even had small tears in her eyes.

“Sophia!” Pinocchio was pouting, even she was teasing about this.

“Pinocchio… Pinocchio” She was trying to calm down but couldn’t, gasping for more air, “I can’t… I can’t”

Another outburst of laughter came from Sophia, Pinocchio had mixed feelings, on the one hand, he had never seen Sophia laughing like that, and it made him feel good that each day she was more filled with joy.

On the other, he doesn’t like how she is acting about it. Now he is even more confused about the subject, his father and mother treat it like something serious but everyone else he asks treats it as a joke.

Sophia was about to lose her balance, but Pinocchio grabbed her so she wouldn’t, unfortunately, he was the one who lost his balance in the process and fell inside the water fountain, the boy now soaking wet.

“I’m sorry Pinocchio, I’m so sorry” Sophia was apologetic and extended her hand so that Pinocchio could get back up.

Pinocchio grabbed her hand, but instead of trying to get back up, he pulled her into the water. That’s what she gets for teasing him.

“You brat!” Sophia shouted, “This dress was expensive!”

“This suit was expensive!” Pinocchio shouted back, his father would be mad.

As much as Sophia wanted to splash him with more water she decided not to, she got up and Pinocchio got up as well, it’s best not to cause a scene in a place like this.

They could hear the bells ringing, indicating that Cinderella had left with Charming in their carriage for their honeymoon.

With perfect timing, Geppetto had found them as soon as the bells stopped ringing.

“Pinocchio seriously?!“ Geppetto was mad, “And you got poor Sophia all wet as well”

“No, I didn’t” Pinocchio lied.

“Yes, he did” Sophia had a grin on her face.

His father was looking at him with disappointment.

“Sophia don’t go out and make me look like some kind of liar just because I don’t tell the truth”

“What does that even mean?!” Gemini was also scolding Pinocchio, he was baffled by the things that the boy says.

As much as she finds it amusing when Pinocchio gets reprimanded, she confesses that it was all her fault, making sure to tell Geppetto what his son was asking her.

Geppetto’s face was red with embarrassment.

“It’s alright son, you won’t get in trouble this time” Geppetto looked so ashamed of himself, probably blaming himself for what happened.

With that said, they all left the castle, Pinocchio and Sophia changed clothes and that day all of them had dinner together in a nice restaurant.

The day after, when it was time to leave, they said their goodbyes and each went back to their usual lives.

——

They arrived at Krat at night, and Pinocchio was so tired, he wasted to time on showering and changing into his pajamas. Hopping to bed and fall fast asleep.

The next morning, Pinocchio overslept again but neither Gemini nor his father woke him up.

It was best that Pinocchio kept on dreaming, so his wishes come true as well.

[seitmai]

Many thoughts

“Yes! Tell me he’s spoiling you the way he’s spoiling us today.” You shrank back in your seat a bit. It wasn’t that it was the first time you were the center of attention with your friends, but it overwhelmed you specifically since it concerned Bucky. “Well, he bought me this outfit. And he has bought me a ton of books since I love to read,” you answered. You weren’t about to say that he transferred a ton of money into your account. “And on our first date he gave me a diamond necklace.”

Oh no being the center of attention is bad, but because of Bucky, the person that she wants to not really think or talk about? Arguably worse

“We all know you aren’t going to flaunt any gift he gets you, but you should’ve seen the way he looked at you. He had hearts in his eyes,” Gina smiled. You tried to smile back. There were hearts alright, along with some darkness that they weren’t aware of. “I’m surprised he even looked at us.” “Yeah, he’s… kind of intense like that,” you said. That was the word you’d go with. “Intense isn’t necessarily bad.” Addison scooted closer to you. “And you’re happy, right? He treats you well?”

Intense is one way to describe it...

If being treated like a doll, having you followed, and showering you with affection while messing with your head was meant to make you happy… “He thinks we’re soulmates. That we were meant to find each other and be together. It’s… a lot,” you said carefully. “I haven’t had anyone who seems to need me the way he does, especially so quickly.” “Soulmates? Wow,” Addison said. “I can see why you’d say it’s a lot.”

And with a lot she really means A LOT

“Ahh! You beautiful slut! Thigh riding is so hot!” If anyone ever needed a hype girl or enabler, Dana was the one to call. “And what are you waiting for?! Let him fuck you and eat your kitty. Do it for us.”

Do it for us lmao

“Hey. There’s nothing wrong with waiting,” Addison promised. Of all of your friends, she’d snap if Bucky ever hurt you. “You wait as long as you want.”

Period

“I’m texting my man and telling him you got a diamond necklace.” Dana quickly typed something on her phone. “He needs to step up his game.”

Fair hahha this is the only way to use Buckys affection for good 😅

You were on the verge of tears. They were happy for you, but didn't seem to notice your discomfort. You didn’t blame them. Not at all. It was your fault for not being truthful about the true nature of your relationship. That wedge you imagined Bucky was trying to drive between you and your friends felt real and they didn't even know.

💔💔💔

“Wow. If you’re considering that it’s either because you’re going along with what he wants or you really care about him. I hope it’s the latter,” she said, her brows pinching in concern. “But, listen, if you aren’t ready for that, he has to understand you haven’t dated in some time and you should go at the pace that makes you feel comfortable. I’m sure he’ll understand and it shouldn’t change how he feels.”

She's a good friend 🫶🏻

Your words caught in your throat. The pace wasn’t yours to control, even if Natasha said you had power. There was no choice in moving in and you wish you could blurt out every single thing that transpired, but the words refused to come out. Because all you could think about was what would happen to Addison, and she didn’t deserve any kind of pain.

This just breaks my heart 💔

You blinked tears away before you hugged her. You were lucky to have a friend like her. “A frying pan? What happened to a shovel?” you teased. “Frying pan is more accessible,” she teased back, giving you a squeeze. “Now let’s go. We have some wine to try.”

Fair 😅

You inhaled. Bucky, Bucky, Bucky. Everything went back to him, and you had to say something. “You know what I should tell her?” You smiled as they listened expectantly. “I should tell her that even though Bucky is rich and handsome and could have anyone he wants, he stalked me and coerced me into being his girlfriend. You think her head will still explode, or will she just laugh?” The table went silent as you sipped your wine before they burst out laughing. A few heads turned your way from the sound, and you didn’t crack a smile when Ray made eye contact with you. Had he heard what you said?

Iconic!! Let it out!!

“What?” Bucky growled. He could be angry all he wanted. You didn’t care. “This isn’t something to argue about or negotiate, I need you safe and-” “Safe? You need me to be safe?” you asked, trying to stay calm amidst the storm inside you. “Has it occurred to you that the entire reason I’m not safe is because of you? That the only reason Zemo even cares about following me is because I’m your girl?”

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

“But you didn’t, Bucky. You didn’t let me know what I was getting into. One look at me and you made the decision for me and sealed my fate,” you continued, looking sadly at Ray. “So while I’m thinking of you today like you wanted, I want you to think of me and that target you painted on my back and my loved ones. And think about if you really love me the way you say you do.”

I love that she makes him rethink his choices! Not sure how useful it is but still!

“I’m finishing the day with my friends. Ray will stay here with me. I also need to go to my place before I go to the penthouse,” you said. If he wanted you there so badly, he could bend a bit since you were in no direct danger at the moment. “And don’t expect a happy conversation like we had this morning.”

Good for her!

You stared at your own glass, dread filling your stomach. You felt perfectly fine, but they looked tired. Was it possible that someone slipped something in their drinks or food? Did Ray do something or did Bucky set something up in order to make you leave? Or were you just being paranoid?

Oh no 🙈

You read the message twice. A flat tire? You were about to type back to Bucky that you already left the limo when you heard a familiar voice by the elevator. “It’s about time you got back.”

Not good😬

Hold You Tight: Part 19

Pairing: Club Owner!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Fic Summary: The owner of The 107th wants you to be his girl whether you like it or not.

Part 18 | Series Masterlist | Part 20

Chapter Word Count: Over 4.2k

Chapter Summary: Your day out with your friends isn't as relaxing as you want it to be.

Chapter Warnings: DARK AU, drinking, suspected drugging, reference to stalking and violence, your friends are cheering you on, inner turmoil, stubborn reader, Bucky Barnes (he's a warning, okay?), more warnings to come.

A/N: More Hold You Tight! Thank you again for sticking with me! Bucky edit by the beautiful @nixakimbo . ❤️ Beta read by the lovely @whisperlullaby but any and all mistakes are my own. Divider by the talented @firefly-in-darkness . Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

You wished you could say you breathed easier as the limo pulled away, but you didn’t. You felt Bucky’s piercing eyes on you, watching until you were completely out of sight. He still wasn’t “out of sight, out of mind.” He made sure you’d think about him, and Ray was following in his vehicle. Even glancing quickly at the limo partition you could see that it was cracked. Was the driver one of Bucky’s men?

“Okay, so your new boyfriend is stupidly hot and loaded,” Dana said, her eyes darting around the limo. “You should be proud of yourself. Holy shit.”

“I should be proud of somehow snagging a hot and loaded guy?” you laughed a little. You always told yourself money wasn’t a factor as long as the love was there.

“Yes! Tell me he’s spoiling you the way he’s spoiling us today.”

You shrank back in your seat a bit. It wasn’t that it was the first time you were the center of attention with your friends, but it overwhelmed you specifically since it concerned Bucky. “Well, he bought me this outfit. And he has bought me a ton of books since I love to read,” you answered. You weren’t about to say that he transferred a ton of money into your account. “And on our first date he gave me a diamond necklace.”

The girls gasped. “Clothes, books, and a diamond necklace?! Yeah, be proud and fucking flaunt it,” Dana encouraged. She had to be half teasing since she knew that wasn’t your style. “Gina, Addison, back me up here.”

“We all know you aren’t going to flaunt any gift he gets you, but you should’ve seen the way he looked at you. He had hearts in his eyes,” Gina smiled. You tried to smile back. There were hearts alright, along with some darkness that they weren’t aware of. “I’m surprised he even looked at us.”

“Yeah, he’s… kind of intense like that,” you said. That was the word you’d go with.

“Intense isn’t necessarily bad.” Addison scooted closer to you. “And you’re happy, right? He treats you well?”

If being treated like a doll, having you followed, and showering you with affection while messing with your head was meant to make you happy… “He thinks we’re soulmates. That we were meant to find each other and be together. It’s… a lot,” you said carefully. “I haven’t had anyone who seems to need me the way he does, especially so quickly.”

“Soulmates? Wow,” Addison said. “I can see why you’d say it’s a lot.”

You could’ve hugged her. Maybe she saw through some of the charade. If she did, that could also put her in danger if she spoke out.

“Or maybe he just knows what he wants and he’s an all in kind of guy,” Dana commented. She had no idea. “Wait! Have you two had sex?!”

“No, we haven’t had sex yet,” you answered. Just him jerking off over the phone and some heavy petting and jerking off again with you nearby. “But he really wants to sleep with me and I did ride his thigh,” you mumbled.

It was still clear as day in your head, how he encouraged you to get off, his lips against yours. You didn’t want to think about it, but Bucky got his way and invaded your thoughts. It was inevitable.

“Ahh! You beautiful slut! Thigh riding is so hot!” If anyone ever needed a hype girl or enabler, Dana was the one to call. “And what are you waiting for?! Let him fuck you and eat your kitty. Do it for us.”

“Hey. There’s nothing wrong with waiting,” Addison promised. Of all of your friends, she’d snap if Bucky ever hurt you. “You wait as long as you want.”

You were trying to wait, but it was only a matter of time before you had to sleep with him. “It’s just…”

“Are you worried that his feelings will fade once you two have sex?” Gina asked.

“I’m not worried about his feelings diminishing,” you said with complete sincerity. His feelings wouldn’t waver, even if his actions screamed love-bombing. “I just… I guess I never pictured myself dating someone who owns a nightclub. He just seems out of my league.”

And he was someone who had very dangerous ties.

“No, we don’t put ourselves down here. Every league is your league, and he should be honored to be your guy.” Dana clapped her hands together. “Ooh! What if we do a big date night at his club? We bring our guys, and we can all hang out?”

Your eyes widened. “I… Maybe,” you replied. It would just be another chance for Bucky to charm them, and it felt like you’d be asking him for a favor by letting your friends in. He’d probably love it.

“I’m texting my man and telling him you got a diamond necklace.” Dana quickly typed something on her phone. “He needs to step up his game.”

You were on the verge of tears. They were happy for you, but didn't seem to notice your discomfort. You didn’t blame them. Not at all. It was your fault for not being truthful about the true nature of your relationship. That wedge you imagined Bucky was trying to drive between you and your friends felt real and they didn't even know.

“As fun as it is talking about Bucky, maybe we can talk about something else?” you smiled, nudging Addison. You didn’t want this whole day to be about Bucky and your relationship. “Your big day is getting closer.”

“Yes, it is,” she smiled.

You relaxed in the seat when the conversation shifted to the wedding and found yourself smiling and laughing through the rest of the ride. Bucky still lingered in your mind since he’d be at the wedding. The nice part was that since you were in the bridal party, he couldn’t spend the entire day with you.

“We’re here!” Addison smiled as the limo eventually came to a stop.

You were the last to get out and you took a deep breath. The winery was the perfect mix of relaxation, beauty, and good vibes. The lush vineyard stretched across the hills, and you wished for a moment you could run through them and disappear. The sun on your face brought you back to the present and made you smile, and you couldn't wait to sample some wine with the girls. You had a right to enjoy your time.

“You coming?” Dana asked.

“You two go ahead. We’ll be right in,” Addison said, linking her arm with yours and leading you away from the limo. You tensed up only for a moment when you saw Ray’s vehicle in the distance. It didn’t look completely out of place though since there were other cars and people around. “Okay, what’s up? You seem on edge.”

“I do?” you asked. You thought she didn’t notice, and you should’ve known better.

“Yeah. Is it work? Or is it about Bucky?” You tensed up again. “Did you think we wouldn’t like him?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just a lot really fast, that’s all,” you said, leaning in to whisper, “I didn’t want to say it in the limo, but he wants me to move in with him.”

She stopped walking. “Whoa. Okay, that is fast, but some couples do move quickly in whirlwind romances, so I wouldn’t say it’s completely out of the ordinary. Brady and I knew right away that we wanted to be together,” she said. What she had with Brady was pure, and you could’ve possibly had that with Bucky in another life. “Maybe Dana’s right that he just knows what he wants and he wants to go all in.”

“He’s very much all in,” you agreed.

“Are you considering moving in with him?”

“Maybe,” you said. Bucky was going to force his hand either way.

“Wow. If you’re considering that it’s either because you’re going along with what he wants or you really care about him. I hope it’s the latter,” she said, her brows pinching in concern. “But, listen, if you aren’t ready for that, he has to understand you haven’t dated in some time and you should go at the pace that makes you feel comfortable. I’m sure he’ll understand and it shouldn’t change how he feels.”

Your words caught in your throat. The pace wasn’t yours to control, even if Natasha said you had power. There was no choice in moving in and you wish you could blurt out every single thing that transpired, but the words refused to come out. Because all you could think about was what would happen to Addison, and she didn’t deserve any kind of pain.

“And if I do care about him and want to move in?” you asked.

“You know we’ll support whatever you do, but think about it carefully because that’s a big step. And if things go south, you tell us right away so we can help,” she said, giving you a small smile. “He may be your boyfriend, but you’re still my best friend and I was here first. I’ll smack him with a frying pan if he messes up.”

You blinked tears away before you hugged her. You were lucky to have a friend like her. “A frying pan? What happened to a shovel?” you teased.

“Frying pan is more accessible,” she teased back, giving you a squeeze. “Now let’s go. We have some wine to try.”

Ray kept a respectable distance from your table and didn’t make eye contact as he pretended to read while sipping his drink. You were glad for that since your friends didn’t seem to take notice of him as you all ate and sampled various wines. Though you were having a great time, you hardly drank a drop. You wanted to stay on guard in case Bucky decided to crash the outing.

“Oh, we need to take a bottle of this home,” Dana said, pointing at her empty glass. “And where the hell is your cousin?!”

“She bailed.” Addison rolled her eyes. “That's exactly why she’s not in the wedding party. I can’t rely on her.”

“That and she’s a bitch,” Dana said unapologetically while pointing at you. “We know she would’ve said something shitty about you and Bucky, and we don’t need that bad energy.”

You scoffed. Addison’s cousin was the type who always had to one-up someone or try to tear them down so she felt better about herself. You tried to see the best in others, but you were admittedly glad she wasn’t there today. “I’m sure she’ll have something to say at the wedding.”

“If she does say anything, don’t listen to her,” Addison urged. “Or say something back to shut her down.”

“Rub it in her face how hot and rich Bucky is,” Dana grinned, nudging you with her elbow. “Her head will explode.”

You inhaled. Bucky, Bucky, Bucky. Everything went back to him, and you had to say something. “You know what I should tell her?” You smiled as they listened expectantly. “I should tell her that even though Bucky is rich and handsome and could have anyone he wants, he stalked me and coerced me into being his girlfriend. You think her head will still explode, or will she just laugh?”

The table went silent as you sipped your wine before they burst out laughing. A few heads turned your way from the sound, and you didn’t crack a smile when Ray made eye contact with you. Had he heard what you said?

Dana laughed so hard she wheezed. “You don’t understand. I need you to tell her that just to see the look on her face. Please. I beg of you.”

“And make sure Bucky’s in on the joke, too,” Gina giggled.

Your heart sank. Their safety came first, but the reaction was another reason you didn’t say anything. Who would possibly believe you? He was a rich and powerful man and you were merely a florist. “Maybe I can say something that’s not quite so dark,” you smiled.

Addison stared at you curiously before she shook her head. “You and your sense of humor,” she teased, drinking the rest of her glass. “But if you could shut her up, I’ll be thankful.”

Your phone dinged before you could respond, and you almost spit up the little wine you had when you saw a message from Bucky.

“Call me. Now.”

Direct. No sweet words. Oh, no.

“Is that your loverboy?” Dana wiggled her eyebrows.

“As a matter of fact it is and he’s asking for me to call him. Do you mind if…”

“Go. We’ll be right here,” Addison smiled.

Your legs felt a bit rubbery as you walked outside and took a look around to make sure no one was nearby. What if he had a bug in your phone and he heard what you said? Oh, God. You were so stupid.

Pressing his name on your phone, you let out a shaky breath when he immediately picked up. “Kotyonok, I need you to come back,” he replied, his tone stern. Upset.

You swallowed. God, he did hear you. You could convince him it was a joke, right? No one had to get hurt. “Why, what’s wrong?” you asked, your tone remarkably calm. “We aren’t done with our samples.”

“You were followed to Addison’s this morning by one of Zemo’s men. Ray and I both spotted him.” There were muffled noises in the background. “I just finished… talking to him.”

“I was followed?” you whispered, your heart sinking for a completely different reason now. The day you went out with your friends someone followed you? “What did he want?”

“I can explain more later, but he had a ‘look, but don’t touch’ order. I broke his fingers anyway.” You closed your eyes. He sounded proud of himself. “I have some business to attend to for the rest of the day and I have to go to the club after, which is why I need you back at home.”

Ray appearing behind you almost made you drop your phone. “Jesus, Ray,” you gasped, your heart nearly beating out of your chest.

“I’m sorry,” he said, briefly resting a hand on your shoulder. “Boss messaged me to bring you home.”

“Yeah, I’m talking to him right now,” you said, narrowing your eyes. “And I’m not going home right now. I'm not leaving.”

“What?” Bucky growled. He could be angry all he wanted. You didn’t care. “This isn’t something to argue about or negotiate, I need you safe and-”

“Safe? You need me to be safe?” you asked, trying to stay calm amidst the storm inside you. “Has it occurred to you that the entire reason I’m not safe is because of you? That the only reason Zemo even cares about following me is because I’m your girl?”

“You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t know I painted the very target on your back by falling for you? I’m well aware of that fact, but I’m also the one who can keep you safe.” He sounded almost as vulnerable as he did when he talked about his mom. “So just… come home.”

You chewed the inside of your cheek. Home. “You know, there are a lot of dangerous people out there who have families and loved ones. And I’m sure some of them are blissfully unaware of what goes on behind the scenes, but not all of them are. Some are very well aware of what their partners do for a living because they were told what they were getting into.”

“Kotyonok-”

“But you didn’t, Bucky. You didn’t let me know what I was getting into. One look at me and you made the decision for me and sealed my fate,” you continued, looking sadly at Ray. “So while I’m thinking of you today like you wanted, I want you to think of me and that target you painted on my back and my loved ones. And think about if you really love me the way you say you do.”

“I do love you,” he breathed. It would be nice to believe that. “Come home, please, and we’ll talk when I get back from the club.”

“I’m finishing the day with my friends. Ray will stay here with me. I also need to go to my place before I go to the penthouse,” you said. If he wanted you there so badly, he could bend a bit since you were in no direct danger at the moment. “And don’t expect a happy conversation like we had this morning.”

One step forward, two steps back.

“I’ll just be happy that you’re safe,” he said, which only infuriated you more. You couldn’t make out what he ordered to someone else, but the muffled noises picked up again. “Leave in thirty minutes. The driver will drop your friends off and he’ll take you to the apartment. Ray will take you home from there.”

“Two hours,” you stated just to be stubborn.

“One hour,” he countered. “Or I’ll drive there myself.”

You huffed, but didn’t want to test him. “Fine. I’ll leave in one hour.” The girls would understand if you made some excuse.

“Thank you,” he exhaled. He really did sound relieved. “I love you. I’ll see you later this evening.”

You waited a beat. “Think about what I said.” Ray waited patiently as you hung up. “Have I told you that your boss is a pain in the ass?”

“He certainly is, but he is correct that your safety is important,” he agreed, gently stopping you before you went back inside. “If you aren’t in the limo in one hour, he will come after you.”

“I know,” you sighed. Bucky would be dramatic like that. And protective. “Someone was really following me?” you asked in a small voice. Bucky had no reason to lie unless he was trying to get you away from your friends.

Ray nodded solemnly. “It could’ve been to report your movements back to Zemo, but I’d have to ask the boss for more details since I didn’t get to interrogate him myself.”

“I do appreciate you both spotting him,” you complimented, even if Bucky violently handled it. You shouldn’t have expected anything less.

“Of course.” There was a ghost of a smile on his face. “You were wrong, you know.”

Your brows pinched. “About what?”

“Your strength. You handled that well all things considered,” he answered.

“You’re only saying that because you can’t read my mind,” you said. It was a mess. But you hadn’t broken down or cried, so that was a plus.

For a moment you thought he’d laugh, but he merely nodded to the building. “Better go join your friends before they miss you.”

“Thanks, Ray,” you whispered, putting a smile back on your face as you walked back inside and headed back to the table.

Addison held up two fingers. “You missed two more rounds of samples.”

“I guess I'll have to catch up,” you teased. “And would anyone object to leaving in an hour? Bucky’s planning a romantic evening for the two of us, and I need to stop by my apartment before I head over to his place,” you said. It was partially true. “If you all want to stay, I’ll get an uber and you can take the limo.”

“An hour’s fine.” Dana blinked a few times. “Anyone else tired? I’m a little tired.”

Gina covered her mouth when she yawned. “Yeah, I am, too.”

“I feel fine,” you said, frowning when Addison yawned, too. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, but a nap sounds good right about now,” she said, pushing her now empty glass away and checking the time. “It is kind of late. It’ll be night time when we get back.”

You stared at your own glass, dread filling your stomach. You felt perfectly fine, but they looked tired. Was it possible that someone slipped something in their drinks or food? Did Ray do something or did Bucky set something up in order to make you leave? Or were you just being paranoid?

“Is everyone okay?” you asked. It felt like too much of a coincidence that they all felt tired after you came back to the table. “Should we just leave right now?”

“I’m fine. I was just up really late last night,” Addison answered. Dana and Gina nodded in agreement.

“Maybe we should cut back on the samples and stick with water,” you suggested.

“You’ve always been the sensible one,” Dana said, resting her chin in her hand. “But can we still buy some bottles?”

“Yeah. As many as we want,” you promised. Bucky did say he’d spoil you, so why not?

Exactly one hour later, you were back in the limo with the girls and plenty of bottles. Unlike the ride over, the ride back was much quieter. You thought Addison would fall asleep on your shoulder at one point and Dana actually did fall asleep at one point for a few minutes. They somehow didn’t stumble on the way to the limo, and it would’ve impressed you if you weren’t so worried.

“Are you sure you girls are okay? Should we go to the hospital?” you asked.

“Why would we do that? We drank more at my bachelorette party than we did today. We’re fine,” Addison assured you. “You worry too much.”

You had good reason to worry. “This sounds crazy, but did you drug my friends? I need to know if I should take them to the hospital.” you messaged Bucky. If he did something to them…

He typed something back right away. “How could I possibly drug your friends when I wasn’t there? Is everyone okay?”

Did he actually care? “I’m fine, but they’re very drowsy and I’m worried.”

“Ray kept me updated and he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. None of Zemo’s men were there. I didn't do anything either. Did any of them complain that they were dizzy? Nauseous? Did anyone pass out?”

“No, but it could've been something like Benadryl to make them drowsy and get me to possibly leave faster.” Or punish you by mentioning the stalking thing, if he knew, and show you that his reach expanded beyond the city.

“That’s a very creative method to get you to leave, but lots of wine can make anyone drowsy and I have no reason to do that to your friends. I think our conversation may have scared you a bit since Zemo had someone watching you and you’re understandably worried for your friends.”

You looked around at your friends. They did drink a lot more wine than you, and drugging people didn’t seem to be Bucky’s style. Zemo’s men weren’t there. Maybe you were being paranoid and the girls really were just tired. Being part of Bucky’s circle just made you question everything.

“Okay. I’m trusting you.” You had to.

“Thank you. Your worry aside, it sounds like you girls had fun though from what I heard. Maybe the next day out can be at my club. Could be fun.”

You gasped. Did he know what Dana suggested? No, no, no. You weren’t falling down that rabbit hole, and didn’t send any texts back for the rest of the drive.

Brady and the other guys were waiting on the curb when the limo stopped at Addison’s. You were the only one who didn’t get out, but you gave each of them hugs and helped hand out the wine to their significant others. They seemed a bit more awake, so maybe they were just fine. “Love you girls. And, guys, keep an eye on them. They had quite a few samples,” you said. You’d have to text each of them later to check on them.

“Love you,” the girls echoed before the door shut.

The driver headed in the direction of your place after a minute. What were you going to say to Bucky when you saw him? Would you scream at him for putting you in danger, or would you just accept that this was your life? It was a continuous losing battle the more you fought.

The morning you had with Bucky, minus the groping, had been somewhat nice. Could it be like that all the time if you tried? Could it be better if he loosened the reins?

“Thank you,” you said when the limo stopped and the partition rolled down a few inches. “How much do I owe you?”

“Mr. Barnes took care of that, miss, but if you’ll allow me-”

“Oh, no. Please don’t get out. I got it,” you smiled, letting yourself out. You scanned the street for Ray’s car, but didn’t see it. He was likely waiting for the limo to pull away.

Two steps into your building, your phone dinged. “What now?” you muttered when you opened a text from Bucky.

“Ray got a flat tire. Stay in the limo.”

You read the message twice. A flat tire? You were about to type back to Bucky that you already left the limo when you heard a familiar voice by the elevator. “It’s about time you got back.”

You couldn’t breathe when you found a pair of blue eyes staring at you. “Clark… what are you doing here?”

Oh, I hope you lovelies are prepared for the next part. And what do we think of your friends? And were they just drowsy or did something happen? Love and thanks for reading! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[fatexbound]

@webbedphantom said:

[Happy birthday Ann!!]

Ann was typically the easiest to shop for gifts. As long as you got her something sweet, she'd probably be happy with that. But that wasn't how he did things.

He'd made it a tradition this year to make weapons for his teammates, custom ones meant to fit their style and compliment their abilities. He didn't see a reason to break the trend now.

Still, he did want to add something a bit more… personal to this one. Ann’s been with them nearly from the beginning, and he felt that meant he should go a little bit further than just the weapon. Add a more personal touch.

It took a bit of digging, but eventually he found the perfect addition!

So that afternoon, after making sure everything was in order, they met up in the school courtyard, with Aaron carrying what appeared to be a shoebox under his arm, as well as a box of chocolate truffles (because of course he wasn’t going to leave her without sweets).

“Happy birthday, Ann! Sorry I’m a little late. Had to run by the underground mall to get you these-”

He handed her the chocolates, figuring she’d want to start on them while he explained the shoebox.

“It was kinda last minute, because I spent a lot of time on this-” He continued, giving the box a pat before opening it up to reveal a custom whip made to match her costume. A dark crimson taking up most of it, with bright pink accents running down the sides to match her gloves. Additionally, there seemed to be an odd, lightweight mechanism at the tip and a charm attached to the handle of an anime character, a woman in a black bodysuit that he was hoping she’d recognize.

“The whip itself wasn’t the hard part, I’ve modded enough of these things at Iwai’s to know how to put them together. Even has that burning effect you like.”

He then took hold of the device at the end, a simple looking black metal piece with a metal square stuck on the side that seemed to be vibrating.

“THIS is the real kicker. It's a bit of tech I improvised from one of my enemies. You hit the button on the handle, annnnd-”

He took it out of the box, swung the whip to his side like he'd said, and then suddenly there was WHOOSH, as the two pieces of metal clacked together to send a small shockwave towards the ground.

“Pretty cool, right?? The size of it depends on how you swing it, and while it doesn't have much force behind it, it should throw an enemy off their game for a bit. Plus, if you manage to set them on fire, BAM! Guaranteed knock down!!”

Finally, he held up the charm on the handle.

“I remember you saying you were inspired by a villain in an anime you watched when you were a kid. Took me a while to figure out which one you were talking about, but I think this is her? Fujiko Mine? From Lupin III?”

On closer inspection, the woman's bodysuit bore some similarities to Panther’s outfit, at least in terms of style. All it was missing were the zippers.

… He's not going to dwell on it too long, but it's an interesting comparison.

“I don't know if it'll have any benefits for combat or not, though I can't say for sure due to how the Metaverse… is. But I hope you like it. And if not… at least I remembered the chocolates!”

Ann's birthday | Still accepting

Ann had gotten so many other gifts from the others of their group and some of her other classmates had wished her a happy birthday when they saw her passing through the hallways on her way to the courtyard. Aaron said that he had a surprise for her and what a surprise it was. First was the box of chocolates that she immediately took in her hands after greeting him.

"Thanks, Aaron-kun! Aw, you know me so well!" She grinned, and wasted no time scarfing them down one by one while he explained the rest. She could use some sugar to lift her mood after so many boring classes, and this was just what she needed.

What really got her attention was the whip he had made all by himself and with a design that matched her outfit and overall aesthetic. A startled yelp left her when he cracked it in the air, which sent a small shockwave. "Whoa... yeah, you're right! This is so awesome! Seriously, how do you come up with these ideas?!" She laughed. "Thank you so much! I love it! I'll use it well for sure!" Her foes won't see it coming.