#That is one snazzy and fancy watch!

[pseudo-hero]

In the same spirit as the bottom of my "Comics!Clex Plot Connection?" post, here's another (sort of serious) Clex/SuperTie Translation:

Lex Luthor: "You and I could make a pretty lovin—I mean, great pair, I think. A wonderful not-couple. Don't you think? Pretty please say you do! We could save each other."

Superman: *Pretends to not have already made up his mind* "Listen Lex, I want to be able to hold you believe in you so badly...which is why I came here to ask you...if you would be...my partner in stopping crime?"

Lex Luthor: "...What...? Oh...! I thought you'd never ask! I mean—I knew you'd eventually come around to see things my way...my love."

[littlechivalry]

Wedding Bell Blues

(no Upside Down AU, meet-ugly, Baker!Steve/wedding singer!Eddie)

--

Eddie is a wedding musician and it's pretty great actually. It's not the rock star life he dreamed of but it's a damned sight better than most people including him expected of Al Munson's little boy.

Eddie gets to play music. For a living. And he does pretty well. He gets to dress up a little snazzy. He gets free fancy food and a couple of drinks. And he gets to shoot his shot with anybody that looks like fun.

He's good at it too. That's the best part. His younger years spent being a low level drug dealer and a high level weirdo mean he can read a room in an instant. He gets the playlist from the bride usually, presses for some other song ideas, and he can tell who to take requests from at six paces. And who to ignore from across the room.

It's a good time.

Unfortunately not all ceremonies can be winners and based on the tension Eddie has felt from almost everyone involved in today's wedding it was going to be a tough gig.

Everything starts in an hour but Eddie isn't on until the reception so he has plenty of time to grab a smoke before soundcheck. He knows the venue pretty well and there's an alcove next to the vendor loading area. Nice flowers, a decent bench, and it's nowhere near the dumpsters.

This venue butts up against a small patch of woodland and Eddie wonders if he might have time to check it out, see if there's anything inspiring. He doesn't hike but he does enjoy a walk in nature.

Before he gets the chance a baby blue van with 'Steve's Sweets' painted across the side pulls up, blocking his sight line.

He mourns the loss of his view right up until the driver pops the door open and climbs out.

Oh, the beauties nature provides.

Acid wash jeans which under any other circumstances Eddie would laugh at are lovingly hugging possibly the finest ass he has ever had the pleasure of seeing.

The rest of the picture - when he can drag his attention away - is pretty choice too. A soft looking pink sweater, sleeves pushed up to expose sun bronzed skin making Eddie idly wonder if the man is that tan all over.

The crowning glory is a gorgeous head of hair framing a face that Eddie can only describe as pretty.

Eddie tries to turn his attention back to his cigarette. Admiring someone is one thing, leering like a creep is entirely different.

He takes a last drag and drops the filter on the gravel, grinding it out under his feet. Mentally he says farewell to the handsome stranger and turns to go back inside.

Eddie takes two steps before a suit clad man comes out of the building and pushes past him in a rush.

"Steven."

The man's not yelling, but his voice is the kind of loud that demands to be heard.

Eddie turns to watch as the man approaches the van and the other guy, Steve apparently, standing in front of it.

"What the hell are you doing here dressed like that."

Eddie should go inside. This isn't his business. But one of the perks of working weddings was the drama and this was very promising.

He stays where he is, standing just in front of the door. In case either man looks in his direction Eddie actually mimes patting at his jacket like he is looking for his smokes.

"I'm delivering a cake, Dick. And if it wasn't for Diana I wouldn't even be doing that much. She deserves to get something good out of this day."

Eddie bites back a smile, lowering his head a little so he can still watch what was happening ideally without being noticed.

"You will refer to me as father. I believe I have earned at least that much respect."

Eddie feels his eyebrows rise. This kind of drama was another part of why he likes weddings. Better than the soap operas he watches with Uncle Wayne.

"Sure," Steve snorts. "Tell you what, I'll compromise," and he continues, "Riiichaaaard."

"Grow up, Steven. You were invited here as a guest. You had better have a tuxedo in that stupid truck of yours, the ceremony starts in an hour."

"I was hired to bake a cake. Part of my fee includes delivery. That is literally the only reason I'm here. You and the future ex-Mrs Harrington will have to celebrate without me. Try not to cry yourself to sleep about it."

"You little asshole," Richard snarls. "You think you're better than me. You think I wanted you here? You owe me your presence. I have important people coming to this wedding and I need them to see my dutiful son at my side."

The baker laughs, a low nasty chuckle that sends a perverse shiver down Eddie's back.

"Tell you what, Dick, I'm booked up today but I'll come to your next wedding." Eddie looks up to see Steve is grinning, bright and as sharp as a knife. "I'll even get you a toaster."

Eddie lurches in place as he sees Richard lunge towards Steve. He is too far away to stop the man but he has to do something.

Before he takes a step the door swings open again and a petite woman comes rushing out.

"Richard?"

Eddie watches as she runs forward tugging at the satin bathrobe she is wrapped in. She freezes a few feet away from what had been brewing into a nasty fight.

"Steve? You're here-- oh, but your suit! Richard? What's going on?"

The older man doesn't turn around, doesn't seem to notice her at all but Eddie watches Steve gingerly move until he is standing between his father and the woman.

"Hey Diana," he says softly. "Sorry you had to see this, dad and me just have a difference of opinion. Everything's fine."

Eddie feels something in him clench. He is very familiar with the tone in Steve's voice. He had heard it from his uncle Wayne to his dad when he was a little kid. It is soft but firm, implacable. Eddie isn't sure exactly what is coming but he can tell Steve knew and that it would be bad.

The venue usually had at least two security patrolling the grounds, more if the reception was expected to be contentious. Eddie doesn't know where they are right now but hopefully not far.

"See what you've done Steven? God, you're useless."

"Richard, don't say that," Diana says, her voice rising.

The older man is turning from pink to red and Eddie can see Steve moving slowly, shifting his father's attention to him.

"That's me, Richard. Useless Steve. Flunked out of college and he bakes cookies like some kind of fairy. You sure you want to parade your failure of a son in front of the hoi polloi?"

Eddie hears Diana's gasp from where he's standing. "Steve, what are you talking about? Richard what's going on?"

Richard turns his glare on her and Eddie feels himself moving forward almost against his own will. He's not sure what he'll do when he gets there but he's never been the bystander type.

Steve just laughs. Bright and angry. "I'm not sure what my father told you about our relationship but we don't have one."

"No," she says. "Your father-- he told me-- "

When Eddie met her a few weeks ago he had seen a confident, charming woman that knew exactly what she wanted and was excited to be married. Now she looks confused, maybe even scared.

Eddie has gotten closer to this whole altercation than he wanted to be but since he is there and it looks like Steve and Richard are busy trying to glare holes in each other Eddie steps up to Diana and lightly grasps her elbow.

She startles and turns to face him. Her eyes are wide, wet and staring.

"Mr. Munson," she asks, softly.

Eddie tries to smile. "Mr. Munson is my uncle, ma'am. It's Eddie. Let's get you out of here, okay? Back inside."

Eddie is able to gently guide her a few steps away. He hates turning his back on the other two men but he needs to get Diana out of reach for whatever is about to happen.

"I dont understand," the bride mutters. "Steve used to be such a sweet boy. Mr. Harrin-- Richard. Oh, I'm so silly. Richard. He said-- this is so embarassing."

Her voice is pitched and tight and if she isn't crying yet she would be soon. Eddie resolves to get her inside and into the arms of literally any friendly face.

"Hey," Eddie says. "Let's just--" he scrambles for a name. Anna? Annie? "Amy, right? Your maid of honor? Let's get you to her, okay. You can sit down."

Diana nods.

Behind him he can hear Richard and Steve hissing noxious words back and forth. There is no shouting but the air is heavy and hot with anger. Even though he was outside Eddie feels like he can't breathe.

Eddie gets Diana to the door, hadn't realized how close they really were, maybe 30 feet if that. It's open, anxious faces framed in weathered oak. He hands Diana off to her Maid of Honor who quickly sweeps the woman deeper into the hall and then he nods to Patricia Abernathy, the event space manager.

"Think we're gonna have a cancellation," he says, nodding towards the departing woman.

She rolls her eyes. "Can't say I'm surprised. I had a bad feeling about this one."

Eddie scoffs. "You have a bad feeling about all of them."

He turns to face where the two men are still in a stand off in front of the van. "You're not wrong though, I think. At least I hope they cancel."

Patricia snorts. "We got the deposits locked down and the contract is airtight so if they cancel we still get fifty percent of the remaining fee. I'll take that for the rest of the day off."

"You got a date, Patty? And it's not me? You're breaking my heart."

"Ha," she says flatly. "That pretty boy is more your type and from the way he's talking you're in with a chance. Now you keep an eye on those two. Security is on their way, we'll see if they can get here before these guys start really butting heads."

Eddie nods. It isn't the first time he had been called on to help manage fractious families.

He turns back in time to see Richard take a swing at Steve. The younger guy steps back out of the way and Eddie can hear his mocking laugh as far away as the door.

He moves closer to the two of them. Eddie isn't going to get in the middle of the fight but maybe if he reminds them there are other people around that might be enough to calm them down.

He watches Richard lunge forward and swing again. This time Steve can't move away fast enough and the blow glances off of his cheek.

"Hey," Eddie calls, now jogging towards them. "Hey, knock it off! You wanna fight take it somewhere else!"

Steve turns to face Eddie, opening his mouth as if he was going to say something but all that comes out is a low grunt as Richard hits him in the shoulder and shoves him to the ground.

Eddie throws himself forward, pushing Richard away. "What do you think you're doing," he shouts in the man's face but Richard doesn't seem to hear, pressing back against Eddie.

"You little bastard," Richard shouts at his son. "You're worthless! I don't know why I bothered."

"Go to hell," Steve replies.

That seems to make Richard even angrier which Eddie hadn't thought was possible. He isn't sure he will be able to hold him off much longer.

"Hey, what's going on here," a low even voice calls. It is the venue security guard, his partner just behind him with a hand on his radio.

Eddie feels himself relax and then stumbles back as Richard pushes him aside to fall on his son again.

Eddie turns to see both guards trying to pull the older man away as he continues to hit his son, screaming obscenities.

Not sure how to help, Eddie stands by. When he sees an opening he lunges forward and takes hold of Steve's shoulders, pulling him back and away.

The younger man fights against him at first, eyes closed and arms up in front of his face.  Eddie figures he probably didn't know whose hands are on him.

"Hey. Hey. It's me, Eddie. Shit. I work here. You're safe, security has your dad. You're safe."

Eddie steps back, loosening his grip on Steve but still keeping one hand on his shoulder, trying to sooth him.

A few feet away Richard is still twisting, trying to get free and attack his son again, but Eddie can see the guards have a good hold on him and it doesn't look like they will be letting go any time soon.

As Steve calms down Eddie lets go of his shoulder, instead crouching next to him. "You doing okay? I saw you had you hands up but he got a few hits in."

Steve lowers his arms and sits upright. He twists his neck back and forth and shifts his shoulders before opening his eyes and looking up at Eddie. "I'm okay. I'm fine. God, it's a soap opera isn't it? Fuck."

Eddie lets himself drop into a seat next to the other man. They both watch in silence as the guards march Steve's father around the corner to the front of the event hall.

"You know the bride? Diana," the guy asks. "She was my babysitter. When I was eleven."

"Oof," Eddie says. "So she was--"

"Seventeen then, and now it's been twenty years for her and about three wives for him."

"Scandalous," Eddie murmurs. He sees Steve smile and feels relieved. "What will people say. The 'hoi polloi' I believe you called them?"

Steve snorts. "A crowd of empty suits that exist solely to tell my dad how respected he is. Will he get arrested?"

"Maybe," Eddie says. "I think that might be up to you. It's assault at least."

"Ugh," Steve says, rubbing his face. "That's all I need. I'm trying to get him out of my life."

"Well," Eddie says. "I can attest that jail is very good at keeping deadbeat dads out of your life."

Steve starts laughing and then winces, wrapping an arm around his stomach.

"Shit, you are hurt," Eddie says, scrambling to his feet. "Do you need an ambulance? Patty probably called 911 by now."

Steve waves him off. "I'm fine. This is not my first fight and my old man hits-- well, I was gonna say 'like a girl' but then my best friend would kick my ass and I'm way more scared of her," Steve says, laughing softly.

He looks up at Eddie and holds out his free hand. "You gonna help me up? Or is chivalry dead?"

"Chivalry," Eddie repeats. "You a damsel in distress?"

"I might as well be," Steve says. "Now come on."

Eddie laughs and reaches down, gently guiding Steve back to his feet. He feels the man's weight leaning on him for a few seconds and despite the circumstances Eddie has to admit Steve feels good in his arms.

Once he is steady Steve steps back and Eddie lets him go.

Steve moves to the van and leans up against the metal surface. Eddie walks over to join him.

"So," Steve says. "What next?"

Eddie shakes his head. "I honestly don't know. The wedding is canceled, for sure. For today at least."

"Just for today? You think she'll marry him still?"

Eddie shrugs. "I have no idea. I wouldn't but then I wouldn't have said yes in the first place."

Steve leans back, tapping his head against the van a few times before he turns back to Eddie. "You know the worst part? This was my last delivery. Now, I have to deal with this stupid cake. Three tiers of lemon and raspberry." He laughs. "Do you think a homeless shelter will take a wedding cake?"

Eddie grins. "I don't see why not. At least something good will come out of today."

Steve looks up towards the hall. "I feel like I should say something-- to Diana, I mean. She was always really nice to me, she deserved better than this."

"I have found that good or bad people rarely get what they deserve. You don't really owe her anything but I can't fault the impulse." Turning towards the hall, Eddie gestures for Steve to follow him. "Just-- just don't apologize for him? Okay?"

Steve walks in silence for a few steps before he coughs roughly. His voice is thick and choked and he coughs again. "I, uh, I stopped apologizing for him a long time ago. His faults are his own. I just wish I didn't get dragged into it."

Eddie laughs. "I know that song."

"Yeah," Steve asks.

Eddie nods. They are at the door and he pulls it open for the other man, gesturing him in with a bow.

Steve stops in the doorway as Eddie stands up again. He is framed by the light inside and the scent of hothouse roses comes drifting out into the open air. Eddie can picture him suddenly in that moment standing at a balcony limned by moonlight.

"Hey Sunshine," Eddie says softly. "Buy me a drink and we can trade stories?"

Steve smiles. "Yeah," he says, with a small laugh. "Sure, why not." He holds up his hands, still dirty and scraped from the asphalt. "Help me get cleaned up and let me say something to Diana. Then we can talk."

Eddie nods, reaches out, and places his hands gently over Steve's. "Sounds good to me."

[akajustmerry]

Can you tell us more about queercoding in relation to robes? I'm so intrigued by that, especially when I've heard so many people say that Dale's queerness got sidelined this season

okay I'm gonna address the last thing you mention in this ask first ie Dale's queerness being "sidelined" because I've also seen this being said and from the bottom of my heart I want to say that if you (not you anon) watched season 3 of the Newsreader and thought that that Dale's queerness was sidelined, you do not have the reading comprehension skills or maturity necessary to appreciate the show. So just quickly wrt to the sideline claim:

Dale's bisexuality and his fear of it being discovered drives the great majority of his decisions - from how he dresses to who he spends time with to what he spends money on. So much so he has a literal mental breakdown over the constant pressure. Something that's a character's main motivation is by definition not sidelined.

I find what people usually mean when they say this, especially about bisexual characters but generally about LGB characters is that they view queer representation as almost exclusively queer intimacy. It should go without saying but being queer is about who you want to be intimate with as much as it is about actually being intimate. Dale doesn't experience a lot of queer intimacy and that is by design because of his fears of being discovered. Again the fact he isn't intimate with men is driven by his understanding of his queerness.

Finally, I really need Sam Reid fans from the Iwtv fandom to understand that Dale is the secondary protagonist of the Newsreader. Helen is the protagonist. And more generally, this is an ensemble show. If Dale feels off to the side it's because he is not the main character and not the focus of the show. At best he's the second main character behind Helen. This show is actually about Helen.

Okay that rant is done, onto the robe stuff:

Forgive me, I can't credit exactly where this was first discussed, historically, (I believe maybe in the documentary The Celluloid Closet but if anyone has a better reference lmk), but elaborate robes/dressing gowns have often been used in queer coding. This is in part because fancy robes on men signify significant disposable income via being a bachelor and having no wife or kids. They're luxury items.

This coding through costume goes as far back as Sam's uncle in Bewitched who was very queer coded and often wore elaborate dressing gowns. There's even a joke in The Nanny where Fran isn't surprised people think Max is gay and she lists off his bachelor status, grooming habits and robes. More recently, you can see this kind of coding through robes in costume design in Ripley where it's made a point that Tom takes and wears Dickey's robes, and in Queer 2024. This kind of design choice is even in Interview With The Vampire. Lestat and Louis both wear very fancy robes throughout the series (Lestat's far more opulent ofc), literally the morning after they first have sex there's that shot of Lestat seeing Louis out the door wearing a very snazzy dressing gown.

I think there's also a gendered element too in that dressing gowns/robes are seen as items of clothing a traditionally masculine man would not wear. This is also why male villains wearing dress robes is a trope because it's kind of a way to code deviancy by way of male femininity which has often had crossover with coding queerness. Not the most sophisticated or good faith example, I know, but the most recent fast and furious movie has a whole sequence where Jason Mamoa (bad guy) has a pamper session surrounded by dead bodies while he paints his nails and wears a purple fluffy robe. The very old homophobic signification of using a robe to indicate male femininity, therefore queerness and therefore deviancy is so clear in that movie that I was kinda shocked to see it in one made so recently.

Of course I'm not saying that Dale wearing a robe is homophobic. It's not, but it does align with a very rich history of using snazzy dressing gowns to signify being a bachelor, being wealthy and being queer. All things Dale is grappling with in season 3 and I really enjoyed it as a detail, as you can see. Thanks for asking 🥰

[sillybilly-room21]

words cannot describe how much i love fawfulydoo’s candyman before he got turned into candyman if that makes sense

oh boy henry where do i start 😓

Henry, you are the most jollyest, most jovial person i have ever laid my eyes upon. Your absolute whimsical personality causes innumerable amounts of serotonin to flood my brain. This may sound weird but i have almost all of fawfulydoo’s art of you in my candyman album, quite literally causing me to run out of storage (including the candyman art). Henry you do not understand how 𝒻𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓀𝓉𝒶𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓁 i want to get with you right now /j. Your funky yet fancy style makes me go “😍” but it’s only special when worn by you though. Everytime i see a drawing or anything that replicates you i start rolling around on the floor to try to release my happiness because if i don’t i’ll spontaneously discombobulate. Henry i cut out a drawing of you with the new curly hair design and taped it to the wall of my desk to stare at intensely.

You are the thorns to my rose, the pencil to my paper, the bullet to my gun and the gasoline to my fire.

Henry you are the most wonderful person i have ever EVER acknowledged in my whole life and you make me go

because of how wonderful you are. I bet your voice is super silly and whimsical and joyful and “hehehuhu” and all that pink and rainbows stuff. Henry.,,,., honey, my pookie bear. I have loved you ever since i first laid eyes on you. The way you hit the anti gravity ball with your cane to absolutely obliterate your opponent. Your dazzling button up, and those snazzy pants. I would do anything for you. I wish it were possible to freeze time so i would never have to watch you get taken by the tri government. You are so awesome sauce, and you are so coolio toolio. You are amazing playing lethal league, you’re a great player with an amazing cane, sometime i even call you my silly billy. I forever dread and weep, thinking of the day you will one day be experimented on. I would deplete my energy if it were the only thing that could give you an advantage on your opponents. You have given me so much joy, and heartbreak over the years (one year). I remember when you got snatched by the tri government and its like my heart got broken into a million pieces. But a tear still fell from my right eye when i watched you laugh in a transparent void (i don’t know any times he was happy with some sort context except for that gif of him crying laughing), because deep down, my hp deserved it. I just wanted you to return home and unmutate. Then allas, you did(n’t), my skrunkly skrungo (didn’t) came home and i rejoiced. 2023 was a hard year for us zude, but in 2024 you made history happen. You could be so whimsical in almost every situation and i couldn’t believe it. I was crying, crying a river even. and then my glorious pal yelled “DRAT!! I’M ALL OUTTA MEDS AND INSURANCE HASN’T APPROVED IT YET!!”

Not only have you changed your silly appearance (you still look silly)

but you’ve eternally changed my life.

And now you’ve got defeated again, but you’re still the silly, MY silly.

I love you pookie bear, my silly man, Henry. 😋❤️❤️

urghh i have homework to do what am i doing..

i don’t know if i want to tag fawfulydoo in this i’m scared can someone do it for me out of spite please

if fawfulydoo is tagged, sorry if this is weird fawful but henry is just so awesome saucr dude 😞

[jules-has-notes]

Lost In Japan — VoicePlay music video

When the VoicePlay guys go to clubs together, they're usually the ones on stage. But for the sake of this video, the swanky VIP section became the VP section. They took inspiration from Shawn Mendes's original music video, and took the opportunity to get a little gussied up for a (pretend) night out. Add in their usual fabulous singing and some fancy camera work, and the result is a certified jam that's also fun to watch. If you aren't already, you should be at this club. You don't even have to move from where you are right now.

Details:

title: Lost In Japan

original performer: Shawn Mendes

written by: Shawn Mendes, Scott Harris, Nate Mercereau, & Teddy Geiger

arranged by: J.None & Earl Elkins Jr.

release date: 17 May 2019

My favorite bits:

those tight, crisp opening harmonies

Layne acting startled in the corner before his part begins

J.None's buttery smooth lead vocals

the laid-back bounciness of Geoff's bass line

the abundance of airy sounds Layne put into his percussion to enhance the anticipatory feel of the lyrics

Earl and Eli providing solid backing vocals throughout

Eli looking from one iteration of J to another on his opposite side by the power of editing

going from pure unison on ♫ "can't get your off my mind" ♫ to that big harmonized belt of ♫ "I can't seem to get you off my mind" ♫

those cool lighting effects in the couch panels (Good job, Eli.)

the silence between their unison lines

the middle trio bopping from side to side

J moseying from his falsetto back down to settle into his chest voice and finish things off beautifully

Trivia:

This is a rare instance of neither Layne nor Geoff being involved in the arrangement or video production for a long-form video. Earl and J had both been getting more involved the music arrangement process over the previous year, and they did a fantastic job on that together. Similarly, Eli had been getting more into the lighting and editing side of things, so he handled the visual duties.

J.None's first arrangement for the group was also a Shawn Mendes tune, their short cover of "In My Blood" the previous summer.

Ironically, the video filming was slightly delayed because the enormous white couch got a bit lost in transit.

The cover art was once again designed by Rek Dunn.

They teased the video release a couple days in advance on Twitter with a string of suggestive symbols.

A fan was taken with Earl's snazzy outfit and drew some equally snazzy fanart.

art by rtlndr_ on Instagram

This track was later included on VoicePlay's "Citrus" album, which compiled most of the songs they recorded from 2017-19. Because the individual songs had already been made available digitally, that album is exclusively a physical item that can only be purchased at live shows or through their website.

Fellow a cappella group Citizen Queen had released their own version of the song a few months earlier.

The word Japan in the title seems to have attracted a larger than usual contingent of Japanese viewers on YouTube, many of whom left very nice comments.

[sanddusted-wisteria]

12/18: Owen & Grace

Also on AO3 | Index

[Passing mentions of lategame spoilers in this chapter.]

Just about all of Owen’s bartending supplies were on the saloon’s bar counter. A bar on a bar, hummed a bemused part of Owen’s brain as he watched Grace concoct her magic brews.

She scribbled down some notes as she lightly tasted another prototype, before grabbing a bottle from the rainbow of liqueurs that she had clustered on her right side and adding a little bit. Then she shuffled through the small pile of fruits and other garnishes, picking up a bit of lime peel and considering, before just chopping a fresh slice to hang on the rim of her glass. Another sip, and she nodded. “Yeah, I like that,” she hummed.

“Looks phenomenal,” said Owen, admiring the liquid in the glass with its red to green gradient. “Mind if I have one?”

“Was just about to make you one,” Grace said with a smile. “Only right that you get the first real version of it.”

Owen chuckled. Grace was always kind enough to give him a sample of every new cocktail she finalized, but it was always good to ask first. “So what’s the story behind this one?” he asked as he shifted a bit on his stool.

Grace set down a new glass and started making the drink again, far more confident this time. “Eh…nothing super snazzy this time. Not a fancy Old World recipe or inspired by some cool creature or person…”

“Thought of a name yet, or…?”

“Ah, that’s the thing. I’ve got everything BUT the name.” Grace got out the bottles of cherry liqueur and club soda, carefully topping the small pool of mint-lime syrup with fizziness before dyeing the top with deep, rich red. “The story…feel like it’s supposed to be a kind of a mix up. Like, you drink the bitter red part and then you start to get that minty, zesty bottom… It lightens up a lot.”

Owen’s face softened. He was suddenly aware how much the red of the cocktail looked like the red of Grace’s jacket. “Ah… From dark to light…red to green…spice to zest.”

“Exactly!” Grace slipped a slice of lime on the rim and pushed the glass towards Owen. Her smile faded into something more wistful. “…From city to sand.”

“Not a bad name right there…”

Grace let out a snort. “Doesn’t even fit with the look of the drink.”

“Hey, sometimes all that matters is that it’s catchy. Somethin’ that makes ya look slick when you slide up to the bar and ask for one,” Owen hummed as he took the glass, carefully holding it out with a raised eyebrow.

Taking her partly empty glass in hand, Grace clinked it against Owen’s, the satisfying little ting signifying another addition to her growing menu.

The first sip was tart, bitter, spicy. The tart cherry flavor with the bite of the brandy, the tingle of the spices and the bubbles. With a few more sips, it began to mild out, the fizz of the soda still present, but no longer gnashing at Owen’s tongue. Then the chilliness of the mint and the zest of the lime hit him, the bubbles accentuating the excited flavor. It was like a bittersweet farewell…and the anticipation of something new and wonderful. All in a little glass.

“First thought I had of a name was ‘Fresh Start’...but that sounds kinda lame, somehow…”

“‘...Goodbye, Hello?’” Owen blurted out.

Grace only blinked. But not out of confusion over the meaning, it seemed. “Hmm… I dunno. Sounds better as ‘Hello, Goodbye…’ and that’s the exact opposite of what the drink is…”

A furrow sank into both of their brows as they kept iterating. “From Sand to Sprout,” “Planting trial no. 2,” “The Martle and Mort,” “Cleansing Waters,” “Train to Atara—”

“‘Train to Sandrock!’” Owen’s head shot up from where it was perched in his hand. “Like a journey to a fresh new place, across the harsh desert and into a verdant land of second chances!”

“Huh! I…yeah, I really like that!” Grace let out a chuckle. “Catchy, meaningful…bit covert of its true significance but still keeping the heart of it…”

Owen found himself laughing right alongside her, warm from both the drink and the story. In all the years that he’d stood behind this bar, or hustled back and forth from the kitchen, he’d hear about people packing up from Sandrock, waiting for their trains out. The only opportunities left for them were with the train to Atara, or the train to Highwind.

But finally, after so many years…maybe now people could see that their true potential lie on the other side of the line on the train to Sandrock.

———

A/N: Inspired by me recently binge watching all the cocktail recipes on Dirty Laundry... I have no idea if this cocktail would taste good if you actually make it 😂 I did look up a bit of flavor profiling/different alcohols but I still have no idea how any of these recipes are made or why they work flkdfadjrkj. forgive me cocktail snobs...

[thoselethalarts]

𝓚𝓪𝔃𝓾𝓸 𝓖𝓾𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓮𝓻𝓸 - 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂

(SSR) Birthday Suit Up (Part 1): “Happy Birthday!”

(Savanaclaw Dorm: Birthday Venue)

NRC Newspaper Birthday Interviews ~Kazuo Edition~

> Happy Birthday! The suit looks good on you.

Kazuo: Hey, thanks! I look pretty snazzy in it, don’t I~? Kazuo: I don’t usually get to dress up all fancy like this unless I go out to dinner at a nice restaurant with my family. Kazuo: I’m not goin’ out today, but it definitely helps to make it feel like a special occasion~

“Do you have any big plans for today?”

Kazuo: Not particularly! Honestly, since I came here, everything has felt like one big adventure. Kazuo: I get to experience and learn new things every day, things I wouldn’t ever get to experience back home. Kazuo: It’s exciting and fun, and I’m gonna really cherish the time I get to spend here for as long as I can. Kazuo: So I guess maybe I’ll just take today to chill and relax with my friends. Maybe we can get some food together later, watch some movies or play some video games. I’ll be happy either way~

“Do you have any kind of food you were hoping to have today?”

Kazuo: Actually, yeah! But, I already got to have it earlier today. Kazuo: Ruggie came up to me earlier and asked me if I wanted to go get some donuts for breakfast, since it was my birthday. Kazuo: Donuts are nice, but honestly… I was really craving a nice, hot stack of pancakes. It’s my favorite food, and usually I’m so busy I don’t get a chance to make any. Kazuo: He was kinda disappointed when I turned him down. I think he was just looking forward to getting donuts with me. Kazuo: But in the end, he did end up making these really good cinnamon roll pancakes with me… they were SO good! Probably some of the best I’ve ever had! Kazuo: It took us a while to make them, and we both ended up being a little late to our first class because of it… but it was kinda worth it, at least this once~

“What kind of pancakes are your favorite?”

Kazuo: Oh wow, that’s a good question, actually. Kazuo: Hm… I guess there’d be a couple that stick out to me specifically. Kazuo: My dad makes a mean stack of banana pancakes! So those would definitely be up there. Kazuo: When I was little, he used to make them every Sunday for breakfast. It was something I always looked forward to. Kazuo: Blueberry pancakes are really good too… Oh, and one time my mom and I tried making these thick, jiggly pancakes we saw online! But those didn’t really come out all that good~ Kazuo: Hm… wait! I have an idea. Cinnamon-banana pancakes! Kazuo: I could take my dad’s banana pancake recipe and mix in some cinnamon like how me and Ruggie did today! I bet those would be great~! Kazuo: I should write that down so I won’t forget about it~

(Tap tap tap…)

Kazuo: Okay, I saved it to my phone. Anyway, what were we talking about?

“Are there other kinds of food that you like?”

Kazuo: Oh man, that’s a good question… Kazuo: Well, pancakes definitely are my favorite food. Also bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, oatmeal… I think I just like breakfast food now that I think about it, haha! Kazuo: My dad cooks most of the time for us, since my mom is usually busy with work, so we have a lot of Mexican food in my house. But that’s alright, cuz I like pretty much everything he makes. Kazuo: Honestly, I’ll eat just about anything at least once! …As long as it doesn’t have onions on it. I can’t stand raw onions. Kazuo: They’re so sharp and bitter and the smell gets all into your head when you bite down on them- urgh. I hate them. Kazuo: My dad always makes fun of me for it too! He says, “What kind of man doesn’t like onions? Keep trying them, you’ll learn to like them someday!” Kazuo: He keeps pushing them on me, I keep trying them, and I still hate them. I like everything he cooks, but I’d like to have a meal every once in a while where I didn’t have to pick around the onions…

/ To be Continued…

[slytherinshua]

HAPPY 1K TO ZANNA Z TO A TO N & N TO THE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. You deserve it. I MEAN?????? YOU ALWAYS ATE AND LEFT NO CRUMBS!? YOUR FIC ARE AMAZING AND ANOTHER LEVEL (If you deny this.. I'll make you unloyal to gyehyeon 🥰) MY FAV IS LITERALLY THE ONE YOU WROTE FOR MY BIRTHDAY :((((( I LOVE IT, I LOVE YOU AND I LOVE EVERY FIC YOU WROTE. IT MUST BE TIRING FOR YOU TO CARRY THE WRITING COMMUNITY 🤞🏻

YOU'RE SO

Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it. bro’s beautiful, handsome, pretty, elegant, breathtaking, gorgeous, attractive, charming, heavenly, stunning, exquisite, cute, magnificent, divine, alluring, pleasing, lovely, delightful, appealing, engaging, winsome, ravishing, gorgeous, glamorous, irresistible, bewitching, beguiling, graceful, elegant, exquisite, aesthetic, magnificent, hot, sexy, foxy, tasty, divine, beddable, pulchritudinous, dazzling, fascinating, fine, good looking, graceful, grand, splendid, superb, wonderful, sublime, statuesque, ravishing, radiant, ideal, nice, excellent, enticing, classy, admirable, fancy, angelic, beauteous, luscious, fetching, adoring, adorable, scrunkly, embellishing, flawless, perfect, personable, desirable, seductive, snazzy, striking, showstopping, glossy, eye catching, fabulous, prime, top notch, sensational, premium, tempting, magnetic, captivating, prepossessing, bright, my light, curvaceous, dollish, tantalizing, enchanting, pleasant, flamboyant, glorious, spectacular, fantastic, dandy, hunky, jaw dropping, droolable, rapturous, blissful, sumptuous, luxurious, palatial, swanky, extravagant, extraordinary out of this world, well formed and refined.

(Don't question this.🥰🥰)

Remember don't rush yourself yeah 👀👀👀 I'm very very very excited for your 1k event. The amount of ideas for this event 👀🤞🏻

I came to this app because of enhypen and I guess your hashtags never popped out in my feeds 😞 if it wasn't because of SO MUN 🥰🥰🥰 (Dw I'm back to my So Mun era, he's my one and only) glaresatjihoon&minhyun.

But 🤌🏻 I FEEL EXCITEMENT WHEN I SAW YOU WRITE FOR JO BYEONG GYU!$??"?$$??$?"??$ 🥰🤞🏻

You're slaying so hard (i could never 😞💔)

Everyone on this app should be reading your works cause WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY DOING IF THEY DON'T READ YOUR FICS?! If haters ever appear here, damn they probably never been loved by their parents so they throw hates 🥰

CONGRATS ONCE AGAIN 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ YOU DESERVE A REWARD

MyPinterestaregonnabefullofjbagain 👹

KSJFHSKD I GUESS I CANT REFUTE YOU CAUSE UM IM ALWAYS LOYAL TO JO GYEHYEON BEFORE ANYONE ELSE FR 💪💪 TYSM MIZU IM LITERALLY SO 💔💔💔

so proud to be hot, sexy, foxy, tasty, divine, beddable and most of all hunky 👹😭

THANK U FOR THE JB'S >>>>> WE LOVE A BIEBER 👹

HEY UR BACK IN UR SO MUN ERA CONGRATULATIONS (i started watching sky castle and its currently just me being slightly confused at ppls names and giggling whenever byeonggyu is on screen)

OMG THE BIEBER FEVER AWARD 😭😭😭😭😭

[bunchofknowledge123]

Magical Hot Air Balloon Stuff to Make Your Place Look Awesome:

Looking to sprinkle some fairy dust in your little one's room? Check out our Magical Hot Air Balloon Decorations! They're totally perfect for baby showers, birthdays, or just to make your nursery super cute. These decorations are like a box of rainbows and unicorns, adding a bit of whimsy to any room.

Handmade with Love:

Our hot air balloons are like little works of art. We take our time making sure they're just right, with snazzy details and high-quality stuff like polyester fabric, strong cotton ropes, and wooden baskets painted to look like the real deal. They're hand-folded, so you know they're unique and not just churned out by some machine.

Three Sizes and a Rainbow of Colors:

We've got three sizes to play with:

- **Tiny**: 28cm x 16cm (about 11" x 6.3")

- **Just Right**: 33cm x 20cm (about 13" x 7.9")

- **Big 'n' Beautiful**: 50cm x 30cm (about 19" x 11.8")

And they come in over 15 different colors, so you can pick the ones that match your vibe the best. The big ones even have those fancy ballast bags that make them look extra legit.

Blow 'Em Up and Watch 'Em Soar:

Don't worry, they come squished down so they don't get damaged in the mail. Just grab a hand pump (like the one you use for your kid's soccer ball) and inflate 'em. Super easy-peasy. The big ones are the coolest because you can fill 'em with helium for a floating party, but you'll need to get the gas and the pump separately.

Versatile for All Your Party Needs:

These hot air balloons are like chameleons for decorations. They fit in anywhere! Use 'em in the nursery, kid's room, baby shower, gender reveal bash, or even at a store or hotel to make it look like a page out of a storybook.

Hang 'Em High:

They come with some fancy fishing line and a clear hooky thing with sticky tape. So, you can hang 'em up wherever you want without ruining your walls. Just follow the little guide we throw in, and you're good to go.

But Remember, Safety First:

These aren't toys, folks. They're for looking at and making your place look magical. So, keep 'em out of reach of the little ones and handle with care.

How to Make Magic with 'Em:

**Nursery and Kids' Rooms:**

Imagine your baby's room with a bunch of these floating around. So dreamy, right? Just tie 'em to the ceiling, and boom! Instant fairy tale.

**Baby Showers and Gender Reveals:**

They're like the perfect party accessory. Use 'em as centerpieces or hover them over the snack table to set the mood. And the best part? They're not just for boy or girl parties—these balloons are cool for any baby bash.

**B-day Shindigs and Random Parties**

Looking to throw a party that's off the charts? These bad boys are your wingmen. Whether it's a birthday bonanza, a themed hoedown, or just a chill hangout, hot air balloons are the secret sauce. Mix 'em up with some snazzy colors and watch your party pop!

**Home Styling and Beyond**

And guess what? These balloons aren't just for the tiny humans. They're like the ultimate home accessory for grown-ups too. Stick 'em in your living room, hallway, or anywhere that's screaming for some fun. They're like the life of the party, but for your house. They can even jazz up cafes, boutiques, and hotel lobbies like nobody's business.

So, what's the deal? Basically, these hot air balloons are the bomb.com for any occasion. They're handmade, super easy to use, and they're like that friend who makes everything look better just by being there. So go ahead, sprinkle some magic and charm with these floating beauties. Your place will be the talk of the town, trust me.

[vrankup]

Nailing E-Commerce: Your Guide to Rocking Your Online Store |vrankup|

Hey there, fellow e-commerce enthusiasts! So, you're all set to dive into the e-commerce world? Awesome choice! Our digital marketing agency in Dwarka has your back with this easy-breezy guide on running your e-commerce website like a pro. Let's keep it casual and get you rolling in just the right way!

**1. Picking the Perfect Platform:**

Okay, first things first – platform time! You need a cozy home for your online shop. Look for stuff like smooth payments and SEO tools.

**2. Design Delights:**

Your shop's style matters, big time! Make it look snazzy and match your vibe. Simple navigation is the name of the game. Use snazzy pics of your products and keep a color scheme that's on point.

**3. Rockstar Product Descriptions:**

Time to make your products shine! Write descriptions that pop. Tell people what's amazing about your stuff – the features, the benefits, the whole deal. And hey, cover things like size and details so they know exactly what they're getting.

**4. No-Nonsense Navigation:**

Your shop's gotta be a breeze to stroll through. Keep it super easy for visitors to find stuff. Divide your goodies into categories and subcategories. And hey, a search bar is like your secret weapon – makes finding stuff a piece of cake.

**5. Checkout Groove:**

You don't want peeps ditching their carts, right? Keep the checkout smooth as silk. Only ask for what you really need. Throw in guest checkout and different payment choices for extra awesomeness.

**6. Tight Security:**

Lock it down! Your customers need to feel safe. Get solid payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe. Show off trust badges – they're like your shop's bodyguards against online shenanigans.

**7. Mobile Magic:**

Heads up, everyone's on their phones these days. Make sure your shop looks like a million bucks on mobiles and tablets. Mobile-responsive is the name of the game.

**8. SEO Wizardry:**

Time for a little wizardry – SEO style! Sprinkle those magical keywords all over your product pages and blog. Update your meta stuff and image tags too. That way, you'll show up higher in search results. Bam!

**9. Review Power:**

Reviews are like gold dust. They build trust, baby! Ask your happy customers to leave reviews. Display them proudly. And don't worry if there's a not-so-happy one – just tackle it pro-style.

**10. Marketing Mojo:**

Time to spread the word! Hit up social media, send out emails, create killer content, and even try some online ads. The more marketing magic, the better.

**11. TLC for Your Shop:**

Give your shop some love. Keep it fresh by adding new stuff and updating the deets. And don't slack on the security stuff – keep everything updated and tight.

**12. Customer Charm:**

Give your customers the VIP treatment. Make their experience unforgettable.

**13. Data Discovery:**

This data is pure gold for making things even better.

**14. Sky's the Limit:**

As your shop gets bigger and cooler, you might need some fancy features. Think about automation, personalized suggestions, and loyalty programs. The sky's the limit!

**15. Stay in the Loop:**

Remember, the e-commerce world's always spinning. Keep up with trends, new tech, and what your customers are digging. Stay in the loop, and you'll stay ahead.

In a nutshell, owning an e-commerce website is like jamming in a band – a mix of creativity, tech, and customer love. From picking the right platform to creating killer content, you're on your way to e-commerce stardom. So go on, rock that online shop, and watch the magic happen!

Catch you later,

Digital marketing agency in Dwarka | Digital marketing company in Dwarka,vrankup

[etherrreal]

“creep(er) into my heart”

Pairing: kenma x gn!reader Genre: fluff, friends to lovers Summary: two gamers walk into a fancy restaurant and it goes as well as you’d think. WC: 4,220 Warnings: N/A A/N: This is part 2 of “would you be mine(craft)?” with an even cornier title. You can probably read this without reading the first, but maybe read it for context? (also, i joke that applebee’s sucks but their “bourbon street chicken and shrimp” lives rent free in my head everyday) -Luna

Dates are meant to be anxiety-inducing, whether it’s a stomach full of butterflies or ruthless tornadoes.

So, it’s an odd feeling to be so calm and collected during the days leading up to a big date, especially one with Kenma. You assume it’s because the stakes are so low, knowing that if the spark isn’t there, you’ll still see him on Minecraft, probably that same night, to help with his iron golem farming idea like nothing ever happened. 

What’s even weirder is that both of you have continued to not discuss the date at all since he asked you the weekend before. You don’t know if it’s because it’ll be awkward to break the ice of the discussion or if he’s procrastinating figuring out the plans for that night, but you both continue to play games and watch anime together during the week without even grazing the topic.

If it wasn't for the Google Calendar invite reminding you 48 hours before Saturday that your date was in fact coming up, you would still believe that him asking you out was something you happened to imagine during your post-date funk.

Thankfully, come Thursday evening, not long after you get the notification, he sends you a text letting you know that he’ll be taking you to a restaurant in the city. It’s one you’ve passed several times before, which is how you know, without having to check their Instagram tags, that it’s a semi-formal, if not fully formal, dress code and dining experience. It’s an abnormal choice for Kenma to willingly select a place where he’d have to wear anything that buttons, let alone a full suit, so you have to imagine that the place must have glowing reviews for him to settle on it.

Now all you have to do is find a whole entire formal outfit with only two days’ notice and minimal time after work to shop. No biggie.

But you manage to do it in time—although barely since you had to rally together the group chat to help—and by the time Saturday comes, you’re actually feeling a bit of nerves start to pool in your stomach as you’re getting ready for the night. Although it all dissipates when you get a series of texts from Kenma, minutes apart, realizing that he may be experiencing the same kind of jitters that you’re feeling. 

‘I dont know how to tie a fucking tie, time to cancel the date’ ‘This is harder than finishing Dark Souls’ ‘I got it, but Kuroo made fun of me and is a terrible teacher and now my feelings are hurt’

You zoom through getting ready, and with about 30-ish minutes until your 7PM reservation, the 25-minute Uber ride leaves you with just enough time to be early. And you’re given quite the shock when you step out of the car and you already see Kenma in front of the restaurant, head hung low as he scrolls through his phone. As you get closer, you notice he cleans up nicely in his smart black suit with his hair pulled back into a bun except for a few face-framing pieces. You make sure to call his name to get his attention, his head snapping up when he hears your voice.

“Wooow, look at you, Mr. Snazzy,” you comment, reaching up to straighten his tie. “I’ve never seen you so gussied up before. Must be quite the date for you to dust off your one and only suit.”

“I have a second suit,” he says defensively. “It’s gray because Kuroo says that’s a better color to wear for the daytime.”

“When did Kuroo become your fashion stylist?”

“When my publicist politely said that I looked like a scrub in all my other clothes during meetings.”

“...She never said anything about your hair, though?”

Kenma glares at you, definitely offended by the implication that his excessively grown out roots are unprofessional, to which you offer a small smile, hoping that he knows you meant it with love. 

“Let’s just go inside before I get insulted again tonight.” 

He pulls the door open for you—like the gentleman that he pretends to be—and steps up to greet the host before you can say anything.

“Hello, I have a reservation for 7PM. Kozume.”

Normally, you’d joke about him finally being able to speak to a server by himself, seeing as he still has to hype himself up sometimes before asking for extra ketchup when you’re eating out. You remember there being a time when he ordered marinara sauce with his cheesy bread from Domino’s and when it wasn’t included, he was fully prepared to leave and eat his bread dry to avoid talking to anyone. You ended up having to take the receipt up to the cashier and fixing the mistake so you didn’t have to see him somberly eating his sauceless bread.

The jokes slip your mind, however, as you take in the decor of the place. A few chandeliers hang from the high ceiling, sparkling under the low light from the sconces on the wall. Each table is decorated with a crisp white tablecloth and set with dark green trimmed plates, long-stem wine glasses, and folded cloth napkins around a simple floral centerpiece.

You’re observing the attire of the guests, feeling a bit underdressed, but also overdressed considering how effortless and chic most of the outfits are. The meals they’re eating look especially small, probably only a few bites on the giant plates. It’s a place definitely out of your comfort zone, one that you’d think would be nice to attend, but probably never would because it’s so bougie and you’d feel out of place.

Kenma’s hand on your lower back startles you out of your thoughts, and suddenly, you’re being guided toward the middle of the restaurant, a server in front of you to lead the way.

The server pulls out your chairs, providing menus and telling you that he’ll be back when you’re ready to order. Polite smiles and thanks are given as you settle in, draping your coats over the backs of your chairs and picking up the menus.

If you thought you felt out of place when you walked in, you’re definitely feeling it now. You scan the menu, trying not to look too stressed when you see the prices and can’t recognize or even read the foreign names of certain dishes, but from what you can read, nothing is sparking joy. You’re trying to get a read on Kenma, glancing up to see if he’s also having trouble picking something from the menu or if he’s confident about what to order, but his stoic face gives nothing away.

In an attempt to put out some feelers, you clear your throat before saying, “I’m not really sure what to pick. How about you? See anything you like?”

“I’m still looking, but nothing so far,” he responds, trailing off at the end as he watches a server bring some morsels of food plated on a bowl of rocks to the table next to you. It’s only then that can catch his eye and in them, you’re seeing the same feeling of bewilderment and unease from being in this setting. But it’s gone in a second, back to his normal flat expression.

But you definitely saw it, so now that you know the feeling’s mutual, you feel less bad about feeling it yourself. You let a few moments pass, with the menu held in front of your face, high enough that only your eyes peek out from over the top before you let out a suggestion.

“....You know we passed by a Domino’s on the way here, and now all I can think about are their wings.”

Kenma nearly slams the menu onto the table, eyes wide and ravenous for some food. “I want some of their cheesy bread so bad.”

“Wanna make a run for it?” You’re trying to be low-key when looking around for anyone that could be watching, gently setting the menu down and grabbing the collar of your coat, looking back to Kenma for confirmation. He’s already shoved one arm into the sleeve of his blazer and is scooting back his chair to stand, making sure to give you a nod so you know that it’s go time.

You’re not as graceful as Kenma is in your escape, nearly spilling someone’s drink while putting on your coat on the way out. You pick up your pace, ignoring Kenma’s glance and snickers. He reaches the door first, holding it open for you while you finally get your coat on. There’s a beat while you stand there before you both burst into giggles, nearly keeling over with laughter and tears in your eyes.

Finally, standing up straight after a few minutes, you gesture behind you. “Ready to go get a gourmet meal?” 

With an excited nod from Kenma, you walk side by side down the streets. You use the time to clown him for not knowing how to tie a tie, even suggesting that you’ll gift him a clip-on for future uses so he doesn’t hurt his little gamer hands trying to tie a knot. 

To which he responds with, “And I’ll light your Minecraft house on fire using my little gamer hands if you don’t shut up.”

Suddenly, you’re silent.

The Domino’s is a bit farther than it seemed while in the car, but eventually, you see the glowing blue and red symbol high up on the square building, rushing ahead to rip open the door so you can quickly usher Kenma inside and order as soon as possible.

Too much money later, you’re skipping out of Domino’s, wings and cheesy bread secured along with other impromptu boxes of goodies to take home. You’re both waiting at the corner while you pull open the Google Maps app to figure out the best place to catch a cab when you notice a spot nearby that piques your interest. 

“Did you know there’s an arcade around the corner?!” you nearly scream, shoving your phone in his face to show him Google Maps. 

“No, I didn’t know that,” he says, moving your phone at least a few inches away from his face. “Want to go there?”

“Won’t our food get cold though?”

“That’s what microwaves are for. Duh,” he jokes, grabbing your hand to guide you down the block to the illuminated storefront. You run in like children, making a beeline to the token machine. You begin reaching for your wallet when Kenma lets go of your hand, shoving your wallet away and aggressively pulling out money from his own.

You stare down at your palm in the meantime, feeling little tingles spread throughout it, flexing your fingers and no doubt looking like a weirdo.

Kenma has done his fair share of dragging you away from places, usually when you're glued to the glass window of a store that has anime knick-knacks you want but have absolutely no damn space for, but usually he just grabs your elbow or wrist. You could be overthinking it, but he must've grabbed your hand on purpose. Or you're just that desperate for physical affection. 

He shoves a handful of tokens into your open palm, putting his own into his pockets. The arcade suddenly feels so overwhelming, with lights and noises all around you. Should you try the crane games first? Or maybe some skee-ball? You could probably dominate him in that…

“Want to start with some air hockey?” Kenma suggests, pointing over to a free table in the corner. 

Yes. Air hockey. An easy win start. “Oh hell yeah, let’s do that.”

You shouldn’t have been so confident. It’s not turning out in your favor, not in the slightest, and you should’ve guessed that, going up against a guy who was the brain of his volleyball team. In your defense, you did win the first game, rubbing it in Kenma’s face and doing a dance like a sore winner. Then he absolutely demolished you for the next three rounds and had the gall to be humble about it like he didn’t just embarrass you in front of the many elementary school kids around you.

You would’ve kept going, being stubborn as hell and telling Kenma, “Best 5 out of 6?” until you got into double digits. But suddenly he has to “go use the bathroom,” which sounds like an excuse to you.

“I’ll be right back. Don’t go too far,” he warns you.

And, to be fair, you don’t go too far. You only walk about twenty feet away to the anime crane game that’s hiding behind a row of other crane games that would be blocking Kenma’s view to you if he comes back the same way he left. He has a phone that he could use to text you if he really can’t find you. 

It’ll be fiiiine, you think as you slide in a token and get ready to win the anime figure. 

The time passes quickly, not that you notice it. All you know is that you’ve gone through maybe half of your tokens while trying to get the figure to fall between the two bars, only asking the staff to help you reposition once because you managed to mess it up that bad. 

It’s funny to think that you were more worried about sticking out like a sore thumb at the fancy restaurant than you are now at the arcade, surrounded by people of all ages in sneakers and jeans while you stand there at the claw machine in dress clothes with your nose nearly against the glass. Maybe they’ll think you’re an important business person coming by to decompress after a very long, busy day at work. 

Then you squawk when you finally score the prize after only several more dollars worth of coins, and the facade promptly sails out the window.

It’s only after you have the box in your arms that you decide to check the time, realizing you’ve spent at least ten minutes straight playing. What’s weirder is that Kenma still hasn’t returned yet, and you have no messages or missed calls from him asking where you’re at, which means he's either still in the bathroom–and if that’s the case, you’re deeply worried for his bowels–or he got distracted on his way back from it. 

You’re almost at the bathrooms when you see Kenma walking towards you from the corner of your eye, definitely not coming from the bathroom as you’d expect. 

“Where were you? I thought you said you had to go to the bathroom.” You notice he’s holding an overstuffed plastic bag. “What did you get? When the hell did you even have time? Or are you just that lucky?”

“Oh. This is, uh..” Suddenly, he’s sheepish, opening the plastic bag where you can see something fuzzy and pink in it. “I didn’t actually need to go to the bathroom. I saw a Kirby plush in a crane machine when we walked in and knew I had to get it for you.” 

Before you could even say anything, he’s pulling out the plush and you notice it’s not just a regular Kirby, but one with a chef hat and pan. You make grabby hands at it until he hands it over, trying to hold it just with one hand and squishing it against your chest and face. 

“I love him so much! Thank you, Kenma.” 

Like a lot of things tonight, it’s different from your normal friendly interactions. Instead of your usual hugs where you go in at a diagonal or the lazier times when it’s just a side hug, your arms are now wrapped around his neck with his around your waist. It feels weird. A good weird. Like you’re feeling the subtle change from friendship to something a little more. It’s hard not to get your hopes up because although you’ve told yourself that you’ll be good with being ‘just friends,’ throughout the night, you find yourself quite hopeful for the chance to explore something romantic with Kenma. 

You part slowly, him shoving Kirby back into the bag and insisting on holding it for you after you reach for it, which you suppose you could allow since he’s been such a gentleman tonight. 

“Great minds think alike because I got you a gift, too,” you announce, handing over the box you worked so hard for. “I don’t remember her name, but I know you have a few that look like her in your room, so what’s one more to add to your waifu collection.”

“Thanks for the gift, and also, for saying that so loud. I’m sure the whole arcade liked hearing about how much of a weeb I am.” He gives you a smile, somehow managing to stuff the box into the already full bag. “Want to spend the rest of our tokens then head to mine? I only have a few more.”

You pull your sad six out of your pocket. “Yeah, me too. That crane game wasn’t kind to me.”

You have a blast with the remaining tokens, staying away from crane games and sticking more to the classics. You learn that Kenma’s strategic thinking in volleyball does not translate over to basketball when you watch him miss every single basket of the game except for his last one in which he threw the ball against the back wall in frustration and landed right in the net.

Even when ordering the Uber minutes later, he still has a frown etched on his face from losing, and as much as you want to rub it in his face that now he’s feeling like you were after air hockey, you leave him to sit in his feelings. 

It’s a silent ride, at least on the outside. Internally, you’re an anxious, overthinking mess with your inner thoughts going a mile a minute. You spend the whole ride back to his place wondering if it’d be too forward of you to hold his hand that’s sitting on the seat between you two. It’s not like he didn’t hold your hand earlier tonight, even if it was only to drag you toward the arcade. Once you finally convince yourself that it’d be okay to try, the ride is over and his hand slips away to open the car door and you sigh as you lose your chance to be brave. 

When you’re home, Kenma’s tie and shirt undone and your dress shoes thrown haphazardly by the door, you finally get to discuss your thoughts on the restaurant. About how stuffy it felt in your formal clothes and how ridiculous the plating looked for the meals because you didn’t know what they’d even be able to taste with a portion size that small. Kenma even thanks you for breaking the ice by bringing up Domino’s because if you never did it “you’d still be in that restaurant having your 12th course of the meal.”

You swallow your bite and take a quick sip of your drink. “Why did you even choose that restaurant in the first place? Doesn’t feel like a place you’d be at.”

Kenma shrugs, brushing off the crumbs from his hands. “I don’t know… I guess I didn’t want our first date to be just like any other night we’d had. I wanted it to stand out from the rest so you can know that I’m serious about you.”

Your heart just about bursts hearing his gentle voice say that. “That’s… So sweet. I don’t know what to say to that besides thank you. Never knew you could be so charming.”

“Don’t expect it too often,” he jokes, to which you respond with an elbow to his ribs. “I know today didn’t go as expected, so maybe we can try again with a different restaurant.” 

“Maybe—and this is me just spitballing here—we should work our way up to the formal dress restaurants by starting with something simple like… Applebee’s.”

“I feel like Applebee’s is somehow a worse starting point than a place like McDonald’s.”

“Fiiiine. Since you have so much to say, then you pick where we’re eating for our next date. Just make sure I can get away with wearing sneakers and jeans, is all I’m saying.”

“Who said we were actually going on a second date? I don’t know if I want to date someone who eats wings like a toddler.” He reaches over with a napkin to wipe the corners of your mouth which you begrudgingly allow.

“Well, I don’t know if I want to date someone who waits until 48 fucking hours before the date to tell me that I have to put together a whole formal outfit for a restaurant.” Kenma looks away abruptly, but not before you see his shameless smirk. “Why the hell did you even take so long?” 

“I had to use some connections to get a reservation there within the week, and they didn’t get back to me until Thursday, so you knew when I knew!” 

“Hm… okay. I’ll let that one slide then. For now.” 

“So, I can get a second date?” 

“If you insist.”

Kenma puts what’s left of your food in his fridge with the promise of leftovers tomorrow. You help him tidy up a bit, taking your sweet time because it’s finally dawned on you that the date will be ending soon. You’re hit with a wave of disappointment, realizing just how much you enjoyed his company all day. And maybe it’s silly, but you don’t want it to end just yet.

When you’ve thrown away the last napkin, you slide in next to him in the kitchen, bumping shoulders with him before hooking your arm with his. “Wanna finish watching that anime you showed me? The one with the long title?”

He lets out an amused chuckle. “Glad you enjoyed it so much that you remember the name, but sure.”

He lets you guide him to the couch by his arm, plopping yourselves down on it while he grabs his remote to pick the show from his ‘continue watching’ section.

Halfway through the episode, you scooch even closer to Kenma so you can lean on him, your head gently resting on his shoulder to test the waters. He lifts his arm up to grasp you tighter, fingers trailing up and down your upper arm without looking away from the screen. You peer up at him to see a little smile on his face—hoping it’s because of your current position and not because of the atrocities happening on the screen. You’re rarely this close to Kenma. The closest you get to him on the daily is him leaning over you to fix some computer issues or you peering over his shoulder to watch him play on his Switch. 

You’ve never paid attention to his warm amber scent mixed with something floral, probably from his conditioner he told you he overpaid for because he thought it was on sale. How plush his hoodie is and how you’re definitely going to be “borrowing” it as a partner tax in the future. Or how the ends of his hair that’s tickling your face are really soft, no doubt because of that expensive conditioner, and you fight the urge to play with a few pieces. You could get used to being with him if this is what you’d be getting every day.

You manage to last another episode and a half before his soft touch lulls you to sleep, a smile mirroring his on your face.

You have a funny dream that night; you and Kenma are at an Applebee’s, both dressed in your grubbiest hoodies and sweats, while the subpar food sits untouched in front of you. He’s holding one of your hands on the table, stroking his thumb back and forth on the back of yours, the other hand keeping his head propped. You’re telling a story, laughing and waving your free hand around as you delve deep into it. To everybody else, you’re sure Kenma looks bored out of his mind, probably waiting for you to stop talking or at least get to the good part. But you know him better than that.

You can see the affection in his eyes as he doesn’t break eye contact with you, humming in acknowledgment wherever necessary so you know he’s actually listening. He’s squeezing your hand every now and again just because he can. His phone is face down on the far end of the table, most likely on ‘Do Not Disturb’ because you don’t hear a single vibration against the table. 

You’ve got his complete and undivided attention until he decides to get off his seat to lean over the table. You quiet down immediately, unsure of what the hell he’s going to do until he tilts his head and gently kisses you on your lips, lasting only a second before promptly sitting down and telling you to continue your story as if nothing happened. 

Non-dream Kenma would never do something so bold in public. At least, you don’t think so. 

But, goddammit, even if it means writing a script and playing director, you’re going to try your fucking hardest to make sure it happens exactly like your dream during your second date.

Written by: Luna

we’ve got a taglist if you’re interested 👀

[hunnyandmilk]

∈𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮∋

DSMP members with an S/O struggling w/ imposter syndrome HCs. (GN reader)

Warnings: imposter syndrome, cursing, fluff {that’s not rlly a warning but I’ll put it in there anyways..}, usage of real name {On Quackity's part})

for those who don’t know what imposter syndrome is: “Imposter syndrome is loosely defined as doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. It disproportionately affects high-achieving people, who find it difficult to accept their accomplishments. Many question whether they're deserving of accolades.”

One of the most common forms of imposter syndrome is not feeling deserving of good things which is what these HCs will be heavily mentioning.

Includes: Wilbur Soot, Sapnap, Nihachu, Jack Manifold, Quackity, Karl Jacobs, an OC, Georgenotfound

This was more for self-comfort because I suffer with this kinda thing, but I decided to put it up for other people who maybe suffering with this kinda thing too or for people who just need some comfort <3

Song chosen: Sex, Drugs, etc.

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Karl Jacobs <3

-Honestly total sweetheart as is, but when he’s found out you have imposter syndrome and that you struggle deeply with it -Holy shit this boy is so loving and caring it’s almost too much. -“You don’t deserve it? What do you mean? You worked so hard for it though, you totally deserve it! If you didn’t deserve it…” -He will go out of his way to treat you well for the rest of the day -Such a sweet boy <3

Jack Manifold <3

-When he offered to go out and grab some food, and you said “no, I don’t think I really deserve that kind of treatment, but thank you for offering”  -his brain stopped and he went -”wait what?” -He got fuckin PISSED at himself. -no lie he started cussing himself out like, -“Jack, you didn’t treat them right and now they don’t think they deserve anything you dumbass. You expect them to love you when you can’t even let them know they deserve the world? Goddammit!” -then he’ll turn to you and go -“Babe, you deserve so much more than I can give, so let me do at least this for you.”

Sapnap <3

-Mans on god goes; “Yoooo, faking mental illnesses? Nooot cool bro.” -and you just look at him like “I’m serious dumbass. 😐” -and he’s like “oh… you’re not joking-“ -immediately he’s all over you hugging you and pecking your face, “do you wanna go out and get McDonald’s?” -”no I don’t deserve it..” -”alright let’s go, hop in the car we’re going to McDonald’s and you’re getting whatever the hell you want.”

Georgenotfound <3

-So when he brings you out to a nice snazzy resturant and you only get some thing simple, like a salad or something, or just don't get anything at all, George is like -"Hey.. I promise you, you deserve the world, and even more than that, so let me treat you." -He then proceeds to try to order something not as simple to try not to seem like a hypocrite or like he's making fun of you.

Wilbur Soot <333333

-I cannot express how loving this tall boy is, he literally loves you so much -so when he finds out you have imposter syndrome  -He's literally trying so hard every chance he gets to pamper you -"Babe, please, I don't deserve this kind of stuff.." -He whips his head around so fast while making you your warm bath, -"...no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You do, Luv. Plus at this point why would I drain the water? You're already here and the water's already full..." -He joins your little bath (with your consent obviously..) -He's super gentle with you it's not even funny- -I just love him sm 🥺💖

Quackity <333333

-He already knew from the start when you started dating that you had imposter syndrome, but never brought it up because he thought it might be a sensitive topic with you. -You two never really went on fancy dates -When it came to dates it would really just be you both chilling in bed and watching a movie or smth -but when you guys went out to a shop or smth and he bought you something, you immediately go -"Alex, how expensive was this?" -"Why should it matter?" -And you give him one of those 'just tell me' looks -"Babe, it's a gift you don't tell the price of a gift." -You look at him with the most nervous face he's seen you with in awhile and you go, -"Then I don't want it. It was probably really expensive and I don't deserve money being spent on me." -Quackity shrugs and just puts it in the bag he got for it -Later that day you go to your room and see the bag sat on your bed with everything he bought you in it <3

Red Raven (OC) <3

-Okay so, know that Raven can be a little hyper, but she can also be a super calm person when needed. -So when she finds these little hints of imposter syndrome you're unknowingly dropping, she treats you well everyday, and takes you very seriously with your problems -when you finally go flat out out and say it that you think you don't deserve all of what she's giving, she says in the sweetest voice ever, -"Y/N, I love you to death, and I can never promise a tomorrow, even with how healthy and well I am, you never know what could happen, so let me treat you while I'm still alive and breathing. Alright, Luv?" -No lie makes you wanna cry but you hold it in cuz you don't wanna cry in a public area. -We love that- We love Raven. Right? Right. I love you Raven. <3

Nihachu <3

-Girl had no idea what imposter syndrome even was when you brought it up. She was basically like, -"Bestie I have no idea what that is, hold up lemme google it real quick." -Oh, she didn't like what she was reading. -"Y/N, you have this? This is not good, this is bad.." -She makes sure you feel secure at all times, even in not very secure situations,  -She cooks for you,  -She makes little crafts like earrings or necklaces for you, -She buys you so many things, -She takes you out as much as she can, -She's just overall trying to make you feel better about yourself and being super sweet to you.

Hope you enjoyed these HCs! if you have any requests, feel free to request!

[cockasinthebird]

So like I said earlier, I started writing the cyberpunk 2077 AU, and, well, here it is! 5 whole pages, not M nor E yet, but that will come, just you wait hehe ;)

The music of Afterlife beats like a heart, ironically enough, since the place used to be a morgue, the slaps now used as tables around the space, with a big, fancy bar in the middle. Oddly big for a morgue if you ask Billy, but he won't complain, got good booze, especially the Jackie Welles one, "with a splash of love" or some shit, whatever that is.

But tonight he's not here for the drinks or to watch the dancers in the water filled tubes, although he does give Claire a friendly nod as he passes by. No he's here to meet some fixer that gave him a short message asking to meet up and that was it.

"Come by Afterlife, got a job for you."

He's not even sure what they look like or where at the bar they'll be, so he's stuck wandering around in circles like some kind of lost gonk. 

And just as he grits his teeth with annoyance, ready to delta, someone approaches him.

"So you must be the merc everyone's always talking about. Even Rogue."

Billy turns around to face the prettiest fucker he's ever seen, slightly taller than himself, especially with that poofed up hair, and a pristine suit - awfully clean, like it hasn't ever seen a day of hard work before. Same goes for his clean skin, moles dotted across it as the only blemishes, no scars, no tech on him.

"Yeah, maybe so." He licks his lips that turn into a grin. "What's it to you?"

"Might be a lot, might be a little, really depends on you." The fixer smiles with a hand on his hip.

Billy gives him a quick scan, no affiliation. "Just give me the detes, don't got all night."

The brunette sucks his teeth and gives Billy a certain look from head to toe. "Shame you're in such a hurry… don't wanna get a drink, talk it over proper?"

"Why, you paying?" Billy crosses his arms but keeps his well amused smirk.

"Sure, first round's on me - last round? We'll see."

The merc very much enjoys the tone of his new fixer, and the way he near sensually watches him as they walk to the bar.

“A Johnny Silverhand, and…” The man in the snazzy suit looks to Billy as they order from Claire.

“A Jackie Welles.”

“Haven’t heard of that one before,” he admits and leans on his elbow on the countertop, whilst Claire quietly pours them their drinks.

“Yeah, well…” Billy avoids eye contact, looks away as he tries to forget Arasaka. “Trying to get it to catch on.”

They both bottom their glasses in one go, although he doesn’t miss how the fixer stares at him even when doing just that.

“You sure you don’t want a more… private setting?” he suggests and the other man huffs a laugh.

“Why, are we chooms all of a sudden? No I know you merc types well enough to want a more public scene, besides, this won’t take long.”

“Do I at least get a name?”

“Of who? Me or the client?” The brunette grins knowingly.

“Who do ya think?”

“Stephano Harrington, but you can call me Steve.” Steve extends his hand, and Billy shakes it firmly. “Manners, nice.”

“Yeah, well, my ma taught me right.”

“And your pa?”

Again Billy has nothing to say, nothing he wants to say at least. Spilling personal details to a stranger is a danger in Night City. “So what exactly does the client want from me?”

“It’s really very simple, there’s a van with some goods in it, and I need you to klep it for my client to an address that they have chosen for you two to meet at,”

“Nothing’s ever simple in NC, and this? Sounds too easy.”

“Well maybe I’m an easy guy, maybe I needed an easy merc, who’d take on an easy job.”

Billy can’t help but ponder if there’s a double entendre there or not, but there’ll be time to figure that out later, if the way this Steve Harrington looks at him has anything to say.

“Sure then, shoot me the detes and I’ll get to it.” Billy rises from his seat.

“You don’t want to know about the payment?”

Eyes bluer than the ocean ever was looks Steve up and down. “I’m sure a guy like you will pay more than what’s fair, and besides we’ll meet after - still owe you a last round.”

It was far too easy to find, down by the docks in Watson Northside, fresh off the boat. The workers there were easily paid off, something mr Harrington will have to reimburse of course, and the doors to the container creaked open like sesame. Inside he found a teal colored van, otherwise unmarked and would probably be a bit suspicious to drive around in, but hey, a job’s a job, and Billy is a professional, takes it all very seriously. He tries to be as non-lethal as possible when going anywhere in this city, but he won’t shy down from a brawl if need be; has helped the NCPD plenty of times with their psychos and gang bangers.

The ride is smooth, not a lot of hard work required, just from point a to b, Watson to some megabuilding in downtown city center. It isn’t till there’s a bump on the road and a few voices gasping behind him that he senses something is very very wrong.

He finds the closest alleyway to back into, parks there, then rushes behind to get a look at this precious cargo he’s transporting.

Seven women and two men all whine as the harsh daylight hits their eyes where they’ve gotten used to the darkness they’re caught in. 

“Oh shit.” Billy turns his back to them all, shoulders raised and tense, teeth gritting as he dials up Harrington.

“Billy,” he chimes as he picks up, “How’s it looking? Found the cargo alright?”

“Yeah I did, but you didn’t fucking tell me we were trafficking humans!”

“Oh look, a merc with a heart of gold, how quaint. So what does it matter? The client didn’t ask for a judge and jury for this job, they asked for someone to safely transport the goods.”

“This is not okay! Tell me who your client is and I’ll have a talk with them myself!”

“No that won’t do, but if you’re gonna be such a pussy about it, allow me to explain some, will you?”

Billy clenches his fists and turns to look at the very confused people who haven’t fled the scene yet for some reason. They’re not shackled or poorly dressed or anything, just… sitting there staring.

“Go on.”

“They’re fugitives.”

“What?”

“Yeah, fleeing from bad pasts all across the country, trying to come into Night City in hopes of a brighter future, all that bs that the advertisements sell us.”

“Is that the truth?”

“We may not know each other very well, Billy, but trust me, I don’t lie.”

“Excuse me, sir?” a timid and gentle voice asks as one of the women approaches Billy. “Is this where we get off?” she asks as if she’s on the bus.

“N-no, we still have a bit to go, so just sit down again, yeah?” he tries to speak as kindly as possible. “Harrington, we’re not done yet.”

“I didn’t assume so.” And without a goodbye, Steve hangs up the phone.

Billy stamps in past the bouncer and up to where Steve is spending another night drinking his Johnny Silverhand alone at the bar, eyeing up every piece of meat around him.

“Hello Billy-”

“Why didn’t you just fucking tell me?!” The blonde flares his nostrils and scowls at the other.

“Would it have saved us any questions and time?” Harrington asks almost politely and swirls his drink around in the square glass.

And the way he asks takes Billy off guard, making him take a step back to consider his answer. “Probably… probably not.”

“Exactly, and it was a time sensitive job clearly, so I didn’t think it prudent for you to know every single detail in the moment. Would you have said yes, then?”

The blonde sits down and waves for Claire to pour him his usual. He has calmed down considerably and a drink would take off that final edge. “I’d like to think so, yeah, again given you’re telling the truth.”

“And would you have believed me that they were willing participants if you hadn’t seen it for yourself?”

“No.”

“Then that’s that! Client was very happy, I’m happy, hopefully you’ll be happy with the payout.”

Just then, 2k eddies is transferred to Billy’s account, and he gapes. “Mr. Harrington, if you pay this well for something as simple as a transport op, this’ll be a very fruitful partnership.”

Billy gives a friendly slap to Steve’s back just as he takes a sip, making the finer man cough up a lung and spewing his drink all over the bar.

Claire pauses with her hands on her hips and a very displeased expression.

But Harrington still smiles all the same as usual, and turns to look Billy straight in the eye.

“Well Billy, I believe so too.”

Then he places his hand on Billy’s thigh.

[cursedsunoo]

Hai! <3 I hope this finds you well! Can i request a headcannon/scenario of what kind of dates the members of Enhypen would take their s/o on? thank you so much! 💕💕

🌐 ENHYPEN AND THE TYPES OF DATES THEY WOULD TAKE THEIR S/O ON

♡ includes — heeseung, jay, jake, sunghoon, sunoo, jungwon, niki

♡ warnings — n/a

♡ pronouns — they/them

#HEESEUNG

♡ this man is cheesy as hell. the dates that he envisions for the two of you are always based off something he’s seen in a movie — a picnic by a body of water, passing strawberries back and forth, and staring up into the black expanse of the sky that was littered with small glimmering stars. heeseung goes above and beyond to make sure that each and every date is one to remember

#JAY

♡ he loves relaxed and personal dates. as much as he doesn’t mind going out to carnivals, converts, or restaurants with you, he would much rather stay at home, cook something at your side, and bask in the presence of the other without any distractions around you. jay see’s dates as a step in the relationship, so he’d rather have no one else involved in it

#JAKE

♡ adventure dates. be it going on a nature walk, a hike, to a neighbouring city or town, or just walking around the neighbourhood, jake wants to do everything as long as it’s out and about and with you. he loves the idea of discovering new and interesting things with you at his side — it’s a bonding experience to him

#SUNGHOON

♡ quiet and intimate dates. sunghoon, despite not being overly picky on date locations or date activities, does prefer to have it be more personal and quiet much like jay does. sunghoon loves to just lounge around with you on the couch or in bed, watching a movie as the two of you criticize every detail in it, or just cuddling with you as the two of you talk — he has a soft spot of outdoor dates as well however

#SUNOO

♡ another cheesy boy. sunoo loves the idea of a romance that is good enough for the big screen so dates with him tend to be either extravagant or tooth rot-tingly fluffy. he lives for night dates — the dates that are spent for the most part under the night sky, but your bodies are illuminated by lights that you pass under. sunoo partially blames it on how adorable you look as your eyes light up as the light reflects off of them

#JUNGWON

♡ king of romantic outings. imagine dinners on the deck of a fancy (not too fancy but still snazzy enough) restaurant, hand in hand as the two of you whisper back and forth about different topics. jungwon is also somewhat of a cheesy date loving guy — he wants to impress you even though you’ve assured him multiple times that you would be down to just lay in bed with him all day as a date

#NIKI

♡ gaming dates or adventure dates. niki loves the idea of playfully fighting in a video game — his hands reaching over to push at the buttons of your controller to mess you up, as well as hear the laugh that bubbles out of you. yet alongside that, niki loves the dates that the two of you just stroll around — carnival and event dates have become a favourite of his (he loves to win games for you to show off)

[aggimaginary]

The Bad Guys (my version) - The Heist (chapter 3)

First Previous Next

Hey guys! Sorry for delaying the publication for hours. I was sick as I felt that I had a fever, so I decided to sleep more today. But now I felt better, I had time to post this. Enjoy the heist!

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"So here's the plan. Like every year, the ceremony will be held at the Museum of Fine Arts..."

The plan was set. They would infiltrate the fancy-pants event at the Museum of Fine Arts, posing as guests who were there to celebrate the life and achievements of that annoying guinea pig, Professor Marmalade. During the festivities, they'd sneak backstage using Web's clever hacking skills. Wolf finished explaining the plan for the gang, "...where the Golden Dolphin will be positioned just beyond the backstage curtain."

"Pssh," Piranha said, waving a fin. "Sounds easy."

"Sounds easy, hermano," Wolf agreed, "But to get there, we need to bypass three levels of security. So. Step One: We'll need to blend in."

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The Bad Guys all got to work finding their costumes for the night. Since most of their lives were spent stealing, getting gussied up for a party was a new kind of fun. By the time the party rolled around, they were all set. Wolf had chosen a snazzy suit, along with a dapper fedora, silk tie, fake mustache, and tinted glasses. He had mastered the part of a fancy movie star, like George Clooney as his muse and guide. That guy always looked good.

Shark, meanwhile, had gone the opposite direction, cramping his body into a gorgeous gown that was stretched to the limit by Shark's massive, muscular form. Perched atop Shark's head, Tarantula had fashioned her long limbs into the shape of a butterfly fascinator hat.

Snake went old-school, complete with a classic suit, handlebar mustache, monocle, top hat, and a pair of fake arms to help fill out the look.

Piranha squeezed into a kid-size coat, a tiny top hat, and tails, looking handsome and a bit childish—but it did the trick.

Hornet was hiding under Piranha's hat, poking his head out to see. He didn't need a disguise as he was too small to be noticed. This was a good advantage to him, but it could be lonely sometimes... not being noticed by others, but he was happy he always got to notice by his friends.

When they arrived at the museum, they joined in with a long line of guests who were already milling about, waiting to enter the event. There was a grand staircase stretching up toward the Fine Arts Museum, and the group of disguised Bad Guys had just begun to climb the steps when a stretch limo pulled up at the bottom of the stairs. Many of the guests turned to watch as Professor Marmalade, the eccentric and good-natured do-gooder who would be honored that night, popped out of the limo and began his own march up the stairs to the party. Paparazzi flooded in around the little guinea pig, eager to snap shots of the evening's featured guest.

"Professor Marmalade..." Wolf muttered, "This year's recipient of the Gold Dolphin and the most annoying good guy on the planet."

Marmalade waved to his crowd of adoring fans, then stepped up to talk with Tiffany Fluffit, the eager news reporter who'd been assigned to the night's festivities. "Professor," Tiffany started. "In the past year, you've stopped wars, fed the hungry, and saved countless pandas. Some have described your goodness as second only to Mother Teresa!"

Professor Marmalade nodded, putting on the look of earnest humility. "Oh, Tiffany, it's not a competition! And if it were, it would really be more of a tie. But we can all agree that there is a flower of goodness inside all of us, just waiting to blossom."

Everyone within earshot broke into applause, overcome with love for the oh-so-good professor. Marmalade waved to the crowd as he continued his climb up the red carpet, heading inside to the awards ceremony where even more fans were waiting for a glimpse of that evening's headliner.

"Once we get inside," Wolf continued "There are two armored doors..." He explained how they would get into the doors that were locked and sealed tightly, with extra protections, to ensure that the beloved Golden Dolphin was safe and secure until it was thrust into Professor Marmalade's grubby little guinea pig paws. "The first door can only be opened by a special key card that is carried at all times by our dear friend, the chief of police," Wolf told the others. "The second is outfitted with a retinal scanner that only words with Governor Foxington's eye, and it's also guarded by an elite special ops until trained to strike first and ask questions later."

The other Bad Guys nodded,

Wolf pointed out, "Since Governor Foxington is the only one who has clearance to open the second door, Step Two is that she and I will need to get up close and personal..."

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"Okay, friends," Wolf said, rejoining the others on the far side of the museum's huge entranceway. He flipped the ring that he secretly stole from Diane, and said while catching it back into his paw, "It's showtime.

He and the other Bad Guys started to make their move, heading inside the museum, with Wolf instructed, "Once we're in, it's on to step three: We split up and we take our positions."

Meanwhile, while the Bad Guys entered the museum, up on the floor above, the chief of police was instructing the fellow police officers on their mission for the evening. She paced the floor back and forth, declaring, "Officers, if the Bad Guys crash this event, I am definitely going to lose my job, and I will not hesitate to take you down with me. Now, move out!"

The officers all saluted Chief Luggins and said, "Yes, ma'am! Hut, hut, hut, hut, hut, hut, hut, hut, hut, hut, hut, hut, hut, hut, hut, hut, hut...," while running to their positions. While the other officers got into position, the chief marched off, setting off on her patrol.

Back on the first floor, the Bad Guys were starting to move into their positions, looking as inconspicuous as possible, without anyone noticing.

Shark offered Tarantula a hand, as she climbed into his hand, and leaped down onto the floor, crawling off in a different direction, while the boys went their own separate ways. Hornet wore his helmet, and flew up as high as he could to take his position above to watch over the others.

Piranha was leaning up against a fountain and waited for the perfect moment before jumping in and quietly swimming underwater with a huge grin on his face, while making sure his little top hat followed him too. He ended up swimming through the pipe system of the fountain, heading towards somewhere for his part of the plan.

Snake looked behind him to make sure no one was following as he was heading towards a swirly, wavy golden pole-like statue.

Shark was heading into the receptionist area to fit in with the other guests.

Tarantula was crawling along the floor, avoiding getting stepped on by accident, while heading towards a wall to climb up onto.

Hornet was flying from one hanging light to another.

Wolf was gazing upon the quiet floors around the art areas, cool, clam, and certain that this heist was gonna go without a hitch.

Tarantula placed her hand on her communicator, and spoke through it, "Mic's on. Everyone on comms, do you copy?"

Each Bad Guy responded in order, letting her know that their comms were working as Wolf stated, "Copy."

"Copy" added Snake.

"Copy," responded Hornet.

"Copy" mentioned Piranha

And Shark replied with a high-pitched voice to match his female disguise, "Copy,"

With that, the Bad Guys were on the move.

Snake looked around to see if anyone was watching before carefully scaling up a high golden, swiggly pole, and entered the top vent.

Meanwhile, once Snake entered inside the vent, Tarantula was riding on the back of a fellow security officer, who was heading into the security room, as he used his keys to unlock the room before entering.

Over by the reception area, Shark had taken a seat by a table with a lot of drinks as a man dressed in a tuxedo approached her, and offered a drink, "A drink for the pretty lady?"

Shark, staying in tune with his disguised character, spoke in a high-pitched voice, "No, thank you. My life is too complicated right now," he took the two drinks out of his hands, much to the man's confusion.

When Hornet flew to the last chandelier he could find closer to him, he activated the HUD effect of his helmet, showing the video footage of the areas down below.

Up in the vents, Snake slithered slowly and carefully along the metal before stopping and going through the next part: shedding through his disguise... literally. He broke through his old skin and slithered out of it, and his disguise, emerging out while wearing a black bodysuit that covered his whole body, with his face as the only thing not covered, before moving forward.

Over in the men's restroom, a caterer wearing a catering uniform was whistling a happy tune while heading into a stall to use the toilet. However, he didn't see Piranha slowly peeking his head out from the toilet with a huge grin on his face as the man closed the bathroom stall door behind him, sealing his fate.

Back in the security room, Tarantula plugged in a red hard drive into the hard drive system and opened her lap-top, typing a code to log into the security cameras, while allowing the occurrence of multiple screens popping out from her computer so she could have a clear view of everything that was going on. On one of the screens, she saw the camera pointing at the Golden Dolphin, making Tarantula comment through the comm, "Boys, it's Dolphin season." Behind her, the poor, helpless security officer was hanging upside down, and gagged by duct tape.

Back in the bathroom, Piranha came out of the stall, wearing the innocent/knocked-out caterer's uniform, with tiny glasses on his face, and his Mohawk slicked down to look fancy. He tightened his bow tie and replied, "Copy that. I'm on the move."

Back at the party, the chief of police continued her patrol, talking into her walkie-talkie, "Unit two, is the backstage area still secure?"

The radio scratched and answered back with the fellow officer's voice, "Unit two. All clear."

The chief of police smiled, "This is where all the training pays off."

However, she wasn't looking where she was going and accidentally bumped into a mysterious stranger, which was actually Wolf, but she didn't seem to recognize him.

Wolf merely tipped his hat, making sure the chief didn't get a good look at his face as he turned to "leave", "Oh, pardon me. Terribly sorry."

Luckily, the chief didn't seem to recognize Wolf, and humbly answered to him, "Not a problem, sir," Then she spoke into her walkie-talkie again, "Keep your eyes open, boys. They could be anywhere, just waiting to humiliate us."

Little did she know that the "bump" was all planned, and Wolf had gotten a hold of her I.D. keycard without anyone noticing. As Wolf continued to walk towards the next stop on their heist plan, he looked up at the security camera that was watching him and smiled, showing off the card.

Hornet smiled as he watched Wolf in his helmet through the security camera, "Wolf is in position," he reported to the rest of the gang.

Tarantula heard him as she transferred her communication to Piranha, "Piranha, you all penguin-suited and booted?"

Near the kitchen, caterers were pushing out carts that had plates of food all organized on it. Pushing one of those carts was the disguised Piranha, who answered quietly so no one could hear him, except for Webs on the comm, "Affirmative. I'm a clean, mean, Dolphin-stealing machine," he looked up and happily greeted the other caterers, "What's going on, guys?"

While most of the other caterers went left, Piranha turned right and was pushing his cart somewhere. At the ceiling, Hornet saw Piranha separated from the other caterers as he spoke, "Piranha's out."

"I saw him, Hornet," Wolf replied as he was walking towards the stairway at the 2nd floor, eyeing Piranha while smiling, knowing their heist was going on without a hitch. Along the way, he pickpocketed a few of the guests, stealing their wallets, and a pearl necklace along the way.

On the floor, Piranha wheeled his catering cart over to a janitor's closet and jumped up to pull the handle and opened the door. Piranha was waving his fin while looking up on the ceiling where Hornet was watching his and Wolf's every move. Piranha smiled and then pulled the cart inside, ready to set up their next part of the plan.

Hornet nodded as he reported to Wolf, "Alright, Piranha's in. Are you sure you can handle this, Wolf?"

Wolf watched Piranha going inside the janitor's closet, and told Hornet through his comm, "I got this, Hornet. I'm on my way down."

"Perfect. I'll go check on Shark now," Hornet said as he flew all the way down from the chandelier, and headed to the floor where Shark is now.

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5 minutes later, when Wolf entered the janitor's closet with Piranha waiting for him and chopping on lemons, he was heard speaking into the comm, "Webs, what do you say about moving on to step four?"

Tarantula nodded, "Copy that," then, she turned her speech to Shark's comm while watching him on her screen, "Shark, you're up. Do your thing."

Shark gasped happily before asking quietly, "Do I get to improvise?"

Wolf answered on his comm while hiding inside under the tray rack and Piranha placed a plate on top of the serving rack, "Yes, fine. Improvise. But please be subtle."

Shark nodded in agreement, standing up and pouring his drink onto the floor, before he quickly tossed the table away and shouted in a high pitched voice, "i'M HAVING A BABY!!!"

All of the guests in the reception area turned around, looking at the disguised Shark, and gasped in worry as Shark continued the façade in a high-pitched voice, "Is there a doctor? Or perhaps several security guards that could leave their post and help me?!"

On the ceiling, Hornet was watching the whole scene as he facepalmed and groaned, "Seriously? That's not even subtle! I mean, who could fall for that—?"

On cue, the two security guards that were standing by the door that the keycard was needed immediately rushed over to "Help" the "pregnant" Shark.

Hornet was surprised that this distraction Shark made really worked, "Well, I was wrong," he then mumbled to himself, "This guy is really gonna get an award someday."

While this went on, by the elevator nearby, Piranha came out, wheeling the catering cart, and pushed it up to the door, while Wolf secretly used the keycard to unlock it, and opened the door, so they both could enter.

Inside the hallway, both Wolf and Piranha eyed the two guards that were standing in front of the main door, and they nodded at each other, set to do the next part of their plan.

The two guards were keeping watch when they saw a mysterious catering cart roll up towards them. Curiously, one of them picked up a name card that described the "dish" as he read, "Fish surprise?"

However, when they lifted the lid to see the food, they did get a fish surprise: an adorable Piranha, smiling cutely, dressed up like a caterer, kicking his legs in the air, exclaiming, "Surprise!" He leaped off the plate, tackling the two guards.

Not two minutes later, both guards were easily beaten and helplessly laying on the catering cart, with Piranha gently brushing the dust off his outfit, and Wolf holding his phone with the photo at the ready. He kicked the cart away before enlarging the image, trying to make Diane's eye in the photo bigger. However, it still looked very blurry.

With that, he sent the photo to Webs, and asked "Hey, Webs, can you enhance this..."

Not ten seconds later, a perfectly enhanced, clear image was sent back to Wolf, with Tarantula replying, "Done. Eight steps ahead of you, Wolfie."

Wolf used the now clear image to have the scanner scan the eye, as it accepted it, opening the metal doors, allowing Wolf and Piranha inside the backstage area. All the way past a set of lasers was their prize just waiting to be caught: the Golden Dolphin trophy, making Wolf smile and laugh.

Over at the reception area, a lady was speaking through the speakers, "Ladies and gentlemen, your emcee for the Good Samaritan Awards..."

Meanwhile, Shark was practicing the "pregnant breathing" technique to keep up the façade of being pregnant, until he heard Wolf speak through his comm, "All right, Shark, we're in."

Shark quickly stood up and told the people around him, including the officers, "Oops, I forgot, I'm not pregnant," he left to sit elsewhere, making the officers very confused.

At the stage, the announcer then spoke, " ...president of the committee, Governor Diane Foxington," The crowd of people applauded her, with Diane, who was wearing a beautiful magenta dress, walking onto the stage and towards a podium with a mic.

She smiled and said in the mic, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Last year, we faced our biggest test when a meteorite crashed into our dear city. That meteorite didn't just make a hole in our city. It made a hole in our hearts."

The audience all awed sadly, remembering that day, with Shark even emitting tears as well, to keep up with the disguise. Even Hornet watched the whole scene. Even though he's a bad guy, he still felt sympathy for the disaster made by that meteor.

Diane then continued, "But even in tragedy, Professor Marmalade, he did what he does so well. He made us look at things differently. And thanks to you, Marmalade, the Love Crater Meteorite will forever serve as a symbol of how there is good even in the worst places."

Backstage, while the ceremony was going on, Wolf and Piranha tore off their disguises, revealing their black bodysuits, and took opposite sides of the room, leaping off the stair banisters and statues to get up high towards the ceiling.

On cue, Snake popped his head, and most of his body out, set to be both boys' rope. Wolf and Piranha leaped towards Snake, grabbing onto him, as Wolf barely held on, almost slipping.

Snake did his best to hold them up, "Hurry up."

Piranha climbed up to the top of the vent and held tightly onto Snake's tail, like if he was holding the end of a rope. Slowly, he helped to lower Snake and Wolf down towards the trophy, carefully and cautiously, getting closer and closer.

Wolf, seeing that they were mere inches from grabbing it, commented to Snake, "This is going surprisingly smoothly."

However, when Wolf readied to grab it, the ring he nabbed from Diane earlier flew out and fell, slightly hitting the trophy before it started to fall towards the lasers.

Then, a bunch of rays shot up and were set on fire, as Wolf quickly scrambled to catch the ring before it could hit the lasers, nabbing it with his feet, and barely dodging a laser being fired right at him, which ended up hitting and destroying a statue.

Snake, seeing the lasers, commented, "What the molt is that!?"

Wolf looked up and then saw something that made him gasp, and commented, "The Wolf Hornet Piranha Snake Shark Tarantula Protection System," he pointed to a metal sign attached to the moving rod of one of the lasers that had the acronym for what he just said, and a picture of all six of the Bad Guys' face silhouettes, with a big red "NO" sign over them.

Tarantula overheard Wolf's comment over the comm, "The WHPSST?"

Wolf was close to freaking out, "This was not supposed to happen."

Snake, concerned now, asked, "What?"

Tarantula, in the security room, seemed calm about it, "Guys, calm down. I'm on it. Initiating WHPSST override protocol," she pulled out a red hard drive that had a white skull that had an orange flame on it, and plugged it into her computer.

Tarantula started to type away, trying to hack into the WHPSST system, and said happily when she thought she had it, "Get it, queen!"

However, to her shock, the screen had a big red X, indicating she didn't successfully hack into it. And over in the backstage area, Wolf seemed to sense that something was wrong, "Did it work?"

Tarantula groaned and shouted, "Just give me five minutes," she tried again to hack into it.

However, when Wolf and Snake heard Diane starting to welcome Marmalade to the stage, Snake commented, "We don't have five minutes!"

Over at the reception area, Diane announced, "And now, please help welcome me to the stage... "Professor Marmalade!"

The guinea pig smiled and got up from his seat, interacting with the cheering crowd, who shouted things like, "Aw," and "We love you, Professor Marmalade!"

Shark was spying seeing Marmalade heading to the stage, speaking quietly into his comm, "The pig is on the move. I repeat, the pig is on the move."

Even Hornet saw Marmalade going up the stage as he yelled through his comm, "Webs, hurry up! We're running out of time!"

Wolf was starting to panic, shouting into his comm, "Webs, Webs, the curtain's going up any minute!"

However, despite what Tarantula tried, nothing seemed to be working as she replied, "It's not letting me in!"

Wolf and Snake tried to offer some solutions as Wolf said, "Check your system preferences."

Snake added, "You probably need to download a driver."

Wolf then mentioned, "Try rebooting."

In the security room, Tarantula seemed to be smiling, and said sarcastically, "Oh, my gosh, you fixed it."

But when Wolf and Snake asked, "Really?"

On the comm, Tarantula angrily shouted back, "NOO!"

Just then, through the HUD effect of his helmet, Hornet saw the live footage of Chief Luggins heading to the security room where Tarantula was in,"Oh no," Hornet commented as he spoke through his comm, "Webs, watch out! There's a..."

In Tarantula's end, she heard someone knocking on the door and saw the door handle jiggle, and heard the chief of police's voice , "Hey, Larry. Come on, open up. What did we say about locking doors?"

Tarantula knew that if the chief got in, they were gonna be so busted! She frantically commented, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no," She then communicated to Shark, "Shark, I got a situation here!"

Shark answered back on the comm, "Copy that. I'm on my way."

Tarantula prayed that the chief didn't try to come inside.

"I'll keep a more eye on the chief. I'll be right there, Webs," Hornet said as he left his position, and flew back to the main floor as fast as he could.

In the vents, Piranha could feel his stomach starting to eerily gurgle, as he tried to hold on as hard as he could, commenting strenuously, "Hurry up, guys."

Tarantula knew that it was now or never as she cracked her knuckles, and said, "Time to turn this baby on beast mode."

She pressed a button on her computer, which allowed a smaller set of keyboards to emerge, and shouted in determination, "Eat it, WHPSST!"

As fast as lightning, Tarantula started to type up a storm, trying to quickly override the WHPSST system so her friends could steal the Golden Dolphin and get out in time.

Meanwhile, Piranha could feel something very "gassy" was about to happen, and panicked, "Please, not now. Wolf."

Wolf looked up and knew what was about to happen, and tried to tell Piranha to stop it, "Wait, wait, wait. No, no, Piranha!"

At the reception area, Marmalade was giving an acceptance speech, "This award is for..."

Suddenly, everyone grew quiet when they heard what sounded like a fart, but figured it was nothing, allowing Marmalade to continue, "As I was saying..."

Piranha saw the gas cloud he had emitted was spreading through the vents, and that made him even more worried, because what if someone smelled it?! They were gonna be in even more trouble, making him utter frantically, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

And was he right about someone smelling it and causing trouble, because in the security room, Tarantula was hard at work trying to hack when she smelled something odd. She turned around and saw Piranha fart cloud entering the room, and she grew frustrated, shouting into her comm., "Piranha! Are you kidding me?!"

She heard his voice answer, "Sorry!"

Tarantula continued her hacking to work.

Back at the reception area, Marmalade was continuing his speech, "And that's why my Gala for Goodness will raise all the money needed for those less fortunate."

The chief of police was starting to get impatient, continuously knocking on the door and shouting in an attempt to get "Larry" to open, "Come on!"

Tarantula saw the whole room become enveloped in Piranha's fart cloud, and in a desperate attempt to try and finish her work without passing out, she took a huge deep breath of the last bit of fresh air in the room and begun trying to hack as fast as she could in the fart cloud.

Meanwhile, the chief was getting angrier, and then commented, "I'm starting to get mad here, Larry," She pulled out a set of keys, finding one to unlock the door.

Hornet was clinging on the wall where he watched Chief Luggins flipping the keys to find the right one for the door. Hornet gasped as he knew if the chief found the key, she would soon find Webs inside, and the jig is up, "Shark, hurry up. I don't think Webs have time!" Hornet said through his helmet when contacting Shark.

"I'll be there as soon as possible. Just stay there, and keep an eye on Chief for me." Shark replied to him. But Hornet was in a state of panic as he couldn't just sit here and wait for Shark or the chief to open the door and catch Tarantula inside.

Tarantula was trying her best, but the fumes were starting to get to her, and they were so strong, it made her eyes water and that made it hard to see.

Wolf panicked through the comm, "Webs! Webs!"

Tarantula kept holding in her breath and tried to wipe away the stinging eye tears from the gas cloud, so she could finish the second half of her attempt to hack into WHPSST.

On stage, Diane announced, "And now the moment we've all been waiting for," and was getting set to give Marmalade the trophy.

The curtain started to rise, about to show the backstage. Wolf and Snake saw this and panicked, trying to move upward to avoid getting seen, while also trying to dodge the lasers that still followed them.

In the security room, Tarantula was close to completion, and had almost finished successfully hacking into the system, but the fart cloud became too much, and with a heavy heart, and a last teardrop, she slumped over onto the desk and passed out.

Wolf and Snake were panicking as they saw the curtain that separated the front and back stage, panicking that they were gonna get seen.

Outside, the chief had used the key to unlock the door, and had just slightly opened it, since she was trying to open it so she could go inside, when she heard a high-pitched voice ask her that made her turn around, "Excuse me. Is this the ladies' room?"

It turned out to be Shark, in his female disguise.

Hornet saw Shark finally arrive as he sighed in relief, "Phew!"

The chief luckily didn't recognize Shark in disguise, and answered happily, "Oh, uh, y-you need to take a right at the end of the hall, ma'am."

However, because she wasn't paying attention, the chief didn't notice that the slightly cracked opened door was the miracle that made the fart cloud disappear.

Hornet noticed the fart cloud escaping from the room. That meant Tarantula can breathe while focusing on her hacking, "Webs, Webs, wake up. You're all clear!

This made Tarantula come back to it, so she could finish the job. With a few quick clicks on her keyboard, Tarantula was able to override the last column to completely override the entire WHPSST system.

Tarantula smiled victoriously, "Yes. Woopang!"

However, she was greeted to one last nasty surprise: a tab appeared, "I'm not a tarantula"

This made Tarantula groan, and shouted, "Oh, come on!"

She used her mouse pad to scroll the pointer to the box to confirm she "wasn't" a tarantula, and that was the final key that turned off the WHPSST system, shutting the rays down, making Wolf and Snake very relieved, and just in time too.

On stage, Diane proclaimed, "And now it is my honor to award Professor Marmalade with the Golden Dolphin," She was set to pick up the trophy to give to Marmalade.

However, the audience, Marmalade, and Diane were in for a shock to see that the Golden Dolphin... was gone!

The audience was in dismay, including Diane herself, who uttered, "No."

"No," Marmalade added in concern.

By the security room door, Shark overheard what had happened and exclaimed to himself in his normal voice, "Yes," Then, he straightened up, acting lady-like again, and said in a high-pitch voice, "I mean, yes!" He gave the chief a friendly lady wave before walking away, while the chief stood there in confusion, before shrugging, not thinking about it too much.

However, when she opened the door all the way, she was greeted by a sight that made her scream in panic: a computer screen that showed that the Golden Dolphin was missing. She ran off, shutting the door behind her, but forgot all about Larry, who was still tied up and gagged with duct tape, hanging from the ceiling.

Back at the reception area, Diane tried to keep the peace with the panicking crowd, "Everyone, everyone, uh, please don't panic. Just stay calm. I'm-I'm sure there's an explanation for this. I repeat, uh, please do not panic."

With all this mayhem going on, no one saw the Bad Guys, back in their original disguises, slowly walking away, making a clean getaway, with the trophy hidden somewhere so they could take it out without anyone seeing them.

With their heist complete, Wolf smiled and said softly to the team, "Nice work, everybody. Now, let's make like a wolf and get the pack out of here."

Piranha chuckled, "Ah, wordplay. I don't get it."

Hornet rolled his eyes, and facepalmed, "Ugh, Piranha, try to keep up, man." He clapped the back of his hand with his other hand while growling at Piranha.

Marmalade, wanting to help everyone stay calm, stated, "Diane, Diane, if I may..." while running up to the podium, climbing up to the top of it, and holding the microphone in his paws. He faced the crowd, "You have to understand, I didn't bring hope back to the city for an award. I did these good things because of how they made me feel."

The Bad Guys didn't seem to be paying attention to what Marmalade said as they were sure of having a nice, clear exit, even when Marmalade said, "That tingly feeling I get. That shivers up my spine. The wag in my tiny tail."

At the sound of the "Wagging tail" part, Wolf suddenly...stopped, and turned around, removing his glasses and looked up at Marmalade, listening to what the guinea pig said next.

Marmalade, with the sweetest look in his eyes, commented, "Because, you see, being good just feels so good. And when you're good, you're loved."

Wolf couldn't help but find a sense of wonder in that, but before he could divulge his feelings any deeper, Wolf felt his tail wagging, and tried to get it to stop, with his team watching in confusion.

"Wolf," whispered Snake.

"Wolf," whispered Piranha.

"What are you doing," whispered Shark, in his normal voice.

"Stop that," whispered Hornet.

"Go," whisper-shouted the whole team, trying to get Wolf to come back to them so they could escape.

However, the commotion made one of the guests turn around and see Wolf standing there without his hat or glasses, and his fake mustache falling off. He immediately recognized who he was, and shouted in fright, "It's the Bad Guys!"

All of the guests started to scream and panic at the sight of the Bad Guys with the chief of police stepping in, pushing two of the guests aside so she could stand up front, and shouted, "Arrest them!"

The other officers quickly moved in, sliding down police lines, or leaping off the ledge up on the upper floor, and together, they quickly surrounded the Bad guys, giving them nowhere to run.

Backed into a corner, thinking that she had finally got them somewhere where she could catch them, she exclaimed while pointing at the Bad Guys, "They stole the Golden Dolphin!"

Wolf tried to play it cool, making it seem like his team was innocent as he said while crossing his arms and leaning up against Snake, "Come on, you can't prove that."

However, the Golden Dolphin Trophy that dropped from under Shark's dress could as Shark also tried to play it cool, shouting in his female voice, "My baby," but it was no use.

Hornet facepalmed once again. He knew Shark's acting was useless since they were exposed, "Shark, knock it off! The jig is up!"

There seemed to be absolutely no escape as the chief stepped forward, cracking her knuckles, and set to arrest them with the other officers excitedly, "On your knees, Bad Guys! With your hands up!"

However, none of the Bad Guys had any intentions of getting caught, especially Snake, who slithered forward from behind Wolf, and shouted, "Never! We're out of here!"

Wolf launched his grappling hook onto the ceiling, as it broke through the glass ceiling, set to pull everyone up. The rest of the Bad guys gathered together, holding tightly onto Wolf so they could all be pulled up to safety, while Snake wrapped around them, securing all of them together like a seat belt. Hornet didn't need to stick with the guys. He already could fly, so all he needed is to just follow his friends when they made their escape.

"So long, suckers!" Wolf exclaimed. However, when Wolf pressed the button for the line to retract, instead of the grappling hook pulling the team up, it tore Wolf's pants up, leaving Wolf in his boxers. All of the guests, officers, and even the team themselves looked down at what had just occurred, while Wolf felt quite embarrassed, shooting a sheepish smile while he brushed his hand back to the back of his head, and commented sheepishly, "Well, this just got a little weird."

Hornet couldn't help but groan embarrassingly, and facepalmed once again, disappointed by Wolf's failure of helping the team escape. Despite that Hornet could fly, he couldn't bear to go without them. He rather stayed and got captured with the team than leaving them behind. The entire team of Bad Guys all grinned sheepishly, hoping that everyone wasn't going to take this too seriously... but they were wrong.

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Special thanks to MasterClass60 for helping me with this chapter! This is a long one, and I can't make it myself!

I hope you like this chapter. Please comment and stay tune!

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[kiyoomeii]

some high school! l lawliet thoughts...

imagine l lawliet taking you to the prom and looking all snazzy in his tux and shiny dress shoes with a dark red rose boutonnière pinned to his lapel

how his hand would gently squeeze at your waist in photos and rest on your back while directing you through a crowd

and laying your head on his shoulder as you slow dance the night away

watching him hog the desserts from everyone else but not caring at all that people are annoyed at him

making goofy faces together in the photo booth with silly hats and popsicle stick signs that say “prom” on them

and leaving prom early to the escape to the comfort of his high rise apartment where you can share an intimate moment in the most mundane way

to hear the sigh of relaxation as you both take off your uncomfortable shoes and fancy get-ups and jump into the shower to wash the night away

to have his long fingers massage your scalp with shampoo with a tenderness and care that could only be experienced between two lovers

and to reciprocate that care to him by rubbing small circles of suds onto his body and feel his muscles relax

and finally ending the night curled up in unadulterated love for one another just wishing that you could spend every night together like this

(yes my prom is in two weeks and this is all i’ve been thinking about...)