#They’ll be in high school having their little high school romance

[melodyanqel]

𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 ── ★ k.js (i. new girl in town)

a freshly new face enters the world of karate who is shy and spineless yet becomes everyone’s favorite fighter. even her stern and tough rival has a soft spot. and possibly more than that.

↬ pairing: kwon jae-sung x fem!oc

↬ genre/tags: romance, fluff, angst, developing relationship, friendship, team bonding, family, shy!!sunshine!oc, possessive!kwon

↬ warnings: bullying, mean girls

↬ word count: 2k words

↬ note: first chapter! i thought about starting with a prologue but i decided to jump right into the story and write a chapter. but i hope you all enjoy!

↬ melodyanqel taglist: @pa1nfullyalive @captainquake42 @padmemi @carrotjuicepdf @sebastianstansblog @thebrightest4r

USA

Summer fades, but memories remain. 

Miyagi-Do students and the senseis can finally take a deep breath after the Cobra Kai mayhem. It felt like hell for all of them—chain reactions, betrayals, and so on caused a war. But now, the sweet air of tranquility has wrapped them in a warm embrace. 

The first day of school is bittersweet because it’s time to move on from summer and continue to explore what life has to offer. Miguel and Sam have their hands intertwined while Anthony follows them into the building. West Valley High School welcomes back the students. 

“I can’t believe this is our last year here.” Sam feels a bit sentimental about how the time has passed. Even though not-so-great moments happened here, there will always be happy ones. Miguel nodded, “I’m surprised as well. College is our next stop. I hope my mom and dad will be satisfied with my major.” He talked with his family about what he’d do after high school. Plus, a new sibling will get welcome to the world around the time he graduates with Robby.

Sam reassures him. “They’ll be happy about whatever decision you’ll make. The worst thing you can do is become a lousy dropout.” She chuckles and doubts he will ever do that. Miguel exhales because he feels a little better. “My mom and grandma would’ve whooped my ass. And thanks, girlfriend.” He pecks her forehead sweetly. “You’re welcome, boyfriend.” The LaRusso daughter smiles at the boy.

Abruptly, her brother notices something. “Uh-oh. Already a scrap is happening.” Anthony points his finger at the upcoming fight. Miguel and Sam follow his finger to spot a group of girls ganging up on a petite redhead girl with glasses and dressed in pastel pink clothes. The mean girl who looks like the typical leader yells at the scared girl. 

“You bitch! You could’ve hurt me!”

“I-I’m sorry! It was an accident!”

“An accident?! Why don’t you redhead freak-looking ass watch where you were going!”

The mean girl pushes the redhead to the floor and lands on her bottom. She drops her materials and groans at the painful impact. 

After watching enough of it, Sam didn’t hesitate to let things get worse. She parts from Miguel to go up to the bullies. “Hey! Back off! It was an accident!” Sam stands in front of the poor girl with a glare. The mean girl smirks, “Oh yeah. What are you going to do about it? Defend a freak.” She retorts and her friends laugh at the insult. The students in the area all watch the situation unravel. 

Miguel and Anthony would’ve stopped Sam, but they knew what she was doing. 

The female Karate fighter jabs the mean girl effortlessly in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. “Next time, think before who you are messing with.” Sam makes a comeback with a slight threat. She watches the mean girls and her friends scurry away in fear. Then the tension clears, and everything is all normal. 

Sam turns around to face the victim. She kindly helps gather her school supplies. “Here you go.” She hands over the girl’s books and binders. 

“T-Thank you so much.” The redhead gladly appreciates the eldest LaRusso child and takes her stuff. Sam has a cordial smile. She offers a helping hand to the bullied girl. Their hands grabbed each other and Sam brought the girl to her feet. Miguel and Anthony began approaching the girls. “Hey, are you okay?” Miguel asked the redhead. She answers, “Yes, I’m fine.” Her voice was mousy, almost like she was whispering.

Sam tries to lighten up the mood. “Now that you’re okay, we can introduce ourselves. I’m Sam. This is my boyfriend, Miguel, and my little brother, Anthony.” She greets herself, Miguel sends a cordial smile, and Anthony does a small wave. 

The trio becomes mesmerized by the petite redhead. She is super pretty and cute, like a royal princess. She has fair skin, small facial features, and stunning hazel eyes with glasses. Her style is adorable too. She greets the LaRusso siblings and Miguel. “It’s nice to meet you all. My name is Sophia and I’m not from here. I came from Portland, Oregon. So, you can call me the ‘New girl in Town’ and not the other one.” She still feels hurt by the insult. 

Sam reads the discomfort on her face—she is playing the hero today. The female fighter tells Sophia, “Hey, you are not a freak. Those girls just wanted to make you feel bad about yourself. Your hair is so beautiful it reminds me of Princess Ariel.” She compliments Sophia’s copper ginger hair. 

“It’s also cool like Scarlet Witch!” Anthony adds, which makes his sister and Miguel chuckle. Sophia blushes at their comments. “I appreciate your lovely words.” She responded, delightedly. Then the bell rings. Before class, Sam invites Sophia for lunch with her and her friends. Sophia happily accepts because she needs to start breaking out of her shell. She is a shy girl who is a pink addict and doesn’t have thick skin. 

Despite the ugly start, Sophia believes things will get better. 

⋆⭒˚.⋆

SOUTH KOREA

When the night comes, look heavenward and be willing to see that the stars still shine; for the dawn will come. 

A young man sighs with relief once entering the studio apartment. He takes off his gi and black belt to have a relaxing shower. He feels rejuvenated when the water hits his long spiky hair. He had a long day of training, sparring, and getting punished by his sensei. Of course, he wouldn’t be disrespectful towards his comrades and mentor, but the anger keeps rising. 

Kwon turns off the shower, wipes himself dry, and puts on comfortable clothes. The quiet apartment may look lonely, but he feels like he is in a haven. After making instant noodles with a boiled egg, Kwon grabs his dinner and sits at the dining table. He goes through his text messages while slurping on the delicious noodles. They’re mainly from his family. 

After turning eighteen, Kwon moved out of his parent’s place when he successfully became one of Kim Dae-un’s pupils. Ever since he was a young boy, his passion was martial arts. He gets enthralled by the beauty of martial arts; courage, strength, confidence, respect, honor, and personal growth. Not to mention, being able to defend himself. 

However, Sensei Kim may not show it but Kwon is her least favorite student.

She has favorites which is no surprise because she does for his teammate, Yoon Do-jin—the best student who wears that damn geum baeji. Kwon does get envious whenever Yoon receives more praise than him. One day, he will prove he is a better fighter than him with a special combination of skill and will, power and finesse, and an unmatched physical and mental toughness. 

In the group chat, his parents would ask if he was doing well, had eaten, and so forth. Kwon deeply loves them. At first, he expected them to roll their eyes or be disappointed by his pathway in life. But they knew they couldn’t change what brings him joy. Kwon is grateful for his parents. Underneath his rebellious self, he does have a heart. 

Kwon finishes his dinner and responds to the text messages, 

Thank you for asking. I’m doing good, yes I’ve eaten, and my training sessions were tiring yet I got through them. 

⋆⭒˚.⋆

USA

“Yo, dude! Did Sam punch a girl?!”

During the day, it’s now lunchtime. Miguel, Hawk, and Demetri are in the hallway to head for the cafeteria. Hawk asked Miguel about what happened earlier. Miguel speaks, “Yes. Wait, how did you know?” He looks at one of his best friends quizzically. Instead, Demetri tells him, “That’s what Devon said in math class. I thought we agreed about not doing karate in school.” He is stating that they shouldn’t repeat history. 

Miguel clarifies to the guys. “Sam did it because a girl was getting bullied. She is also new here.” He gives a brief explanation. Hawk shakes his head. “Some people, man.” He knows what it’s like to get bullied. He and Demetri have gone to hell and back when Kyler and goons would pick on them. Nowadays, it’s different—all thanks to karate. 

Demetri shrugs, “Well, at least no beef started. I’m pretty sure we’ve had enough.” He doesn’t want to get part of the drama ever again. Miguel replies, “Who knows? But I’m positive everything will be alright.” He is optimistic yet tries to face reality. Let’s see how this last year of high school plays out. 

Once they enter the cafeteria and get their slices of pizza, drink, and snacks, the boys notice Sam sitting with Sophia. 

“Heyo, Sam! What’s poppin?!” Hawk greets his teammate and one of his greatest friends while taking a seat. Sam looks around the table and sees her boyfriend and friends joining. She says, “I’m doing good! Also, Hawk, Demetri. This is Sophia. She is new so try to be nice and patient with her.” Their loud and hyper energy can sometimes get out of control. Demetri grins, “We will. It’s not like we’re the bad guys.” He tries to state the truth and convince Sophia. 

Hawk speaks enthusiastically, “We’re the cool, good guys. And badasses.” His over-the-top behavior makes Sophia giggle. They seem like hilarious yet friendly people. The pretty redhead speaks, “It’s nice to meet you all. And Miguel. I hope we’ll get along.” She has them smiling in adoration, and the guys blushing. Her sweet charm affected the Miyagi-Do students. 

Miguel then asks Sophia, “What made you move to California?” He and the others want to get to know her. She explains to the karate fighters, “I have relatives living out here and I’m the only one in Oregon. My parents saved enough to buy a house so we could be much closer to our relatives. At first, we thought it was absurd, but whatever can make my parents happy. I must follow them until I graduate.” Truthfully, Sophia didn’t want to move to California because she’d miss the breathtaking forest, the people, and her best friend. But a glimmer of hope is slowly happening. 

Demetri starts expressing his thoughts. “Well, it’s not all that bad. Sure, it’s expensive, but we do our best to survive. And should I tell her what we do?” He looks at Sam, Miguel, and Hawk for permission. He wants to be careful before saying it. Sophia doesn’t know what they do together, but Demetri makes it sound like it’s a sin. 

Sam tells the tall boy, “Go ahead.” 

She turns her attention to Sophia. “By the way, it’s not illegal.” She spoke with humor and sincerity. The shy redhead just nods. 

Demetri continues, “We have a hobby and it’s karate. It started with Sam then Miguel then Hawk and I joined last because I felt like it was more than fighting.” And he has zero regrets because he never thought he could kick and punch. 

Sophia put a merry smile on her coral-pink lips. “Wow! So you guys are cool! I love that and it’s precious to know you all are inseparable.” She comprehends how they act, talk, and see each other it’s more than a regular friendship. They’re like a family. 

Hawk shouts with no care, “Hell yeah, we are!” He smiles proudly at the people around the table, who are willing to get through highs and lows with him. Hawk then goes back to being gentle. He tells Sophia, “You don’t need to know karate just to be our friend. We want you to feel loved, and protected, and share wonderful moments with us.” Hawk was once a loner, a bully victim, and an asshole. But he eventually learned to never forget about the real people in his life and still be a tough fighter. 

His genuine and considerate words touched Sophia’s heart. Well, it’s better than suffering as an outcast. 

She answers candidly, “Sure. I’ll join the group.” 

back to masterlist

[schrodingers-monster]

Holy shit why are manga site comments so fucking rancid they’re so bad look at this shit

there were bunch of people in the comment section asking if the manga was gay and hoping it wasn’t

One dude was like yo why would it matter and these are the responses

[nemisuki]

Morning Routine

Third year AU | From being childhood friends to being third years in UA High School… she never would’ve expected her life would revolve around waking up next to Katsuki Bakugo. The boy she’s known since she was small. Yet here she is, next to an unexpectedly soft boy whose goal is now, not only to be the number one hero. But to be her hero.

᧔o᧓ || katsuki bakugo x f!reader, no manga spoilers, small mentions of nsfw if you squint, physical touch, 1.9k word count (extra 1.9k lol scene at the end including the bakusquad + todoroki)

“What are you smiling at?” He grumbles, turning to face you as you laid on his dorm bed, his fingers brushing your arm. He knew he wasn't supposed to be there with you, he was supposed to be training with the idiots in the ‘Bakusquad’ — instead, he chose to be with you. He often trained alone but now the morons wanted to tag along, mainly just trying to have him buy them ice cream after their jog. He was supposed to meet them an hour ago.

Katsuki Bakugo actually ignored his morning training for some girl. What has the world come to.

Her gentle eyes meet those gorgeous pools of red. Pure red. Like gemstones. Oh how she loved his eyes, “I’m just happy” she says in a mumble followed shortly by a soft hum. She won’t ever get over waking up with him in the mornings. Sneaking into his dorm late at night despite it being against the rules.

His bed was different then hers. Warmer. Inviting. Or maybe it was him. Whenever she tries snuggling against his chest, he sighs and holds her. In the beginning he protested, spouting off about how he’s not the mushy type. As time went on, he never won that argument. So eventually, he gave up and ended up holding her every time she came over and slid into his bed. It developed into a habit.

Now he can’t seem to let her go, his personal pillow. While he’s her personal heater. His quirk makes his body warmer than others.

“Whatever” he sighed, his arms wrapping around your waist as he practically pulled you on top of him. On top of his body as she’s sprawled over him. His fingers tracing along your skin in gentle circles.

“They’re gonna be wondering where I was, y’know..” he mumbled, burying his face into your neck and breathing in the scent of your shampoo. Her scent mixed in with the scent of his body wash. To which she used to shower last night.

“They’ll live… it’s not a crime for you to miss a morning jog” she says as she peppers gentle kisses on his cheeks. If she did this months ago he would be awkwardly stiff as she showered him with physical affection. Now being 3rd years in UA, he’s accepted her gentle touches.

“Mm, maybe not, but it certainly does raise some eyebrows,” he mumbled, his head tilting to catch your lips on his. He leaned up to kiss you properly, his hand gripping your hip to keep you in place. He had a point — the last thing the two of you needed right now was people getting suspicious of whatever was going on between you two.

But she can't help but be a bit selfish, wanting him for herself. How can she help it when he’s so perfect?

Her eyes flutter close as his lips meet hers. He’s such a feisty person, yet his touches are always so gentle. The two started dating at the beginning of their second year at UA.

After the war, everything changed. Y/N and Bakugo have known eachother since they were little yet this romance between them has only ever developed since they entered UA. She got a front row seat at how he slowly changed for the better. How he genuinely tried getting past his own insecurities yet staying true to himself. He was still the little grumpy boy she always knew yet this version of him has learned to accept his shortcomings and evolve from them.

After some time Y/N started developing a small crush on the boy. Though she pushed it down. It seemed his goal of becoming the number one hero was his main priority. No room for any distractions like romance. Despite that, the impending war changed everything. She seeked him out before they left to the frontlines, and told him to be safe. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire as she looked at him. Originally she planned to confess. But him being Bakugo he cut her off unknowingly.

—FLASHBACK—

“Oi, what are you stuttering about? Spit it out dumbass” he huffed out getting slightly annoyed by her sudden nervous expression.

“K-Kacchan I just… um….” her heart thumped loud in her ears as she looked at his eyes. So red and pretty. She took a deep breath and was about to go for it when-

“Everyone go with your groups and get ready! We’re about to start!”

Y/N quickly looks at Bakugo about to say something when he looks down at her and rolls his eyes, “tell me after we win this, stupid. Now cmon we’re on the same team with the nerd.”

Back then he didn’t realize what he felt for her was different from the others. Katsuki Bakugo was never meant to fall in love. He didn’t see the deal of romance. His goal was to be the number one hero. That’s all he dreamed of…. right?

So when he saw Y/N, get hit by one of Shigarakis' attacks. Causing her to fall down on the ground with a loud thud, blood soaking her hero outfit from her abdomen. Best Jeanist quickly tries to stop the bleeding as she struggles to keep her eyes open. He almost felt like everything went into slow motion.

“She’s out of commission! No way she’ll stand up anymore…” Best Jeanist says out loud to those around with sorrow in his voice.

Memories of her and him playing together at the playground flooded his mind. Them two in middle school when she defended Deku from his bullying. The betrayal he left that day. The two had a falling out until they entered UA. Her presence since they were little was always strong. Slowly he accepted her back into his life as time went on in their first year of UA. Still extra harsh to her compared to the others but she seemed to be used to it. Towards the start of winter, his demeanor with her slowly softened. Progressing into occasional headpats and pinching of her cheeks.

As she fell unconscious on the battlefield, that’s when he knew. He cared for her more than the others. That being the number one hero would be for nothing, if he didn’t have her by his side. That’s what fueled him to keep fighting til the end.

After the war ended, Y/N and Katsuki stumbled upon each other in the empty hallway of the hospital. It was late at night, neither able to sleep apparently. They walked together to the hospital gardens under the big Sakura tree surrounded by tall hedges. The moonlight peeking between the shuffling leaves. That’s when she finally confessed to him. Went on about how much she wants to stay by his side. She started nervously babbling nonsense, her fingers fidgety and her eyes darting to the floor. He rolled his eyes and leaned down, hooking a finger under her chin to make her look up at him. Shutting her up with a gentle kiss on the lips. Since that day, they’ve been together ever since.

—END OF FLASHBACK—

She smiles as the blonde barely pulls his lips away from her, giving her a quick final peck then letting his head fall back against the pillow. Still holding her close to his chest. Out of curiosity, she looks at the clock on his nightstand. Seeing the red bright digits read 8:30 AM, displayed on the alarm clock. Realization dawns upon her and she quickly looks down at Bakugo. Whose eyes are still roaming across her facial features.

“Katsuki it’s 8:30!” she states quickly like it’s a life or death situation. “We have to go down and have breakfast!”

“And I should care because….?” he replies back with his usual gruff expression.

“Oh cmon there’s pancakes and if we don’t get down there then Kirishima and the others are bound to finish them!!!!”

Bakugo groaned again, burying his face into the crook of your neck. “God damn it,” he mumbled, still not wanting to move. “M’tired from last night and I wanna stay in bed.”

“Cmon cmon get up! Say do you have any of my clothes from last time I slept over? I would go to my room but Mina might spot me” she smiles looking down at him.

“Yeah, might be in that dresser,” he said, gesturing to the top drawer in the dresser next to the mirror. “You always leave something behind when you stay over so that drawer is where I put all of the stuff you left overtime. I also bought you some stuff you may need if you're ever here and need something. It’s your drawer from now on.”

“Ah I see, my own little space in your room…” she says with a brighter expression. She would be lying if she didn’t say that made her heart clench with joy. She looks in it and spots the organized little sections. Some old clothes she’s left behind that are neatly folded along with occasional jewelry she left here by accident. He even put some of her makeup in here that she forgot to take with her back to her room. Y/N feels a warm sensation fill her body when she sees some hygiene products he must’ve bought. Some tampons and pads. Ibuprofen. A heating pad.

She smiles to herself thinking about him going out of his way to get her menstrual products just in case she ever needed them. Despite his tough exterior, he never judged her for these things.

God she loves him.

Despite not wanting to get out of bed, Bakugo laid there and watched you change with a smile on her face. His eyes roamed over your body, taking in the sight of you. His eyes traced your figure, even though he’d seen your body plenty of times before. There’s never a day he gets bored from watching you.

She spots him from the mirror and smiles softly “you're staring…” she says in a gentle mumble.

“How can I not, you're my girlfriend” He says straight faced in response with his gruff voice, sitting up and leaning against the pillows. “C’mere for a second."

She hums in response and finishes changing, “what is it?” she says as she walks over.

He grabbed your hand, pulling you closer until you were in between his legs. He grabbed the edge of your shirt, pulling you closer and resting his forehead against your chest. “Just let me have a few more minutes, before we have to get up and deal with those idiots.”

She smiles at his words and wraps her arms around him.

He grumbles into your chest. “Hate that we gotta hide this from the others, pisses me off.” He pulled you down to sit in his lap, his arms wrapping around your waist. Staying in that position for a few minutes til Y/N spoke up, “c'mon we have to go ‘suki.”

“Fine,” he groaned, his hands moving to rest on your hips. “You get going first, I’ll wait five minutes and then follow after you.”

She smiles and nods, unable to stop admiring his face. He’s so pretty. She sighs and pecks his lips, unable to resist, “I love you.”

It took him a moment but… “Love you, too” he hummed, his hand snaking up the back of your neck and into your hair, holding you close for another kiss. “Now get going before I’m tempted to keep you here all day.”

She giggles and is on her feet as she exits his room. Before she decides to stay in bed with him after all.

Y/N is not usually a morning person but maybe she is now.

—ADDITIONAL SCENE BELOW FOR LAUGHS & GIGGLES—

Bakugo let out a sigh, reluctantly pulling himself out of bed. He opened the nightstand drawer, grabbing some fresh boxers and a pair of jeans, along with a clean shirt. After changing into them, he grabbed a brush and ran it through his hair, trying to tame some of the bedhead.

Once he was good enough, he left his dorm and began walking down to the dining hall of the dorms.

“About time you decided to show up,” Sero snickers at Bakugo, as he rolled his eyes already annoyed. “You didn’t show up for the morning jog! And now you're late for breakfast? How long does it take for one person to get ready?”

Kirishima chimed in with a remark of his own. “Maybe he was too busy sleeping in!! Even bakubro has those days it seems” he said, snickering.

“More like too lazy to get out of bed if you ask me!” Kirishima added with a laugh.

“I was not you idiots!” Bakugo grumbled in reply, looking slightly annoyed. He sat down in the seat beside Y/N, his arm brushing against your thigh under the table. To which she just smiles silently eating her pancakes.

As they all ate their breakfast, a couple of the guys continued to take this opportunity to tease Bakugo about being late as he’s always been an early bird.

After some time Y/N stands up intending to go to the kitchen to get some pastries that Sato made last night. “Hey, does anyone want any pastries?” She says out loud as she looks at the group.

The guys all nodded in response, as you walk to the kitchen, Bakugo watches you leave before shifting his gaze to the group. His eyes snap towards Kirishima as it looked like he was going to help you, “it’s so unmanly to have Y/N bring everything over I’ll go help-“

“I’ll go,” Bakugo says as he interrupts kirishima. Already on his feet getting up from his seat.

“Wow, so manly bakubro!” Kirishima says as he sheds fake tears and wipes them away like a proud dad. Sero and Kaminari couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

“Shut it shitty hair! Only because Y/N is a klutz and will trip before she makes it back to the table with the pastries…” he huffs out, turning away to walk to the kitchen.

Once he was in the kitchen he looked over to you, Y/N grabbed a plate and started thinking about which pastries they'd like. Katsuki stepped closer behind you, his chest pressing against your back. He spoke gruff as always next to your ear, his breath warm against your skin, “They all like dark chocolate so just get them those.”

“Someone will see if you're standing so close,” she warns him softly as she starts putting chocolate pastries on the plate with a smile.

“Let them see…” he mumbled against your skin, moving his head down to the nape of your neck.

Y/N notices some avocado and shrimp on the cutting board, “oh looks like someone was going to make a shrimp mocktail of some sort” she comments as she keeps grabbing pastries. Bakugo hummed in acknowledgment but he was a bit distracted.

He could still smell his body wash on her, making him think of last night's activities. He couldn’t resist and placed a kiss against the side, his hands coming around you to cage you in. His voice was low, in an almost whisper “Oi after school-“

*The door creaks open*

Bakugos eyes narrow a bit, as he glances over at where Todoroki was walking in the kitchen towards them.

“Damn it… why does Icy-hot have such bad timing?” he grumbled, reluctantly slipping his hands off your hips and taking a small step back.

“Good Morning Todoroki!” Y/N says with a gentle smile. To which Todoroki gave a small “morning Y/N”. He looked between the two of you with a hint of curiosity, noticing Bakugo standing a bit too close, his hands shoved in his pockets. Before he could question, however, the other three idiots came into the kitchen.

“Found you guys!!” Kaminari yelled extremely loud, practically bouncing over to the counter.

“Wah-“ Y/N says, jumping a bit and stumbling with the plate at the sudden noise.

“Oi-“ Bakugo immediately moved behind you to catch you, hands grabbing your hips to steady you.

“Careful-“ he huffed, holding you steady. Giving a death glare to Kaminari which almost made him pee his pants right then and there.

“Ah thank you Kat- Kacchan” she quickly corrects herself, reminded that they’re not alone, she looks up at him smiling. Bakugo simply grunts and looks away to not cause suspicion.

Kaminari spoke up as he looked at Bakugo, who still had his hands on your hips. “I see that you’ve… taken an interest in helping Y/N with the desserts, Bakugo..” he coos and teases.

The guys all notice Bakugo being a bit too close to you. Both of you suddenly back away from one another.

“What was that all about..?” Todoroki comments, eyeing you both carefully like he’s studying the two.

“Uh it’s because…” her mind quickly goes into overdrive and she yells out the first thing she thought of before they catch on “Ew do you guys smell that?! Kaminari farted!”

Everyone looks at Kaminari, who looks completely appalled by the accusation. “Wha- hey!! I didn’t fart!!”

Bakugo wants to roll his eyes at her lame excuse but holds back. He lazily points at the wall “Oi what’s that over there?”

The group all looks over at where he’s pointing but sees nothing. “Huh? What do you mean bakugo?” Sero says confused and looking for something that’s not there.

“Right there you idiots! It’s a roach!” Bakugo says, trying to distract them.

Sero and Kirishima screech in disgust and hide behind Todoroki. “A roach?! Where?!” Kirishima says panicked. Sero groans and holds onto Todorokis sleeve “that’s so gross dude!’

Todoroki, being stoic as ever, goes to the wall to investigate, “I’ll check it out..” he says monotone as usual.

“Wow Todoroki is so manly!” Kirishima says looking at Todoroki with sparkles in his eyes like he’s a superhero.

“No kidding!” Sero says as he and Kirishima cheer for Todoroki from afar.

Meanwhile Kaminari stays in place being a scaredy cat, “no way I’m going over there! I hate bugs!"

“There’s no roach Bakugo…. Maybe you're seeing things” Todoroki said calmly, inspecting every nook and cranny.

Y/N sees the shrimp from earlier on the cutting board and takes it suddenly getting an idea, she starts waving it around quickly near kaminaris back. Then quickly draping a nearby towel over the cutting board.

“Hah?! I know what I saw half and half!” Bakugo says grumbling trying to play it cool. As they’re all distracted looking at the corner for the bug, Bakugo uses this opportunity to use his quirk to cause a mini explosion to happen near Kaminaris rear. The sound caught everyone’s attention and they looked at kaminaris direction.

The guys are about to question what that noise was when they gasp, suddenly assaulted by the stench of something odd like smoke and shrimp mixed together.

“Ugh- who the hell let loose in here!?” Kirishima groaned, covering his nose.

Todoroki covers his nose silently, obviously in distress from the scent.

“Ugh what was that!” Y/N adds on trying to act oblivious as she fake gags to play it off.

“It’s coming from Kaminari!” Sero gags and waves his hand around to get rid of the smell.

Bakugo lets out a scoff, trying to hold back a smirk. “Of course it is. Only he would stink up the whole damn kitchen like this!”

“What?! It wasn’t me!” Kaminari yells out, waving his hands around trying to deny the claims.

Everyone was gagging at the stench, looking at Kaminari with disgust. Todoroki tried to look unaffected but he coughed softly, he tried to make Kaminari feel better. In a stoic voice he says “It’s okay kaminari…. it’s normal-“

“What on earth did you eat last night to produce something so foul!!” Sero interjects whining.

“It wasn’t me!” Kaminari tries to defend himself.

“Ugh it’s in the air! C'mon let’s get back to the dining room” Kirishima says, covering his nose.

The guys and Y/N are all quick to agree, not wanting to inhale the stench. All of them hurry away, leaving a sputtering Kaminari behind as he insists that he didn’t pass gas. The group sits back down at the table, still complaining about the bad stench. Bakugo, however, gives you a subtle look as everyone is distracted. He silently mouths “good one”, his voice inaudible, with a smirk on his face. Y/N bites back her tongue to suppress a laugh that wanted to escape her lips so bad.

Kirishima sighs, still trying to get the stench out of his nose. “Seriously, I can’t believe one of us can produce something so bad. It’s like a skunk took up residence at the table.”

As Kaminari returns to the table with a pout, Sero gives him a deadpan look. “Please. Spare us the pouting. That stench was you and you know it.”

Kaminari huffs and slumps down in his chair. “Damnit..! Why are you all pinning this on me!? I already told you that I didn’t fart!!”

Kirishima tries to pat his head in a comforting manner. “C’mon, Kaminari, who else could that possibly be coming from? It smelled like something died inside you…!”

Todoroki looked at Kaminari giving him a genuine concerned look which made Bakugo want to laugh so hard he had to look away. “Kaminari….. I suggest you go see a doctor. It's for your own good. I could give you an appointment with my private doctor” he says in a stoic manner. Kirishima and Sero gave Kaminari an encouraging slap on the back.

“Yeah man…. I think that’s for the best” Sero says, giving Kaminari a loopy grin. Kirishima is still whining, “I can still smell it…..”

Kaminari whines and shoos them all away “it wasn’t me I swear-“

“It was dunce face, end of story. Now all of you eat your pastries, we got class soon," Bakugo says grumbling. He glances at Y/N and gives her a subtle nod of the head. To which Y/N smiles and looks at Kaminari who’s still babbling to defend himself.

Mina comes down all smiles as she waves to the small group and heads to the kitchen “Morning Guys! Sheesh I’m hungry-“

“Don’t go in there!!!!!!” Kirishima and Sero yell out to Mina dramatically.

“What in the world are you two on about this time..” Mina shakes her head thinking their pulling one of their shenanigans again. She goes to open the door but pauses when Todoroki puts his hand on Mina’s shoulder to stop her. Giving her a stoic but concerned look and simply shaking his head no.

Mina looks bewildered and takes a look at everyone at the table. Who all look like they’ve been through a war, “what in the world happened in the kitchen?!”

“Dunce Face farted and if you go in there it’s a death wish” Bakugo grunts out all serious and playing into the lie.

“Dude……” Mina looks at Kaminari and shakes her head in disapproval.

Kaminari whines loudly “IT WASN’T MEEEEEEE!”

Y/N couldn’t hold it in and bursted out laughing, the others started laughing alongside her. All the while Kaminari went all day trying to convince everyone he wasn’t the one guilty.

A typical day at UA……. is certainly something.

[physalian]

Pacing your Story (Or, How to Avoid the "Suddenly...!")

Arguably *the* most important lesson all writers need to learn, even for those who don’t give a damn about themes and motifs and a moral soap box: How your story is paced, whether it’s a comic book, a children’s chapter book, a doorstopper, a mini series, a movie, or a full-length season of TV (old school style), pacing is everything.

Pacing determines how long the story *feels* regardless of how long it actually is. It can make a 2 hour movie feel like 90 mins or double the time you’re trapped in your seat.

There’s very little I can say about pacing that hasn’t been said before, but I’m here to condense all that’s out there into a less intimidating mouthful to chew.

So: What is pacing?

Pacing is how a story flows, how quickly or slowly the creator moves through and between scenes, how long they spend on setting, narration, conversation, arguments, internal monologues, fight scenes, journey scenes. It’s also how smoothly tone transitions throughout the story. A fantasy adventure jumping around sporadically between meandering boredom, high-octane combat, humor, grief, and romance is exhausting to read, no matter how much effort you put into your characters.

Anyone who says the following is wrong:

Good pacing is always fast/bad pacing is always slow

Pacing means you are 100% consistent throughout the entire story

It doesn’t matter as much so long as you have a compelling story/characters/lore/etc

Now let me explain why in conveniently numbered points:

1. Pacing is not about consistency, it’s about giving the right amount of time to the right pieces of your story

This is not intuitive and it takes a long time to learn. So let’s look at some examples:

Lord of the Rings: The movies trimmed a *lot* from the books that just weren’t adaptable to screen, namely all the tedious details and quite a bit of the worldbuilding that wasn’t critical to the journey of the Fellowship. That said, with some exceptions, the battles are as long as they need to be, along with every monologue, every battle speech. When Helm’s Deep is raging on, we cut away to Merry and Pippin with the Ents to let ourselves breathe, then dive right back in just before it gets boring.

The Hobbit Trilogy: The exact opposite from LotR, stretching one kids book into 3 massive films, stuffing it full of filler, meandering side quests, pointless exposition, drawing out battles and conflicts to silly extremes, then rushing through the actual desolation of Smaug for… some reason.

Die Hard (cause it’s the Holidays y’all!): The actiony-est of action movies with lots of fisticuffs and guns and explosions still leaves time for our hero to breathe, lick his wounds, and build a relationship with the cop on the ground. We constantly cut between the hero and the villains, all sharing the same radio frequency, constantly antsy about what they know and when they’ll find out the rest, and when they’ll discover the hero’s kryptonite.

2. Make every scene you write do at least two things at once

This is also tricky. Making every scene pull double duty should be left to after you’ve written the first draft, otherwise you’ll never write that first draft. Pulling double duty means that if you’re giving exposition, the scene should also reveal something about the character saying it. If you absolutely must write the boring trip from A to B, give some foreshadowing, some thoughtful insight from one of your characters, a little anecdote along the way.

Develop at least two of the following:

The plot

The backstory

The romance/friendships

The lore

The exposition

The setting

The goals of the cast

Doing this extremely well means your readers won’t have any idea you’re doing it until they go back and read it again. If you have two characters sitting and talking exposition at a table, and then those same two characters doing some important task with filler dialogue to break up the narrative… try combining those two scenes and see what happens.

**This is going to be incredibly difficult if you struggle with making your stories longer. I do not. I constantly need to compress my stories. **

3. Not every scene needs to be crucial to the plot, but every scene must say something

I distinguish plot from story like a square vs a rectangle. Plot is just a piece of the tale you want to tell, and some scenes exist just to be funny, or romantic, or mysterious, plot be damned.

What if you’re writing a character study with very little plot? How do you make sure your story isn’t too slow if 60% of the narrative is introspection?

Avoid repeating information the audience already has, unless a reminder is crucial to understanding the scene

This isn’t 1860 anymore. Every detail must serve a purpose. Keep character and setting descriptions down to absolute need-to-know and spread it out like icing on a cake – enough to coat, but not give you a mouthful of whipped sugar and zero cake.

Avoid describing generic daily routines, unless the existence of said routine is out of ordinary for the character, or will be rudely interrupted by chaos. No one cares about them brushing their teeth and doing their hair.

Make sure your characters move, but not too much. E.g. two characters sitting and talking – do humans just stare at each other with their arms lifeless and bodies utterly motionless during conversation? No? Then neither should your characters. Make them gesture, wave, frown, laugh, cross their legs, their arms, shift around to get comfortable, pound the table, roll their eyes, point, shrug, touch their face, their hair, wring their hands, pick at their nails, yawn, stretch, pout, sneer, smirk, click their tongue, clear their throat, sniff/sniffle, tap their fingers/drum, bounce their feet, doodle, fiddle with buttons or jewelry, scratch an itch, touch their weapons/gadgets/phones, check the time, get up and sit back down, move from chair to table top – the list goes on. Bonus points if these are tics that serve to develop your character, like a nervous fiddler, or if one moves a lot and the other doesn’t – what does that say about the both of them? This is where “show don’t tell” really comes into play.

4. Your entire work should not be paced exactly the same

Just like a paragraph should not be filled with sentences of all the same length and syntax. Some beats deserve more or less time than others. Unfortunately, this is unique to every single story and there is no one size fits all.

General guidelines are as follows:

Action scenes should have short paragraphs and lots of movement. Cut all setting details and descriptors, internal monologues, and the like, unless they service the scene.

Journey/travel scenes must pull double or even triple duty. There’s a reason very few movies are marketed as “single take” and those that are don’t waste time on stuff that doesn’t matter. See 1917.

Romantic scenes are entirely up to you. Make it a thousand words, make it ten thousand, but you must advance either the romantic tension, actual movement of the characters, conversation, or intimacy of the relationship.

Don’t let your conversations run wild. If they start to veer off course, stop, boil it down to its essentials, and cut the rest.

When transitioning between slow to faster pacing and back again, it’s also not one size fits all. Maybe it being jarring is the point – it’s as sudden for the characters as it is for the reader. With that said, try to keep the “suddenly”s to a minimum.

5. Pacing and tone go hand in hand

This means that, generally speaking, the tone of your scene changes with the speed of the narrative. As stated above, a jarring tonal shift usually brings with it a jarring pacing shift.

A character might get in a car crash while speeding away from an abusive relationship. A character who thinks they’re safe from a pursuer might be rudely and terrifyingly proven wrong. An exhausting chase might finally relent when sanctuary is found. A quiet dinner might quickly turn romantic with a look, or confession. Someone casually cleaning up might discover evidence of a lie, a theft, an intruder and begin to panic.

--

Whatever the case may be, a narrative that is all action all the time suffers from lack of meaningful character moments. A narrative that meanders through the character drama often forgets there is a plot they’re supposed to be following.

[dearly-somber]

20/20 Vision | j.jk

-> pairing. wolf shifter!jungkook x human!reader (f)

-> genre. slow burn, fluff, f2l (friends-to-lovers), pining, mutual pining, unrequited love, drama, high school!au, university!au, eventual romance, eventual smut

-> rating. 13+

-> w/c. 897

-> warnings. Literally nothing this is pure fluff 🥹🤍

-> a/n. Glasses!Kook origin story!! Y/N lore drop!! (P.S. This takes place before Because It’s Soft!)

-> collection. mini-series

-> started. Dec. 9th, 2023 @ 10:03

-> fin. Sun., Jan. 28th, 2024 @ 12:31

-> edited. Thurs., Feb. 1st, 2024 @ 17:44

-> divider credit. @mmadeinheavenn

You knew something was up when Jungkook—a boy who’d once spotted a squirrel in the road while driving at nearly 100kph—started squinting at the projector not even five meters in front of him.

Even though the two of you sat around the middle of your class, you’d frequently turn to find him angrily squinting at the board, struggling to read your smaller than average handwriting even though he’d never found it difficult before.

Now, sitting in your living room with homework strewn all along the floors and Jungkook nose deep his English textbook, you finally come to the conclusion that his vision might not be so 20/20 anymore.

“Jungkook,” you say concerned as he lets out a frustrated sigh, sitting upright with a frown etched deeply into his face.

“I can’t see,” he complains, groaning and rubbing at his temples. “And my head feels like it’s about to explode.”

You reach out to run your hand through his hair, biting on your lip when he unhesitatingly leans into the touch. “You can’t see?”

“No,” he pouts. “Everything’s blurry.”

“Jungkook.” You rub at his earlobe once before pulling away, searching his face with a pitying smile. “The font isn’t that small—I can read it just fine from where I’m sitting.”

He manages to look offended. “Okay. And?”

You sigh, placing your hand over his, like you’re about to deliver some bad news. For someone so smart, he can be so dumb. “I think you should see an optometrist.”

His doe eyes widen. “No,” he whispers, genuinely afraid-sounding.

You smile apologetically and pat his hand.

He pulls away from you to press the palms of his hands into his eyes, fake-crying into them like the drama-queen he is. “Fuck,” he whines.

You push up from the kitchen table and walk around to massage his shoulders, as if he’s a football player getting hyped up before his next big game. “It’s okay,” you soothe.

“I need glasses?” He sounds so sad, you can’t help but laugh a little.

“It’s not the end of the world!” you laugh. “Besides, I think it’ll suit you.“

“But what about soccer? I can’t play with glasses, they’ll get broken, or, or—“

“Contacts are a thing, remember?”

🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕

Now, a couple of days later, you knock on the packhouse doors with an eager smile, greeting Jimin with a long hug. “Is Jungkook home yet?”

“Yeah, he’s upstairs.”

“Thanks!”

The way to Jungkook’s room is a familiar one. As soon as you enter the pack house you turn right and head a single flight of stairs to the second floor where all the rooms and main bathrooms are. What is new, is all the various pictures hanging on the wall.

You take a moment to admire the new frames you assume either Seokjin or Rosé hung up between today and the last time you were here (around three days ago, now), smiling fondly at the closeness and joy in each picture.

It’s a large 24x48 canvas framed in a beautiful burgundy wood with golden highlights (which seem to have been painted on by hand), and it makes your heart stop.

It’s of a photo you took with the pack a few days after your birthday.

Your heart aches sweetly at the sight of Yoongi with his arms wrapped brotherly around your shoulders, free arm hoisting his whiskey into the air, a large grin on his face. Next to him is Jungkook, both hands in the air, yelling at the top of his lungs with one of those bottled glasses of coke. And around you, the rest of the pack.

Rosé and Jennie crouched beneath you, forming hearts with their arms on either side of your legs; Jisoo, Hoseok, Jin and Taehyung laughing at their brothers off to the side; Lisa yelling at the top of her lungs while being carried bridal style by Namjoon; Jimin on the floor at Rosé and Jennie’s feet, slightly blurred around the edges from setting up the camera.

It was the best night of your life.

“Y/N?”

“Hm?” You look at Jungkook with a smile on your face, which quickly turns into an appreciative grin. “Why, look at you!”

Jungkook laughs shyly, reaching up to self-consciously push his glasses further up his nose. It’s a simple frame: black metal, kind of large but not overly so, a little boxy.

“It looks good!” you say as you finally make your way up the stairs, giving him a quick side hug before making your way to his room.

“You think so?” He holds the door open for you and then lets it slide halfway closed, joining you on the edge of his bed where you’ve already taken up one of his controllers.

“Definitely. Really frames your face.”

He groans. “Not you, too. Jin hyung’s been making glasses jokes all day.”

You laugh, nudging him in his side while starting up It Takes Two (a game you’d asked him to get so you could play together). “I would too, Four Eyes.”

He growls, not even giving you time to think before his hands are at your sides.

🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕

Downstairs, Jimin shakes his head at your loud pleas for mercy and defeating scream-laughter with a fond smile, handing Jin another plate to dry off. “I wish those two would get together already.”

“Patience,” Seokjin chides with an equally fond grin. “They’ll figure it out eventually.”

[kiwriteswords]

Rule Followers

Masterlist || Ao3

AN: A one-shot, that is technically a companion piece to Wicked Games, but can be read solo! I've also expanded this story so much that I no longer think I can keep the titles within the Wicked Game lyrics...

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Female Reader

Word Count: 2.1k

Tags/Warnings: Suggestive Language, Implied Sexual Content, Potential Hint at Brat-Tamer!Hotch, Workplace Romance, Mild Workplace Tension, Humor. Part of a series but can be read as a standalone.

Sypnosis: After disclosing your relationship, you and Agent Hotchner are required to attend a mandatory workplace boundaries seminar, joined by Morgan and Garcia, who seem to be thoroughly entertained by the situation.

Companion piece to: Part V in the Wicked Game Universe (Can be read independently, though!)

The seminar room was filled with the monotony of beige walls and a lone projector humming softly at the front of the room. You and Hotch entered together, side by side, with Garcia and Morgan waiting in their seats, smirking like two kids ready for mischief.

“Oh, look,” Morgan murmured, nudging Garcia. “They finally arrived. I thought Strauss might’ve pulled you aside for a pre-seminar scolding.”

You scoffed and leaned over Hotch, who’d already put on his best stoic face, clearly prepping for the ordeal. “We’re here to learn, right, Aaron?”

He barely glanced at you, but you caught the corner of his mouth twitching before he composed himself. “Let’s just get through this without incident.”

Garcia, never one to let a good opportunity pass, leaned forward, her eyes gleaming. “Right, sure, because a seminar on professional boundaries was exactly what this team needed. Especially you two.”

Hotch cast a withering look her way, but before he could say anything, Morgan broke in, “You know, Hotch, I’ve never seen you get flustered—until now. Kind of refreshing, actually.”

You couldn’t resist nudging him with a playful grin. “Aw, he’s just mad because he knows they’ll call him out for all those little glances he sneaks when he thinks no one’s watching.”

Hotch’s jaw tightened, but he couldn’t hide the faint flush creeping up his neck. “I think we all know who’s responsible for this…meeting.”

Morgan laughed. “Oh, there’s no question about that! All those times you two have been ‘subtly’ flirting in the field? Strauss must’ve been waiting for an excuse to get you here.”

“Professional decorum is important,” Hotch said flatly, as though reciting a script.

Morgan raised an eyebrow. “Decorum? Man, I saw you let her push every button until you were ready to combust. Don’t think you can pretend you didn’t enjoy it.”

Garcia gasped in exaggerated delight. “Strauss isn’t the only one watching!”

Hotch sighed, clearly caught between exasperation and mild amusement. “I think it’s safe to say none of us will be contributing to the Q&A session.”

“Oh, come on, Hotch,” you teased, leaning in so only he could hear. “Aren’t you even a little bit curious what they’ll say about us?”

He looked at you, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. “No, but I’m curious to see how long you can actually sit still.”

Morgan laughed, overhearing. “I give it five minutes.”

As the seminar dragged on, the team shared knowing looks and chuckled silently, each relishing the rare sight of Hotch out of his element. And though you tried to keep your composure, every time you exchanged a sly glance with Hotch or caught him subtly rolling his eyes, you could feel the playful energy between you two crackling, uncontainable even in the most "serious" of seminars.

The seminar was in full swing, and the instructor—a painfully earnest, silver-haired man with a penchant for over-explaining—was clicking through a presentation with slides so outdated they looked like they belonged in a high school health class.

You and Hotch sat side by side, each trying to focus on the presentation, but you couldn’t resist stealing glances at him. The serious set of his jaw and that faint crease between his brows said he was doing his best to keep this under control, though you could tell his patience was wearing thin.

As the instructor droned on, a new slide appeared with the title: "Avoiding Favoritism in the Workplace."

You leaned just slightly toward Hotch, voice barely above a whisper. “Well, that’s relevant.”

Without looking at you, Hotch replied quietly, “Don’t even start.”

But you couldn’t resist, nodding at the slide with mock seriousness. “You know, Aaron, maybe I should stop winning all those ‘favorite agent’ contests.”

He gave you a sidelong look, the barest hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. “Last I checked, those weren’t real.”

You leaned in a little closer, murmuring, “Oh, right. All my campaigning for nothing.”

Hotch didn’t miss a beat, his voice low. “I don’t play favorites in the workplace.”

You stifled a grin, keeping your tone innocent. “Good to know. So, if it came down to it, you’d rather be sleeping next to me at night than…Reid?”

Hotch’s lips twitched with the faintest smile. “It’s a close call.”

You smirked. “Come on, admit it. I’m your favorite outside the office.”

He finally glanced your way, just the hint of warmth in his eyes. “Outside the office? That’s never been in question.”

Satisfied, you settled back with a smirk. "Glad we got that straight."

You settled back, but when the next slide appeared—Examples of Inappropriate Behavior—you couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. The slide showed two people standing far too close to each other, gazing with barely hidden longing, and you swore the actors looked vaguely like you and Hotch.

He let out a quiet, barely perceptible sigh as the instructor spoke. “It’s important to recognize when boundaries are becoming blurred. You may think a close colleague is just a friend, but others may perceive favoritism or unprofessional behavior.”

At that, you leaned closer to Hotch. “Think we should ask if our relationship is coming across that way?”

His gaze remained fixed on the slide. “I think the goal is to make it through without drawing attention.”

You held back a laugh, nodding seriously. “Right, right. We’re practically invisible.”

The instructor continued, oblivious, as the slides shifted to Physical Boundaries and Inappropriate Contact. You watched as a series of awkward stock photos appeared, showing coworkers sharing prolonged eye contact or lingering touches.

“This is absurd,” Hotch murmured under his breath, sounding almost resigned.

You raised an eyebrow. “You’re saying it doesn’t cover our unique situation?”

He gave you a sharp look, the faintest glint of warning, but there was something else too—almost a glimmer of amusement. 

“Not a word.” But his silence didn’t last long. When the instructor started explaining the potential “distractions” that could arise from workplace relationships, Hotch muttered so quietly you almost missed it, “As if I’d ever be distracted.”

“Oh, really?” you whispered back, daring him with a playful smirk. “Then why do I catch you staring at me constantly?”

He didn’t respond, keeping his eyes forward with military precision. But you could see the telltale clench in his jaw and that faint blush creeping up his neck. You couldn’t let him off that easily.

“Guess you must be the picture of focus,” you murmured with a grin.

“Unlike you,” he replied in a dry whisper, “I can keep my focus exactly where it needs to be.”

“Right, so no distractions at all,” you said, casting a quick glance his way. “That’s why we’re at this seminar, after all.”

Just then, the instructor called for attention, clicking to a slide that displayed a list of “Appropriate Boundaries” in the workplace. His voice carried through the room with a practiced authority. “Maintaining professional boundaries ensures that all team members are treated fairly and equitably. Distractions, romantic relationships, or favoritism can erode the integrity of your work.”

You leaned over to Hotch, keeping your voice low. “Integrity, huh? Think ours is intact?”

Hotch’s tone was barely more than a murmur. “Strauss seems to think we’re hanging by a thread.”

You feigned a sigh. “Guess it’s a good thing I enjoy walking that line.”

He shook his head, gaze fixed on the screen as he struggled to maintain his composure. “You’re impossible.”

The instructor’s voice droned on about “a professional atmosphere free of personal entanglements” as another slide appeared—Common Workplace Hazards. The image showed two colleagues leaning too close over a desk, an almost magnetic pull between them.

You bit back a grin and leaned toward Hotch, your voice a soft murmur. “That one looks familiar…maybe a certain night in your office?”

Hotch’s jaw tensed, and his hand brushed against yours, sending a thrill down your spine. Without missing a beat, he murmured, “We are not having this conversation here.”

But you couldn’t resist, letting your fingers brush his just enough to keep him on edge. “Come on, Aaron… Remember how you locked the door?”

He shot you a sharp look, his tone low and commanding. “Behave.” His hand settled firmly over yours, stilling your movements, and his voice softened. “Or I’ll have to remind you exactly who’s in charge, even here.”

You smirked, feeling a thrill of defiance. “Promise?”

Hotch’s gaze held yours, intense and unyielding. “Trust me, I do,” he whispered, a quiet edge in his voice that left no room for argument. The glint in his eyes, though, hinted at something deeper, a shared memory lingering between you both.

Silenced and properly reeled in, you gave him a slight nod, unable to resist a soft, satisfied smile.

The seminar dragged on, but now there was a new energy between you. Every time a stock photo showed another awkward interaction or the instructor stressed the dangers of “inappropriate workplace affection,” you and Hotch would exchange the faintest of glances, each one saying everything you couldn’t in the middle of the seminar.

By the time the last slide finally clicked by with a bland “Thank you for your attention,” you were practically buzzing with pent-up energy, and you could see Hotch was just as eager to be done with it. Maybe more.

As you both stood up, gathering your things, you couldn’t help but murmur, “Well, I hope you took notes. Wouldn’t want any slip-ups in front of Strauss.”

He gave you a wry smile, finally letting the humor slip through. “I think I have everything I need right here.”

You raised an eyebrow, catching his gaze. “Does that mean I’m off the hook?”

Hotch looked at you, his voice so low and sincere that it sent a thrill down your spine. “Let’s just say I have a pretty good handle on where we stand.”

And with that, he held the door open for you, his hand brushing your lower back as you exited the room. Maybe you were supposed to keep your distance, maybe the seminar didn’t exactly condone it—but you knew you’d both be just fine.

As you and Hotch stepped out of the seminar room, Morgan and Garcia followed close behind, each wearing matching grins that hinted they’d been waiting for a moment to pounce. Hotch let his hand on your lower back drop, straightening up as if trying to re-establish some level of professionalism.

Morgan shook his head with a smirk. “Well, I think we can all agree that’s two hours of our lives we’ll never get back. Honestly thought they’d use some real-life examples from our team for a minute there.”

Garcia grinned, nudging Morgan. “Hey, I was bracing for it! I thought for sure they’d pull out that slide on pet names you shouldn’t use for your coworkers.”

You let out a snort, looking at her with amusement. “Oh yeah, we were all waiting for ‘chocolate thunder’ or ‘baby girl’  to make its big comeback.”

Hotch, keeping a straight face, gave Morgan a sidelong glance. “I think we’re all grateful they kept things…general.”

Morgan chuckled, leaning back with a grin. “Oh, sure, Hotch. General works for most of us—but something tells me this seminar’s gonna stick with you two a bit longer.”

Hotch’s lips pressed into the faintest smirk, just for a second. “I think we’re clear on what’s expected.”

You shot Hotch a sidelong smile. “Yep. Message received, loud and clear.”

Garcia, ever the gleeful instigator, clasped her hands with a grin. “I, for one, am just thrilled to have witnessed the two of you sitting through all that…professional advice.”

Hotch’s gaze flickered between the three of you, and he let out a resigned sigh. “Let’s keep the commentary in check, shall we?”

“Oh, you don’t have to tell us twice,” Morgan replied, shaking his head with a laugh. “But you two might be in for a few more of these little ‘reminders’ from Strauss, just saying.”

Hotch straightened, his expression returning to its usual calm. “I’m fairly confident we can stay on the right side of things,” he replied, casting you a brief, meaningful look.

As you all walked toward the elevators, his hand brushed your back in the subtlest of gestures, enough to remind you that, whatever Strauss or the seminar said, both of you knew exactly where you stood.

Tag List:

@zaddyhotch

@estragos

@todorokishoe24

@looking1016

@khxna

@rousethemouse

@averyhotchner

@reidfile

@bernelflo

@lover-of-books-and-tea

@frickin-bats

[thepunkranger]

Leon S. Kennedy NSFW Alphabet

(18+ only)

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex) Leon is super clingy after sex. He loves to cuddle and have his hair played with, and is very likely to be super mushy and shower his partner in praise

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s) His: Leon’s favorite part of his body is his hair. He’s super attached to his floppy bangs and how they give him a “cute pop star look” (according to his high-school girlfriend)

His partner: He loves eyes - windows to the soul and all of that. He’ll spend hours just staring into his partner’s eyes, committing their exact colors and every tiny expression to memory

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically) Leon loves cum marking. On the occasions he tops, he loves to cum on his partner wherever they’ll let him. He likes it as a sub too, letting his partner hold him down and mark him as their own

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) He’s stolen his partner’s dirty panties before to jerk off with, usually by wearing them and rubbing himself through the fabric

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) Despite how attractive those around him think he is, Leon actually isn’t very experienced. I’d even say he’s still a virgin in RE4. He needs an emotional connection to feel comfortable getting physical with someone, and with how hard the government works him and how seriously he took the police academy before that, his partners have been few and far between

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying) Topping, he’s a softy who’ll take good ol’ missionary most days. He likes being able to see his partner’s face, and it makes him all mushy when they wrap their legs around his waist. Bottoming, he loves a mating press. He didn’t get that flexible just to not have his knees up around his ears

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.) Usually he falls too deep into headspace in the moment to be too much of a smart ass, but this is Leon we’re talking about - he’s gonna be a little goofy. He’ll crack jokes as they come to him, or think of something silly and laugh so hard he needs to stop and regroup for a moment. It’s a good way to help him in the comedown as well - get him laughing and he’ll perk up quickly and generally avoid a drop, even after a rough scene

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.) Leon naturally doesn’t grow a lot of body and facial hair, and what he does grow is blond and doesn’t show well unless it’s especially thick. He keeps things trimmed, or occasionally shaved, between his legs, but most everything else he won’t bother with

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect) Leon is romantic as hell, and is definitely the type to do the whole candles and rose petals thing when he wants to make his partner feel special. Secretly though, the romance stuff works twice as well on him, and if he came home to a trail of flowers and a glass of red he might actually burst into tears from happiness

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon) Leon didn’t “get” masturbation for a long time because he didn’t realize there were options other than just basic jerking off. The first time he tried “taking it slow” with himself - touching the rest of his body, rubbing his nipples, even fingering himself - he blew his own mind. He’s been a fan ever since

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks) If you’ve read my kink headcanons post for Leon, you’ve already got a pretty good idea, but I’ll add: Leon has one hell of a Mommy kink. Poor boy just wants to be cared for, even though he often doesn’t believe he deserves it, so the idea of having someone take the decisions and power away from him specifically to force him to be cared for has a special place in his heart. Also shout-out to Leon being the puppiest pup. He’s a good boy and he knows it

L = Location (favorite places to do the do) Given the choice he’ll choose the bedroom, but he does have some especially salacious memories involving the back of his motorcycle

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going) Being told what to do, or shown up. Leon is nothing if not a sub at heart, and anyone who can boss him around or take him down a peg has probably at least shown up in a fantasy or two

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) Edgeplay, specifically “violent” CNC or gunplay. Both are absolute triggers for him, and he knows himself well enough not to intentionally put himself in those situations

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.) Leon loves oral, and he’s damn good at it too. If he could only ever engage in one sex act the rest of his life, he’d choose oral - specifically giving. He loves being praised for his skill and watching his partner fall apart in real time because of how good he’s making them feel

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) Leon is usually slow and sensual as a top, though if his partner asks he’ll go harder (he enjoys it, but he constantly worries if he’s going too rough or if he’ll hurt them and can’t fully let go in the moment). Bottoming, though? All bets are off. Being worshipped and taken slowly will turn him into putty instantly, but nothing quite silences the demons like getting his back blown out so hard he’s sore for the next three days

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.) He isn’t much for quickies most days (he’d much rather set aside a few hours to really enjoy it), but being dragged into the nearest bathroom or dark corner so his partner can get off has made for some of his favorite sexual experiences

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.) Leon, unfortunately, isn’t exactly known for thinking things through when it comes to sex. He’d be the type to want to try handcuffs but leave the key too far away to reach. However, he also probably wouldn’t take excessive risks like public play unless his partner convinced him to, and he’d most likely spend the whole time silently panicking over getting caught

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?) I feel like Leon would be a mixed bag - he doesn’t last very long because he gets keyed up super easily, but he has a pretty short refractory period and can go multiple rounds. Plus, he’ll happily pleasure his partner in other ways if he cums first

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?) Leon would need to be introduced to toys, but I think he’d love them. Bondage, vibes, gags, collars, plugs, and plenty of others wind up making up a very hefty toy chest in his apartment

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease) Leon doesn’t tease much, and usually any “bratting” he does is accidental, however, he’s a great person to tease. He crumbles pretty quickly, and he’ll whine and beg at just about any physical teasing he gets, so edging sessions are especially fun

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.) He’s so fucking loud. Leon’s entire body is pretty much wired to those Dead by Daylight sounds, and even just a neck nibble will set him off. He’s gotten teased for it in the past, so he’ll often try to hold back with a new partner, but if he finds out they don’t mind (or even like it) he’ll be unstoppable

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character) It’s not unusual for Leon to stop talking when he’s deep in subspace. He’ll still moan and whimper for all he’s worth, but actual words tend to go out the window. This is especially true in his pupspace, where he’s pretty much all happy dog brain and will pretty much exclusively communicate in barks and whines

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes) Depends somewhat on what phase of life we’re talking about. Early 20s/RE2 Leon is fairly muscular, but it doesn’t show unless he’s flexing, and he still has some softness around the edges. Late 20s (4 and ID) he’s all muscle and hard cut, with a growing collection of battle scars. By his late 30s he’s gained back a bit of the softness, but mostly from his battle with depression, and has significantly more scarring (and probably a couple of “bad” places that act up when the weather turns)

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?) I’d say it’s moderate overall, but it spikes if he has a partner. He’ll go from hardly thinking about sex when single from being worked so hard to practically going into heat the second he has a stable partner. Coming home from missions is one day of complete rest and five straight days of losing his clothes and forgetting to check his phone

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards) He takes a while to fall asleep, mostly because he wants to make sure his partner is satisfied and taken care of before he’ll let himself rest. He’s a sucker for being cuddled, though, and will knock out pretty quickly once he’s safely tucked in his partner’s arms

[skellseerwriting]

Fab 5 Sleepover Headcanons!

Based on these headcanons by me

Tw for the color pur***

Every week or two they have a sleepover in Uliana’s dorm (she has the room to herself and has the biggest mattress)

Usually they start off with watching a cheesy classic movie on a projector

They make fun of the movie the whole time and will throw popcorn at it

secretly though, they really enjoy watching them

Whenever it’s a Friday Sleepover, Uliana will mock Bridget with a “we’re having a sleep over tonight and you’re not invited.” Because whenever she does, Bridget will bake treats for their sleepover (not because she wants to be invited, but because she wants them to have fun)

Uli will answer the door in her duck pjs to grab the tray of food with “You’re still not invited!” without so much as a “thanks” (in a strange way, that is her way of saying thanks)

While shoving a cupcake down her mouth, Uliana will ramble about Bridget: “she’s awful” *eats cupcake* “I hate her” *takes another bite* “Her baking is terrible” *mouth full of frosting* “Who’d ever like that loser”

They all tend to gossip, however it’s mostly Uli complaining about Bridget

Once she reaches a fuming point, the others will start Karaoke

I imagine it’s either cheesy love songs or emotional ones about heartbreak, then they move onto music they like to headbang too (think “Bring me to Life” by Evanescence)

They clamber all around the room like little gremlins, using hairbrushes and lamps as microphones and guitars

Stuff WILL get broken

I think everyone has a different kind of song they like to do solos for

Maleficent likes to sing stuff that’s slow and eery (though one song I can imagine her singing is W.I.T.C.H.)(she would listen to Billie Eillish if her music existed at the time)

Hades will choose heavy metal he can scream to (put example here)

Hook will either go with a sea shanty or like, dark romance(?)(I was thinking like Stalker’s Tango)

Morgie will choose upbeat pop I think (such as High School Musical songs like “I don’t dance”, which he’ll duet with Hook)

Uliana will sing anything that’ll let her show off her pipes, or make her feel powerful (such as “Everybody Loves me” and “You should see me in a crown”)

To relax a little after that, Maleficent and Morgie will help everyone with face masks and cucumber slices to get a patented 15 minutes of vocal silence and music

”This is stupid-“ “Zip” “who likes-“ “shUT”

after washing their masks off they officially begin skin care with Hook and Morgie at the helm, who try to take a whole hour

due to the others complaining it’s more like 30 minutes

Right after that everyone does each other’s nails (black, usually), and bust out the hair curlers

With curly hair, Maleficent looks majestic, Hook looks fabulous, Hades’ hair looks ridiculous down, Uli’s barely waves, and Morgie just reverts to Peder Lindell

When they try and get ready for bed, that’s when Morgie will start a pillow fight. It quickly turns into chaos and ends with everyone vs. Uliana because she gets 8 pillows with her tentacles (she’s too overpowered)

it’ll always end once Morgie crashes asleep from over-exhaustion. after that, they’ll roll him onto the circle bed in the center of the room

they all cuddle to sleep, so they’ve devised a method for it

Uliana is in the middle so those on the side of her can use blankets (Uli sleeps hot, so she doesn’t use them)

Morgie and Hades are by the edge to lessen the chance of Hades hitting someone in his sleep, and Morgie from making someone fall off the bed (so it’s usually himself falling off now when it happens)

Once everyone’s in place and holding their respective plushies, Uli will bring out her tentacles and rest them over the blankets (it feels like a weighted blanket)

Then, Maleficent uses her sleeping spell she developed to put everyone to sleep, so that they don’t move around too much (it’s hard to fit everybody on the bed) and also keeps Uliana’s tentacles from moving and knocking into people

Once it’s morning time, Hook and Mali wake up first and go to bring breakfast back for the others

Morgie and Hades don’t wake up until Uli starts stirring and her tentacles begin hitting them

Then they laze around until noon, helping each other pick out outfits for the day, talking about the fun they had last night, and ideas for the next sleepover

[eveletii]

Become the Bard!

Follow in the footsteps of the most prolific bard of all time in this mini version of the classic Legacy Challenge, that will stir up drama in your game! Give the classic Shakesperian tales your own spin and live out epic stories of love, comedy and tragedy in The Sims 4. It's going to be worthy of a standing ovation!

In total there are 5 Generations in this challenge, each representing a different Shakesperian play.

The official hashtag for the challenge is #ShakespeareLegacyTS4. Break a leg!

Overall Rules

Lifespan: Normal

Cheats: Allowed only when setting up scenarios

Recommended Mods: UI Cheats Extension e MC Command Center.

Necessary Packs

Lovestruck

Growing Together

Cottage Living

Horse Ranch

High School Years

StrangerVille

Get Famous

Recommended Packs*

Seasons

Nifty Knitting

My Wedding Stories

*These packs are not required to complete the challenge, but can add to the storylines.

❝You grew up wealthy, with a big happy family. There weren’t too many rules, except for one: the sims across the street are not to be befriended. But you were never one to follow rules anyway... Especially when one of the neighbors is so cute...❞

❤✧✦✧❤

Aspiration: Soulmate

Traits: Lovebug, Family-Oriented and Gloomy

Career: Romance Consultant

✧ Complete the Soulmate aspiration (or die trying!) ✧ After that dramatic beginning to your love story, you sure have a lot of advice to give. Monetize it by maxing the Romance Consultant career! ✧ Be the ultimate lover and max the Romance skill by interacting with your partner ✧ Create two households, with 5-8 Sims each. Pick a family to control ✧ Make sure there is at least 1 teenager in each household, they’ll be the main couple ✧ It is important that ALL adults from one household HATE the Sims from the other one, and vice versa! (Cheats may be used to achieve that) ✧ Elope with your partner as soon as you both become Young Adults and then move to a different Neighborhood or World ✧ Have only 2 children, twins or close in age ✧ Have a date night with your partner once a week. (You may do it on random days or create custom holidays using the Calendar)

❝You’re not easy. You know that. Your sibling knows that. Your parents know that. A smarty-pants with a temper, with too many ideas and too little patience. But does that mean you can’t find the one? If your parents did it, so can you, right? I mean, not that you’re looking for someone. Or... are you?❞

❤✧✦✧❤

Aspiration: Best-Selling Author

Traits: Hot-Headed, Bookworm and Romantically Reserved

Career: Politician

✧ Complete your aspiration and become the best-selling author on the San Myshuno Times! ✧ You have a lot to teach the world, but the world has one thing to teach YOU: kindness. Join the Politician career and max it, through the Charity Organizer branch ✧ Soften your edges by maxing the Charisma skill ✧ Develop a DIFFICULT dynamic with your family during your teenage years ✧ You can only date once you become a Young Adult ✧ Go on 3 failed dates before finding The One ✧ Have only 2 kids, both girls. (Cheats may be used to achieve that) ✧ You must get married when on Level 4 of your career, and then pick the Charity branch ✧ Work slowly on your charisma skill throughout your career.

❝A free-spirit with a heart of gold, you knew what you wanted from an early age, and left your home to run a wool farm, filled with sheep and llamas. You and your younger sister are two peas in a pod, even though you two are polar opposites. You, a tomboy, her, a princess. Once she graduates high school she comes to live with you at the farm. You thought it’d be just you two forever... That’s when a cute local comes along...❞

❤✧✦✧❤

Aspiration: Country Caretaker

Traits: Animal Enthusiast, Socially Awkward, Rancher

Career: None

✧ Be the pride of Finchwick Fair by completing the Country Caretaker aspiration ✧ You must NOT join any careers throughout your life, and all the money you make must come from the farm ✧ Get first place at a Finchwick Fair competition at least three times in your life ✧ Show off your country skills by maxing the Gardening and Cooking skills ✧ Get at least Level 5 on the Cross-Stitching or Knitting skills (if you have Nifty Knitting) ✧ Become BFFs with your little sister as children ✧ Move out of your parents’ home as a teenager, half-way through high school to start your farm in Henford-on-Bagley (Start small, taking little money from the original household with you. Dropping out of high school or not is up to you) ✧ Have only 2 kids, both girls. (Cheats may be used to achieve that) ✧ You must date and marry only Sims from the world you live in ✧ You must marry at the end of your late Young Adult days/early Adult days ✧ You can only have ONE child ✧ You must use the Simple Living lot challenge in your home lot

❝Marriage? Never! You’ve had a serious partner once, and let’s just say it didn’t go well, and it gets worse! After all, exes are forever. You two bump into each other all the time and the fighting is endless. Could all this hatred just unhealed wounds from your love story gone wrong, or could all this fighting hide something more?❞

❤✧✦✧❤

Aspiration: Chief of Mischief

Traits: Noncommittal, Self-Assured and Mean

Career: Military

✧ Be the bane of your ex’s existence by completing the Chief of Mischief aspiration ✧ Get to Level 5 in the Military career and then switch to a new one of your choice. Achieve Level 5 in the new career ✧ Max out the Mischief skill and get to at least Level 5 on the Logic skill ✧ Your traits must be acquired in the following order: 1- Self Assured, 2- Mean, 3- Noncommittal ✧ Date only ONE Sim as a Teenager. After much fighting, break up before turning Young Adult ✧ Rekindle the flame and marry your ex as an Adult. Have as many kids as you please ✧ Join the Military career and stay in it until you get married. After that, switch careers to a career of your choice ✧ Start developing your Mischief skill during your teenage years

❝A creature of romance and drama, you were born to love and to shine on and off stage. Your life is the most daunting story in your family to date. But that’s probably because this Challenge doesn’t include The Scottish Play.❞

❤✧✦✧❤

Aspiration: Serial Romantic

Traits: Romantic, Creative and Erratic

Career: Acting

✧ Master the Serial Romantic aspiration and win (and break!) a lot of hearts ✧ Reach the top of the Acting career ✧ Get to Level 10 on the Mischief, Romance and Acting and at least Level 5 in the Charisma skill ✧ Have a close relationship with your parent who was the past generation’s heir and develop a Jokester family dynamic with them ✧ Date A LOT and from and early age, but only get engaged once. During the wedding ceremony, leave your partner at the altar ✧ Children are allowed, but not mandatory ✧ Begin developing the Mischief skill with your parents

[torturedblue]

It’s the middle of the week, have some dancing turtles

Spoilers below as I gush about my Mutant Mayhem Monday experience 🤗 please feel free to gush with me I wanna hear other people’s thoughts too!

First off… When Seth wanted to put the teenager in TMNT he meant it. Like, all the versions act like teenagers, but like Nickelodeon PG stereotypical teens. MM turtles were the realest PG-13 outta pocket 21st century teenagers I’ve ever seen and I love that shit because it’s the first time I actually felt like I was around the kids in middle school and high school again with the way they talk. Kinda appreciate Superfly cussing too? Like idk it’s Ice Cube and this villain goes hard tryna kill some teenage turtles he formally saw as his lil cousins, let the grown mutant cuss

Also uh, was not expecting to be sad so early in the movie? Like I could tell from the trailers it was gon be an emotional rollercoaster but shit like ten minutes in and these turtles are fuckin depressed. And to see it really hit me because in every other version (except for Bayverse) the turtles literally never let not being part of the human world get to them. In the shows especially they’re so well adjusted and never bothered by sticking to the shadows. Then there’s Rise where they pretty much go out whenever they want and indulge in most of the human world stuff they want to. For these guys to be so stunted and desperate to have more freedom was so heart wrenching. Especially when Splinter grounds them for a whole month and the reality sinks in of how much they know the life they want isn’t an option for them

Wasn’t expecting any kind of ship or romance but that crush Leo has on April hit me like truck because…… holy crap the Leo-April pair has never been a thing? On top of that this is only the second on screen black April we’ve seen and I’ve been a Leo kinnie across the board since day one so to see this combo of my favorite character liking a black girl is making me lose my mind 🥲 and like it got me thinking of several of my favorite shows and the single characters I kin in those and if they’ve ever had black love interests and it’s just still not a common normalized thing honestly.

I’m sure a lot of people aren’t excited for the prospect of ships coming back (especially after 2012 scarred us) but as a Leo lover and black girl it got me so excited to see something like this. I’m just hopeful and optimistic they won’t mess it up like a lot of shows do. The “this is just as friends line” already makes me a little worried bc that trope never has a good history but I have faith they’ll handle things tastefully and not make it toxic or messy

MURDER THE SHREKS!

“I assume you’d wanna be on camera. ‘Cause you have, like a very camera ready look…” OKAY SMOOOOOTH LEONARDOOOOOO 👏🏽

Could not stop laughing while he was shooting his shot my face was literally donnie’s restraining myself from bursting out laughing

Just a couple of my favorite questions that April wrote down for them:

“Do you carry salmonella?” Look I still don’t know wtf salmonella is but it’s the second time a TMNT iteration has joked about it so I’m starting to think it has something specifically to do with turtles 👀

“Have you caught covid?” Oml covid exists in this world

“Are you the source of covid?” OUT OF LINE 💀

“How many people has the red bandana turtle stabbed? Does he need therapy?” Yes.

“Does sunlight cause you to burst into flames?” They’re- they’re not vampires? 😂

Leon Ardo deserves the world and whatever he wants in it give him everything 😭

I will never understand what made Donnie laugh so hard at the name Nardo other than it being because it’s his sibling and that it bothers Leo lmao

All imma say about the puke scene is that I’m glad I heard an “out of context” spoiler about it bc I knew exactly when to look away and I’m glad I did bc the scene lasted for so long??? 😀❓But hey at least I had Unwritten to listen too while I was sparing my eyes 😂

The sequence of them going around and shaking down those gangs and Superfly’s connections. BAD. ASS. And each of them got their own moments to shine? Loved it. Like they each even got to take point and have their moments where they got to kick in the door lol. And the fight scenes were just, muah. Chef’s kiss, they all looked amazing taking grown ass adults down together

Okay Splinter definitely gets the best dad award for putting together that little surprise party, with all the celebrity Chris’s and pretending to wait on them 🥺 so pure. It did make me sad the guys immediately left and you can just see such a sad dejected look on Splinter’s face, knowing he can’t provide what his kids really want or make them happy enough without it 🥲 At the very least they say thanks and that they appreciate but I would’ve at least stayed for a lil bit and gone along with it, Splinter just looked so excited about it and it was so sweet 😭

And he doesn’t even get upset though he knows they’re hiding something, he just says he’ll help them if they’ve gotten into trouble, which is something I’m sure almost every kid has wanted instead of having the kind of relationship where they’re more scared of telling their parents they messed up instead of handling it on their own

I love how musical Superfly’s family is 😂 Ray Filet just starts sing-introducing his name and Mondo and the other couple mutants when they drive with in the car trying to find music they could all sing to together 🥹 not to mention the musical references Superfly makes later that I’ll get to. “Kinda don’t wanna murder everyone on Earth, I just kinda wanna sing” Me too bruh.

Raph immediately going “goochi goochi goo” and playing peekaboo with Genghis frog is so underrated that boy has such a soft side he’s not even that afraid of showing at times, and maybe it’s continuing the trope of Raph having a soft spot for pets/animals? Who knows 😌

Yo I was kinda shook when that government guy knocked Leo out and he just fell unconscious on the ground 😶 Like we’re used to seeing the authorities be brutal especially in movies like this but that’s a whole teenager? You just assaulted a minor? 🙂 Crazy

Also I know it’s sad they got captured and drained painfully but Mikey in that scene was hilarious 😂 like even the way he was dramatically crying and Leo was just started to cry with him like “iM sO sOrRy mIkEeEeEy! 😭” gold. When one of his children is hurting Leo hurts too. One of my favorite moments 🤣

They literally started singing BTS while being tortured they’re so unserious but like in a serious way to them and I love it. Also the fact that they did it just to make Donnie feel better? So pure. Like Raph of all turtles offered to sing while being drained of blood (bc I refuse to use the m word 💀)

The way Splinter snuck in and soloed literal government soldiers single handedly? Badass. Never loved seeing a Splinter save his sons so much 🥹

“But it’s the only way we’ll be accepted.”

“No! We accept you!”

“You can come live with us! We accept you!”

“WE VIBE!”

Oml they’re so puuuuure 😭 I really thought this was gonna be a moment where the guys invite them all to come live with them and Splinter was gonna be like ‘aha 😬 whoa slow down there’ but damn nah he was just as enthusiastic as them inviting all those mutants to come live in their home forever “The more the merrier!” Like ugh he just loves finding family like Baxter Stockman and we see where the guys got their loving nature from 🥹

The amount of his soul Mikey put into that BROSEEEPH was so real like I’ve never heard the name broseph be said in any other way, I’m so glad they put that moment in there

“New York, New York!” “I’m the king of New York!”

Oml superfly’s a Broadway baby 🤗 he’s a big bad villain marching through time square and talking about King Kong but he’s fill gonna nerd out and make his musical theatre references 😂

“For once in your life you didn’t sound lame. You actually started to sound like a leader”

“That was really heartfelt Raph”

I love the Leo Raph dynamic in this movie. Like they don’t always agree or understand each other but they will show love towards one another and show mutual appreciation

Something about any of the turtles shells cracking always gets to me for some reason like those are some serious permanent injuries so I want to see if they do anything special with that in the sequel or show maybe 🤔 And I couldn’t tell if all of theirs cracked or just one, and if so which turtle it was. I think Leo or Raph. I feel like it was Leo but Raph’s are also starting to have a trend of getting cracks in their shells so 🤷🏽‍♀️

Also I do not want to judge what other people like to wear but why are Raph and Donnie the only normal dressed ones 😭 like Mikey looks like he’s going on vacation and Leo looks like he’s going to clock in at Best Buy 😂 tell me it’s because they have limited resources for clothes lmao. HE’S LITERALLY WEARING A LANYARD

Them taking off the masks was crazy honestly… like them deciding not to wear them made my brain pause until I realize they’re kids going to school now and not being ninjas all the time… they don’t need them anymore. I’m just so pleased with the fact that this movie was willing to do what all other iterations weren’t. I see why they’re getting a sequel and show already, these guys and the plot development deserve so much more exploration

Maybe I missed something in the beginning but I’m wondering where Stockman went. Like is he still in custody? Did he die? Because not seeing him again that’s what I assumed but we only saw him get arrested or whatever, so if anything I don’t get why Superfly and the others wouldn’t try to break him out 🤔 I was surprised they didn’t make him a villain though, but I’m pretty happy about him getting to be a more optimistic kind character tho

SHREDDER HAD ME SHOOK LIKE THE ARMOR ALREADY LOOKED SO COOL AND I WAS NOT EXPECTING THEM TO GET THE BIG BAD INVOLVED AHHHH I’M SO READY TO SEE THEM REACT TO THIS ANGRY GIANT TIN CAN

Although I do wonder if Shredder’s gonna have some personal gripe with them since they have a different backstory he doesn’t seem to be a part of. And shit now that they’re public and in school it’s gonna be so much easier for him to go after them 😅 pluses and minuses…

The soundtrack: golden. Cultured. Nothing but range. Goes from a 90’s rap song to Natasha Bedingfield’s soulful 2000’s song. Most movies only ever have all pop mainstream songs or only rap songs because they think they can’t mix but MM does it effortlessly. The turtles are so versatile not just with music genres but they make old and new references ‘cause they’re well rounded kings 💪🏽 Between rizz, Adele, broski, Hey Arnold, K-Pop, Ferris Bueller, etc… I mean Donnie’s literally doing the sprinkler and the funky chicken in that gif up top 😂 they’re born in 2008 I doubt any kids today know about those dances anymore

Clearly I have all the thoughts and feelings about these boys and the movie, but I think this is probably my favorite TMNT movie? I’ve loved all of them but I think this one definitely brings me the most comfort fr

[teruuu]

Yo, First Of all this is my first ask on tumblr so i'll try to not be too much! but i gotta say your art and writing is beautiful (and hot lmao). Second of all, i'm interested in the differences between the compulsion of flesh AU and The Highschool one. it's obvious the high school narilamb is 100x more healthy than the compulsion one. but truth is: are they actually completely healthy? i like to depict them as a polar oposite of your main narinder and lamb but i can't say if everything is going to be okay between these two high school students. thank you very much, have a nice day & sorry for anything (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄). (btw sorry for any wrong word english is not my first language.)

Oh my god you are SO cute and I mean this in the nicest way possible ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ gosh, I’m your first ask, what an honor! A little (gentle) side note though, N.E.V.E.R. Hold back on me when it comes to long asks! I love long asks the most. It makes me giggle like a little schoolgirl TEEHEE. I’ll try my best to not go full Shakespeare with my response so it’s easier to understand.

My High School AU is based off of a fanfic that I made in the past for a korean fandom (I already deleted it 😭). The Compulsion of Flesh AU’s genre is horror. Acting as a pretty huge contrast to it is the High School AU, which is Slice of Life. The High School AU’s plot is not (fully) a soft and gentle one, it’s meant to be angsty to reflect the teenage experience. Narinder and Lamb in this AU are not at all experienced in romance. This means that emotions, especially love, will be difficult for them to navigate. Unlike in Compulsion where the two view their obsessions/desires in the same light as love, it’s hard for the two in High School AU to understand whether or not what they truly feel for one another is romantic. After all, they’ve never truly experienced what it feels like to fall for someone. It’ll be a challenge for them especially when they’ve already established their relationship whether or not they still even like each other!

As is already obvious, Compulsion AU’s relationship is pretty dark and twisted. Instead of fixing the toxic flaws in their relationship, they instead support and encourage it. Unlike Compulsion AU however, High School AU Nari and Lamb will recognize each other’s flaws and have conflicts about it. They naturally will fight against one another’s beliefs and they’ll argue with each other like how normal, real-world couples do. They’ll work their way through those conflicts and find methods to fix their own flaws, even if it isn’t comfortable.

Also unlike Compulsion of Flesh, High School AU’s Nari and Lamb are completely different. Compulsion Nari and Lamb are parallels to one another, mirroring each other in many ways, but in High School AU they’re absolute opposites. Narinder is wealthy and has a good life, whereas the Lamb struggles to make a living—but that doesn’t mean Narinder doesn’t experience pain or the Lamb’s life is completely all about hardship. It’s in these differences that they find themselves clashing with one another, even before they become a couple. So, what do they do about it? They talk, of course. In all my more positive works I always make my couples communicate with one another, because that’s the key to a positive and long-lasting relationship.

So, to answer your question, ehh??? I mean think about it, they’re a normal couple. Do you think all normal couples are completely healthy? I don’t think so. But High School AU Nari and Lamb will certainly try to be a healthy couple to maintain what they have. Of course it’ll be a struggle—that’s what life’s all about, struggling—but at the end of the day, they’ll keep trying for one another because of the love they share.

So, TLDR …

Differences:

Compulsion AU — Toxic, doesn’t communicate properly, continually reinforces toxic qualities, mirror each other

High School AU — Normal couple, communicates, discourages unhealthy aspects of the relationship, opposites of one another

Are they (HS AU) healthy or not:

Healthy… or, they certainly try to be.

[oohnotvery]

Hand To Your Heart (Chapter 6)

Read on AO3

Precious readers,

Thank you so much for the encouragement and support. I have really leaned on it lately. This nausea is kicking my ass. Maybe that’s why this chapter is a veritable angst-fest. You’ve been warned. As always, I promise that things will get sweet and sappy and dopey and MSR-lovefest soon enough.

And just a reminder that things are not always as they seem. I had some readers feeling quite anxious that this was turning into a Fowley-Mulder romance, and it really, really isn’t. In fact, the idea makes me want to vomit (I mean, everything does these days, but still). None of my stories are Fowley-Mulder. They just seem like they are (to Scully).

tw/cw: pregnancy update below

Also, in personal news . . . I found out I'm having a BOY! As a girl mom, I am shocked to my core, even though there was a 50-50 chance of it being a boy. Boy mamas of the world, teach me your ways!!!!! (also, I fully believe gender is a construct and a spectrum and all that :) but right now, there is a tiny alien inside me with XY chromosomes, and it is wild)

tagging @today-in-fic

Breathless, Scully twists around, her eyes meeting Diana’s. She glances around the motel parking lot and sees no sign of Mulder’s car.

“He went to the police station,” Diana offers, a knowing smile rising to her perfectly-painted lips.

Scully nods indifferently, then moves to her car, unlocking the door and tossing her go-bag in the passenger seat. She’s about to slip into the driver’s seat when Diana catches her elbow. 

“Are you not checking into the motel?” Diana asks, her brow furrowing in mock confusion.

Scully considers it. There’s no way she’s sticking around today, not after all the damning evidence pointing to a dalliance between Mulder and Diana. Sure, Mulder might get a little pissy if she skips town, but he’s a big boy. Plus, by the looks of things, Diana will be there to comfort him.

“I have something urgent I have to return to tonight,” Scully replies primly.

Diana’s eyebrows tick up with faux interest. “Another case?”

Scully shrugs, hoping it’s enough to throw the woman off her scent.

Diana steps in closer, a girlish smile growing on her face. Her voice lowers conspiratorially. “Or do you have someone to get home to, Agent Scully? Someone I don’t know about?”

Scully blinks. Someone you don’t know about? You know nothing about me, you witch. This isn’t a high school sleepover where we gossip about boys we like.

She tries to settle her features, reminding herself that Diana is trying to bait her on purpose. “I have an engagement tomorrow that I can’t miss,” she deflects.

“So coy,” Diana replies, grinning. “Come on, Dana, you can tell me. Woman-to-woman. Who’s the lucky man?”

Scully glances at her car, wondering how rude it would be if she simply jumped in and drove away mid-conversation. Before she can formulate a response, however, Diana is already chiming in.

“Fox would be interested to know as well, I’m sure,” she continues. Scully’s head whips around at the mention of her partner’s name, and she knows her reaction is an error when Diana’s eyes gleam. “Last night, I convinced him to tell me more about your adventures together. A five-year partnership? That’s one for the books.” The woman steps closer, her perfume reeking of disdain and deception. “It has taken some special encouragement on my part for Fox to really start opening up to me, though. All men are the same in that way, you know. You give them what they desire, and they’ll give you just about anything in return.”

Before she can stop her body’s involuntary response, Scully’s lips part in surprise. Automatically, she clenches her hands behind her back, trying to prevent them from shaking.

“Something the matter?” Diana asks, smiling innocently.

Unable to trust her own voice, Scully shakes her head and slips down into the driver’s seat, something she’s realizing she should have done as soon as she spotted Diana. Before she can close the door, though, Diana slides into the empty space and holds it open, leaning down to meet Scully’s gaze. Scully keeps her eyes trained on the dashboard, certain that if she looks just slightly to her left, she’ll get a full-on view of that envious cleavage.

“I hope I didn’t say anything offensive, Dana. I suppose it’s a bit awkward to hear about your partner in that way. I know you two are practically siblings. Fox thinks of you as a little sister of sorts.” Diana’s hand slides casually onto her shoulder and Scully grits her teeth. “But surely you know that he and I—that we’ve been on the more intimate side as of late.”

I won’t react, I won’t react, she promises herself, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip. But images assault her mind, dozens at a time. She thinks about the way Mulder looks when he’s coming, how his eyes seem to darken and his eyebrows pinch together, almost as if he’s in pain. And then there’s the release, and the joy and satisfaction rippling over his features so gloriously, it makes her feel like a queen. Traitorously, her mind flips the image on its head, inserting Diana where she herself normally is. Bile rises in her throat.

“He’s such a gentleman,” Diana continues with a squeeze to the shoulder. “We agreed to be friends with benefits, but I can see he wants more. You don’t take a woman out for dinner and drinks every time you sleep with her if you don’t want something more.” She clicks her tongue. “But that’s just Fox. He’ll always be ruled by those pesky emotions.”

She’s lying, the voice inside her head screams, but Diana’s words drown out all logic.

Tears start to build on her lower lashes and with trembling hands, Scully forces the key into the ignition, revving the car.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she mutters, and with a graceful smile, Diana slips out of the door.

“Thanks for the chat, Dana,” she says slyly. “It’s so good to talk woman-to-woman.”

Without even a sideways glance, Scully reaches forward and slams the door shut.

**

She drives to the office. It is only midday, and although her morning has been as horrible as they come, she can’t seem to shirk the sense of duty calling her back to work. At her desk, she tries to ignore the blinking red light on her answering machine, and when her desk phone rings, she is highly tempted to ignore the call. But she is a professional, and this is her work phone, and she cannot risk missing a call from A.D. Kersh. The moment she picks up the receiver, though, she knows she’s made a mistake.

“What the hell, Scully?” Mulder demands. “Did you really just up and leave me?”

She sinks her teeth into her lower lip, pausing to collect the storm of emotions brewing inside. “I had something to get back to here in town.”

Mulder pauses. “So that’s it? You’re done today?”

“I see no reason to expense the FBI for any more motel rooms,” she responds reasonably.

“Are you coming back tomorrow?”

She clacks her fingernails on the desktop. “I’m a bit preoccupied here,” she lies.

He scoffs. “No, you’re not. I know what you’re doing, Scully. I’ve been doing it for weeks. You’re sorting through bullshit requests from Kersh. None of that is as important as what we’re working on.”

“You have a partner, Mulder,” she reminds him curtly. “You have no need for me.”

“I need a pathologist, for Christ’s sake—”

“Get another one, then. I told you, I’m too busy.”  

“No, I need—I need—” He curses. “So you’re just refusing to help us out, is that right? You’re denying another agent’s request for help, Agent Scully?”  

“You’re no longer my department head, Agent Mulder,” she reminds him darkly. “You can’t make me.”

He barks an angry laugh. “No one could ever make you do anything. Much less me.”

“Are you finished, Mulder?” she grumbles irritably. “Because I told you I’m busy—”

The phone abruptly goes dead. She stares at the receiver in surprise, momentarily stunned. Swallowing past the hard knot of pain rising in her throat, she gently places the phone back in its cradle, and then as if on autopilot, turns to her computer and begins to work.

**

Scully stays at the office far longer than she intended, but it feels good to put her head down and concentrate on something other than her personal problems. By the time she looks up from her desk, most of the bull pen is empty, and since she worked through rush hour, traffic isn’t even half-bad.

She steps into her apartment with a sigh of relief, tossing her keys and weapon onto a side table and gingerly stepping out of her boots. She’s headed straight for the bathtub when a tall figure rises from the couch. With a yelp, she lunges for her weapon, finger tightening quickly around the trigger, only to loosen when she realizes it’s just Mulder.

Slamming her gun onto the table, she fixes him with a furious look. “What the living hell, Mulder?” she shouts.

He scrubs his hands over his bleary face and she realizes he’s been sleeping. “I tried to warn you,” he says with a shrug. “I called your work phone and left a message on your cell. Why are you getting home so late? I’ve been here for hours.”

Gritting her teeth, she shakes her head. “I stopped answering my work calls after a particularly onerous conversation left me with a bad taste in my mouth,” she gripes.

His lips twist into a half-smile. “Must’ve been a helluva chat.”

Ignoring his ill attempts at humor, she makes her way into the kitchen and pours herself a glass of water just to give her hands something to do.

“I intended to take a bath,” she tells him when she hears him enter the room behind her.

“Be my guest,” he says magnanimously, “I’ll even scrub your back.” She hears the grin on his face and it cracks something inside her.

“Do you ever stop to think about just how infuriating you are, Mulder?” she snaps, whipping around to face him. “I swear it’s like every interaction we’ve had lately has been one nightmare after the next!”

His face falls, so slightly she almost misses it. But she catches the pain and misunderstanding that flash across his face, and it makes her feel like an ass. Mulder doesn’t know what transpired after she left the graveyard. He doesn’t know she’s in love with him. He doesn’t know she snooped through Diana’s room and found damning evidence of their relationship. He doesn’t know about her conversation with Diana. He has no idea why she’s suddenly so agitated with him.

Shaking her head regretfully, she steps closer. “I’m sorry, Mulder, I didn’t mean that.”

He shrugs apathetically, but she knows she’s wounded him. “Yes, you did. But it’s alright. I’m well- aware of my defects. It’s incredible you’ve put up with me for this long.”

“Oh, stop—”

“No, you’re right, Scully. I’m a pain in the ass to be around. I’m irritating, unlovable—”  

She groans. “Mulder, please don’t turn this into a pity party—”

“Then what is it?” he asks earnestly, stepping closer. They are just inches apart now. “What’s going on? Why are you so angry at me right now?”  

When she hesitates, he grips her hands, squeezing tightly. “Scully, is this about how I hurt you? Will you please tell me what happened that night?” His eyebrows crease in consternation. “It’s practically all I can think about.”

Oh, God, is he still on about that? Her hands burn within his grip. He looks so beautifully, infuriatingly fuckable in his black t-shirt and jeans. End-of-day stubble lines his cheeks, and normally, she’d take that as a subtle cue that he wants to eat her out, because she once admitted to him how good his stubble felt against her thighs. It’s just not fair, she thinks petulantly. It’s not fair that he can play me like a violin.

She shakes her head, tugging her hands out of his and glancing meaningfully at the kitchen clock. “Don’t you have someone you need to get back to tonight?” she asks.

He tilts his head, studying her closely. “I have a case I need to get back to, but I came here to see if you’re alright.”

She shakes her head. “I’m fine.”

“Diana seemed to think you were upset.”

Her eyes flash to his. “Diana isn’t a reliable source of information.”

That seems to get his attention. He slaps his palm against the countertop. “What is your issue with her? Why can’t you stop pitting yourself against her? It’s not a competition, Scully. She can be a good agent and so can you—”

“I don’t need a lesson in relationships,” she hisses angrily. “But it seems you do.”

He blinks. “Excuse me?”

“Ever since she walked back into your life, you’ve—you’ve chosen her.” She flushes red at her admission.

“I’ve chosen her?” he half-laughs, brow crinkling in confusion.

She swallows thickly, ignoring the humiliating sting of tears on her lashes.

“For the past five years,” she says, straightening her spine and lifting her chin, “I have worked tirelessly by your side to support you and bolster you. If I have ever questioned you, it is because I care. Because I want to validate your work and because I want others to see its value too.” She licks her lips nervously. “But for the past few weeks, ever since she arrived on scene, you seem hellbent on believing that I am your enemy!”

“I asked you to come out to the field with us today, didn’t I?”

“Excuse me if it didn’t feel like the kumbaya moment I’m sure you hoped it would be,” she snaps.

“You want to know what’s going on? Diana believes in me,” he says, his eyes clouded with anger. “But when I told the OPR panel about what happened to us in Antarctica, you left me hanging! You failed to corroborate my account.” He leans closer to her, his voice growing harsh. “You want me to think that you believe in me? Try having my back like Diana does—”

“That is not fair,” she hisses. “I have gone to great personal and professional lengths to protect you and defend you—”

“Out of obligation,” he snaps. “Not out of true belief. You don’t believe in my cause.”

“You can’t expect me to follow blindly, Mulder. I am a scientist.” She meets his gaze determinedly. “What the hell happened to what you said to me in the hallway, before I was stung by that bee? Or was that all just a bunch of blabber to keep me from leaving for Utah?”

He steps back, his eyes shuttering like curtains over a window. “I don’t remember what I said.”

Her cheeks flame, fire and blood rushing to her pale skin. But you saved me, he had said. Your goddamn strict rationalism and science have saved me.

She meets his gaze and there is an unasked and unanswered question between them. Do you remember that you tried to kiss me? That we were walking a very fine line between friends-with-benefits and actual lovers? Or are you pretending to have forgotten that as well?

He blinks, looking away. She dips her head, heart pounding, tears pooling, cheeks pinking. “I have been made a fool many times in the past few weeks,” she says quietly. “But I will not make a fool of myself today. If you refuse to acknowledge the value I have added to the X-Files and to your work, then that is your choice. But it makes a mockery of our time together.” She looks up and finds him staring at his shoes.

Slowly, she reaches out and brushes her hand with his. It is a last-ditch effort to remind him of the sacred thing between them, of their bond.

“What happened that’s made you feel this way about me? Is this all about Antarctica and—and that OPR panel? Is there something more?” She links her fingers around his palm.

He pushes her away abruptly, shaking his hand like she’s burned it. “Don’t try that,” he snaps.

Her eyes widen. “Try what?” 

He scowls disapprovingly. “Now isn’t the time for—you know.” He gestures between their two bodies and shock slices through her spine.

Affronted, she takes a step back. “Now isn’t the time for what?” she breathes darkly. “Do you really think I’m coming onto you right now?”

He fixes her with a knowing look and her lips part indignantly. How dare he. Sweat breaks out against her neck and she feels the words rushing to her lips, too fast to contain.

“You asked how you hurt me, Mulder,” she says ruthlessly, and when he blanches, she knows she’s hit the right nerve. She takes a step closer, feeling herself growing more and more powerful. “You fucked me after our office burned down, but you didn’t even try to make it good for me. You were so rough and so impatient with me that I bled that night and the next day.” He turns very, very still, and a sick, twisted joy rises up inside her. She lowers her voice. “All this time, I knew you were just using me for stress relief, but that night, it seemed strangely like a hate fuck. Is that what it was, Mulder? Do you hate me so much now that you couldn’t even look me in the eyes that night, but instead had to turn me around so you could useme as roughly as you wanted?”  

He has turned as pale as a ghost, all color drained from his face.

She knows that when she agreed to a relationship with him, she made a serious error in judgment. For her, their intimate moments have been separate and apart from their work. Having sex with Mulder happened outside of their roles as federal agents. Their lovemaking was a physical expression of a lust and affection that had been simmering and growing and building for years between a man and a woman. Or at least, that’s what she thought.

“I know why you did it,” she adds, her power building and cresting. In the back of her mind, she knows she should stop, but she can’t help herself. The words are flowing out of her like water rushing past a broken dam, and it feels too good. “You were never having sex with me, with Dana Scully. You were always just fucking around with Agent Scully, your coworker. And as soon as Agent Scully started to disagree with you, when Agent Scully began to stand in contrast to an old friend with a far more open mind, the jig was up. Agent Scully represented disbelief and skepticism. Diana Fowley was certainty and reassurance. I should have realized that the work and the sex would be inextricable for you. If Agent Scully isn’t fully on board with your beliefs, then you can’t bring yourself to intimacy with her.” She swallows hard, steadying herself for the final blow. “So, imagine my relief when I found out that you have Diana now to satisfy that particular need.”

He seems struck dumb, so she speaks for him. Pushing past him to her front door, she swings it open, ignoring the way her entire body trembles with rage.

“In case it wasn’t already clear, consider yourself released from any further arrangement with me, or whatever sense of obligation made you come here two nights ago. This thing between us is done.” When he doesn’t move, she points at the door. “Leave, Mulder.”

As if on autopilot, he steps forward, moving towards the doorway like a dead man walking. He pauses on the threshold and she refuses to meet his eyes. She hears him swallow and squeezes shut her eyes when his hand comes to rest against her bicep.

He stays there for a long moment, his breathing quiet but erratic, and after a time, she wonders if she’s going to need to physically remove him from her apartment. But then he squeezes her arm, so lightly that anyone else might have missed it, and bends his head until his hair brushes her own.

“I am . . . so sorry that I hurt you,” he whispers brokenly. His hand slides off her arm and she waits until he is completely out of her presence before letting the door fall shut.

And when she is finally alone, she crumples to the ground and cries.

[hellhoundmaggie]

The “Canon” Stardew pairings, ranked by how their relationship would go:

Haley and Alex: These two only date because they take the high school story trope about the jock getting with the popular girl as gospel. They have no chemistry and no shared interests, and they both need some character growth if they’re going to have any hope of a stable relationship. They’re going to go down in flames.

Abigail and Sebastian: They bond easily over alt culture and not being understood by their parents, but this is another case of no chemistry. The friendship will be ruined.

Emily and Shane: These two cling to one another despite serious relationship problems. Atheist Shane has little respect for Emily’s crystal woo, while health-conscious Emily’s patience is tried by Shane’s poor habits. But they won’t break up: Emily because she hates confrontation, Shane because he believes he’d die alone without her. No you won’t Shane I love you

Penny and Sam: These two are both very sweet individuals in their own ways, but they just do not make sense together. Other than a mutual interest in Vincent’s welfare, they have nothing in common, and Penny craves a stability that carefree Sam can’t provide. Their romance is brief, but they part amicably.

Maru and Harvey: Sorry age gap romance lovers! But their differences are too insurmountable. Harvey gets too anxious about Maru’s experiments, and Maru feels like she misses out on an important part of her youth by marrying an older man. At least she gets plenty of alimony in the divorce.

Leah and Elliott: These two go together like coffee and oat milk. They spend hours together encouraging each other in their respective art forms, and their chemistry is great. They’ll grow old together.

[runningfreetoday]

“When We Were Young Fest is a cash grab!” - If you think this, I can’t wait for you to find out about other festivals because that’s pretty much how they all work. They get your money, you get your money’s worth. Festival money (which is not an insignificant amount of money) helps bankroll bands so that they can live and keep making cool shit instead of having to do only “real” jobs forever (you would be surprised by how many musicians from major emo bands have had to get normal-people jobs when they’re not on tour. some even left bands because they can no longer afford to be in them). Sadly, a lot of people in this scene are covertly kinda broke. MCR doesn’t appear to be scrounging between couch cushions for loose change so I don’t think they need this gig to live but either way, doing this festival was their choice. I’m slightly surprised MCR agreed to the one album play-through concept because they’ve never been the type to do an anniversary tour for a specific era before (the original self-imposed cash grab) but I think it’s clear that no one’s forced them to be at WWWY (twice!). Fall Out Boy’s there and they’re not limiting themselves to one album. So again, MCR chose to do things this way. I’ll be honest, more of often than not, I think old album-centric performances and tours can cheapen a band’s image and stunt growth by not focusing on building interest for new material BUT My Chem fans are obsessive, hyped about new material, and many never got to see My Chemical Romance on The Black Parade tour. In this specific case, the actual artistic choice of doing one single album as a one-off thing at a festival is kind of a win for MCR fans rather than the actual band. Personally, I don’t totally hate the idea of being able to experience the vibe of that era in 2024 and, because it’s MCR, I’m sure they’ll do something a little different with it. Anyway, I might be in the minority but I wouldn’t even go so far as to call festivals a necessary evil. Festivals are fun! Your high horse will not save you from the inevitable heat death of the universe! Enjoy things before it’s all over!

“MCR made fun of WWWY Fest therefore they HATE WWWY Fest” - You can poke fun at something without actually hating said thing. I know that you all know this in your hearts because y’all make fun of your favorite bands all the time. Yes, When We Were Young Fest is a name that grounds these bands in “the past” which might feel a little silly when much of the community are new fans, when older fans are still actively listening to these bands, when these bands are still making new music, etc. Ultimately, the branding is about nostalgia. I hear the frustration with that but consider that the reason you keep consuming emo music, a genre that you more than likely began listening to in middle school or high school, is not totally detached from that sense of nostalgia either.

[ciaossu-imagines]

Again, loving up some underloved fandoms here on Ciaossu-Imagines, so throwing out some headcanons I have about The Mighty Ducks characters! I hope anyone familiar with these movies will enjoy them!

Starting with Averman, he’s definitely Jewish. I think he and Goldberg are really good friends because both of them are Jewish. They attended Hebrew school together, their parents are good friends, and honestly they really rely on each other around the holiday season. Neither boy is ashamed of being Jewish or anything, but especially around the time period those movies are set, Hannukah was not as popular or as talked about as Christmas was. And when all your friends are talking about Christmas and their plans and the gifts they’ll get and all the celebrations you hear about are Christianity based, it’s hard not to feel a little left out so both boys’ kind of really like having another friend they can talk to about their Hannukah plans who will get it. Bonus headcanon but I think Averman has a bigger love of hockey and was the one to get Goldberg into the sport.

Hot take on Adam – I don’t think he’s this abused kid trying desperately to please Daddy. I think that while his father might have high expectations for Adam, his father isn’t really abusive. I think a lot of the pressure that Adam feels – and boy, does he feel a lot – is pressure that Adam puts on himself. I do see Adam as having some issues with perfectionism, with being way too hard on himself, and he struggles with anxiety and a need to be perfect but it’s because Adam himself knows that he’s got a lot of talent and he doesn’t want to waste that talent.

Charlie’s actually got a few hidden skills but the one that ends up surprising most people is that, at one point in his life, Charlie got really into magic and he’s pretty good with a couple of tricks, mostly sleight of hand stuff.

Tammy did enjoy playing hockey, I won’t pretend that she didn’t. But I think when it came down to it, she enjoyed figure skating a lot more. There was more pageantry in that sport, more creativity and more glamour in her mind and I think she left the Ducks before the second movie because she really did want to focus on figure skating and competing in that area. She did win several medals, but I think she largely left the sport around the time she started college.

Julie reads…for fun. While she loves being active and has various hobbies and interests, she’s been a life-long bookworm. She learned to read early, and gobbles books up. She normally gets through at least a book a week and does read a wide variety of things, though she has guilty pleasure reading that she’d be embarrassed if anyone found out about, such as romance novels and the Hardy Boys books.

Guy hates carrying change around with him. There’s just something about the weight of it and the clinking sound it makes in his pocket as he walks that drives him insane. He prefers to carry bills for cash and usually lets the salespeople keep his change wherever he goes.

Surprising thing about Goldberg…the boy is not only gifted with a green thumb, but he genuinely likes taking care of his plants. He only got them because his parents wouldn’t let him get a pet…they didn’t think he was responsible enough for a pet so they bought him a rather high-maintenance houseplant to take care of first so that he could prove that he could be responsible for another living thing. Turns out that he enjoyed caring for the plant so much, even giving it a name, that he ended up wanting more plants instead of an actual pet.

Jesse has a tendency to argue just for the sake of arguing. He legitimately enjoys arguments and I have this headcanon that he found the debate club during high school and it’s the most at home he’s felt since playing with the Ducks. Like, those are his people, that’s where he belongs. He gets really involved with debate throughout his high school career and I think he wants to go to law school after graduating.

Terry Hall…still hasn’t gotten the grasp of gum honestly. Not saying the kid is stupid, because he certainly isn’t. It’s just that he cannot, for the life of him, remember that gum is for consistent chewing, not eating, especially if the gum in question is a really fruity, sweet flavour.

I really do think that Karp is someone who is really easy to take advantage of. He gets bullied a lot as a kid and he’s someone who just naturally is the kind of person who really wants to make others happy and to have others like him. He’s a very generous friend but the fact that he’s willing to do almost anything to have his ‘friends’ like him means that he gets put into some pretty brutal situations and gets used throughout his childhood and teen years.

I think Peter’s an army brat, or something along those lines. Something tells me that this kid is someone who moves around a lot throughout his life because of his parent’s careers. He’s used to never staying anywhere really long enough to form completely solid relationships. He’s used to always being the new kid and needing to impress and be tough enough to both make friends and avoid bullies. I also think that while he really would like to settle down in one spot long enough to make serious friendships, the idea of doing so kind of scares him.

Luis taught himself how to juggle when he was a kid. He’s also really skilled at hackeysack.

Connie has the habit of pacing around when she’s deep in thought. There’s just something about moving that helps her think better and if she really has something on her mind, she tends to go running or jogging. The tougher the problem is, the faster and further she tends to go as she loses track of where she is or how far she’s gone.

Dean can burp the alphabet. Forwards and backwards. He’s really quite proud of this.

Fulton’s worst habit? He’s really bad at sitting and staying still for long periods of time and he starts fidgeting when he has to do so. He’ll stretch, move around in his seat a bit, crack his knuckles, but the worst is his leg because he’s definitely one of those guys who bounces his leg when he’s bored or restless, almost aggressively so.

Dwayne really likes to sing. He’s not horrible at it by any means, though a little tone-deaf. He’s a huge fan, because of how he was raised, of any older country, with Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Conway Twitty being favourites of his.

Russ has the tendency to get cold really easily. It can come out of nowhere too, with no real reason for him to have a chill or to be cold. He just is. He tends to always carry an extra layer with him as a just in case.

Ken has weird eating habits. He has to eat all of one thing before he can allow himself to eat the next thing on his plate. For example, if he has fries and a burger, he’ll have to eat all the burger before he’ll start eating the fries. He can’t bring himself to mix and match his food and not even he knows why.

[kjmsupremacist]

maps and constellations (chan/felix)

After their senior year of high school, Chan and his closest friends decide to go on a road trip together to close out their time as children before they move on to college. Though Chan’s excited for the trip, he knows the pressure of the next stage of their lives looms bigger on the horizon every day, and he’s not sure how well they’re all going to handle the transition, especially because they’ll be scattered across the country in the fall. Even more pressing, however, are the feelings he’s developing for his best friend, Felix.

Chapter 6   |   prev   next   mlist

Characters: Felix, Chan, the rest of skz

Genre: romance, fluff, angst, friends to lovers, coming of age, growing pains, getting together

Pairing: Chan/Felix

Warnings: mild angst, swearing

Rating: Teen & Up

Length: 3.7k

listen to the official playlist here!

Another day passes, and another and another still until it’s been over a week and Chan still hasn’t said a word to Felix. It’s not on purpose, not completely, he just gets lost in packing and in the millions of emails he gets about move-in and freshman orientation. Every day there’s something new, and every day it gets a little harder to pick up the phone.

Despite his hopes, the time apart doesn’t do much to calm Chan’s feelings or help him make any more sense of it. He’s still scared, still ashamed, still directionless. He doesn’t know what he’ll say when he and Felix finally talk—if they ever do. He owes Felix the truth, doesn’t he? But once he says it, it’s all over. And isn’t it selfish to dump all of it into Felix’s lap, the mess of his emotions and all the changes it will bring? It’s Chan’s fault, so he doesn’t get to ask for help in carrying it. He has to do it alone.

And, god, Chan does deserve punishment, he thinks. Because even through all of this, he slips into fantasy, images of a life where this isn’t difficult, where he can have what he wants because Felix wants it too. He imagines a future full of them, together always and in every way, days full of laughter, nights full of desires Chan is too embarrassed to name. He watches these daydreams out of the corner of his mind’s eye only, trying to hold himself back from full immersion. Because he shouldn’t enjoy them, because they’ll never come true, because they’re wrong, self-indulgent and almost predatory in their greed.

To be fair, it’s not just Felix Chan hasn’t spoken to, it’s everyone. They’re all busy the way Chan is, scrambling to pull their lives together in the precious few weeks before they head off to school, so they don’t have time for each other. It’s half a miracle when Chan and Minho manage to schedule a coffee together one Wednesday afternoon in the middle of all the insanity.

It’s a relief, a break Chan didn’t realize he needed until he steps into the coffee shop and sees Minho waiting at a table by the window. Suddenly, he feels exhausted, and a little hopeless. Will this be how things are from now on? Always rushing and with no time for anything that actually matters?

Chan shakes himself from his brooding, orders his drink, and joins Minho at the table. Minho raises his coffee cup to clink against Chan’s with a sort of half-smile.

“How are you?” Chan asks before taking a sip of his drink.

“Good,” Minho replies somewhat wearily. “Fucking busy.”

“Yeah,” Chan says, nodding. “I don’t know if I’m gonna make it to orientation. My unread emails are going to bury me alive.”

“God, tell me about it,” Minho groans. “Is this adulthood? Every day I swear I get, like, fifty more. It’s unholy.”

Chan laughs, taking another drink of his coffee, then sets his mug down, crossing his arms and looking Minho over. “It’s good to see you,” he says. “Feels like it’s been ages since I’ve seen anybody, really. It’s like I’ve forgotten how to be a person.”

“Really?” Minho doesn’t actually sound too surprised; something lurks behind his expression and makes Chan tense up. “Not even Felix?”

“Ah,” Chan says, “no, I think he’s been busy.”

“I saw him the other day.” Minho’s tone is mild, but Chan feels stung anyway. “He seemed… sad. He didn’t really say why. Do you… happen to know anything about that?”

Chan sighs. “It’s… complicated.”

Minho snorts. “Sure, and it’s going to stay that way until you do something about it.”

“I know.” Chan doesn’t mean to bite it out, but he sees Minho blink in surprise at the force in his tone. “Sorry,” Chan mutters. “It’s just… I don’t know how to explain.”

“I’m not blaming you, Chan, I’m trying to help you.” Minho sets his cup down and leans back in his chair. “What happened?”

Chan looks at Minho and thinks about everything that’s happened over the last few weeks. It’s so much, all of it, the weight nearly crushing him. But Minho’s right—he can help. And Chan would be stupid not to accept.

“I, um,” he says. “I realized partway through our trip that, uh, that I might be in love with Felix. I think. I don’t know. And I definitely made things weird between us, just, like, being awkward about it and stuff. And I think he knows. He sort of tried to bring it up on our last night, but I—I couldn’t, I just couldn’t, you know? Not when we’d have to sleep in the same bed, not when I’d have to drive him home. I said we’d talk more after we got back, only we haven’t, and now…”

“I see,” Minho says quietly. They’re silent for a moment. “And why don’t you want to tell him?”

“Because—” Chan shakes. “Because he’ll never feel the same way, and it’ll completely ruin our friendship, and he’ll hate me, and I’l lose him forever.”

“Chan, what the fuck are you talking about?” Minho asks flatly. “Felix would never hate you. You should know him well enough by now. He wouldn’t be angry with you for loving him. Do you know how crazy that sounds?”

Chan’s nails are digging painfully into the skin of his palms, but he doesn’t unclench his fists. “It’s not just that, Minho, I—” His breath is coming quick; he feels heat rising to his cheeks. “All the things I think about, some of them are so—so nasty, and I can’t believe I could ever think about Felix that way, but I do. And if I tell him, he’ll know, and he’ll be disgusted. Because isn’t that, like, gross and creepy of me? When I don’t—when I don’t deserve him?”

Minho stares at him for a second. “First of all, you need to toss the idea of not deserving him out the window. How do you know that?” Chan opens his mouth, then closes it again. “You’re not being fair to Felix, Chan. Shouldn’t he get to decide that for himself, instead of you making the decision for him?”

“Um,” Chan says slowly, feeling a bit sheepish.

“And second of all,” Minho barrels on, “you do know it’s normal, to be horny about someone you like, right?”

“Right,” Chan says, trying to muscle through his discomfort. How is Minho so casual with it? Chan doesn’t know if he’ll ever understand. “But it’s different. It feels invasive, I dunno,” he protests. He’s almost squirming in his seat, shame so full in his chest he doesn’t know how there’s still room for his lungs. “Since it’s me. Like I’m breaking his trust. I’m—I mean, I’ve always been like his big brother, you know?”

“I mean, have you ever acted on any of it?” Minho asks. “To him, on purpose? Has he ever told you to not do anything?”

Chan pauses, then shakes his head. He hasn’t even jerked off in the quiet privacy of his own room, too horrified and ashamed to even consider it.

“You don’t have to punish yourself for things you haven’t done,” Minho says gently. “You like him, Chan. You want him. So what, you know? It’s not a crime.”

Chan blows out a deep breath. “I guess so,” he mutters. He supposes Minho is right, though he still feels guilty.

“So?” Minho says. “You gonna talk to him before you leave?”

“I mean, I have to,” Chan replies. “But I just don’t know how. All I know is this is going to ruin how things have been our whole lives, and everything is broken and I don’t know how to fix it. Sometimes I wonder if I really am in love with him, or it’s some big confusion of everything else. But regardless, I’m sure he’ll never love me back. So it’s like—where do we go from here?”

Minho’s lips have twisted into a wry smile. He spreads his hands. “I can’t answer those questions for you, Chan. But you know who can?” He raises his eyebrows. “Felix. But only if you talk to him.”

“Shit,” Chan mumbles miserably, and Minho lets out a short laugh. “I mean, does he even want to talk about it at this point? Does he want to see me at all?”

“Well,” Minho says. “There’s only one way to find out that, too, right?” He runs a fingertip around the rim of his coffee cup. “But I’m sure he does. He won’t give up on you. So you don’t get to give up on him, either. Alright?”

Chan nods, though his chest feels heavy. “How come everything’s so difficult now?” he asks, half to himself.

Minho hums. “Well, if it feels difficult, then do it the way you know best.” Chan looks up and finds Minho gazing back at him, earnest and intent. “Don’t do it for yourself. Do it for someone else.” He leans in. His eyes are gentle. Minho’s rarely this gentle. “You’re always at your surest when you’re helping someone,” he says. “Do it for Felix. Do it for Felix, because you love him.”

* * *

Chan’s far too busy to do anything with it that afternoon, so he decides to let himself sleep on it with the promsie to himself to consider texting Felix in the morning. 

He does it basically as soon as he wakes up, before he can talk himself out of it. Hey, I said we were gonna talk when we got home. We only have a like a week until we leave. Do you have time soon?

He’s surprised when he receives a reply in just a few short minutes. Yeah, I’m home rn you can come over. Chan scrambles through the rest of his morning, downing some coffee and pulling some clothes on before grabbing his keys and heading across the street.

“Lix?” he calls when he finds the entryway empty, closing and locking the door behind him.

“Upstairs,” Felix calls back faintly.

Chan makes his way to his room, trying to steady his breath. Waves of anxiety wash over his body as he climbs the stairs, making his skin flash cold.

Felix’s door is open. Chan can see him as he heads down the hall, sitting up on his bed, leaning against the headboard, knees tucked close to his chest. He raises his head when Chan steps on the creaky floorboard a few feet from the threshold, and his gaze paralyzes Chan on the spot.

“Hey,” Chan tries. It comes out faint and weak.

“Hey.” Felix flicks his gaze back to his bed. “Um, come in.”

Chan forces himself to move, to step into Felix’s room. He closes the door. The room looks the same, but feels unfamiliar. When did Chan become a stranger here?

Chan sits gingerly on the edge of Felix’s bed, keeping himself as far away as possible, like if he gets too close, Felix’ll spook. 

Though Chan’s the one who invited himself here, he feels like he has to wait for Felix’s permission to speak. But Felix says nothing, and minutes pass in silence as Chan picks at a loose thread on his shorts. It’s tense and uncomfortable and most of Chan wants to say okay, never mind, I’m sorry, I can’t do this and run straight back out the door. But he knows if he does that, everything will be over. So he waits. And then—

“Chan,” Felix says. “I have something to tell you.”

Chan’s heartbeat quickens. “Y-you do?”

“Yeah, and I’m really scared to say it, so don’t interrupt me ‘til I’m done.” Felix is the most serious Chan has ever seen him. He has his arms wrapped around his shins almost defensively, and his eyes are piercing.

“Okay,” Chan agrees quietly. His confession can wait. It’s probably best if he goes second anyway, because once Felix hears what he has to say, he’ll probably tell him to leave.

“I’m sorry for being so weird lately,” Felix starts. Chan blinks at him in surprise. “I thought maybe I could ignore it, but I couldn’t. And then I—I tried to bring it up when we were at Long Beach, but you wouldn’t talk, and I didn’t know how to say it when you were being so—I mean, I don’t know. It felt like you knew, and you didn’t want me to say it, so I didn’t. But I think I need to tell you, even if you don’t want to hear it, because it changes everything, and I’m going to go crazy if I keep it inside.

He’s speaking very quickly, so Chan hardly has time to process any of this before Felix takes a breath and plows on. “And we’re going away soon, and I need to tell you in person, so anyway, it has to be now. And I’m sorry if that’s not okay, but I can’t anymore. And if you need to think about it, that’s fine, because we’re going to be in different states pretty soon anyway. Okay? So—here it is.” A deep breath. “I really like you, Chan, and I’ve tried dropping hints and I’ve tried leaving you alone and I’ve tried flirting, but nothing’s worked so I know it’s not the same for you. And that’s okay. I just need you to know, because when you say you love me, you mean it like you’re my brother. And when I say it, I mean something else.”

Chan sits in stunned silence for a second, unsure if he heard him correctly, if he understands. Felix—when he tried to talk about it a couple weeks ago, he had thought the exact same thing as Chan: that Chan was catching on, and that’s why he was being weird. But in reality…

“Well?” Felix demands. His voice is shaking, but he sticks his chin out and looks Chan in the eye. “Say something.”

“Lix,” Chan whispers. “How—how long? How long have you—known, I mean how long have you—?”

“For years, Chan.” He says it bitterly. “I’ve known for years. I—I’ve loved you for years.”

Chan can’t help it. The next breath comes out as laughter. “Well, you’re way ahead of me, then,” he says. He scoots a little closer, and finds that he’s trembling. Suddenly, everything is so easy. The relief leaves him a little limp, but it’s like Minho said. He’s not doing it for himself. He’s doing it for Felix, and that’s all the strength he needs. “Felix.” He holds out his hand. Felix just looks at him, hurt and confused. “I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out. I just thought—I thought I wasn’t allowed, somehow. To love you. Because I’m supposed to be—well, not someone who’s in love with you, I guess. I thought you’d never feel the same way, and it’s been killing me these last few weeks, thinking I ruined everything. But I guess we’re a better pair than I thought.”

“You love me,” Felix whispers faintly, eyes wide. He takes Chan’s hand.

“Yeah,” Chan says softly. “Yeah, I think I do. I love you, Felix. I’ve loved you since we were children, I think. I loved you before I even knew how, before I knew what it meant, way before I realized it myself. Just—loved you. And I would’ve been happy to do it and not get anything back, except I thought maybe you’d hate me, that you’d be angry with me somehow, that you’d feel betrayed. So that’s why—that’s why I was being so weird these last few weeks.”

Felix frowns. “Why would I hate you?”

“Because you’re you,” Chan says helplessly. “And I’m me, and I could never… Felix,” he says. “You’re the best person I know. You—you light up every room, you’re gentle and soft and good. Of course I love you, and of course I could never deserve to. You’re bright and beautiful, and I’m… I’m just me. I’m just—your annoying childhood best friend. So I was worried I would be holding you back from finding real love, from finding someone like you who could match you. From finding someone who actually deserved to have you.”

Felix shakes his head. “You’re stupid, Chan,” he says, and Chan laughs weakly. “How could you think that? I loved you. I love you. If anyone doesn’t deserve it, it’s me. You’re the best person I’ve ever known.”

Chan stills. Suddenly, it’s almost painfully clear. He tried so hard not to let Felix’s friendship balloon his ego, tried to stop himself from getting too confident, from thinking he was far more important than he was, and somewhere along the way, he’d blinded himself to Felix’s admiration. But if the connection between them is that strong, then thinking Felix doesn’t look up to him is more insulting than thinking he does. Thinking that Chan doesn’t deserve him isn’t fair to Felix, just like Minho said. It forgets Felix’s very core: that he is humble, that he doesn’t act the way he does for acceptance or acclaim but simply because he is sweet and genuine to the end. Of course he doesn’t see himself as perfect. He’s just like Chan. Afraid, unsure, and hopeful, all at once. 

“C’mere, little one,” Chan says quietly, dropping Felix’s hand and holding out his arms.

Felix rolls forward onto his knees and crawls into Chan’s embrace, wrapping his arms around Chan’s shoulders and squeezing tight. Chan holds him, stretching his fingers as wide as they’ll go and pressing his hands into Felix’s back.

“I love you,” Felix whispers, and then giggles. “I was so nervous, oh my god. I was gonna throw up.”

“I’m sorry,” Chan says immediately. “I’m sorry I didn’t know earlier. I’m sorry I couldn’t talk about it before.”

“Not your fault,” Felix says. “And anyway, you can make up for it.”

“Yeah?” Chan asks. “How’s that?”

Felix pulls back gently, leaving his arms slung over Chan’s shoulders. “Kiss me,” he demands, almost petulant. “I’ve wanted you to kiss me for so long.”

Chan might’ve hesitated. But it’s Felix asking, and he could never say no, not when it’s something he wants, too. He brings both hands up to Felix’s jaw to hold him steady, and then leans in and kisses him, just as he asked.

And it’s like the whole world melts away. In the back of his mind, Chan kind of registers that he’s having some kind of rom-com moment. Everything is just Felix, Felix, Felix, his soft lips and sharp teeth and warm tongue, the skin of his cheeks under the pads of Chan’s fingers, the scent of his soap and deodorant, so familiar and so new all at once. 

They break apart, staring at each other, and then Felix starts laughing and Chan does too, and it’s uncontrollable, the stomach-hurting, fully-can’t-breathe, verge-of-death kind, so full of joy and relief. Felix rests his forehead on Chan’s shoulder and Chan wraps his arms around his waist and squeezes.

It takes them a while to calm down, but eventually the room is quiet again. This time the quiet is good, warm and comfortable and right. Chan brushes his fingers though Felix’s hair, breathing, watching Felix breathe. 

“What?” Felix asks softly.

Chan moves his fingers down to Felix’s cheeks, tracing invisible lines between a few of his freckles. “I’m making a new constellation,” he says. “It’s not in the sky, it’s just here.”

Felix stills, and then smiles. “You’re tracing a cartoon heart, aren’t you?”

Chan grins. “Maybe.”

“You’re so embarrassing,” Felix says, but he kisses Chan again. Chan can’t stop smiling.

He wants to do so many things with Felix, now that he can, now that he knows Felix loves him back, now that the guilt and shame has been peeled away by Felix’s gentle hands. But it can wait. They have so much time. If Chan has anything to say about it, they have the rest of their lives.

“Let’s go bake cookies,” he says. “We can bring some to the others, too. Boost morale.”

Felix laughs. “I love you,” he says. 

“I love you,” Chan repeats, and it’s dumb and sappy, but they’re both still smiling, so he doesn’t care.

They spend a couple more minutes kissing anyway, then finally head downstairs to find the baking supplies. Felix pulls out the measuring cups while Chan gathers their ingredients, digging the chocolate chips out from the back of the fridge. Their hands brush when they set things on the counter, and Chan doesn’t flinch. Their old familiarity and ease is back, just colored a little sweeter than before. They chat about packing for college as they mix the dough and throw the first batch in the oven.

“What the fuck are we gonna tell everyone?” Felix asks, looking up from scooping the second batch onto a fresh sheet.

Chan blows out a breath, straightening and pulling the first sheet out. They’re golden-brown, chocolate chips all gooey. Perfect. “Uh,” he says. “I hate to break it to you, but I think they might already know. Like, I think they figured it out way before we did, and have been just kind of waiting for us to get our shit together. So I don’t think it’s gonna be a problem. Well, no, they’re going to make fun of us for the rest of our lives. But,” he says, blowing out a laugh, “it’s gonna be fine.”

Felix laughs, too. “God, we’re really stupid, huh?”

Chan sets the sheet down and pulls him close by the waist. “Mostly me,” he says.

“Mostly you,” Felix agrees, a little smug. Chan rolls his eyes and kisses him.

“Ugh, finally.” They both whip their heads up to see Rachael, back from her internship, walking into the kitchen with a look of fond disgust on her face.

“R-Rachael, hey,” Chan says, releasing Felix and turning back to the cookies even though he can’t really do anything with them, just to put his hands somewhere that isn’t on her little brother. “When did you get back?”

She ignores him, reaching for a cookie with a paper towel. “When’s the wedding?”

“Oh my god, Rachael,” Felix groans. “You’re so embarrassing! Get out, take your cookie and get out!”

Rachael snickers, satisfied, stealing an extra cookie and blowing a kiss over her shoulder. “Mom ’n’ Dad are gonna be so relieved. I’m pretty sure they placed bets.”

“Shut up,” Felix complains. Chan can hardly hear him over the sound of his own laughter.