#Twin!Delusion AU

[moonfurthetemmie]

Carver/Gouge and Terry the Tarantula Fire Familiar That Is Way Too Big

it could be worse, though.

it could've had wings

come closer. she wants to try a new spell on you. it's definitely not going to burn off all of your skin without killing you hahaha

anyways. she and ds ink have the same origin story

not even in a 'they're very similar' way. they just straight up got stuck in the same hell hole at the same time. They were very rarely trained/experimented on separately, but they don't remember each other at all.

Which is very unfortunate, but I guess it won't matter to them too much since they don't remember ever having a twin.

Gouge's given name was 'Carver'. Ink's was 'Aerosol'. but now they're Gouge and Ink. They couldn't remember their old names but they needed to be called something.

[digital-dumbass]

so ya bitch has lowkey gotten back into their sanders sides hyperfixation (specifically polysanders/drlamp)

so I wanted to show my take on that ship cuz I love it so much

[saltymarshmall0w]

Dp x Dc Demon twins AU

He couldn’t help the dreadful apprehension building in his gut as he approached the disaster titled “Fenton Works”. The magazine that started this all was in his lap, twisted and worn.

“Genius Child of Genius Woman Discovers Gorilla Male Actually A Female!” the cover read. 

The shock of seeing his twin brother’s face on the cover of a magazine with two adopted parents had taken Damian straight to his father, interrupting his work to shove the magazine in front of him. 

It took only four days after the debut of the magazine featuring the discovery for the Waynes to converge on Amity Park. 

It had to be a grab for their attention, of course. A magazine featuring the dead demon twin they missed the opportunity to ever meet.

Damian didn’t know what to expect from his long-dead twin. He mostly expected it to be a trick concocted by the league, having already met brainwashed clones of himself and his brother.

He hadn’t seen Danyal since he was eight years old and still naive to the league.

Damian was always the more skilled swordsman, the faster and stronger twin. The perfect soldier and heir. 

But Danyal was the “spare”, always a few seconds slower, strength giving out just a few seconds before Damian’s did. He questioned too many things and that eventually led to his death during a mission for the league. 

Of course, none of that mattered to Damian. As much as he liked being the older, better brother he much preferred having his twin by his side. Nights trading legends of the stars, whispered assurances and shared secrets. 

Just before he could ring the doorbell, the door swung open and his look-alike tumbled out of the house. 

“Yeah, I’ll be back by nine, mom!” Danyal yelled into the house, seemingly unaware of his guests as he tripped over his untied shoelace. He nearly bowled right into Damian, stopping just in time before hitting him. 

“Whoa! Sorry!” Danyal straightened, pushing his messy hair out of his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something else but snapped it closed at the appearance of his twin. 

Confusion, suspicion, and a whole myriad of expressions crossed his face, broadcasting his thoughts, before finally settling on— wonder.

“Dude, this is going to sound crazy, but you look, like, exactly like me.” 

That was how Damian found out his brother was an amnesiac.

And an idiot. 

They discovered Danyal’s identity as the town hero embarrassingly quickly, though his supposed parents didn’t notice when Phantom called them “Mo-Maddie!” 

As a civilian he was cowed by an unintelligent Jock, unknowingly stalked by a crazed conspiracy theorist, and dated one of the many “ghost hunters” that targeted Phantom. 

When Damian pointed all this out, Danny proudly let them know it was a “cover” to ensure no one would figure out his secret identity— the confident Phantom that got by on the bare bones of league instincts that remained and sheer dumb luck wasn’t the same as scaredy-cat Fenton.

His room was about as messy as Drake's, filled with the personality of a teenager untouched by the league. His friends and sister were filled with delusions of their best friend being a superhero with powers, rather than half-dead.

In a way, Damian was jealous Danyal could have such a normal life. He wasn’t weighed down by the death and pain he caused in the past. 

In other ways, Damian was grateful he wasn’t naive enough to think his own parents hunting him was “fine” or their attempts to comit war crimes on an interdimensional species “wasn’t a big deal”.

Perhaps his relapse in judgment could be forgiven. It had been six years since Damian saw his brother, in the chaos of bringing Danyal back to the manor and sending Jasmine off to an elite boarding school at her request, it wasn’t amiss that Damian had forgotten a few key details about his brother. 

Damian was always the more skilled swordsman, the faster and stronger twin. The perfect soldier and heir. 

But Danyal? 

He was an actor. He could lie, and charm and deceive better than any person Damian knew. Danyal played Mother, Grandfather and at times the entire league just to get his way. 

But he never lied to Damian before. 

At least, that was what Damian assumed, until an overcast Gotham day, where Danyal cornered Damian alone in the manor, eyes glowing an icey blue neither Phantom nor Fenton’s eyes ought to do. He wore a modern League of Assassins uniform, a familiar wakizashi blade formed from ice in his hand. 

“Grandfather wants you to quit this rebellion and come home.”

—

Other details to this idea I want but couldn’t work in

-Danny has a secret secret identity that’s a rogue that gets shit done

-Danny is lowkey annoyed Sam and Tucker were there for the whole portal incident, otherwise, he could have kept Phantom a secret. 

-Danny lived with the Fentons to steal their research and report back to Ra’s. 

-Also as a punishment for, like, questioning the league or something. 

-Danny resents Damian for being called the “spare” while Damian was the heir

-Ghost king stuff might be happening, but Danny has kept it on the DL so he could easily usurp Ra’s when he’s old enough

[bluegekk0]

Finally decided to work on the designs for all the side characters in the FPK AU, mostly residents of Dirtmouth as that's where the main portion of the AU takes place

Here's the full height chart including the FPK family members

(short bios for each of the characters under the cut)

Vyrm (alternate spelling of "Wyrm") - once the king of Hallownest, now a simple resident of Dirtmouth tormented by the guilt of his past actions and his own emotional trauma. Following the return of the infection, he disappeared in a self-manifested realm where he hibernated for years until he was woken up by Little Ghost. He woke up without his powers and completely alone, which forced him to hunt animals for food in order to survive. That was until he was found by Hornet and taken to Dirtmouth, where he reunited with Holly and Grimm, who would later become his partner and husband. He embraces his instincts by hunting animals and eating raw meat, though he is far from a dangerous beast. He owns a small tinkerer's shop in Dirtmouth, where he sells his creations.

Grimm - the exiled god of nightmares, banished from Godhome by his sister, The Radiance many years ago. A very alluring type with a past of promiscuous endeavors. He travels with his Troupe to perform and complete rituals, through which he replaces his physical body. He spent hundreds of years feeling loneliness, unable to find love due to his immortality, until he met Vyrm. They became close friends, though they were not able to confess their love and start a relationship until after Vyrm’s hibernation. Grimm and his Troupe now permanently reside in Dirtmouth, from which they travel to other kingdoms to perform their shows and the ritual. He drinks blood to prolong the lifespan of each physical body, and he has a fondness for fruits.

Hornet - the beloved daughter of Vyrm and the Deepnest queen Herrah. She grew up showered with her father’s love and formed a very close bond with him. Unfortunately, following her father's disappearance, she was forced to spend years all on her own, which turned her bitter and difficult to approach. She now struggles with anger issues and intense fear of getting attached, but deep down she cares a lot about her family. She moved to Dirtmouth following the end of the infection and now works as a hunter and gatherer..

Holly - the child of Vyrm and The White Lady, and the only known surviving vessel. A very gentle soul who finds joy in art of many forms. Now that The Radiance is gone, they enjoy a quiet and peaceful life living in the Vyrm family home in Dirtmouth. With their arm missing and their body weakened, they are unable to hold their nail, instead they focus on more relaxing activities to pass their time. They wear a prosthetic arm made by their father.

Lewk - Vyrm and Grimm's first child, a very curious and kind pup who attends Dirtmouth's school and constantly looks for ways to help others. Unlike his siblings, he shares some physical traits with the Grimmchild form of Grimm's ritual cycle, which is how he got his wings.

Milo and Asta - twins, the newest addition to the family. Milo, technically the youngest member of the family, is weak and sickly compared to his twin sister, struggling to keep up with his peers, which makes him very grumpy. Asta is stronger than her brother, full of energy and mischief, though underneath all of that there is a very compassionate individual who is very protective of her little brother.

Zote - a self proclaimed knight of great renown, in reality a lonely young bug living in a world of delusions. He was rejected by his hometown and his family, and so he traveled until he reached Hallownest. After the end of the infection, he found himself “adopted” by Vyrm’s family, and is on a slow journey of becoming less arrogant and mean.

Ogrim - one of the great knights of the Pale King, the last one that remained in Hallownest, best friends with Vyrm and a close friend of the family. Found by Hornet following Vyrm's return from hibernation, and invited to live in Dirtmouth alongside them. Leaving his duty as the knight behind, he put away his armor in favor of more comfortable clothing. He eventually embraced his long forgotten hobby of cooking and opened a small diner in the town. Liked by everyone thanks to his contagious optimism and supportive attitude.

Brumm - Grimm's right-hand man and trusted friend. Runs the Troupe in Grimm's absence and assists him during the rituals, and in his spare time directs the Troupe's music crew. He is a quiet individual focused on his job. In the past he had one-sided feelings for Grimm, now years later his eyes are set on one of the Nailmaster brothers, Mato.

Divine - Grimm's closest friend, she and her team are responsible for the costumes in the Troupe, and later also clothes for the Dirtmouth community. Once a lady from a distant land, she was invited to the Troupe following a war that destroyed her home. She's chatty and glamorous, and loves advising Vyrm on romantic matters.

The White Lady - Vyrm's former wife and once the Queen of Hallownest. Cold and emotionally distant, often comes off as self-absorbed. She was blind to Vyrm's needs during their time together, and ended up neglecting and hurting him. Before the marriage, she was the Lady of the Queen's Gardens Mansion, and this is where she resides following the end of the infection. Years spent in the cocoon made her reflect on her past behavior, and while her interactions with Vyrm these days are rare, she puts effort into being more thoughtful towards him and his family.

Mato - one of the Nailmaster brothers, he got attached to Ghost of Hallownest after briefly teaching them. Following the end of the infection, he traveled from the Howling Cliffs to Dirtmouth to find out what happened to them, and after discovering that the town was now full of life, he began visiting it more often.

Bretta - a young writer and a hopeless romantic, she used to be infatuated by Zote before finding out he was full of lies, though she ended up forgiving him. She writes short stories and poems under an alias, and shares Holly's interest in plush sewing. She has a crush on Hornet, and finds both her and Grimm to be very inspiring to write about.

Iselda - the owner of Dirtmouth's cartography shop, Cornifer's wife. She is a close friend of Vyrm after helping treat his wounds following the Grimmkin incident. After the end of the infection, she began joining her husband on his map marking adventures. She can be a little intimidating, at times she sounds perpetually annoyed, but she always proves to be very caring about others.

Cornifer - Iselda's husband, co-owns the cartography shop. Frequently travels around Hallownest, mapping each location thoroughly. He is good friends with Vyrm, whom he enjoys discussing the Hallownest architecture and geography with. He's extremely detail focused which sometimes makes him miss the bigger picture, though he more than makes up for it with his very approachable personality.

Elderbug - one of the older residents of the town and a respected figure. He's very pessimistic and grumpy, and is especially annoyed by public displays of affection, suggesting that something in his past might have made him sensitive to it. He can usually be found in the town centre or in his little garden.

Tiso - an arrogant troublemaker and Hornet's self-proclaimed rival. Lives in the City of Tears but frequently visits Dirtmouth to challenge her to fights. He planned to battle in the Colosseum but changed his mind last minute out of cowardice. He's extremely sensitive about this subject and reacts with anger anytime it's brought up.

Quirrel - a curious wanderer and once an apprentice to Monomon the Teacher, tasked with protecting her dreamer mask. Holding the mask halted his aging process, and after her death, he aged visibly. With no purpose left, he planted his nail by the Blue Lake, but continued his life of wandering and exploration until he reached Dirtmouth, where he would become a teacher to the town's youth. He's very patient and understanding, though he can be a little absent-minded, likely due to his age and his struggles with memory.

Lemm - owner of the relic shop in the City of Tears. Following the end of the infection and the city's consequent revival, he became a respected shop owner, which made him quite wealthy. After Vyrm's return, he quickly realized his true identity, and began pestering him about his past in hopes of learning more about the kingdom, until Grimm's threats stopped him. He's very abrasive and unpleasant, though his passion for history and the relics in his possession is remarkable.

Lurien - the last of the Dreamers, who managed to survive after Ghost of Hallownest chose to unite the void and become the Shade Lord before reaching his spire. He holds the position of the highest authority in the City of Tears, willing to do anything to bring it back to its former glory and reclaim all of its districts from the criminals that plague it since the end of the infection. He struck a deal with Grimm, thanks to which he is able to keep the criminal population in check.

[edensfixations]

hehe imagine if Deku had a twin sibling who was a big Hawks fan (but is more low-key about it) and coincidentally had a recessive quirk that gave them 2 pairs of retractable wings

AHH i LOVE these platonic au's!

we're going bullet point form!

• izuku has a twin sister? 🤨 her name? isaki!!

• isaki, just like her brother, doesn't hold much height! she's around 5 feet tall, very defensive about it! she's got the same green curly hair but longer! she has freakles and glasses (courtesy of her reading late at night in the dark and unlucky genetics.)

• anyway, contrary to her brother, she has a quirk. she got it when she was five and absolutely went batshit crazy when feathers sprouted out of her back a random saturday morning. she ran straight to izuku and he was no help whatsoever. he screamed louder than her!

• over the years her quirk has grown and developed! for a bit she ended up randomly floating causing a massive panic to her mother and amusement from her brother. her wings had grown into large black wings that resembles a crows.

• she's gained many nicknames from people. from her mother, dove. from her brother, saki and raven! katsuki however calls her shadow for an array of unfortunate reasons but at least she doesn't get the same treatment as her brother!!

• when the midoriya twins turned 12 a new hero made his way onto the scene! an 18 year old with his own company??!?!? suddenly in the top 10 in only 6 months???? WHAT?!?

• hawks having an amazing reputation like this immediately after debuting had him have eyes on him constantly! and isaki wasn't any different!

• while her brother was OBSESSED with all might since they were kids, she had only idolised him a bit. he was 100% her biggest inspiration and thought only the most highly of him but she never wanted to be a hero until she saw hawks! I mean she practically bounced off the walls when she saw someone with a similar quirk!

• over the next 2 years she had slowly built a merch a collection, a pathetic one really because she mostly used her pocket money for food and books while her brother never really used his money for anything but all might!

•her merch collection includes a few posters, 3 hoodies, an action figure and a bobble head as well as some limited edition sneakers that she'll NEVER admit she qued overnight for.

• similar to her twin brother, she also keeps a little notebooks. she however keeps about 4? 2 for hawks and 2 for everyone else. after deciding she'd like to follow her quirkless brother and his deranged frenemy to ua, she starts assessing some of her favourite heroes, namely hawks and his techniques and how to utilise them.

• so from ages 13-15 you'll just see an isaki midoriya flying around in her backyard practicing moves she learnt from hawks via the internet.

• when izuku had started his 10 month intense training with a mystery man izuku hadn't told her about, she decided to start her own 10 month training. hers however contained a gym and her doing combat training with whoever was training there too and up for it! there she met tenya iida! story for another time.

• however, about 5 months into her training, she had particularly drained herself that day. because of this she was barely paying attention to her surroundings. it was quite a shock to her when she had been suddenly grabbed from the ground and sped off about a block away when where she once was!

• who was it? pro hero hawks of course! naturally, isaki was completely star struck. she could not BELIEVE who was standing in front of her right now!!! she was barely listening to him warning her to watch where she's walking so she doesn't get run over by a car (she walked into traffic, whoops!) she snapped out of trance when she heard him say, "nice wings, kid" before he was gone.

•isaki flew home and screamed into her pillow!!! she couldn't believe that happened! HE COMPLIMENTED HER WINGS!!!!!! she was so close to him! practically hugging him! (delusion)

• upon her screaming her mother and brother enter her room, curious, afraid and wanting answers.

• she looks up from her pillow, pink faced and hyperventilating, "HE SAID I HAVE NICE WINGS!!" her wings start fluttering creating a small breeze. it's a small habit she picked up from when she was little. her little family chuckled at her words. "Who??" "That guy from the gym??" "NO HAWKS. I CAN DIE HAPPY."

• isaki is now laying on the ground while her brothers jaw is slack and her mother leaves, giggling to herself.

• "YOU MET NUMBER 3 HERO HAWKS??!!" "YEAH WHEN I ACCIDENTALLY ALMOST WALKED INTO TRAFFIC!!!!" "WHAT?!"

• needless to say, she wore her hoodie and limited edition sneakers to bed that night.

(pls send requests I loved doing this so muchhhh!!)

[ghostlyvoidbones]

Sonadow Lovebug AU - Pt. 4 Finale

a/n: Last one! That was a strange and impulsive journey I just undertook. I'm sorry? I'm not...? Sorry? Idk man I just hope this wasn't too horrible of a read.

summary: Shadow finally gets a grasp on the situation. He and Sonic talk, then have an enlightening race by the end of it.

contains: Shadow's drug induced delusions, light swearing, dubious consensual light touching, uncomfortable situation, one sided affections, unwilling affection (given and received).

wc: 3K

“It looks like it's mostly just stuck to his nervous system. I’m kind of impressed, especially since it managed to affect someone like Shadow.” Tails commented offhandedly while he tapped away at the computer set up at his workbench.

Shadow sat in a chair that’d been pulled up beside it. Little foam pads were stuck to spots along his head and torso, wires curling out and connecting to a machine that was hooked up to the computer. On top of a tray fixed to the top of the machine was a napkin that held the corpse of the mosquito Shadow killed the day before. Its tiny robotic parts, crushed and twisted, had been carefully arranged back into the shape it was originally meant to be.

“Is it lethal?” Rouge asked from somewhere over the fox’s shoulder. 

“Definitely not.” He clicked on something and squinted at it. “But to be honest, I can’t actually tell what it’s meant to do. According to these readings, it looks like it's targeting parts of the brain that are dedicated to attention span and memory processing.”

“Which means what, exactly?” 

“In short, whatever that mosquito injected him with, it’s manipulating his mind and…” Tails casted a quick, nervous glance at the dark hedgehog who hadn’t said a word since they hooked him up to the machine. “Probably his memories, too.”

“Now that you mention it.” Sonic chimed in, the others turning to him. Except Shadow who hadn’t stopped glowering at him since Tails arrived. 

Sonic’s gaze was pointed at the ground, though his eyes were far off in thought, finger tapping at his chin absentmindedly. “Eggman picked a fight with me yesterday, but it wasn’t like his usual style. He only had, like, five badniks with him, and spent pretty much the whole time muttering to himself. He also kept asking me why I wasn’t distracted. I caught the word ‘serum’ somewhere during that too, I think.”

Tails hummed thoughtfully before turning back to the data on his screen. “That would explain quite a few things, actually. The serum was probably supposed to interfere with your ability to focus so you wouldn’t be able to fight back if you were attacked. Although it looks like Eggman didn’t test it properly to see if it actually did what he wanted it to do.”

“Sure, but that doesn’t explain why Shadow was the one who got bit instead of Sonic. If his target was Sonic, then it should’ve gone after him instead.” Rouge added.

“Ah. It probably did. I think Shadow got in the way.” At Sonic’s words, two twin questioning looks were sent his way. He rubbed the back of neck sheepishly. “I was teasing him and I moved out of the way when he tried to kick me. He got bit right around when that happened.”

“The timing lined up so that when the robot went to inject the serum, you moved and Shadow entered its path of trajectory instead.” Tails nodded.

Silence settled over the group for a moment, only the hum of Tails’ machines filled the space as each one of them processed the situation and what it meant.

“So,” Rouge spoke up after a while, “his brain is full of Sonic because of a failed drug. Great. What now? There has to be a cure for it, right?”

“Actually, because Shadow’s genetic makeup is different from most mobians, and his healing factor is boosted, the serum is already getting pushed out of his system.” Tails explained as he stepped away from his computer to pull the foam pads off of Shadow, winding up the wires and shutting down the machine they were attached to.

“It made its way through his system and I think the worst of it already passed. I’d give it about a few hours maximum before he’s completely back to normal.”

The way Rouge completely slouched in relief looked like a puppet having its strings cut. She breathed out a heavy sigh that carried all the weight from her shoulders with it.

She was worried that this would turn out to be something completely out of their control. After all, Shadow wasn’t that easily susceptible to things like mind manipulation and chemicals thanks to his high levels of chaos energy and his wacky, overpowered genes. But to hear that that was the exact reason he would be perfectly fine by the end of the day made her feel significantly less stressed.

“Are we done then?” Shadow asked gruffly, standing up from the chair and smoothing down the patches of fur that had been ruffled by the pads.

Tails and Rouge shared a wary look over his head. The serum, though weakening quickly, was still active. So far, he seemed capable of conversation and critical thought. But with his sudden and intense fixation on Sonic, they weren’t quite sure what to expect from him at the moment.

The memory of Tails having to physically pull Sonic out of Shadow’s grip, and the accompanying look of pure, unadulterated hostility he got from the ultimate lifeform, was something he wouldn’t be forgetting for a while. Even now he felt a prickle of fear that kept his fur fluffed up everytime he looked over at Shadow.

“Yeah, I think so. Just be careful until the serum wears off. You’re still in control of yourself but it is manipulating your thoughts against your will right now.” Tails answered, carefully stepping out of kicking range.

The violent glare he pierced the fox with made him stumble back a few extra steps.

“Good. You. Come with me.” Shadow practically growled out as he appeared in front of Sonic, snatching his wrist in an iron grip, and using chaos control to teleport them both out of the small workshop.

Rouge turned to Tails, slightly stupified by the sudden display. “They’ll be ok… right?”

Tails shrugged. “Probably?”

-

Sonic blinked the kaleidoscope of colors out of his vision. Like every time he’d experienced chaos control, he could taste the buzz of energy in the air and feel it thrumming through his veins.

They were on a low rising hill, different from the one where he’d ended his last race with Shadow. The treeline reached further down near the base of the hill, the tree tops rustling gently below. From where Sonic stood, he could see where the sun was sinking down toward the horizon, painting the surrounding sky a pale blue that faded into shades of orange and pink.

He lingered on the view for just a second before turning to Shadow. The hedgehog in question was still scanning the environment. Shadow walked in a small circle, eventually stopping to face Sonic. Then he began to approach.

“Uh, hey buddy, what-” Sonic unconsciously inched away from the dark hedgehog quickly advancing on him. “Hey, woah woah, wait- personal space-”

Every word was promptly ignored as Shadow invaded his personal space once more. An arm draped across his shoulders, tucking him securely into Shadow’s side. The scent of lavender and gunpowder invaded his senses once again and Sonic swallowed uneasily.

“Shadow?” He winced at the way his voice awkwardly pitched up, but didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he looked at Shadow’s face which wasn’t even directed at him but pointed up somewhere in the distance.

Sonic turned his head to see what it was Shadow was staring at, just in time to be temporarily blinded by a flash of light burning straight into his eyes.

“Agh! Shadow! What was that?! What are you even doing right now?!”

The weight around his shoulders disappeared and Sonic pressed his hands to his eyes, squeezing them shut and rubbing the closed eyelids like it would do something to make the bursting spots go away.

It took a few seconds for his vision to get back to normal and he whipped around to continue his bombardment of questions. Although whatever outrage flared within him was snuffed out quickly when he saw Shadow furrowing his brows down at a phone screen.

“This is abysmal. And you blinked.” Shadow finally met his gaze, a frown set on his face that frighteningly resembled a pout. “Let’s take another one. Not facing the sun this time.”

Sonic stalled, watching Shadow shuffle around to stand with his back to the sun while holding the phone up experimentally. He tilted his head to the side before nodding, seemingly satisfied. Then he gestured for Sonic to come over. Sonic, who was still processing.

“You’re… you want to take a picture? Of us?” He pointed at Shadow then back to himself, expression slack with confusion.

Shadow’s arm lowered slightly. “Yes? I couldn’t find any pictures with the two of us together and thought this would be a good time to correct that. Problem?”

A beat of silence passed where the two just stood and stared at each other. When everything finally registered in Sonic’s brain, a wide grin spread across his face.

Dealing with an overly affectionate Shadow that needed to be touching him 24/7? He wasn’t really equipped to handle that. But taking a Selfie? Pshhh.

“Nope! Sounds easy enough.” Sonic stepped into frame for the picture, peering up at the screen. “I just hope you know you’ll probably just end up deleting it later.”

As he posed, Shadow faltered. “No I won’t.”

“Right, right, sure.” He put an arm over Shadow’s shoulder, holding up a peace sign to the camera. Seeing Sonic brush it off so easily, the dark hedgehog let out a huff before slinging his arm around the other’s shoulder as well.

The flash didn’t catch Sonic off guard that time, and the picture came out looking…

“You’ve gotta learn how to loosen up a little.”

Sonic poked at the mini Shadow on the screen with his serious expression that was bordering on a glare.

“I’m perfectly relaxed.” Shadow argued petulantly.

“Come on, let’s take a few more.” The hero chuckled softly, pulling the other back into his side.

A few minutes went by as they made a few more attempts to capture the ideal picture. By the time they’d finally settled on a good one, the sun had sunk low enough to bathe the sky in a deep orange that melted into a reddish purple.

“See! That wasn’t so hard. And look!” Sonic practically shoved the phone into Shadow’s face. “You actually look happy in this one.”

“I was happy in all of them, dimwit.” There was a light growl to his tone, but the glimmer in his eye and upturned quirk of his lip softened the words.

They shared a moment of quiet content until Sonic returned the phone, Shadow tucking it away securely in his quills.

“Anyway, it’s getting pretty late, think we should head back soon?” Sonic turned to Shadow only to falter at the sight that greeted him.

Shadow faced the setting sun, red eyes blazing like fire in the fading light. His arms were crossed in one of his usual poses, although his shoulders were hiked up to be almost level with his muzzle. There was something… gentle about the face he was making. Something fragile.

Sonic reached out to carefully place a hand on his shoulder. “Shadow? You alright?” 

He doesn’t respond for a moment, expression twisting into something a bit more sharp, a bit more pained.

“I’m not stupid. I know, I know this isn’t real. I understand that we aren’t… that the serum…” Shadow let out a heavy sigh. “I haven’t been entirely honest. The serum had a strong influence on me, that much is true. But it hasn’t… it never manipulated my memories.”

“I just wanted this so badly, it seemed to be the only thing I could think about. It ended up skewing my perception of reality. I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable, it wasn’t my intention.”

The sullen expression on his face encouraged Sonic to give his shoulder a light squeeze. “Hey, it’s ok. It’s not your fault that you got a weird drug messing with your head. And besides, it wasn’t that bad, I’m just not used to this version of you. If anything, I’m more worried about you than myself.”

“Me?” Shadow raised a brow at him.

“I mean, yeah. You’re basically being forced to feel things that aren’t real against your will. I can only imagine what that must feel like.” Sonic looked down at the treeline with a faint grimace. “I’m actually wishing Eggface luck for when this serum wears off. I have a feeling you won’t be letting him off easy.”

 Shadow huffed out a breath that could just barely pass for a laugh. “I’m angry.”

“Gee, that was fast.”

A little laugh does escape him then. Shadow shook his head, a small smile making its way onto his face. 

“Not like that. I meant… I’m angry that these emotions have been introduced to me. When I thought about you before it was more muted, maybe even competitive. But then you were suddenly the only thing I could think about and the feelings that followed it changed. I’m angry because once this is over, I won’t get to feel it again.”

Sonic stilled, eyes widening slightly. “What do you mean?”

“I remember feeling something like it before. With... But this is different.” He looked into Sonic's eyes. Emerald green clashed with ruby red and it almost made the hero shiver. “An intimate attachment that goes deeper than friendship. Being able to… love. Love and be loved. It’s encompassing. It’s like I’ve been made whole to the point of nearly overflowing.”

“Having to go back to a time where I never knew this feeling… I can’t say that I want that. Because I don’t.”

The confession left Sonic swaying a little where he stood, starstruck. He didn’t know quite what to expect when Shadow first started opening up about the situation, but it definitely wasn’t that.

Ignoring the heat building up beneath the fur of his muzzle, his entire body almost taking on a deeper shade of blue, he spoke up.

“Listen… I’m not gonna say that I know how you feel. And I definitely don’t know how you’re gonna feel after this is all over. I can only hope you don’t just punch me hard enough to knock my lights out. But, it’s not all bad.”

“Just because a weird brain altering serums made you feel this way, doesn’t mean you’ll never get to feel it again. From what I’m told, love just works that way. One moment it’s there and the next it hits you like a truck. And even if…” Sonic paused, fighting to keep his eyes on Shadow’s when a dull ache pulsed in his chest once before quickly dying out like it was never there in the first place, “even if I’m not the one who makes you feel that way, someone will. And it’ll mean something then. It’ll mean a lot more to you when you go through it the old fashioned way with someone who’s important to you.”

“I…I suppose.” Shadow took a small breath before finally letting his shoulders relax and his hands fall to his sides. “I’ll just have to get used to not having you running circles around my thoughts for a while.”

“Heh, I can run circles around you normally, if you’d prefer.”

“No, both of those are quite annoying actually.”

Sonic pulled his hand away from Shadow’s shoulder only to press it to his face to cover the laugh bubbling up his throat.

“I guess some things never change, huh? Hey, I know it’s only been a day, but how about a race.” The blue hedgehog shot a mischievous grin Shadow’s way, who responded with a raised brow.

“A race? Now?”

“Why not? I mean, if having me run around you bothers you so much, you should try outrunning me then.”

The daring statement was met with a scoff and a sly smirk. No matter what condition he’s in, Shadow was not one to ever back down from a challenge.

“I think I’ll do just that then.”

The look shared between them shifted into something warm that seeped into their bones and made them both let out a quiet laugh. The moment lasted for only a minute, however, before the two hedgehogs got into position, deciding an end point for their race before taking off.

Like every race they’d had so far, they were mere blurs on the horizon. Streaks of red and blue dancing around each other and matching the other’s pace with fierce determination that made the air around them sizzle with electricity.

They sliced through the bushes, under the canopy of trees. The sun slipped below the hills leaving them engulfed in the warm violet of evening. It's when the stars started to flicker to life in the sky that the two finally come to a screeching stop at their decided finish line.

And by a hair, Shadow reached it first.

Sonic perched his hands on his hips, shaking his head with a smile. “Man, you beat me that time. I guess we’re officially tied again, but don’t let that victory get to your head. Next time I’ll totally mop the floor with you.”

He shot a finger gun at Shadow who said nothing, only looking back at him with wide eyes. In fact, he continued to say nothing for a long long while. Long enough to make Sonic shift uncomfortably where he stood, dropping his hand.

“You, uh, you alright there bud?” Sonic tried, getting an odd sense of deja vu.

The dark hedgehog blinked then ripped his gaze away to stare down at the palms of his gloved hands. He flexed his fingers experimentally, expression twisting into something sour.

“I’ve returned to normal.” Shadow practically growled out, almost making Sonic jump hearing it for the first time since this whole fiasco started.

“Oh. I guess a race really was all it took.” Sonic’s chuckle choked off when Shadow pierced him with a ruby red glare that seemed to glow dangerously under the budding starlight.

He advanced on Sonic, the air around him crackling with energy. Finally he was close enough to Sonic where their breaths mingled in the space between them and Shadow stabbed a finger into the peach fur of his chest.

“You will speak of this to no one. You will forget any of this even happened. If I catch you breathing a single word of this to anyone, I will spear you to the sun.”

Shadow’s words dripped with venom and were spat out with a familiar hostility. And once they were said, he immediately vanished from sight with a burst of light and the telltale buzz of chaos control.

Sonic stared at the spot where Shadow stood, his entire body relaxing imperceptibly while a weak smile crept onto his face.

“Yup, that’s the Shadow I know.”

-

Shadow had one final check in with the fox to confirm the serum was out of his system. Once that was done, he left the shaky, nervous mobian behind to return to his place where he immediately began tidying up the mess he’d made of his own room.

Despite the vicious words spewing from his lips as he put everything back the way it was, Rouge seemed infinitely relieved when she walked by the open doorway on her way to the living room.

When everything was in place, Shadow found himself sitting on the edge of his freshly made bed. His phone had migrated into his hand where he swiped his thumb over the screen, sifting through and deleting the multitude of photos he’d taken only an hour before. None of which his past self thought to get rid of, including the truly atrocious ones that anyone else would have deleted on the spot.

He continued doing this until he stopped on one particular picture, lingering longer than any of the others. It was clearly taken by accident, like a few of the pictures before it.

In it, Sonic mimed smiling, pressing his gloved fingers to the sides of his mouth and tugging upward. His eyes were squeezed shut and he almost looked like the exaggerated expression hurt him to make. Behind him, the setting sun cradled his outline in a soft orange glow, angled so the ball of light circled the back of his head like a halo.

And to his side was Shadow, watching him with a crinkled nose and squinted eyes. Eyes that were infinitely gentle when paired with the tiniest curve of a smile curling onto his face.

Shadow shut the phone off and launched it into the pillows behind him. He slouched forward, covering his face with his hands while he fought the urge to pace or run or do something to rid his ears of the loud, heavy thumping of his heart beating against his ribcage.

“Shit.”

<< PREV / Master Post >>

[amethystarachnid]

I read your last Tony one-shot, and this “That said, I wouldn’t mind seeing Stark try to handle a teenage girl someday.” made me thing that this prompt Christmas Morning with the Kids is perfect for Tony 🤣 Tony + reader with a teenage girl and two little boys (or more, it’s up to you), Christmas morning, lots of love, I think it’s perfect ❤️

CHRISTMAS MORNING - part I

⤷ ANTHONY “TONY” E. STARK

ᯓ★ Pairing: Anthony “Tony” E. Stark x fem!reader

ᯓ★ Genre: romance, fluff

ᯓ★ Request from: MARVEL Holiday special

ᯓ★ Story type: one shot

ᯓ★ Word count: 4.1k

ᯓ★ Summary: Life with a teenage daughter, twins boys and a toddler is always chaotic but on Christmas morning? Oh it is pure chaos.

ᯓ★ TW(s): nothing

ᯓ★ Part II

ᯓ★ I merged the two requests because the second one didn't specify anything, hope you both like it! <3

ᯓ★ My Masterlist

ᯓ★ MARVEL Holiday Special

ᯓ★ MARVEL Multiverse - choose an AU, pair it with your favorite character and make a request!

ᯓ★ Songs & Superheroes tales - The Game (to make a request, follow the rules on the link!)

ᯓ★ MARVEL Bingo

ᯓ★ English isn’t my first language

Tony’s warm body is pressed against your side, his arm slung lazily over your waist as you drift in and out of sleep. The glow of the early morning filters through the heavy curtains, and you nestle deeper into the cocoon of your shared blanket, trying to fend off the faint chill in the room. You know it’s Christmas morning, but a part of you is holding on to the luxurious laziness of waking up slowly, in no rush to face the chaos awaiting you downstairs.

That delusion is shattered within seconds.

There’s the distinct sound of heavy, rapid footsteps in the hallway, followed by a breathless, high-pitched “They’re still asleep!” in a stage whisper that echoes through the door.

Before you can even brace yourself, the door flies open, slamming against the wall with an unceremonious bang. Your seven-year-old twins, Alex and Howard, charge into the room like two pint-sized tornadoes, all gangly limbs and boundless energy.

“MOM! DAD! IT’S CHRISTMAS!” Alex shouts, his voice nearly cracking with excitement.

“Wake up! Santa came!” Howard adds, punctuating his declaration by leaping onto the bed with a war cry. He lands on Tony, who lets out a theatrical groan, his arm slipping off your waist.

“Oh, for the love of—” Tony grumbles, voice muffled by the pillow he’s shoved his face into. “Santa didn’t come. He texted me last night saying he was stuck in traffic. Maybe next year.”

“Liar!” Alex accuses, climbing up onto your side of the bed and flopping down against you with all the grace of a hyperactive puppy.

Meanwhile, Howard is enthusiastically bouncing on Tony’s back, yelling, “Dad, Dad, wake up! Mom, he’s not waking up! Should we pour water on him?”

“Do not pour water on me,” Tony warns without lifting his head. “Or I’m canceling Christmas forever.”

“Like you could cancel Christmas,” Cora’s sarcastic drawl cuts through the chaos as she appears in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame with her arms crossed. Your teenage daughter looks impossibly cool for someone who’s been up this early, her messy curls tucked into a Santa hat and an expression that screams she’s simultaneously over it and secretly enjoying the spectacle.

“Thank you, Cora,” you sigh, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes and trying to sit up. Alex clings to you like a koala, making it a near-impossible task.

“Don’t thank me. I’m just here for the fallout,” she says, smirking as Howard accidentally knees Tony in the ribs while attempting a dramatic reenactment of Santa’s sleigh taking off.

“Why do we have so many kids?” Tony mutters, finally rolling onto his back and catching Howard mid-bounce. He pulls the boy into a mock wrestling hold, trapping him with a grin that matches Howard’s exactly. “You! You’re under arrest for excessive energy on a federal holiday.”

Howard dissolves into a fit of giggles, his squirming waking Estelle, who’s tucked away in her crib at the corner of the room. A sleepy whine signals her arrival to the party, and you groan, trying to extricate yourself from Alex’s grasp.

“I’ve got her,” you tell Tony, nudging Alex off you gently and swinging your legs over the side of the bed. The chill of the hardwood floor makes you shiver, and you hurriedly scoop Estelle up before she can fully wake and start wailing.

“Mama,” she mumbles sleepily, her chubby fists clutching the neckline of your sleep shirt. You press a kiss to her unruly curls, swaying slightly to soothe her.

“She’s up!” Alex declares like it’s the most exciting development of the morning.

“No kidding,” Tony says, finally managing to sit up. He ruffles Howard’s hair, the boy now sprawled across his lap. “Cora, tell me you brought coffee.”

“Do I look like a barista?” she fires back, though there’s a twinkle of amusement in her dark eyes. “You’ve got two legs. Use them.”

“Three, technically,” Tony quips, pointing to Estelle perched on your hip. “But she’s not a coffee-fetching age yet. That’s a two-year-old skill, right?”

You roll your eyes, bouncing Estelle lightly as she starts to babble nonsense into your neck. “Do you want coffee or not?”

“Desperately,” he says, throwing off the covers and scooping Howard up in one smooth motion. The boy squeals, kicking his legs as Tony spins him around like a sack of potatoes. “Alright, troops! Let’s move this operation downstairs. Santa won’t wait forever.”

“Santa already came,” Cora corrects him with an exaggerated sigh, leading the charge out of the room with a nonchalant wave over her shoulder.

Tony gives you a sheepish grin as you follow her with Estelle, Alex trailing close behind. “At least she’s consistent,” he says, slinging an arm around your shoulders. “Merry Christmas, by the way.”

“Merry Christmas,” you reply, nudging him playfully. “And for the record, I’m blaming you for the chaos genes in all of them.”

“Fair,” he admits with a wink. “But you love me anyway.”

You roll your eyes but can’t help the smile that spreads across your face. “Unfortunately.”

“Unfortunately,” he echoes with a chuckle, as the sounds of your children’s laughter and excitement fill the house.

You follow the stampede of your children down the staircase, Estelle still snug in your arms. Her tiny hands tug at the collar of your shirt as she mumbles sleepily, “Downstairs. ‘Telle pancakes.”

Tony, close behind you, catches that and grins. “Hear that? She wants pancakes. Girl’s got excellent taste already.”

“Wonder where she gets it from,” you reply dryly, shifting Estelle to your other hip as you step into the open living room. The sight before you makes your breath catch for a moment: the massive tree glistening with twinkling lights, the piles of colorfully wrapped presents spilling out from underneath, and the faint scent of pine mingling with the lingering warmth of the fireplace.

“Whoa!” Alex exclaims, his eyes wide as he takes in the sheer number of gifts. He and Howard make a beeline for the tree, their hands already itching to tear into the wrapping paper.

“Wait, wait, wait!” you shout, setting Estelle down and hurrying to intercept the twins. You plant yourself in front of the tree, arms outstretched like a referee. “No presents until after breakfast.”

“That’s child cruelty,” Howard protests, folding his arms in exaggerated indignation.

“Yeah!” Alex echoes, pouting. “We’ll starve!”

“You just ate a mountain of cookies last night,” you remind them, narrowing your eyes playfully. “Pretty sure you’ll survive until pancakes.”

“They’re growing boys,” Tony chimes in from the kitchen, his voice teasing. “You’re stunting their emotional development.”

You shoot him a mock glare as he saunters over to the stovetop, already pulling out the griddle pan and the ingredients for his signature pancakes. “I’m about to stunt your emotional development if you don’t back me up on this.”

Tony smirks, cracking an egg into the bowl with one hand. “Relax, honey. Pancakes are coming up. No one’s opening anything until we all eat as a family,” he says, enunciating the last word like he’s laying down the law.

“Fine,” Howard grumbles, flopping onto the couch in defeat. Alex follows, though his gaze keeps darting longingly back toward the tree.

Cora rolls her eyes as she plops into an armchair, pulling her phone out of the pocket of her oversized pajama pants. “You guys are so dramatic. They’re just presents.”

“That’s because you’re too cool to get excited about gifts anymore,” Alex retorts, sticking his tongue out at her.

“I’m plenty excited,” she says, deadpan, without looking up from her screen.

Meanwhile, Estelle toddles over to you, her little hands reaching up to tug on the hem of your pajama pants. “Mama! I help pancakes?”

You crouch down, brushing her messy curls out of her face. “You want to help Daddy make pancakes?”

“Yesss!” she chirps, her eyes lighting up.

“Alright,” you say, scooping her up and carrying her into the kitchen. “You’re on pancake duty, little miss.”

Tony looks up as you set Estelle on a chair beside the counter. “Ah, my sous-chef has arrived!” He grabs a small plastic whisk from the drawer and hands it to her. “Alright, Estelle. Stir the batter like this, okay?” He demonstrates with exaggerated movements, which she copies with gleeful determination.

“Mix-mix-mix!” Estelle chants, splashing a bit of batter onto the counter. You grab a paper towel to clean it up, grinning at the sight of Tony encouraging her with a dramatic chef’s commentary.

“You’ve got a natural talent, kiddo,” he tells her. “I see a future in Michelin-starred pancake artistry.”

“She’s two,” you remind him, though you’re laughing.

“Never too early to start thinking about college,” he quips, flipping the first pancake onto a waiting plate with a flourish.

“Where’s mine?” Alex calls from the living room, earning a chorus of similar demands from Howard.

“Patience is a virtue, boys!” Tony shouts back, stacking another golden pancake onto the growing pile.

You glance at the table and start setting out plates, silverware, and glasses. Cora, noticing the motion, sets her phone aside and starts helping without being asked. It’s a small thing, but it warms your heart—she might act too cool for her siblings, but she’s always got a quiet way of pitching in when it counts.

“Alright!” Tony announces, carrying a platter of pancakes to the table. “Breakfast is served! Everyone take a seat.”

Chaos ensues as Alex and Howard sprint to the table, their earlier frustration forgotten. Estelle claps her hands excitedly, repeating, “Pancakes! Pancakes!” as you carry her over to her high chair.

As everyone settles in, Tony winks at you. “Nothing like a Christmas breakfast to get the day started.”

“You mean nothing like a Christmas breakfast to delay the madness of unwrapping gifts,” you reply with a smirk, passing Estelle a small plate with a cut-up pancake.

She picks up a piece with her tiny fingers and holds it up proudly. “Big pancake!”

“Yes, baby, it’s a big pancake,” you say, kissing the top of her head.

The table buzzes with chatter and laughter as the kids dig into their food. Tony keeps up a steady stream of banter, teasing Cora about her phone addiction and making the twins giggle with ridiculous stories about “Santa’s Pancake Factory.” Estelle insists on feeding you a sticky, syrup-drenched bite, which you accept with an exaggerated “Mmm!” that makes her giggle uncontrollably.

“Alright,” Tony says as he leans back in his chair, sipping his coffee. “Breakfast conquered. What’s next?”

You glance toward the living room, where the tree and its mountain of presents beckon. “I think we all know what’s next.”

The moment the last fork clatters onto a plate, the twins leap from their chairs and sprint toward the tree like they’ve been shot out of cannons. Alex dives headfirst into the mountain of gifts, with Howard hot on his heels, their excitement almost tangible.

“Wait!” you call out, rushing to catch up. “We need to take turns so we can all see what everyone gets. No free-for-all!”

“Yes, Mom,” Howard groans, dragging out the word as though it’s the most tedious rule in existence.

Tony strolls into the living room, scooping Estelle out of her high chair on the way and balancing her on his hip. “Listen to your mom, guys,” he says with a mock-serious tone. “Otherwise, Santa’s gonna find out and revoke your gift privileges for next year.”

The boys freeze mid-motion, wide-eyed, clearly weighing whether their dad is serious. You suppress a laugh, knowing full well they’ll believe anything remotely Santa-related for at least a few more years.

“Okay, fine,” Alex concedes, settling cross-legged on the floor.

Cora takes her time getting comfortable in the armchair, her ever-present air of teenage coolness intact. Still, there’s a flicker of anticipation in her expression as she surveys the pile of gifts.

“Alright, Estelle, you’re up first,” you announce, crouching by the tree to grab a small box with her name on it.

Tony sets her down on the rug, where she plops onto her diapered bottom and claps her hands. “Mine!”

“Yes, this one’s yours,” you say, handing it to her. “Go ahead.”

With a focus that’s almost comical, Estelle tugs at the wrapping paper, tearing off little strips until the box underneath is finally revealed. She gasps audibly as she lifts the lid, her tiny face lighting up when she sees the stuffed unicorn nestled inside.

“Corn! Mine corn!” she exclaims, hugging the plush toy tightly to her chest.

“Unicorn,” Tony corrects gently, crouching beside her. “And yes, it’s yours, sweet pea.”

She beams up at him, her joy so pure that it tugs at your heart. “Thank you, Dada!”

“You’re welcome, princess,” he says, ruffling her curls.

The boys go next, and the room erupts into cheers and shouts of delight as they tear through their gifts. Alex nearly loses his mind over the LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon set he’s been asking for, while Howard can’t contain his excitement when he unwraps the shiny new electric scooter he’s been dreaming about.

“Oh man, this is the best Christmas ever!” Alex declares, holding up a Nerf gun almost as big as he is.

“Don’t shoot your brother,” you warn as Howard eyes the same toy in his pile.

“No promises,” Tony murmurs under his breath, earning a swat on the arm from you.

Cora watches the chaos with an amused smirk, opening her gifts with a calmness that stands in stark contrast to her brothers’ whirlwind energy. Her eyes light up when she unwraps the vintage vinyl record player you and Tony picked out, and she can’t suppress a grin when she finds the stack of classic rock albums tucked beside it.

“You guys actually remembered,” she says, her tone betraying the faintest hint of gratitude.

“Of course we remembered,” Tony says, leaning casually against the back of the couch. “I’m not that old yet.”

“You’re ancient,” Cora fires back, though the smile on her face takes the sting out of her words.

Once the kids have opened all their gifts and are busy playing with their new treasures, Tony reaches for the neatly wrapped box you prepared for him. He shoots you a look that’s equal parts curiosity and mischief as he tears into the paper.

Inside, he finds a sleek, custom leather jacket embossed with the Stark Industries logo and subtle accents that reflect his personal style. His eyes widen in surprise, and a genuine smile spreads across his face.

“This is amazing,” he says, running a hand over the soft leather. “You’ve got good taste, Mrs. Stark.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” you reply, grinning as he pulls you into a quick kiss.

“Your turn,” he says, handing you a small box with a perfectly tied bow.

You open it carefully, your heart skipping a beat as you reveal a delicate gold bracelet adorned with tiny charms representing each member of your family—a star for Tony, a heart for you, and four miniature initials for the kids.

“Oh, Tony,” you whisper, your voice catching slightly. “It’s beautiful.”

“Just like you,” he says softly, brushing a strand of hair from your face. “Merry Christmas, honey.”

Before the moment can grow too sentimental, Cora clears her throat loudly. “Okay, this is gross. Can we move on?”

You laugh, wiping at the corner of your eye. “Fine, fine. What’s next?”

Without answering, Cora reaches under the tree, pulling out two small, sloppily wrapped gifts that you hadn’t noticed before. She holds them out, one in each hand, looking uncharacteristically sheepish.

“These are…for you guys,” she says, glancing between you and Tony. “I got them with my own money, so they’re not, like, fancy or anything.”

For a moment, you’re stunned. Cora is notoriously tight-fisted with her allowance, and the thought of her spending it on something for you and Tony nearly undoes you.

“Sweetheart,” you say, your voice trembling slightly, “you didn’t have to—”

“I wanted to,” she interrupts, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. “Just…open them before I change my mind.”

Tony takes one of the gifts while you take the other. The wrapping is haphazard, with too much tape in some places and too little in others, but you wouldn’t trade it for the world.

You unwrap yours first, revealing a small, framed photo of the entire family taken during your summer vacation. The picture captures a rare, candid moment of pure joy, and your throat tightens as you trace your fingers over the glass.

“It’s beautiful,” you whisper, your voice thick with emotion.

Tony opens his next, revealing a simple black mug with bold white letters that read: World’s Okayest Dad. He bursts out laughing, holding it up for everyone to see.

“This,” he says, his voice shaking with mirth, “is the greatest mug in the history of mugs.”

Cora rolls her eyes, but there’s a flicker of pride in her expression. “Glad you like it.”

“Like it? I love it,” Tony says, setting the mug down and pulling her into a quick hug. “You’re the best, kid.”

You join the embrace, wrapping your arms around both of them. “Thank you, Cora. These are the best gifts we could’ve asked for.”

The boys glance over from where they’re playing with their new toys, looking momentarily confused by the group hug. Estelle toddles over and squeezes herself into the mix, her chubby arms wrapping around your leg.

“Family hug!” she declares, her voice bright and clear.

You look at Tony over the top of Cora’s head, your eyes meeting his in a silent exchange of love and gratitude. This, you realize, is what Christmas is all about—not the gifts, not the chaos, but the moments of connection that make your family feel whole.

“Alright,” Tony says after a moment, his voice a little hoarse. “Let’s not get too sappy. Who’s ready for round two of pancakes?”

“Me!” the boys shout in unison, and just like that, the room is alive with laughter again.

The afternoon sunlight streams through the living room windows as the kids scatter around the house, their post-gift-opening energy reaching chaotic levels. Estelle is napping in her crib, clutching her beloved new unicorn, while the boys are deeply engrossed in building the LEGO Millennium Falcon on the coffee table. Cora has disappeared into her usual spot on the armchair, headphones in, pretending to ignore her brothers while sneakily keeping an eye on them.

You’re nestled on the couch beside Tony, sipping hot cocoa and enjoying the rare moment of relative calm. He’s idly flipping through his phone, likely working on some project even though it’s Christmas. You nudge him with your elbow.

“No work today, remember?” you say, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m just checking emails,” he protests, flashing you a quick grin. “Not technically work.”

Before you can reply, the doorbell rings, breaking the peace. Cora’s head pops up from behind her headphones, and she springs to her feet with an uncharacteristic level of enthusiasm.

“I’ll get it!” she calls, already halfway to the door.

Tony narrows his eyes, watching her dart down the hallway. “That was suspiciously quick. What’s she up to?”

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” you reply, though you can’t help but feel a twinge of curiosity yourself.

Tony sets his phone down and follows Cora at a leisurely pace, with you trailing after him. When you round the corner, you see Cora standing at the door, holding a neatly wrapped package handed to her by a delivery man. She thanks him quickly and tries to retreat toward the stairs, but Tony steps in front of her like a human barricade.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he says, crossing his arms. “What’s in the box?”

“Nothing,” Cora says a little too quickly, clutching the package to her chest. “It’s just…a thing.”

“A thing?” Tony echoes, raising an eyebrow. “A mysterious, suspicious thing?”

“Dad, come on,” she groans, trying to sidestep him. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh, but it is,” Tony insists, his playful tone belying the intense curiosity in his eyes. “You can’t just run off with a secret package on Christmas and expect me not to investigate.”

“Tony,” you say gently, though you’re equally intrigued. “Maybe we should let her—”

“No way,” he interrupts, looking more determined now. “Cora Stark, you unwrap that package right here, right now.”

Cora glances at you, her expression torn between exasperation and pleading. “Mom?”

You shrug, biting back a smile. “He’s not going to let it go.”

With a dramatic sigh, Cora slumps onto the nearest chair, placing the package on her lap. “Fine. But don’t freak out.”

Tony squats down in front of her, his eyes narrowing. “Why would I freak out? Should I be freaking out?”

Ignoring him, Cora carefully peels back the wrapping paper, revealing a simple white box. She hesitates for a moment before lifting the lid, revealing a small collection of thoughtful, handmade gifts—a beaded bracelet, a framed photo of the two of them at some school event, and a handwritten note.

“What is this?” Tony asks, frowning as he picks up the bracelet. “Did…did someone make this for you?”

Cora clears her throat, a faint blush creeping into her cheeks. “It’s from Ryan.”

“Ryan?” Tony repeats, the name dripping with suspicion. “Who’s Ryan?”

“A boy from school,” she says, fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. “We’ve been…you know, kind of dating.”

“Dating?” Tony’s voice jumps an octave, and he stares at you like you’ve just betrayed him. “You knew about this?”

“I knew,” you admit calmly, trying not to laugh at his reaction. “She told me a couple of weeks ago.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” he exclaims, his hands flying up in mock outrage. “I’m her father! I should know these things!”

“Maybe because you’d act exactly like this,” Cora mutters under her breath.

Tony ignores her, turning back to you with a mock-wounded expression. “Unbelievable. My own wife, conspiring against me.”

“Tony,” you say, laying a hand on his shoulder, “she’s fifteen. This is normal.”

“Normal?” he repeats, as though the word offends him. “Do you know what teenage boys are like? I used to be one.”

“Exactly,” you counter, giving him a pointed look. “Which means you should trust that Cora knows what she’s doing.”

“She doesn’t,” he insists, gesturing wildly. “She’s a kid! She—wait, is this the guy who came to the science fair? The one with the glasses?”

“Yes,” Cora says, rolling her eyes. “And he’s really sweet. He made me that bracelet and wrote me that note, so can you stop acting like he’s a supervillain?”

Tony narrows his eyes, clearly still skeptical, and picks up the note. As he reads it, his expression softens ever so slightly. “Huh,” he mutters, grudgingly. “His handwriting’s pretty neat.”

“See?” Cora says, her exasperation giving way to a tentative smile. “He’s a good guy.���

Tony grumbles something under his breath before straightening up and looking at you. “What’s the protocol here? Do I have to meet him? Give him a lecture about respecting my daughter?”

“I already gave him the lecture,” Cora says quickly, standing up and gathering her gifts. “You can meet him later. Maybe. If you behave.”

Tony snorts. “If I behave? Kid, I invented behaving.”

“That’s a lie, and we all know it,” you interject, patting his arm. “Why don’t you just take this as a chance to prove you’re the cool dad?”

“I am the cool dad,” Tony grumbles, but he doesn’t stop Cora as she heads toward the stairs, her gifts clutched protectively in her arms.

As soon as she’s out of earshot, Tony collapses onto the couch dramatically, running a hand through his hair. “I’m not ready for this,” he declares, staring at the ceiling.

“She’s growing up,” you say, sitting beside him and leaning into his side. “It’s not a bad thing, Tony.”

“Yeah, but…a boyfriend?” He groans, rubbing his temples. “What happened to the days when her favorite person was me?”

“Those days haven’t gone away,” you assure him with a smile. “You’re just sharing the spotlight now.”

He lets out a heavy sigh, his arm wrapping around your shoulders. “Fine. But if this Ryan kid so much as looks at her wrong—”

“You’ll what? Challenge him to a duel?” you tease.

“Maybe,” he mutters, grinning despite himself. “Or I’ll make him sit through my entire TED Talk catalog.”

“That’s cruel and unusual punishment,” you say, laughing. “But it might work.”

Tony chuckles, pulling you closer as the chaos of the afternoon swirls around you. For all his bluster, you know he wouldn’t trade these moments—or this family—for anything in the world.

I'm such a sucker for family men if you haven't already noticed

[yelenaslyubov]

Twin Size Mattress (yelena belova university AU)

main masterlist || yelena belova || requests

a/n: heyyyy everyone! well i kept my promise one way or another and i finally have a piece written for you all! i’m sorry if it’s not up to par compared to my other stories, but it’s been a while and i feel a little rusty when it comes to this type of thing. i wanted to try something different for this time around and i think i accomplished that. also, let me know if you guys like the university AU aspect of this bc i might just be able to continue it a little bit (i say maybe loosely lol). in addition, i added a fun little moment of adding the outfits the characters would be wearing!! i hope you guys enjoy this new story and hopefully there will be more to come! it’s good to be back🥹🥹i hope to see more of you soon🫶

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ pairing: yelena belova (AU) x reader

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ warnings: MINORS DNI (18+) smut, fingering, oral, dom!reader, mentions of alcohol, language

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ description: you and yelena have been going to college together for the past couple years. when a college football game commences, you and yelena spend the day together and finish it off with a bang

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ word count: 3.7k

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ yelena’s outfit

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ reader’s outfit

//

The pressing weight of your backpack dug into your shoulders as you quickly made your way to Yale’s school of art. Though your major was in English, you had connections that allowed you to use the photography facilities located elsewhere. Your bag was full of books, film equipment, and the negatives that you were anxious to develop.

It was college game day, the Harvard vs. Yale game to be more specific, so shoving through blue and red crowds of students was at the bottom of your list. Your trip to the dark room had to be short because even though you hated the idea of all things sports, you felt that tradition outweighed your personal grievances.

As you shut the door to the room and found yourself alone with the quiet, red space, your mind seemed to lighten. The pictures you had brought with you made their way out of your bag and into the developing process. You went through the usual motions until you hung them up to dry. Before you were beautiful headshots and silhouettes of your roommate, Yelena.

While most were taken with the consent of Yelena, there were some too extraordinary to possibly miss out on. The red hues accentuated the curves you so desperately longed to stroke. Of course, this information was unbeknownst to her.

She was the reason why you were so anxious to develop the pictures. Looking through the lense that wonderful day made you so much more excited to see them all finished. The day had been an exciting one. During the summer before the two of you went back to school you had a day at the beach. The weather was perfect, and she was perfect. She wore this lilac swim set that complimented her blonde hair and summer kissed skin so well you thought you would never be able to tear your eyes away from her.

As you went through each picture of her smiling, laughing, and being her usual self you came across the pictures that you tried so hard not to take. Your desire got the better part of you at this moment. The pictures arose of her laying belly down on her towel, a perfect view of her toned back paired with her other curves you could barely speak of. It was hard not to think about that day without becoming wildly sad that she had no idea you liked her with everything inside you.

These few intimate pictures would go where the rest of them are; hidden away in your journal. It was easier this way because you didn’t want to ruin your friendship that you valued so much. But what if she felt the same? You pulled yourself out of your delusions or else you might start to have hope.

She must have read your mind because your phone started ringing and as you pulled it out of your bag, Yelena’s face was vibrating on your screen.

“Hello?” you answered

“Where are you? You better not still be in that stupid dark room!” The sound of massive crowds were loud on the other side of the phone, but your voice drowned out every noise that could be taking place.

“Ha, funny story…”

“Seriously! The game starts soon, y/n. Hurry!”

“You miss me or something, Belova?”

She chuckled once. “And if I did?”

There was silence on your end because your one moment of bravery was already spent, leaving you speechless. “Uhm I’ll start heading your way right now. I should only be about 15 minutes out.”

“Perfect, I’ll save you a seat!”

“Thanks, Lena. Love you, bye,” you said naturally.

It was only then did you realize the words that slipped out of your mouth. Love you, really? You hoped that she thought it wasn’t how you really meant it.

After your stupid mistake, you took your pictures, tucked them away in your journal, and took off out of the building. The day was sunny but the fall crisp in the air took the edge off of the heat from the sun. Even from far away you could hear the triumph of the marching band playing their game day songs. Though your dislike of sports was one thing, there was a certain feeling you got on days like this; the music, the people, the adrenaline, that really made you succumb to the American tradition.

Finding Yelena in the crowd would be the easy part, the hard part would be keeping your eyes off her the entire afternoon. Luckily, she generally picked the same area each game day to sit so it wouldn’t be an extreme challenge to spot her out.

Your suspicion came true when you saw her jumping up and down a few aisles up from the front towards the 40 yard line. She was dressed in her usual Yelena chic, but with a hint of school spirit. You smiled to yourself at her excitement for the game and waited to see if she noticed you walking up to greet her.

“You’re here!” she yelled. She shuffled through other people on her row and fell into your arms. The strong smell of her cologne filled your nose and warmed your heart. You hugged her tightly back and squeezed the leather jacket that was draped around her. “You almost missed the game,” she whined.

“Lena, kickoff hasn’t even started, but I see that hasn’t stopped you from starting early.” You eyed the cold beer she had in her Yale koozie.

“Oh hush and let me be. Now get in there so we can watch.” As you were sneaking past other students Yelena tapped you on the ass and giggled. This was nothing unusual for Yelena, but each time she did it, it made your cheeks glow red.

The two of you settled into your places in the stadium surrounded by a couple of your friends and watched the game begin. The first half of the game was intense with each team up and down on scores. When the buzzer sounded to notify it was halftime everyone seemed to sigh in relief. The crowds started to shuffle again to take a quick intermission before the second half.

“So y/n, what photos were you able to get this time?” Yelena asked.

It was the question you were avoiding answering. If you pulled out the few you wanted to show her, the rest you spent your time hiding would be exposed as well.

“Oh they weren’t anything important, just a couple rolls I hadn’t developed yet.” You tried to play it cool not to give it away.

“Everything of yours is important to me.” Her saying that just made it so much harder to keep them all a secret. “Come on, please show me.”

She gave you her best pouty face and it was so unfortunate that it worked. You rolled your eyes and tried to open the journal in your bag so you could find the pictures you wanted her to see. Once they were all collected you passed them over to her and her face lit up.

“The day at the beach! I remember these.” She flipped through them with a grin on her face. She laughed when the picture of you popped up with your pants soaking yet from the ocean waves. “You were so pissed.”

“Pissed is an understatement,” you added. She smiled up at you and your stomach was tied up in knots. You weren’t sure whether it was the dimples that just so sneakily showed up, her rosy lips, or the bright green eyes that you could finally see without her sunglasses getting in the way.

“These are so amazing— you’re amazing. I need copies of these,” she begged.

“Anything for you,” you smiled.

“Anything?” Yelena smirked.

Your cheeks darkened red. “Shut up.” You shoved her a little with your shoulder.

By the time you showed all your creations off to Yelena the second half of the game was in full swing.

The second was more intense than the first due to Yale being behind for most of the game. Yelena was starting to become too anxious for your liking, and you hoped for her sake that you guys could pull out the win. There was a minute left on the clock and Yelena practically had your arm in a chokehold.

“Fucking run the ball, jackass!” Yelena yelled.

“Hey now, you wanna simmer down a little for me?” you asked, hoping to calm her down a bit.

She chuckled a little and leaned into your arm more. “Sorry, sorry. Anything for you,” she mocked from your previous words.

She quickly turned her head back so she could enjoy the last minute of the game. Her grip only became tighter around your arm as the clock ticked down to the wire. The whistle sounded to indicate that Yale called for a timeout. They needed to sort out their plans if they were going to try and pull out this win. They were down 28-24 with only around 30 seconds to go.

Once they were back in the game the crowd went wild, Yelena included. Number 13 got a hold of the ball and ran all the way to the end zone for a touchdown. Yelena screamed like she never had before and threw her hands up in the air. You cheered along with her at your school’s win. Yelena jumped into your arms out of excitement and you held her tightly as you swept her up in the air.

“We did it, Lena!” you cheered.

She found her footing back on the ground and she grabbed your face and looked into your eyes. “We did it!” The pure shock on your face made her recoil back a bit which resulted in her having matching cheeks just like yourself. “Uh- I- I’m sorry.”

“No, no. You didn’t do anything wrong,” you smiled. “Let’s just get out of here before we’re all packed in.”

You said goodbye to your friends right before a Yelena grabbed your hand to lead you through the crowd. You knew it meant nothing, but having your hand in hers was a dream come true.

When you had made it out of the crowd, it seemed as though the two of you forgot you were still linked together. You quickly broke it off before she could say anything about it.

“So, are we going to keep walking with nowhere to go or are you taking me out?” Yelena smirked.

“Am I what?” you questioned.

“You really are worked up today.” Yelena laughed, but you knew it was true and you didn’t know how else to hide it.

“Why don’t we go back to my dorm? My roommate isn’t there like usual so we could watch a movie or something?”

“Do you have popcorn?” she asked and you nodded. “Then it’s a deal.”

The two of you talked and laughed on the walk to your dorm. Like usual, Yelena made it so difficult to not stare at her. She had such a unique confidence that drew you deeper and deeper into her presence. The way she carried herself was like no other.

When you made it into your room Yelena immediately started searching for your snacks that you kept in the drawers under your bed. You set your things down on your desk and sat down in your chair.

“Do you mind if I borrow some of your clothes?” Yelena asked.

“I don’t know why you even ask anymore, Lena. Your closet consists of half of my clothes anyway,” you laughed.

She rolled her eyes and started taking her clothes off to change. Trying not to watch her change was not easy to come by. You turned around in your chair and pretended to unload your back from the day. What Yelena didn’t know is that your mirror allowed the perfect angle to see different parts of her.

What really got you was the matching black bra and underwear that revealed itself as she took her clothes off. This surprise caused you to knock a few things off your desk in the process, one of them being your journal. Naturally, Yelena turned around to try and help.

“What did you do, get angry and throw things off the desk?” Yelena laughed. It was awful timing to have other pictures that Yelena did not see poking out of your journal. “What are these?”

“Oh, you don’t have to-”

“Y/n, what are these?”

“Just pictures…”

Yelena stared at you puzzlingly as she picked up the journal off the floor and opened it to reveal the hidden pictures inside. Her brows furrowed as she inspected each one in great detail.

“Y/n, these are…so beautiful.”

You stood there staring down at the pictures or anywhere else in the room, just so you didn’t have to look at her.

“Why didn’t you show me these?” Yelena’s voice was softer now, more gentle. “Y/n?”

“I-I don’t know… I guess I thought you would think it was weird,” you replied shyly.

“Why would it be weird?”

Shit. If you told her why then she would know how you felt, but if you say nothing at all that’s not any better. You were stuck.

“I don’t know…”

She searched your face from any indication of an explanation. There was so much happening that you almost forgot Yelena was half naked.

“These are beautiful.”

“Only because you’re in them,” you bravely said.

Yelena blushed, something you didn’t see very often. “Damn y/l/n, you sure do know the way to my heart.”

“I’m serious.” You felt like your world had stopped at the thought of where this was going. “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, Yelena. How could I not take those pictures that day?”

Yelena was quiet now. You weren’t sure whether this was good or bad. You were tired of being subtle, especially now that you had her right where you wanted her.

“I don’t know what to say,” Yelena said. Her eyes were full of something you hadn’t seen before.

You looked at her for a moment trying to build up your confidence one last time because you knew if you didn’t then you would never be able to do this.

“For once Belova, I would love it if you said nothing at all.” You stepped closer so you could delicately slide your hands up behind her neck. She looked taken off guard, but she definitely was not fighting it. When Yelena took her hands and placed them around the straps of your overalls and pulled you closer so you were face to face, you knew she might’ve wanted this just as much as you.

“Just kiss me already,” she whispered close enough you could feel the breath on your lips. With her words you threw your lips against hers in a kiss that you waited much too long for. Your lips moved against hers as your hands were tangled in her blonde waves. Yelena pulled and grabbed at anything on you just to make you even closer to one another.

You shifted your position to try and push yourself against Yelena so that she may lean against the bed. You knew exactly what your intentions were as of now, but you were not sure how Yelena would feel about it.

The first brush of her tongue against yours sent shivers down your spine and you weren’t sure if she heard your quiet moan or not. You saved your restraint for so many months, so now there was nothing holding you back. Your lips traveled away from hers to down her soft neck. You placed rough and hungry kisses along the nape of her neck and you could tell just by her demeanor that she was having a hard time keeping quiet.

“Uhm, what about your roommate?” Yelena asked in between heavy breaths

“What about them?”

“What if they, you know, walk in?” You must have found a sweet spot on her neck because her question ended with a whine.

“They’re never here.”

“But what if-”

“Just shut up already,” you said.

You smiled against her lips as you threw her shoulders down on the bed as gently as you could. It was hard to take things slow when you had been craving exactly this for far too long.

As your hungry lips continued to move against Yelena’s, you found your fingers playing with the band of her underwear. Your fingers traced all along the skin that was covered.

“I want to see every part of you that was hiding in these photos,” you said. Your mind went back to the day you took those sexy pictures of her and it made you even more desperate for what was hiding beneath Yelena’s garments.

“I just need you to touch me,” Yelena said, breathless. “Please touch me.”

You were quick to pull down her panties to reveal a sight you never thought you would have the pleasure of seeing. Even the panties that brushed against her pussy made her wince in pleasure.

“Please,” begged Yelena.

After undressing her bottom, in one swift motion you unhooked her bra.

“You want me to touch you like this?”

You placed your lips around one of her nipples as you watched her head fall into the bed. Your tongue made its way to circle around her nipple, slowly building up her desire.

Without thinking, you slightly tugged on her nipple with your teeth. Yelena moaned just loud enough for you to hear. It was the most beautiful sound that you had been dying to hear since you met her.

You wanted to move on further.

“Or I could maybe touch you like this?”

Your hand was almost shaking as it made its way down to get center. Your fingers slowly but surely made small circles on her clit. Now, Yelena was panting with lust and trying to keep quiet despite what you wanted.

“Fuck, Lena. You’re so wet.” You couldn’t help yourself from pointing out the obvious. The wetness that covered her only made yours grow.

Yelena had her mouth covered now, most likely paranoid that others would hear her like she had said earlier.

“I want to hear you,” you demanded.

Yelena was moaning softly through her hand now, a reaction to your words.

“Be a good girl and take your hand away from your mouth. I want to hear you.”

She did as you wished and removed her hand. The hand that previously resided over her mouth was now gripped onto the bed.

You took a minute to admire her before moving on further. Her body was even more gorgeous than you could’ve ever imagined. Her toned arms that held on so tightly to the bed, her curves that wavered like the ocean down her body, and her perfectly kissed skin, just how you liked it.

“Maybe you want me to touch you… like this?”

You went even further and slowly slipped your fingers inside her pussy. As you sunk your fingers deep inside her, Yelena became even more worked up.

“Oh fuck,” she moaned. “Please keep going. It feels so good.”

Seeing Yelena drown in the pleasure of your fingers inside her was something you never thought you would live to see.

“You feel so good, baby.” Yelena seemed to like the name because she let out a long whine. “Good girl. Be louder for me.”

You loved the power you had over her in such a short amount of time.

The pace of your fingers stayed quite steady now. Yelena moaned with each stroke that went deeper in her pretty pussy. There was one more thing that you longed to do before she reached her limit.

“You want me to touch you like this, baby?”

Finally, with your fingers still keeping a rhythm inside her, you lowered yourself down on the bed so that you could taste her.

Your tongue made its way to make contact with her clit. Yelena was the loudest now, and with her noise came her restless body. Much like her, you were just as overcome with pleasure.

Her hips bucked into your face with each increasing second. Your tongue explored every single part of her, almost as if you would never get to do it again. Your fingers sped up now that you could tell she was getting closer.

“Holy fuck, right there,” Yelena moaned. “Keep going, I’m so close.”

“Good job, baby,” you murmured. “I want you to cum around my fingers.”

Your words only sped up the process more. Her hips moved even faster which made it hard for you to keep your pace. Your tongue and fingers moved rapidly as she started to reach the peak of her climax

“I’m gonna cum baby,” Yelena said breathlessly.

All at once, Yelena let out a loud stream of moans that you were sure echoed through the hall in your dorm. You didn’t care. You were happy to have her all to yourself, and now, everyone knew it too.

“Good girl, let it all out,” you praised her.

Yelena laid there on your bed to try and catch her breath. You couldn’t help but watch the result of your doings as she looked so worked up.

You took your last opportunity to soak her body in by kissing all the way up her thighs, stomach, chest, and face. Yelena seemed to be hiding her face a bit, most definitely different from her usual demeanor.

You moved her hand that shielded her face. “You okay?”

She gave a thumbs up

“Does that mean it felt okay?”

She had a surprised look on her face. “The entire hall heard me and you think it didn’t feel good?!”

You laughed. “Just checking.”

You both laid next to each other for a while in silence before Yelena spoke up.

“So…how long have you felt this way?”

“When did you start school here?”

“Uhm…two years ago?”

“Then two years.”

Yelena looked over at you. “Really?”

“Really,” you nodded. “How could I not, just look at you.” Yelena smiled at your words.

“Well, I’ve worked up an appetite after all that fun. What do you say we make some popcorn and watch a movie and pretend like no one heard all of that?”

“That sounds perfect to me.”

The two of you spent the rest of the night in each other’s company talking and reveling in the day’s events. You laid in bed thinking about how happy you were to have taken those pictures that day on the beach.

//

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[latriii]

GIRLNEXTDOOR 태산 ・ 박성훈 p.sunghoon h.taesan

SYNOPSIS. Having to move to a new area was already tough enough but being in a relationship with the biggest player known in your new school after being warned was even worse. Once you finally seperated from Sunghoon, you try to move on with no other than his twin brother, Taesan. The thing was that it was accidental, which led to things getting complicated between you and your two neighbors. You became the notorious Girl Next Door that they both desired.

IN WHICH. You and Sunghoon develop deep feelings until you caught him cheating on you, this led you to go boy crazy. You end up getting closer to Taesan until you develop a relationship with him. Who do you end up with?

PART TWO. HERE TAGLIST IS OPEN!

GENRE. love triangle, teenage love, highschool au, angst, fluff, STRANGERS to LOVERS,  ACQUAINTANCES to LOVERS

PARING(s). Park Sunghoon x f!reader, Han Taesan x f!reader

WARNINGS. heartbreaks, mentions of cheating, alcohol, fighting, violence

WORD COUNT. 3k ( 3,949 )

i. REALIZED I DIDN’T READ BETWEEN THE LINES

Oh, how the sounds of cheering rang throughout your ears. You stood in front of hundreds of students as a group of your boyfriends' teammates each held up a sign with letters spelling out ‘HOCO?’

You were exhausted, minutes before— you were thrown into the air, cheering as loudly as you possibly could, while also trying to support number two on the field. That didn’t stop you from jumping into your boyfriend’s arms though. You were slowly starting to catch your breath as you let go of the skintight hug you shared with your boyfriend. He had just won the first home game of the season and oh boy, was he happy. You felt his breath hovering as he panted in and out above your messily tied-up hair while the tips of his fingers caressed your waist.

Many people knew Sunghoon as a complete douchebag. So, maybe it was the delusions or maybe it was the attachment you developed for him, but you never saw him as a ‘douchebag.’ Although you would be lying if you’ve never heard people say he tends to lead girls on, you’d also be lying if your friends didn’t tell you so. You knew what you were getting yourself into the moment you stepped into your new apartment and locked eyes with him.

But Park Sunghoon arose something inside of you that you just couldn’t understand. He was so different from the guys back in your old hometown. He caused you to go boy crazy over him. He would drive you to and from school every day, he would walk you to class, and on top of that, he introduced you to his whole family, but that was a given since you two were new neighbors.

“So?” His raspy worn-out voice silently echoed in your ears as his grip tightened around your waist. “Will you go to homecoming with me, my sweet girlfriend?”

Did you say yes? Of course, you did. However, things didn’t go as planned.

Your friends were right about everything. You felt humiliated and that very feeling was eating you up inside. You were played by the notorious pretty looking douchebag everyone warned you about. Thinking back, you wondered why you were so set on him— sure, he was a sweetheart to you, but you knew he wasn’t the best person to others; you helplessly ignored those negative traits for him. You were addicted to him and it wasn’t a good feeling knowing that.

“(Name), Stop stalking his social media.” Danielle’s soft tone snaps you back into your wandering head, she was sitting close to you, smoothly taking your phone out of your grip.

“I know, sorry— I can’t help it.” You attempt to grab your phone back but miserably fail. “Danielle, you know fast he moved on? We dated for five months for fucks sake.”

Danielle sympathizes with you, she knows how hard a heartbreak can affect a person, so she just hums in response as she returns your phone. “You know, checking his socials isn’t going to make you feel any better.”

You pressed your lips together, she was right. Why couldn’t you get over him? You've never been so stuck on a boy especially one you only dated for five months. It was draining you.

“Still crying over Sunghoon?” You instantly recognize who spoke those words and your head naturally turns towards the voice. Your eyes met with Jaehyun as he squeezed his way in between you and Danielle like he normally does. “Actually yes, you should tell your bestie I was crying over his brother again.” You say.

“I am so not telling Taesan that, but you could. You’re still neighbors with the both of them anyway.” Jaehyun teased as he stuffed his sandwich into his mouth. You shove him with your shoulder as you take in what he says while Danielle silently chuckles with Jaehyun.

ii. I’VE NEVER KNOWN SOMEONE LIKE YOU, I’M STUCK FOREVER

To say that you were beginning to dread going to football events was an understatement. You despised going to them, it was just a reminder of your past relationship that didn’t end that long ago. You couldn’t skip these stupid events anyway, you were a cheerleader and a very good one at that. They needed you and you needed them if you didn’t want to fall apart due to your heartbreak. Cheerleading was your only escape but now that it was tied with memories of you and Sunghoon, you didn’t know how to feel. You couldn’t even process your thoughts.

“Keep it together (Name), what’s going on with you?” You were starting to feel your body heat up as your coach lectures you in front of everyone. God, this day couldn’t get any worse.

“Sorry, Mrs. Lee.” You reply. You start to feel sweat dripping down your face as you quickly bow. “Sorry isn’t going to cut it. Get it together.”

You straightened your back as you continuously nodded at Mrs. Lee. She kept complaining until she finally ended practice early because she was disappointed in the team, but everyone knew it was because of you. Nonetheless, you begin to pack up, it was starting to get chilly outside so you quickly wrap yourself in the hoodie you received from Sunghoon.

Everything reminded you of him, sometimes you brought it upon yourself but right now, this was just the god's way of punishing you for whatever reason. You notice Sunghoon and his friends walking up to where your team usually practices.

He looked so good, he was drenched in sweat, which led to his long black hair sticking to his forehead, while he held onto his helmet on the side of his hip. You couldn’t help but stare and it was a bad habit, and the thing was that he always noticed your stares but this time it was different, he was distracted. He was walking up to Ning Yizhou, the captain of your team. You could feel your heart crack for the millionth time.

Upon their arrival, Ning gave him a warm hug that you once used to give him when practice ended. You used to always wonder if he even missed you at all— but he didn’t, not even a little.

“Hey (Name), long time no see.”

Huh? You were so stuck in your thoughts you didn’t realize Jungwon had walked up to you. “Oh Jungwon, what's up.”

Jungwon raised his thick brows, noticing how down your tone had sounded. To be honest, everyone knew why you were always so down and sometimes they would feel bad, including Jungwon himself but at the same time, Jungwon had no say, Sunghoon was his best friend after all.

“Just wanted to check up on you.” You chuckle at his words, how kind of him even though his best friend threw your heart on the ground and stomped on it. Okay, dramatic, but still, you were hurt.

“I gotta go Jungwon.” You say as you grab your bag and make your way back into the school building to change.

Making your way into the building alone wasn't a big deal, it felt normal, almost like a routine that was injected into your blood system. You would quickly change and leave and that's what you did. As you walked out of the school building, you began to scroll through Instagram unknowingly searching up ‘hoon_.2.’

“(Name)?” You quickly shut off your phone and glanced up, it was Taesan. You could tell he just changed from his basketball clothes back into his uniform, his hair was still stuck to his forehead and his lips were a pretty pink shade that you’d only see while he played on the court. It was kind of weird.

Even though Taesan was Sunghoon’s twin brother, they were so distinguishable from one another. They would think differently, dress differently, have different hobbies, and even talk differently. Taesan was such a soft-toned, shy boy while Sunghoon was loud and strongly opinionated, it had always appalled you because of how they were so different.

“Taesan.” You chirped, hoping he didn’t catch a glimpse of you stalking his twin brother. Taesan gazed at you, it was obvious that he was observing you. The thing was that you were hoping he hadn’t seen what you were doing on your phone, but you couldn’t even read his face, he was staring pretty intensely so you had an unknown sensation of how to feel.

But Taesan was just admiring you, he always found you appealing.

“Do you need a ride home? We’re going the same place anyway.” He silently asks without breaking his eye contact with you.

“Sure.” You smile as you begin to make jokes with him. It was the least you could do since he was driving you home.

Sunghoon had seen you walk out with his brother, it was funny. He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that seeing you laughing with his twin brother rubbed him the wrong way. To be fair, this feeling was foreign to Sunghoon.

“You can’t be mad,” Jungwon says as he watches Sunghoon’s eyes follow you out the door. “Who said I was mad.” Sunghoon sternly says, as his grip tightens around his bag.

“It’s so obvious.” Jay barges in, walking next to the angered boy. “But yeah you can’t be mad.” The dimpled boy continued as he twirled his car keys around his finger.

Sunghoon scoffs, “Not saying I'm mad but why can’t I be?” The audacity Sunghoon had pushed Jay to stop in his tracks while Jungwon’s eyes widened so big that he thought his own eyes would dry out. “Are you really asking that?” Jay genuinely asks.

“Yes?”

“Look, all I'm saying is that you can’t be upset when you cheated and left her during homecoming.” Jungwon raises both his hands up as he nonchalantly walks away.

“Okay? That was like last month.” Sunghoon defends as he catches up to Jungwon, walking side by side with him while Jay follows behind. “Still. Plus, I wouldn’t worry too much, I doubt Taesan would date her.” Jungwon shrugs leaving Sunghoon to think to himself.

Taesan would never go for someone like you. Right?

iii. DREAMING OF YOU

Sunghoon had called you late that night, you took a few seconds to process the contact that was appearing on your phone. ‘Hoonie <3’ it read. Oh boy, the flashbacks with this contact that showed up every night for five months.

You let the call ring for a few more seconds before picking up. “Hello?” You quietly say as your cold phone lays against your ear. “(Name),” You could hear in his voice that he hadn’t slept.

“What do you want Hoon.” You look out the window, staring at the lit moon that fit perfectly in the night sky.

“I saw you with Taesan.” He sternly says, you can hear him shifting in his bed. “So what?” you question. It was strange, you’ve spoken to Taesan before, why is it a problem now? If anything, it shouldn’t even concern him.

“What's your relationship with my brother?” Sunghoon let out a silent chuckle after asking that, he felt stupid, why was he asking you what your relationship status if he willingly left you?

You found this absurd. It was around three o'clock in the morning and he was asking you a dumb question that he shouldn’t care about. “Good night hoon,” you say before ending the call.

It had been a while since someone had called him Hoon with so much emotion. No one called him Hoon with that much feeling until you.

Sunghoon just brushes off this foreign feeling once again and ends the night with that before he starts to think too hard.

On the other hand, you were staring at your white popcorn ceiling, it was blurry and dark, and it almost reminded you of the day of homecoming. Closing your eyes, you start to recall that day; you found Sunghoon kissing Ning in his car. You remember how intoxicated you were that night and how desperately you were searching for him after you guys argued over something so small and dumb. It was so dumb you wish you never started that argument, because maybe, just maybe he wouldn’t have cheated on you, and maybe you guys would’ve been happier than ever still in a relationship. He was your home, he was everything to you.

If only you didn’t start that argument. But that’s just the manipulation getting to you, and you know it.

It might’ve been the nosy side of Taesan but he couldn’t help but listen to everything you guys were talking about over the phone. It was short, yes, but It had Taesan thinking. Taesan’s room was right next to Sunghoons and the walls were fairly thin, anyone could hear anything by just staying silent. But he always knew you were too good for his brother and the thing was that he still loved Sunghoon no matter what, but Taesan couldn't wrap his head around his brother's actions. It doesn’t make sense and taesans confident a lot of people would agree with him.

This kind of sucks though, Sunghoon wanting to know what's going on between you two— drove Taesan to yearn to talk to you even more.

Even if it were wrong for him to.

And here you were, gradually massaging your eyes as you gaped blankly at your buzzing, bright screen, ‘taesan’ it read. Why was everyone summoning you tonight? You peek over at your alarm clock, it was four in the morning. You’ve got to be kidding. You still picked up though, you had no reason not to. “Taesan?”

“(Name), did I wake you?” His voice was low and sweet, you shift in bed as you hum silently. “No,” you lie, sitting up against your bed frame, “did you need something?”

You could hear him silently chuckling, an extremly attractive chuckle, it kind of put you in a daze, but then again, you were beyond tired at this point and you had school in a couple hours. “I just wanted to talk to you, but it's late.” He pauses. “Goodnight (Name).” He hung up.

Oh? That was shorter than you thought, but you felt his words in your bones, he was so quick and brief with his words. You shake off this feeling, sliding right back into your blankets before knocking out again. This was not how you planned your night to go.

iv. BACK FOR MORE

“It was so strange,” you exclaimed as you sipped your Starbucks chai, elbows resting on the table as your back straightened, your thoughts were all over the place. “Like, both of them called me last night and they were meaningless calls.”

Jaehyun’s eyes shifted to your confounded expression, he found this entertaining to hear from you. “So, you’re telling me Taesan called you,” he pauses to let out a giggle, “at four in the morning to say goodnight?”

You nod, taking in every word Jaehyun says as he continues laughing at his best friend's actions toward you. It was shocking to say the very least, taesan has never been that bold and he always knew he found you attractive, it was no surprise— you were all the students spoke about when you first transferred anyway.

Across the room were eyes watching you ranting to Jaehyun. Honestly, he didn't make it that obvious that he was goggling at you, but his friends noticed. “Why are you staring at her so intensely?” Jungwon waved his hand in front of his face, quickly catching Sunghoon's attention.

“I’m not,” Sunghoon defends, orbs still attached to the movements of your body. “Oh yeah because it sure doesn’t look like you're about to eat up (Name) with your eyes.” Jungwon hummed, sinking back into the couch.

“I called her last night,” Sunghoon says, “And what did you say?” Jungwon’s attention was fully on his best friend. “I asked what her relationship with my brother was.” He replies, also sinking into the couch, shifting his eyes to Jaehyun who kept making you laugh.

“Now that's low, even for you Sunghoon.”

“It’s not, I'm just curious,” Sunghoon lied, he knew it was low, it was incredibly low. He hadn’t thought about you in a while though, sure, he’d stalk your Instagram a couple of times but that's only because you would post pictures of yourself going out and you’d always look good. You weren’t called the pretty new transfer for no reason.

And that’s why Sunghoon got with you right away, there were already rumors of a pretty girl coming into your school but finding out that you were neighbors the next day by locking eyes the first moment you’d meet was just another thing. To you, it felt like destiny, clearly it didn’t work out but still, you’d always talk about it when you cuddled in bed with Sunghoon; he heard it a lot.

“He’s staring at you by the way,” Danielle says as she arrives at your table, “He’s been staring since I got here and that was ten minutes ago.” She continued, as she settled in next to you.

“He’s so weird, you saw my texts right?” You say, receiving a nod from Danielle.

v. JUST WANTED TO HEAR YOUR VOICE SO CLEAR

Taesan sat at his desk, debating whether or not to text you. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t been thinking about you all night and day and he felt guilty, he didn’t want to betray his brother but to be fair, things didn’t go well due to Sunghoon so, it's not too bad, right?

He groaned silently to himself as his eyes gazed upon the texts he sent you, ‘Want to grab ice cream after school?’ How cheesy, but honestly, Taesan couldn't care less about that. He wanted your response.

You received this text and it brought a smile to your face, you quickly replied with a yes! You needed an ice cream break.

“Thanks for the ice cream,” you smile while taking in the flavors of the vanilla bar he’d bought you. “No problem, I wanted to see you anyway,” He replies as his arm slightly brushed against yours, you were living for these moments and he was too.

“Taesan,” you stop in your tracks, and so did he once he felt air instead of your presents beside him, he glanced back at you and hummed. “Why did you call me last night?”

“Because I like you, kinda, maybe. It’s complicated.” He answers, before turning and proceeding with his walk back to your apartments.

“What?” You catch up to Taesan and tug on his uniform sleeve, resulting in him looking down at you before veering around his eyes back to the sidewalk. “You heard me.”

You remained silent for the rest of the walk, the sounds of you and Taesan dragging your feet filled your ears, and you knew Taesan was too deep in his head to realize how loud he was dragging his feet.

“We’re here,” you say, pressing the numbers that led you into your home, “(Name), you don't have to think about what I said earlier, I just kind of blurted it out.” Taesan walked into his house without glancing back, leaving you alone in the halls of your apartment.

“(Name), why are you frozen outside your house,” you hear a familiar voice speak as you shift your orbs to no other than your ex-boyfriend. “Why can’t I stand outside my house?” You argue back.

“Just asking,” Sunghoon cheeses at your defensiveness, he finds it cute, “But you’re also in my house area so.”

“Fuck off, I’m literally not.” You protest, quickly walking into your house, leaving Sunghoon alone in the halls. Why were you so angry? Sunghoon just shrugged and stepped into his house as well.

vi. MORE THAN FRIENDS?

Days had gone by and all you’d done was hang out with Taesan since the day he confessed to you. You found him very comforting, you’d meet up with him before and after class and would walk together everywhere. This didn’t go unnoticed of course, everyone figured out how close you two had gotten, but Sunghoon had noticed the most and he was the one who spoke about it the most.

“Why are they suddenly so close, they look like a couple.” Sunghoon rants, gazing into the locker room mirror as he paints his cheeks in black for the football game. “Who knows, maybe they naturally became close.” Jungwon shrugs as he tapes his legs, preparing for the game.

Sunghoon felt his whole body heat up when he saw you on your tippy toes leaning over the fence to kiss his brother, you two were official. This didn’t hold Sunghoon back, he’d get into a fight during the game over something minor and had to be benched for the rest of the game.

“What the fuck Sunghoon? We lost because of you!” Gyuvin provoked, jabbing his fingers into Sunghoon's chest. “The fuck is wrong with you?” He continued.

Kim Gyuvin was the captain of the football team, he was always harsh with his words, and usually, Sunghoon could handle them since he barely got a lecture, but something just snapped in him, he threw a punch at Gyuvin in front of everyone, earning gasps from the student section.

You watched this whole interaction happened, you were also on the field cheering like crazy to hype up the student section, but seeing your ex-boyfriend in a fight made you feel different emotions. You ran up to them, trying to stop them, you held onto Sunghoon's waist trying to hold him back, but you miserably failed as expected.

“Stop Sunghoon! You’re going to get suspended!” You yell out as your grip around his waist tightens. Sunghoon listened to your voice, abruptly stopping while Gyuvin was dragged away by Matthew and Jungwon. Sunghoon pulled you off him.

“Get the fuck off me (Name),”

You step back as you stare Sunghoon in the eyes, he is beyond angry, he’s never spoken to you like that and you were caught off guard. “What?”

Sunghoon ignores you and walks into the school, students scanning his every move as others glance back at you standing in the field alone. You felt humiliated but you also were curious about why he was angry because no one had ever seen Sunghoon so upset to the point where he gets physical with someone he called a friend. It was all confusing even for Sunghoon himself, why was he so worked up?

“Are you okay?” you hear Taesan approaching you with Jaehyun beside him, his face showing full concern and this warms you up. You pull him into a hug as you two walk back to the school.

“That was kind of crazy, the way you ran and tugged onto Sunghoon felt like it was straight out of a movie,” Jaehyun exclaimed as his expressions varied between each word he spoke. “It was,” Taesan added, holding onto your waist.

It was true you and Taesan shared deep feelings for one another but you guys weren’t officially together yet, you would sneak around with him here and there but you guys had made it clear that you were just close friends that kiss sometimes. Inside this wrecked Taesan, he wanted to be more than friends but he knew you weren’t ready and this whole situation just confirms it.

Was it Taesan or Sunghoon who you truly had feelings for?

✶ LATRII | 2O23. PART TWO. HERE

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[l1ve-l4ugh-lov3craft]

I Have More Rosekiller Fake Dating AU

a continuation of this drabble ( @dairekt-cat there's another)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

They ended up agreeing to all meet at the venue separately and go over the “plan of attack,”  as Barty had very cleverly called it, before going in. Regulus was the only one there when Barty arrived, which served him just fine. He flashed him a grin and a couple finger guns for good measure as he sauntered over, which Regulus promptly rejected with a scowl.

“You can’t be acting like that while we’re in there,” he said the moment Barty was in earshot. So much for friendly greetings.

“‘Hi, Barty. How are you, Barty?” Barty replied loudly, “You look so hot and sexy in that suit, Barty. Did you steal your father’s credit card to buy it?’ Why yes, Reg, I did. Thanks for asking. How are y-”

“Yes, yes, okay I hear you.” Regulus elbowed him hard enough to make Barty stumble back a bit.

Barty was still snickering under his breath as he straightened and scanned their near surroundings. Lots of expensive looking people in expensive looking outfits with expensive looking expressions of passive tolerance slowly filing into the gala venue. No sign of Pandora Rosier or the asshole who insulted his tattoo work last week, which was all well and good as far as Barty was concerned. Might be nice to slip in, swipe some of the fancy booze, and then be able to just dip and leave Regulus to deal with the upper-class as he did best.

“Think your mum will be terribly pissed if you get stood up tonight?” He asked, eyes still flitting over the clusters of people still arriving.

Regulus crossed his arms, “I am not going to be stood up.” He said.

Barty felt his face pinch rather against his own will. It was - he looked at his watch - three minutes until seven. And neither of the Rosier twins were anywhere in sight. Not exactly standup odds, but who was he to deny Regulus his delusions?

“You keep telling yourself that, buddy. But if they don’t show, just know that I’m absolutely gonna-”

Barty needed to study the uncanny accuracy of that ‘speak of the devil and he shall appear’ saying. Because not two fucking seconds after the words came out of his moth, who should show up in all their pasty, bleach-blonde glory?

Alright, fine. That was a bit harsh. Pandora Rosier was, admittedly, a rather beautiful young woman. She held herself with confidence and grace, and she had a sort of perpetual soft smile on her face that made you think she knew something you didn’t at all times. She had on a lacy, sage green ball gown type dress that Barty felt like one wouldn’t typically see at 21st century events like this and he nodded appreciatively at her ability to not give a single fuck. Subtly of course. Heaven forbid he appear like he was having positive feelings about anything related to this situation.

And Evan was…Well, sue Barty but he was hot, okay?? In, like, an asshole type of way where you looked at him and it just made you angry cos no one who was that much of a dick should look that good. He had fucking crystals braided into his hair. Who did that? And why did it look so good and bring out the flecks of blue in his eyes so well? Barty wanted to strangle him. Really.

Pandora smiled kindly when the two of them stopped in front of Regulus, and Barty was surprised to watch as she took even one step closer to pull his friend into a hug. He was practically balking when Regulus returned the hug in kind. Asshole. Regulus never hugged him. 

“It’s wonderful to see you, Regulus,” Pandora smiled, then she turned to Barty, “You must be Barty. It’s a pleasure!”

He nodded and took her hand when she offered it, but in less of a handshake way and more of a…she held his hand and squeezed it in a sort of friendly…sisterly way. It was weird, and he didn’t hate it. 

Then he looked past Pandora and his gaze met Evans and...yikes. Lots of personality and warmth in those eyes. Yeesh. The dude looked like he was a thousand miles away and had generic, pre-programmed responses for every possible conversation scenario ready to auto-play when needed. This was going to be fun. He wasn’t particularly inclined to try civility, but he figured if he was gonna be around this bloke all night he might as well at least attempt to be nice.

He put on a smile and stuck out his hand, “So, seems we’re stuck together tonight, eh? Name’s B-”

“I know who you are.” Evan cut in, neither letting him finish nor taking his hand.

‘Well fuck you, too. Asshole.’

“Evan,” Barty heard Pandora hiss.

It was fine. Barty could play this game too.

“You would, wouldn’t you?” He asked, “Had a lot of fun in my chair the other day, huh? Don’t think anyone ever really forgets their first bl-”

“Barty,” it was Regulus’ turn to snap. Barty scowled at him but dropped it. 

“We should go inside,” Pandora suggested, her voice a bit tight, “The gala should be starting soon.”

She tucked her hand into Regulus’ arm and let him lead her through the front doors, leaving Evan still outside with Barty. Eyes narrowed, he gave him a final once-over. Nice suit. Black with deep crimson roses embroidered on the lapels and cuffs. He was pretty sure the cufflinks were roses as well. A bit on the nose all things considered, but it was nicely tailored, clearly expensive, and it did look good on him. 

He made sure Evan noticed the way his eyes fell to the embroidery on his lapels before looking up at him with a smirk, “Hah. Rosie.”

Evan’s reply was immediate, “Do not call me that.”

“I’m gonna call you that.”

“Fuck you.”

Barty grinned, tucking himself dramatically into Evan’s side as they followed after Regulus and Pandora, “Oh you wish, sweetheart. You wish.”

[flipflopmasterr]

Me and @ridokichan -s headcanon about "isolation-induced hallucinations" with Stan twins.

First experience with the portal was definitely..... Insufferable. For both of them.

At least someone's looking out after them.

[danmei-confessions]

I interpret the ending of "Scum Villain's Self-Saving System" (SVSSS) as more of a horror story.

The protagonist is trapped in a lifelong relationship with Luo Binghe, who is so emotionally insecure that the relationship could potentially end in mutual destruction. Unlike the other main leads (MLS) in Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's (MXTX) works, where the foundations of their relationships are clear, Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu (SQQ) have a much more precarious dynamic.

It's evident that Binghe is infatuated with SQQ, whether it be Shen Jiu or Shen Yuan, it doesn't seem to matter. I see the fact that MXTX concealed the identity behind the mask as a literal loose cannon revealing it would have caused everything to fall apart. I don't ship Bingmei and Shen Yuan because their relationship is based on a facade. They are obsessed with an image, not the true person behind it. Claiming it's true love is laughable when they idolize and fall in love with a persona.

In reality, both Luo Binghe and Bingmei are in love with the crafted pretend image of the lofty immortal Shen Jiu created and his beauty. LBG is a stallion protagonist for a reason - he was mesmerized with his Shen Jiu looks. Let's be for real, would Bingge would have spared a glance at Shen Yuan without SQQ's identity? The OG stallion is not lacking in beauties? So what if Shen Yuan is funny and loves Binghe for who he is? He's not the only one.

It's almost as if Shen Yuan's denial of reality, his jokes, and dissociation prevent him from confronting the truth. As an internet troll, ending up with Bingmei seems like a punishment. The system purposely chose someone who obsesses over their idol Binghe, the opposite of Jiu, who despises him purposely almost as if the original wasn't satisfied with the ending. Shen Yuan will love Bingmei wholeheartedly, just like fans love their idols regardless of their faults.

Yes, Shen Yuan made sacrifices and helped Bingmei, but no one would react calmly in his situation. Bingmei, the most bipolar character ever, would obviously lose it if he realized the truth. He thought he finally gained approval from the Shizun he worshipped.

I theorize as long as Shen Yuan has the face and voice, Bingmei would still accept him, even though his world turned upside down. Why? Cause he's delusional, he'll accept anything of his Shizun regardless. I think if an identity reveal were to happen, LBH is selfish enough if SY didn't have a Face Reveal to be the 'not my problem' type. SY personality (if you can really call it that since everything he shows to everyone is different than what be thinks/innermonologues) + SJ face and LBH could live happily in his own delusion.

Just look at Bingge. He wanted the 'kind Shizun' because he believes it was an alternate SQQ, not a completely different person. I mean, who will believe with his 600 harem of 'Peerless Beauties' he would settle for SY true face? Oh no, sir/ma'am, he wanted the 'kind Shizun' cause it has SQQ looks, and that's the end of the story.

I don't see Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu as looking alike or being twins, unlike the popular au or fanfics I've seen personally. Shen Yuan feels like a parasite who can't stand alone and just attaches himself to OGShen Jiu's face, body, and everything he worked for. I headcanon his looks as a normal dude, not a peerless beauty from a book.

Like? Why do people who read the book are so surface level with it as if the Male lead's feelings isn't complex enough about OG? I do believe he was charmed by OG, but SY's SQQ feed onto those pre-existing feelings that were already there in the first place.

Why do readers of "Scum Villain's Self-Saving System" (SVSSS) often take such a surface-level approach to the complexity of the male lead's feelings toward the original Shen Qingqiu (OG SQQ)? I believe Luo Binghe was charmed by the original Shen Qingqiu (Shen Jiu), and Shen Yuan's version of SQQ merely fed into those pre-existing feelings that were already there in the first place. In fact, I'll go as far as to say he fell in love with Shen Jiu - an unpopular opinion, but one I stand by.

This isn't about shipping them. It simply doesn't make sense that Luo Binghe fell in love with Shen Yuan's SQQ so easily unless the feelings were already there. This is why he spent his teenage years trying to gain Shen Qingqiu's acceptance and why he transitioned from worshipping the ground Shen Jiu walked on to absolutely hating him, despite not seeing him for years.

I don't think his feelings toward Shen Jiu changed during his time in the abyss; rather, his perspective did. Binghe concluded that the only way to get Shen Jiu's attention was to be cruel. No matter how strong or kind he became, Shen Jiu's disdain for him was an undeniable fact within the canon. Binghe convinced himself that Shen Qingqiu was incapable of love and a terrible human being to cope with the constant rejection.

In the book, Binghe's reaction to Shen Qingqiu's grief over Yue Qingyuan's death is telling. Despite going out of his way to kill the one person Shen Jiu loved most, Binghe is genuinely surprised by Shen Qingqiu's sadness. When he sees how broken Shen Qingqiu is, he doesn't mock or berate him as he thought he would. Instead, he walks away, uncomfortable, because he has to confront the reality that SQQ is capable of love, just not for him.

When Binghe meets Shen Yuan's SQQ, his worldview is further crushed. There exists a reality where SQQ adores him, but it's not the same SQQ. He can't even win SQQ's affection in competition with himself. I despise Binghe, but I feel for him because this must reinforce the idea that something is inherently wrong with him. This realization is so distressing that he starts crying, something he hasn't done since he was 14. Both versions of Binghe are obsessed because that's the only way they know how to love.

To be clear, Luo Binghe isn't bitter about the abuse. Well, maybe it's a part of it, but to me, he's bitter because he was rejected. Had Shen Jiu accepted his love, Binghe wouldn't have gone to the extremes to destroy him and honestly respect to him for rather going through torture than to succumb to a genocidal murder maniac of a yandere.

.

[danmeiconfession]

I interpret the ending of "Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System" (SVSSS) as more of a horror story. The protagonist is trapped in a lifelong relationship with Luo Binghe, who is so emotionally insecure that the relationship could potentially end in mutual destruction. Unlike the other main leads (MLs) in Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's (MXTX) works, where the foundations of their relationships are clear, Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu (SQQ) have a much more precarious dynamic.

It's evident that Binghe is infatuated with SQQ, whether it be Shen Jiu or Shen Yuan, it doesn't seem to matter. I see the fact that MXTX concealed the identity behind the mask as a literal loose cannon – revealing it would have caused everything to fall apart. I don't ship Bingmei and Shen Yuan because their relationship is based on a facade. They are obsessed with an image, not the true person behind it. Claiming it's true love is laughable when they idolize and fall in love with a persona.

In reality, both Luo Binghe and Bingmei are in love with the crafted pretend image of the lofty immortal Shen Jiu created and his beauty. LBG is a stallion protagonist for a reason – he was mesmerized  with his Shen Jiu looks. Let's be for real, would Bingge would have spared a glance at Shen Yuan without SQQ's identity? The OG stallion not lacking in beauties? So what if Shen Yuan is funny and loves Binghe for who he is, he's not the only one?

It's almost as if Shen Yuan’s denial of reality, his jokes, and dissociation prevent him from confronting the truth. As an internet troll, ending up with Bingmei seems like a punishment. The system purposely chose someone who obsesses over their idol Binghe, the opposite of Jiu, who despises him purposely almost as if the original wasn't satisfied with the ending . Shen Yuan will love Bingmei wholeheartedly, just like fans love their idols regardless of their faults.

Yes, Shen Yuan made sacrifices and helped Bingmei, but no one would react calmly in his situation. Bingmei, the most bipolar character ever, would obviously lose it if he realized the truth. He thought he finally gained approval from the Shizun he worshipped.

I theorize As long as Shen Yuan has the face and voice, Bingmei would still accept him, even though his world turned upside down. Why? Cause he's delusional he'll accept anything of his Shizun regardless. I think if an identity reveal were to happen LBH is selfish enough if SY didn't have a Face Reveal to be the 'not my problem' type. SY personality (if you can really call it that since everything he shows to everyone is different than what be thinks/inner monologues) + SJ face and LBH could live happily in his own delusion. Just look at Bingge, he wanted the 'kind Shizun' because he believes it was an alternate SQQ not a completely different person. I mean who will believe with his 600 harem of 'Peerless Beauties' he would settle for SY true face? Oh no sir/ma'am, he wanted the 'kind Shizun' cause it has SQQ looks and thats the end of the story.

I don't see Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu as looking alike or being twins unlike the popular au or fanfics I've seen personally. Shen Yuan feels like a parasite who can't stand alone and just attaches himself to OGShen Jiu’s face, body and everything he worked for. I headcanon his looks as a normal dude, not a peerless beauty from a book.

Like? Why do people who read the book are so surface level with it as if the Male lead's feelings isn't complex enough about OG? I do believe he was charmed by OG, but SY's SQQ feed onto those pre-existing feelings that were already there in the first place.

Why do readers of "Scum Villain's Self-Saving System" (SVSSS) often take such a surface-level approach to the complexity of the male lead’s feelings toward the original Shen Qingqiu (OG SQQ)? I believe Luo Binghe was charmed by the original Shen Qingqiu (Shen Jiu), and Shen Yuan's version of SQQ merely fed into those pre-existing feelings that were already there in the first place. In fact, I'll go as far as to say he fell in love with Shen Jiu – an unpopular opinion, but one I stand by.

This isn’t about shipping them. It simply doesn’t make sense that Luo Binghe fell in love with Shen Yuan’s SQQ so easily unless the feelings were already there. This is why he spent his teenage years trying to gain Shen Qingqiu's acceptance and why he transitioned from worshipping the ground Shen Jiu walked on to absolutely hating him, despite not seeing him for years.

I don’t think his feelings toward Shen Jiu changed during his time in the abyss; rather, his perspective did. Binghe concluded that the only way to get Shen Jiu’s attention was to be cruel. No matter how strong or kind he became, Shen Jiu’s disdain for him was an undeniable fact within the canon. Binghe convinced himself that Shen Qingqiu was incapable of love and a terrible human being to cope with the constant rejection.

In the book, Binghe’s reaction to Shen Qingqiu’s grief over Yue Qingyuan’s death is telling. Despite going out of his way to kill the one person Shen Jiu loved most, Binghe is genuinely surprised by Shen Qingqiu’s sadness. When he sees how broken Shen Qingqiu is, he doesn’t mock or berate him as he thought he would. Instead, he walks away, uncomfortable because he has to confront the reality that SQQ is capable of love, just not for him.

When Binghe meets Shen Yuan’s SQQ, his worldview is further crushed. There exists a reality where SQQ adores him, but it’s not the same SQQ. He can't even win SQQ’s affection in competition with himself. I despise Binghe, but I feel for him because this must reinforce the idea that something is inherently wrong with him. This realization is so distressing that he starts crying, something he hasn’t done since he was 14. Both versions of Binghe are obsessed because that’s the only way they know how to love

To be clear, Luo Binghe isn't bitter about the abuse maybe it's a part of it but to me ; he's bitter because he was rejected. Had Shen Jiu accepted his love, Binghe wouldn't have gone to the extremes to destroy him and honestly respect to him for rather going through torture than to succumb to a genocidal murder maniac of a yandere.

.

[starmieknight]

Stars Align

The Inconveniencing

17 Again AU: After a disastrous first day with the twins, Stan swears to do better as an uncle. But fate loves playing tricks on him and the magic 8-ball in the attic is more than it seems.

Now on top of having a pair of twelve year olds around the house while he tries to finish the portal and bring his brother home, Stan has to deal with being back in his seventeen year old body! Summer has never been weirder in Gravity Falls.

Prologue, The Legend of the Gobblewonker, Headhunters Pt. 1, Headhunters Pt. 2, Headhunters Pt. 3, The Hand That Rocks the Mabel Pt. 1, The Hand That Rocks the Mabel Pt. 2 (previous), The Inconveniencing, Dipper Vs. Manliness (next)

Any joy Stan might have felt from his lingering victory over Gideon and the find that came with it was dampened by his brother’s near indecipherable notes.

It was already hard enough to read his fancy handwriting, but having to slog through the sections written in code only to find stupid little observances that he’d hidden just because he could was maddening. Stan had spent their childhood and teenage years going over his brother’s homework to finish his own then another thirty years going over Journal One over and over again until the spine was soft and the pages embedded in his memory. Decoding Journal Two was easier with the first one on-hand, but it wasn’t without its difficulties.

If he hadn’t spent his entire life forcing his eyes to stay on letters with the tendency to get up and move on him while he read, he might have thought Ford had used some kind of magic on the books to keep unwanted eyes out. As it was, he knew that it was just his own brain struggling to keep up and make the words look right.

Reading aloud helped ― he had a better memory when it came to things he could hear rather than trying to retain information by reading, but he only had a few hours in the dead of night to go over the book.

Dipper and Mabel, though safely sequestered in their attic bedroom after a certain point in the night, didn’t do as much sleeping as they claimed to. Stan could often hear knitting needles going a mile a minute even past midnight, or the compulsive clicking of a pen as Dipper tried to beat the protagonists in his mystery novels in solving the case. And, ugh, why did those stupid Sibling Brother novels have to be so popular? Those guys had been jerks even way back in 1960s Jersey.

Shoulda let the Jersey Devil eat them…

Stan hoped the last Journal would help put the others in perspective. He had no delusions about Dipper letting him keep it for long and had spent a good bit of his time between tours working on the old copier in his office. The thing had been a dinosaur long before Stan had arrived in Gravity Falls and he was only slightly worried that it was another crazy invention of his brother’s. Anything was possible with the leftovers Stan had built his life around here. But if he could just make his own copy of the book, Dipper would be none-the-wiser about why Stan was so invested in it.

And he was sure he’d end up spending more time pouring over the book than he wanted to. It just felt like something was missing ever time he read through them. Something hiding right under his nose.

What he wasn’t missing, however, were the pinecones flying over the Mystery Shack’s parking lot.

He paused on his way to the car, having intended on going into town to get craft supplies for a new exhibit, and turned to squint at the roof.

He hoped it wasn’t the gnomes being assholes again.

Creepy, little―

A pinecone hit him square in the face.

“Gah! My nose! It hit me right in the nose!”

“Oh my gosh!” a familiar voice cried in panic.

Dipper.

Now, really ― Stan could let a lot of things go when it came to being a responsible guardian. He was cool like that. And, besides, it wasn’t like he’d had any good role models to base his skills on growing up.

But the kid had just survived a tumble off a cliff thanks to sheer dumb luck and his sister’s quick thinking.

A sister who was standing beside her twin on the roof.

Along with his lumberjack-in-training cashier.

“Wendy Darlene Corduroy!” Stan bellowed, his face red with anger. “You get your ass down here right now and explain yourself!”

“My innocent ears!”

“You too, Mabel Olivia!”

Oi, he really was channeling his mother these days, what with the ‘explain yourself’ and full naming the kids…

“Ah, man. There goes my hideout.” Wendy sighed, unbothered by being caught. The twins, however, looked mortified. “Oh, hey ― it’s my friends!”

Wendy then did something that nearly sent Stan’s teenager body into cardiac arrest.

With all the casual flippancy that her family seemed to possess in spades, Wendy launched herself off the roof, latching onto one of the pine trees that bordered the house and riding it down all the way into the parking lot. She was in her friend’s van and speeding off before Stan could catch her.

“Later, dorks!”

“Later, Wendy!” Dipper cried, his voice cracking painfully. He seemed to have forgotten the situation he was in.

Well, Stan could fix that!

“Mason Alexander Pines! You’d better be down here in the next thirty seconds or your BABBA collection’s goin’ in the Bottomless Pit!”

__________________________________________________________

Maybe it was a bit childish to still be on Dipper's ass the next day, but Mabel was a lot harder to embarrass than her brother. And Dipper still was trying to find excuses about why he couldn't share the journal yet.

 Well, opportunity gave Stan the chance to share a little something of his own!

“Mom used to dress him up in a lamb costume and make him do…” Mabel was telling Wendy eagerly, pausing for dramatic flare.

“The Lamby Dance!” Stan finished for her gleefully, pulling a VHS tape from his jacket and waving it at the kids. 

He'd found it after all, buried in an old box of home movies that Ford had kept buried in the lab. There were even a few reels from the fifties and sixties that Stan just couldn't bring himself to watch. But Dipper’s mortifying childhood memories were free real estate!

“Grunkle Stan!” Dipper screeched, his face crimson. “We don't talk about the Lamby Dance! Destroy that tape!”

“Hup, hup, hup.” Stan tutted, easily keeping the VHS tape out of his nephew's reach. “Now, this is a precious memory I treasure. Why would I destroy it? It's not like you can promise me anything in return…”

Dipper groaned dramatically. “Fiiiiine. I'll stay off the roof!”

“Deal!” Stan grinned triumphantly, his expression gaining a slight edge as he watched the boy stomp the tape into oblivion. It was a good thing he had more copies hidden away.

Wendy laughed at the scene, gently ribbing the boy about wearing a costume, when the cuckoo clock in the gift shop signaled the end of the Shack’s hours. 

“Hey, look at that!” she said eagerly, pulling her name tag off and shoving it in her pocket. “Quittin’ time ― the gang's waiting for me!”

And then, much to Stan's surprise, Dipper invited himself and Mabel along with them, spinning a quick yarn about their age.

Stan raised a brow at that but kept his mouth shut, curious about where he was planning to go with this. 

He crossed his arms, looking at the boy expectantly while they waited for Wendy to gather her things.

“Gimme one good reason why I shouldn't tell her you're really twelve.” 

“C’mon, Grunkle Stan!” the boy hissed, eyes darting to the doorway nervously. “This is my― our chance to hang out with, y’know, the cool kids! And Wendy’’ll be there!”

“The same Wendy who jumped off my roof yesterday?” Stan asked, his tone flat and unimpressed. He shuddered. Ugh, he sounded like his father.

“Give him a break,” Mabel soothed, eyes twinkling. “He can't help that he's in love with Wendy!” 

She screeched the last part like a particularly excited bird, making Stan grateful he no longer needed his hearing aid. The feedback would have been murder on his ears.

While the twins wrestled in the background over Dipper's apparent crush, Stan mulled over the situation silently.

On one hand, letting them run off with a bunch of teenagers could end horribly. There's no telling what they could get up to, especially in Gravity Falls. 

On the other hand, seeing Dipper grow a little bit of a spine and showing the ol’ Pines’ conman spirit tugged at his heart strings. If the kid honed that mindset just a bit more, he'd be a real chip off the ol’ block.

They'd finally have something in common. 

“I’ll allow it!” Stan declared suddenly, surprising the twins into silence. “But I want to know where you're going and I get to meet the rest of those kids. If you've got a problem with that, I'll tell Wendy the truth and you twos don't go nowhere.”

 The twin shared a look.

“Deal!”

 Stan pressed his lips together tightly and trailed after the kids as they met up with Wendy's friends.

 The teenagers lit up at the sight of her, cheering her name like many townsfolk did for her dad. 

Despite the obvious affection they seemed to have for the girl, something tightened in his chest at the picture they all made. Specifically the twins at the center of it.

Mabel had seemed to charm her way in with the teenagers instantly, like a duck to water. She didn't even fawn over the boys, which relieved Stan.

That was a nightmare he wasn't ready for. Probably never would be. 

He knew the dangers of falling for older men. 

Dipper, meanwhile, was struggling to fit in with the others, leading to an awkward silence in the group. Yeesh ― maybe the kid did have more in common with Ford than he’d thought.

One of the teens took advantage of the silence to notice Stan. A pale, crater-faced kid with dyed black hair and an air of indifferent despair. The Valentinos’ son.

Stan narrowed his eyes at the kid. He’d been an unwanted interloper, who'd hung around the Shack in the early days of Wendy working there. He was a terrible distraction that had to be run off multiple times before getting the picture.  

He knew to be afraid of Stan Pines. 

He knew nothing about the new ‘teen’ hanging around with Wendy

“Who's this guy?” the Valentino kid asks, his voice nasally and weasel-like. It grates on Stan's ears and something about the kid makes him want to start punching. 

If the way Dipper also tenses is any indication, the boy shares the sentiment. 

“Stanley Pines,” Stan offers shortly before anyone can open their mouths. “The Second.”

“Whoa,” one of the other boys grinned at him. His long hair and face reminded Stan of the overly patriotic redneck in town. They might even be related. “ I didn't know Old Man Pines had a kid. Dude, he's not, like, dead or anything, right?”

Stan blinked rapidly for a moment at the question, a lie falling from his lips before he had time to process how the idea of Stanford's identity dying out entirely makes him feel. His chest feels tight again. Stomp it out and put it in a box to deal with later.

“He's on a cruise.” He shrugs noncommittally. The teenagers relax at the lie. Probably uncomfortable with the idea of being forced to offer a stranger their condolences. “Won it in a sweepstakes or somethin’ and he made me come down to run the Mystery Shack while he's gone.”

The teenager with the hat made a sympathetic face. “Dude, that sucks ― having to work all summer.”

“Yeah,” Wendy agrees, throwing an arm around Stan’s neck and nearly choking the life out of him while she grins. There's an edge to her eyes that whispers mischief. “He should totally come hang with us.”

Oh boy… 

“What?!” Dipper yelps, mortified by the very idea of Stan tagging along. Which he gets, but also ― ouch. 

The Valentino kid looks just as upset with the idea, glaring daggers at the arm Wendy has around Stan.

Oh great, the kid’s jealous of him!

Now would be a great time for Stan to bolt and disappear. Possibly lock himself in the basement so no one could find him and get some extra work done on the portal while the kids are out.

But Wendy had a death grip on him and he was forced into the back row of an unfamiliar van while people he didn’t know shouted up front.

Altogether, a familiar experience made new by the presence of his niece and nephew sitting on either side of him.

Stan crossed his arms and glared at the back of Wendy’s hat.

“I am not okay with this.” he announced flatly, breaking Dipper and Mabel out of yet another argument about Stan’s kidnapper.

“Grunkle Stan,” Dipper began hesitantly, lowering his voice until they were in a little bubble only privileged to their family. “Why did you tell them your name is Stanley?”

Stan does his best to breathe through the cramp in his chest, the sensation lingering from earlier, and fixes his eyes on the dents in the roof. Shoves his hands further into the crooks of his elbows to hide his sweaty hands, the echoes of his mother calling his name ringing in his ears. (Always Stanley and never just Stan.)

“I didn’t wanna be Stanford Junior.” he says finally, hesitating just too long to be a natural answer.

“Who’s Stanley Pines the First?” This time it’s Mabel, her eyes sharp and likely running through all their shared relatives in her head. He’s grateful the majority of the Pines family were back on the East Coast, Shermie’s family the only outliers and not as ready to fill the twins’ heads with cautionary tales designed to keep them from turning out like their ‘no-good, dead uncle’.

‘Stanley’ was practically a swear word in Shermie’s house.

“A dead man.” Stan mumbled, the words nearly lost beneath the cacophony of the teenagers in front of them. “The family’s better off without him and that’s all ya need to know.”

“You must have loved him, at least.” Mabel prodded, ever the optimist. This was the first time it had ever cut into his heart like this. “I mean, to name yourself after him. Rename? Would you name a hypothetical son after him?”

Stan finally turned to look at her and she flinched from the intensity of it.

“Never.”

__________________________________________________________

The old Dusk-2-Dawn looks just as Stan remembers it. The last time he’d been in there was 1995 to buy a few things he was too lazy to go all the way into town for. He’d been in a foul mood, his birthday only weeks away, looming over his head like a coming storm, and he’d barely said two words to Ma and Pa Duskerton while roaming the aisles.

Ma had tried to push the conversation, eyes full of a matronly concern Stan hadn’t seen in over twenty years, but he had resisted to the point of rudeness. It normally wouldn’t bother him to be a jerk, but the old lady had looked so disappointed with him that he’d suddenly seen his own mother’s face staring back at him. The way she’d looked at ‘Stanley’s’ funeral, the only family he’d had there. Even Shermie hadn’t come down, though he’d had the excuse of having an appendectomy on his side.

Stan had mumbled an apology and an excuse about having a headache.

Ma’s face cleared of irritation pretty quickly and she’d pressed a packet of aspirin into his hands, free of charge.

To help keep the town’s best tourist catcher in good health, she’d claimed. The Murder Hut had brought in a surprising amount of revenue to the town once he’d made it into more than just the local papers.

He’d done it again a few years later after rechristening the Shack with a more family-friendly name, but Ma hadn’t been around to see that.

But she’d believed in him at the moment.

Three days later, she and her husband were dead and their store closed down.

Haunted, the townsfolk claimed. Fenced off and avoided at all costs.

Unless, of course, you were a group of teenagers who wanted to star in a horror movie like Wendy and her friends.

Or Dipper, who’d climbed onto the roof to break in.

Wait ― what?!

Stan jolted out of his memories at the sight of his nephew disappearing into a vent and he made a strangled sound of rage.

That knucklehead!

Still, it was pretty awesome to see the kid punching his way through his problems. Just like his ol’ Grunkle Stan!

The boy opened the doors and waved them in, a grin splitting his face.

Stan followed after the other teenagers, most of them chattering happily about the unexpected addition to their group, and paused just inside the doors.

“I’m impressed, kid.” he snorted, ruffling the kid’s hair and messing up his hat. “But don’t do that again!”

The boy laughed at him, always a tad nervous in their interactions, and smiled hesitantly back at Stan.

The resemblance to Ford was too much for him to take in at the moment, so Stan slung an arm around his neck and dragged him inside.

Now breaking and entering was something he could get behind!

He even found himself laughing with the other teens as they trashed the store, throwing food and dusty cat litter at each other. They dropped Mentos into an old bottle of Pitt and Stan just shook the fizz out of his hair with a joyful grin.

He had to hand it to these kids ― they knew how to have a good time. Even the Valentino kid and all the weird staring he did at Stan. It wasn’t even all glares, but there was an occasional splash of color that made the kid go all splotchy whenever Stan caught him in the act.

Stan tried to avoid him, sticking close to the kid with the long face and his friend with the hat. Lee and Nate, though he’d forgotten which one was which.

They seemed to like him the most after Wendy.

The other girl was too focused on her phone to pay him much attention ― though he’d seen her snapping pictures of him on occasion ― and the last guy in the group was too desperate for attention from the original friend group to try and corner Stan.

So Stan gets caught up with the pair of boys who seem to know each other like the back of their hands, so lost in the thrill of finally acting like a teenager again that he fails to notice when something inevitably goes wrong.

“Stan!” Dipper hisses urgently, tugging at his uncle’s T-shirt and pulling him away from the others so they can speak in private. “Something's wrong here! I keep seeing things ― weird things! ― around the store and I’m pretty sure it’s haunted and Mabel’s overdosed on Smile Dip and I can’t say anything to the others because they’ll just think I’m a scared little kid or something!”

Stan takes a moment to just blink at that, because, wow. He’s surprised the kid didn’t pass out trying to get all that out in one go. He certainly hadn’t stopped to breathe.

Then he straightens up, the air of a teenager sliding off him to show the old man he really is inside.

“Where’s Mabel?”

The poor girl looks like the guys Stan had known back during his dark days in Colombia. Living on the streets was rough enough ― seeing them go into seizures after too much ‘edible flour’ was almost as traumatizing as accidentally pushing your brother through an interdimensional portal while he called your name and begged for help.

So… pretty damn traumatizing.

Stan didn’t know if Smile Dip had the same stuff in it to send Mabel into a similar state as the guys he’d known on the streets, but he didn’t want to chance it.

He scoops his niece up, cradling her tiny body to his chest, and wonders what the hell is wrong with him.

How did he get so caught up that he missed Mabel trying questionable substances?! The girl was so much like Ford in his eyes that he forgot how much she was like Stan, too.

It’s just supposed to be a bit of fun.

Until it isn’t.

“We’re leaving!” Stan barks at the others, startling them out of their fun. The Valentino kid is so shocked that he falls off the counter and disappears behind the register. “NOW!”

“Whoa,” Wendy tries to placate, her gaze hardening as it lands on the bundle of turquoise and pink in his arms. “Stan ― breathe. C’mon, guys, time to go.”

A breath leaves his chest in an explosion of air, the tightness in his chest having built up to a vice yet again. It burns and crushes him simultaneously, quickly becoming a feeling both familiar and a hindrance. Every moment the twins spend in Gravity Falls just makes the feeling grow and grow and grow.

The last thing Stan wants to do is send them home to parents who’re contemplating divorce, but that small bit of good sense he has whispers that it may be what he needs to do.

To keep them safe, alive.

“No one is leaving!” a new voice bellows.

Stan can only look on in horror as the Valentinos’ kid rises from behind the counter.

And keeps rising.

They really did end up in a horror movie, the Valentino kid obviously possessed now and floating above them while wreathed in a ghostly glow. His dark eyes are white beneath his fringe, rolled back so far in his head that the veins are visible and bulging.

That… That can’t be good.

It’s a blur after that, the teenagers disappearing one after another until it’s just him and Wendy left, backed up against the doors with the twins encased in Stan’s arms. He’d picked up Dipper at some point, though he had no recollection of doing so.

The ghost is laughing at them now, saying something about hot dogs of all things!

Fury and fear war within Stan until they spew forth from him in an angry wave.

“Oh, can it, Duskerton! You never sold your dogs at a discount and that joke’s thirty years old! Get some new material and let us outta here!”

The possessed Valentino kid scowls at him, his ghostly glow tinged red, but it’s the other face materializing next to him that catches Stan’s attention.

“My, Pa!” Ma Duskerton exclaims in surprise. “That’s Stanford Pines!”

The red fades away and Pa Duskerton fades into view beside the transparent image of his wife.

The Valentino kid drops to the ground, landing with a muffled groan.

“Why, it is, Ma!” Pa says joyfully, floating closer to peer at Stan’s face. “Got yourself caught up in some magic mischief, didya m’boy?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Stan rolled his eyes at the familiar tone of the couple. For some reason, they liked him enough to ignore his gruff attitude. “The whole baby face’s old news by now. So, ya gonna let us go or what? My kid’s spazzin’ out over that junk you guys used t’ sell.”

Ma’s face crumbled with concern and she disappeared, only to reappear right in front of them. Stan jumped and clutched the twins more tightly. Ma didn’t seem to notice, attempting to pet Mabel’s tangled curls, her hand going right through the girl.

“Oh, the poor dear.” the woman tutted maternally. “I saw my share of kids go through the same thing. Get her some water to break it down and something starchy to soak it up and she’ll be just fine, deary.”

Some of the tension floods from Stan’s shoulders at the reassurance. Already Mabel’s eyes are beginning to clear, every pass of Ma’s hand bringing life back into her tiny body.

“Now,” Pa sighs, crossing his arms. “I really am sore at you kids for the state of our store.”

“We’re really sorry,” Wendy offers sheepishly, the expression out of place on her face. “We didn't think anyone would care after seventeen years.”

Pa flares red briefly but settles down quickly when Dipper flinches in his uncle’s arms.

“Well, I do care, young lady. But you’ve apologized. Your friends, however…”

“Can’t we do anything to help them?” Dipper asks rather meekly. He forces himself to stay steady when Pa attempts to pat his head and shivers when the hand passes through him.

“Now, now, little fella ― say, how old are you, anyway? Y’seem a bit small to be one of them sassa-frassin’ teenagers!”

Once it’s apparent that the Duskertons hate teenagers, Dipper’s con is now on the line.

The boy looks nervously at Wendy before slumping in defeat.

“I’m twelve… technically not a teen.”

“Wonderful!” Pa beams, his ghostly glow becoming almost blinding white at the admission. “Do you know any funny little dances?”

“No―oooo,” Dipper drags out the word in a panic as Pa flashes red. “Well, there is one! The, uh, Lamby Dance… But I can’t really do it without a lamb costume, so―”

Which doesn’t deter Pa in the slightest.

The ghost snaps his fingers and warps reality around them to put Dipper in a fleecy costume, the boy teleported to the center of the store where there’s room to dance.

Stan muffles a distressed moan at the sudden loss and holds Mabel tighter. Whatever the kid was doing, he didn’t want to get in the way. His nephew’s song and dance routine is a familiar comfort, but Stan won’t be anywhere near at ease until the boy’s back in his arms again.

Which probably won’t be any time soon.

The boy’s sacrifice has saved the others and everyone practically crawls out of the Dusk-2-Dawn as Wendy regalls them with a heavily edited retelling of how Dipper exorcised the ghosts.

Mabel’s stirring in his arms and Stan barely has time to put her down before she’s throwing up against the van’s tires.

There’s a muffled chorus of sympathetic noises from the rest of the group as she finishes spewing her guts.

“Oh, man.” Wendy sighs as she comes to stand beside Stan. Her face is contrite and worn, a shadow of nervousness on her face that Stan would have missed if he hadn’t known the girl her entire life. “Sorry about all that, dude. I just really wanted you to let loose a little ― not deal with overdoses and ghosts.”

He bumps his shoulder against hers gently. It barely budges her, only a testament to how tired she really is.

“I’m not happy about the twins getting dragged into another mess, but you didn’t know what would happen.” Stan’s reminded of another teenager who made a mistake, a lifetime and a coastline away, and can’t bring himself to yell at her just yet. “Whaddya say to dumpin’ the gremlins in bed and pigging out on ice cream and bad public television?”

Wendy grins and punches his arm playfully. It actually kinda hurts.

“You got it, man. Better than just staring at my wall for hours until the world makes sense again. Next time we hang out, let’s just stay at the Mystery Shack, okay?”

“Next time?” Dipper, who’d been hovering at their hips and holding back Mabel’s hair, perks up. “You mean, you still wanna hang out with us? Even… even after I lied about being thirteen?”

Wendy pushed his hat down over his face.

“Of course, doofus!” her tone was unbelievably fond. “The Pines Family is the coolest in Gravity Falls!”

The boy is practically glowing as he climbs into the van, only dimming slightly as he and Mabel fall asleep on the ride home. The twins glue themselves to Stan’s sides and only offer mumbled protests when he and Wendy carry them into the Shack. They’re snoring by the time they’re tucked into bed and Wendy and Stan crash in front of the TV to spend the rest of the night binging some old movie they’re too tired to protest watching.

By the end of it, Stan’s crying over Duchess’ long-awaited wedding and appropriately angry when it’s interrupted.

Wendy just laughs at him, long and hard, still grinning half-an-hour later when she finally passes out. Stan follows her soon after, his dreams full of dashing men in waistcoats and fiery young women who challenge the world.

[twirlymarimo]

twirlymarimo's 2024 year-end zosan fic rec!

after a full orbit around the sun reading zosan fanfics, i decided to make a list of recommendations bringing light to these beautiful pieces of work, whether it made my heart hurt, made me laugh, or just simply hooked to the story. enjoy reading!

☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★

i would give you my heart, i think by fairv it's not finished but the first chapter is an absolute banger. multiple angsty trope in one - canonical character death, pining, miscommunication, friends to lovers, secret dating, what more could you ask for. i constantly find my self thinking about this story and i wish i was patient enough to wait for the finished work. this one deserves a lot more kudos!

homesick by summerofspock another mystery banger from summer! the vibe is twin peaks meets teen wolf and the premise is angsty but fluff is sprinkled here and there to keep our hearts stable.

insiduous by riotoftime and aevv the dynamic duo of the century that brought us tin lover is back with a new world to take over our minds with every update. their synchronized writing style reads like a book, just take a look at the world building in this one. the story is starting to pick up just like the intense dynamic between our two faves.

a heavy heart to carry by inkinmyheart i realized none of the first recs are finished, my bad but this one is! i typically avoid vampire aus because trauma from reading twilight but the concept here is interesting! i always enjoy ptsd sanji and the build up to the ending/reveal was satisfying.

the proposal by brunetta6 a well-written adaptation of the rom-com classic, the proposal. the accurate description of hokkaido brought me back down memory lane when i visited in 2023. hilarious dialogues with a tiny slice of angst makes a perfect pick-me-up read in the winter time.

lost myself when i caught sight of you by thecrownofclowns the sigh i let out after reading this. so hauntingly beautiful, like one of the fics that made me believe zosan is canon lol if this was a song, it would be a house in nebraska by our queen ethel cain

the knight shift by strawhatbougie inspired by THAT photo that circulated the internet, the author brought justice to what the audience wants - sanji in white fishnet leggings.

the mummy by greenyogurtelephant i love movie adaptations as you can see lol i read this on my e-reader in the summer and it was so hilarious, entertaining, and truly fits the essence of zosan. i would suggest to watch the actual movie either before or after reading the fic.

loose ends of the night by veto_power_over_clocks if you like pain like me, the first 4 chapters are all about miscommunication and wanting to smack both of these guys' heads and screaming at them the entire time. zoro POV too which is so rare these days but author delivered!

this post has been deleted. by evils if you love social media au but need it in a written format, this one is for you! a mix of comedy, fluff, and a slice of angst thru miscommunication.

seagrain by fruityumbrella ever thought about what would happen if sanji and zoro find out they've both done the one thing that make up their very core? "you know what, hell yeah," author fruityumbrella said.

thank you for reading if you made it this far! i have way more fics that i liked this year but i only got my account a couple of months ago so i couldn't track the ones i read earlier in the year. i also tried to feature ones that are not from well-known authors but i still had to give credit where it's due ;) thank you to all zosan writers for keeping my mental health stable (or maybe not for adding to my delusions about these two) <3

if you liked any of the fics above, please don't forget to give kudos, comment and bookmark! writers work so hard to give us amazing stories and they take so much time out of their schedules to do so.

if you're interested in more of my fic recs, you can check out my ao3 bookmarks here.

[iwantjellyfsh]

Delusion

Indulge my delusions for a minute pls.

This video got me thinking of the main Robin(s) and do they fit so fucking perfectly or not??? I mean I like the though of them being in order with "The first Alice" and "The first Robin" but reorganizing is fun too.

For "The Ace of Hearts" my mind goes Damian and Danny (DPxDC) but only bcs they're twins and Danny Fenton is Damian's most popular twin trope.

Theres a really cool Japanese version too but I used the english one for simplicity. Link here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phJQdljA39Y

It needs to be an animatic or something smh, maybe rogue/villain AU? Just a cool thought 🤷‍♂️

I mean: The first Alice is probably what Bruce thought Dick would be like if he actually killed the joker, and Dick is literally the og anger issues batfam member

And with Jason, he likes literature. The "shot him dead to the ground" could be replaced with the crowbar because Alice #2 is "one enjoyed and loved by everyone the man was left for dead" bcs Jason thinks he got replaced/forgotten/unavenged. Then "spreading evil with his voice" is just his normal crime lord shit.

"She birthed a kingdom that would rise above them all." Tim's literally a baby CEO. "Birthed into a life so grand" NEPO BABY. "So afraid of death the girl is mindless and warped" Tim tried to clone Kon-El like 100 times, right?

"Stubborn younger Sharon, clever older Lyra" Need I say more? "Both will never wake up from the dreams they had planned" in the Japanese verson the "clever younger brother" massacred a bunch of people and the "strong minded older sister" was a casualty (so thats how I interpret "both will never wake up from the dreams that they had planned) and if your familiar with Demon Twins AU's (Danny Fenton and Damian Wayne-Al Ghul twin au) sometimes it's that Damian killed Danny 👀