#Not sure it´d be a delicate balance to make it cute but if you stare at it too long it´s creppy

[gotchaocha]

Thinking about making a Welcome Home fanart, thought I am debating whether I`ll do something cute, or leaning more on the horror aspect of it all hmmm

[sohin-ace]

Doppio - Frog Princess

Fairy tale AU and lots of love for my small man.

Doppio dragged his feet across the garden, restless and desperate. He sighed and whined to himself, taking the opportunity of being all alone to voice his pain and concerns, something he was never allowed to do.

"Aww jeez... This prince life isn't made for me..."

He huffed again and tugged at his very uncomfortable, gold adorned collar that was almost suffocating him.

Doppio looked around him, sure enough, the tall trees surrounding him did a great job at hiding him from the potential workers on the castle grounds that could possibly be looking for him.

He could finally have a little moment for himself and sneak out, maybe to cry to himself a little bit.

"O-ow... That still hurts..." The boy whined and rubbed on his bruised fingers, the results of angry professors punishing him for each mistakes he made. "I'm no good, I can't do anything right..."

That's right. Prince Doppio was a clumsy and anxious boy who lacked capacity in every domain. He always tried his best and obeyed every and each order, he wasn't undisciplined, oh no, young Doppio was a good boy.

He was just bad. He hardly managed to keep the required straight stance for more than ten seconds, was better at petting the horses than at riding them, couldn't follow etiquette at all, or protocol, was extremely forgetful and sadly, mother nature did not grace him with the strongest physical traits a young man his age was expected to have.

"Tch... Trish was so popular everyone courted her and she was so easy to marry, but me... No one would want to marry a good-for-nothing like me..."

He angrily kicked some rock and held his back that cracked at the movement, in pain, squeezing his eyes shut and sobbing at the sore feeling. That last lesson of fencing went so terribly wrong, how did the others do it?

"I'm so tired... Why meee...?"

"Ribbit!"

"Huh?" Doppio was startled at the very sudden but intriguing croaky sound and approached its direction near the pond.

He couldn't see anything at first, but then a tiny little creature jumped out of its hiding place. Doppio's honey eyes widened and he quickly wiped his warm tears, crouching down towards the animal.

"A frog!" He exclaimed happily, almost like a small child, new to the world. "Hi! You're so tiny, what's your name?"

"Ribbit!"

He knew very well the animal couldn't respond to him with actual words, but just the feeling of having even a one-sided conversation soothed a bit of his loneliness down. He cupped his hands together to invite the frog in, and the animal obliged by jumping on them.

He looked down and observed the chubby little creature. It had the cutest, roundest eyes, almost sparkly in the dim forest light, its green color was so bright and homogenous, there weren't any marks or patterns that frogs usually had on their skin. Even its limbs were tiny and soft, Doppio couldn't help but pet it with one careful and shaky finger.

"O-ooh! Oh my god!" He squealed uncontrollably. "You're so squishy!"

"Ribbit ribbit!"

The quiet and high-pitched croak felt so pleasant to his ears, it meddled with the sound of the water next to him and made him feel so much at peace. He loved to hear that cute sound and how the frog's belly puffed up like a balloon with each croak.

"What are you? A boy or a girl? I'd say you're a girl because you're super pretty and have a tiny voice."

"Ribbit Ribbit! Ribbit Ribbit!"

Doppio gasped loudly. "D-did I get it right?! Oohh yes!! That's so cool! Well... Not like I would have minded if you were a boy... Or both... Wait, do frogs have genders? Oh it doesn't matter."

The young prince felt like this frog was currently the only thing keeping him sane. He had no one else to talk to, there was no one who actually cared for his own well-being and he had no friends.

The only real person to actually show him some kind of recognition and love was none other than the King Diavolo himself. But even his sweet words and affection seemed somewhat back-handed and laced with pressure and severity.

"You know, you're lucky, little thing..." Doppio started with melancholy. "You don't have to worry so much about your life... I'm bad at everything and I'm all alone... I don't know what to do..."

"Ri-rib, ribbit!"

"Even if a nice princess wanted to marry me, I would turn her down because she would deserve better... Sometimes I wish I could disappear..."

"Ribb-ribbit!"

Doppio's eyes softened on the small frog. That's how sad and pathetic he was. Talking his problems out with a frog.

"Why do I feel like you actually understand me...? Thank you for listening to me and being my only friend."

Without even thinking, he lifted the small frog and brought it towards his face, giving it the tiniest of pecks. He smiled at how weird the feeling was, the animal was cold and slightly humid, a bit sticky too which he did not mind surprisingly.

He sighed and looked up mindlessly before his eyes were suddenly striked by a blinding flash of light.

"Wh-what the hell?!"

The light flashed brighter and brighter, coming from the frog in his hands. What was going on?

Doppio could only drop the creature and shield his eyes with his arms desperately as the frog sparkled like a thousand fireflies and grew in size.

The boy squinted his eyes shut and fell back right onto his butt before he felt a strong weight pressing on him, the mass eventually pinning him down onto the ground.

"U-uughh..." He groaned and rubbed his head, a sharp headache from the harsh light hitting his sensitive eyes still slowly fading.

He looked down only for his eyes to widen like saucers. He couldn't believe what he was currently witnessing and thought that maybe he went blind from the flash and was hallucinating right now.

The weight on top of him revealed to be the figure of a girl laying unconscious. He couldn't see her face buried in his chest, but he could make out her beautiful hair, smooth skin tone and the very frilly green dress she was wearing.

And that wasn't just any dress either, the golden ornaments, the tulle, the silk, the lace, the satin... That was an expensive dress, was she...could she be... A nobleswoman? A baroness? A...

...A princess?

"A-aah..." The girl moaned quietly before pushing herself up, not without struggle and Doppio gasped.

"A-are you okay signori-..." The boy could barely finish his sentence and only mumbled open-mouthed nonsense.

He was beyond mesmerized at the beauty who had just ever-so-slowly lifted her face up to look at him. Her shining wide eyes, her innocent glossy lips, her rose dusted cheeks and her hair framing her perfect face made him believe he just stumbled into some sort of forest Goddess.

"Ah-I... U-uuhm.. Y-you...uh.. W-ah-...eh... I-I'm..." He stammered awkwardly, his brain melting like ice in summer as his face and ears burned a crimson red, his breath catching in his now dry throat.

"Ah! My stars!" The girl gasped as she hovered over the immensely flustered prince. "I am so sorry! I must be crushing you!"

The young girl fretted anxiously before trying to scramble over on her knees and straighten herself up to give the poor man some much needed space, but as soon as she did, she was hit with a wave of dizziness and lost balance again. Doppio was quick to sit up and catch her against his chest, wrapping careful arms around her.

"A-are you okay, miss? What happened to you? What's going on?" The boy asked worriedly, regaining his composure slowly.

"Ah y-yes... It's just... It's been so long since I've been glamoured..."

"You've been... Glamoured?" Doppio couldn't be more confused than this, but the girl explained further as she leaned back slightly.

Her name was Y/N L/N, daughter of the King L/N. Many years ago, she had been the victim of a curse cast by the one and only sorcerer Dio, who was overcome by fury and rage against anyone affiliated with the Joestar Empire, or those who refused to become one of his pets, casting spells after spells, and curses after curses.

"He turned me into a frog and swore to me that nobody would ever come to save me from my demise... But you..." Y/N looked up at Doppio's honey eyes and couldn't help the tears pooling at her eyes.

She was free, at last.

"I was all alone... And you came here... My savior..."

Her soft voice cracked with thick emotions and she stared into Doppio's golden eyes with soft ones, her vision blurred by warm tears. Doppio gasped lightly, moved by her story and she shyly wiped her tears.

"A-ah, forgive me! How shameful of me, to weep in front of a prince like this... I'm just.. So..."

"No, princess, don't apologize." He gently held her wrists to pull them away from her timid face. "You have the right to be overwhelmed... Nobody's here, besides... I cried too, earlier, in front of you. Nothing wrong with showing your emotions."

She sighed dreamily at his gentle words and soft touches, the now more confident boy stirring her heart. "What is your name, my prince?"

"Doppio." He gulped, stiff as a rock at her saccharine gaze and tone. "Doppio Vinegar."

"You're a good person, Doppio..." She breathed out, her words dripping with warm sincerity. Doppio's heart could only skip beats at each and every one of her actions.

The boy may be clumsy and bashful, he surely wasn't dense. He well knew he was deeply falling in love with this frog princess, but something in him told him she may not be completely disinterested in him either, despite his overall appearance and personality.

But maybe, just maybe, it was because she didn't know him enough. She didn't know this extent of his foolishness, how worthless of a man he truly was. This was the perfect opportunity for her to just push him away and run back home, only to never see him again.

But against all he could have ever expected, he was completely shaken out of his low self-esteem filled transe when he felt her leaning her delicate hands and head against his chest, closing her eyes and relishing in his warm hold still on her.

"Prince Doppio... I feel so safe when I'm in your arms... I'll forever be grateful for granting me my deepest wish..." She lifted her head just enough to look at his blushing freckled face, his mouth agape. "How could I ever reward you?"

Was she... Really serious? Nobody has ever told him they felt good around him. Nobody has ever felt safe around the small and skinny man that was Doppio. Could he be strong enough for her?

Well one thing was positive, he didn't want to let her go, and if he had to eat razor blades to protect her, he would do it without batting an eye.

She actually wanted to, or at least seemed to, stay with him. She felt grateful, for him, of all people!

He hoped she wouldn't hear his heart go feral in his chest. She would do... Anything for him? Could he be selfish? Could he ask the inimaginable? Would she say yes? He wouldn't force her but... He would love to think about himself only, just this once in his life.

He had nothing to lose.

He gently grabbed both her hands in his surprisingly big ones, squeezing gently and rubbing his thumbs over her soft skin, as if to want to imprint his love onto her.

"Ma-... Marry me, Princess Y/N!" He confessed with loud yet clear determination. "Please, be mine! I will cherish you like my most prized treasure, you will never be alone and feel unsafe again! I promise my entire life to you, please promise me yours!"

She widened her eyes at his sudden assertiveness and his strong, meaningful words. The pink boy in front of her shook her heart in so many ways, and she had already lost everything to Dio in the past. She had absolutely no reason to deny, now did she?

The girl smiled bright and slowly pulled her hands out of his grasp, only to immediately wrap her arms around her hero's neck, nuzzling her face against him lovingly.

"Yes! I accept... my sweet Doppio."

[readyplayerhobi]

Flower | 37

; Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Fluff

; Word Count: 5k

; Warnings: Discussions of IVF, sperm donation

; Synopsis: You finally decide to take a dip into the world of online dating and find the Flower dating app. One of the top matches for you proves to be a guy who looks to be your complete opposite; tattooed, pierced, a metalhead and oh…incredibly handsome. What happens when you throw caution to the wind and reach out to him?

; A/N: Thank you for the reception to the last chapter! :D I think that was the most comments/feedback in a long time for Flower haha. It means a lot to me to have your comments like that <3333 I hope you enjoy this one, perhaps it’s not really what you were expecting. I changed the last few around and the characters had decided this was the way they wanted to go! (it might sound silly but honestly, characters have a life of their own!)

; Flower Masterpost

-

“Meeps!” Hoseok’s calls from the hallway, catching your attention from where you’d lined up all your baking ingredients on the counter. “I’m heading out.”

Placing the glass bowl down carefully, you wipe your hands clean before heading out and smiling at him brightly. He’s got a dark denim jacket on alongside his new favourite black leather biker style boots, looking suitably rocker and even more sexy. Maybe you had a thing for those boots.

You don’t let him know this though, just watching as he pats his pockets to check he has his phone and wallet before a concerned expression takes over his face. Chuckling, you reach out to tap his hand, revealing the car keys he’s panicking over and causing his cheeks to fluff a pretty rose.

“Thanks. Do you want me to bring you anything back later? I can swing by the store on my way back home once we’re done?” Shaking your head at him, you squeeze at the hand you’re still touching and give him a thankful smile.

“No, I’m good. We’re going to order in later. Maybe that Japanese place that we ordered from the other week or something. Thank you, though. Enjoy yourself, okay? Text me when you’re going to set off.” Hoseok nods before leaning forward, giving you a quick kiss before he’s out of the door. 

Standing for a moment, you overhear the sound of his car starting up before turning around and heading back into the kitchen. Grabbing your phone, your fingers tap at the screen as you let the girl’s know that the door is open for them to just walk in. Almost as soon as you’ve sent the message into your group chat, you’re distracted away by the bark from Ciri at your feet.

She’s still pretty small, only a little bigger than she’d been three months ago when Hoseok had proposed, but you think that just makes her look cuter. Thankfully, she’s been very easy to train so far and she’s currently sat so prettily as she looks up at you, big eyes staring intently at your hands.

Another short, sharp bark makes you laugh as you glance at the stuff you’d gotten out to bake with. Crouching down, you stroke her fur and make baby noises to her until her tail is sweeping the floor rapidly.

“Ciri-billy, I haven’t even started yet! You can’t eat them as they are now. Have some patience my darling.” You don’t know why you call your pets the nicknames that you do, or even where the names come. They just tend to pop out of your mouth when you’re talking to them and you just roll with it.

It’s caused Hoseok to laugh more than once to hear you call Kasumi your chicken or Ciri your little pudding. Particularly given you don’t call him by many pet names, instead just using his name or Hobi. Occasionally he’ll get a ‘babe’ or a ‘sweetheart’ but it’s not too often.

“Soon my bub.” Giggling, you give her a final stroke before standing back up and facing the counter. Quickly opening Spotify and beginning the playlist of your favourite songs, you keep your phone within easy reaching distance while looking over the recipe you’d printed out earlier in the day.

It takes only minutes for you to become entranced in what you’re doing; careful measuring of ingredients and the delicate balance of mixing them to create a wonderful treat. Only what you’re making today isn’t for yourself, or even your best friends.

No, they’re for Ciri. You’d found a recipe for grain-free dog treats and you’d decided to try making them. Part of you couldn’t quite believe what you were doing, particularly for a dog, but you would enjoy seeing Ciri enjoy them all. It wouldn’t surprise you if Hoseok decided to try and eat one himself.

You’re so involved with baking and singing along to the music that plays through the Bluetooth connected speakers in the kitchen, obviously something that Hoseok had bought because you’d considered it pointless, that you don’t hear the front door opening. It’s only when you turn to put some of the finished treats onto the wire trays that you’ve lined up that you realise when Chungha is suddenly standing in front of you.

Shrieking, you jump and have to battle to not drop all the freshly baked goods onto the floor while cursing up a storm. Almost immediately she moves to help you, apologising profusely as she yelps when grabbing a falling dog treat, her face twisting as it burns her fingers.

“Oh fuck! Chungha, shit. Are you okay? Oh my god, come over here.” Tugging her to the sink, you turn on the cold water and shove her hand under it, ignoring her whine of pain as the cold water interacts with her burn. The two of you focus on making sure it’s okay, even resulting in you going to grab the first aid kit Hoseok had bought a year ago when a sudden voice interrupts.

“What is going on here?” Two sides of wide eyes turn to Soyeon, letting her see the medical stuff you’ve haphazardly thrown on the side as you’ve looked for the burn ointment you could have sworn was in here. A glance at the treats causes a small ‘o’ to form on her pretty lips before she leans against the counter, elbows on the top.

“Ooh, baking mishap?” Teasing you with a grin and a wiggle of her brows, you nod before handing Chungha the tube you’d finally found. She gives you a smile of gratitude and applies some to her hand, her lips pursed into an adorable pout as she concentrates. You’re so busy concentrating on watching her that you almost miss Soyeon’s hand as it reaches out to the wire trays.

“No!” Shouting, the word causes her to jerk in surprise as she snaps her hand back with almost obscenely wide eyes. Cringing, you realised that you’d perhaps been a little bit too loud and give her an apologetic wince.

“Sorry. I just...they’re not for us. They’re for Ciri! I found a recipe to make some treats for her so I thought I’d give it a go. Think I made enough for her?” Brow raising, you chuckle while gesturing to the ridiculous amount. Perhaps you’d bought a little too many ingredients and gotten just a little excited in it.

There’s no way you could feed Ciri all this before they went off. She’d end up getting sick, and you hated having to clean that up. Which meant you couldn’t because then Hoseok would have to clean it up and you know he’d whine and pout the whole time.

“I can take some back for Mandu?” Soyeon offers, referring to the cute golden labrador that Jungkook and her had adopted two months ago. They’d gotten her from a shelter as a puppy and Jungkook had been the one to pick her name, unsurprisingly choosing something food-related given mandu was Korean-style dumplings.

“Sure, I’ll make sure you can take some back for Eevee too,” Glancing to Chungha, you gesture over to the box on the other counter. “For us though, I did make us some triple chocolate cookies! Not entirely sure how many are left because Hoseok was being a locust.”

That gets a snort from them all as you separate the dog treats so that all three dogs will get an equal amount before washing your hands. Chungha puts the kit away and takes out two glasses from a cupboard before handing one over to Soyeon. The two take a glance inside the fridge before filling them up with fizzy lemonade.

As far as you knew, that was just what Hoseok liked to drink with one of his alcohols. It made it more like a soft drink or something.

Grabbing the box of cookies, you head into the living room and sit on the couch with a leg curled up beneath you. Your best friends follow and sit as well, looking over at the television where Netflix has been paused in the show you’d been watching. One of what was considered to be your worst traits was that you took far too long to watch the ‘popular’ shows, which is why you’d finally started watching Breaking Bad way too late.

Hoseok had been bugging you to try and watch it for years now but you’d just never been interested.

“Ooh, you’re getting to a good bit.” Chungha comments, reaching forward to grab one of the cookies out of the box and munching on it. A soft noise of happiness leaves her as she chews, her butt wiggling as the flavours melt on her tongue.

“Shh, I already have to put up with Hoseok doing that. I don’t need you doing it too,” Pursing your lip into a pout, you cross your legs and grab the sleeping Pikachu cushion from your side before hugging it. “I’m going, to be honest with you as well, I don’t really like this. I don’t get the hype.”

As expected, both of them look at you with shocked faces that make you want to laugh. You don’t know what it is about going against the grain but the reactions you got never ceased to amaze you.

“Are you kidding? Breaking Bad is like...television perfection! The character arcs are just...urgh, exquisite.” Brow raising, you watch as Chungha continues to wax poetic about the show while Soyeon nods along and interjects now and again in support.

“Well, I think it’s pretty boring. And I don’t like Walter. He’s an asshole.” More shocked looks cause you to reach out and take the PS4 controller, exiting the show and moving on to look through the large list of shows and films Netflix had on offer. Without any input from either of them, you settle on The Umbrella Academy.

You’d already watched both seasons but it was something easy to have on in the background while you all probably talked instead. 

“How’s wedding planning?” The question comes from Soyeon, who lets her head drop onto the back of the couch. Kasumi is laid out next to her, probably purring contentedly as her soft fur is stroked and she gets all the scratches and love. Ciri is currently curled up between Chungha and you, her tail hitting your thigh gently.

“Good, good. We’ve chosen a date and booked the venue so...we’re going to get the invites done as soon as we can. Before we get onto picking stuff for the actual ceremony and all that, we’re going to book the honeymoon. Priorities, you know. I think we’re leaning towards Argentina for two weeks at the minute but that might change.” You were adamant on exploring the world with Hoseok and Argentina would be your first foray into South America.

Which wasn’t much really considering you’d only ever visited Italy and Thailand so far. But still, when the opportunity arose then you would grasp it firmly.

Chungha finishes off her cookie before brushing at her mouth delicately, “Have you bought one of those wedding planner’s? Where it lists out all the stuff for you to plan and add in ideas and stuff?”

Nodding, you smile at her before gesturing over to the bookcase to the right. Alongside the books, video games, figurines and plushies that had accumulated over time was the binder that you’d purchased only days after getting engaged. Part of you was still trying to get your head around the fact that you no longer had a boyfriend but a fiancé. 

And in a couple of months then you’d have a husband. It was odd to think about.

“Ah, it’s all exciting to think about.”

“It is, but I don’t have much more to tell you at the minute, to be honest. We haven’t decided much more apart from that and I haven’t looked into anything else. I’m trying not to overwhelm myself, you know? Go slow.” That gets them both nodding in acknowledgement before they look around.

“Where’s Hoseok gone today?”

“Oh, he’s gone to a concert with Taehyung and Yoongi. Some...weird prog-rock band or something. He’s been playing some of the songs lately and they sound odd but he’s into it so,” You shrug with a wry twist to your lips, causing them to snort. “I doubt he’ll be home before midnight, to be honest, so...we have the house to ourselves, ladies!”

“I mean...I’m pretty sure the most exciting thing we’re going to do is just eat food or something. Which is probably all we ever do when we’re together. You guys are not good for my waistline.” Soyeon groans, patting her flat stomach and you give her a droll stare.

“Really?”

“Yeah?” Chungha backs you up and you can’t help but laugh in amusement, giving her an equally amused stare. She’s just as skinny as Soyeon is but you can’t bring yourself to argue with either of them. Everyone has their issues going on after all.

That thought makes you frown and you reach out to Soyeon, clasping her hand tightly as you watch her with concern. Your sudden change in demeanour causes her brow to lower, gaze skittering away from yours given how intense it was.

“You’re okay, right? There’s nothing wrong or anything you’d wanna talk about?” The sincerity in your voice makes her smile softly, her free hand coming to rest against your own and squeezing it gently.

“I’m okay, I promise. It was just a joke, honestly.” Twisting your lips slightly, you stare deeply into her eyes before nodding slowly in acceptance. After spending so long hating yourself, you didn’t want to let your friends feel even an iota of the self-hatred you had. Especially when they were so pretty anyway.

“So err...while we’re still talking about moderately serious stuff, I have something to ask both of you. I mean...well it’s kinda weird that I’m asking you both but I figure I should ask you to get your permission before asking them.” Chungha is babbling and you tilt your head in question, brow creasing as you wonder what on earth she’s trying to get at. She seems nervous given the way her fingers play with themselves and her eyes skitter away from your direction.

“Dahyun was supposed to be here, you know that, but she’s ended up having to go see her grandparents as her grandma is sick right now. Otherwise, she’d be here too. So...we’ve decided that we want a kid. And we’re looking to adopt, we’ve put our names down and everything but it takes a while to even get approved for that. But we also would like to have a baby as well. Like...one of ours. I know Dahyun, in particular, is quite eager to get to experience pregnancy because she’d always dreamed of having a baby but as you can guess, being lesbians we don’t have the option of getting pregnant so easily.” Now your eyebrows have lifted high, probably almost to your hairline as you listen to Chungha’s nervous words.

It doesn’t surprise you that they’re wanting to have kids now. They’ve been together for a while as well, and you know that they’ve been considering whether or not to get married. For the moment though, they’d just registered themselves in a civil partnership, unsure whether they wanted to go through the whole wedding thing just yet. Though you did not doubt that they would eventually go for it.

Kids were the next logical choice for them, and you felt excitement bubbling in your stomach at the thought of Chungha being a mommy. Even if you didn’t like kids, it didn’t mean that you weren’t excited for your friends when they wanted to have them.

You could imagine that it was a bit more stressful for Chungha and Dahyun as a lesbian couple, as compared to a heterosexual couple. The more you thought about that actually, the more unfair it seemed. People were getting pregnant all the time by accident, but your best friend had to go through so much effort to get the same result.

“So, we’ve looked into IVF and all that stuff. There’s not just IVF, there are other methods too. But if we’re spending money on it then we’d rather have the best chance of success, you know? I’m not explaining it very well but I’m not a scientist either, we’ve researched it a lot and had a preliminary appointment either way. I just...have something potentially awkward to ask.” She pauses at that, her face twisting into a picture of nerves and hesitation.

A glance at Soyeon has you catching eye contact, but neither of you says anything and decide to let Chungha go at her own pace. You have an idea as to where she’s going with this, but you feel that she should at least be allowed to get there on her own.

“So, we can use sperm from a sperm bank, right? It’s all checked over and vetted, but it’s really expensive. And I know that sounds rich considering we’re wanting to have a baby and the last thing they are is cheap, but we’re trying to look at all our options for the moment. What I’m trying to ask in a long-winded way is would either of you be okay if we asked Hoseok or Jungkook to maybe donate? I know it sounds awkward given we know them and you’re both dating them but they can get everything tested and I’d feel a little easier if we knew the sperm donor, you know?” A grimace takes over her mouth, causing you to frown as you reach out and squeeze her leg in reassurance.

“Hey, there’s no need to apologise. I think we’ve all been friends for long enough that something like this can be discussed without ridicule or negative emotions, right?” Looking to Soyeon, you feel relief as she smiles and nods in agreement. “I’m excited for you to start a family! You know I’m not one for kids so I can’t say I understand the whole process you’re going through but I can assure you that I’ll support you and Dahyun the whole way. In terms of a donation...well it’s up to you, Soyeon, and Jungkook. Hoseok literally can’t.”

Glancing between them both, you make a scissors gesture and watch in amusement as both their eyebrows rise in realisation. It wasn’t something you’d discussed with them before, even if Hoseok had been fine about it, mainly because you’d felt Hoseok’s health and your sex life weren’t things to casually talk about. But you felt it important at this moment to make sure Chungha knew that you weren’t being callous.

“Oh? That makes sense though, you’ve never wanted kids and it doesn’t surprise me that Hoseok doesn’t want them either then. So that leaves Jungkook, huh?” Soyeon chuckles, leaning back against the couch and stroking at Kasumi’s ears gently. You wonder what she’ll say, given it’d mean her best friend having Jungkook’s baby before she does. 

Some women wouldn’t be on board with that, and you suppose it’s a sign of how much Chungha loves and trusts you both that she’s querying you both with this. On the other hand, you have complete confidence that if you both turned her down then she wouldn’t be offended and they would instead use a sperm bank as she’d said.

Chungha turns more to Soyeon, playing with her hands as her nerves ramp up. It must be affecting Ciri because the dog sits up, tilting her head and staring almost in concern at your friend. Smiling, you scoop Ciri into your lap and scratch behind her ears until her back leg is going.

“You can say no, I won’t be offended. Nor would Dahyun, if she could be here. We don’t expect anything. I just wanted to ask you both first because I felt it’d be rude of me to just go to him instead of querying with you two. You’re my best friends and they are your boyfriends after all. Also, Jungkook can definitely say no too. Once again, we don’t expect him to agree if he’s not comfortable with it. I just...wanted to ask, you know? We kinda considered all of Hoseok’s friends because neither of us has many male friends and we’d love to be able to have a better idea of the donor’s personality, a more detailed medical history and everything. Plus, with us having to do everything medically then it helps to make it a little more ‘normal’ for us. He doesn’t have to be involved in the baby’s life if he doesn’t want to be, otherwise, I’d just like for him to be known as an uncle. In the future, we’d tell them who their sperm donor was if Jungkook was okay with it and they wanted to know.” You find yourself nodding, appreciating the fact that Chungha and Dahyun have thought this through.

While Soyeon might agree to let them ask Jungkook, there was every chance that Jungkook might not want to agree anyway. Maybe he doesn’t like the idea of another woman having his baby, even if he won’t have any rights to it. Some people didn’t like things like that. Or maybe he just didn’t want to, for whatever reason.

The fact that she was making it clear that Jungkook and Soyeon were both allowed, even encouraged, to say no if they felt uncomfortable at any moment settled you. You didn’t want to think that your friends were being forced or coerced into something just because they felt that they had to do it.

“Would it be cheaper though? I mean, I’m assuming they’d have to do tests and stuff to make sure he’s not got any diseases or genetic things that they ideally don’t want to pass on? Doesn’t that cost a lot?” Chungha sighs and nods, her lips turning down slightly.

“We would, but the difference is that I doubt we’d have to do those tests often. So if he agreed then we’d have the tests done but then after that, we don’t pay anything else. The sperm bank that was recommended to us is $1000 for just one vial of sperm. So if that doesn’t work then we have to pay out again. And I’m not saying we wouldn’t pay Jungkook, we’re both willing to offer but the idea of being stung for that much for a tiny vial is painful.” The price makes your eyes bulge while Soyeon’s jaw drops.

“Holy shit! A thousand dollars for something he just washes away? Fucking hell, he’s wasting thousands every time he jacks off. Oh my god, that must be the most expensive thing I’ve ever had in my mouth then.” Snorting, you bite your lip in amusement as you consider how many times Hoseok had ejaculated with you. Though you doubted the man was getting anywhere near a thousand dollars, it was still mind-boggling to know that the price tag on a cumshot.

“It’s ridiculous, right? I mean, okay it’s not really because obviously, they have to do all those tests and stuff. But still! You can understand why we were shocked. Either way, if you or Jungkook says no then we’re going to go that way. I want you to know that we’re not laying all our eggs in one basket. No pun intended there.” That makes all of you chuckle, the mood lightening up as you do so.

Reaching forward to the box you’d placed on the coffee table, you grab another cookie before handing more out to the two of them. Each takes one with a grateful smile before biting into it.

“I’m okay with it. I’m not sure whether I want kids or not and I think we’re just taking it as an ‘if it happens then it happens’ approach. So, to me, I’m not bothered if Jungkook says yes. Plus, you’re my best friend and I’d much rather you have a baby where you know the dad and can get more information from him. And oh my god, Jungkook would make such good babies. They’d be adorable and he has the sweetest personality!” Soyeon squeals, shaking the cookie around in excitement as she imagines his metaphorical children.

For a moment, you imagine it as well and can’t help but smile. You certainly hoped that his babies would all get his big, emotive eyes alongside his endearing personality. Before you can comment on it though, Soyeon continues.

“I will make it clear though, that he doesn’t have to say yes. He might not be comfortable with the idea of having someone he knows having his kid. Or he might not like the idea of not being involved in their lives in a father kind of way. On the other hand, he might turn around and say that he isn’t bothered at all and will give you as much as you want. But I want it to be up to him. Thankfully, I’m not a hugely possessive person so I’m not bothered by the idea of his kids with someone else.”

Watching Chungha’s face carefully, you can’t help but smile at the palpable relief that spreads over it upon Soyeon’s words. That smile vanishes though when you see her eyes glisten, the unshed tears forming fast and causing you to gently put Ciri onto the floor before you’re scooting over to her. Wrapping your arms around her, you make reassuring noises.

You’re not one to get emotional, nor can you handle other people’s emotions, but your best friends are different. They’ve been in your life for long enough by now that you feel the urge to care for them, to listen to their worries and soothe their fears. Seeing Chungha, who is normally so strong, starting to cry at Soyeon’s words makes your stomach hurt.

“Hey, hey!” Soyeon gushes, rushing over to the other side of Chungha until you’re all in some kind of weird cuddle fest. It just makes Chungha let out a laughing sob, the sound thick as the tears slowly start to fall.

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t know if I was doing the right thing asking you both this. I know it’s something so big and important. You might have told me to fuck off and got angry with me at even thinking of it and I was so scared that you’d be annoyed by it. I mean, how many other people are going to ask their friends if they can have some of their boyfriends’ sperm to knock up their partner?” Wiping at her tears, you tut softly as you try to erase the eyeliner and mascara that’s begun to smear as well.

“I mean, it is a slightly odd ask. I think we can both agree with that,” Soyeon nods in agreement, running her fingers through Chungha’s hair. “But we’re your best friends. You didn’t demand this from us, you gave us a choice and made it clear we can deny it. I’ll be honest, if Hoseok hadn’t got the snip then I would’ve said no. I’m not personally comfortable with the idea of someone else having his baby. But I know that you would have accepted that choice and not tried to push me. Same as you’ll accept whatever decision Jungkook makes.”

“Yeah, she’s right. We love you, and we know you love us which is why you felt you could ask this of us. I’m more than happy to help my best friend start her family and I know that Dahyun has made you happier than anyone else has over the years. If everything works out then I’m going to be the coolest aunt ever.” Grinning brightly, Soyeon manages to succeed in making Chungha laugh softly.

Getting up, you rush off to the bathroom before coming back and handing her some tissue and make-up remover wipes to clean up her face. A brief smile of gratitude is given to you before she proceeds to scrub at her face.

“You’ll both be great auntie’s. Even if you’re not going to be hugely into the whole thing.” She’s looking at you then, wry amusement in her eyes as her lips twist slightly. Feeling heat spread in embarrassment at her words, you shrug and murmur an apology.

“Don’t worry, we won’t push anything on you. That is, even if it manages to happen. Who knows, maybe we’ll get approved for adoption super quick and we go through that first instead? I have no idea what’s going to happen.” At that moment, Ciri decides to make her presence annoy with a shrill yap.

Looking down at the floor, you chuckle at the sight of her annoyed face that she got pushed off the couch. Reaching out, she jumps up and wiggles herself so that she’s half on Chungha and half on you.

“Okay, I think we’ve had enough emotional and in-depth talks for today. Or at least, for this hour. How about we put on YouTube and just start watching animals being funny? Cheer us all up.” Reaching out for the controller, you exit Netflix as Soyeon nods.

The conversation isn’t quite over, you can tell that much, but you know that for now it’s just being put onto the back burner. You don’t have much more participation you can give the whole thing given you’re not being involved in it, but you’re sure that Chungha and Soyeon will talk everything out much more in-depth before Soyeon asks Jungkook.

It’s an important topic but given Chungha’s emotional nature right now, you don’t want to push it any further just yet. Instead, you figure it’s time to lighten the mood a little before any more serious talk can be had.

“Find one of those TikTok compilations, they’re so funny.” This comes from Soyeon as she points at the screen.

“What? No way, you have to watch like 20 TikTok’s to find one funny one. Vine was so much better.”

“Those are fighting words.”

[staywritten]

A Love That Last│Bang Chan

A Love That Lasts │ Chapter Ⅰ

Synopsis: You’ve spent the last two years, helping your very handsome next door neighbor raise his adorable daughter. The two of you fell into a routine before you knew it. And now you had this little family. You couldn’t help but fall for him. 

Genre: Parent!Au, Dad!Bang Chan, Fluff, Nonidol!Au, smut in a later chapter

Word Count: 1k

You were coming off of a twenty-four-hour shift at the hospital, and nothing made you happier than finally being able to sleep in your bed. You stopped by your favorite restaurant before heading home, making sure to grab a large bowl of kimchi soup, fried chicken, and a case of beer. After back to back surgeries, and deal with co-running the ER with your irritating co-worker you needed a nice break.

Balancing all of the food in your hands, you climbed the stairs and walked by your neighbor’s doors. “I got dinner~” you chimed, kicking it lightly, before opening your own door, next do it. You set the food down on the table, and your backpack by the door. Before you could even stretch your bones you felt a rush at your legs as your neighbor’s adorable daughter ran in behind you, hugging you tight.

“You’re home!!” she cheered, with the brightest smile. “I missed you!”

“I missed you too Dollface” you kneeled down, pulling her in a warm hug. “You give the best hugs” you cooed.

“I’m so glad you’re home, I was afraid I was gonna have to eat what Daddy cooked” she groaned, exaggeratedly sticking her tongue out.

Chan scoffed, leaning on your doorway. “Hey! I’ll have you know my dinner would have been delicious”

“Sure Daddy” she teased before whispering at you “It was burnt”

You snorted, trying your best to hide your laughter. Seeing the offense on Chan’s face you covered your mouth. “I-I’m sorry” you giggled “But I smelled it when I walked past your door.” 

“Well if you two are quite done roasting me, I’d like to have dinner” Chan clapped his hands.

You smoothed down Minseo’s curly hair. “I’m gonna change out of my scrubs, I’ll be right back” You walked into your bedroom, washing your face and staring into your mirror trying to collect yourself from just how handsome Chan looked. It really wasn’t fair for him to look that attractive at this time of night. He honestly had to do the bare minimum to get you going. His messy hair, sweatpants low on his lips, that stupidly attractive dimpled smile. You groaned splashing your face again.

Two years ago when Chan moved into the vacant apartment next door with his three-year-old daughter you thought it was a silver lining in your love life. He was breathtakingly handsome, with the cutest dimples, and the shyest smile. He was single and just trying to navigate parenthood with his daughter. Chan worked hard to give her the world, but he was in way over his head. And there was something about watching him and his friends try to raise her that made you help out.

One favor turned into another, and before you knew it, a companionship was formed. You grew to love Minseo like she was your own. And there was something about pursuing Chan romantically that just felt wrong. You two were friends, and if it didn’t work out romantically then it could make the friendship awkward. It would make it weird for Minseo. She had become accustomed to your routine, and kids were sensitive to a routine so why ruin it? At least that’s what you kept telling yourself.

The attraction just remained unspoken.

There was always something there, but neither of you were willing to take the jump and risk it. And you would rather be something in Chan’s life, then risk losing it and being no one in his life.

So for now, this was enough.

You walked out of your bedroom, smiling at your makeshift family. It wasn’t yours to keep, but for now, you could at least enjoy borrowing it.

Minseo beamed up at you, a chicken leg in one hand and kimchi sauce on her cheek. “Our pajamas match!” she gestured toward the red plaid matching top and bottoms that she wore.

Seeing that beautiful smile you knew that you never wanted to do anything that risked losing it. You giggled smooshing her cheeks playfully. “We do match~”

“Daddy got you those for Christmas!” she chimed.

“He did!” you laughed. “Too bad he never wears his~” You sat down next to her, cleaning her face with a napkin and looking at Chan “How was work?”

“Long” he chuckled leaning on his hand, watching you two. A smile never leaving his face. He always loved seeing how bright his daughter got when she was with you, and how that brightness was always mirrored. It was so genuine and warm. “My new client really likes the album so far, we should be able to wrap it up soon”

“Are you remembering to sleep?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, letting out that shy giggle. “Ah, you know me I get restless when I have things to do”

You frowned. “You need sleep” you scolded him before winking “Don’t make me confiscate your to-do list, and tuck you in myself.” His ears began to warm as he looked away shyly. His daughter chiming about how he’s in trouble. “I’m serious Chris, Doctor’s orders”

“I’ll be more mindful, I promise” he smiled bashfully.

After dinner the three of you settle down with a kids movie on Netflix, Chan falling asleep within the first twenty minutes, and Minseo getting so close to seeing the end but she just couldn’t ride out the last ten minutes. You smiled to yourself, gently running your hands through her hair. “What am I gonna do with you two?” Chan’s head resting against your shoulder as he took in gentle breaths, Minseo bundled between the two of you, her little arms wrapped around your arm and the plush blanket.

The credits for the movie ran all the way though and you’d been staring at the Netflix main menu for almost twenty minutes. You tried to bring yourself to attempt to get up. But it was just so warm. Both of them were tangled against you and and the blanket. You looked down at him Chan’s face smooshed against your shoulder, you being close enough to see the tiniest dusting of freckles against his nose or how his cheek dimpled as he moved his mouth. Minseo’s tiny face mirroring his features with those same little freckles, dimple, and pouty lips.

But you couldn’t keep them here forever.

“Hey...wake up sleepy head” you cooed at Chan, your fingers gently grazing his scalp.

He sighed happily “Mmm that feels so good please don’t stop” He watched you sleepily, a lazy smile on his lips. “Did I fall asleep?”

Did he really have to look at you like that? His expression was so open, candid, it disarmed you, and captivated you. There was just something about that little smile, that mischievous twinkle in his eye. Did he really not realize how it made your stomach do this little flip? “You were out like a light” you giggled, continuing to scratch his scalp; Loving how his smile grew.

“In my defense I feel like you put on the most boring movie”

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. All I’m seeing is that you took a two hour nap” you grinned watching him stand up. You gently moved Minseo from your arms into his. He propped her up against his hip as she buried her tired face in his chest.

“Hmmm why do I have a feeling you did that on purpose?” he smirked

“Now, Chris. I’m not a magician” you quirked your brow. “But I am armed with hundreds of movies on Netflix Kids and I will use them on you if I have to” you winked at him.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time” he chuckled, walking toward the door.

It wasn’t that Chan hated sleeping, he was just restless. Growing up he was always struck with inspiration in the middle of the night, and as a young parent, he couldn’t exactly rest knowing his daughter may wake up in the middle of the night and need him. There just wasn’t times that he felt comfortable to sleep. He survived on napping well enough but you were one of the few people that completely disarmed him. That he could relax enough long enough to sleep.

You walked him the eight feet it took to get to his door, whispering a good night to Minseo before kissing her hair. You pouted cupping her little cheeks, one last time. “She’s so cute” you smiled smoothing down her dark hair. “And you” you peaked up at Chan with a pout “Please get some more sleep tonight, preferably another six hours” you looked at him, with pleading eyes.

“I’ll give it a shot” he opened his door, ready to walk in but stopped to look at you again. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Just some chores in the morning but then I’m free, what’s up?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to come to the park with us” he smiled. “Minseo said she missed you”

“Only Minseo?” you raised a brow.

“And... Me too...” he gave you a bashful look, doing that nervous little giggle of his.

“I’d love to go” you grinned. “Goodnight Chris, see you tomorrow”

“Goodnight” he closed the door between you and sighed against the door. 

Yeah, he had a crush on you. And he wasn’t going to deny it. Waking up to your beautiful face watching him, his daughter in both your arms. It was like a dream come true. But the fact that he thought you were way out of his league and you two had a delicate friendship. He just didn’t have the courage to chance ruining your relationship.

This was good enough… Wasn’t it?

To be continued...

Chapter II

Hey Friends! ヾ(＾∇＾)

I couldn’t help myself D: I have such a kink for parent AU’s and boy I’d be lying if I said Dad!Chan didn’t get me going. I'm also planning on making this a 5 part story I’m aiming to upload daily.

And ever since Chan pointed out his freckles on the v-live I can’t stop mentioning it

If you guys like it please let me know! :3 your words always encourage me also if you’d liked to be tagged in future parts let me know <3

[incognitoman1-2-3-4]

Observations - A K18 Short Story

A/N: To celebrate this blog turning three years old, I wanted to revisit an old Krillin & Eighteen story I had written some time ago and publish it here on my Tumblr with some minor improvements. If you would like to read it, I sincerely hope you enjoy it. Feedback is much appreciated! 

K18 Forever ❤️

The serene ocean tide crawled ever closer towards Eighteen as she patiently roamed through the latest issue of her favourite weekly fashion magazine. Enjoying her mid-morning reading session, she mentally noted what items of clothing she pined to purchase and which ones she wished she could erase from existence.

“Seriously, who would want to be seen in that?" She vented to herself, squinting her eyes in disdain at the eccentric patterns on the outfit.

She flicked over to the next page, carefully readjusting her sunglasses. Well, they weren't exactly her sunglasses. She had successfully snuck them out of Krillin's bedroom while he was resting. It was a good thing that he was such a heavy sleeper, as well as being extremely generous with his belongings.

Little did Eighteen know that Krillin had awoken from his deep slumber and was now standing by the porch of Kame House. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the refreshing summer air before deflating his chest back to normal size. A content smile gradually etched itself across his dry lips; Krillin's infatuated eyes admiringly mused over Eighteen.

Sitting alone by the ocean's edge, she appeared as angelic as ever. Her face emitted a unique elegance unrivalled by any other. Krillin attentively observed Eighteen's subtle body language; her relaxed posture was a rare, yet pleasant sight. He decided to make his presence known, promptly advancing towards the shoreline.

The sound of Krillin's muted footsteps instantly caught Eighteen’s attention. Choosing to cast her magazine aside, Eighteen flicked her sunglasses to the bridge of her nose, fervently chewing on her bottom lip; he looked as fine as ever.

Despite his initial protests, she was so glad that Krillin acquiesced to her relentless insistence that he should grow out his jet black hair. Better yet, since the summer weather had come around, sightings of him without a top were becoming more and more frequent, permitting herself to gaze upon his well-toned muscles in all their splendour.

Sadly for Eighteen, Krillin had clothed himself this morning with a t-shirt that she had bought for him on their most recent trip to the mainland. Regardless of whether her little monk was topless or not, she didn't care what anyone said or thought about his appearance. To her, Krillin was simply stunning.

"Finally decided to get out of bed, uh?" Eighteen cordially greeted Krillin as he rooted himself on her left side. He retaliated swiftly with a kiss on her warm cheek.

“Well, you know me. If I ever get the chance to have a lay-in, I'll take it." He assuredly replied, spotting that his sunglasses were loosely hanging off of Eighteen's ears, "I see you've stolen my sunglasses again.”

"Hey!" Eighteen asserted, raising her arms in defence, "I didn't steal your sunglasses. I'm just borrowing them.”

"I ain't complaining." He then proceeded to straighten his sunglasses up for her, before adding, "You actually look kinda cute with them on.”

Without saying a word, Eighteen showed her appreciation of Krillin's kind comment with a habitual gesture. A gesture he didn't see all too often. But when he did, it meant the world to him.

"I've noticed you do that from time-to-time.”

"Do what?" She tentatively asked, feeling as if she had suddenly entered a "deer in the headlights" type situation.

"Don't worry. It's nothing bad." Krillin reassured her with a warm timbre in his voice, "I've just noticed that whenever I give you a compliment or if you see something you like, you have this tendency to needlessly brush your hair aside.”

Eighteen eyes immediately darted up to where her right hand was currently placed. It was exactly as Krillin described. She instantly felt the soft blonde tangles that ran between her fingers. In an effort to combat her self-consciousness, she instinctually moved her hand unto her lap.

"Have you seriously never noticed?" He enquired, watching Eighteen's face grow slightly perplexed.

"Not really, no. But if it's weird, I'll stop.”

"Weird?" Krillin answered calmly, pulling his knees up to his chest, "Take it from me. That hair thing you do is far from weird. It's just a quirky habit you have. That's all.”

“Habit?"

"Yeah. Everyone has them." Krillin added, lifting his eyes to the cloudless blue sky above him.

At that split-second, Eighteen's concerns morphed into curiosity. Now that she gave it some consideration, Krillin did have some fairly odd traits of his own. Realising this, Eighteen violently crashed her hands together with excitement. The resounding clash of her hands drew Krillin's eyes away from the empty sky and unto a far more captivating sight.

"You know, you sometimes start to laugh nervously when I stare at you." Eighteen astutely remarked.

Shaking his head from side-to-side, Krillin firmly disagreed with a great amount of confidence, "Erm- I believe you're imagining things because I'm pretty sure I've never done that before, babe." His confidence, however, was misplaced.

Eighteen silently folded the arms of Krillin's sunglasses, delicately resting them on top of her magazine.

"W-what are you doing?" His query reeked with diffidence.

Eighteen purposefully ignored him, electing to silently close the gap between them instead. Krillin dared not move, especially since Eighteen developed a kittenesque sheen in her eyes. She fearlessly pounced on him; Krillin willingly collapsed unto his back. The space between them was now non-existent. What quickly followed was inevitable.

"Ahh, damn it." He humbly admitted, "I guess you're right.”

"See," Eighteen gloated with raised eyebrows. She remained on top of him, resuming her point with a velvety inflexion, "and I think you laugh because you don't know what else to do when I have my eyes set on you.”

Krillin could provide no reply as strands of Eighteen's hair lightly tickled his besotted face. Her strong emphasis on the word, 'you' drew forth another excitable chuckle. Now that she had brought it to his attention, he couldn't stop himself. Nor did he want to.

Satisfied by the result, Eighteen distanced their proximity, if only by the smallest of margins. This gifted Krillin the chance to not only wipe off the soft sand from his back but also reveal another fascinating observation he made about Eighteen.

"Here's a good one!" Krillin's child-like enthusiasm gripped Eighteen, staring back him with a sense of anticipation, "You always make sure that the TV or radio volume is set at an even number.”

"You're kidding, right?" Eighteen answered him with a doubtful snicker.

"I am 100% serious. There have been times where I have deliberately set the volume at 19 and then I catch you changing it to 20 or 22-“

"Or 18?" She noted with a sense of irony.

“Exactly!"

"I can't say there's a valid explanation for it.”

"The only thing I can think of is that because of your name, you naturally prefer even numbers." Krillin's off-the-cuff reasoning technically made sense.

However, Eighteen wasn't fully convinced, logically stating, "If that's the case, then maybe my brother likes his volume set to an odd number.”

"That's gotta be true." He firmly agreed, "You should ask him the next time you see him.”

"Speaking of my brother, you two share a habit.”

"No way!" Krillin exclaimed with great elation, 'What is it!?”

"I wouldn't get too excited if I were you.” Eighteen warned him, hinting at the fact that this habit wasn't exactly a positive one, "You and Seventeen need to learn how to eat without talking at the same time.”

"Huh. I never would have imagined your brother doing something like that." Krillin remarked bemusedly. Even though he didn't know much about Eighteen's twin brother, he was relieved to discover that they did have something in common, even if it was as trivial as talking with their mouths full.

"Believe me, he's almost as bad as you." Eighteen slyly teased, sneakily resting her head on Krillin's shoulder. Sticking to the subject of her brother, she casually suggested to him, "Perhaps on my next visit to Seventeen's place, you could come with me.”

Eighteen almost lost her balance due to Krillin's sudden jolt. She fixed her eyes on him, studying the agitated expression which had rapidly overtaken him as he paced back and forth in front of her.

"D-do you think that's such a good idea?" Krillin responded apprehensively. This wasn't the first time the topic of Krillin meeting up with Seventeen had occurred. Whenever she mentioned it to him, he would quickly change the subject or brush it off with a fake smile. She decided it was time to tell it to him straight.

"What, so you don't want to meet him then?”

“N-no, I would like to meet him." Krillin unconvincingly replied.

Eighteen candidly returned with a stern tone, "Really? Because your face is telling me something completely different.”

Krillin halted in his tracks as Eighteen's words escaped her mouth. Disappointment followed her as she looked away from him, turning to face the transparent ocean.

Sitting back down on the sand, Krillin hoped he could clearly convey his anxious thoughts: "I really do want to meet your brother, Eighteen. I guess I'm just afraid that he’s gonna think that I'm not good enough for you. Or maybe we won't get along with each other.”

Eighteen's face perked up at Krillin's response. She could understand why he felt apprehensive towards her brother. Nevertheless, she desired to put his concerns to rest.

Taking a hold of his shaky hand, she sincerely reassured him, "Honey, you have no reason to be nervous. Seventeen is fully aware that we've been dating for a little while now and he seems pretty chilled about it. I mean even if he wasn't, I don't need his approval, or anybody else’s for that matter. I just think that we've been together long enough to pay him at least one visit from the two of us.”

"So, I don't have anything to worry about?" Krillin asked with a hint of courage in his voice.

Eighteen strongly shook her head, “None whatsoever. Besides, worst-case scenario, I’ll kick his ass and make sure he doesn’t even think about messing with you.”

Swiftly rising to his feet, Krillin boldly proclaimed, "Alright then! We better get going!”

"Go? Go where?”

"Well, I said that I wanted to meet your brother, didn't I?" Krillin clarified cheerfully, offering his right hand out towards Eighteen.

Gladly accepting Krillin's outstretched arm, she arose from the ground, asking with an ebullient expression, "You want to meet my brother right now?”

"Sure!" Krillin confirmed confidently, "I wanna do whatever makes you happy, Eighteen!"

His elegant blush was infectious; Eighteen's cheeks were being painted with an identical rose coloured hue. She tenderly caressed the sides of his face.

It simultaneously occurred to both Krillin and Eighteen that their impromptu decision to visit Seventeen was going to be a big step in their relationship. It was a step that neither of them could have even imagined taking when Eighteen first stepped foot inside Kame House. But they were so grateful that they had each other to take it.

As their bodies gently swayed, Eighteen inquisitively inquired, "Why are you so good to me, Krillin?"

The man in question instinctually released a nervous chuckle, before answering with a heartfelt resonance, "Because I love you.”

Neither of them knew for certain who exactly initiated the kiss. But one thing was obvious: neither of them cared. Their hands crawled around each other's bodies as their kisses grew more and more intense. It was a good thing Master Roshi and Oolong weren't around to see this. Krillin and Eighteen rarely got to physically express themselves since their housemates always stood around like vultures.

As Eighteen's fingers stealthily crept underneath his shirt to dance around the surface of his stomach, Krillin passionately pecked her neck, leaving little imprints of where his lips had been. It was yet another adorable idiosyncrasy Eighteen so dearly treasured about Krillin.

Soon enough, they carefully rested their foreheads against each other, leading them to stare intimately into each other's eyes. The exhilarating adrenaline which had thrust them into the moment was gradually settling down. Their pounding hearts were left playing catch up.

"Hey, Krillin?” Eighteen softly uttered, effortlessly attaining his gaze, "Before we leave, I just wanted to say thank you for doing this. You have no idea just how much this means to me.”

Little dimples appeared on Krillin's cheeks at the sight of Eighteen's signal of satisfaction.

"You just did your hair thing again.” He eagerly noted.

Eighteen embraced her little quirk proudly, "I know.”

"So, should we get ready to leave, babe?” Krillin asked, reaching down to grab Eighteen’s magazine and his sand-covered sunglasses.

"Hold on a second! I think I’ve forgotten something!”

“Huh? What did you forge-" Cutting off Krillin's sentence, Eighteen boldly pressed her lips onto his. She simply couldn't resist the alluring taste of Krillin's sweet kiss any longer. He gladly welcomed the interruption; he didn't mind being silenced if this was his reward for doing so.

Practising a rare instance of self-control, Eighteen gradually withdrew from their brief kiss, playfully stating, "Okay, now I'm ready.”

With every passing day, it seemed that Krillin and Eighteen managed to discover new things they adored about each other. From big gestures to small habits, each one brought them closer together and caused their love to deepen.

Taking flight to the endless blue skies above them, they joyously marvelled to themselves at where exactly their relationship was taking them. Their desired destination excited them. But the journey to arrive there excited them all the more.

THE END ❤️

[this-is-what-makes-us-fandoms]

Pretty Boy || Lab Rats ||

Requested: Hey! I'm a huge fan of Lab Rats &I always LOOOVE Chase but curious about hero front of it (i haven't gotten to see the new Elite Force yet!) I'm kinda curious how he would do with a gf when they were in high school that was kept a secret and he finds out by fluke she's a super? If it is too much to ask for you can ignore this, I just need fluffy Chase with superGF and secret relationship because why not? Everything else is a secret?? (Cookie)

Pairing: Chase Davenport x Reader

Warnings: A lil bit of swearing

Words: 2.5K

A/N: Hi! This is done! A little shitty but I feel proud of it. To the anon who requested this, I hope it came out to your liking. The ending was a little cheesy but that’s because I don’t know how to write... :D

It was the end of the day and you were standing in front of your locker, putting away what you didn’t need and grabbing what you did. You had a knee up, pressed against the lockers to keep your bag steady as you tried to neatly stuff it with material. You felt arms snake around your waist, almost making you lose your balance from the slight surprise. But you knew who it was, a smile appeared on your face as you zipped up your bag so you could give your attention to your boyfriend.

“And to what do I owe this display of affection,” You mused, leaning into his embrace.

“For being so cute,” He answered, planting a kiss on top of your head.

“Well not that I’m complaining but someone might see us. And if I remember correctly, you wanted to keep our relationship a secret, for whatever reason,” You said, hearing him sigh, making your smile stretch wider.

You loved teasing him, especially since he’s such a touchy-feely kind of guy and couldn’t show it out in public. Why? Well, he wanted to keep your relationship between the two of you, something about wanting to enjoy it before others found out. But it’s not like you minded, it just meant you got him all to yourself without having to worry about anyone interrupting.

You felt him unwrap his arms around you and you turned to look at him, a frown on his face. He saw the teasing glint in your eyes and rolled his own at you. He knew that you didn’t actually want an answer and just wanted to get a rise out of him. You understood his reasoning for keeping your relationship a secret and you were more than okay with it.

“I’m joking. Do you have any training today? We can go back to mine, do our homework and then watch some movies,” You suggested.

“Nope, I’m all yours this afternoon,” He replied, grinning widely.

“Great, let’s go,” You said, matching his smile.

The two of you were heading out the doors when you heard a phone go off. Chase dug around in his pocket and pulled out his phone, a familiar look crossing his face. You knew that look, it meant that he just got a mission alert and your plans were being thrown out the window. He looked over at you, a guilty look on his face that further confirmed your suspicions.

“Mission alert?” You questioned.

You looked up at him, he had a hard look on his face that said it was a bad one. “Yeah, it looks like there was a bridge collapse. There are still tons of civilians trapped.”

“Oh my god! Go! Go be a hero please,” You said, practically pushing out the school doors.

Chase smiled at you, glad to have such an understanding and accepting girlfriend. He looked around the area, making sure no one was looking your way. When he was sure the two of you were in the clear, he gave you a quick peck on the cheek. You wanted to return the kiss but he was gone before you could, but just in time too. You felt your own phone vibrate, looks like duty called for you too.

By the time you got there, the bionic trio were already there, doing what they could. Bree was speeding citizens off the bridge while Chase and Adam worked at keeping the bridge up. You noticed a cable wire snap off, heading straight for Chase. You flew over to it, reaching it just a couple inches before it hit Chase. He heard the noise of the falling cable, looking over to it and barely reacting to it. Just when he thought it was going to crush him, it stopped inches away.

You threw it to the side, revealing your superhero form to Chase. “It’s you!” He exclaimed.

“Hey, pretty boy, missed me?” You asked, a flirty tone in your voice.

He huffed and rolled his eyes at your flirty nature and the nickname you dubbed him with. “No... but thanks for the save, I owe you one.”

“Anytime, pretty boy. Now fill me in on the situation,” You replied.

“The bridge is on the verge of collapsing. Adam and I are doing our best to keep the bridge up while Bree super speeds everyone off. But we’re running out of time and there’s still civilians trapped on the bridge,” Chase explained.

“Got it. I’ll help in what ever way I can,” You said.

You flew off to help civilians and making sure the bridge didn’t collapse any further. You were helping a couple of trapped people, not noticing the cable wire that was about to snap off. You got them out of there safely, just in time for the cable to come flying off. It hit and sent you flying downwards, shock rippled through you at the sudden hit. The shock rendered you unable to think straight, the only thing going through your head was how you were going to pummel into the ground.

You closed your eyes and braced yourself for painful impact but it never came. Instead you found yourself in strong steady arms. You opened your eyes and saw Chase staring down at you, a worried look on his face. For a second you forgot you were in your hero attire and not civilian clothing. You had to get out of his embrace before he recognized it was you behind the mask. He didn’t quite know about your alter-ego yet and this isn’t exactly how you wanted him to find out.

“Ah, um, I have a boyfriend!” You exclaimed, leaping out of his embracing and crashing onto the ground.

Seriously, that was the first thing you decided to say, how freaking embarrassing. You didn’t want to get off the ground, not after shouting something like that out.

“Um, sure. I wasn’t trying to imply anything,” He said, confused by your sudden outburst.

“Right sorry, I'm just not used to be saved. Thanks, pretty boy,” You replied.

“Yeah no problem. Bree got everyone safely of the bridge, we have to get off before the whole bridge collapses on us,” Chase told you.

He stretched his hand out for you to take, helping you up once you did. You raced off the bridge once you were up, just in time as the rest of it collapsed. You left the civilians in the hands of the paramedics and the police.

“So, are you finally gonna tell us who you are?” Chase asked once you were all far away enough.

“Sorry, pretty boy, but that’s one secret I can’t reveal,” You told him.

He rolled his eyes, expecting that answer. “Right, sure. You get to know who we are but we don’t.”

“Hey, just because you revealed your identity to the world doesn’t mean I have to. Some things are sacred,” You replied. “Anyway, look at the time, I have to get going. See you around, pretty boy.”

You left before Chase had the chance to say anything, making him sigh heavily. You had a tendency to do that, leave with the last word. It really irked him, more so since he knew nothing about you. You just showed up out of the blue, helping them on a mission that was going badly. They appreciated the help, and all the help after that but they were still a little weary about you. They didn’t know you so they didn’t know if they could completely trust you. More so since they weren’t sure what you were, some of your abilities weren’t bionic.

You got home and changed into something more comfortable before flopping onto your bed. You sighed and let yourself relax, today was a little more stressful than expected. You had gotten a little too close to Chase today, you were lucky he didn’t recognize you. If he had, that would have been such an awkward conversation that you weren’t ready to have. Or rather one you were scared to have.

How do you tell your boyfriend that you’re a superhero? You didn’t want him to freak out, especially since the world of superheroes was a well-kept secret. Specifically, because of how the public might react. You didn’t want to scare him away, you had to handle this delicately and well thought out.

Your phone started ringing, snapping you out of your thoughts; speak of the devil. “Hey babe! How was the bridge mission?”

“We managed to save everyone but the bridge still collapsed. She showed up again though,” He told you.

“Ah yes, this mystery hero. How was it this time? Was she still helpful?” You asked, pretending as if you knew nothing.

“Yeah, she helped us get everyone off faster. Although, something weird did happen. She got hit by a cable wire and almost fell to the ground but I managed to catch her. She freaked out though, I don’t know why,” He explained.

“Ha, what a weirdo. Maybe she was mesmerized by how hot you are,” You joked.

“Right, I’m sure that’s what it was. Seriously though, it was weird how she reacted like that.”

“Alright, calm down pretty boy. I’m sure she just didn’t expect the save.”

“Wait...What did you just say?”

“I said calm down pr—Shit. Uh, I gotta go.”

You quickly hung up the phone before he could say anything, tossing it to the side. You groaned loudly and threw both hands over your face. How could you be so stupid? You never called him pretty boy, at least not in your civilian form. That’s how you separated yourself from girlfriend and superhero. As his girlfriend, you didn’t need to try so hard because you were already together. And not to mention the whole let’s keep our relationship a secret thing. But as a superhero, you had more range of motion and could flirt and tease him because it didn’t mean anything.

But now, you’ve crossed that line and there was no going back. You felt your phone vibrate next to you, you didn’t have to check to see that it was Chase calling. You ignored it, waiting until it stopped ringing before you turned it off completely. You’d no doubt that he had figured it out by now, he knew that you were this mysterious supergirl. You had no choice but to tell him the truth now, but you didn’t know if you could actually face him. What if he leaves you because you lied to him, because you kept such a huge secret from him? The thought scared you more than anything, you couldn’t risk Chase leaving you. You loved him, like really loved; he was the first guy that really ever understood you.

You sighed heavily, feeling defeated and stupid, there really was no getting out of this one. Out of all the stupid things you could’ve done, this was the one you had to pick. Lucky for you though, tomorrow was the start of the weekend so you could just avoid Chase until Monday. You sighed again, no point in exhausting yourself with this right now. It wouldn’t change anything; Chase would still know about your secret identity. You should just get some sleep and figure this out in the morning.

You were stirred out of your slumber by loud pounding coming all the way from your front door. Who the hell was knocking this early in the morning? You reluctantly crawled out of bed and headed downstairs, grumpy that someone disrupted your sleep.

You opened the door, barely registering who was behind it. “Can I hel—Chase?”

“Finally! Do you know how worried I’ve been? I thought something happened to you,” He exclaimed.

“I can explain, wait, you were worried?” You questioned.

“Yes! I mean, I’m still really confused about all of this. But my first priority is making sure you’re okay,” He said, face softening in worry.

Your heart did a jump against your chest, he was more worried about you than your big secret. God, how could you ever think he’d leave you. “I’m sorry. I just panicked, this was never supposed to happen. But, now that it has, I owe you an explanation.”

You invited him in and walked over to the couch where the two of you sat down. Silence engulfed the two of you while you tried to find the right words to say. Where do you start?

“So, why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, breaking the silence.

You took a deep breath before starting your explanation. “I was going to tell you, eventually, I just didn’t know how. I’m mean I can’t exactly just say that I’m secretly a superhero, especially since we’re supposed to stay secret.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t explain why you couldn’t tell me. I mean, I’m your boyfriend, I thought you’d at least have a little more trust in me,” He said.

“No, you’re right, you’re absolutely right. I didn’t tell you because I was scared of how you’d you react. I didn’t want you to leave because of this, because you found out your girlfriend was a superhero with superpowers. Superpowers and bionics are completely different, my abilities can’t be explained with science. I didn’t want that to freak you out. And I know, I should have trusted you with this. I’m sorry, but now that you know, I hope you still decide to be my boyfriend.”

“Are you kidding, of course I still want to be your boyfriend. I mean, I still don’t understand all of this, superpowers just sound ridiculous. But if its you, I’m willing to learn more and understand all this superhero stuff.”

“Really, you mean it? I mean, I totally understand if this is too weird for you.”

“Yes really. I love you and I want to know everything about you, even the weird superhero thing.”

You smiled widely and jumped him, wrapping your arms around him and hugging him tight. You couldn’t be happier, Chase accepted both sides of you and now you no longer had anything to hide. You heard him laugh, feeling it vibrate off his chest as he wrapped his arms around.

“So, you’re really a superhero?” He asked, still a little shocked and confused by the sudden news.

Now it was your turn to laugh at him, you were in for a long road of explanation.

[silkylious]

Promise (Amajiki Tamaki x Fem!Reader)

Pairing: Amajiki Tamaki x Fem reader Warnings: Heavy angst, maybe okay ending if you squint Prompt: #23 “Do you promise?”

A/N: Thank you @tamasoft​ for the request! Im realllyyy sorry for the delay, this was supposed to be fluffy but my angsty ass was in my feelings so I rewrote it and this thing came out, sorry in advance but I hope you like it lmfao 

You’d known each other since you were little kids. You’d declared yourself his friend the second you saw him playing alone in the sand pit, molding worlds and picking them apart with the toy utensils. You ditched your place on the swings, enthusiastically making your way towards him. He’d been so lost in creating an imaginary blueprint for his next construction that he hadn’t noticed you self-righteously claiming the spot next to him as your own, disregarding any and all lectures your parents had given you about personal space. Tamaki didn’t notice your presence curiously looming over his shoulder until you voiced your inner inquiries.

“What are you doing?”

An embarrassingly startled sound was extracted from his throat, a flaming pink decorated his cheekbones, further saturating in shade when he whipped around to find your childishly inquisitive features a mere three inches away. You continued staring at him, silently awaiting his response with a couple quizzical blinks. He finally got the courage to meet your prodding gaze, his quivering lips parting to give you a stammered reply.

“M-Making a sandcastle,” The simple answer ignited a gleam in your irises. You took the liberty of making yourself at home and taking some of the little boy’s plastic tools (without his permission) to aid in building his sandy structure. The roles were switched, now he was the one observing you owlishly, brows pulled taut in confusion.

“W-What are you d-doing?”

“Helping you,” Your reply was preceded with bubbly giggles.

“Why?”

“‘Cause I’m your friend.” You’d said it like it was a universal truth, an indisputable fact. So much so, that he couldn’t find it in him to argue with you or question your motives. Frankly, Tamaki was giddy. You were his first friend after all, leaving a shy smile to tug at his thin lips. His chubby hand wrapped around a toy shovel to start bringing his dream castle to life with your help.

Since then it has always been you and him, with the addition of Mirio a bit later down the line. It was just the three of you, and that’s all that really mattered.

Your personalities were stark contrasts to each other, he was reserved and quiet; you were chaotic and loud. You balanced each other out in the best possible ways. You brought out the surprisingly fun and spontaneous side of Tamaki, pushing him time and time again high above cloud nine with your antics, while he kept you grounded in reality, an anchor to keep you rooted and rational when you needed it most.

Your attraction to him began in middle school. It was just an innocent little crush, a passing fad, you’d told yourself at the time. You refused to accept it as anything but that, pushing down your feelings in hopes of them vanishing. But all that did was further increase their intensity. The seeds of your schoolgirl crush eventually started budding, flourishing into a rosy infatuation, the petals of which withered in unrequited agony. No matter how hard you wished for some fairytale ending, where the childhood friends recognized their feelings for one another, you knew that wouldn’t happen. You were Tamaki’s first friend; you knew him best. And in the time spent with him, despite your augmenting love, he never reciprocated. Never showed a sign of interest, you were akin to a sister to him, he’d never see you in a romantic light. And you were aware of that, painfully so. But the lovesick part of you convinced you that there may be a possibility that he was just that dense, that there was still some slim chance of him sharing your feelings. And that’s what kept you from moving on. You were stuck between a rock and a hard place; his indifference to you romantically barred you from confessing (the fear of losing him didn’t help in the slightest), and the hope of a future with him denied you the freedom of moving on. Every time a petal withered to the ground, a new one sprouted. It was a vicious cycle, a paradox that ensured your muteness, ensured that Tamaki would be blissfully ignorant to the tyranny and sheer power he had over the pitter-pattering of your heart.

It wasn’t until the two of you enrolled in U.A. that your second-guessing was finally quelled.

“(n-name) can we t-talk for a minute?” The stutter, the flush overtaking his face, the way his eyes wouldn’t look up to meet your own – all of it was too much for your poor heartbeat. This wasn’t the same as when he’d get nervous in front of large crowds, no this was different. This was it. The moment you’d dreamed of since your middle school days. Steeling yourself amidst the prying eyes of your classmates with a resolute ‘sure,’ you let Tamaki lead the way from the common room up to him dorm. You could distinctly hear the pounding in your chest as his door clicked shut. With an inhale from your nose and an exhale from your mouth, you sat on his bed (like you usually did) and tried to calm your nerves.

“So… what did you want to talk about?”  

Tamaki mimicked your motions, taking a seat on his mattress. His elf-like ears drooped a bit, your mind overdosing on the cuteness of his shyness, though you forced yourself to focus. His dark hues flickered to yours for a second before faltering down to his lap, the pink on his cheeks amplifying into a gorgeous cherry color, partially curtained by his indigo bangs.

“I think that I-I umm…” His hesitancy had you leaning forward, quietly begging him to spit out the words you’d longed to hear. “I-I think that… th-that I l-like H-Hado-san!” He blurted out, the red pigment you’d consider cute in any other situation spreading down to his neck. “A-And I-I don’t know how to c-confess…” his pointer fingers pushed and pulled against one another. Your mind still in shock of this new information.

It wasn’t until the two of you enrolled into U.A. that your second-guessing was finally quelled, confirming what you’d already known for the start. That he held no ounce of romantic attraction to you in his system. The petals fell down one by one as his words sunk in, the once bright red of them that portrayed your passion wilted, contorted into a lifeless obsidian, leaving a tethered stem behind. All this time you’d been waiting for a cue, a sign, anything that would indicate the right moment to profess your unyielding adoration, only to be told, albeit indirectly, that there was never a right moment. Which you already knew yet couldn’t fully accept. You were awoken from your heartbroken stupor by his next words.

“I-I’m not sure if she l-likes me b-back a-and we’re both busy with school stuff s-so I don’t know if I…” His voice trembled into a mumbling mess, completely unintelligible to your ears. The way he was acting, talking, the fact that he approached you with this in the first place… you knew what that meant all too well, you were in the same boat as him after all. Your eyes softened sympathetically, more for yourself than him if you were being honest, the irony of this was as bittersweet as it could get. He trusted you enough to talk about his feelings for someone else, venting about the likelihood of her reciprocating, all while being unaware of the similar predicament you were in. He trusted you; he didn’t love you. That newly revealed truth broke you, but you wouldn’t let it show, for his sake, for your friendship’s sake. You cut his ramblings with a hand firmly placed on his shoulder, directing him to fully face you.

“Tamaki, do you love her?”

“W-Wha–” His face erupted with more color, if that was even humanly possible at this point.

“Do you love her?” You repeated, eyes glazing with an agonizing mix of melancholy and acceptance.

He timidly nodded his head, his hair bobbing out of the way in the process, and boy was his face a sight to see. Aside from the one hundred and one different shades of crimson that decorated his complexion from his clavicle all the way up to his hairline, the unignorable sparkle in his stare was so excruciatingly familiar (it felt like looking at a mirror of yourself) and so goddamn torturous all at once, because you were so fucking conscious that it wasn’t meant for you. You managed a weak smile, for his sake, you looped in your head.

“Then go for it, Tama. I think she’d be more than happy to be with you.” The spark behind his irises ignited into raging fires that threatened to burn you alive, it was so hard to watch. So difficult to sit there and observe him, so madly in love with someone that wasn’t you.

“You r-really think so?” Your answering hum was meek, but it was there nonetheless. You were sure words wouldn’t come out if you willed them to. You weren’t lying, you’d seen the precious, closed-eye grin that graced her face whenever they hung out together, she was your friend too and you couldn’t not take notice of the fleeting glances she sent his way. Both of them were such airheads that they didn’t recognize their feelings for each other, despite them being as clear as fucking day to any onlooker. You honestly would have thought it was adorable if your heart wasn’t severely compromised amongst this.

Later that week, Tamaki came knocking on your dorm room door with uncharacteristic enthusiasm, those three knocks already told you all you needed to know, but you weren’t prepared for the unbridled joy in his wobbly smile or the love filling his eyes to the brim, his pupils were practically morphed into heart shapes.

“She said yes!”

You smiled, soft and delicate. Tamaki couldn’t see the boiling regret in that smile, nor could he see the wretched dejection in your eyes. You pulled him in your embrace, which he awkwardly returned.

“I’m so happy for you.” And you really were. Despite the crushing rejection loitering in every crevice in your mind, you really were glad he found someone he loved and who loved him back. You were sure Nejire would treat him right, and that’s all that really mattered to you. So long as he was happy, you were too; it just sucked that you weren’t the source of his fervent elation. As you laid your head on his shoulder, arms still wrapped around his torso, a very particular memory decided to pop back in your head.

It was three weeks after you’d first met, both of you playing at your usual spot in the sand pit, bending reality with your chubby hands together. You were close to finishing your latest sandy masterpiece when, in an atypical show of determination, Tamaki’s soft voice broke the comfortable silence.

“Do you promise, (n-name)?” You looked up from your creation with childish wonder swirling in your wide eyes.

“Promise what, Tama?”

“To be my best friend f-forever…” His previous vigour dwindled as he shakily lifted his pinkie up. You practically beamed from his words, excitedly wrapping your own little finger around his and clutching it tightly until both your knuckles went white, the toothy smile you gave him was damn near blinding, wide and pure as they come. He let out his own soft smile, pushing his thumb to yours and sealing the promise you both had made. And you shared a hug, your head lying peacefully on his shoulder, giggling at the awkward way he hugged you back.

As the little reverie came to an end, you mentally mauled over the significance of such simple, immature words. Tamaki probably didn’t even remember the promise to be frank, and neither did you until you had this feeling of Déjà vu. With your expression still out of his sight, you took the chance to let a lone tear slip. This is where you let go, where you began working on moving on. If there was one good thing to come out of this, it’s that you were finally free from the shackles of indefinite (false) hope that had held you hostage for years now, you finally had the freedom to let him slip between your fingers. And as much as you didn’t want that to happen, you knew it had to be done and you finally gained the ability to take the first step. He didn’t need you as a lover, he needed you as a friend.

Tamaki had always looked out for you, always made good on his promise.

Now it was your turn to do so too.

[cptsdstudyblr]

I got a new planner!

[Image descriptions are available at the bottom of the post.]

[Image description after text because it is very long.]

This year, I’ve really been struggling with the digital planner system that’s gotten me through the past 4 years of school. Honestly, I think the fact that all I ever do anymore is stare at my laptop has made that planner less practical for me to use. So, today, I was out and about trying to find a specific size of envelope (which I did not find) and I ended up at YP Books (영풍문고), where I found this planner (the Color Point Study Planner). I honestly picked it up just because it was there and it was cute, but when I opened it I was struck by how well-organized this planner was for someone who likes to plan the way I do. To plan, I need a delicate balance of structure and leniency, because if I tip too far one way or the other, I’ll never accomplish anything.

It’s got this really cute monthly page (which can be customized for any month). You do have to write the days yourself, and as you can see by my scribbles, I momentarily forgot that not every month starts on a Sunday. However, this page is super versatile! I write my assignments and exams here and color code those days, and I use the unlabeled checklist at the bottom right to make a brief to-do list for the month. Once I finish something, it gets marked off or highlighted! I think this is a really helpful way to visualize my schedule and make sure I don’t lose track of any due dates.

Each month also comes equipped with daily pages. Once again, you do have to customize these yourself, but that’s part of what I like about it. I can skip days if I need to and I can make sure that the page handles what I need how I need it. These pages are quite complicated, but I’ll give you the basics of how I use them. 

At the top, there are 3 blanks after the date. One is labelled “D-Day,” but I instead use this to label the day of the week as I find that much more useful for me, then I fill out how many hours I plan to study (I do this at the beginning of the day so that it motivates me), then I put my general goal or plan for the day to the right. Below that, in the “Check Point” space, I put the two biggest goals I have for the day task-wise. These are usually my highest-priority tasks.

Obviously, the bulk of the space is used for a checklist, which I use to outline all the tasks I need to do that day, both school and otherwise. To the right, in the schedule space, I plan my day to make sure I can get everything done that I need to get done. There’s also a space at the bottom that I use to write events and extremely important tasks (such as exams and due dates).

Overall, the point of this post is that it’s really important to find an organizational system that works for you, whether it be digital or paper. My personal suggestion for figuring out your best system is just trial and error. Unfortunately, trial and error can be quite expensive, so I’ll include below some tips to find a good system for you without breaking the bank:

Try digital first! Most digital platforms are free (or at least have free trials), so this is a great place to start to save money. It’s also a great way to figure out what elements of different systems work for you - even if digital isn’t your thing, you might realize that you prefer a to-do list over a calendar, or that you work really well with a super structured study schedule. That info can help you find a paper planner that will work well for you.

Go to the store and look at physical planners. Once you have an idea of what you’re looking for in a planner, go to a physical store (or multiple) and spend some time looking through a bunch of planners. Once again, even if you don’t like any of them, this might help give you an idea of what you do and don’t like.

Print out (or draw) planner pages. If you want to test out a style of physical planner without buying it, find an online PDF or create your own and print a few to test out. You can also draw it (just make sure to take a photo in the store so you can do so accurately) in a regular notebook for testing purposes.

Do research. There’s lots of different methods of planning schedules, keeping track of due dates, and journaling besides the typical Google calendar and to-do list or the standard paper planner. A great example is bullet journaling, which allows you to create your own planner and change it up as you want.

Eventually you’ll figure out what planning style works best for you, and you’ll find the perfect paper planner to purchase if that’s what you decide is your best option.

[Image description after the read more:]

[Image description:

Image 1/4: There’s a pink notebook. On the cover are a man and a woman holding smiley face signs over their faces. Below them, text reads “Anything is good if I can do it with you. Whether it’s laughing together, studying together, or playing together, everything is twice as wonderful when you are doing it with me.” In the top left, a blue sticky note covers the user’s name and on it is written “@cptsdstudyblr.”

Image 2/4: This is a two-page notebook spread. The pages are white with a purple outline. The page is titled “How to Use Study Planner.” The two pages detail how each page of the planner is intended to be used, but most of the text is in Korean (transcription note: according to Google, the Korean alphabet would not work with English screen-readers, so I haven’t included this text). There are 7 steps labelled in English for using the planner.

About my goal

Time table

Monthly study plan

Daily study plan

Exam plan & result

Internet lecture check

Mock test record & graph

Transcription note: I’m happy to provide the Korean contents of the page for anyone who is interested, but I don’t want to break everyone’s screen readers.

Image 3/4: This is a two-page monthly calendar spread. The pages are primarily white, with a yellow bar across the top. The number 10 is circled in the top right to indicate that the page is for the 10th month. The days of the week start from Sunday and go to Saturday. The month is labelled from date 1 (a Thursday) to date 31 (a Saturday). Below are listed dates with special notes:

October 4 - Micro HW. This date is highlighted purple, and the text is highlighted yellow to indicate that the assignment is complete.

October 7 - Networks HW. This date is highlighted purple, and the text is highlighted yellow to indicate that the assignment is complete.

October 8 - Critical Thinking Paper. This date is highlighted purple, and the text is highlighted yellow to indicate that the assignment is complete.

October 10 - Korean HW. This date is highlighted purple, and the text is highlighted yellow to indicate that the assignment is complete.

October 11 - Micro HW. This date is highlighted purple, and the text is highlighted yellow to indicate that the assignment is complete.

October 15 - Micro HW. This date is highlighted purple.

October 18 - Micro HW. This date is highlighted purple.

October 22 - Comp Pol Exam. There is a bubble around the words and the date is highlighted pink.

On the far right is a cute, colorful drawing of a woman studying with her dog and the quote “It’s more fun when you study together than alone!” Below that is a checklist with the items “Vote!,” “Student ID,” and “Midterms.”

Image 4/4:

This is a two-page spread consisting of two daily planner pages. The pages are primarily white with a yellow outline. The leftmost page is as follows:

There are two columns on this page. The left column’s top row has three sections - “Date - 12,” “D-Day - Lun,” “Study Hours - 5.” (Transcription note: The “D-Day” blank is used for the day of the week instead of the proper use, and the days of the week are labelled in French rather than English.) The second row of that column is labelled “Check Point” and has two bullet points “catch up on micro” and “be ready to vote.” Below that is a small slot to put a song of the day, which is “SKZ (Transcription note: SKZ stands for Stray Kids) - Slump (Japanese ver.). Below is the checklist for the day. It includes both the priority and the item as follows:

HI - buy envelope

HI - micro lab video

HI - Korean class

MED - micro lecture

LO - micro HW (lecture)

MED - grocery shopping

HI - Korean HW

Below this checklist is a doodle of a woman studying.

The right column of this page starts on its top row with the slot “Goal,” which is filled with the phrase “catch up.” Below that, the user has indicated that they woke up at 11:30 and went to sleep at 1:30. Below that, they have colored 4 water drops out of 5 and given the day a score of 4 stars out of 5. Below that is a timetable for the day, which is filled with “Shop” from 13:00 - 14:30, “Study” from 15:30 - 17:00, 20:00 - 20:30, and 22:00 - 23:30, and “Korean” from 18:00 - 20:00. The right page is as follows:

There are two columns on this page. The left column’s top row has three sections - “Date - 13,” “D-Day - Mar,” “Study Hours - blank.” (Transcription note: The “D-Day” blank is used for the day of the week instead of the proper use, and the days of the week are labelled in French rather than English.) The second row of that column is labelled “Check Point” and has two bullet points “vote” and “micro HW.” Below that is a small slot to put a song of the day, which has been left blank. Below is the checklist for the day. It includes both the priority and the item as follows:

HI - drop off ballot

HI - comp. pol lecture

MED - micro HW (lab)

MED - micro HW (lecture)

HI - Korean HW

LO - religion series plan

Above this checklist is a doodle of a man sleeping.

The right column of this page starts on its top row with the slot “Goal,” which is filled with the phrase “micro HW.” Below that, the user has left the wake time, sleep time, water consumption, and daily score fields blank. Below those is a timetable for the day, which is filled with “Vote” from 9:00 - 11:00, “Study” from 12:00 - 14:00 and 14:00 - 18:00. The bottom of the page has been censored with two blue sticky notes that read “Plans for the day! Censored for safety reasons.”]

[imaginesforyourfandom]

It’s You - Alex Morgan Imagine

(Y/N) POV:

I woke up feeling a little groggy as I felt around and immediately noticed I was alone. I picked my head up noticing that my girlfriend wasn’t there. I glanced around the room for a moment before sitting up and stretching slightly. I stood up and headed into the bathroom brushing my teeth and stuff before exiting my room in search of my girlfriend. I spent a few moments trying to locate her before just giving up.

“Alex” I called out before I heard a noise coming from upstairs.

“Up here.” She called back as I headed up towards where she was. I walked into my music room to see her sitting at my piano. I gave her a soft smile as she continued playing with the keys.

“Whatcha you doin?” I asked as she smiled in my direction. I walked towards her and sat next to her on the bench.

“Messing with your stuff.” She joked as I let out a slight laugh.

“Yeah do anything interesting?” I asked as she shook her head. I nodded my head. She looked around the room slightly.

“I’m so jealous at how many awards you have.” I followed her gaze to my Grammy’s as I turned towards her. I shrugged my shoulders. “I wish I was that talented.”

“You do realize that you’re a two-time world cup champion and Olympic gold medalist, right?”

“It’s different.” She argued giving me a look as I shook my head at her. “You can play all sorts of different instruments and write songs. You get to perform on a stage, and you have millions of fans who adore every single thing you do.”

“You play a professional sport. I would love to be able to do that.” I said as she looked down a little. I frowned trying to figure out how to make it better. “I could teach you to play an instrument.” She looked up and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly which earned a smile from me.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Of course. Which instrument do you want to play?” I asked as she looked around at the various instruments I had around the room. Her eyes fell on my acoustic guitar and I knew immediately that’s what she wanted. I walked over picking up the instrument before coming back over. “Okay is this the one?”

She nodded her head as I started tuning it to make sure that it was tuned correctly. I strummed it slightly making sure it sounded right before moving to hand her the instrument. She took it and I helped her position it to the way she would need.

“Okay so place your index finger on the third string at the second fret, your middle finger on the first string at the second fret, and your ring finger on the second string at the third fret.” She did as I said as I continued giving her instructions. “So, leave the fourth string open and strum the bottom four strings.”

“I did it.” She smiled as she played the D-chord getting a grin from me as well. I nodded my head as she strummed again. “The sounds okay right?”

“You definitely played the D-chord.” I said as she stopped and stared at me.

“How many chords are there?”

“Five.”  Her whole face dropped as I laughed at her expression. “No, come on. You’re doing great.”

I continued showing her how to play each chord and smiled in admiration as she started to get it the more she practiced. I watched her as she focused on the guitar and took the moment to study her face. She had a concentrated expression as she looked down at the guitar. I started thinking about how we got to this position.

We met back in 2015 just before she went to Canada and won the world cup. I was performing on GMA when the team was there. It was awesome getting to meet them and I didn’t know that I would also be meeting the love of my life. I smiled at her fondly thinking of our first meeting. She looked up at me and saw my expression.

“What?” she asked with a small smile.

“Nothing…you’re just so beautiful.” I said softly earning a shy smile from the soccer star.

“cute.” She said as she played around with the guitar for a moment. She then looked up offering me the guitar. “I’m done for today.”

“Alright. All you have to do is keep practicing and eventually you’ll get there.”

“Maybe…play me something.” She said as I moved to set the guitar down. I stared at her for a moment before sitting back down placing the guitar in my lap and making sure it was tuned right before staring at her expectantly.

“Any requests?”

“Something I haven’t heard before…” I nodded my head as I thought for a moment before starting to play. I strummed for a moment or two before starting to sing.

“It's you, it's always you, If I'm ever gonna fall in love I know it's gon' be you” I sang as I kept eye contact with her. She had an smile on her face as I continued playing. “It's you, it's always you, met a lot of people, but nobody feels like you. So, please, don't break my heart, Don't tear me apart, I know how it starts, Trust me, I've been broken before, Don't break me again, I am delicate, Please, don't break my heart, Trust me, I've been broken before.”

I put a lot of focus on my playing closing my eyes slightly knowing that’s when I was most in it. I thought about the lyrics I was singing and how it was close to Alex and I’s story. How we had both been in bad relationships prior to finding each other. How she was the only one I trusted my heart with 100%. She was the only one I could fall in love with because there really was no one else I would rather be with than her. I smiled as I picked up the melody and focused my gaze on her completely.

“'Cause I want you, I want you, There's nothing else I want, 'Cause I want you, I want you, And you're the only thing I want, It's you, it's always you, If I'm ever gonna fall in love I know it's gon' be you, It's you, it's always you, met a lot of people, but nobody feels like you.” I continued on into the chorus for the final time as I noticed her eyes shining slightly. What I already knew was confirmed when she reached up to wipe a tear away. I finished the song giving a light strum on the guitar before moving to place the instrument down onto the floor.

“So, did you like it?” I jokingly asked as the forward surged forward kissing me. I smiled into it as I put my hands on her waist to help her keep her balance.

“That was beautiful.” She mumbled giving me more kisses.

“I’m glad you liked it because those lyrics ring true to me. You’re the only one that I want to be with. The only one I trust with my heart. If I’m going to fall in love, I know it’s going to be with you.” She smiled a I quoted my own song as she gave me another kiss.

“I am so lucky to be with you.” She said looking into my eyes as I leaned my forehead against hers.

“I’m the lucky one.” We stayed silent for a moment before I grinned. “Lucky I’m in love with my bestfriend…”

“oh my gosh. I’m over it now.” She joked standing up as I stood with her pulling her into me and giving her a hug.

“Gosh, I love you.” I mumbled into her shoulder

“I love you too.” We stood for a few more moments before she gave me a soft kiss and pulled away taking my hand in hers. “Now, come on. I am starving and you’re going to cook for me.” I groaned but let myself be pulled by the forward. I really couldn’t be more thankful that she came into my life.

The End.

[logansanderslove]

Logan 3.0   (1/?)

CO-AUTHOR: @demented-dukey

Summary: Remus is an incorrigible flirt, and Logan can only bear the innuendo for so long until something has to give. Passions erupt, but there are more lasting repercussions than either could have predicted, including a significant transformation to Logan himself! How will these new changes affect the delicate balance of Thomas's mental state? When a new dark side threatens the lives of several of the other sides, will Logan and Remus's love be strong enough to save everyone, including Thomas?

Ships: INTRULOGICAL

Sanders Sides: Logan, Remus, Thomas, Roman, Virgil, Patton, Deceit

Fic type: Drama, Romantic, Action, Flirty

Trigger Warnings: No character deaths, but a lot of very close calls. Consensual knife play and bloodplay, and lots of bloody fighting and monster attacks. If you’re sensitive to unsympathetic characters, some parts flirt pretty close to that, but there’s also a lot of extenuating circumstances to explain the situation, and there’s a happy ending once you get through the angst and misunderstandings. Self-harm and references to such, and suicidal tendencies.

MASTERLIST

Chapter 1: Witty Banter

Logic and Bad Creativity had been disputing all day, and as late as it was now, it didn't seem like they were going to stop any time soon.

Logan crossed his arms as he leaned against the stairs in the common area, staring nonchalantly at the Dark Side before him. “You don’t get to me in the slightest, Remus. You never have. Object impermanence renders you pretty unintimidating.”

Remus smirked in his regular cocky way, suggestively stroking the ninja star that he held in his hands. “Is that so, Nerdy Wolverine?” His voice was smooth and unbothered.

Logan nodded. “Yes, it IS, you foul and infatuated goat.” He spat, but Remus just smiled. 

“Ooh, thank you for the metaphorical regards! ‘Foul’ and ‘goat-like’ is what I’m going for!” he said, clapping his hands excitedly. “I thought it might be a fun change from the pickled poo logs.”

Logan frowned, rather frustrated that his attempted insult had backfired. “Ah. I see. Would it bother you then if I were to call you nice and harmless? Cherubic? How about spritely? Were I to call you caring and loving, especially towards your brother, would that bother you, Remus?” He remarked, but Remus just shrugged off the innuendo and giggled.

“I love how hard you try, it’s so cute!” he cooed. He then approached the logical side, letting his fingertips slide down Logan’s tie suggestively. “If you’re interested, I’d be happy to provide you a personal show of just how loving I can be?” He said with a wink and a dirty grin.

Logan forced a smile as he ignored Remus' suggestive actions. “Well, while that offer is certainly tempting, Remus, I am going to have to decline. I’m not exactly sure how I would put up with your lunacy, and I also doubt that the others would find this offer very… acceptable.” He stated, bringing a scoff from Remus.

“Those spoilsports would never have to know,” he winked at Logan. “I can be covert if you’d like.”

Logan gave him a dead-eyed stare. “Can you? Well, Remus, as I said before, all I would ever do is figuratively dress you down. That is all.”

Remus’ eyes lit up. “OH! Well, if that’s what you wanted, Logan,” he unzipped his pants. “You could’ve just said so!”

Logan shook his head, holding up his hand. “AH AH AH AH. I said, FIGURATIVELY. And that is why I say it. That. Is. Why. I. Say. It!” He clapped his hands with each word. He let out a deep breath. "I don't just spout random words without meaning!! I say things for a reason!"

Remus’s expression fell into a frown, and he slowly zipped his pants back up. “Poopy...” he muttered sadly.

Logan groaned. "Oh, stop pouting. It’s not a good look for a royal man. Even if that man is you.” 

Remus perked up, mood swinging as wildly as a pendulum, “Aw, Logan, you notice my looks? I’m flattered!” He said joyously. 

Logan’s ears flushed a bit, realizing his mistake all too late. “No, I don’t. I just don’t exactly see a grown man whining and pouting as a productive thing to be doing.” He restated.

“It can be very productive to make a grown man whine if you’re doing it right,” Remus smirked, leering at him.

Logan’s face immediately went red. “That is not what I meant and you KNOW IT.” He defended quickly.

Remus shrugged, hands held up defensively, a big smile across his face. “Perhaps. Much like your lascivious thoughts, I just love showing up where I’m not invited,” he punctuated his words with a quick shimmy.

Logan’s eyes shot open. “WHA-” His flustered mind tried to find the words. “‘Lascivious’?! What on Earth would ever lead you to say that I, the VOICE OF REASON, would ever have such provocative thoughts?!” He spluttered, then he took a long breath, managing to calm himself. “And in all honesty, I believe that we are used to you showing up where you’re not invited by now, Remus. In fact, you just showing up is exactly that, because no one ever wants to invite you.” He snarked. 

Remus tilted his head. “Deny it all you want, Neil deGrASS Tyson. You can’t block out all the juicy stuff.” He cooed with a little dance of sexual innuendo.

Logan put a hand to his face, groaning. “Please do not say ‘juicy’ in that context ever again.”

Remus opened his mouth, held up his finger, then clicked his tongue. “...Juicy butthole?” He questioned, to which Logan just froze, then let out an exasperated breath. 

“REMUS. THAT IS WORSE.” 

Remus frowned. “Did...did I say something wrong? Are you...are you gonna punish me, Teach?” He wondered, just bringing another sigh from Logan. 

“Remus, why do you insist on trying to bother me?”

Remus ran his fingers over his mustache. “It’s no bother, I assure you! I’m only trying to help, you seem so tense, my dear disciplinarian.” 

Logan adjusted his glasses with a breath. “I am told that I always seem that way. Whilst, in fact, I am very relaxed.” 

Remus flicked his eyebrows up. "Like the eye of a storm? You should let the tempest rage sometimes…” He slunk closer. “And I don’t mind getting a little wet.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “You, sir, are despicable.”

Remus stuck his tongue out. “I like to call myself de-lickable.”

Logan pinched the bridge of his nose. “NO.” He said sternly.

Remus put a finger to his chin in a suggestive manner. “Ooh, I love it when you raise your voice. Please, sir, what are your demands?” He drawled out.

Logan’s face sported the most unamused expression. “That you stop flirting with me. Don’t assume that I’m not aware of what you’re trying to do.”

Remus licked his lips. “Skip the appetizer and jump straight into the main course? As you wish!” He tore off his shirt as easily as lifting a feather. Logan’s eyes went wide and he waved his hands frantically. 

“NO. NO, NO, NO. PUT YOUR SHIRT BACK ON RIGHT NOW, REMUS, OR I WILL SUMMON DECEIT TO REIGN YOU IN.” He ordered.

“Kinky! If you wanted a threesome, count me in! I LOVE being given two D’s at once!” Remus winked at him again, a seemingly regular occurrence. “My safe word is ‘apples’.” He then laughed. “I’m just kidding! I don’t have a safe word!”

Logan grabbed at his hair with an aggravated groan. “NO! REMUS, STOP! STOP THIS INCESSANT MADNESS!” He exclaimed desperately, to which Remus drew back a bit.

“Careful, Teach. Your calm is wearing a bit thin. I’d be happy to ruffle more than your feathers if you know what I mean…” He flirted. 

The intellectual let out a deep breath. “I-” He couldn’t even make a sound other than angry flustered noises. “Please stop…” He finally got out, spinning away as he shook his head.

Remus hesitated, then he shrugged. “I changed my mind. I’m unpredictable like that, I don’t think you could handle all this,” he said as he shimmied. He then pulled his shirt back over his head gracefully. “Free show’s over. Wasted on you, anyways. You’re obviously too much of a brainiac to appreciate more physical pleasures.”

Logan rubbed his face with his hands. “Remus, please…” His voice was exasperated.

Remus’ voice became skeptical. “Had a change of heart? Doesn’t seem like that’s in your purview.”

Logan shook his head with a sigh. “No, Remus, that is not what I am trying to say.” He whirled around, his tolerance almost worn through. “Why are you so fascinated with ME? Why not go bother your brother or something? Why are you flirting with me?” He questioned, a tired tone to his voice.

Remus was quiet for a moment, eyeing Logan slowly. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re a smart boy, Logan. Brilliant, even. Is it any wonder that I can’t look away from your brilliance?” A kind smile was offered. “You shine so brightly. You can hardly blame a moth for being attracted to the flame.”

Logan blinked in surprise, trying to process what he had just heard. “Wh-...You truly think of me so highly? I…” He didn’t know what to say.

Remus shrugged. “The others make it quite clear that they consider me below you all. How else could a lowly creature such as myself look upon you, but as if atop a pedestal?” He wondered.

Logan was still struggling to process this, but when he heard Remus’ statement, he suddenly realized something. “Remus, I… I have never considered you lower than anyone. I know that we all play our own parts, and no one is below anyone else.” He bit his lip. “As much as I sometimes despise your thinking, you are still an imperative part of our existence. You are Roman’s other half. If you were neglected, Roman would suffer. I have always valued your input, as odd as it can be. It is creativity in your own, unique way.”

He glanced to the side. “You… you shouldn’t feel like you have to annoy us all the time just to get noticed and to make you feel like a part of the group. I…I’ll always…” Logan hesitated, thinking on his words.

“Remus, I’ll always acknowledge you. As I said before, you don’t really affect me as much as the others. Granted, you can still irritate me, but I won’t ignore you. I just...want you to know that.” He said softly, finally raising his head.

Remus blinked a few times, twitching a bit, then he rubbed the back of his head, brushing his sleeves down as he tried to play it off that he wasn’t completely stunned by the words of the Logical side. “No need to pity me, Professor Plum-pbottom. I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than below you, where you can really value my input.” He said, a smirk crossing his face.

Logan sighed in slight disappointment. “Remus, it was starting to become a nice moment.” He said with a frown.

Remus sent him a brittle grin. “Yeah, well. My brother’s the nice one, not me. That should be obvious enough for you to see it, even without those glasses.” He spat, a bit of pain lingering.

Logan nodded, closing his eyes. “Apologies. I just thought for a moment that you had started to act...well...decent.” He admitted.

Remus laughed, the sound a bit too high-pitched to be casual. “Bite your tongue! I’m as indecent as they come!” 

Logan raised an eyebrow, rubbing his chin with his hand as a small smirk appeared across his face. “Am I making you nervous, Remus?” He asked.

Remus seemed to tense up. “Nervous? Me?” He ran his hand through his hair with a flourish, bringing an even higher eyebrow from Logan. “Surely, you jest.”

Logan flicked his eyebrows up. “Well, the reason I asked is due to the fact that your entire demeanor just changed. You are now exhibiting tics that one will make when feeling a bit nervous, including unnecessary fiddling, forcefully laughing or laughing nervously, your eyes seem to have a spark of uncertainty to them, and I can hear the quake in your voice, however almost incoherent it may be.” He flicked his hand at Remus’ wide eyes. “I am LOGIC, Remus. Don’t think that I don’t notice these things.”

Remus blinked his wide eyes, then took a very small unconscious step back. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but hardly any noise came out. “I…”

Logan shook his head. “Remus, it’s okay,” his voice was soft and comforting. “Why are you nervous?”

The Duke bit his lip and turned his gaze away from Logan, who was oddly curious at the Dark Side’s behavior. “Remus? Are you okay?”

Remus finally mustered the will to form words, fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve as he frowned. “M’not worth it. You’re...you’re better than me, Lo. I’m not fit to lick your shoes.” He offered a half-hearted dirty grin. “I’d still lick ‘em, though.” 

He took a shaky breath. “But, you deserve…” He swallowed hard. “You deserve better. And I…” He tore his eyes away, his voice breaking. “I can’t be that for you. Any goodness I had? That all went to Roman. I’m just…”

A hard and shaky breath escaped his lips. “I’m just what’s left behind.”

Logan’s eyes had gone wide, then he reached out to put his hand on the other’s arm. “Remus…”

The Duke flinched from the touch as Logan held his arm. “Listen to me. That is no way to think. Please. Just...give yourself some credit. I can see what good there is in you that you may not even know you have. But I know it’s there.” He pressed his finger to the center of Remus’ chest, poking him. “It’s right there.”

Remus sighed, then shook his head. “For somebody so good at calling out falsehoods, you seem awfully fond of telling them to yourself.” He put a hand to his chest, shaking his head again. “There’s nothing here, Lo. Nothing but filth and trash, the impure dregs of Creativity that not even Thomas could accept.” He closed his eyes. “You said it yourself, ‘no one ever wants to invite you’. There’s nothing in me that any of you want around, and if Thomas could get rid of me without hurting Roman, I would have been destroyed long ago. As it was, I was exiled to the darkest parts of Thomas’ subconscious… not exactly something you would do to someone who was ‘good’, now would you?” He bit his lip hard. “It’s only logical, after all. If you’re thrown away, you must be trash.” He muttered under his breath.

Logan stood frozen to the spot, his heart stopped after realizing what he’d done. “Remus, I’m so sorry… What I said before… you didn’t deserve that. You don’t deserve any of this… any of how we’ve treated you.” He squeezed Remus’ arm. “We-... I am so sorry.” He then turned his head aside, hanging low. “This is probably my fault…”

Remus scrubbed his eyes roughly. “But whatever, right? It doesn't matter. I don't care. I'm fine. Better than fine, actually. With all those goody-good traits sent to Roman, I'm fucking free. I can do whatever the hell I want to, and you losers can't stop me anymore.” His voice cracked as much as he tried to stop it.

A strike of pain crossed Logan’s face. “R-Remus, I never meant to hurt you…” He took Remus’ hand in his own. “I never meant for you to feel this way.” Logan sighed. “I know you may think you’re ‘free’ now, but isn’t it better to be tied to friends than be free and lonely?” Asked the scholar.

Remus took a deep breath, struggling with the urge to flinch, to rip his hand away. “How…” He closed his eyes. “How the hell would I know, Logan? I don’t…” He swallowed hard before speaking again. “I don’t remember what it was like ...before. Before me. And me? I’ve never had friends. So...how would I know the difference?”

Logan blinked, then he lifted his eyebrow. “What about Deceit? I thought he was your friend?” He then shook his head “But that’s not what I’m trying to say. Remus, I care about you.” His voice cracked as he squeezed Remus’ hand tighter, not letting him slip away. “I just don’t want you to be alone.”

Remus scoffed. “Deceit's a lot of things. A confidant. A co-conspirator. A companion. But he's... not a friend.” He squeezed Logan’s hand back, his knuckles turning white. “Please... please don't, Lo. I... I can't. I can't hope. It hurts too much. I've lost so much already, I'm not strong enough to lose anything else.”

Logan gritted his teeth then threw himself onto Remus with a tight embrace, hugging him close. “YOU'RE NOT LOSING ANYTHING, REMUS. YOU'RE GAINING. I PROMISE.” He let out a small breath. “I'll always be here for you…”

Remus shuddered, then crumpled bonelessly into the embrace, clinging to Logan like an octopus. He buried his face in Logan's shoulder, shaking as he cried. “You can't... you can't promise that. The Others... they wouldn't approve. You said.”

Logan leaned his head atop Remus', rubbing his back comfortingly. “I don't give a damn what the others think anymore. If they don't approve, then I'll make them understand.” He held Remus tighter. “You won't be alone. I won't let you be alone. I do promise you that.”

Remus continued to cry, pressing his face into the crook of Logan’s neck. “But Thomas…” He hiccupped from his sobs. “Even if the Others don't... if Thomas... it won't work. It can't work.”

Logan sighed. “Yes, it can. I'm positive it can. We just all need to work together to figure this all out.” He comforted Remus, hushing him softly. “Look, Remus. When I tell you that I will do anything to make you feel happy, I am not leading you falsely. I...I just want...to see you...smiling.” A small grin crept onto his face. “I love your smile…”

Remus sniffled, looking up. “If you're lying... I'll slit my own throat.” He whispered. He thought about it for a moment, the kiss of metal as it slides across his throat, the blood achingly warm as it spills out, and smiled at the mental image, grin sharp as a blade. “It may not kill me for long, but I'll do it.” He gently touched his own throat, where faint scars were visible. “I've done it before, after all…”

Logan’s eyes went wide. “What?! Why would you ever do such a thing, Remus?” He cried out, concerned. “And why do you seem so content about doing it?!”

Remus blinked as his smile faded. “Why? I... I don't… It's not... it's just object impermanence. Like you said. It doesn't matter what I do. It all goes away eventually.” He said simply.

Logan shook his head. “But...why would you do it?”

Remus shrugged with a sigh. “I just... I just wanted to see. The first time. I thought... maybe it would be better. If I could take myself out of the equation. But, it didn't work, not for long. I came back.” He rubbed the back of his head. “After that... well. you're the scientist. You should know. Any hypothesis demands repeated trials to confirm that the data is sound. And I figured... why not keep trying? Maybe eventually it'd stick. Whatever oblivion is like, it couldn't be worse than this.”

Logan’s eyes widened. “Couldn't be worse than this?! Remus, I CARE ABOUT YOU!! Ple-” His voice cracked. “Please! Why can't you see that?”

Remus flinched. “...That's what I've been trying to tell you. This is why it won't work. I'm wrong. I'm not the kind of broken that you can fix. You can't mend a shattered mirror just by caring about it, and you're only going to cut yourself trying. The things that I do, the things that I like... they're illogical. There's no rhyme or reason to what I do, I just do.” He sighed. “And what I do is wreak havoc. You should stay away from me, for your own good.

Logan stood his ground, his eyes serious. “NO.”

“Logan, please…”

Logan’s voice was strong, meeting Remus' eyes as tears formed in his own. “No, Remus. I AM NOT STAYING AWAY FROM YOU. I DON'T CARE IF YOU THINK YOU CAN’T BE MENDED. I KNOW YOU CAN BE!!!” His shoulders began to shake as he leaned his head on Remus'. “Please… I love you…”

Remus' eyes went wide. "But...all that you've been saying...you kept telling me not to flirt with you-"

"Because I thought it was too good to be true!" Logan exclaimed, shaking his head. "I...I thought I wouldn't ever be lucky enough to have someone actually flirt with me. But you did. And I just didn't know what to do." He admitted, and the Duke sighed with understanding.

Remus held Logan, cradling him, stroking his hair. Gently, he murmured, “I’m not a project or one of your experiments. You might…” He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “You might love me now, but it’s better to nip this in the bud. You have such high expectations of me, and I'm just going to disappoint you. You'll get frustrated, and your feelings will sour... it's better this way. Better to stop while we still can, to shut it down before the Others find out.”

Logan finally let his emotions fully break down the wall he had put up. Pushing his face into Remus' neck, tears and sobs wracked his body. “N-No...I know y-you're not an experiment, R-Remus, b-but I just w-want to have you with me... d-damn the others... I love you!”

He grasped the cloth of Remus' shirt. “Why do you think I've always stood up for you? Or been the one to acknowledge what you're saying as NOT hurtful! I know it may seem like I haven't been fond of you in the past, but I LOVE YOU, Remus! Nothing will change that!”

He tilted his head up, his eyes wide behind his smudged glasses, and his expression made him seem like a wounded puppy or a lost child. “Remus, please…” He sniffed back his tears, feeling more vulnerable than ever in his life. "What I said was true! I'd never imagined that I'd be blessed to find someone I liked, and then of all the things that could happen, I get flirted on by the one man I'm completely smitten with!!! How am I supposed to react to that? All I'm able to do is just blurt out 'I love you' again and again because that is the only thought my mind is processing right now. That I love you."

Remus opened his mouth, his lip quivering. “I…” His voice began to break. “I love you too, Lo.” He hugged him hard, holding him tight against the shaking. “I love you so damn much. I've loved you as long as I can remember.” He rubbed the back of Logan’s head gently. “I've always been yours.” He closed his eyes. “That's why... that's why I kept teasing you, kept taunting you. I was desperate for any scrap of attention you'd toss my way.”

Logan chuckled softly. “You did all that, and all this time I thought it was just false flirting. I thought it was wishful thinking…” He looked up at Remus, a smile growing on his face. “Will you...will you stay? With me? We could be together.” A hint of hope crossed his voice as he leaned his head on Remus' shoulder. “We could be together…” The whispered echo resonated between the two.

Remus was weak, and his thoughts were running a marathon. He was weak, and he was selfish, and he was impulsive, and he couldn't keep resisting that when he was holding everything he'd ever wanted in his arms. He still thought it was going to end badly, but for the first time, he hoped that maybe, just maybe, he was wrong. He had nothing left to lose, and everything to win. And besides, even if it did end badly, at least he'd have it while it lasted. “Okay. Yeah, Lo, I'll stay. I'll stay with you as long as you'll have me, and they'll have to break every one of my fingers to tear me away.”

Logan's smile could have blinded anyone else with its brightness, so caring and happy. Petting Remus' hair, he met his eyes with happy tears. “I'll be here for you the whole way, and they'd have to pry me away with the strongest bar to take me away from you.” His smile grew. “I love you.”

Hooking his arms around Remus' neck, he pulled him close, smiling as he finally had everything he wanted. The man who he had secretly loved for years was in his arms, in a kiss, and there was nothing that could possibly make Logan happier.

Offhandedly, Remus wondered if he was dead, if one of his suicide attempts had finally worked - because surely this was heaven. Logan was warm in his arms, his mouth soft and sweet, and Remus drank in Logan's affection like a sponge, gorging himself on it. “You're such a dork,” he murmured between kisses, “and I love you so fucking much.”

Logan smirked as he ran his fingers through Remus' hair as their lips connected again and again. “I think this officially makes us boyfriends, Rem.” He closed his eyes as his mouth was filled with a taste that was uniquely Remus, loving the longed-for affection. “I love you too, my own mischievous troublemaker. I wouldn’t ask for you any other way.”

[gb-fics]

Your Skirt Is So Short

Fanfiction:

Kiryuuin Shou x Kyan Yutaka (Golden Bomber)

Note: It’s Yutaka’s birthday today! (^-^) The fic is based on the song “Kimi no sukaato ga mijikakute” from the last album. Also, WARNING! There is a full on sex scene in there. The kinky kind, with Yutaka in a skirt. The first half is normal, though, so you can read up until the confession without being scared :D

Shou was in suspense.

Suspiciously he eyed the bare thigh, that was almost touching him.

Why did they even sell skirts this short? Was it okay to wear something like this in public? One wrong movement and the world would be able to see panties. Not that Shou was thinking about the panties beneath that skirt. Though he had to admit, that those were some pretty sexy thighs, objectively speaking. They were well shaped and the skin looked so even and smooth and Shou caught himself thinking that …

“Oi, pervert! What you looking at?!”, Yutaka shouted and nudged him with his elbow.

He didn’t have to speak quite so loudly, since he was sitting right next to Shou, but he did anyway.

“Isn’t that skirt too short?”, Shou said scolding. “People will think you are a pervert for wearing it!”

He managed to look up into Yutaka’s face. His face was irritating, too.

The makeup around his eyes look more delicate today. He was wearing lip gloss. Long hair was framing his face.

As long as he kept shut, he looked like a cute girl. A cute girl, that Shou would go out with, even if the thought was somehow disturbing to him. Fortunately, it was nearly impossible for Kyan Yutaka to keep shut.

“Eh?! Me?! A pervert?!”, he shouted and then paused to laugh. “Yeah, sounds about right.”

Shou snorted and rolled his eyes, checking on the camera team. He didn’t know what was taking them so long today. He couldn’t wait to change into more comfortable clothes. And to see Yutaka change into other clothes as well. Right now, Shou wished he could put a pair of pants onto him. Or wrap him up in a blanket or something, so people wouldn’t be able to see his legs like this. And by people, Shou mostly meant himself. He really needed to get laid, when even the sight of Yutaka’s legs already threw him off balance so much.

“Ah, what’s taking them so long?”, Yutaka whined.

Shou noticed that Yutaka’s voice always sounded slightly different when he was dressed as a woman, but he couldn’t quite place what it was about it that changed. His voice sounded high, but then Yutaka didn’t exactly have a deep speaking voice to begin with, so he was clearly not talking high pitched on purpose. When Shou dressed up as a woman for their shows, he always felt the need to talk gentler, a little more in character with what he deemed the female nature. Yutaka clearly did not speak gentler. His way of talking was still brash and loud, but where it usually was just aggression, it was now aggression and a soft pout. Shou thought it sounded cute somehow. Slightly scary, because he wasn’t used to women being so very … much of whatever Yutaka was, but cute nonetheless.

“They’re probably still searching for the rest of your skirt, before we can get started”, Shou observed dryly.

Yutaka laughed.

Even his laughter sounded different. It caused a soft, warm dripple inside Shou’s chest, that he usually only felt when he succeeded in making a pretty girl laugh. Surely, Yutaka’s laughter therefore sounded different. If it always sounded like this, it would mean that Shou felt the same about his usual self, too, which would be absolutely absurd.

Shou shifted on his seat. They were really waiting around here ridiculously long already, considered that it was just supposed to be a short promotion video. Jun and Kenji hadn’t even come in. It wasn’t anything official, just for their social media channels. They shouldn’t be wasting so much time on it.

Shou’s body was starting to feel uptight. He stretched his arms, letting his hands fall back onto his lap. His hand brushed against Yutaka’s thigh lightly. The skin felt smooth indeed and his body was warm. Shou sensed it, although he flinched back immediately. The touch felt weirdly forbidden and exciting at the same time. He hoped that Yutaka hadn’t noticed his reaction. Shou couldn’t explain why he felt this flustered. He cleared his throat.

“It’s alright”, Yutaka said teasingly.

He spread his legs – Shou was horrified thinking what that might do to the skirt, but he was too scared to check – so his thigh was now pressing against Shou’s. He felt his body heat through the fabric of his pants.

“I’m not timid”, Yutaka added.

Shou turned his head only slightly, watching Yutaka’s face out of the corner of his eyes. When he didn’t look at him directly, the illusion grew even stronger. He could almost believe that he was a real woman.

“Uhm”, he muttered.

“Aah”, Yutaka exhaled. “Do I make you nervous?”

He put his hand onto Shou’s thigh. Shou stared at his hand. Yutaka’s nails were short and clean. They looked surprisingly well trimmed. It wasn’t a very feminine hand, but if you wanted to believe that it belonged to a woman, you certainly could.

For a moment, Shou considered just allowing himself to be fooled by it. Yutaka’s hand felt very warm on his thigh. If he slid his hand up a little bit higher …

Shou cleared his throat again.

He tried not to let any of his emotions show on his face. He wasn’t nervous. Nervous? Whom? Him? No way! He wasn’t having inappropriate thoughts about his friend and bandmember right now. But if Yutaka was a woman, well, that would make things easier. In that case, Shou would definitely be attracted to her. And if she touched him like this, it would only be natural that he thought of that warm hand with the neatly trimmed nails slipping into his pants and closing around his …

Yutaka leaned in a little.

Shou inhaled deeply, hoping the oxygen might somehow clear his mind. Damn, he was desperate. His last relationship had been what – two years ago? Nearly three, if he was being honest. No wonder his mind turned funny with a pretty woman this close to himself. Man, a man this close to him, looking like a pretty woman. There was still a difference. Yutaka wasn’t a woman and therefore Shou did not feel attracted to him.

The air around Yutaka smelled very sweet.

Looking for help, Shou glanced over at the camera team. They were still busy with their equipment. If they looked over to them now, what would they be thinking? That something was going on between them? Would they judge Shou? Or would they take a look at the length of Yutaka’s skirt and get as confused as he himself? The thought made Shou feel protective again. Yutaka should not be wearing such a short skirt. If he wore it in Shou’s presence, that was alright. If they were alone, maybe Shou would not feel so guilty for staring at his legs and actually enjoy their sight. And even if Shou’s thoughts headed into a weird direction then, Yutaka wouldn’t have to worry. They were friends. Shou knew his boundaries. Those guys from the camera team maybe didn’t. They might see Yutaka dressed liked this and actually get the idea to hit on him. Maybe they thought it wouldn’t be so bad to be with a man, if only he was as pretty and charming and had legs like Yutaka. Maybe they wanted to do gay things with him. Shou had to protect him from their dirty glances! He wished Yutaka would be wearing sweatpants underneath the skirt.

The sweet scent in the air sent Shou coughing.

“Are you wearing perfume?”, he asked and furrowed his brow.

Yutaka leaned back immediately and his hand vanished from Shou’s thigh. He reached up to fumble with a strand of his hair. He looked a little coy. The gesture was so girly that for a moment, Shou really forgot it was Yutaka he was talking to. His usual way of movement contained definitely more poorly concealed aggression.

“You don’t like it?”, Yutaka asked.

Shou sniffed again, this time making a small show out of it.

Yutaka smelled sweet and feminine. If Shou closed his eyes, he’d surely have the feeling of being with a woman. If he wrapped his arms around Yutaka and felt his warm body and smelled his sweet scent, it would be like being with a girl.

“It smells nice”, he admitted. “But why did you put on perfume? It’s a video, dude. No one is going to smell you!”

Yutaka parted his lips as if wanting to say something and then closed it again. His lips looked glossy today. Somehow, the gloss made them look fuller, too. Was that possible? Could lip gloss do that? Or did his lips always look so gorgeous and Shou hadn’t noticed?

“I was trying to get in character!”, Yutaka finally huffed out.

Shou shook his head.

“Just tell me you didn’t buy it for today. The sheer waste of money would pain me too much.”

Yutaka grinned. His grin was a little lopsided. He looked more like himself that way. Or rather, he still looked like a pretty woman, but not just like any pretty woman. He looked like Kyan Yutaka as a pretty woman. The junction was very unsettling.

“Nah, one of my exes left it at my place. It looked expensive, so I thought I’d keep it, you never know.”

His grin looked proud.

Shou shook his head with a smirk.

“That poor woman”, he said. “First she has to date an idiot like you and then she gets robbed after the breakup.”

“I view it as a compensating fee”, Yutaka said. “She broke up with me without good reason!”

“She had a good reason”, Shou said seriously.

Yutaka looked at him kind of puzzled.

“She was dating you. That should be enough of a reason for a breakup already”, he clarified.

“Oi!”, Yutaka shouted and slapped Shou’s head.

Shou chuckled. He knew that the average cute girl would never talk to him like that. But that was also kind of nice, he thought. Usually, Shou tended to get awkward and tense around cute girls and the conversations did hardly live up to that term at all. Talking to Yutaka was easy. Talking to Yutaka was fun. He wished Yutaka was a woman. He wouldn’t just be attracted to her. He’d probably fall in love.

“It was not that!”, Yutaka protested. “She claimed I was in love with someone else.”

Shou suddenly felt curious. For some reason, Yutaka wasn’t one to share details about his love life as freely as the other members, who discussed it quite frequently whenever they were stuck with each other on tour. Yutaka sure talked a lot about his sex life, but it had always remained a bit of a mystery to Shou how he actually felt about his girlfriends.

“Were you?”, Shou asked.

Yutaka shrugged.

“I was seriously trying to make it work with her anyway. I deserved that perfume”, he said.

Shou wondered what to make of that reply. If Yutaka had tried to make it work with her, it meant he didn’t have a chance with the person he actually liked. As far as Shou was concerned, Yutaka had never mentioned an unrequited love.

“We are ready!”, a loud voice interrupted them, before Shou could voice any further questions.

“Finally”, he muttered.

“Kiryuuin, please look infatuated”, their director inquired. “And then try to embrace him. Kyan, please, just look like you are annoyed with Kiryuuin.”

“Oh, that can do”, Yutaka said cheerfully. “And I thought I’d have to act today.”

“Oi!”, Shou said quietly.

Yutaka flashed him a quick smile. Shou’s chest tightened. He really enjoyed joking around with Yutaka like this.

“Alright, we’ll just give it a go then”, their director said. “Action!”

Shou turned his head to look at Yutaka. Yutaka looked away. It gave Shou time to study him closely. He had soft looking features. Maybe that was why he made for such a pretty woman. His lips looked gorgeous, his eyes, too. The light colour of his wig suited him. He looked healthy and cheerful, just the type of woman that Shou would fall for. If Yutaka was a girl, his smile would be the cure to Shou’s gloominess.

He shuffled closer, trying to put his arm around Yutaka’s shoulder. He always felt awkward when doing that with women, too. Shou wasn’t good at initiating the first touch. Just before he managed to rest his arm around him properly, Yutaka shifted his weight and dodged Shou that way. He hated it when that happened with women. Now, he didn’t know what to do with his arm for real. He tried again to put it onto Yutaka’s shoulders. This time, he managed.

Yutaka’s shoulders were bare and Shou sensed the parts where their skin touched way too clearly. It was the same with women, too. He always felt their touch too violently.

He checked on Yutaka’s face. Yutaka was frowning.

“Cut!”, the director shouted, then he laughed. “Guys, that was perfect. I was aiming for awkward, but this was more awkward than I even dreamt of.”

“The awkwardness comes to him naturally”, Yutaka replied.

The frown had vanished from his face and he was grinning again.

Hastily, Shou pulled back his arm. He had kept it around Yutaka for far too long. Why had he done that? And why was he so self-conscious about it? Usually, he didn’t have a problem with touching Yutaka.

“Maybe we can do another one, that’s a little more straight-forward. Kiryuuin, can you really go in this time and try to kiss Kyan?”

The temperature in the room seemed very high all of a sudden. Of course, Shou just had to pretend to try. He wasn’t actually going to kiss Yutaka. No reason to feel weird.

“Sure, sure”, he said.

“Kyan, you just keep it up. Action!”

Without warning, Shou turned around and wrapped both of his arms around Yutaka’s waist, pulling him close. His body felt warm and Shou smelled his perfume more strongly again. Up close, his face looked even prettier. Holding him like this, he wasn’t able to tell the difference to a real woman. His waist was slim and for a moment, Shou wished it would be possible to get even closer to him. It felt astonishingly right to hold him like this.

He leaned in, bringing his face closer to Yutaka’s. Of course, he was just pretending. But if he had to kiss him for real to get a good shot, well that could just happen. He was a professional. He wouldn’t mind putting his lips against Yutaka’s. But just because he didn’t mind, didn’t mean he wanted to. His heart was beating just a little too fast, because the situation felt so new and unfamiliar.

He was so close now, if the director didn’t announce the cut any time soon, he’d definitely end up kissing Yutaka.

Yutaka turned his face to avoid Shou’s lips and stared right at the cameras. Shou paused. He was leaning in so far, it was hard to keep his balance. If he had to hold this position much longer, he’d fall onto Yutaka for sure.

“And cut!”, the director shouted.

Shou inhaled deeply and sat up again. Yutaka’s perfume was making him feel dizzy. Somehow, his thoughts didn’t seem to work properly the closer he got to him. It had to be the perfume.

“That was perfect!”, the director announced happily. “Kyan, that face you pulled was perfect. I could really see you thinking: What the fuck is he doing?, when you looked into the camera. The audience will laugh for sure. And Kiryuuin, great job at acting awkward, very authentic.”

Shou pulled a face at Yutaka, who certainly did not believe Shou had to act to appear awkward. Yutaka gave him his lopsided grin. Shou was almost sad he hadn’t ended up kissing him. Just because he wanted to know what it felt like when he looked like this. Maybe it could have been enjoyable – as long as Shou convinced himself that Yutaka was a woman, of course.

“Any more takes?”, Yutaka asked.

“I think that ought to do. Some edits and it will look great. You can go change, if you want. We are done here. Thanks for your hard work”, the director said.

Shou bowed his head slightly.

“Thanks for your hard work”, he repeated and got up.

Yutaka jumped up as well. His usual, energetic movements looked cuter while dressed like this. Shou checked for his skirt. It was still extremely short, even when he was standing.

“Sorry you had to do all this for just such a short video”, Shou said and gestured towards Yutaka’s outfit.

“It’s alright”, Yutaka said and waved it off. “You had to get your makeup done as well.”

He walked off towards the dressing room. Shou followed behind him, staring at the back of Yutaka’s thighs. The skirt was just barely covering his butt, for heaven’s sake. Luckily there was no wind inside the building. A light breeze and there’d be eyewitnesses.

The dressing room was empty now. The makeup kits had been removed from the tables, so Shou assumed that their stylist had already went home. Yutaka’s clothes were resting in a pile by the door. Shou would only get changed into something comfortable at home. He hadn’t brought a set of spare clothes to the shooting. He thought of removing his makeup, but decided he might just as well do it at home. Since they would be driven home together, he’d have to wait for Yutaka, though.

Shou closed the door behind himself, so no one from the camera team would walk by and accidently catch a glance of Yutaka changing. Not that Yutaka would be embarrassed by his own nudity, but after showing off his legs like this already, Shou decided seeing any more of him might be a bit too seductive for anyone from their staff.

Yutaka stared at his clothes indecisively.

“What are you waiting for?”, Shou scolded him.

It was high time Yutaka got out of those clothes and took off the wig. Shou was tired of feeling confused whenever it was alright to find him attractive that way or not.

“I think I will just change at home”, Yutaka said. “Let’s go already.”

“You can’t go out like that”, Shou protested, stepping in front of the door to block Yutaka’s way out.

Yutaka snorted. He put on a small pout. His lips looked very sexy that way. Just, objectively speaking.

“Well, we’ll just be in the car”, he said.

Shou frowned.

“The driver will get distracted by that skirt of yours and we’ll get into an accident. I’m not having that”, he said sternly.

Yutaka laughed quietly. His laughter sounded a little gentler today, Shou thought. More melodic. Sweeter, somehow.

“What’s with you and that skirt, really?”, he teased and tucked at the hem of it.

If he had been a woman, Shou would have found the gesture somewhat flirty. He was looking up at Shou through his lashes. But at the same time, he didn’t sound shy. He sounded challenging. Yutaka made for a good woman, yes, but a frightening one.

For the briefest moment, Shou considered admitting that the skirt unsettled him, because it made Yutaka look sexually attractive to him. But then he realized that it would be a pretty weird thing to say to your friend. It would sound like Shou meant it in a homosexual way. Which, very clearly, he did not.

“Aren’t you ashamed to be seen like that?”, he asked instead, sounding too harsh even for his own means.

He hadn’t meant to shame Yutaka in any way.

“Actually”, Yutaka said and raised his head to meet Shou’s gaze directly now. Somehow, Yutaka’s eyes fixed on his face, made Shou nervous. “If I’m being honest, I feel more confident this way.”

“Uhm”, Shou said.

He wasn’t sure what to say to that. It felt like Yutaka was pulling a joke on him and like Shou was supposed to give a joking reply in return. But on the other hand, Yutaka had spoken quite seriously. Was he trying to come out to Shou in some way? In that case, making a joke about it would be the most insensitive thing to do. But Yutaka had never given off the impression that he wanted to be … what even? A woman? A man who wore women’s clothes? Shou really didn’t know a lot about things like that.

“You never struck me as someone who is struggling with low confidence”, he finally observed.

Yutaka made a face that looked slightly flushed and embarrassed. Shou thought he had never seen him like that before. He wondered if that facial expression came with the outfit.

“It’s just that I feel braver like this”, Yutaka said. “Braver to do things I usually wouldn’t do.”

Shou could not think of anything that Yutaka might be scared of.

“Like what?”, he asked dumbfoundedly.

Yutaka took a sudden step towards him. Instinctively, Shou took a step back. Then he realized he was being stupid and tried to look casual.

“Flirting with you?”, Yutaka suggested, making it sound like a question.

Shou thought of the way Yutaka had put his hand on Shou’s thigh earlier. He usually didn’t do things like that – not with such seriousness at least.

“You like women, I know that”, Yutaka continued and took another step towards him.

This time, Shou managed to not back off. His throat felt dry. He had a suspicion where this conversation was heading, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

“So, maybe”, Yutaka carried on. “When I’m like this.” He ran his hand up his own thigh, lifting the hem of his skirt just another few centimetres which caused Shou’s face to feel very hot. “You don’t mind so much, if I …”

He broke off and took another step towards Shou, so their bodies were almost touching now.

Shou felt nervous. Incredible nervous. He knew what was going to happen. He still didn’t know how it made him feel.

Yutaka leaned in and kissed him on the lips surprisingly gentle. It didn’t feel passionate, but not playful either. It felt tender and maybe a little hesitant.

He pulled back and looked at Shou.

Shou was aware that he was supposed to say something. His mind was completely blank, though. His lips felt weird. Tingly. It wasn’t a real sensation, but rather an itch that came from thinking about it too much. Yutaka had kissed those lips right now.

“I’m usually ashamed of those feelings”, Yutaka said, quietly. His voice sounded gentler when he lowered it. “But if it was Yutako, she wouldn’t have to feel ashamed. She wouldn’t have to be scared you’d hate her.”

Shou just looked at him for a moment.

The thought that Yutaka felt ashamed for liking him seemed absurd. They were friends. Even if Shou didn’t like him back, it wasn’t like he would hate him. They could talk about those things. Liking another guy was nothing shameful.

Slowly, Shou blinked.

Today, when staring at Yutaka’s legs, he had felt ashamed.

He had felt ashamed for being desperate enough to find the sight arousing. He had been scared of Yutaka noticing, because he would judge him for sure. Deep inside, Shou had felt ashamed for finding another man attractive, although his brain told him there was nothing to be ashamed of.

And he wondered how he felt, if he was honest with himself. If he stopped judging himself.

He looked at Yutaka and tried to forget about all the heteronormativity he had been taught throughout his life. If he allowed himself to find Yutaka attractive, how would he feel about him?

Shou leaned in and kissed him back.

Yutaka gave a surprised noise, that died out against Shou’s lips.

Shou reached up, putting his hand onto Yutaka’s neck. He felt the long, smooth hair of the wig tickling the back of his hand. His neck felt frail under his palm.

Yutaka softened against him, parting his lips. Their kiss turned more heated now. Shou was no longer holding back.

He had wanted to kiss Yutaka all day long.

He wasn’t sure if it was only because he looked like a pretty woman today, or because Yutaka was handsome in general and he hadn’t really noticed it so far.

Without breaking the kiss, Shou took a step forward, using his body to push Yutaka towards the dressing table.

He heard loud clattering as Yutaka collided with the table and then he started laughing against Shou’s mouth. The kiss became sloppy and he could feel Yutaka’s teeth. No woman he had kissed had ever laughed like this. Shou thought it felt surprisingly nice. Not in an arousing way, but in a way that lessened the tightness in his chest and gave him the feeling it was impossible to do anything wrong. Usually, Shou was quite good at worrying about doing something wrong.

Yutaka pulled free and then hopped onto the table. He sat on it, spreading his legs widely. The skirt was still covering his crotch, but his thighs were almost completely exposed now. Shou slipped in between them, putting his hands onto Yutaka’s thighs. He had wanted to do this all day long, too. His skin felt soft and smooth and his legs were very warm. They were pressing against Shou’s hips from both sides. He dug in his fingers lightly and watched Yutaka inhale sharply.

“We should definitely not continue this here”, Shou observed, sounding somewhat breathless.

“Agreed”, Yutaka said and then put his hands onto Shou’s shoulders, pulling him close to kiss him again.

Shou slipped his hands up a bit further. Against his fingertips, his could now sense the hemline of Yutaka’s pants underneath the skirt.

He broke the kiss again and tilted his head, now running his tongue down Yutaka’s neckline. His skin tasted a little salty. He kissed his bare shoulder, burying his face against his neck for a moment. The hair of the wig felt smooth and not very natural against his cheek. He inhaled Yutaka’s smell. There was the sweetness of his perfume, but underneath was something else, darker and more masculine; maybe the leftovers of Yutaka’s bodywash. It was a weird mix that somehow got him excited.

“Your perfume is driving me crazy”, he mumbled against Yutaka’s skin.

He didn’t mention that the same went for his thighs and his skirt and his kisses.

“Shou?”, Yutaka said, running his hands from Shou’s shoulders up his neck, until they entangled in his hair. He was gently pulling him to look back up.

Shou looked at Yutaka again.

His lips seemed even fuller now, swollen from kissing. His eyeliner was smudged, but only on the left side. Shou wondered how he had managed that without touching his face. He still looked pretty, though. Now that Shou allowed himself to view Yutaka as attractive, he suddenly couldn’t get enough of him. Yutaka was – without exaggeration – the prettiest woman Shou had ever been with.

“You want me to …” Yutaka hesitated. Shou noticed that he was indeed speaking a little high pitched now as if trying to imitate a woman’s way of speaking. Shou wished he would speak normally. “You want me to suck you? If I do it like this, you won’t even notice the difference.”

Shou stared at Yutaka’s swollen, glossy lips. He imagined them closing around his cock. He felt a throbbing in his pants.

“You know I’d never say no to that”, he said with a grin and leaned in to kiss Yutaka again.

His offer was generous, but Shou couldn’t get enough of kissing him just yet. He loved the sensation of Yutaka’s body pressing warm against himself. He loved to feel his arms around his shoulders and his legs around his waist.

He felt the strong desire to touch Yutaka’s crotch. That was what he would do with a woman right now. He’d slip his fingers into her panties to feel if she was wet, taking pleasure from the feeling as much as from the knowledge that their kisses were turning her on as much as they turned on him. He thought how good it would feel to know that Yutaka was hard as well. Maybe that would be crossing the line, maybe being reminded that Yutaka was a man would destroy the illusion and put him off. But in his mind, Shou thought it to be quite sexy instead.

He slipped his right hand to the inside of Yutaka’s thigh, going up under the skirt. Against his palm, he could sense Yutaka’s hard cock, surprised at how hot it felt even through the fabric of the pants. The feeling was quite sexy indeed.

Yutaka inhaled sharply, followed by a short whining noise that sounded as if he tried to suppress his voice.

Shou rubbed him through his pants teasingly, grinning as Yutaka’s whimpering turned louder and he felt his fingers digging into Shou’s shoulder violently.

“You don’t”, Yutaka gasped forcefully. “You don’t have to do this.”

Shou leaned back a little, just to watch Yutaka’s face more closely. He squinted his eyes slightly. Women wore that expression, too, at least when he did it right.

“You don’t have to do this?”, Shou repeated mockingly. “Usually this is when I get to hear: Shou, maybe this should wait until our second date.”

Yutaka snorted and a lopsided grin spread slowly on his face. He looked like himself again. Not like a pretty woman – with an admittedly male boner – but like Kyan Yutaka with a wig and makeup. And Shou thought, that actually, he looked even prettier when he smiled like that.

He pulled back his hand abruptly, realizing only now why Yutaka had felt uncomfortable about the touch. He thought that Shou minded. He thought Shou needed the clothes, the illusion to fool around with him. And maybe Shou had thought so too, just a little, and that was why he hadn’t protested sooner.

But he got excited by touching Yutaka’s dick and he got excited by his smile. He wanted to reassure Yutaka of that, but he also wanted to reassure himself.

Gently, he reached up, pushing back the wig from Yutaka’s forehead. He wore a black hairnet underneath. Shou took off the wig completely and threw it onto the table behind Yutaka.

“You even need that?”, he asked jokingly and pulled at the hairnet lightly. “For the bit of hair that you have left.”

Yutaka grabbed the hairnet and pulled it off with a jerk. His hair underneath looked both flat at the top of his head, and very messy everywhere else. Combined with the makeup, it looked ridiculous.

“You are just jealous, because they don’t make hairnets your size”, Yutaka shot back.

Shou laughed and kissed him on the lips, gentle and quick this time. He loved joking around with Yutaka and making fun of each other. He had loved it, before they even founded the band.

“We should really stop making out in the dressing room”, Yutaka said.

Shou nodded and reached for the hem of Yutaka’s top.

“Yes”, he confirmed. “We should take this to a hotel room already.”

Yutaka raised his arms without protest. Shou pushed up the top and pulled it over Yutaka’s head. His hair looked even more messy when it came off.

Shou stared at Yutaka’s chest. He was wearing a hot pink bra. Probably, it had been meant to create the illusion of boobs for the video, although it hadn’t done much good.

Shou gave it a knowing look.

“A cup?”, he guessed.

Yutaka rolled his eyes and grabbed Shou’s neck, pulling him close for another kiss. Shou’s lips were starting to feel sore.

He smiled into the kiss, reaching around Yutaka with one hand and fumbling with the clasp of his bra. He tried to pull back the fabric on one side to loosen the bra hooks. But instead of loosening them, he seemed to pull the entire backside off Yutaka’s back, without doing anything to open it.

Yutaka leaned back, pursing his lips and watching Shou’s face in amusement.

“I’ve got this”, Shou said.

Yutaka nodded.

“Sure, shoot me a message when you are done. Or when you are ready to admit you need help.”

“I’ve got this”, Shou repeated, pulling harder.

He had managed to open bras with one hand before. Sometimes. He might have gotten lucky, though.

“Okay, I have not gotten this”, he finally admitted and reached behind Yutaka with his second hand as well.

He fumbled with the clasp some more.

Yutaka started dangling his feet to either side of Shou. He pretended to suppress a yawn.

“What kind of witchery is this?”, Shou whined.

“I can’t believe there are actually women out there who had sex with you”, Yutaka said, shook his head gravely and reached behind himself, pushing Shou’s hands away.

He opened the bra at first try, stripped it off and slapped it onto Shou’s shoulder.

Shou pretended to wince.

“It’s a complicated technology!”, he defended himself.

“No, it’s not, you are just stupid”, Yutaka said.

Shou looked at his face. Yutaka was grinning. By now, his makeup was smudged across both eyes. He looked incredible.

Shou put his hand onto Yutaka’s lower back, pulling his upper body closer to himself. He kissed his neck again, this time hearing Yutaka moan softly. He seemed to have given up on suppressing his voice, or maybe he had just reached the conclusion that it wouldn’t scare Shou off. Shou liked the sound of it quite a lot.

Yutaka’s hands were on his hips by now, holding on to him lightly.

Shou wondered if it was alright to touch his chest. He kind of wanted to touch his breasts like he wanted to touch female boobs, but he wasn’t sure if that was a normal thing to do. Did dudes touch each other’s boobs as well? Or was that a habit developed by his heterosexual experiences and wasn’t appropriate in this specific situation?

Shou hesitated, but then he reached the conclusion that the worst thing happening would be Yutaka making fun of him. Since that wasn’t really anything new, Shou figured he might as well risk it. He had never felt as much at ease with anyone else before. It was just Yutaka. The thought was soothing. It was comforting. There was nothing Shou had to feel ashamed of.

He reached up, cupping Yutaka’s breast with his hand, massaging it quite firmly. It felt harder than touching boobies, but then not that much different from small boobs. Shou concluded that whatever the differences or similarities, it felt equally good.

Yutaka’s knees were pressing into his side a little firmer now, which Shou interpreted as encouragement to keep going.

He bent his head, kissing down Yutaka’s collarbone until he reached his nipple, flicking it with his tongue, then nudging it with his teeth carefully.

Yutaka shuddered against him. Shou could sense it all over, since their bodies were so close. He even felt it against his crotch. He moaned very quietly in return.

Looking down Yutaka’s body, he saw the waistband of his skirt digging into his skin.

Shou loved skirts. He had tried hard not to think about it too much for the entire day, but he really, really loved skirts. What was exciting about skirts was knowing you only needed to push them up a bit and you already reached the panties. And with those, it was only one layer left until nudity. Right now, all he had to do, was pull down Yutaka’s pants and he’d practically be naked. In this position, if he leaned back a little and if Shou took out his own dick, he’d be able to fuck him without further problems. Not that he was considering doing that. Shou had never considered doing that with another man before. And he wasn’t even sure if Yutaka would be alright with it. He shouldn’t image how easy it would be right now and how good it would feel. Shou’s penis was throbbing again.

“I know what you are thinking right now”, Yutaka said.

Shou stopped kissing his chest to look up.

“You don’t”, he said firmly.

He felt his cheeks heating up even more, but he assumed Yutaka would not be able to tell the difference. Shou probably looked flushed already anyway.

Yutaka could not possibly know the shameful thoughts Shou had had just now. He could not know that Shou wanted to do something so extreme to him.

Yutaka leaned against him, bringing his lips closer to Shou’s ear, so he could lower his voice.

“My handbag is by the door with my clothes. The side pocket on the back”, he whispered. “There are condoms inside.”

Shou felt himself tense up.

Was Yutaka really offering him what he thought he was offering right now?

“Are you … are you sure?”, he stuttered.

“Dude”, Yutaka said, leaning back and raising his voice again. He nodded down to his crotch. Although the skirt was technically covering it, it did nothing to hide the bulge of Yutaka’s erection showing visibly. Shou thought that skirts looked sexy with a boner underneath. Weird. That was clearly something he had never thought about before.

“Does that look like I have any doubts to you?”

Shou chuckled, but he still felt hesitant.

“Have you ever …?” He broke off. “Have you ever done it before?”

This time, he could see Yutaka hesitate as well. For a moment, there was no emotion showing on his face at all, as if he still hadn’t decided on how to feel.

“It’s only been you”, he finally said and shrugged as if he felt somewhat embarrassed by it. “It’s been women and you.”

Shou swallowed. He understood how big a confession that was. It must have been him for a long time then.

“But don’t worry”, Yutaka added hastily as if he had noticed the mood was growing too heavy and meaningful. “My body is ready. I bought myself a dildo.”

Shou managed to choke on nothing but air.

“You what?”, he assured.

Yutaka shrugged again, this time peaking up at Shou through his lashes. It was his flirty, challenging look again.

“I wanted to know what it would feel like to have you inside”, he said. “I only ever thought of you when using it.” He paused. “And sometimes of that foreign AV actor I once saw in an American porn, but that guy was fine as …”

Shou kissed Yutaka to shut him up again. Both of them were smiling into the kiss. He liked it when Yutaka talked silly like that. It was so very much him and Shou wanted to kiss him whenever he made a stupid joke and he wanted to hold him and he wanted to tell him how much he loved Yutaka being himself.

“I just want it to be nice for you”, he mumbled close to Yutaka’s face. “Especially if it’s your first …”

Yutaka slapped his shoulder lightly.

“Please”, he said. “You are allowed to treat me like a woman, but dare you treat me like a lady.”

Shou chuckled.

“Alright then”, he said quietly and reached under Yutaka’s skirt until he found the waistband of his pants.

Then he knelt down on the floor in front of the table, pulling down Yutaka’s pants. Yutaka had to shift his weight for it, so Shou managed to pull them out from under him. He closed his legs, so Shou was able to push the pants down to his angles.

“Don’t treat me like a lady, he says”, Shou muttered. “And still has me taking off his shoes.”

Yutaka laughed loudly as Shou took off his shoes first and then his pants. He was still kneeling in front of him.

Shou pushed up the skirt to expose Yutaka’s erection towering up. Yutaka spread his legs again, allowing Shou to get close.

Shou eyed his penis curiously. He had never seen it erect like this.

He stuck out his tongue, running it along the downside of Yutaka’s dick. The taste wasn’t nearly as strong as he had assumed. It felt hot and smooth against his tongue. Yutaka groaned loudly.

Shou got up from the floor, pleased by the reaction.

“And there I have been worried to gross you out for years”, Yutaka observed and flicked his tongue. “I should have known you are a pervert.”

Grinning Shou walked over to the door, taking his time to turn the key before checking for the bag. He couldn’t believe they had allowed things to get this far when someone might have walked in on them any moment. Shou had completely forgotten about it. Yutaka had either forgotten as well, or he just hadn’t cared. Knowing Yutaka, both was possible.

Shou found the side pocket, opening it to a number of wrapped condoms. He took out one and shook his head visibly.

“I can’t believe you just carry those around with you”, he stated. “You are clearly more optimistic than me.”

Yutaka let out a barking laughter.

“I’m more handsome than you, too”, he said.

Shou turned back to him to stick out his tongue. Yutaka winked at him.

Unbuttoning his jeans, Shou walked back towards him. Yutaka had shifted his position and the skirt was falling back in place. Yutaka reached under it, starting to move his hand. He pulled a dreadful face at Shou, that made Shou laugh, but that also somehow turned him on, because he noticed Yutaka’s chest heaving a little more violently now.

Shou pulled down his own pants and exhaled with relief. They had grown uncomfortable tight for his erection. He ripped open the condom, putting it onto his cock with not so practiced motions.

“You don’t have lube or anything with you, do you?”, he assured, worried if Yutaka would be alright.

He had always thought of sex between men as something somewhat unpleasant, something that you did not want done to yourself. But then he was aware, that it was probably just the stigma of homosexuality in Japan in general and had nothing to do with the actual experience. From what he had figured, gay men seemed to enjoy sex, too.

“This might come surprising to you, but I do not carry a sex store around with me”, Yutaka said, rolling his eyes.

“It does come a little surprising to me”, Shou agreed. “Since you have enough condoms on you to provide for an entire brothel.”

“I won’t be judged by the person who keeps the whole tissue industry running just by himself”, Yutaka shot back and grinned.

Then he pulled back his hand from under the skirt and leaned back, spreading his legs and putting his feet into the air in a way that made him look like a frog, if that frog had to struggle with a serious physical disability.

Shou laughed, but he also felt excited. Yutaka was the only person who had ever made him feel this very specific mixture.

He stepped in between his legs, letting Yutaka wrap them around his waist. One of Yutaka’s hands was on the table plate behind him, support his weight while leaning back. The other one he now placed on Shou’s shoulder, grabbing him firmly for support.

Shou shot him a short smile, suddenly feeling nervous. So, they would really do it. Him and Yutaka. His friend. His bandmember. They would fuck. What a scandal.

Shou took hold of his erection, guiding it as he pushed up against Yutaka.

Yutaka tilted back his head and moaned as Shou first entered him. His insides clenched down tightly on the head of Shou’s dick. He moaned loudly as well. This definitely felt better than they made you believe.

He pushed his hips forward carefully, making sure to enter Yutaka slowly. He had to keep himself in check to not thrust into Yutaka in one go. The sensation was so great, it almost made him lose self-control.

Finally, he was buried inside Yutaka almost completely. He paused to give both of them time to adjust to the feeling.

Yutaka exhaled shakily, though he did not look very much in distress.

“That feels bigger than expected”, he owned up.

“And that was only the first half”, Shou joked. Both of their laughter sounded breathless.

Shou grabbed Yutaka’s hips, right where his thighs were starting. He held him in place firmly as he started with small, slow thrusts. The fact that Shou was standing made it easy for him to control his motions and regulate their impact.

Yutaka closed his eyes and moaned softly. His lips were parted and curling up. It looked like he was smiling. Shou was going in and out at almost full length now. It felt amazing.

Yutaka opened his eyes again, digging only his forefinger harder into Shou’s shoulder now as if trying to give him a signal.

Shou met his eyes, though he felt slightly embarrassed by it. His breath was coming heavy and he didn’t feel in full control of his facial expressions.

“Hey”, Yutaka gasped out. “I told you, I’m not a lady, right? No need to go easy on me.”

Shou jerked his hips forward violently as a form of teasing. A funny sound escaped Yutaka’s lips, that was somewhere between a gasp and a moan. Shou felt his entire body shuddering and realized, he had done something right.

He started using more impact with his pounding, still watching for Yutaka’s reaction. Yutaka tilted back his head and started moaning soft words of encouragement. Shou decided that it was alright to let himself go just a little. He closed his eyes, focusing on the feeling. Yutaka felt hot around him and Shou’s entire body felt feverish. All by himself, sex was usually significantly less fun.

He thrusted a little harder even, now hearing a thud whenever he jerked his hips forward. He opened his eyes to check and realized he was shoving the entire table with Yutaka on it against the wall and caused a rhythmical rapping. Shortly, he worried if it would possibly be heard outside the dressing room, but Yutaka’s voice was so loud by now, that chances were high they’d be heard anyway. Shou decided he felt too good currently to worry about it.

He looked down. Yutaka’s dick was bouncing up and down under the skirt in the rhythm of Shou’s pounds. Shou thought of touching him, but then his fingers were digging into Yutaka’s hips quite violently and he couldn’t bring himself to let go. In this position, he was in full control of his motions and knowing his own clumsiness, Shou was not willing to give up on that. Moreover, the hot, clenching sensation of thrusting into Yutaka occupied really all of his concentration and he wasn’t sure he would be able to coordinate his hand properly to get him off.

As if he had read his thoughts, Yutaka’s hand now vanished from Shou’s shoulder, reaching down between them. He pushed back the fabric of the skirt, closing his hand around him own erection. Shou watched him stroking himself with fast and hard flicks of his wrist while he kept fucking him. The sight alone was nearly enough to send him over the edge.

Yutaka’s voice turned darker all of a sudden, more guttural. Shou felt his whole body tightening and then he saw Yutaka spilling white semen all over his hand and the hem of his skirt.

Shou groaned, squeezing his eyes shut to keep going just a little bit longer. His thrusts were coming frantic and uneven by now and he was holding on to Yutaka even tighter. With a last moan, he allowed the orgasm to wash over him, a warm feeling flooding his system and the whole vision behind his eyelids turning white. Just for a moment, Shou forgot everything around him. It felt like floating.

Then he opened his eyes again, looking into Yutaka’s exhausted face. The already messy hair now stuck to his sweaty forehead and Shou really wondered how he had managed to smudge his makeup like this. He was smiling at him.

Shou pulled back, somehow managing to pull the condom of his limp dick. He wiped his fingers on Yutaka’s stained skirt. His knees felt so weak, he just wanted to lay down somewhere. Shortly, he considered just colliding on top of Yutaka, because it felt impossible to stand up any longer. His body was warm and heavy and radiating a peacefulness from the inside that Shou hadn’t felt in a long time.

Yutaka sat up straight again, wrapping his arms around Shou and burying his face against his neck.

Shou leaned against him, wrapping his arms around Yutaka’s waist as well. It felt as if he was holding him upright. Yutaka was leaning in on him, too. Maybe, they were holding each other upright.

Yutaka’s upper body felt warm and slightly sweaty. Shou could feel his chest heaving with each breath. For a moment, it felt as if they were glued together, turned into one by the afterglow they were sharing.

Shou usually felt good after sex and – he hoped – the women usually felt good, too, but to him it had always been a separate wellbeing. He had felt good on his own. But he didn’t know how to talk to the other person afterwards. Once they were done with sex, it felt like they lost their connection, their motivation for staying together. Aside from feeling pleased, Shou tended to feel somewhat empty after sex, too, and somehow lonely. But right now, he felt neither of those things. Yutaka was his friend before he was someone he wanted to get laid with. After sex, he was still his friend. That felt pretty amazing.

Shou rubbed his cheek against Yutaka’s shoulder affectionately. The smell of his perfume seemed to have intensified as if there had been a chemical reaction with Yutaka’s sweat. Shou remembered their conversation earlier.

“That person you were in love with”, he said quietly. “Why your ex left you. Was that me?”

Yutaka’s body trembled in his arms as he chuckled.

“No, that was the other guy I confessed to today”, he said sarcastically.

Shou laughed quietly as well and straightened up to look at Yutaka.

“How are you feeling?”, he asked.

Yutaka made a face.

“Seriously, my butt hurts”, he said in a whiny tone of voice.

“Really?”, Shou assured, suddenly worried he had been a little too hard on Yutaka indeed.

“Yeah”, Yutaka confirmed and let go of Shou to knock his knuckles against the table plate he was still sitting on. “Because this table is uncomfortable as hell.”

“Oi, idiot”, Shou said and nudged Yutaka against the shoulder gently.

He thought that this felt incredible nice. Joking with Yutaka, holding him like this. The sex had felt great, too.

“I also”, he said and then hesitated. “Don’t really dislike you all that much.”

Yutaka snorted.

“I figured”, he said.

Shou shook his head and forced himself to meet Yutaka’s eyes, although he felt a little embarrassed by it still.

“I don’t just mean physically”, he clarified. “More like, ah, romantically.”

“Kiryuuin Shou”, Yutaka said mockingly. “The master of romantic confessions.”

Shou rolled his eyes and watched Yutaka’s typical lopsided grin spreading slowly. He seemed happy.

“Want to get dressed and head out of here?”, Shou suggested.

Yutaka nodded and looked down on himself.

“Ah, damn”, he said.

Shou followed his gaze.

His skirt had stains of drying cum all over it.

“Looks like I ruined the skirt”, Yutaka observed.

“You know, don’t worry about it”, Shou said and looked up again, grinning widely. “I think the skirt was too short anyway.”

[2ugars]

ੈ♡˳ death by ramen , lty

pairing: best friend!taeyong who’s tired of bratty!fem reader

genre: fluff.    that’s it.

words: 2.1k

a / n : cross-posted as a haikyuu au fic on ao3, linked here. it’s my account, don’t worry. i’ve just revamped this version (though not by much) to most appropriately fit to taeyong’s character more.

also, happy late birthday to our leader!!! :D

---

“[Name], this entire visit just confirms how utterly hopeless you are when it comes to making decisions,” the boy mutters under his breath, his eyes briefly closing as he sighs in exasperation.

You’ve been standing in the seventh aisle selling ramen for what seemed like hours and Taeyong is rather close to throwing you over his shoulder and walking straight out of the grocery store (whether it be with or without food, he doesn’t exactly care anymore, he just wants this to be over and done with).

“I am not indecisive if that’s what you’re trying to say!” You huff, arms crossing indignantly. “I’m just taking my time to weigh out the pros and cons of buying six bundles of instant ramen. Have a little faith in me, you jerk. You’re supposed to be my best friend.”

“Yeah, your best friend, not your freakin’ guardian,” he pokes a forefinger to the space between your eyebrows, ignoring your whines of protest when he pushes your head back. “And no one in their right mind would buy six bundles of ramen. Are you trying to kill yourself?”

You duck away from him, turning your attention to the other products on the shelves. “Death by ramen doesn’t sound too bad if you think about it...”

“No.”

You ignore him. You then toss two Exclusive 24-Packet Ramen bundles into the shopping cart before moving up the aisle, and Taeyong automatically returns it to its location, yawning as he does so.

“You can’t say no to death, Taeyong,” you lift a cup of noodles, turning it over in your hands as you reads the ingredients in hangul. “It’s inevitable, and better you accept it than try to dodge it—you said so yourself.”

His eye twitches. “[Name]–”

“Hey, come to think of it, didn’t you say that during our final exams? You got a sixty-three in one of them, isn’t that right? I mean, I guess it makes sense; you’ve always been horrible at math,” you reminisce innocently, placing the noodles back to where it had come from.

Taeyong presses the heels of his hands to his eyes, throwing his head back as he makes a noise of distress, startling nearby customers. “[Name], you’re missing the point!”

The girl making him want to gouge his eyes out (you) stares at him indifferently for a few beats. When he drags his palms down to fully cover his face, he peeks between the gaps of his fingers just in time to see the corner of your lip twitch up into an amused smile.

“Shut up,” he mumbles.

You lift a shoulder in a cool shrug, dismissing him, and skip down the aisle. Taeyong trails after you, a little defeated, but he quickly recovers after watching you frolic to and fro.

“What else do we need, hubby?”

Taeyong rolls his eyes at the mocking nickname (he doesn’t deny it, though, because he supposes your relationship is somewhat similar to an old married couple, anyways). He slips his phone out of his pocket and checks his notes application, going over the list of items the both of you are required to purchase in order for you and your family to survive the week ahead.

“Shampoo, a small can of oats, and three cartons of milk,” he says, pausing to stream further down. “Also, the, uh, Waterfall of Bloody Hell is due in a few days, so uh, you might wanna get pads. I got you two tubs of ice cream already, and I’m pretty sure they’re in your freezer.”

“How reliable of you, Tyongie,” she quips, “you’re so good to me!”

He grunts in response, a faint blush tinging his cheeks red.

The moment the both of you step foot into the dairy section of the grocery store, you’re already scrutinizing the different varieties of ice cream in the chilled compartments. Taeyong lingers by, one hand snug in the front pocket of his hoodie as he leans against the shopping cart’s handle, scrolling aimlessly through his phone’s photo gallery of memes. You surface from the freezer, bits of ice flakes now speckling the front of your pink top. You wave a vanilla cone in his face and he cranes his neck, all the while staring at his phone, to avoid being hit.

“Could you buy this for me?”

He reacts with a scowl but does not turn his gaze to you, preoccupied with his phone. “[Name], I literally just told you that I bought you two tubs, and here you are, nearly stabbing me in the eye with the end of a co– oh my gosh, hold it properly, will you?!” He grabs hold of your wrist, ceasing your actions before readjusting your grip of the frozen dessert.

You giggle, your bell-like laughter ringing in the otherwise dreary atmosphere of the supermarket. Taeyong’s dirty look softens at the sound and is soon replaced with an absentmindedly endeared expression. He doesn’t realize he’s been staring at you until you gently pull away from him, unperturbed by his open ogling.

He blinks. His cheeks flare a vibrant red and he pulls his hood over his head, obscuring your view of his blushing face.

“I take your angsty demeanor as a ‘no’, then,” you say with a snort, plucking the device from the singer’s hands. You toss the cone back into its compartment, sliding the glass lid closed. “You’re crankier than usual, Taeyong. One might even say you’re the one who’s bleeding.”

“Nah. You’re just a lot more intolerable today.”

“Rude.”

You walk over to the chilled shelves stocked with milk cartons while skimming through the list. Now with three cartons cradled in your arms, you waddle over to where Taeyong sulks and delicately line them inside.

The boy threads his fingers through his hair, smoothing out the black locks in an attempt to fix his disheveled appearance. “Are we done here?”

“Yup!” You beam up at him and he affectionately tugs on a strand of your hair as you start walking. “Now to get the oats...hmm, do I want instant or traditional, decisions, decisions… Hey, Tae–”

“Get traditional,” he says without skipping a beat, rolling the cart next to you. He pauses to listen to your hum of response turn into a nonsensical tune, a gentle smile gracing his features, then adds, “it’s a lot healthier.”

---

Fifteen minutes later, you receive a text from your mother containing another list of groceries you are tasked to purchase. Taeyong wants to throw himself in one of the fish tanks near the meat section at the news, and you fortunately prevent him from doing so...before rationalizing that he shouldn’t do it without video evidence (Taeyong, in the end, is the one to drag you away from the fish tanks).

You now stand back to where you started, in the ramen aisle, the shopping cart filled to the brim with fresh produce, food, snacks, and toiletries. As you contemplate the purchase of your ramen once more, Taeyong contemplates life in the background.

Your lips part to question Taeyong about whether to buy the twelve-pack or the six-pack bundle, but you’re interrupted by the sound of giddy chortles down the aisle. You turns your head to acknowledge the noise and are greeted with the sight of a small group of girls your age. To your relief, they do not pay much detail to you. To your amusement, their undivided attention is to your best friend idly standing next to you.

He’s ridiculously attractive. Do you think his hair is natural? Do you think the girl near him is his girlfriend? He’s so cute. Go talk to him. No, you go talk to him!

It makes sense, you suppose, for the male, as prickly and as edgy as he may be, is undeniably handsome in the all-black attire he’s sporting. The lone piercing that’s located at his left helix glints in the supermarket’s lighting, further supporting what the girls are likely discussing in their circle: that this boy standing in the ramen aisle is a typical bad boy.

You chew on the inside of your cheek to keep yourself from laughing at that ridiculous assumption. Lee Taeyong is anything but.  A thought crosses your mind as your eyes follow the defined line of his jaw, and you can’t help it. You smile smugly.

What a perfect opportunity to be petty and show them that he's taken reserved.

And who are you to leave your audience un-entertained?

Masking your features with an air of indifference, you stand before him. His eyes are glazed over as he stares off into nothing and you find yourself shaking your head in fond exasperation before you press your fingertip to the tip of his nose, pushing upwards to make him look like a little pig. He pulls his face away, grimacing in annoyance at the disruption called [Name] in front of him.

“What.”

You don’t say anything and instead, plop yourself face-first into his chest. He makes a small noise of surprise at the sudden weight against his front, his balance wavering for a split second before he rights himself. He chuckles after a moment or two, the sound resonating throughout his chest.

You are startled when your heart warms.

“You’re so needy,” he remarks, childish mirth coloring his tone of voice. “Did you get stuck with what flavor you wanted? Do you need help? I honestly think eating ramen is unhealthy...I heard somewhere that instant ramen is made of cement. That’s horrible for your digestive system.”

You laugh at his constant fretting. You then feel something laying on your head, and after a time of pondering as to what it is, you finalize with the theory that it is his palm. Your hypothesis, however, is debunked when you feel the familiar movement of Taeyong carding his fingers through your hair—using both of his hands.

To satisfy your curiosity, you shift your head to look up, only to be met with the dark eyes of your best friend.

He had been resting his cheek on top of your head in place of his hand.

They’re cute together, huh?

Your eye twitches.

Taeyong lets one hand cup your cheeks and squishes them together to mimic a fish. When you attempt to force yourself away from his tight grasp, he only makes a similar face down at you, keeping a steady yet gentle hold on you.

“Oi, smile more. You’ll get frown lines.”

“Daemyong, I mill mot hethitate to boite yew might mow.”

She’s definitely his girlfriend. Aw, that’s too bad! I’m not that mad, really – just look at them! They look adorable together.

He laughs, releasing you. You roll your eyes, having had enough of the ‘game’ that you probably shouldn’t have started in the first place (because now, your heart’s palpitating, what the frick frack paddy whack does your organ think it’s doing), and turn your back to him, recommencing in deciding what ramen to buy.

The girls have left, not disappointed at all.

Behind you, Taeyong sighs, but there is a half-smile on his face. He reaches over and drapes his arms on either side of your shoulders, forefinger pointing at what looked like the healthiest ramen in the aisle. His chin lays atop the center of your head, and though you express an irked attitude to his apparently obnoxious gesture, you’re trying your hardest not to smile.

“We’re never going to get out of this building, are we?” Taeyong asks five minutes later, not having moved from his position. He sounds so wistful that you let out a cackle.

“I don’t think so,” you admit. You lean back against him, causing the boy to reposition his head to your shoulder while you tucks your head into the crook of his neck.

“Tell you what,” he says, “if we leave right now, I’ll treat you to that ice cream parlor everyone’s freaking out over.”

“The really cute one with the cat foam lattes and ice cream bouquet cones?”

“Yeah. That.”

You pause to think it over then shake your head when you makes up your mind. “It’s alright. I have a better idea.”

---

( Turns out said ’better idea’ was just you hauling home six bags of groceries and, to Taeyong’s distaste, purchasing a bundle of Exclusive 24-Packet Ramen.

“When you turn into a cement statue,” Taeyong says bitterly as he carries four bags because freakin’ heck, [Name], don’t you know that two trips back and forth just isn’t worth it? “I will gladly keep you in the dorms as a lesson for the Dreamies.”

“And I will accept it. I will accept any form of death.”

“[Name]—” A tired sigh. “[Name], you’re so stupid, that’s not what I meant.” )

[heykillmongerluhme]

You Mean It?

Erik Stevens x Black! OC Reader

I N S P O: Just felt it coming on. Listening to the rain and music right now.

N O T E: Erik has been distant. This leads to arguments and petty behaviors. Get a feel as though he is keeping something and resists. Seeing his options for a possible break-up, he confesses. ; Could listen to Free x 6LACK

W A R N: Series: Cursing, Angst, Fluff, Mild Violence, Smut ; Chapter: Cursing, Angst

T R I G G E R: None

W O R D: 1.2k

U N [ DEUX ] [ TROIS ]

The day was long but the night seemed so short. You would keep waking out of your sleep, sweat beads decorating your chest and forehead. It could only be one thing, one person rather. Erik. You guys have been dating and moving towards a serious relationship reaching 2 years now. You guys met in the oddest of ways actually. It was very lucky that you bombarded into the wrong conference room that day. Especially embarrassing yourself by walking in from the wrong entrance, the entrance of the lecture stage causing all eyes to land on you. 

His surely did once he saw your panic but delicate brown face covered with the rain that fell outside that day. You did try to make yourself scarce but once you realized you were in the wrong lecture, terror and frustration shot through you. Wrong lecture, wrong side of campus, but perhaps right time. Erik couldn’t help but release a low chuckle to himself watching your movements since you have arrived through those doors. He had no interest in what was going on previously beforehand until you came in. His whole perception changed.

Laying awake, now, your eyes danced different nameless shapes thinking back to that day and how you actually didn’t even like him at first. He was always confident but reserved with things that he felt did not need to be shared. Even if they are important, to you anyway.

You guys have been debating about that topic a lot lately. You loved Erik and he loved you. You knew that through actions though, not words necessarily. You just have this feeling of him hiding something. He has had his moments but he has never reacted to you that way has been lately.

Quiet.

Sharp.

Greedy.

Feeling the shift of the bed underneath you, you glance over to a closed-eyed Erik. Though he isn’t snoring, you know that means he is awake but just resting. He hears everything, as he would say it.

“Stop being creepy, staring at me” Erik merely opened his full lips to state but you understood every word.

Your lips curled to a short smirk but heard the annoyance in his voice, so you retreated “My bad”

His lips smacked causing the heated dark air to be covered “Why you doing that?”

Here we go.

“Doing what, Erik?” you harshly enunciate his name as you sat up, which you barely did. ‘E’ or cute pet names would be his mating call. 

“I was just joking with you” his eyes now open, though you couldn’t see it through the dark, you knew he was looking directly at you.

“It didn’t seem like it, lately it seems like you do not want to be bothered with me” your confessed nervous feelings finally coming to surface at the midnight evening.

Now, he was awake. A tired but upset Erik silhouetted in the dark as you watch his movements. He kept his body balanced with this left hand as he stretches over to turn on you guys table lamp. The golden dim lip snapped on in an instant after the second click.

“Aight, talk to me. Wassup?” Erik now ready to get this string of arguments over with it. This is how it’s been. You say something wrong, he reacts. He says something wrong, you react. He interrupts. You scream. It becomes a battle for who can out-argue who.

“Erik, it’s too late for this I don’t really feel like getting into it right now” you lied. He knew it, which is why he let out a quick laugh at the statement. The wrinkle on your nose appeared as you shifted into an annoyed state.

“What is so funny?” You questioned, now both of you wide-eyed.

“You!” Erik ran the cover off his legs and stood heading towards his grey joggers. You knew the routine and he did too, he was just becoming ahead of the curve. The arguments would always end up with him leaving or you kicking him out. 

Whilst looking for the rest of his set, he tore in a speech “I’m over here joking with yo’ ass and you talking ‘bout some I ain’t tryna be with you? Fuck is that. You out here actin’ real funny”

Oh, that did for you. How dare he tried to flip the script when he was the one being emotionally detached or hidden for some reason.

“Well, I wouldn’t feel that way if you were talking to me! Or?! If you were able to be here when I need you here, not just physically. You have been distant and I have told you that! Like the other day--” your mind went to the moment that leads you to the current events today.

“I practically beg you to tell what is going on with you lately. Everything is  “Cool” “Fine” “Okay” or “I’m not in the mood to really talk about it”. Like what is it? Is it me?!” the voice crack you tried hard to tame, broke out.

Erik stood there looking at you. He knew everything that you were saying was valid. That is why his words were scarce, he ran out of rebuttals over the past 3 weeks. However, the pride of this male reign supreme. He wasn’t going to let you have the last word or you make him exposed to his truths.

“It ain’t you” he confessed, licking his lips he stated “Everything is coo--”

“If you say ‘everything is cool’, M’gonna to wring your fuckin’ neck!” you harshly let out with eyes closed. The only colors swarming in your view are black and red.

His right eyebrow that already had a natural lift, raised even more “Don’t play with me like that, I’ll fuck your ass up” he darkly snorted

“Then be straight with me Erik or..or I don’t think we can do this anymore” the words flooding from your lips as a shock that seemed to enter him, entered you too. You really didn’t mean it but you weren’t about to stand for feeling like you were a bother to someone and they can’t communicate what is going on.

The room is filled with a gut-wrenching silence. Suddenly, Erik’s dry mouth spoke: “You tryna be done with a nigga for good?”

His eyes followed yours as you quickly try to search to look anywhere but his. Like a fool, they ended up back to his pair. The hot and coldness of your body ran deep, all the way to your toes. You were standing in your ground but maybe only 5 toes instead of 10. You loved Erik. You always knew you have but you never really got around to saying it to each other. 

“Answer me!” the hurt in his voice reverberated off the walls, waking you more out of half-slumber. 

Keeping your ground, you nodded before whispering “Yes. I can’t feel like I am a burden to you”

Erik licked his lips, the face was torn into a painful twist before nodding quickly. His hands smoothed over his face before looking at you once more, eyes bleeding to say something. Your eyes peering right back, aching for him to let them out. However, to your prediction, he says only this. 

“Bet.” he grabbed his hoodie, not even bothering to put it on, his artistic keloid decorated body still exposed as he grabbed his keys. “I’m gone”

And he did just that, walked out and was gone.

You didn’t actually think that he would oblige to it. No fight? He was really ready to give up like that? Maybe you were on a hunch.

x x x

I hope you all enjoyed it thus far! I am just like mm mm mm, as my plans for this continues. Let me know if ya like!

- KD

[theclosetpoet7]

sensei part 2

The scent of the various flowers laid out on the pristine floors of the Yamanaka's shop cloud his senses for a brief moment. Sasuke crinkles his nose and stops himself from appearing too irritated. He isn't used to such strong aromas, granted that Sakura rarely wore floral perfumes when they were dating, preferring the sweet fragrance of strawberries or occasionally a mix of other fruits. And they weren't that strong either. They were the perfect balance of mildly enticing and just enough for him to get a whiff of the fact that she's making the effort to smell nice.

Sometimes though, she liked to treat herself to lavender salts during one of her longer bathe sessions, especially when she would use the large tub in his apartment. He recalls how charmed he'd get when she was fresh out of a soak and how even more spellbound he'd be once she decorated his navy blue sheets with her cherry locks, leaving traces of her essence the day after. .

Sasuke shakes his head out of the daydream. The mirage disappears as fast as it came and he is bombarded yet again with the strong scents. He pinches the line of his aristocratic nose and directs his gaze at the vast array of blossoms planted before him.

"I want roses."

His nephew has this twinkle in his eye that is far too cute to ignore, a trait that the three year old definitely knows he has and is an expert in wielding. Sasuke swears that he's bought him too many toys as a result of that look of his. Itachi did say that he spoiled his child too much.

"I think Haruno-sensei likes daffodils Shisui."

The young Uchiha's small hand is still in his grasp and the pre-schooler shakes it off to run towards the collection of lovely pink roses that reminded him too much of a certain pinkette.

"Roses are prettier though."

Sasuke lets out a sigh. Of course he'd go for the most expensive ones in the store.

"Sensei would be happy with whatever you get her."

"Really?"

The look of excitement in Itachi and Izumi's child rubs off on him, and Sasuke could not help but ruffle his raven tresses.

"Aa."

"Sasuke-kun!"

Yamanaka Ino comes out the employee's room, hands preoccupied with a large pot of the biggest sunflowers he has ever seen. He's a bit hesitant in seeing her again at first but wastes no time in taking the load off her arms; ever the gentleman Uchiha Mikoto has raised.

And the next thing he knows, Sasuke is following the demands of his former classmate, settling the plants over the windowsill where she intends to put them on display, moving it a few inches to the right until she's fully satisfied. Ino thanks him happily, making him wonder if he's getting on that lucky streak once more, wherein people are just so warm and kind in Konoha.

But.

She dashes his hopes when her lips pull into a tight smile, and it is then when she changes her welcoming demeanor.

For after a split second, Ino pulls back and punches him right on the shoulder.

"Uncle Sasuke!"

Sasuke flinches and curses under his breath.

Damn she could pack a punch.

He inwardly reprimands himself, already regretting coming here because he did have second thoughts before, had even speculated that she wasn't going to be as accommodating as Sakura was. The young adult puts a hand over the injury and rotates it in an outward motion while glaring at the blonde.

The shopkeeper returns his annoyed stare and mimics a "I'm watching you stance" while fiercely saying;

"You know why."

Ah, of course he did.

Ino was Sakura's best friend. She must know about the details of their break-up four years ago, was probably privy to Sakura's tears even, the same way Naruto was there for him when the whiskered blonde had taken him out for some drinks the night before his flight.

Because Sakura wasn't planning to see him off.

And he wasn't planning to see her before that either.

For it was too painful.

"Uncle Sasuke, are you okay?"

Shisui's eyes are wide open, with tears nearly falling over out of concern for him. The little guy looked so adorable that Sasuke's glaring eyes could not help but soften up at the sight.

"Don't worry Shisui-chan, your uncle is stronger than he looks."

Ino sticks her tongue out and bends down to pick the little peanut in her arms and hugs him close.

"You remember your Auntie Ino right?"

He's rubbing his eyes now, cheeks blushing bright as he gives her a toothy grin.

"Yes! Sakura-sensei's friend!"

"Best friend."

She gives a slightly threatening scowl again and saunters off with his nephew.

Ino is good with kids. She carries Shisui around the floral shop, giving him hints and veering him towards an arrangement that would definitely please Sakura. And just because she's a little bit vengeful over Sasuke's failings in the past, she charges him full price and makes him pay extra for a vase as well. Sasuke merely sweat drops but upon seeing Shisui's happy face and watching him jump up and down, he couldn't help but splurge on the bouquet.

They are for Sakura after all.

He's about to leave the Yamanaka shop when his obsidian eyes fall on the little pot of daffodils tucked away in the corner of the store.

Sasuke pauses and makes his way toward them, one arm holding onto the flowers and vase while the other clasps his nephew's chubby hand.

Ino follows them.

"I thought they'd caught your eye."

The yellow petals take him to a memory he has always treasured. When Sakura had visited him daily at the hospital that time he'd broken his left arm. She was diligent in her care, already having that doctor-persona at the age of eighteen. And his parents were so grateful that they didn't have to worry about who was going to stay for the night.

"I never asked her why she liked daffodils. There are better ones out there."

Ino reaches over, carefully plucking out a stray leaf on the soil while she hums and finds her words.

"I don't know. These buds seem to have a special meaning to her. They stand for new beginnings."

She's standing next to him, a silent look of contemplation on her person as she rests her elbow on one forearm and tilts her head.

"Sure there are prettier ones out there, ones that can fill the room with happiness and flowers that don't die on her. But Sakura is stubborn that way, she just won't let go."

It occurs to Sasuke that Ino is not just talking about the flowers.

"I guess, once she's found that one thing she loves, she can't fall out of love that easily."

Her cerulean eyes, which were teasing a while ago, only held careful scrutiny as Sasuke puts the flowers Shisui has bought on the ground while he crouches to look closer.

The way those little blooms stood out among the sea of otherwise large petals somehow makes him feel like he's missing someone even more, and he thinks of her pretty face again and how her smile always made him want to run laps just so he can justify why his heart is beating as fast as it is whenever he's with her.

His pale hand stretches out to trace one daffodil, delicately, so as to not damage it.

"Neither could I."

.

.

.

He makes the quick purchase, intently avoiding meeting Ino's look of suspicion as he exits the store. That's one person he won't be able to win over that easily. Still though, the way Sakura's gasp of surprise and delight for the gifts she receives from the Uchihas the next day, can't help but brighten his week. And at the very end of it, he decides that he couldn't wait any longer. So Sasuke asks her out to dinner.

.

.

.

She says yes.

___________

from my fic pink skies.

Hmmmmmmm. R & R :D I felt weird while typing this. Not as inspired, but couldn't get the scene out of my head.

[elizabethrobertajones]

14x07 watching notes

In Which It Is Now Completely Apparent Which Of Buck And Leming Are Writing A Scene At Any Given Time

or

A Tale Of Lizbob Being Tormented By Toddlers

Hello it is 3:32am and I am awake from a dream of what the episode might have been (plus side: overt Destiel motel room sharing, downside: Jack accidentally killed Dean) because my tantruming toddler neighbour who just moved into the haunted house next door was screaming, and threw something at our adjoining wall. At 3am. So I'm not exactly well-rested and I'm kinda pissed, which isn't the best combo for a Buckleming episode, but when you wake up with a scream and a thump, you aren't going back to sleep for a lil while :P

-

Kudos to the rest of the writing team, we're 7 episodes in and I've thoroughly forgotten Nick exists. I've just been assuming he was caught, featured on a true crime program, and is already gone and locked up for the new murder and likely solving of a cold case.

-

Ahahahaaaa the opening of the recap is "when it comes to killing you, I'll be the one to do it" so that's ominous. As you might tell, my psyche is utterly wrapped around this whole Shakespearean tragedy of Jack vs Dean, and perhaps they're not gonna murder each other today but the constant reminders they're living in a murder or get murdered delicate thematic plot balance is exactly the sort of thing that we need to have hanging over their dynamic, as well of course as being the start point of their relationship to show how far they've come and how much they've changed and now love each other and how just last episode Dean got in his "fine i have a son now" episode a season or two later than everyone else and just in time for it to be "so now you bonded with him of course he's caught Doom because you can't have nice things for literally a single episode and this is your fault for bonding with him, Dean"

-

This recap is designed to wound me, a Jack fan and lover of how TFW loves their son

-

Ew, it's Nick. The first time in my life I've been tempted to skip at least a lil of the recap.

-

Imagine how tight it would have been to just do a 10 second "here's Jack" recap and cut to the action

-

and the action includes an episode without Nick stealing time from the boy

-

You know i spend exactly 0 time speculating on how Eugenie might write her personal fave bits of the episodes but if you had to throw together "nick is now a serial killer ritually murdering priests on a satanic bender" then that would have been a pretty close thing to what I could have come up with as distilled Buckleming essence. (gross)

There's a vague continued overlap of the human!Cas arc with the parallel to the open of 9x03 and the general aesthetic of season 11's Lucifer's satanic rampage bender thrown together but you know what that's more meta than this arc deserves and my boy is sick

-

OH NO CAS IS THE ONE WATCHING OVER HIM ABORT ABORT

-

His grace looks pathetic. Maybe he's trying not to wake Jack up. Maybe he doesn't have a whole lot left.

-

That's not helping, Cas

-

ANXIOUS PARENTS OUTSIDE HIS ROOM

I bet Cas sent them away because they were hovering

-

Dean this is not what happens to kids, stop trying to kid yourself that this is like having a regular demonic toddler

-

Man am I glad I do not have kids right now both because I don't have to worry about them and also because they scream and throw stuff at the walls at 3am

-

Dean angry at Cas cuz he's worried about Jack oh no oh no oh no look at these stressed parents. Cas is forced into the doctor role because he magic but he is just as stressed as they are and tensions are high, and then the boy starts convulsing

-

Oh my god they snapped, they are actually bringing Jack to an emergency room. This is horrifying and kind of a trip to imagine what they're going to tell any authority figures about who this guy is and what their relationship is to him.

Do they remember that he has barcode fingerprints and probably is gonna be Medically Weird just as default?

(Alex is 29 like me and Misha is early 40s and Jimmy is canonically a year older than Misha for some reason, so at a push Cas could be his dad and have made some very early mistakes but the boy is biologically only like 10 years younger than them on average... JACK looks another half that at times but this is a hospital so idk if "smiles like a toddler" "early teenage adorableness" is a good measure of age)

-

(I'm stress-typing)

-

"His full name, please"

All 3 dads look at each other baffled.

Sam goes with Jack Kline, which, a season and a bit later, is the first canonical use of it as Jack's surname

They're cautious about using Winchester, understandably, but it's a nice reminder that Kelly is family too and as the dead parent, naming Jack in tribute to her should have been something they were doing all along (like, season 13 all along), especially as he even visited the Klines earlier this season. Sam being the one who thinks to do this is nice because he's the most dad-aligned to Jack in a traditional sense when it's come to raising him (Cas got the pre-birth role as the traditional father role) and Cas obviously had the strongest connection to Kelly before that but this isn't a moment about her so much as these 3 stressed dads.

-

LOL Date of birth. Sam wins another point for knowing it, while Dean makes back and forth guesses on '99/2000, making Jack 19 or 20, which would at least mean any one of them could have fathered him and chopping 10 years off Alex's age to compromise between look and feel.

-

Given Jack's symptoms the nurse should have been a lil more concerned asking about trips to West Africa or other likely Ebola places lately. (This may be poor timing on the show's part but isn't there a fresh outbreak right now?)

(Oof I googled it and there's "Congo Ebola outbreak 2nd worst in history" articles dated 6 hours ago... Maybe a bad year to write haemorraghic diseases for fun and also how comes no one is talking about this in the news and it's all blah blah brexit... Have we just stopped fearing it now a few outbreaks have shown it mostly stays contained in African countries so now they can just suffer it on their own? I'm making a 4am donation to relief efforts)

-

*returns from the doctors without borders website* anyway back to the fictional sick white boy

-

And his very stressed dads

-

I have no idea how much of this is medically accurate but I feel like this is particularly dramatised to match hospital visits people have experienced which did not involve bringing in a stumbling, feverish, person who is having seizures and coughing blood

it's still objectively sad to see TFW lined up all stressed out and Cas and Dean holding hands while they stare through the giant window

-

The doctors aren't wearing masks even though he has been COUGHING BLOOD

-

sheesh this entire hospital is in quarantine now

-

Nick saying he was "getting hammered" the night of the murder isn't super subtle

-

Cas aggressively still trying to watch over Jack even though they won't let him in the room. Dean paces and talks about ghouls in the middle of the hospital to let off stress.

-

Cas goes to watch over him in person while Sam and Dean have a personal chat. This is awful D:

-

I appreciate the sentiment of busting Jack out before they pay the hospital bills because they're running out of medical options and need to turn to magic ones, a la every dramatic event ever in their lives except that one time Dean broke his leg and Sam was too out of it with the Hallucifers to sell his soul to make it better, but if Jack's in system shutdown wouldn't at least keeping him with state of the art equipment mean things like transfusion and machines that keep him propped up?

Mind you his bloodtype is probably, like, X evil negative or something Bucklemingy

It's in his DNA... He might be cute but he's still  born of their episodes and wacky non con ideas... It was gonna catch up to him eventually D: You can't outrun it forever!!

-

I accidentally hit a button and 8x02 started playing on VLC

-

"DEEEAN" Cas shoves him through the portal out of purgatory, credits roll, this was officially the weirdest episode ever.

(No I didn't watch the whole thing, I was literally paused on the last shot from where I was about to gif it last night when I fell asleep)

-

Sam already called Rowena... Smart cookie

-

obligatory yell at Cas shedding the coat to put on Jack so they don't walk him out in a hospital gown

-

Oh my god Jack's so sick he's white as a sheet and being carried out by 2 of his dads and he still has a lil well of snark to be like "fine we're leaving" to the doctor.

"There's just no talking to him when he gets like this"

-

We're at the promo scene and I'm still not 100% sure after sleeping on it that Rowena definitely did not have the Book of the Damned, and that she hadn't been able to make off with it at the end of season 11, never for it to be seen again, because she was very much in the process of stealing the Black Grimoire in 13x22, but this does, I guess, make sense in regards to which book would serve Jack better, and Mittens tried her best to convince me that Rowena plausibly did not have it because the Winchesters did... I'm still suspicious because I really did just assume that she took it and the implication was we didn't see it because SHE had hidden it, and from a line in a Buckleming episode as well. And either way around her showing up with it makes sense that she had it but I'd have occam's razor'd it that she stole the obvious books at the obvious times and not that 13x22 became a BotD heist on top of everything else :P

-

Jack is up and about!!

He's using a more gravelly voice and it's actually a really hot voice and for literally the first time the Alex/Jack divide (gulf) in my head that one is my age and hot and the other is a 12 year old is a bit shaken. I mean Jack's canonically now supposed to be around 19-20? Which explains why he has a "wooo spring break" attitude when we see in the promo he snaps and wants to go to Vegas.

They grow up so fast.

Anyway considering he was in total organ shutdown a lil while ago it seems a night's rest has done him well if he's wandering around the bunker

Can't tell if we swapped writers or what... well, it seems like it's possible given Jack's fluctuating sickness, which of course could just be a plot thing but also a mark of the inconsistencies in Buckleming episodes. It's still odd to me that in the filming process it didn't occur to them that Jack might not at least sway on the spot at little, but he's really standing there like a little trooper, upright and talking confidently.

-

And betraying to Rowena that his dads like her and say nice things about her behind her back, which is catastrophic for them. How dare. You're damaging the foundations of their relationship.

-

*cough cough*

"Bollocks"

Yep, her heart has softened, Jack won her over in record time, and she's just thinking about that time she adopted a wee Polish lad and loved him as her own because Jack is genetically engineered to be a blank slate son version of a Mary Sue. You take one look at him and he is Your Son in whatever way will most harm you.

-

Good grief I wish Crowley was still around to see what HILARIOUS overlap with Gavin we'd have wrung out of Jack's main superpower.

-

Cas offering his grace to stabilise Jack on the spot. Halp. It's more important to him that his son lives by miles, that this isn't even an internal debate for him. In a way, obvious that Cas would be like this as a parent, in another, Cas just offered to give up his grace live on TV

-

Rowena shoots down the obvious solution (oh and thank god that for once the show actually even references obvious solutions) and starts talking about how we need archangel grace and as soon as she says that I think "oh, Michael" and Dean starts to come over weird with a wooziness that makes me wonder if that was timed for the audience "oh there's one out there right now" and why would DEAN be personally affected right thiiiiiis second..............................

-

When they go on spring break together we're getting right to the murderin

-

I mean SOMETHING is up and Dean's right now having his own weird moment as Rowena talks about how Jack will now have a fluctuating set of symptoms for the sake of the plot so

-

It's possible this is just his internal POV emotional reaction to bad news because this is what happens to me when I hear it but I suspect Dean is a lil more healthy than me in the first place so doesn't verge on passing out whenever a catastrophe happens regularly. And also Sam and Cas aren't similarly struck with physical symptoms at the news their son is dying.

-

Ya know, Buckleming, or probably Eugenie specifically which makes it all the worse, writing this woman taking a call in a dark alleyway, then not being terrified to be approached by a weird man and on top of that stopping and turning to invite him to join her in the club... this is the kind of thing where they're writing someone going against all natural instinct that it's bad characterisation for someone we've literally never met before just to put her in danger.

I mean at least they didn't make Nick stab a random woman (and a black woman at that to add to their overall awful stats)

-

I like how Jack's just decided Vegas or Tahiti are places you just kinda go to die... I mean I don't know what he's learned about them but it all has to be absorbed through the media in his most innocent way. I feel like there's something very sweet about whatever he thinks you do in these places of reputed sin and blaze of glory live fast die young lifestyles, but also utterly tragic. Consumptive tragic hero but with a twist of the reckless and dangerous later tropes of... It's 5am and I can't think but like. Vegas. Drugs and gambling high life style tropey films and books from the American tradition.

And of course it's Dean (who utterly fits into this trope and even has yearly Vegas trips with Sam since discovering his psychic powers back in season 1 and also lives a blaze of glory mindset) who brings him the deadly glass of milk (film trope about innocence but also like, people dying) and a sandwich loaded with salami. Dean went all out to make that for Jack - a couple of episodes after sending a woman off to "make him a sandwich" and regretting it as he spoke, we see the yank the cloth away reveal of Dean's nurturing side where he is the caregiver who shows affection through food and will go to the trouble of making his boy a delicious sandwich.

-

"Nice." See? He's Dean's son and Dean approves his choice of places to die. "You sure this is the best time?"

"Pretty sure it is," Jack says, backpack on, already almost out the door. He's found a brown corduroy jacket which is both unlike his beige jackets and suits from the rest of his life aside from the blue apocalypse world one, and also very very much like Sam's iconic season 1-2 brown corduroy jacket that he mostly stopped wearing although I think was the one Dean wore in 4x01 as one of its sporadic dwindling appearances, if I'm not wrong.

-

I probably am but either way, it's a change to darker colours, something Sam-associated to fit the gap of this smol dangerous dying kid Dean has to deal with, and puts Jack in thick earthier tones, thicker clothes to ward against the cold of death, and dressed more like TFW than normal as he usually has quite a distinct child-like version of their clothes.

-

Jack's concept of life and mortality is fucked, possibly because he was a functioning being after a day or two of gathering his thoughts and starting to come to terms with asking deep philosophical questions about himself, so in a way discovering he only has a couple more weeks to live is hardly anything. He's a fucking mayfly.

-

Ugh it's now solidly 5am and I am clearly not going back to sleep so I give up, I'm finally getting coffee. The rest of the notes will be maybe a wee bit more coherent :P

-

Anyway kettle thought: due to Jack and Dean's murder or be murdered relationship (lordy how is this the only way you relate to fatherhood, my guy?) I kinda suspect that Dean's about to abscond with Jack without even telling dad 1 or dad 2, because he is dad 3 and that's totally cool and he's a responsible adult, but,  you know, woozy and doomed while Jack is also consumptive and doomed. BAD COMBO.

-

I charge you with grounds of diminished responsibility due to mutual murder narrative doom

-

"I'm done being special. Before my life is over, I want to live it"

Okay remember in season 1 episode 14 where Dean was like "LOL WE SHOULD GO TO VEGAS BECAUSE YOU ARE PSYCHIC"? and I referenced that like 5 minutes ago so you should, obviously I've only ever been able to headcanon the reveal of Vegas Week in season 7 (Dabb episode, take a shot) dates back to that and is one of their between episode activities which makes sense that since they only started travelling as adults together in the canon of the show (and Sam 1 year older than drinking age) that it might as well have been when they started the tradition?

Well Jack here is reacting like Dean would have if HE were the one in Sam's shoes in 1x14, and being the fun lil brother who actually would be like fuck it let's go to Vegas and see how psychic I am in the casinos! In the context of season 1 Sam is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too angsty and tragic to do anything other than come across as a stick in the mud who thinks Dean is joking and they're gonna carry on being tragic and hunting monsters instead. Dean in season 2, episode 9, also wanted to fuck off and go have fun when Sam's scary destiny got too much for him to carry, and that was when he was locked in the murder or save him vow from John's last words, which is a similar burden to the narrative bind he's in with Jack.

Jack, all of his fathers' son, finally shows up as the god damn first person to take his doom sensibly and actually want to fuck off to Vegas, and that's demon!Dean levels of fuck it.

Incidentally I half-suspect that Crowley, who has billions of dollars and once bid the moon in an auction (hi I watched 99% of 8x02 yesterday and 1% of it just now) probably was steering demon!Dean waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay carefully around the thought of wait a minute I have an extremely rich and powerful sugar daddy and no responsibilities... VEGAAAAAAAS.

Like, any time Dean started to form the thought, bam, naked triplets show up in their room.

-

Anyway Jack's busy being tragic, talking about wanting to get a tan (Beach now linked to something to do before death) or see a hockey game (oh shit we forgot Adam) or get a parking ticket (oh so that's why Dean  murders him)

-

"And when it's all over... die."

Dean looks over his shoulder, mind made up to abduct the boy and take him joyriding

-

"So that's your plan, huh?"

"I don't want to waste time arguing"

"Did I say I disagree"

jack, this is Fun Dad

-

I know, the concept is completely radical and you've never seen Dean be fun but trust me.

Even with your very, very limited options, Sam has literally had 3 episodes about how he's Scrooge, and Cas is... Cas. But Dean is legitimately fun dad when you get him on a good day. Trust me.

-

No one's speaking to Rowena??? How wild.

Poor thing is never going to get her mega coven

-

Dean (who has rocked up already wearing his jacket) spaces out as Sam starts blahing on about the culturally appropriative shaman Ketch has located.

Same, buddy

-

At least Dean isn't lying to them about stealing Jack. Somewhat. Not the whole Vegas plan.

-

Jack smiles at Sam and Cas in a kind of way that somehow conveys in its entirety "this may be the last time you see me but I'm cool with you NOT seeing me die of coughing my lungs up and fun dad has this covered and we've always had a weird death cult about our relationship anyway so I'm okay with it and you guys were the best dads but now fun dad is going to take me out back and shoot me where you can't see and I love you bye"

-

"Why don't you drive?"

Jack is like ?!?!?!?!? D:

EVEN ON HIS DEATHBED he hadn't figured this would ever happen

It's the make a wish foundation :')

This is, of course, the ultimate sign of Dean loving you and caring for you in Dean's own special way of not telling you he does but showing it with a gesture of absolute confidence and letting you in, and in the vast annuls of the show dates back to the second ever episode where Dean let Sam drive at the end for all of 1 shot (seriously, they've swapped back by the long shot at the end of 1x02 where you can't see them in the car but the prop drivers are definitely doing a generic Sam in the passenger seat Dean driving routine for stock footage :P)

-

Anyway Dean loves Jack enough that he's letting a kid who does not know how to drive learn to drive in the Impala, like he and Sam did.

-

I can see Alex sweating bullets about being seated next to Jensen in the beloved Impala and having to mess up turning it on... never mind the fact that both Jensen AND Dean will murder him if he harms the car, and being murdered on both levels at once is spiritually unsettling and he will probably end up an unquiet ghost.

And yet, the glee at being behind the wheel of this legendary gal

-

TRAGIC NYOOOOOM

-

"It's like I'm you! :D"

"No, it's not! :D (but with implied murder)"

-

"THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER"

Look if he survives this, you're creating a speed demon who will want his own classic car

-

And then you'll have to teach him how to maintain it

oh god

-

But yeah, non-toxic parenting in the John Winchester As He Could Have Been style.

-

At least as long as Dean is in the Make A Wish mode and not back to tragic murder mode

And that wooziness that he may or may not be associating with no sleep and too much stress suggests this isn't going to last as a Fun Day Trip For The Boy

-

"Cas are you sure you want to handle this alone?"

NO HE NEEDS A HUG HIS SON IS DYING

-

Sam, go hug him, you need a hug and your son is dying.

Also, of course, you mutually need each other in this instance and Sam is reaching out to Cas with presumably the intent that he wants to be in on it but is asking as if just concerned about Cas

-

Cas, being Cas, has somehow deduced that Dean is "taking this particularly hard" despite the fact all three of them are Concerned Dads and CAS WHAT THE FUCK are you doing being selflessly concerned about DEAN and sizing up his emotional state when all three of you are wrecked and your son is dying?

You literally have 3x the sitting at his bedside holding his hand moments of any of them and montaged the heck out of the concern at the start of the episode

-

I remember way back someone wankily made a chart of how often people talked to Dean about stuff and other people talked to each other about Dean, and Sam is now crying about Dean beating himself up over being mean to Jack at the start of season 13 and regretting it, so this entire conversation is Sam and Cas man paining at each other about how much man pain Dean is in.

I say with no wank in my heart, just sheer horrified amusement at this data point if they still are hate-watching the show and being horrified about how Sam never gets stuff for himself etc (I mean. He and Cas both have had extended chunks of seasons about them parenting Jack and this is Dean's time to come belatedly to what the two of them already had)

-

Cas finally says "son" a season and change after Jack was wandering around calling him "father" and Sam doesn't seem inclined to disagree that this is how it feels for all 3 of them.

-

Obviously he's crying about Jack and it was just the context above that made it look like he was crying about Dean and I always knew that, I'm not a monster, I'm just deflecting because owwwwwwwww this hurts

-

HUG EACH OTHER YOU DUMB FUCKS SO I FEEL BETTER

-

Cas walks off instead and Sam finally after 1000 years discovers how Dean feels when Cas does that when he was angling to come along and they miscommunicated and didn't say what they meant. Except Sam wanted to come out of mutual Dad Angst comfort while Dean normally wants to go with Cas places so he can hold his hand.

-

Jack's so proud of himself for being able to drive.

"Born with a wheel in your hand"

He literally stole the Impala from you when he was 7 months in the womb

-

Dean is like, we could get you laid? And Jack is like. Nah. I have a better idea.

No idea what right now but he still doesn't wanna bang anyone

-

Ugh a Nick scene. Tag yourself I'm the old tyre in the foreground

-

Is this the house from Family Remains aka the self-admitted worst episode of the show by Kripke and Carver's explicit design

-

I am going to puke Jack wanted to go on a fishing trip with his dad

-

There were spoilers about them doing this but I repressed it the fuck down and lied to myself that Jensen was randomly teaching Alex to fish on set because I didn't want to think about Dean doing this with Jack because oh my god someone has taken my heart and gouged it out with a rusty spoon.

-

Also: someone design Jack a t-shirt with a witty slogan about fishing rather than hook ups. Like, dude bro fishing culture but in a world where you're as likely to get dumb slogans about not wanting sex as you are for it making you a babe magnet

"I'd rather be fishin" is a thing people get on mugs for the workplace but we could start with this sentiment and play

-

ALSO AS I MENTIONED I WATCHED 8x02 IN THE LAST 24 HOURS AND DEAN NEAR RIVERS SUCKS. We also have 10x01 and Daniel the fishing angel (who was the pizza man from Monster Movie, see above: slogans about fishing, pizza man innuendo, we got a thing going here) who was happy on Earth just fishing and enjoying the planet and not wanting to go back to Heaven, in a very heavy metaphor for Cas to deal with, as the angel who once compared free will to teaching poetry to fish. Lots and lots to unpack here, when we turn this into a Dean and Jack father son bonding moment and throw in Dean's peaceful dream of fishing in 4x20 that Cas interrupted. Fishing is about peace and idyll and comes as a temporary respite in this show. Traditionally, also, of course it's a sport of patience, and a classic father son bonding activity as the long stillness allows for both manly silence and sharing beers in peace, but also talk if they want to open up a conversation.

For Jack, it's an overlap of both Cas and Dean parental stuff, Cas's issues with angelic nature, where he wants to be, WHO he wants to be (just OFFERING to give up his grace to save Jack) and then with Dean we have more classic human cultural tropes but none less painful for Jack's nature and relationships. Especially throwing in that this was his choice and Dean is indulging him completely here.

-

John may or may not have taught them to fish but I feel like it may have had a "so you are dying in the woods" aspect to it rather than for peace and bonding. BOBBY taught Sam and Dean some basic woodsmanship so he was more likely to be the father figure teaching them to fish if anyone did.

-

Okay so obviously I typed that just after clutching my heart at the reveal and hitting pause, as Jack immediately goes on to say that John DID teach Dean how to fish and that it was his happiest memory of him - and it comes as a surprise for the expectations (like, that the above paragraph now stands as what I would expect of canon if I was only taking from it and not as an actual writer of the show being allowed to insert new details in which challenge us about the characters, which is where I find the line between fan fic and original fiction really is when it comes to characterisation... Anything out of left-field and you have to tag it as an AU version or explain why instead of just writing it as taken for granted).

And it's unexpected in the sense that it is such a peaceful thing and above all I think the message is that Jack intuited from whatever Dean said about it that it WAS a happy peaceful memory of John which stood so much at odds with the rest of his life. Filed under as well the thing where Mary started talking about how nice John was to Sam and Sam recoiled in confusion until Mary clarfied it was her John, not theirs. Good memories of a gentle soft John are alarming, and yet perhaps this is a way to really confront and exorcise his ghost more than anything - the sort of funeral servive memorialising of the good with the bad and working through it to come to peace in a different sort of way that lets the wounds heal and the anger leave those scars.

"It was how you said it. I could tell." He's such a smart cookie and I think that often takes Dean by surprise in the sense that Jack has been very shrewdly watching him and learning from him and absorbing anything and everything he does, which unfortunately gives him the ability to cold read Dean like very few people do, seeing past the layers and bluffs and into Dean's core.

-

Jack just murdered Dean by saying if he doesn't make it he wouldn't miss Tahiti or the Taj Mahal or implied going to seedy bars and hooking up, he'd miss more time with Dean.

I mean that's not a literal way to kill someone but you should see Dean's face. He's been shot.

And again, it's a metaphor for what you want from life for DEAN to absorb, the prompt that his family is right here and he doesn't need to chase pleasure outside of them, that hook up bar nearby their home base where he never strikes out, that's irrelevant to the family he has built and it's been put in the subtext of what Dean goes after that's empty pleasure when he has this core family unit around him, by the way Jack has also rejected it and is explaining to Dean the real meaning of Christmas.

Of course, this all gets a bit weird unless you account for the fact he has an angel wearing a trenchcoat made of husband material waiting back at the Bunker because the chronic singleton life otherwise probably ought to account for an outlet for Dean like a hook up bar if his happy ending is a platonic family bond so, you know, end the show 10 minutes from now with everyone happy and alive and not dying, and all Dean's learned is they're 3 dads, one son, a mom and her AUBobby, but he still has unused romantic potential and for seasons and seasons they've been trying to close the door on him seeking out random hook ups in the subtext of what Dean WANTS vs what he thinks he can have. This frank conversation about what Jack wants from life before it's all over is once again ignoring fleeting human connection for the family bonds he values above everything.

-

"I've had a good life, Dean" the other reason they're having this sentimental conversation by a river is because Jack is a fucking mayfly and I hate this

-

@ Dabb please never make me see Cas driving this car ever again

-

Why are you irritating Cas like this. First boring holy fire oh it must be thursday followed by the indignity of making him sit on a pouffe? Listen, when Cas gets irritated he gets snarky and then people die because he snarked them to death. I saw it he did it to the Empty. And Lucifer in 13x12. And Kip.

I just feel sorry for Cas. Why can't he go on fishing trips with the boy. Oh no he has to sit on a squishy pouffe that won't let him be intimidating so that he can cure the boy even though Jack's already decided he's gonna die and will probably Ophelia himself into the river at the end of the fishing trip.

-

Sergei is basically like "Have you tried turning it off and on again"

Nephilim have a reboot button on the back of their neck, if you get a paperclip and poke it in there.

-

At least Sergei is so... whatever he is... I can't even tell who he is supposed to be offensive towards :P I guess with the name, I lean Russian, and then he has world esoterica and occult nonsense in his caravan...

-

The real question is how does he know anything about Nephilim and why hasn't Cas asked that already.

-

LOL he has a vial of Gabriel grace just lying around. Of course, because Gabriel was just offering it up to everyone.

Considering how he was exploited for it by Asmodeus there's a weird tinge of retconning his own abuse by saying he was going around giving it to everyone before Asmodeus ever bought him and started stealing it on the regular.

Still, it IS awfully tempting a fix to have Uncle Gabriel help Jack out from beyond.

-

/distantly: "I'm not dead!"

sometimes I can still hear his voice.

-

It's way more likely Shit Goes Down and this is lost but then Cas has learned what to do with archangel grace to fix Jack just so long as they can pin down Michael and grab his instead.

-

But I guess in that circumstance at least once again Gabriel gave them part of the answer from beyond the grave as he did in season 5.

("Still not dead!!")

shush Gabriel. The show wants us to think you're dead and my complete disbelief in that doesn't change anything for now.

-

Except that maybe Gabriel came back, is fine, but has been removing his grace and selling it in the here and now while claiming not to be Gabriel and that he just haaaappens to have it and because he has no grace he could just be any old guy who happens to have an endless renewable resource of archangel grace secretly on tap to sell to fund his life of laying low. Sergei even says HE got it as part of keeping Gabriel hidden.

-

I'm kind of assuming Sergei isn't Gabriel unless he offers Cas kielbasa

-

I mean unless later I get a bonus cookie for immediately assuming Sergei is Gabriel based on the holy fire he just happened to have prepared and how similar it looked to Gabriel being trapped in 5x08.

-

On the other hand this may be the first time this season but pointing at literally everyone and going, that's probably Gabriel, will get old and also dock me cookie points the more wrong guesses I throw out there. Still, this one has pretty strong evidence, from messing with Cas to making him say "Porn stars"

-

To, um, having Gabriel's grace

-

Okay so Sergei gives Cas all of this out of the goodness of his heart and a "you owe me" and I AM wondering if that's a Buckleming special because remember in 8x19 where they were like hi we need to go to Hell immediately, and Ajay was like sure, I will take you to Hell and this episode is even titled after me so clearly I am an important character who *stab stab reaper dying noises* wow look I guess we don't have a bargain after all despite me saying you owe me but then Crowley just maaaaagically made it so you never had to find out what a reaper would want in exchange for taking you to Hell off the books.

-

Also fuck you I never got to finish my pizza

-

While I've been typing some random ass justice for Ajay screed, Nick has revealed a flashback to 14x02 where it turns out his neighbour said it was a cop who he saw coming out of the house. I literally went back and checked the episode and that wasn't in it, so perhaps it's a new flashback for here, fleshing out that conversation and revealing more for us, and changing the narrative of what Nick's up to, but honestly who cares enough about all this... I was double zoned out for flashbacks I'd already seen for a side story i don't care about

-

Wow, Nick, demons killed ya family. Could have told you that.

-

Aw, Dean brought Jack home. No dying out in the wilderness for you, clearly Cas phoned up before Jack could work out his plan to fling himself into the river.

Also Nick has taken up too much of this episode so there's no room for complicated twists and turns, if Buckleming are banned from introducing too many of them.

It's incredible how subdividing them so Eugenie writes all the Nick stuff and Brad writes the rest has elevated the parts of the story we care about to pretty much passable, give or take whatever Sergei was and who he was offensive to aside from the whole concept of calling yourself a shaman because you travelled the world collecting occult stuff in a sort of Aleister Crowley way.

-

'cept you can't namedrop Aleister on this show because both Alastair and Crowley have stolen too much from him.

-

So you get a knock off Sergei instead.

-

Jack hasn't been having as many of the supposed fainting fits that had everyone dogpiling him as I thought - maybe that's next episode too. Could have had one at the start but that doesn't seem enough to be a repeated annoyance of Alex's life :P

Anyway I was just going to comment on his sweater but that thought hopped in there first wondering if the spell was about to knock him flat, as he's sitting on a chair instead of safely in bed.

All the more dramatic for flinging yourself around if the spell messes you up

(honestly if the spells don't work, and they took him out of the hospital, how much of a bizarre commentary is this on trusting modern medicine and vaccinating your nephilims?)

-

It's 7:20 and my neighbours are yelling again

At least being awake since 3 meant I got a bit more peace and quiet than normal. I feel gross but I may go to yoga just to not be stuck in this room with such awful screeching on both sides of me >.>

-

Oh I can tell Sergei is Gabriel, he put the grace in a gold container instead of the silver ones

-

I'm sorry for the expenses, Zerbe

-

I wonder if they use her products on the show and I'm gonna go on my dash and find her beaming about a specially commissioned shiny gold grace that she made for them :P

-

"Here, hold this bottle of your uncle's essence"

".... okay I understand how weird that sounded on hindsight"

-

I love the idea of Jack's grace now being fuelled by Nice Uncle Gabriel who felt kindly towards him, even if this can't be a permanent fix, it changes his internal make up just a bit so that he symbolically has his grace stolen by his shitty bio father but the power only came from him in the first place and there was all the hoo ha about if Lucifer as his father made him inherently evil. Now whatever happens to Jack, he's had a grace transplant from a suitable donor, very much like a parallel of say he needed a kidney transplant and his 2 viable donors were his shitty deadbeat dad who gave him the kidney condition in the first place and his nice dead uncle who happened to have been an organ donor and was the only other one with the same type (if Lucifer's was X evil negative, then I guess Gabriel's is like X tricksy negative which has enough receptors to be a compatible transfusion, while Cas has like, Z dumbass positive grace and no compatibility)

And Gabriel is a beloved character who proved his kind feeling towards Jack even if they had very little bonding overall, he clearly cared and there was an immediate sort of uncle-y kindness about him in relation to Jack (just the comment alone about identifying that Jack liked shiny things and magic tricks is very much how uncles view small children who they may watch and entertain but not in the end have parental responsibility for), which is hilarious to me because Gabriel deeply reminds me of all 3 of my uncles on my mum's side, who are all 3 different shades of trickster god in their own right, and he always has reminded me of them, and now the show has sort of made Uncle Gabriel his new legacy.

I mean. I love it to bits.

It's not a sacrifice FOR Jack like Cas would have given up his grace, but it's still a part of him passed on to Jack.

-

I am very very aware that like me running my mouth about John (ironically the name of one of my uncles) while hitting pause, I've stopped while Jack is looking up with glowing eyes and he's almost certainly about to spew a fountain of blood across the room and fall on the floor. But I like that the grace even interacted with him and lit up his eyes and unless he physically barfs out the grace to I'm sticking by that ramble.

-

Cas smiled!! That's the once per season and we already hit it at episode 7, woe betide us

This does look, however, like the scene where they were all looking on from the door so... blood spew in 5 4 3 2 1...

-

DOGPILE THE BOY

-

Er, I mean, help him

-

God I would not want Jared to dogpile me, the man weighs literally as much as an actual moose

-

Uhoh Sergei made Cas mad

I mean

he made him sit on a pouffe, this was always coming

-

What do you mean Eugenie can't let Lucifer go wow what a shock

-

*kicks a pebble*

-

Ah, here's the concerned dads scene. I'm just going to let that be a balm to my soul while Dean laments ever taking Jack out to have fun.

-

"You made him happy. You did more for him than any of us"

1 dude you tried, 2 you took him on hunting trips and had fun already this season so he got his Cas Time before he died like he wanted 3 just fucking abduct him wrapped in a duvet and go fishing in the dead of night if you have to, trust me, he'd love it and your family is such a mess he wouldn't even think it's weird.

I mean you've literally absconded illegally with him before, what's a trip up to that beach where he was born and some fishing gear really going to cost you with annoyance from Dean

-

"What can we do?" "Watch over him," Rowena says with Cas in the background, and continues to carve me out with a rusty spoon

-

"As he dies"

Nah he'll be fine shut up Rowena D:

-

*whimper*

-

Well that was a very good episode if you act like me and pretend that none of the Nick stuff happened at all.

[bearlywrite]

Five More Minutes

Summary: Alfred and Arthur have been in love for as long as they can remember, but they always found themselves wanting just five more minutes with each other, until the very end.

Word Count: 4,154

Warning: Major Character Death :D

Ao3

It was when Alfred was only five years old when the family moved in down the street. The house was inhabited by a kind old woman for Alfred’s entire childhood until she had to be moved to a nursing home. Alfred was sad to see her leave, she always made him the best chocolate chip cookies, but when he learned a boy his age would be moving in across the street, he couldn’t contain his happiness.

Alfred was never one to stay quiet, and he certainly never passed up the opportunity to make a new friend, so as soon as the moving vans left he was out the door, pausing only to tell his mother where he was heading and that he’d be back for dinner. He ran over to the house, and skidded to a stop when the young boy turned to face him.

For once, Alfred found himself speechless.

The boy’s green eyes were soft, yet held a sparkle in them that had Alfred fumbling for words, and when the boy spoke with his soft English accent, Alfred found himself smiling brighter than the sun.

“Hello,” the shorter blond said with a shy smile. “Who are you?”

Alfred toed at the ground, finding himself at a loss for words before offering a blinding smile. “My names Alfred! I live right down there,” Alfred pointed his pudgy finger back to his own home with another blinding smile. “And I’m here to be your bestest friend!”

The sandy blonde stared at Alfred for a moment before his face split into a smile that rivaled Alfred’s own.

“I’m Arthur,” Arthur said before ducking his head and staring at the ground. “Do you want to play pirates with me?”

Alfred beamed and nodded his head without a second thought. He had never played pirates before, but he was sure he could be the best pirate there was. He reached for his new friend’s hand and dragged him to the front porch.

“We gotta get on the ship before the storm hits,” Alfred paused for a moment, turning to his new friend, the grip on his hand never loosening. “I’m Captain Alfred and you can be my right-hand man!”

Arthur pouted, saying that he was always the captain, so Alfred decided he’d let Arthur be the captain of the ship and he would just be the hero. The young American laughed when Arthur rolled his eyes and told him there was no such thing as a hero on a pirate ship, but soon the green-eyed boy was running around his porch and yelling to his ‘hero’ that there was a monster attacking and he needed his help.

The two boys played like that for hours until the sky turned dark and Alfred’s mother came by to take the young boy back home for dinner.

Alfred clutched Arthur’s hand asking his mom “five more minutes?” and the woman only smiled and shook her head as the two continued to sail to the ‘land of burgers’, Arthur rolling his eyes behind her son, but not without the smallest hint of a smile on his face.

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

“Alfred, push me higher!” Arthur sang from his perch on the swing set outside their middle school. Alfred was behind the boy, grunting with every push as he tried to get Arthur higher than Gilbert had gotten Matthew two weeks ago.

“I’m trying, you’re just heavy,” Alfred gasped, practically throwing his entire body weight into his pushes. “Try laying off the burgers dude.” Alfred said with a smirk and another heaving push.

Arthur spluttered, as he sailed higher into the sky.

“You’re the one who eats burgers every day you twat!”

Arthur continued muttering to himself, something about total bollocks and other British stuff Alfred never understood, but the boy kept his smile and continued pushing his friend as he swung back into his outstretched arms.

“Well, it certainly doesn’t feel like it,” Alfred mumbled under his breath. He knew if he said it loud enough for Arthur to hear the other boy would jump off the swing and chase him around the playground. Alfred didn’t want to go through that again, they already had their chase yesterday. “You could at least pump your legs to help me you know.”

Arthur turned around as much as he could in the swing without losing his balance and threw Alfred an indignant smirk. “Just admit the hero can’t push me higher than Gilbert.”

Oh.

Oh.

If there was one thing Arthur knew, it was how to push Alfred’s buttons, and that one always took the cake.

Alfred huffed, considering punching Arthur in the back when he swung back down, but he dismissed the idea as soon as it came because he knew there would be hell to pay if he did that, so instead he gathered up all his energy and gave Arthur a strong push. He stood back and watched Arthur sail up past the slide beside them with a victorious grin.

“You did it!” Arthur screamed as he swung back down, throwing his feet into the wood chips beneath him to slow the swing. As soon as he could, he jumped off and ran to Alfred, tackling him to the ground in their celebration.

The two boys laid on the ground for a while, still reveling in their victory over Gilbert and Matthew. Alfred looked over to Arthur who was laying beside him, watching the clouds roll by above them.

“Want to go play on the monkey bars?” Alfred asked, but Arthur turned to him and shook his head.

“Nah, let’s just lay here,” the green-eyed boy said. He looked back over to Alfred with a small smile tugging at his lips. “Five more minutes?”

Alfred smiled back.

“Sure, five more minutes.”

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

The two boys were seated at the table in the far corner watching Francis coo at every girl that walked past, complimenting their gowns as if his life depended on it. Beside him, Ludwig and Feliciano were making heart eyes at each other like they always did, and Gilbert and Matthew were lost in their own little world.

Alfred couldn’t complain though, he was just as lost in how gorgeous his own boyfriend looked that night in his tailored tux, blue tie to match his dates eyes, Alfred sporting an emerald tie himself.

The American reached down and grabbed his boyfriends hand, smiling at the small blush that graced those beautiful pale cheeks in the perfect way.

“They’re total morons, aren’t they?” Alfred whispered to Arthur with a small chuckle.

Arthur rolled his eyes and scoffed, though Alfred knew there was no malice in his actions. Arthur was just a big teddy bear with an attitude, a cute attitude.

“That frog needs to get laid tonight or else we’re going to have to deal with him,” Arthur mumbled with barely contained laughter as Francis ran after a blonde in a sparkling blue dress. He turned back to his boyfriend, eyes sparkling. “I wouldn’t want that twit to ruin our night together.”

Alfred laughed, leaning in to place a soft kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead.

“Nothing could ruin this night for me,” he whispered. “Seeing you looking this gorgeous is enough for me.”

Alfred leaned back with a satisfied smirk at his boyfriend’s reddening cheeks. Arthur caught his self-satisfied smile and scoffed, though Alfred could see the adoration behind his lover’s bright green eyes.

“You bloody moron,” Arthur whispered under his breath as he leaned in to capture his boyfriend’s lips. The two parted, sharing breath as Arthur looked into the deep blue eyes that matched his tie. A soft melody began to play from the speakers as Arthur whispered a soft “I love you.”

Alfred smiled, stood, and offered his hand out to his boyfriend.

“Dance with me?”

Arthur flushed a deep red, but stood and took his boyfriend’s hand in his own and was led to the dance floor. Arthur wrapped his arms around Alfred’s neck, softly complaining ‘bloody hell why are you such a giant’, but Alfred only wrapped his arms tighter around Arthur’s waist and brought their chests flush together. The two swayed slowly to the soft melody, staring in each other’s eyes as if they were the only two people in the room.

“You’re amazing Artie,” Alfred said, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the top of Arthur’s head, inhaling the scent of the coconut shampoo his boyfriend loved to use. “I love you so much.”

Arthur huffed into his boyfriend’s shoulder with a half-hearted complaint on his lips about the nickname, but he buried his nose into Alfred’s neck and Alfred could feel the smile on his boyfriend’s lips.

The two were too wrapped up in each other’s arms that they didn’t realize the song was over until couples were leaving the dance floor in droves, and as Arthur made his move to remove himself from Alfred’s warm grasp, the American only held on tighter.

When Arthur looked up with confusion in his eyes, he was met with the sparkling blue of his boyfriends and a whispered “five more minutes?”

And Arthur couldn’t refuse.

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

Alfred ran a shaky hand through his already mussed hair, letting a nervous laugh pass from his lips. He turned to the small box sitting on his nightstand, lifting the small box in his hand and opening it to reveal the silver ring he planned to give to Arthur that night.

With quaking fingers, he reached out and plucked the ring from its perch inside the box, running a delicate finger over the smooth band, flipping it to see AK inscribed next to his own AJ.

He set the ring back inside the box, and pocketed it when he heard footsteps approach their bedroom door.

Arthur poked his head into their bedroom with an annoyed expression on his face.

“Hey you git,” he ground out, reaching his hand up to check his watch. “We’re already twenty minutes late for the reservation, are you coming or not?”

Alfred swallowed past the lump in his throat, finding himself speechless in front of his boyfriend. The words he planned to say to him that night at dinner were swirling around his head and he couldn’t shake the slight tremble from his hands.

Arthur’s annoyed expression morphed into one of concern for his boyfriend, and he slid further into the room, coming to stand in front of Alfred and placing a hand on his tanned cheek.

“Alfred, love, what’s wrong?”

Alfred found himself drowning in his boyfriend’s eyes, and he knew that it was now or never. He took in Arthur’s messy hair, gorgeous green eyes that were filling with more concern the longer it took Alfred to respond, the soft pink lips that Alfred thought of every second of every day, and he knew with absolute certainty that his man standing in front of him was the one thing that made his life worth living, and that he would want to spend the rest of his days by this man’s side.

So, with those thoughts swirling in his head, the American took a shaky breath and sank to down to one knee, fishing the box out of his pants pocket as Arthur’s eyes widened an almost comical amount, already shining with tears.

“Artie, you’ve been a constant in my life since you moved into that house down the street, and I couldn’t have asked for anyone better to spend my life with,” Alfred said, voice trembling as Arthur’s tears began cascading down his pale cheeks. “and now, I don’t want to spend my life with anyone but you. It seems you’ve spoiled me with your presence Artie,” Arthur let out a small laugh at that. “I love you, and your adorable attitude, and terrible cooking. I love you now and I’ve loved you for years and I’ll love you for a thousand more. So, what I’m trying to say, Arthur Kirkland, is will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my husband?”

Alfred finished his speech with bated breath and watched the tears flowing down Arthur’s cheeks before the shorter man let out a sob and launched himself into Alfred’s waiting arms.

Arthur buried himself in Alfred’s chest, chanting out ‘yes’ more times than Alfred could count before he was pulled into a breathtaking kiss.

The two parted and Alfred took Arthur’s smaller hand in his own and slid the silver ring onto his finger. They sat in silence, each staring at the glistening ring on Arthur’s pale finger with awe and adoration in their eyes.

Alfred squeezed Arthur’s hand, and blue eyes met sparkling green and they leaned in for a soft kiss. They parted and rested on each other’s forehead, sharing breaths and ‘I love you’s’ until Alfred mentioned their reservations.

Arthur leaned back, looked at his hand where the sparkling ring still sat, then back to his fiancé and shook his head.

“The reservations can wait five more minutes.”

And he leaned in for another kiss.

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

The two clashed against each other, tongues and teeth and hands flying everywhere they could touch.

Alfred let his hands roam down Arthur’s back, following each curve with his hand until he got to his husband’s ass, to which he gave a light slap that sent the smaller man forward with a jolt and a soft moan escaping his lips.

Alfred smirked down at his husband, down to his boxers thanks to their escapade in their living room, and marveled at the expanse of pale white skin displayed before him. His hands wandered from the man’s ass, reaching up to stroke down his chest, purposefully gliding past his sensitive buds that elicited a small gasp from Arthur who responded to his husband’s antics by grinding down against Alfred’s leg.

Both men gasped at the friction, and Alfred flipped Arthur onto their bed with a slight growl. He wasted no time taking his rightful place above the man and crashed their lips together, tongue invading the other’s open mouth and drawing out small gasps and groans of pleasure from the Englishman.

The Americans hands trailed down the sensitive sides of his lover before coming over to palm his husband through his boxers.

“A-Alfred, don’t be such a tease.” Arthur huffed into the mans shoulder, then turning his head to bite at the neck in front of him.

Alfred let out a soft gasp as Arthur latched onto a particularly sensitive spot on his neck.

“What do you mean,” Alfred asked innocently, reaching below the waistband of his husband’s boxers and stroking the man. “You want me to stop this?”

Arthur moaned at the contact, clawing at his husband’s back as Alfred increased his pace.

“Y-You bloody git, you know what I mean.”

Alfred laughed and peeled off the boxers in one swift motion, freeing his husband from his confines and listening as Arthur moaned at the cold air on his sensitive dick.

Alfred reached over to grab the lube stashed away in their beside table. He slicked up his fingers and circled a finger around the sensitive area as his husband rutted down onto him.

Alfred slipped a finger in shallowly, before pulling it back out with a smirk on his face. Arthur gasped at the contact, and growled as it was pulled away.

“Just get on with it you twat.”

Alfred offered a sinful grin and leaned in to whisper into his husband’s ear; “Five more minutes sweetheart.”

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

“Now Amelia, you be a good girl for Uncle Mattie, okay? Daddy and Papa will be back later tonight okay?” Alfred said to his little girl who was clutching onto Arthur’s leg with a vice like grip.

“It’s only a few hours sweetheart, and Uncle Mattie has a lot of fun things planned for you two! Isn’t that exciting?” Arthur offered, but the young girl only gripped onto his leg tighter.

“B-But Daddy, I’m gonna miss you!” The young girl cried and the two fathers looked at each other guiltily.

Matthew stepped in, bending down to face the little girl.

“I brought chocolate chips cookies and your favorite Barbie movie Amelia. We’re going to have lots of fun.” The Canadian offered, and the young girl quieted her sobbing at the mention of cookies.

She was Alfred’s child after-all.

“O-Okay, can I have all the cookies I want Uncle Mattie?” The little girl said, her eyes twinkling up at her Uncle.

Matthew laughed nervously and looked to the two parents, each shrugging their shoulders knowing the girl wouldn’t let them leave if she didn’t get what she wanted.

“Of course Amelia, anything you want.” Matthew said with a smile, and with that the two fathers were allowed to leave their home.

Alfred grabbed Arthur’s hand as they walked to their car.

“Amelia sure didn’t want to let you go tonight,” The American said with a laugh as he held the door open for his husband to slide into the passenger seat. Arthur still blushed at Alfred’s gesture and rushed into their car to hide the blush Alfred already knew was gracing his husband’s cheeks. “She loves you too much, I have some major competition.”

Arthur laughed and shoved his husband playfully on the arm.

“You aren’t going to be in competition with your own daughter, love,” Arthur smiled at his husband, his eyes shining with barely contained adoration. “besides she loves you just as much.”

Alfred chuckled and the two drove to the hotel they booked, the car filled with small talk about their jobs, or Amelia and her antics, until they reached the hotel and rolled into a parking spot.

Alfred put the car in park and turned to watch his husband unbuckle his seatbelt in the soft moonlight.

He was still just as perfect as the day he met him.

Alfred reached out and grasped his husband’s hand and pulled him over the center console into his arms. He peppered the pale face with soft kisses and Arthur let out small giggles at each kiss.

Finally, their lips met in a passionate kiss, and the two melted into each other, teeth clacking and tongues clashing in the heat of it.

They pulled away, taking the time to stare into the other’s eyes before Alfred leaned in again.

“Wanna make out for five more minutes?”

Arthur laughed.

“What are we, teenagers?”

“Hell yeah.”

“…Five more minutes.”

And the two kissed until hotel security came over and ushered them to their room.

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

Arthur rolled over, arms finding the warmth of his husband beside him and he wiggled his way into his husband’s chest, sighing as he felt the strong arms wrap around him.

He laid there, fingers tracing soft patterns on the chest before he looked up at his husband’s face.

“Alfie, you still up?”

A soft grunt signified that yes, his husband was still awake.

“I can’t believe Amelia is in college,” Arthur whispered into his husband’s chest, feeling his eyes fill with the beginnings of tears. “Just yesterday she was our little girl crying at us leaving her, now she’s all grown up and in college.”

Alfred sighed and tightened his hold on Arthur, burying his face in his hair and inhaling the calming scent.

“Darling, we’re getting old,” Alfred whined into his hair, and Arthur rolled his eyes. “She’s going to be fine, she’s a strong and smart girl.”

Arthur sighed, and pushed away from Alfred’s chest to look at his sleepy husband.

Alfred had aged well, his eyes were still as blue as they always had been and still sparkled with that childlike mirth, and he was still just as toned as he had been since his teenage years.

He was just as beautiful as he always was.

Arthur let out another soft sigh and buried himself back into the warm chest.

“Time’s moving too fast love,” Arthur held onto Alfred a little tighter. “Make it slow down.”

He felt Alfred’s arms move, and let out a soft gasp as he was lifted on top of his husband’s chest. He looked down at the man he’s loved for his entire life and smiled.

Alfred was watching him with that soft, sleepy smile and Arthur could’ve melted right then and there.

“Arthur, baby, you’ve still got a long time to spend with me. I’m not going anywhere.”

Arthur nodded, and leaned back down to lie on top of his husband.

“Are you going to go back to sleep now, dear?” Alfred asked with a yawn, and Arthur shook his head, running his fingers down his husband’s chest.

“Hold me for five more minutes love.”

Alfred grunted and tightened his grip around his husband.

“I’ll give ya ten tonight, Artie.”

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

Alfred’s eyes shone with tears as he grasped the hand in his own a little tighter.

He looked down to where his tanned hand was gripping onto a smaller, paler one.

But the paler one had an IV in it.

His eyes followed that hand, up the arm and to the beautiful face of his husband. His hair still as messy as ever, and eyes still the beautiful emerald color he adored so much, but they didn’t hold the same amount of life they used to before.

Cancer, it really took the life out of someone. Alfred knew that all too well.

Because he had watched it. Every day for the last two years he watched it take the life away from his life. Every day he watched Arthur get more and more weak, grow more and more tired until they ended up here. Surrounded by machines and beeping and death.

Oh god, Alfred did not want to think about death.

He didn’t even notice he was crying until that frail, pale hand came up to rest on his cheek and wipe away a single tear that was trailing its way down his face.

“Love, don’t cry for me,” Arthur said, his voice weak and trembling. “It’ll all be alright darling.”

Alfred shook his head and grasped the hand on his cheek, turning his head and pressing a kiss to it as more tears slipped out of his eyes.

“Don’t say that Artie,” Alfred sniffled. “You know I can’t live without you.”

Arthur scoffed, and he took a breath to throw back a witty retort, but he choked on the air and went into a violent coughing fit.

Alfred’s chest hurt seeing his lover in such a state, though he knew he was powerless in this situation. He reached out and ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up even more than it already was.

Arthur shot him a half-hearted glare, but his eyes held no malice. In them was only love, and yet Alfred’s chest still stung at the dullness of them.

Arthur knew his time was coming, his body was so tired of fighting, so he reached a hand out once more and gripped Alfred’s hand as tight as his body would let him. With all his strength he lifted himself off his hospital bed and planted a soft kiss to Alfred’s lips.

The two held each other until Arthur was gasping for breath, and Alfred gently set him back down onto the bed, tears glistening in his eyes.

“Alfie, love,” Arthur whispered, a small smile gracing his lips. “I love you so much dear. Take care of Amelia, I know she’s going to need her Daddy.”

Alfred held back a sob at that, not yet ready to say goodbye. But as Arthur laid back in his bed, and shut his eyes, his breath slowing and the heart rate monitor slowing, Alfred knew this was his final moments.

He couldn’t contain his sobs anymore, and he leaned forward to grasp at his husband begging him to stay with him.

“Please Artie, just give me five more minutes,” Alfred sobbed into his husband’s still chest. “Just five more minutes love, please.”

The monitor beside the bed flatlined, and gone was Alfred’s entire life.

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

Alfred laid in his bed, glancing to the empty space beside him. It’s been thirty-six years, and he still hadn’t gotten used to the emptiness Arthur left in his life.

In one hand, he clutched his wedding ring, the other hand held a photo of the two on their wedding day.

He felt his breath become more labored. He was eighty-seven now, and somehow, he knew his time was coming.

Alfred’s eyes began to slowly fall, and he let a smile grace his lips.

“Five more minutes Artie, I’ll be with you soon.” He whispered into the night air, and with that, he was reunited with the love of his life once again.