#again blame kiwi for all things

[theodoradevlin]

Thinking about flicking you 💜💋

[greatrunner]

Nia Ola (someone I strongly urge y'all that you follow in light of certain events and just in generall, because they're incredibly informed, well-read) has made a point of saying that everything we're seeing now with dismantling of our theorical rights, is something Demoratics and Republicans have been ramping up to since as early as the 90s.

Because the internet has made access to others and the proflieration of ideas far easier than it was before success of its application as a platform, our otherwise fascist government has - since 9/11 and the Patriot Act, fomented a presence with large media platforms like 4chan and all of its inspired affliates (from Reddit to Kiwi Farms), with the explicit intention to sow distrust towards anyone who so much as suggests non-conservative or anti-racist ideas.

They may have operated within and supported the platforms mentioned above to spread fascist and far-right ideologies to the youth so that, by the time most become politically active, they're already programmed to be hostile towards and criminalize socialist ideas and leftists attempting to reconstruct community and class consciousness for the masses.

She notes how dismissive people were of information regarding Cop Cities (still being constructed) and community organizers. All of this was field-tested in Atlanta, Georgia, which slapped organizers with RICO charges for collecting money for bail or organizing protests.

They used the YSL case to once again legitimize using [hip-hop] lyrics (something that was theoretically protected under the First Amendment) to criminalize Young Thug under RICO. Instead of people peeping what was being done, they meme'd about it.

To this end, 4chan and its ilk were allowed to thrive for as long as it has (almost twenty-two years since 2003) because they were necessary for the creation of things like GamerGate and targeted attacks on people like Anita Sarkeesian (an individual who challenged the status quo of sexism and bigotry in gaming culture).

That is, until they were eventually compromised. With Twitter and Instagram actively spreading misinformation and propping up fascist ideologues on the say-so of Musk and Zuckerberg, there doesn't seem to be much use for it.

The post-election discourse on social media (from blaming third parties, blaming genuine leftists, to wishing death on the Palestinians, etc), our so-called politicians co-signing repressive legislation and standing back as the more overtly racist political party spreads misinformation and xenophobic messaging about anyone who isn't white and doesn't support America becoming a white ethnostate, might be the canary in the coal mine.

It is a sign of what they plan to do next to left-leaning people using platforms like TikTok to spread de-radicalizing and left-leaning information.

[colorfulbard]

Random headcanons about Katakuri and his wife

This is based on the short one shot I wrote for Katakuri. You don’t have to read it to understand. I just thought it’d be fun to write a couple of things about their family in that fic. I'll probably think of more random headcanons for fun.

Taglist: @emmaiscool22 @i-am-vita @mercymccann @tazuduck Hope you guys don't mind me tagging you in this. I know you enjoyed the fic, so I hope you enjoy this while I hey part 2 done.

‿︵‿︵‿︵‿꒰͜͡ ♡ ͜͡꒱‿︵‿︵‿︵‿꒰͜͡ ♡ ͜͡꒱‿︵‿︵‿︵‿꒰͜͡ ♡ ͜͡꒱‿︵‿︵‿︵‿

🧁You got married to Katakuri was 23, and you were 21.

🧁Ages now (🍓 represents how old you were when you had the kids)

Kata - 48

Reader - 46

First kid - 23 (🍓23) Boy

(2, 3, 4) Triplets - 21 (🍓25) Boy, Girl, Girl

(5, 6) Twins - 20 (🍓26) Boy, Girl

(7) one kid - 18 (🍓28) Boy

(8, 9) twins - 17 (🍓29) Boy, Boy

(10, 11, 12) triplets - 13 (🍓33) Girl, Girl, Girl

(13) one - 12 (🍓34) Boy

(14) one - 11 (🍓35) Boy

(15) one - 10 (🍓36) Girl

Names (💙Boy 🩷Girl)

1 Warabiko💙

2 Manju💙

3 Vanilla 🩷

4 Matcha🩷

5 Gelato💙

6 Apple🩷

7 Dorayaki💙

8 Caramel 💙

9 Maple💙

10 Peach🩷

11 Kiwi🩷

12 Mango🩷

13 Dango💙

14 Fritter💙

15 Madeline🩷

🧁Katakuri was petrified of having kids. Marrying you didn't help that fear either.

🧁What if after waiting 9 whole months, your baby comes out looking exactly like him? With his fangs to match.

🧁In his mind, you'd be disgusted, like his mother was, and neglect your children.

🧁Meanwhile, you were daydreaming how adorable your kids would be if they were a mini version of your husband.

🧁You had two years of Katakuri all to yourself. Then came your first child, Warabiko. He was a result of Big Mom pressuring the two of you to hurry it up. If you had it your way, you would have waited a little bit longer.

🧁You knew Katakuri was holding her off as long as he could for you, but you could see how stressed he was. That's when you suggested to start trying and that you were ready. You never told him the truth.

🧁Despite the stress of Big Mom on your ass, you still loved Warabiko more than anything.

🧁He looked exactly like his father. Katakuri was worried you'd be upset, but you were so happy.

🧁You clutched him to your chest and cried. "He looks just like you, Kata!" You had squealed.

🧁Although you had to admit, you were slightly disappointed he didn't come out with Kata's fangs.

🧁Every child you had after that wasn't a result of Big Mom pressuring you. It was you jumping Katakuri every chance you got.

🧁It wasn't your fault he was constantly training without his vest and scarf on.

🧁One time, he was carrying one of the babies like that. Needless to say, that's how your first set of triplets came.

🧁Katakuri could take some of the blame. He knew exactly how to rile you up. That's why he always had his scarf and vest off whenever he was training, but you didn't need to know that.

🧁He was a bit too embarrassed to outright ask you. That's why he always resorted to taking his vest and scarf off. He knew you'd lightly tease him if he did ask.

🧁The whole 9 months you were pregnant with Warabiko were spent convincing Katakuri to take his scarf off when he was taking care of the baby.

🧁"I can't. My face will probably make them cry." He'd say, turning away from you.

🧁You'd pout at him. "No, they won't! They won't even understand that other people think it's "scary"." You put air quotes around scary.

🧁Sure enough, you were right. Warabiko loved seeing his father without his scarf. And the second Katakuri put it on, he immediately began to scream at the top of his lungs.

🧁You laughed when Katakuri was forced to take off again. "It's like he thinks you went away! How cute!"

🧁Every child after that behaved the same way Warabiko did. They refused to see him with his scarf on.

🧁You could never get over how much of a natural Katakuri was at fatherhood. Seeing him be so doting and sweet with the kids just made you wanna have more.

🧁He probably got good practice from taking care of his own siblings.

🧁You'd probably catch up with Big Mom sooner or later at this point. But could anybody blame you when your husband looks like that?

🧁Every name that your children got was a result of your pregnancy cravings. Sure, it was silly, but you liked how all the Charlotte kids have dessert themed names.

[ametistacollinsworld]

Hello! I have a request For Dandy’s world if you wanna do it.

It was a simple idea of a Shelly x Gender neutral Reader! Reader loves the stars and outer space in general!

Also, Shelly and Reader definitely have a crush on one another, But are so oblivious to one another’s feelings that the other Toons physically cringe at them whenever they are together!

(I’m sorry if this doesn’t make sense, or if I’m not being clear. I’m bad at this type of stuff…)

Thanks for the request! Hope you like it! Shelly go Rawrr!

Ever since you could remember, you had always been fascinated by the stars and space in general. You didn't know exactly what drew you to these things, but it was definitely fun to lie on the floor of Astro's big room and just watch everything with your best friend.

Oh yes! Another thing that you really couldn't explain why attracted you so much! Your best friend Shelly! She was just so fascinating in your eyes! Besides being very kind and sweet too!

Shelly, just like you, had a specific interest in something, that being dinosaurs!

She had everything related to dinosaurs in her small reach, like posters, statues and even a large museum focused on dinosaurs just for her! You honestly had to admit that you were a little jealous of her because of that.

When you had free time together, you always liked to talk about your interests, and for you the fun was always how Shelly could relate anything to dinosaurs, making you laugh a lot, and she would proudly make an expression and give you a big smile. She was simply the best friend anyone could have in your opinion.

🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣 🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖

You and Shelly were quietly sitting together on one of the benches in the lobby, enjoying the day, since that day Gardenview would be closed, for who knows what, probably some holiday that you didn't remember enough to remember.

The other toons seemed to like the idea of ​​staying in the lobby too, as they were all spread around the place talking or playing some game together.

The two of you, once again ignoring your surroundings, were having another one of your conversations about your greatest interests. And I mean… could you blame them?

"I'm telling you, Shelly! The Orion constellation is one of the most beautiful constellations ever discovered! My favorite part about it is the Three Marys, they are just adorable stars!" You said in a happy tone, swinging your legs as Shelly listened attentively.

"Really fascinating! And did you know that birds, and in particular chickens, ostriches, rheas, cassowaries, emus and kiwis, are the closest living relatives of some of the most famous dinosaurs?" Shelly said in an equally happy tone.

"Wow! Seriously? I didn't know that! You're so smart, Shelly!" You exclaimed, smiling at her and nudging her side gently with your elbow, making her blush and giggle.

"I read a book that said that… I just have a great memory! And you're also very smart too, (Y/n)! Besides being the coolest, sweetest, and kindest friend anyone could ever have!" Shelly exclaimed in an embarrassed tone, holding one of her own cheeks, giving you a smile as you blushed softly at her words.

🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣 🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖

Brightney, Teagan and Tisha, who were not far away and could hear the conversation between the two of you, felt themselves cringe at the words being exchanged, starting to whisper between them.

"Are the two of them still in this 'best friends' thing?" Brightney whispered to the other two girls, who seemed to sigh.

"Unfortunately, yes, dear! I don't understand how the two of them haven't realized their feelings for each other yet. It's just so obvious!" Teagan spoke in a soft, almost worried tone, looking at the two of you out of the corner of her eye before continuing.

"The other day, at one of my tea parties, those two seemed to be "flirting" with each other non-stop! But in the end, I don't think even they knew they were flirting with each other!" Teagan whispered in a somewhat indignant tone, but soon gave a small sigh, shaking her head.

"Well, you have to say that those two are totally adorable together, don't you? Think of it as a flower blooming!" Tisha whispered, giving a small smile as she fixed her own dress.

"I guess… but I hope they realize their feelings for each other sooner… I'm starting to think about becoming a cupid or some kind of matchmaker if that doesn't happen soon." Brightney said with a small nervous smile.

"What you say, friend!" Tisha said with a small smile, soon giving a laugh followed by Teagan.

🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣 🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖

"Space is so big, too! Imagine if they ever discovered the existence of aliens? So cool!" You exclaimed, earning a nod from Shelly.

"That would be cool, I guess! Oooh! Imagine if they could revive a dinosaur? It would be so cool to see one up close!" Shelly said dreamily, making you laugh softly.

"Oooh! Imagine if we could have a star? A pet one— Like Pebble! Aww I wish I had a star so bad!" You said dreamily, then pouted a little, making Shelly give you a soft smile.

"But you have a star! Right here! Look!" Shelly exclaimed, giving you a big smile, which you gave her a confused look.

"Where? I don't see it!" You said in a confused tone, looking around a little, trying to find the star she was talking about.

"Here!" Shelly exclaimed, gently cupping your cheeks in her hands and giving you a quick kiss on the cheek, making you blush.

"I still don't get it…" You spoke in a confused tone, making the shell let out a small giggle, starting to get her own cheeks flushed now.

"You are the star, silly!" Shelly exclaimed, giggling and giving you a small "boop" in the middle of your face, making you gasp a little.

"Awww Shelly… YOU are the sweetest star anyone could ever have!" You spoke in an adoring tone, wrapping your arms around Shelly's form, bringing her closer to you in a hug that she returned as you gently rubbed your cheek against hers.

🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣 🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖ℝ𝕒𝕨𝕣🦖

"I also hope they can accomplish it soon…" Tisha whispered to Brightney and Teagan feeling a drop of sweat running down the side of her face.

[synity]

Hiii just wanted to check in to see if you're okay! How did the surgery go ? Is there anything else to worry about or also needs treatment ? Are you completely healed or still in the process / is it a long term thing ? I hope you're okay and will come back to us soon ❤️❤️❤️

Another update, guys 🥺🩺

So… I haven’t gotten the surgery yet. A lot’s been happening. I’ve seen a gastroenterologist, a dermatologist, an ORL (ENT), and a general surgeon. Basically, I flew to Turkey last Monday, and had my first appointments on Wednesday.

I started with the gastroenterologist because of my stomach issues I’ve been throwing up a lot, even after drinking water or taking medicine. I was diagnosed with an ulcer back in 2021, and I always assumed everything I’m feeling now was due to anxiety or stress. But the doctor said my symptoms aren’t normal for an ulcer. He explained that before blaming stress or anxiety, they always check with two MRIs one abdominal and one cerebral because you never know.

Then I saw a dermatologist for my skin problems 😭 because my face is way darker than my body, and I’ve been struggling with hyperpigmentation. She gave me a sunscreen and a proper skincare routine to follow fingers crossed 🤞🏽

After that, I saw the general surgeon. He did a biopsy 12 needles in my left breast. He said he’s not sure yet if it’s malignant or benign, but he’s confident it’s not dangerous. What he does know is that it’s big, thick, painful, and needs to be removed, maybe next week.

As for the abdominal MRI the stomach looked clean, but they saw lesions and a lot of blood… and today I found out that I’m gluten intolerant, caffeine intolerant, and I already knew about the lactose 😭 So I’m now forbidden from eating a long list of things including: chocolate, apples, oranges, lemons, pastries, sauces, cream, potatoes, tomatoes, peanuts, bananas, kiwis, garlic, sandwiches, cookies, mango, coconut, peaches, pineapple, guava, jams, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, paprika, ginger, yam, cassava, plantain, meat, fish, beans, lentils, peas, milk, yogurt, cake, oil (except olive oil), butter, margarine, cocoa and more that I for sure forgot about… In short: no fun allowed. 😭

Then came the brain MRI they found a cyst in my brain. They didn’t know where it’s located or what caused it, so I had to see both the dermatologist and the ORL again. If both say it’s clean, then they said it might be psychological. We saw both. They said everything looked fine but the ORL did find another cyst in my nose, which he said I’ve had since birth and it’s harmless. So that means the brain cyst is likely psychological.

That’s it for now. Thank you for reading all of this if you did. Sending love to all of you 💗🤍 I’m trying to stay strong and positive 🙏🏽

[isacksteban]

Eventually — Lawhan Mixed Media AU

Twitch Streamer AU — 1.7k words — @ellearts — masterlist

Jack’s stream had been going for about an hour — the viewers unable to see the state of Jack's grown out buzz cut — and as usual, it was pure calmness. He was wandering around his Animal Crossing island, fixing up little details, chatting with his viewers, and occasionally getting distracted by his villagers.

“This guy— Oh my god, chat, this guy right here,” Jack said, stopping in front of one of his villagers’ houses. “This is the one I was talking about.” The camera panned to a grumpy-looking eagle with a red face and furrowed brows sporting an obviously unimpressed expression. “Chat, you guys can't tell me tell me this doesn’t look exactly like Liam.”

His chat instantly erupted:

“NOOOO NOT LIAM LMAO.”

“WHY DOES THIS ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE HIM???”

"nah ob u wrong asl for that 😭😭"

“You’re so dead when he sees this...”

Jack chuckled, shaking his head as if anyone could see him. “I mean, come on! He’s got the same constant ‘I’m done with you’ expression, the attitude, the whole ‘cool but secretly super cute’ thing going on. It’s uncanny.”

He barely had time to read chat’s reactions before his phone started buzzing. His stomach dropped when he saw the caller ID.

“Oh, no,” he muttered, eyes going wide. “Uh. Hang on, chat.” He muted his mic and answered, keeping his voice casual. “Hey, Li.”

“You cunt,” Liam’s voice came through the speaker, half-scolding, half-laughing. “Are you serious? That’s who you think I look like?”

Jack bit his lip, trying not to smile. “I mean… a little?”

“A little?” Liam scoffed. “Mate, she looks angry all the time. Do I look angry all the time?”

Jack snorted. “LiLi, please be honest with yourself.”

Liam groaned dramatically. “Unbelievable. I thought we had something special.”

Jack was grinning now, his nerves fading as he leaned back in his chair. “We do! That’s why I picked a cool villager. She’s my favourite. Plus, she's tough and kind of intimidating but secretly nice. Like you.”

Liam went quiet for a second, and Jack wondered if he’d pushed his luck. But then Liam sighed, his voice softer when he spoke again.

“You’re lucky I like you,” he muttered, then, after a short pause, added, “It’s okay. I love you anyway.”

Jack’s breath hitched. His grip tightened around his phone as his heart pounded in his chest. He could feel his entire face heating up, and he was suddenly very aware that chat was still waiting.

“I— uh—” He swallowed hard, scrambling for words. “I gotta get back to stream.”

Liam chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. Go tell your chat I’m not actually that grumpy.”

“No promises,” Jack muttered, hanging up before Liam could say anything else.

He muted and quicky unmuted his mic, realizing that he hadn't actually gone on mute in the first place and immediately, chat was going insane.

“DID HE JUST SAY ‘I LOVE YOU’????”

“OB AND KIWI??? HELLO????”

“HE LOVES YOU ANYWAY??? BOYFRIENDS CONFIRMED.”

"WHY ARE YOU GUYS IGNORING OB CALLING HIM LILI IM CRYING."

Jack groaned, burying his face in his hands. “I— chat, we’re not talking about that.”

Which, of course, only made them talk about it more. And if Jack spent the rest of the stream avoiding the subject completely, well… no one could blame him.

The moment Jack ended the stream, he didn’t even bother shutting everything down properly. His hands were shaking as he grabbed his phone — he really needed to get back on his anxiety meds — scrolling through his recent messages until he found Liam’s name. He hesitated for half a second before hitting the call button, pressing the phone to his ear as his heart pounded.

Liam picked up almost immediately. “Took you long enough.”

Jack let out a shaky laugh. “I— Liam, what the hell was that?”

“What was what?” Liam replied innocently, though Jack could hear the smirk in his voice. “Me scolding you for comparing me to a permanently pissed-off eagle? Or the part where I told you I love you?”

Jack inhaled sharply. His entire body felt warm, and his brain was scrambling to keep up. “Yeah. Uhm, That part. I mean like I guess friends tell eachother they love them like— like me and Lance do that it's just... you... you've never—”

There was a pause before Liam spoke again, quieter this time. “Did it freak you out?”

Jack shook his head quickly, even though Liam couldn’t see him. Of course Liam couldn't see him, he never had. “No. Just… surprised me.”

Liam hummed on the other end of the line, the sound low and thoughtful. “Yeah? Surprised you how?”

Jack exhaled slowly, trying to gather his thoughts. He didn’t know how to explain it — how his heart had practically jumped out of his chest when Liam had said that so casually, like it was the most normal thing in the world. Like Jack wasn’t going to be replaying it in his head for the next month.

“I dunno,” Jack admitted, gripping the edge of his desk. “I just… I guess I didn’t think you were the type to say that.”

“To say what? That I love you?” Liam asked, and Jack swore he could hear the smirk in his voice.

Jack groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. “Li.”

“What?” Liam laughed, the teasing lilt in his tone making Jack’s stomach flip. “It’s a perfectly normal thing to say. You just said you and Lance do it.”

“Yeah, but—” Jack hesitated, trying to find the words. “It’s different with you.”

The silence that followed made Jack wish he could shove the words back into his mouth. His face burned, and his heartbeat felt deafening in his ears.

Liam was the first to break it. “Different how?”

Jack swallowed hard. “I... Nevermind, I don’t know.”

That wasn’t true. He did know. It was the way Liam’s voice always lingered in his mind, the way he caught himself checking his phone more often just to see if Liam had messaged. It was how, on the nights they stayed up too late talking about nothing and everything, Jack found himself wishing he could actually see him, feel him, be with him — just once.

But none of that was something he could say out loud.

Liam didn’t push. “Guess I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said after a moment, his voice light but softer than before. “Or I’ll just assume you’re flustered.”

Jack scoffed. “I’m not flustered.”

“Sure, mate,” Liam said, clearly amused. “Anyway, you never answered my question.”

Jack frowned. “What question?”

“Did it freak you out?”

Jack hesitated for half a second before answering. “No.”

“Good,” Liam said simply.

That was it. No teasing remark, no attempt to pry. Just good. Jack let the word settle in his chest, warm and steady.

Liam yawned on the other end, and Jack could hear the faint rustling of blankets. “I should let you go,” Liam mumbled. “You’ve had enough of me for one night.”

Jack rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “Doubt that’s possible.”

There was a pause, then a soft chuckle. “Yeah?”

Jack bit the inside of his cheek, suddenly feeling way too exposed. “Shut up.”

Liam laughed, and Jack could hear the exhaustion in it. “Alright, alright. Night, Outback.”

“Night, Liam,” Jack murmured, listening for the soft click as Liam hung up.

Jack sat there for a long moment, staring at his screen, his fingers twitching like they wanted to call Liam back. Instead, he leaned forward, rubbing his hands over his face.

Different how?

Jack still didn’t have an answer. Or maybe he did, and he just wasn’t ready to admit it.

outbacksprout

liked by theflyingdutchman, kkofficial, and 22,148 others

outbacksprout i was born to be australian

view all 974 comments

maplemarauder ob u are australian??

outbacksprout exactly :3

maplemarauder ur so stupid

kkofficial is your house a semi-circle??

outbacksprout dont ask questuons..

user kiss liked by kkofficial

kkofficial✅️

liked by outbacksprout, landologs, and 49,680 others

kkofficial when in auckland...

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user be naked??

landologs where yo clothes at...

kkofficial 😈

landologs blocked.

outbacksprout skincare!! >-< liked by hannahstjohn

kkofficial it burned...

outbacksprout oh its not supposed to do that.. :(

Jack hadn’t meant to spiral.

It started innocently enough — just scrolling through Instagram while lying on his couch, aimlessly checking notifications. He wasn’t even paying full attention until he saw it:

hannahstjohn liked your comment.

Jack blinked at the name, his stomach twisting with a weird sense of familiarity. He vaguely recognized it — he was sure he’d seen it pop up in Liam’s likes before — but he’d never really thought about it, hundreds of people liked all of Liam's posts. She was different.

Curiosity got the best of him. He tapped on her profile, expecting — what? He wasn’t sure.

Her page was public. That made it worse.

The first few pictures were harmless — polished selfies, beach sunsets, aesthetic coffee shots. But the more Jack scrolled, the more uneasy he felt.

Because there he was. Liam.

In photo after photo, standing beside her with his arm slung casually around her shoulders, both of them grinning like they had the world figured out. As if they were eachother's world.

Jack’s stomach dropped.

One picture in particular made his fingers freeze. A sunlit, golden-hour shot of Liam kissing her cheek, her smile wide and radiant. The caption?

“Home.”

Jack’s chest felt tight. He didn’t even realize he’d stopped breathing until he exhaled, forcing himself to keep scrolling, to find something — anything — that told him he was overreacting. He had to be, he hadn't even met Liam in person so he had to have been being overdramatic.

Maybe they were old photos. Maybe they weren’t even dating. Maybe Liam had just never thought to bring her up.

But then there was another post, barely a month old — a blurry mirror selfie of them tangled up together on a couch, Liam half-asleep against her shoulder.

Jack’s mouth went dry.

His phone suddenly felt too heavy in his hands, like it was pressing down on his chest. He locked the screen and tossed it onto the couch beside him, staring at the ceiling.

He wasn’t stupid. Liam had never said anything about being into guys. He had no reason to. Jack had never even asked.

But still. He thought about the late-night calls, the teasing, the easy way Liam said I love you anyway like it meant nothing.

And now, all Jack could think was: Of course it meant nothing.

His chest ached in a way he didn’t quite know how to name. In a way it hadn't ached in years and he hoped it never did again.

[adafrogg]

Stairs

Today he comes back from his errands in town with a kiwi. Standing for a moment at the counter next to the sink, he frets aloud about whether or not you’d like it peeled. This is after he puts away the other things he’s brought from town. He always does things in the same order, setting the sacks down in a neat row on the counter and then moving from right to left as he puts each thing away. From your enclosure you watch as he passes back and forth in the squared blot of light, inset in gloomy wood paneling, that is the pass-through window you always hated. The rust Carter-era carpet stinks but the sea smells nice through the propped open door.

Cabinet doors open and close, he runs water in the sink. He hums and murmurs as he works at these little tasks. He always was a man of happy little sounds, often speaking aloud to you or your neighbor the tarantula Estelle, who does not understand English and who fears him except when he feeds her a scattering of crickets and then she is not afraid because it wakes a hunger in her and then there is only that. She is all the way a spider now and spiders only know one thing at a time.

Once everything is put away except for the kiwi in his hand, an eggplant, and a small bottle of brandy and a small bottle of maple syrup that resemble each other, he approaches you with a slice of the fruit in his hand. At the center of it it is white, shaped a little like Our Lady of Guadalupe outlined not in gold rays but a wheel’s spoke of tiny black seeds. From that to the furred brown coat radii of the lushest green. Noisily he slides the top from your enclosure and offers it down to you. You feel the sluggish, satisfying stretch of your neck towards it, your head with its upper muzzle pointed like an eggtooth; you feel yourself blink with stately slowness your red-ringed sagacious eyes. Then you pierce the fruit with your little beaked mouth and use your mandible and tongue to tug it from his fingers and work it down and down and down into your belly. It’s ok. It’s sourly syrupy, a taste somehow echoing the green green of its flesh. Its rough brown skin you like better, the feel of its tiny coarse hairs in your no-longer-teeth. You are glad he did not peel it.

“Would you like some more?” He asks.

No. You withdraw your head partway and give him another sedate blink to signify your demurral.

“All right then,” he laughs gently. “Would you like to go out in the yard for a bit?”

Carefully he carries you out and sets you in the long grass, the gentle sun, just in front of where the flowerbed used to be. Now beneath the fat, untidy coil of the garden hose are heaped bright beach toys for your grandchildren when every other weekend they come. The sand mold in the shape of a turtle is overturned and in it rain water shines. He’s brought out a book and a little glass of brandy too, and before he takes a sip he looks down at you, smiling.

Around his gray eyes his crows’ feet deepen. He is too young for his eyes to crinkle so, to sit so deep in sallow bags. You are inclined to blame it on the divorce. But then again, even as a baby, even the very day he was lifted from your slit belly and laid on this side of the raised sheet on the other side of which the surgeons moved like angels, his eyes were slyly half-shut like he knew things; he already had somehow the face of someone grown. More like you than his father he looked, but really most like your own mother, who died suddenly when he was in your belly.

Maybe they met on the stairs, your father said. You didn’t understand what he meant, then. You only knew she was nowhere, a great plunging suck of space where she’d been. A great grief and the great gladness of the child in your arms, each not diminishing the other. But now you understand: there is beneath things a great and crowded stairway of dimming faces, shiftings, left-handed mercies. All the way up, all the way down. Not turtles but stairs.

Someone rides by on a bike and rings a bell and calls out to him and he calls out back. The very first edge of evening appears out beyond where you can see but you feel it and as though called you begin your thoughtful creep to the edge of the grass, toward the bright warm river of the gravel drive. Every evening you do this. And every evening, before you can make it there, he picks you up and carries you back again to rest in the cooling grass at his feet.

[ask-robokasa-and-rui]

Lore post//

A day later, Rui and Minori went to work together.

Rui! You seem more tired than usual...I mean I can't really blame you...

Hm...

With you finding out about all this-

Hm...

And that me and Kanade are together-

Hm...

And the history of Tsukasa's maki-Are you even listening to me!?

Zzz...

RUI!!!

Ah!! I'm awake!!!

You better be! We have another busy day!

Again...?

Yep! We have two idols getting interviewed here!

Aaaauuuuuugh...I don't want to run around to make sure thing are right and fast...

TOO BAD!!! Besides! This place doesn't get enough customers! So these things are big opportunities for us!!

Okay whatever...

Say, why didn't Tsukasa come?

I wanted him to be alone so he can figure out his "new emotions"...

How Rui thinks he'll handle them:

Okay! So I need to boil the noodle...but how does that work if there isn't any water? Oh I need to boil the water and then put the noodle in! Silly me! Okay then! Let's boil some water!! Flame thrower arm! DON'T FAIL ME NOW!!!

Tsukasa has a flame thrower arm?

No but it would be cool if he did.

Aw man...

Oh! Uhh Rui...?

Don't tell me it's almost time for the idols to come...

....

....

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!!!!!

WE HAVEN'T EVEN PREPARED ANYTHING!!!!

WE'RE SCREWED!! WE'RE GONNA GET FIRED!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!

Hello?

AH-!!!!

Oh hehehe...hello we didn't see you two there...akward....

Remember us?

Uhhhhhhhhhhh....

The singers...we once came here...

Oh! Kohane and An right?

Yep!

Well sorry to say but we can't really serve you two...we have two idols coming here for an interview!

Oh! Shizuku and Airi?

Right!

Oh we know them! They're like the sweetest people! Well...at least Shizuku is...

Ah...

Don't worry! They're not the type to eat a billion things! I'm sure your work will be the easiest today!

Please don't jinx it...

After an hour or so, the two idols arrive at the diner

AAAAAAAAaaand we're back again in "My interviewee!" Today we have the one and but not only, Sizuku and Airi!!

Helloo!! It's your girl! Airi!!!

Hi there...Shizuku is here!

Well then!! Why don't we order before our interview starts?! WAITER!!!

Gah-!! Hehehe! H-H-Hello! What can I get for you two?

What sweets do you guys have?

Uhh we have Daifuku, Dorayaki, Mochi, Macarons, Cupcakes, Cookies! But for larger sweetswe have Tiramisu, Pancakes, Waffles, etc.

Which one should we get?

How about some Dorayaki?

AAAAAAaaalright!! Twenty Dorayakis!!

T-Twenty?!

Ma'am...Isn't that...

I'll be back with your order!

Ah...

Back in the room.

Alright, so we need to get twenty Dorayakis!

Ah, at least it's something we don't need to do from scratch!

Yeah...

A few minutes later...

So idols! Now that our Dorayakis are here! Why don't we start with some questions from your fans!?!?

Alright! Let's take a look!

First question!

I thought idols usually ear the bare minimum when it comes to food...

Well it's kind of needed for them to have more on camera! To hide stuff ya know?

How do you know that?

Haha! Oh! You know! I'm obsessed with idols.

Ah-

Have you ever had a loved one die?!

Hm?

...!

A loved one die? That's a strange question...but no! I lost my dog once but he came back...!

...

What about you Airi?!

Well...yes. I had a dear friend of mine die...it was a long time ago...when the whole massacre thing was happening...I had a fairly small friend group back then...her death caused me to lose them too...They were...Haruka, Asahi and Tsukasa...

...?! Tsukasa-?!

Shhh!!!

Now tho! We shouldn't break the mood now! Onto the next question!

She...she knew Tsukasa? Well- the human one I assume...If that's so...I'll have a little talk with her when she's done with her interview...

Tags: @aspenii @bobcross1010 @blankblyke @mizuribbons @mai-mai-mai @kusanagi-nene-official-mod @kiwi-does-stuff @scodscod @delartz @m4r1y4m

[hcdragonwrites]

Epilogue ( @journey-to-the-au Fic)

This is what happens at the end of Tea trouble. It’s just short but it’s because I wanted to write fluff and cuddles and warmth.

The sun sank slowly into the sea, painting that great swath of liquid to fire. Willow felt the soft weariness sneak into her face as finally, finally her family mounted their heavenly steeds and kept back into the sky. The stars were beginning to appear in the darkening night. Gold, wood, water and fire. They marked the sky with their light as she waved her sisters goodbye.

From the mouth of babes came a second peace, a second chance. Lychee had offered the peach and Winter had taken a bite from it. An exchange and a wave of apologies. Willow had spent that time swapping tales and trading secrets of her home. Of her mountain. With her sisters. They listened attentively. They touched her hand- sought comfort and reassurance they had not lost her forever in their callous remarks. Willow reassured, reaffirmed and rebounded with each of her sisters.

She was exhausted. Willow sighed, itching her scalp. Her hairpins still bothered her, and her clothes felt too heavy. She wanted nothing more then to sleep for a fortnight. Anger was an emotion Willow rarely dove into, rarely utilized and unleashed. Calm rage? Yes. Anger that blinds like this one did ? No. It left her feeling achy and tired and o so sensitive to her skin.

Willow sighed. She was so thankful to the fruit troop, to Pear and Apple, Pomelo and Mulberry. And Lychee. The bravest little mischief maker ever. The first to offer a olive branch to her sisters and to forgive them. No one will talk that way to them ever again.

For now as the sun cast itself into the sea Willow felt her final strength ebb and fade with its light. She took a step back to rebalance herself —

Great large furred arms swung her up and over broad shoulders. She squealed in surprise as Wukong raised her up, growing in size himself.

“WILLOW!” He practically roared as the rest of the mountain followed suit. Thousands of the troop came racing forward, pressing close and reaching up to her from the spot on Wukongs shoulders. The rest of them were crowing and hollering and screaming. Calling her name.

“Gather the softest pillows and blankets ! The night will hold for us all- set the guards to chasing any beasts out of the groves. Light the fire pits! And everyone GATHER YOUR FAVORITE FRUIT!” Willow heard the roar of the crowd as they thundered off. Hammocks were pulled between trees, bundles of blankets and pillows and downy things were dragged and set down in the field. Monkeys lit the fire pits that lined the clearing, the great orange light casting dancing shadows as the sun continued its decent. Willow saw the troop laugh and chortle as they brought fruits out. A veritable second feast of food. Kiwis, grapes, oranges, watermelons, melons and nectarines.

Wukong kept Willow on his shoulders. Willow was too tired to ask why or deny the outward pouring of love from her earthen family. This was just the way they heaped support and love onto her. A veritable jungle of nests and hammocks, of blanketed caves and soft spots to lay soon covered the grass all around.

To tangle and tug and touch was the Monkey way of showing love. Willow sighed, laying against her husbands very soft and large head.

“What did I do ? It was all my fault.”

“Hush you I won’t hear you taking the blame for others ever again.” Wukong admonished. Several of the troop had gathered nearby, dragging a forest of bedding and plush to make nests and enjoy the night. Wukong set himself down in the thick of the troop, taking Willow up off his shoulders and into his lap. His tail coiled around her a hand against her middle. The giant monkey practically swamped her as he chirped and cooed, crooned and kissed her temples and nose.

“Wukong don’t swallow her!” Ba admonished. Willow peered from between the fur of Wukongs neck. She felt like a chick beneath a mother hen, completely covered and warm. She saw Ba setting up a little nest beside them. Beng was busy swinging Pomelo and Mulberry about-throwing them into pillows that bounced them slightly in the air.

“Save some for the rest of us please.” Ba snorted. Lychee was seated on Chestnuts shoulders talking his mothers ear off about his day and how he and his friends had gotten Little Weaver Girl to braid them flower crowns. He still wore his on his brow, eyes bright. They two set their bedding and nesting material down beside them.

“Are we all sleeping out beneath the stars ?” Willow asked. Wukong didn’t say yes with words. He was too overcome with an emotion, a puff of pride that expanded his chest. Here was his Willow Tree. The strong women who had been betrothed to him but had chosen him- heart and soul. Willow who had turned Huaguoshan into a protected area. Willow who had stalwartly sat beside him when he had been burning and boiling and close to madness inside that bronze prison. Willow who had bravely offered herself to the Imposter to save the rest of his family. And it had been Willow again who had chosen his people and family, his friends and loved ones, and had brought to heel celestial who thought they could talk down to him and what was his.

Whatever I did - whatever luck shot through my sky and made my stone sentient - I am glad it made me in time to be with her.

“Yes princess.” He softly whispered to her. “You defended all of us yet again. You brilliant warrior.” For she was a warrior. Not of blades or fists or claws of teeth. Words were her weapon and she used them brilliantly. More accurate then an arrows fall, she pierced Huaguoshan enemies with no bloodshed.

If I had met her when I was seeking my enlightenment … before I sought Heavens recognition… he wondered. Would his life have gone on a entirely new path? Wukong mussed her hair with his teeth, nibbling until she tapped his jaw in play.

His friends settled about them and the rest of the troop began to visit Willow, offering food and comfort. The little bundle of baby fruits ran across the clearing. They had been hero’s and they didn’t even know it.

Wukong lay curled over and around Willow like some large languid cat, tail tucked possessively about her. He became larger still, letting the little fruits climb onto his back in their play. Rin Rin came forward and Wukong allowed her to take Willows hair down, to groom and to ease her scalp.

Rin Rin heard the story as Wukong, Ba, Liu and Beng recounted it. They were now all here against Wukongs side, grooming and offering fruits or each other, to Willow. The love was a warm glow in the night , a glow that came from within and rivaled that of the dying sunlight. Ba kept off his pranks and offered Willow sour green grapes- and his deepest vows of loyalty. Wukong snorted happily, a large hand gently scratching along Willows back. Beng checked their little word warrior over and then gave her a single hardy shake. Ma was blubbering with Rin Rin who simply held on and brushed Willows hair out. Liu bowed and offered his own vows of loyalty- setting Ba to trying to outdo him.

Wukong waited till the stars were bright in the sky, the moon rising now to cast her silver light to whisper and speak praise and words of love. He wanted to drown her in the emotion that beat in his chest. It was a glow as steady as the sun and as wild as the world. It was not the same love Rin Rin or Liu or Ba or Chestnut Or Beng Or Ma experienced.

Forever and always. I will See her days filled with joy and peace. I will topple the very pillars that hold this world up to give her that. Wukong watched her burrow into his side, fingers curled in his fur. He looked to the sky, to the Heavens. To beyond that- to the cosmic sphere of reality. The universe beyond the Heavens.

“Thank you for making her. She’s perfect.” Words failed. Perfect was so silly of a word. Willow was more then perfect. She was victorious, stalwart, kind, compassionate, a stone to rest his back against and the shade that hid him from the burning sun.

“I will keep you. Forever. Until the very definition of eternity crumbles. Thank you Willow, for filling my days with your love.”

Wukong kissed her temple and pulled her into his warmth, pulling several of his with her. Tails and hands, feet and limbs all intercrossed and overlapped. They were tangled, intertwined like the roots of a tree. Grounding the willow tree they all loved to their earth, to their mountain.

[just-sarah--things]

Alex and Henry fic prompt:

Henry references having shagged other famous boys. Once he’s been publicly outed the press and fan accounts become pretty convinced he was once secretively involved with a pop star and some of his most famous songs about love, heartbreak and sex were inspired by Henry. Alex gets self conscious listening to the old songs that are more explicit about what people assume is Henry’s body and sex life thinking that this pop star was a better lover than Alex himself because Henry is the only man he’s really been with. Alex says Henry is the best sex he’s ever had but isn’t sure if the same is true for Henry with him

Here we go... I tried my best and I Hope you Enjoy. Feel free to send Feed back, more requests, reblogs, likes, and shares. Sweet Creature

“Once unsuccessfully” These words have been floating around Alex’s head since the moment Henry had said them, and now Alex was finally ready to find out who.

“Hen, just tell me already.” Alex begs “Does it really matter Alex?” “No” he huffs “But I am curious” Alex looks at Henry with a big grin. This gets Henry to look up from his book, “Alex all that matters is that I love you and you are my life now.” “What if I guess.” Alex proposes Henry rolls his eyes and returns to his book “Sam Smith” “Robbie Williams” “Tom Daley” “James Blunt” “Lewis Gibson” Henry keeps his eyes focused on his book but continues to shake his head no that is until “Harry Styles” Henry Looks up and is frozen in place, he can’t believe that Alex actually started guessing and guessing correctly nonetheless. “No Fucking way” Alex mutters “It doesn't really matter Alex.” Henry States returning to his book. They spend the rest of the night lazing around the brownstone. Henry reading away and Alex trying to study but his mind can only focus on one thing. His Henry with Harry Styles. The next morning Alex wakes up earlier than Henry and decides he needs a run to clear his head. He mindlessly scrolls through Spotify to listen to during his run. His thumb lingers over the “This is Harry Styles” Playlist he hits shuffle and starts his run. He listens to the first couple songs without really thinking about it, that is until the song Golden starts playing . And when the lyric “I know that you're scared because hearts get broken”  blares through his airpods. He knows this is about his Henry, or should he say Harry’s Henry. Alex shakes this thought and continues to run. Before he knows it he is listening to the lyrics again and hears the song Kiwi and can’t help but think about Henry and the lyric “and all the boys saying they were into such a pretty face on a pretty neck… hard candy dripping on me till my feet are wet, and now he’s all over me…” and the next song that plays only makes Alex more self conscious about his performances in bed. Only Angel is now playing and he can only Imagine Mr. Styles writing the lyric “That he's gonna be an angel, just you wait and see

When it turns out he's a devil in between the sheets And there's nothing he can do about it.” Alex has had it with this Harry Styles Bullshit. He is running as fast as  he can back to the brownstone. Just as he is coming up the walkway to the house one last song catches his attention. Falling now floats softly through his ears as he takes a seat on the front stoop. The opening lyric stops him dead in his tracks. “I'm in my bed, And you're not here, And there's no one to blame but the drink in my wandering hands.” And in that instant Alex realizes that Mr. Styles cheated on Henry, Sweet Perfect Loving Henry, his Henry. And while some of his insecurities slip away because he knows he will never want anyone but Henry and if he did change his mind he would never in a million years think about cheating on him. When Alex walks in he sees Henry is up, already reading his book and sipping on some tea. Alex gives him a kiss on the head and mutters something about running to clear his head and that he needs to shower. Henry decides not to ask to join him and just nods in agreement knowing he will be back soon. Soon turns into ten minutes, then twenty, then thirty, forty five and at the Hour mark Henry goes to investigate. When he walks in the bedroom he sees Alex blankly staring at the ceiling and dried tears on his cheeks, and he knows something is bothering Alex but he isn't sure how to breach the subject. At first he leans in the doorway fiddling with his ring just waiting to see if Alex will notice his presence. When he doesn't Henry clears his voice and Alex is startled to see him there. Alex is Confused all over again. How can someone as wonderful as Henry go from being with (dating? he wonders) Harry Styles to just Alex plain old Alex. 

“Hi” Henry finally mutters, breaking the silence between each of them. 

“I think we need to talk,” Henry says. Alex just nods because what can he say. How can he compete with him?“I have a feeling I know what's on your mind but, can you please let me in that beautiful head of yours?” “How are you even satisfied with me? I hardly knew who I was when our relationship started let alone know what I was doing in our bedroom. How can I compete with someone who called you a devil in the sheets. How do you want plain old Alex when you can have a world famous pop sensation or anyone for that matter.” “Oh Alex, You are not just some plain old Alex. You are Alex Clairmont-Diaz, a mouthful, but you are mine and I wouldn’t change a thing.” “But-” Alex starts “No buts, I am flattered you think those songs are about me, and maybe they are but I only know for a fact that one of them is.” “Is it-” “I walked in on him, he was with someone else.” Henry finishes “Baby, I am so sorry.” “That’s what makes you more than just Alex, you have honesty, honor, and integrity. And to me that means more than what any super star can provide. Plus you are the best I’ve ever been with.” “How so?” Alex questions “It's different when you are with someone you love and someone that loves you back.”

[anaisimoo]

wintertime relay race

hello, @protectingourfuture! i am your secret santa in @codesecretsanta's game and, before you start reading, i need to make two things clear: one, i never understood how timezones work, so i really hope i'm posting this on time. two, english is not my first language, so i hope you can forgive any awkward mistakes.

i really, really hope you like it!! i had a lot of fun writing for you.

As soon as the last kernel popped inside of Yumi’s microwave, a timer set off inside her head. She almost slammed the door shut, using the very last second to yell out.

“Maïtena from school left her books here! It’ll just be a minute!” Her backpack, with all her books, of course, rested unopened on top of her bed.

Her thick boots kept her from slipping on the icy pavement that led to the academy — she even dared to glide across it, just as she’d done that very morning. When she crawled under the gate, through the growing space almost hidden by the brushwood, she couldn’t help but stiffen a laugh.

“Already the second time I have had to sneak in here today…”, she explained to Jeremie. The boy, in the warmest of his brown pyjamas and beige wellingtons to match, looked down upon her with the question tinting his face. She hadn’t even put on a coat, and, from Jeremie’s perspective, she was just a face and an arm blossoming from the snowy hedges — undoubtedly for him, too much of a cold and uncomfortable position to laugh in. “They should just turn this into an official entrance.” And with the proposition, a wave goodbye and a carried-out exchange, the girl disappeared under the bushes the same way she had appeared.

Jeremie started now his sprint, bag in his hand. He seemed confident enough for the first few turns, or perhaps too focused on not getting caught to notice his own exhaustion, but as soon as he crossed the finish line —the threshold of the dorms’ building— he allowed himself a quick breath. The popcorns were certainly colder than when he’d gotten them, where they were already lukewarm at best, with the horrible weather, rather than his running stamina, being to blame. He climbed carefully up the stairs, his soaked boots threatening to make him slip at any second, and finally made his way to his room. Quickly, he disposed of his boots and donned warm socks, leaving the popcorn bag on top of his tower all the while. It had been running one of its many test programmes for Aelita’s materialization all evening, and its heat could very well cook the popcorn itself. When he grabbed them again, the bag, at the very least, was considerably warmer.

He then knocked on the door a few rooms down, where he was greeted by a boy with eyebags as dark as his hair. Without the need to exchange a word, luckily for both of them, he turned the popcorn in and marched away towards the warmth of his room, or, perhaps, that of the showers. Either way, Ulrich dismissed him with a playful military salute and turned to his own ordeal.

“Was that the priest, Ulrich? Please, tell me he was here to give me the last sacraments…” A voice moaned inside his room.

“For the last time, Odd, you have a cold. It’s not even the flu or anything, you were just fine while fighting this very morning!” He retorted.

“Oh… Fighting… How I miss it… Do you think I’ll be able to go back to Lyoko ever again?”

The voice came from under a suffocating mountain of blankets and heating pads. One could have had trouble recognizing it if they hadn’t spent the entire evening answering to its requests and wailing. As the only answer to his question, Ulrich threw himself on top of the blankets and ignored the “ouch!” and the canine cry that came out.

“Jeremie brought Yumi’s popcorn. Now move over and tell Kiwi to do the same, I want to watch the movie as well.”

Grumbling, the entire mass of cloth rolled over, offering a single breach for Ulrich to crawl in. The tiny space, already populated by one sick Odd and an equally ailing Kiwi, would have been too hot to bear for almost anyone who hadn’t spent the last nights at Kadic Academy. Despite everyone’s complaints about the cold, Delmas had stated that he wasn’t going to turn the heating on until the first day of winter, which was still a few days away. Thus, Ulrich couldn’t help but be grateful about the sweat that started coating his forehead as soon as he opened the popcorn. He took a handful of them before turning the bag to his starving friend.

“What are we watching?”, he then asked.

“I don’t know”. Odd shrugged and blew his nose into one of the blankets. “Some war film.”

“You really are sick”, exclaimed Ulrich. Odd hadn’t bothered to explain the plot from beginning to end, stopping only to point out every movie he knew every actor from and then explaining the plot to that movie, “some war film” felt to him as a confirmation that the world was ending.

He placed his palm against Odd’s forehead, trying to feel any possible signs of a fever. Odd let himself lean on the hand, as if almost falling asleep on it —the unusual comfort of his friend’s hand was certainly soothing— and it was now Ulrich’s time to joke.

“’Some war film’ sounds incredibly boring”, he said, hiding a half smile. “We might as well watch that new Polar Express movie again.”

Odd seemed to come back to life for a second.

“Over my dead body! I find motion capture animation disturbing, Ulrich, you know it!”

“Alright, alright!” Ulrich put his arms up in defence, always pleased to get a rise out of his friend. “And I suppose you don’t want any of those… Clueless, Hearthers versions that have been coming out this year.”

“Not today”, he sighed. “I need to have my full mental powers to appreciate the finesse of most of those.”

“And how about…”

“Ulrich,” Odd cut him off, sounding more serene than he had the entire day “I actually want to watch ‘some war film’.”

“Oh… alright” Ulrich mumbled, almost caught off guard by the apparent and sudden improvement.

“And I’m sick, so you have to watch it as well” he added cheerfully, coughing into the blankets again. “Also, no complaining! You have to pretend you like it.”

And just like that, Odd went back to his cuddling position around Kiwi, who ended up fleeing from the scorching heat after only a few minutes. Ulrich didn’t wait for his friend to complain once more —this time, Ulrich would admit, with the right to do so— before throwing his arm around his shoulders, dragging them closer. Odd had his reddened eyes glued to the screen, breathing in every second of the film; Ulrich, instead, could only look at him, a single question on his mind.

“Have you been blowing your nose on my blanket?”

[shewasverynice]

Fandom: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga) WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

Rating: Explicit 

Major Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Non-Consensual Drug Use

Additional Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence, Blood and Injury, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Drug Use

Categories: F/M, Multi 

Relationships: Takami Keigo | Hawks/Original Female Character(s), Original Character/Other(s) 

Major Characters: Original Characters, Takami Keigo | Hawks, Hero Public Safety Commission, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead

. . . . . ╰──╮꒰ Trick Fraud - Part 1 ꒱ ╭──╯ . . . . .

February rolled up in no time, the winter was beginning to fade. Winters in Fukuoka were never more than mild anyway, but Hawks still hated feeling cold. The sky was mercifully bluer again and the sun was shining and soon enough the winter would be banished fully. Spring would bring a whole new mess of problems, but Hawks didn't want to think about that for now.

He ended up meeting with that fan at her house only two more times before he could admit to her that he wasn't interested in her. She seemed to take it well, but still asked not to see him ever again. That felt fair, but at the same time he felt a little hurt. It wasn't as if he could have anything more with her anyway, but it was also difficult not to grow attached after his experience.

There was also the gnawing issue that the whole act hadn't really been as wonderful as he'd hoped. Not that he blamed her for that; it wasn't her fault. He was the inexperienced one, not her. But nothing has been as intense or as raw as what he'd experienced with Halcyon and that was basically just a drunk hand job. Wing job? What would he even call that?

Worst of all, he and Halcyon were practically at each other's throats for nearly everything lately. He couldn't go a damn day without a shitty comment from her or in the least a rude gesture. He hated her. A lot.

Or at least right now he did. Hawks had a lot of enemies these days, countless people hated him—good and bad. But it was always and only Halcyon that drove him crazy, in more ways than one.

Initially, Hawks was sure this latest rough patch would blow over. It had before, so why not? It seemed that way at first. He held a positive attitude until that intense anger didn't seem to fade from her eyes. The friction between the two didn't seem any softer even after a few weeks. She challenged him at every turn, questioning his strategies and mocking his decisions. Her eyes always seemed to carry a healthy dose of disdain whenever they locked with his, and her words were always sharp, biting with a hint of malice that he still wasn't accustomed to.

Nest seemed to become a battle ground of egos, each of them pushing each other to the limits in every single aspect in every place they ran into each other. In the field? Aggravating. In the gym? Frustrating. Break times? Horrendous. Hell, even in interviews she couldn't resist a chance to make fun of him on camera.

The fans ate that shit up of course. They'd even become a popular hero ship! How the hell that made sense was something Hawks couldn't understand. Even Kiwi and Perplex had gotten in on it and it drove him insane.

"Hey, Hawks," Kiwi had said one day, wearing a garish yellow shirt with the words "The Birdy and Beasts" complete with a drawing of one of his feathers. Kiwi had a grin on, pulling the shirt to show him.

"Where... What..." He'd floundered, his hands aimlessly struggling to find the gesture appropriate just as much as his brain failed at finding words, "Kiwi take that off!"

"What?! No way! This is amazing!" She'd laughed.

It wasn't even the ship that-- no. That wasn't true. It was the ship. It was the whole thing. It was all of it that annoyed him. But then the worst part of all...

“You’re so fucking shit at this, Birdy.”

Halcyon knew he hated that nickname; even Kiwi had stopped using it after he'd asked her to—but Halcyon really, reallyyy stubbornly refused even when he threatened to put her on morning patrols every day.

“Bullshit, Birdy. You don't have the balls.”

She was such a teasing piece of shit too. She would even brush right up against him just to annoy him. That stupid leotard and her stupid thick ass and stupid hips. She was the only one who dared to touch his wings without permission. She knew damn well what it did to him too, so he really should have reported her for sexual harassment.

"Pfft, really? A little touch like that and you're hard? Pervert."

But honestly? What made it even worse? What made this whole mess the worst thing? Hawks was so fucking into it!

Everything about her and even her garbage personality was so addictive. A day without fighting with her felt unsatisfying and he couldn't help but look for her just to at least get a glimpse of that pouty face. It was getting hard to find an excuse to reprimand her or even a reason for why he just happened to show up in places she liked to be.

That didn't even cover how good she could make him feel. That girl he'd had his little fling with just didn't understand it. He'd tried to explain it to her but she was either just too gentle or too hard.

Halcyon, though? Fuck. Why was she so good at it? She had his wings completely figured out after that one encounter. Little swipes of her fingers, blowing cold air onto them, pressing her body against them or even just simply stroking across the ridges. So fucking perfectly capable of driving him completely insane.

Valentine's Day had been a mess. With all the new fans and followers this year, Nest took up a new and fun tradition another hero had brought from working at a more popular agency. Rather than allowing fans to send in chocolates and gifts, the heroes would accept cute little heart stickers and collect them over the course of the day. Fans could stick one on them, as long as it wasn't in an inappropriate place of course, like a little kiss. All the heroes had these cute little thumbnail sized hearts, mostly for the male heroes but some of the others got a few as well, stuck all over their faces and costumes. It was a harmless and fun way to celebrate without overwhelming the agency.

Heron and Hawks stood surrounded by fans on the sidewalk, the former's face completely red and the latter with a lopsided smile. They took the time to greet each of the squealing and excited people, gratefully taking their little hearts. They both had them on their cheeks, jackets and even some on their necks and wings.

"This is so embarrassing," Heron muttered to Hawks.

"Aww, really?" Hawks laughed, gratefully accepting a sticker on his shoulder, "But they like you! I think it's cute."

"I didn't think Hero stuff would be like this," Heron grumbled, giving a weak smile to a girl as she placed a sticker on his forehead, "Like... I knew we'd have to interact with fans but..."

Heron trailed off as both he and Hawks saw their group of fans turn to something new. The boys' smiles dropped when they recognized Tiger as he strode by with a confident grin and an entourage of fans. His leotard was absolutely covered in heart stickers, and the rest of his body was littered with them. He might as well have been dyed pink for the day. Tiger laughed loudly, picking up two girls hanging off his biceps and grinning over his shoulder as more girls snuck the stickers onto his tail.

"Isn't Valentine's Day supposed to be girls giving boys gifts?" Heron said dryly, "What the hell is she doing?"

"Tiger is a guy. Seems fine to me," Hawks said with a shrug, his eyes narrowed, "But uh... I see Halcyon is letting them break the rules." Tiger turned, revealing his barely clothed ass covered in stickers. Hawks sighed, shaking his head.

"Is she doing this on purpose?" Heron asked, glancing at Hawks as some of their own fans flocked to Tiger after seeing them.

"He is absolutely doing this on purpose," Hawks said after turning away from a girl, "Don't acknowledge him. He'll get bored if we just ignore it."

But he didn't get bored.

Hawks totally understood the Valentine's Day assignment, taking the time to let fans see him in-between hero work and speak with them individually when he could. This was good for PR after all! This was something he'd been ready for and was excellent at!

He could definitely ignore the nearly seven foot hunk of furry muscle that just happened to show up wherever he'd stopped to talk to fans. He absolutely could, if said big cocky jerk wasn't constantly antagonizing him until he had to react. Towering over him and directly mocking him in front of everyone was certainly not helping either.

"You jealous?" Tiger said with a toothy smirk, "Worried I get more pussy than you?"

"No?! What?! I get plenty of- you can't-" Hawks stammered in an exasperated whisper with his face flushed, "Tiger! Don't say shit like that!"

"So that's a yes," Tiger mocked, his head tipping back and everything to laugh. He leaned over to whisper, "We both know you're a virgin anyway."

"Actually," Hawks, cleared his throat and puffed his chest out proudly, "I'm not anymore."

Tiger's eyes narrowed, "Bullshit."

"Nah, not bullshit," Hawks grinned, rubbing his fingernails on his jacket and looking at them casually, "Took care of that on my birthday, actually."

"Birthday?" Tiger asked, "When was your Birthday?"

Hawks looked up at Tiger, "In December? I thought you didn't-"

"December what?" Tiger asked.

"... The 28th." Hawks answered after a pause, "Did you uh... Did you not know?"

"No," Tiger said, his gaze looking out over the small crowd that was beginning to gather around the two of them, "No one told me."

Hawks opened his mouth to say something more, but Tiger was already hamming it up for the ladies again. He stared, trying to get a read on Halcyon's-- not Tiger's-- feelings on it but it was so hard to understand what she was thinking. She was enjoying harassing him, that much he figured out, but what was that reaction? Was she legitimately upset she missed his Birthday?

The next time he saw Halcyon, she had swapped from Tiger to become Dragon. On all fours and at full speed she was sprinting after a group of thieves. Her lips were pulled into a feral looking grin and her wings flapped once to lift her up just enough to lunge forward. She turned, her tail whipping forward, and crashed into the group to take them all down into a heap. Before they could get up she opened her mouth and huffed a breath of freezing air around them to keep them in place.

Standing up at her full height she tilted her head then glanced at one of the on-lookers. The man flinched at her cold gaze, taking a step back. With a chuckle she called out over the comms for one of the secretaries to call the cops for her.

"Nice job, Dragon," Hawks called from above, his wings folding behind him as he landed on a light post near her.

She snorted, the cold mist freezing the air in front of her just enough for a few beads of ice to twinkle onto the ground. "Yeah, whatever," she rasped, "Thanks."

Hawks was taken aback. This was the first time she'd thanked him in months! She sat down on the frozen mass of thieves, crossing one leg over the other. Her tail swayed lazily behind her and he couldn't help but notice her eyes flick over to him again before she turned forward to ignore him.

Hawks narrowed his eyes. This was definitely a trap, right? Did she want him to come down there or not? If he did, they'd definitely get into an argument.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair before he hopped down, speeding his wings to slow his descent. Landing lightly, he walked over to her and quickly realized what she was sulking about. Most of her little heart stickers had come off in the chase. The material of her leotard was a bit too smooth and the stickers must have just fallen off when she started to chase.

"Dang, you lost a lot of your hearts," he said softly, kneeling down to pick up a couple of the stickers that littered the ground by her talons, "That sucks. I'm sorry Hal."

She shrugged, still facing away from him, "It's not like it matters anyway."

"Don't be like that," he said with a chuckle, "You were having fun, right?"

"It was only fun to piss you off," she huffed, "It's not like I wanted them."

"Liar," Hawks said, a playful lilt in his voice, "C'mon Hal, I know you enjoyed it." He moved a little closer to her, picking up the little heart stickers like a trail of breadcrumbs before he was kneeling in front of her. Looking up at her, he grinned. She grunted, crossing her arms and glaring down at him.

Hawks chuckled, then reached up and gently pressed a sticker to her scaled arm. She froze as he continued, gently sticking them up her arms and onto her shoulders. He said nothing, only a little huff here and there when a sticker was being stubborn and he had to push a little harder to get it to stay.

When he finished he sat back and grinned at her. "There!" He said, "It's only a few of them, but it's better than losing all of them, yeah?"

Halcyon hesitated, her large, reptilian eyes locking onto his with an intensity that made his breath catch. Slowly, she leaned down and her gaze softened. With surprising delicacy, she peeled a sticker off her shoulder and reached towards Hawks.

His heart pounded in his chest as her clawed fingertips brushed against his lips, placing the sticker there with a gentleness that seemed almost out of place. He could feel the warmth of her touch, a stark contrast to the chill from her icy breath. A blush crept up his neck, spreading across his cheeks.

Halcyon chuckled softly, a sound that resonated deeply. It was a rare, genuine moment of connection between them, untainted by their usual bickering or the chaos of their battles. She straightened, her lithe form casting a shadow over Hawks as the distant wail of sirens grew louder.

The police arrived, the blue and red lights flashing in the distance. Halcyon stood tall, her presence commanding as she watched the officers approach.

As the officers secured the scene, Hawks rose to his feet, still feeling the lingering warmth of Halcyon's touch on his lips. Halcyon turned her gaze back to him, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. For a moment it seemed like she might say something, but she simply nodded before transforming back into her human form, the heart stickers fluttering off of her and onto the ground.

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

In the cozy break room of Nest, the faint hum of the heater created a comforting backdrop as Kiwi, Heron, and Perplex huddled around a screen. They had gathered around Kiwi's laptop, the glow from the screen illuminating their eager faces. The room was dimly lit, the only other light coming from the vending machine in the corner.

Kiwi, with her muscular frame taking up most of the chair, leaned forward, her bushy curly hair framing her excited expression. Heron, perched lightly on the armrest, his long white hair cascading over his shoulders, watched with wide, curious eyes. Perplex, sitting cross-legged on the floor, had her attention fixed on the screen, her usual dry demeanor replaced with a hint of intrigue.

"Check this out," Kiwi said, her tone brimming with anticipation. She clicked play, and the video sprang to life.

The screen displayed a young man with a mischievous grin, his dark hair tousled by the wind. He stood at the edge of a skyscraper, the city sprawling below him. The camera, seemingly attached to a drone, captured the dizzying height and the man's daring stance. He turned to the camera, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Ready for the ultimate thrill?" he said, his voice vibrant and infectious. "Watch this!"

With a whoop, he jumped off the building, and he grinned as he plummeted toward the ground. The view shifted, showing him laughing and spinning through the air, his exhilaration palpable. The city blurred around him, the rush of wind almost audible through the screen. And seemingly with perfect timing he landed in the back of a large truck carrying a load of soft mattresses.

"Oh my god, that's insane!" Heron exclaimed, his yellow eyes wide with amazement. "How does he always pull it off!?"

Hawks, who happened to be walking by, peeked into the dark room. His wings fluttered against his back as he walked behind the chair and watched the video over Kiwi's shoulder with his eyebrow raised.

"I mean, it's definitely staged," he said with a roll of his eyes, "Like, there's no way he could have known that would be there to catch him."

"I dunno..." Kiwi said with a shrug, "I think he's legit this lucky! Check this one out!"

Kiwi switched to another of his videos, this time of the young man racing down a highway on a motorcycle, weaving through traffic with reckless abandon. The camera captured the blurs of cars and the tight turns, the man's laughter a constant soundtrack. He dropped the visor on his helmet, revealing that it was completely blacked out. Somehow, he still managed to keep his speed without even touching another vehicle.

Perplex's eyebrows raised, a rare smile tugging at her lips. "He’s got guts, I'll give him that."

"Yeah but like... It's not real," Hawks said again, "Unless his quirk is, like, super sensitive or something like mine."

He jumped a little as Halcyon scooted under his wing to lean over the chain beside him. After a moment he settled, putting his elbow on her back and leaning over to rest with one foot crossed over the other. He pointed at the video and scoffed.

"It's not real right?" He asked Halcyon, "That's gotta be fake."

"Doesn't look real to me," Halcyon agreed, "I've seen this dude before. He always makes it just in time. There's no way he can pull this off."

Kiwi pulled up another video showing the man scaling a high-rise construction site and parkouring across beams and scaffolding with effortless agility. He paused at the top, the city skyline stretching out before him, and struck a triumphant pose. "Until next time, keep chasing the thrill!" he shouted, the drone camera pulling back to reveal the full scope of his daring feat. He backflipped off the end of the steel beam with a grin revealing that beneath him was a perfectly tiny round pool of water for him to land in.

As the video ended, Kiwi let out a low whistle. "That guy's got some serious nerve. Who is he?"

Heron shook his head, still in awe. "No idea, but he’s amazing. I’d love to have just a fraction of that confidence."

Perplex nodded, her gaze still fixed on the now-blank screen. "He’s definitely something. Wonder what he'll do next."

"Heron you literally have wings," Hawks laughed, "You and I have literally done free falls off the towers. It's not that impressive."

Kiwi barely glanced up, her eyes still fixed on the screen. "But he's so cool, Hawks! He's insane!"

Halcyon leaned over the back of the couch to get a better look when Kiwi restarted the video, her eyebrows raising skeptically as she watched the young man in the video jump off a skyscraper. "That's got to be fake," she said, shaking her head, "No way someone actually does that and lives especially without a flight quirk."

Heron, perched on the armrest, turned to her with a grin. "It's real! Look at how he moves, how he reacts. This guy is a legend."

Hawks crossed his arms, sharing Halcyon's skepticism. "Come on, guys. It's definitely all staged for the views. People do crazy stuff online just for attention."

Kiwi shook her head vigorously, her curls bouncing. "No way, Hawks. This guy is the real deal. You can see it in his eyes. He's genuinely having the time of his life."

Perplex, who had been watching with mild interest, got up and stretched. "Believe what you want. I'm gonna go see Morpho," she sighed. She wandered out of the room, leaving the debate behind.

Hawks furrowed his brow, "Who's Morpho?"

Perplex shrugged, turning back briefly. "Butterfly hero. You've seen him. Big tall guy?"

As Perplex left, Halcyon grinned and followed her, heading towards Morpho's room with a wide smile. Hawks felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to argue with Halcyon. The sight of her grinning at someone else, even an ally, sparked something competitive and stubborn in him.

"You're wasting your time with that video," Hawks said, his voice a bit louder than necessary as he followed Halcyon out, "We should be focusing on real threats, not some internet sensation."

Halcyon turned to him, her grin fading into a challenging smirk. The look on her face told him she knew what he was up to, and it made him nearly shiver. "Maybe you just don't get it, Birdy. Not everything is about serious threats. Sometimes people need a little excitement," she said, her stance suddenly changing just to piss him off.

Hawks rolled his eyes. "Excitement, sure. But this is just reckless. And probably fake," he said, pointing at her.

Heron and Kiwi, still in the break room, continued to gush over the video, their admiration undeterred by Hawks and Halcyon's skepticism. Heron replayed the video, pointing out the daring moves with awe, while Kiwi marveled at the man's confidence.

"He's so cool I love his attitude," Heron said, his eyes shining. "I bet we could learn a thing or two from him."

Kiwi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, maybe we could even incorporate some of his moves into our training. Just imagine the possibilities!"

Back in the hallway, Hawks and Halcyon continued their heated exchange, the playful banter giving way to genuine frustration. Halcyon crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "You know, not everything has to fit into your neat little boxes, Hawks. People are more complicated than that," she grunted.

Hawks threw up his hands in exasperation. "And sometimes people just need to wake up to reality! This guy is probably just a thrill-seeking maniac who’s going to get himself killed," he said, his voice rising.

Halcyon stepped closer, her voice lowering to a dangerous whisper. "Maybe you should try seeing things from another perspective for once."

Before Hawks could respond, the door to the room opened, and Morpho stepped out, his delicate wings fluttering gently. He looked between Hawks and Halcyon with a puzzled expression. "Is everything alright?"

Halcyon grinned at him, the tension in her shoulders visibly easing. "Yeah, just a friendly debate. Right, Hawks?" She said, elbowing Hawks in the chest.

Hawks nodded, though his jaw remained clenched, "Yeah. Just a debate."

As Morpho joined them, Halcyon turned her attention back to him, her expression softening. Hawks watched them interact, a mix of frustration and something deeper gnawing at him. There was no way he was gonna be out shown by a butterfly. There was no way he'd let that happen.

Perplex and Halcyon were deep in conversation with Morpho, who stood quietly, his gossamer wings fluttering slowly with a delicate iridescence. Halcyon's usual sharp edges softened as she talked, her laughter ringing out occasionally. Perplex, with her characteristic dry humor, made a few quips that drew smiles from both Halcyon and Morpho.

Hawks watched from a few steps away, a knot of frustration tightening in his chest. He tried to focus on their conversation, but it was hard to ignore the way Halcyon's hand would occasionally touch Morpho's arm or shoulder as she spoke. Each casual touch felt like a small jab to Hawks' nerves.

"You shoulda seen their face," Halcyon said, her smile warm and genuine, "There's nothing funnier than a dude suddenly coming out of your weird hypnosis to Tiger's ugly mug."

Morpho gave a small, bashful nod, his wings fluttering a bit more rapidly, "It is quite humorous, no? I do very much enjoy it."

Perplex nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It's really funny. I hope you two can team up more often."

Hawks' jaw tightened as he watched Morpho smile softly, clearly pleased with the praise. It wasn't Morpho's fault, he knew that. The guy was just being polite and doing his job. But something about the way Halcyon interacted with him, so effortlessly and openly, made Hawks' blood simmer.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, trying to shake off the feeling of foolishness creeping over him. It wasn't like he had any claim over Halcyon. They were teammates, colleagues, parole officer and parolee technically. The kiss from like three months ago shouldn't mean anything, especially considering Halcyon had dismissed it herself. Or that whole... Wingjob thing...

Still, the sight of her so freely giving her attention to someone else gnawed at him. Hawks took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. He had to get a grip. It wasn't fair to Halcyon or Morpho for him to feel this way. But no matter how much he told himself that, the frustration didn't quite dissipate.

He took a few steps closer, trying to join the conversation without appearing too eager. "Morpho, huh? You've been making waves lately," Hawks said, attempting to sound casual.

Morpho turned to him, nodding respectfully. "Thank you, Hawks. I just try to do my part."

Halcyon glanced at Hawks, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Yeah, he's been a real asset. Maybe you could learn a thing or two from him, Birdy."

Hawks forced a chuckle, though it came out a bit strained. "Maybe I will."

As the conversation continued, Hawks couldn't help but notice every single small touch and shared smile between Halcyon and Morpho. He hated how much it bothered him, hated feeling like a jealous fool. But most of all, he hated the realization that he wanted Halcyon's attention all to himself, and he had no idea what to do about it.

A call crackled over the comms, urgent and demanding: "All available heroes, immediate response needed at the Yamashita Bridge. Possible jumper. Need fast response."

Hawks' attention snapped to the alert, his wings already unfurling. "I'm on it," he responded, shooting a glance at Halcyon.

"Let's go," Halcyon said, her voice laced with determination. In an instant, she transformed into Tiger, her form radiating crackling energy. His long, white hair flowed behind him as he darted forward, nearly matching Hawks' speed with an excited howl.

They arrived at the bridge within moments, the cold winter wind biting at their faces. The scene was tense: a man stood precariously on the edge of the bridge, arms spread wide, looking down at the icy waters below.

Hawks' eyes narrowed as he focused on the man. He felt oddly like he recognized him, but there was also something about the calm, almost playful look on his face that set off alarms in Hawks' mind. "Stay back!" he shouted, trying to get the man's attention. "We're here to help!"

The man turned his head slightly, a grin spreading across his face. Without another word, he leapt from the bridge, his body slicing through the air like a knife. Hawks launched himself after the man, wings beating furiously to catch up.

But as Hawks closed in, the man suddenly shifted his position, slipping through the narrow gap between Hawks' arms with uncanny precision. Hawks' eyes widened in shock as he realized he'd been outmaneuvered.

"Halcyon!" Hawks shouted, looking down.

Tiger, with his enhanced speed and reflexes, was already moving. He darted beneath the plummeting figure, his powerful legs coiled to spring. But the man was too quick. He landed squarely on his back, the force of impact driving her to the ground with a gasp.

Halcyon struggled to catch her breath as her form faded back to normal, the wind knocked out of her. She looked up at the man who now stood calmly on her back, unfazed by the fall. "Who the hell are you?" she snarled, her voice a mix of anger and pain.

The man, chuckled and stepped off her back, dusting off his coat as if nothing had happened. "Just a thrill-seeker looking for some fun," he said, his tone light and mocking.

Hawks landed next to Halcyon, his wings folding in as he glared at the man, "You could have killed yourself, you idiot!"

The man shrugged nonchalantly. "Where's the fun in safety? You heroes really don't know how to live."

Halcyon pushed herself to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury. "This isn't a game," she snapped, "What if you actually died!?"

The man's grin widened. "Exactly. And isn't it thrilling?"

Before Hawks or Halcyon could react, the man bolted, his laughter echoing through the night. Halcyon growled in frustration, her fists clenching. "That guy... I'm gonna kick his ass. Like, a lot."

Hawks nodded, his expression grim, "Something tells me this won't be the last time we see him."

Halcyon looked at him, "What was that? You testing out one-liners?"

Hawks grinned at her, "It was something cool to say though right? Did it make me sound cool?"

"Shut up, Birdy," Halcyon huffed, turning her head away. He still caught that little smile she tried to hide and chuckled to himself.

"Did you see that dude's username or something?" Hawks asked, straightening up again and stretching his wings out as he prepared to take flight again, "Did you see it on Kiwi's laptop?"

"Yeah," Halcyon growled, shifting back into Tiger, "It's fucking Trick Fraud."

Hawks snickered, "What a douchy name." And the two of them took off.

⤶ Prev Main Next ↪

[celestial-thoughts]

room key

Pairing: Rhea Ripley x Bayley, Platonic Bayley & Dakota Kai, background Shayna Baszler x Dakota Kai

Word count: 1.7k

Author's note: set after Raw 3/20/23. thank you so so much to my lovely prism trap anon for the idea for this fic. i am so sorry it took me forever to write it, but i hope you enjoy!

read this fic on ao3 here.

Dakota is smirking at Bayley the moment they step through the curtain backstage. “You okay?” the Kiwi girl asks, raising an eyebrow. “You look a little flushed.”

“I do not,” Bayley insists, but one look at her reflection in a nearby mirror and she realizes that Dakota is right.

“Hey, I’m not saying I blame you,” Dakota says. “She went all in on that pin. I would be flustered too."

Bayley starts to say something, when she suddenly catches sight of Rhea coming around the corner. "Hey, nice job out there tonight," the Aussie woman says, her gaze focused on Bayley. 

"Thanks, you too," Bayley manages to reply without stumbling over her words.

Rhea's lips move into a sly smirk, as she presses a flat piece of plastic into Bayley's palm. Bayley looks down to find a key card for a hotel room, nearly identical to the one in her own bag. "Room 515," Rhea says. "If you're interested."

Bayley wants to ask what Rhea is implying, but Damian calls out to Rhea from the other end of the hallway and Rhea shoots Bayley a final, knowing smile before walking past them to her stablemate.

Dakota giggles, grinning at her teammate. "Shut up," Bayley says through gritted teeth. 

"Are you gonna go?" Dakota asks, even though her smirk clearly says that she knows the answer to her question. 

Bayley shrugs, trying to act casual. "Maybe," she says. 

"You should go," Dakota insists. 

Realizing that Dakota isn't going to drop the subject, Bayley sighs. "I'll think about it," she finally says. "Ready to go?"

Dakota picks up her bag and nods. "Yeah," she says. "I want to call Shayna before it gets to be too late." 

"Any idea if she's going to be on the card at Mania?" Bayley asks as she and Dakota make their way to the arena exit.

Shaking her head, Dakota lets out a sigh. "Nope," she says. "Last I heard, there was talk of adding her and Ronda to the women's showcase match, but it depends on how long Ronda's injury is going to take to heal." 

Bayley gives a sympathetic nod, remembering all too well the feeling of being left off of the biggest show of the year. "How's she handling it?" she asks Dakota. Though Bayley and Shayna haven't worked together much, a friendship began to form between them when Dakota returned alongside Bayley at SummerSlam.

"She's taking the situation better than I expected," Dakota says. "I mean, she's frustrated, of course. But she's holding out hope that things work out." They arrive at the rental car and Dakota climbs into the passenger seat, letting Bayley drive. The car is silent for the first few minutes of the drive, before Dakota speaks up again. "So, are you going to go?" she asks.

Bayley doesn't need to ask what Dakota is referring to. She feels the keycard practically burning a hole in her pocket. "I don't know. Part of me wants to go," she admits. "But I don't know what to expect, or what she wants from me."

Dakota raises an eyebrow. "It's Rhea," she says. "I think you can probably guess." 

"But that's the thing," Bayley says with a sigh. "I don't want Rhea to think of me as just another one-night stand. I'm not saying I necessarily want something serious, but I'm not exactly into the idea of hooking up one night in a hotel room, and then pretending that it never happened." She lets out another sigh as she pulls into the parking lot.

"Who says it has to be about what she wants from you?" Dakota asks. "Just because she's inviting you to her room, doesn't mean you just have to give in to whatever she says. It's about you, as much as it's about her."

Bayley gives Dakota a look. "So you're saying I should try to be in charge?" she asks. "Because I have a feeling Rhea isn't the kind of person who likes to submit to anyone."

"Well, it doesn't hurt to make the suggestion," Dakota says, as they both climb out of the car and grab their bags. She looks at Bayley as they walk into the hotel and cross the foyer to the elevators. "But I can't tell you what to do. You have to decide for yourself." She pauses for a moment, before speaking again. "But ask yourself if you're going to regret not going more or less than you think you would regret going."

So that's what Bayley thinks about as she and Dakota enter the hotel room that they're sharing. It's what she thinks about as she takes off her gear and showers, washes off her makeup and gets dressed in sweatpants and an old t-shirt. 

And it's what she thinks about as she grabs her phone and two room keys, and quietly slips out the door, not wanting to interrupt Dakota, who's on FaceTime with Shayna. Before she has a chance to talk herself out of it, Bayley walks down the hallway to the elevator, goes up two floors, and emerges on the fifth floor of the hotel. She walks down the hall, stopping in front of the room marked with the number 515. 

Is she going to regret doing this? Possibly. But would she regret not doing it? Almost certainly. So Bayley takes a deep breath, lets it out, scans the room key, and enters the room, pocketing the key as she steps inside.

Rhea is sitting on the edge of the bed, eyes on the door. "So you decided to take me up on my offer," she says. 

Bayley closes the door behind her, but stays next to the exit, unsure of her place in this situation. "I did," she says slowly. "Though I have to admit, I'm not quite sure what your offer entails.

A sly smirk finds its way onto Rhea's lips. "You're a smart girl," she teases as she stands up from the bed, slowly making her way across the room to where Bayley is hovering by the door. "I'm sure you can figure it out." 

Rhea runs her hands up Bayley's sides and leans in close. "I'm going to kiss you now," she whispers, her lips just inches Bayley's ear.

And Bayley isn't going to object, melting into Rhea as the younger woman kisses her. It's not a soft or tender kiss by any means, but neither is Rhea. The kiss is slow and fierce, Rhea teasing into Bayley's mouth with her tongue. Her hands make their way to Bayley's shoulders and she pushes Bayley against the door. 

Bayley's response is naturally to push back against Rhea, forcing her against the nearest wall, never breaking from the kiss. There's tension between them, a power struggle as the two dominant women fight for control.

Suddenly, Rhea steps back. "Why are we doing this?" she says with a sigh. "We're both sore and exhausted. This certainly isn't going to help anything."

"Hey, you're the one who invited me here," Bayley points out. "But you make a fair point." 

For a moment, they just stare at each other. Then, Rhea wraps her hand around Bayley's wrist and tugs her over to the bed. They collapse onto the mattress in a tangle of limbs, and Bayley's lips find Rhea's instinctively.

Bayley doesn't remember much from the next several minutes, but she remembers a few things: Rhea's tongue teasing into her mouth. Her fingers in Rhea's hair. Rhea's breath against her neck. 

When they finally break apart, and Bayley tries to stand up and return to her room for the night, Rhea pulls her back down onto the bed beside her. "Stay," she says. "Please. Stay with me for the night."

And Bayley can't say no to that accent, so she settles back in beside Rhea. "Dakota is never going to let me hear the end of this," she says with a sigh.

Rhea laughs, wrapping her arms around Bayley's torso. "Shayna is going to tease me for days if Dakota tells her about this," she says. "But then again, we gave them so much crap when they first got together, so I suppose it's only fair."

Bayley laughs, resting her head on Rhea's chest. They stay curled up together, Bayley in Rhea's arms until they fall asleep, and they wake up the same way. Bayley wouldn't mind spending all day in bed with Rhea, but they both have flights to get to, so Bayley settles for a lingering kiss and a promise that they'll text each other before their flights leave. 

She's just about to leave Rhea's hotel room when the Aussie woman places a hand on her shoulder. "Can I take you out?" she asks, and her voice is hesitant and shy in a way that makes Bayley's heart skip a beat. "On a real date, I mean. Not just making out in a hotel room."

"Well, I didn't have any problems with making out in a hotel room," Bayley teases. "But yes, I would love to go on a date with you."

Rhea smiles shyly, placing a soft kiss on Bayley's lips and promising to call her tonight. Bayley feels like she's floating as she returns to her room.

Dakota is sitting criss cross at the edge of her bed when Bayley returns. "Something you want to tell me?" she asks, a knowing grin on her face. 

As much as she tries to hide it, a giddy smile finds its way onto Bayley's face, accompanied by a faint blush. She nods, which prompts Dakota to let out an excited squeal and jump up from the bed. Bayley lets Dakota tug her over to the bed and sits down. "So how was it?" Dakota asks eagerly.

"It was amazing," Bayley says, prompting Dakota to let out another squeak of excitement. "We didn't go too far because we were both tired, but we made out a bit. And then we cuddled for a while."

Dakota watches her friend with bright eyes, not missing the pink flush in Bayley's cheeks. "Anything else?" she asks, almost as if she knows there's more to the story.

Bayley nods. "She asked me out," she says. "On a date."

"See, I told you going over there was a good idea," Dakota says with a satisfied smirk. Then her expression softened into a fond smile. "I'm glad you're happy," she says. "You deserve it. Both of you do."

Bayley smiles at her teammate. "Thanks for convincing me to go," she says. 

"Anytime," Dakota replies. "You know I've always got your back."

[foodfightnovelization]

Chapter 17: Analysis and Discussion

Chapter 17 begins back in Marketropolis, at the security rally all the Ikes have been forced to attend. Lady X is giving a speech from atop the Brand X building, insisting there are only two kinds of product icon in the world...desirables, and undesirables. She insists the Ikes turn each other in and join Brand X, leading an Ike called Ant Acid to turn in the friendly Kiwi Koala, saying he causes heartburn.

The novelization describes Lieutenant X and General X being with Lady X when this speech happens, but in the movie she's just standing by herself. In addition, in the movie the Brand X Lunchlady is eating a giant hock of ham throughout the entire speech, letting out a disgustingly loud burp at the end and blaming Kiwi Koala for her belching. The Brand X Lunchlady isn't IN the novelization, so here we just have Ant Acid (a background character with no dialogue in the movie) selling out his friend in an attempt to save himself. I once again prefer the novelization's version of events here- the belch in the movie is really unpleasant to listen to, and the good Ikes selling each other out gives us a better idea of just how bad things have gotten in Marketropolis.

Kiwi Koala is grabbed by the Brand X Mashed Potato Man and dragged off (this novelization-exclusive character once again making an appearance! In the movie it's just a generic Brand X soldier taking him away). Meanwhile, Lady X continues her speech and the terrified Ikes join in her chant. Her dialogue here is identical to how it is in the movie, and the whole thing is giving some serious Nazi vibes.

There's an additional scene here exclusive to the novelization where it's mentioned some USDA members are on the stage with her (once again, in the movie she's just by herself). One of them, Francois Fromage blames Hairy for giving up the USDA to her. He nervously insists that Lady X promised it'd all work out, but you can tell he isn't convinced and is telling himself as much as he's telling Francois. It's a small scene, but I think it adds some much-needed depth to Hairy's character, and gives him a little more involvement in the plot.

Meanwhile at the Copabanana, a resistance is forming. Lola Fruitola can't believe what's going on out there, and says they should slice Brand X up like sushi. This frightens an "upmarket canned fish icon" who we established in previous chapters is supposed to be Charlie Tuna, and she apologizes, explaining it's just a figure of speech. This brief exchange isn't in the movie, instead being replaced by the California Raisins singing a very badly autotuned song up on the stage.

Francois, Polar Penguin and Sweet Cakes rush into the club wishing to join the resistance- in the movie, Polar gets an additional line of dialogue here saying he's reporting for duty as instructed by Dex, and there are a few more Ikes joining the Resistance (including Fat Cat's hairless hamster henchmen from the very beginning of the story! Remember those guys?) Here however, it's just the three of them, and Maximilius worries they don't stand a chance unless Dex comes back soon.

Lieutenant X and a troop of Brand X soldiers show up, claiming Dex Dogtective has been discontinued and that unless everyone else wishes to do the same they need to sing their alliegance to Brand X. The soldiers start singing, but the Ikes refuse to join in, with Francois Fromage starting to sing the USDA anthem instead. Just as Lieutenant X starts threatening him, Dex bursts into the club and tells the raisins onstage (obviously the California Raisins, but not referred to as such) to "play it".

This scene is more or less the same across both the novelization and the movie, give or take a line of dialogue or two. However in the movie when Lieutenant X insists Francois sing along, instead of singing the USDA anthem, he jumps in the air and farts in the Lieutenant's face- obviously I think the novelization does it better, as the movie seems to have a strange fixation with toilet humor that's mostly absent here. Curiously, the narration here refers to Francois as a "frog" at one point. He's very much NOT a frog (even in the color pages from this same novelization we see he's just a regular French man) so either the author made a mistake here, or they're using "frog" in the context of a slur against French people. And really, haven't the French been through enough?

The raisins onstage start singing the USDA song, and it's a loose parody of the French national anthem. If you hadn't guessed already (but really, why would you?) this whole scene is a parody of the part in Casablanca where everyone in the club sings La Marseillaise. That makes another of Foodfight's curious references to Casablanca (I count about 4 or 5 so far) and we're left wondering how appropriate it is to compare occupied France in World War 2 to a grocery store getting taken over by low quality detergent. Regardless, this scene is basically the same across both the novelization and the movie. Viva la France!

Lieutenant X and the other soldiers retreat, but threaten to return and pulverize them all. Everyone's overjoyed to see Dex again, and he says they won't go down without a fight. It's at this point in the movie that we cut to the Brand X tower, with Lady X saying they have the Resistance cornered and that they'll show no mercy- that's cut out entirely here however, and the scene goes on uninterrupted. We're treated to some some additional dialogue from Dex about how when Lady X finds out he and Dan are still alive, they'll come for every Ike left with everything they have, and that they have only one option. We get a Suicide Squad title drop from Maximilius as well- "Boss...youse talking about a food fight!"

Dex gives a speech about how we've all lost someone, but we can't fight for the way things were, only the way they should be. This speech, powerful as it is, is the same across both the novelization and the movie however, so there's nothing more to say here.

Everyone agrees to work together with Dex to stop Brand X, and he agrees to show them what he has in mind. What's Dex planning? Will there really be a food fight? Find out the answers to all your burning questions in Chapter 18!

[a-dark-sanctuary]

“Throné, Osvald, if you’re both going to Montwise, then may I join you? My brother coincidentally is there and I need to talk to him.”

Everyone stares at Hikari.

“Your brother,” Temenos says slowly. “Your brother…who went and declared a bounty on you. The one who quite literally told you that he will put your head on a pike if he catches you. That brother.”

Ah. Right. He only mentioned Mugen. He never said anything about Kazan. It would make sense that his friends are wary of him going to meet his sibling when the only one they know about is Mugen.

Immediately, he shook his head. “Not to worry my friends. Mugen is not who I need to talk to. Mugen hasn’t been my brother for a very long time.”

The tension faded from the area. “Oh. That’s a relief,” said Partitio. “Well who ya meeting up with then Hikari?”

“Kazan, otherwise known as The Eagle of Ku. He was one of the best strategists Ku had.”

‘Maybe the best strategist in history’ he didn’t add. Kazan is brilliant in his own right but Hikari always did look up to the man, his bias could cloud judgement on other’s strategy.

“He’s my actual brother,” he says instead. “Not by blood but- I believe that blood doesn’t make a family but instead the bonds we share with others.”

Temenos nods “A statement I can attest to. However, Hikari if it isn’t too much trouble, may I ask how you two became brothers?”

Hikari smiles. “It’s no trouble at all Temenos.” He leans back on the tree. “Me and Kazan became brothers due to an unfortunate incident where I was displaced behind enemy lines. I was quite young when it happened, so I couldn’t exactly fight my way back home. Eventually I was bound to be found by someone and that someone turned out to be Kazan and Ori. They took me in and we didn’t have much but I believe that as long as we all each other we had enough. Kazan tried his best to make sure me and Ori were okay.”

Hikari sighed and leaned back. “Eventually we all got to Ku and me and my mother found each other again. I would say things got better from there but war continued and even though Kazan was one of the best strategists in Ku, he got sick of it and left. I don’t blame him for it. Ori left already to study under another scrivener.” His vision went blurry with tears as he continued. “I miss them both. I just hope they still remember me as fondly as I remember them.”

“Who’s Ori Hikarin?” Ochette asks.

Hikari blinks and clears his throat. “Ah. That’s my sister. I believe she’s around your age, Agnea. Perhaps we will see her at some point during our journey.”

“Well shucks. I’m sure they miss you as much as you miss them Hikari. It’s like ya said, your family.” Partitio draped his arm around Hikari’s shoulder. “They may not want to be see Ku anymore but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to be see you.”

Hikari smiles at his friend’s words and embrace. “Thank you Partitio. Thank you.”

!!!! MY HEART. OW.

Hikari saying he wants to visit his brother and the other seven just. looking at him warily is amazing. hikari knows a lot of things but how to read a room is not one of them

AND PARTITIO SAYING THAT THEY WANT TO SEE HIM….. AND. ADN HIKARI CRYING WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT THEM,,,,, KIWI THIS IS SO SWEET YOU ALWAYS IMPRESS ME WITH YOUR INBOX FICS

[alex31624]

Duck Comic Reading Club Week 10: Paperinik New Adventures: Invasion!

No, I haven't forgot about Ducks on the Road. I was the one who suggest that one. But, I want to have PK up to day.

The only downside is that, this is has Angus as one of the main characters.

The kiwi is traveling to New Zealand, his birthplace.

This guy hates anything that can be consider fun.

The arrival of Fangus became big news, as the airport worker quickly give notice. Looks like the no-one-favorite reporter is in some dirty business.

That's the face of a corrupt businessman.

Meanwhile, Donald and Uno are working to find all the Evronians' spores. Otherwise, we may be facing extinction.

Just another day in PK's life.

I love their friendship.

Back to Angus, who's in full infiltration mode. How a fatass, ugly as a sin, kinda tall kiwi can infiltrate anywhere is beyond me.

But, hey, comic book magic.

But he didn't expect to be face to face with the worst kind of villain, the rich. This guy Cook, really hates Angus. And, you know, who can blame him?

Looks like Angus had information on Cook, in a disc. Does anyone remember discs? 240 MB of capacity, enough to take over the world.

Ok, let's be real here, as much I mock Angus, he's not dumb. He knows his job. That make me wonder, why he hide the disc in a mask, instead of having on him the whole time. Its a really flawed plan.

Back to PK, who arrives to Cape Dominion. And the plot complicates when we meet the clan leader, Nebula Faraday.

This crazy lady talks about the Cosmic Lords, and make me think of the Leader in The Simpsons. That was a good one.

The difference is that Nebula actually believe that this aliens are saviors. She has no idea what she's dealing with.

That makes her dangerous.

PK goes to the top on the mountains, and find an Evronians' camp. Spores and everything.

But this time, the numbers game were in their favour. The Evronians took out PK, finally.

Or not…?

God, this guy is an asshole. Lock him up, and throw the key.

We have a flashback when we learn what Angus' deal was with Cook. Cook was polluting the area where Angus and his clan live.

Why I can't understand, why Angus didn't report to the authorities? Why make a underground deal?

But, to be fair, I've never confront any corrupt businessman, so, maybe that's the etiquette.

Back to PK, he was saved by Rangi, the former leader of the clan. She explain all what happened with the Evronians' spore and the crazy Nebula.

Rangi has give up, and wants nothing to do with the clan. But PK made her have a change of heart. That's a hero's job. Light up the heart of the ones in trouble.

And here, things get a bit complicated. Turns out that Cook's big plan was to give financial aid to Nebula to help he take control of the village. Nebula did that because she believed that the Cosmic Lords were the second coming, but Cook did it because he wanted to put Nebula in a zeppelin, where she would make her speach about the Cosmic Lords, and then blow it up, so the clan would look as terrorist, and he can get the land.

Wow…

Anyway, PK tells the village people the truth. Them, fire up by their returnig leader, fight back against the Evronians.

I'm telling you, the only way the Evronians are conquering us is with a army so massive that every human...? duck...? ...being, has to figth against 10 of them. They suck.

PK flights to the zeppelin and save everyone. Even Angus.

I love you PK.

He and Uno send the exploding zeppelin right into the Evronians' ship and that's it. Once again, the world is save by PK.

Ah, and Rangi was Angus mother all along, yey…

This was good. It's not the best nor boring at all, just good. It expands the threat if anything.