#all from 1 full school year worth of time. though in two different school years. and I also wasn't in the one technically but I had no other

[deoidesign]

Doing master studies the only way I know how: Stealing them and making them my guys.

(Barberini Faun)

(The Fallen Angel - Alexandre Cabanel)

(Covent Garden - William Bruce Ellis Rankin)

[blueshykitsune-blog]

I want a giant brown bunny... but... but too much!

The only one I found was like $158 USD... it was just about 5 foot tall! It literally was like looking at what I wanted to make but realized I didn't have enough stuffing for!

And one that was like 3 feet tall was $100...

Like yes I know materials and time is money but I can still complain! Why fabric gotta be so much! And so messy! (The ones with faux fur or of the like. Like whyyyyyy!!!!) Also why is cotton and stuffing so much too! And you get enough for maybe only one 2 foot plushie!

(I ran out of tagging space... 30 the limit sadly. But I had more to say but maybe later I'll do a bigger post on that all.)

[saintsugu]

BROTHERLY LOVE. KINKTOBER DAY 1

rating: Mature; mdni

pairing: Step-brother!Megumi x reader

word count: 3.6k

contents: step/pseudo cest, heavy dub con, manipulation from megumi, megumi’s obsessed with purity, rich boy!megumi, vouyerism, masturbation, no prep, slight choking and coercion from yuuta at the end, megumi’s referred to mostly as reader’s brother.

author’s note: first thing i’ve fully written in over a year and it’s a kinktober post…😵‍💫 thank you to all the lovely people who beta’d this for me<3 @dilfhos @iwaasfairy @bunparade

You hear shuffling on the other end, presumably as he gets up to get the door for you. 

Taking advantage of his three day weekend, Megumi invited you to spend the themat his apartment off-campus. You haven’t been able to see him much since the start of the semester, so you were glad to take him up on his offer. 

You’d only met Megumi three years ago, the night his father and your mother announced their…impromptu engagement. Neither of you were really thrilled, but the entire situation was brightened infinitely when you started to get to know your soon-to-be step brother. 

He was always so sweet to you. He would take you out for food, or on shopping sprees— using his daddy’s card to buy you whatever you so much as glanced at. A lot of the time, it was just the two of you at home and he always made sure you weren’t lonely. Honestly, he spoiled you rotten, so how could you be upset with the arrangement?

Toji, though, was a bit…off-putting. He was a lot meaner than his son. You would hear him make comments about how ditzy you were, and it hurt a lot. Thankfully, Megumi was always there to cheer you up. 

You were so upset when he started university. He only visited on the holidays— sometimes not even then. The house felt so empty. You couldn’t help but miss your big brother. So when he came back for the summer, you were beyond grateful. Suddenly, your schedule was full again as the two of you spent every second together. 

Naturally, you were overjoyed when he reached out. Life was getting boring just staying at home, and besides, you just missed him so much. School had never really been your thing, so you didn’t follow your step-brother to college— despite wanting to —and your step-father was kind enough to let you live at home for free, so you didn’t work a job. It was a mostly stress-free life, but without your brother around, it’d gotten a bit…dull. 

When he called you, you were quick to throw a few outfits in a suitcase and catch the soonest train. You made sure to leave a scribbled little note for your mother to inform her of your whereabouts before taking off. 

The train ride is hellishly long, but it’s all worth it when you see your step brother outside the door. He’s smiling warmly, wearing a sweater and some gray sweats as he greets you.

“Hey,” he’s quick to pull you into his arms. He smells good— like freshly sprayed cologne with hints of cedar and vanilla. You’re far too enthralled by his warmth to notice his hands creeping down a little further than warranted, or the way he lifts up the hem of your skirt, his dick twitching a bit as he takes note of your panties. “Come on in.”

The second you step foot into the spacious apartment, you’re met with a pungent smell. It’s so strong that it makes your nose scrunch up. You’ve smelled it before— at a few different parties, but why is it in your brother’s apartment? 

“Sorry about the smell. My friends were just here a bit ago.” It’s not exactly a lie, but the red tint of his eyes is more than enough to prove that he was indulging, too. 

You spend the afternoon catching up with Megumi, listening intently as he tells you censored versions of what he’s been up to. He can tell how starstruck you are as you listen with bated breath. It might make him sick, but he loves how you’ve always hung off his every word. 

Ever since he was young, Megumi has watched his father go through women like they were nothing more than objects. The same rang true for the friends he started to gain in high school, and it wasn’t just the boys. He found that all of the girls were quite…promiscuous. 

He never thought there was anything necessarily wrong with it— until he met his sweet little step-sister, that is. 

That night at dinner, you were just so kind, nothing at all like the girls at his private school. They were all snobby and too good for him, but you, you were perfect; you are perfect. You’ve always been so malleable and kind hearted. He knew from the first time you went to get ice cream in his Cadillac, the way you apologized until there were tears filling your sweet eyes over a bit of spilled sprinkles. God, you’ve had him wrapped around your dainty little finger from the moment he met you.

“I was thinking we could go to brunch tomorrow.” He pats the spot next to him on the couch as he leans back, his ankle coming up to drape across his other knee. On cue, you pad over from where you are in his kitchen, plopping down right next to him. “There’s a cute little joint nearby that I know you’ll love.”

His kind words warm your chest, making your cheeks rise into a smile. He’s always looking out for you or thinking of you. He’s even sent you a few dresses while he’s been away! They’re a bit….small, but you figure he just got your sizing wrong. Either way, it’s the thought that counts, right? 

“Tonight, though, I was wondering if you wanted to meet some of my friends. They were all excited when I told them you were visiting.” Too excited for Megumi’s liking. “It won’t be a lot, just three or four guys coming over for a bit. Only if you want, though.” Even before you answer, he knows that you’ll say yes. You’d never deny him anything, but it makes him look good if he gives you an out. 

“Oh that’ll be fun!” You grin innocently. “We can watch movies.”

God, he loves the way you beam at him. Your innocence is such a refresher. But, as much as he loves it, you also make him want to tear it away from you before anyone else can. Sometimes, he just wants to break you down and build you back up from scratch. He knows it’s sick— that he shouldn’t feel like this towards his supposed sister, but he can’t help it. It’s just the way his mind works. 

As the clock starts to slip into the evening hours, there are continuous knocks at his front door, all one after another. Yuuji Itadori is the first to arrive. You’ve met him once before, during Thanksgiving break when Megumi brought him along. His rambunctious voice and laugh fills the air of Megumi’s, otherwise, stale apartment. A girlish giggle erupts from your lips when Yuuji slaps your step-brother on the back a little too hard, causing him to swear in pain and you both laugh at the scowl he shoots his way. 

Yuuji is quickly followed by Kokichi Muta. He’s much more timid in comparison. It’s a bit…confusing when you notice the light dusting of pink on his cheeks when he lays eyes on you. 

Next, Noritoshi Kamo, and lastly— and arguably the most important out of the four— Yuuta Okkotsu.

Megumi has been trying to find himself in Yuuta’s good graces since his first semester of his freshman year. Not only is Yuuta two grades his senior, but he’s the vice president of the fraternity Megumi has been wanting to rush since his junior year of high school.  

Megumi’s kind enough to introduce you to his friends, but you can feel your cheeks heat up when their eyes linger for a little longer than you’d expect. They all make themselves comfortable on the two couches, hands wrapped around the beer’s bottleneck while they snicker amongst themselves. You’ve been keeping Megumi company in the kitchen, but not paying enough attention to notice the amount of drinks he had brought to the couch. When he finally sits down, you’re close behind him.

“Here, have some,” he opens the bottle of beer and hands it to you, despite the confused look on your face. He knows you don’t drink, but he also knows that means your tolerance is nonexistent and that it's going to make his life a lot easier. 

Any words of rebuttal get stuck in your throat. Your eyebrows pull into a frown, but you sheepishly take the drink anyway. You don’t like being intoxicated; Megumi calls it an irrational fear, but you can’t help it. The drink feels foreign in your hands, but he’d never do anything to hurt you, right?

Despite the sour taste of the beer, you swallow it anyway. You don’t want to embarrass Megumi by acting like a fool in front of his friends. Yuuji starts a conversation and soon enough, you’ve finished the bottle. Unfortunately, you’re too preoccupied running your mouth to notice when Megumi sets another in your hand, and you obediently continue sipping. 

You don’t even know how many you’ve downed by the time you pause and realize your head feels dizzy. Megumi finds it adorable— the way your face flushes and your words start to slur. You try and fail to whisper to him about how tired you are, and it earns a snicker from Yuuta. Good, he thinks. I need to keep his attention. 

“C’mere.” You don’t think much when Megumi pats his lap. Your movements are much more sluggish and there’s a surge of warmth in your chest that you can’t quite place as you climb onto him, nuzzling your head into his neck. Everything feels so overwhelming, especially when you hear his friend whistle. You don’t know why, and you’re too out of it to ask or even guess why. Little do you know, it’s because your tiny skirt has been flipped up for everyone to get a glimpse of your ass. 

“Shit, y’gonna share, right?” There’s a nasty grin on Noritoshi’s face as he takes a long sip from his beer. 

“You wish,” Megumi mumbles lowly, a dark and possessive tone underlying his seemingly nonchalant words. Strong hands slide down your body before landing on your hips. “Hey, pretty.” His voice is just a whisper, but you know that he’s talking to you. 

“Yeah, ‘Gumi?” You ask sweetly. He loves when you call him that. Despite it just being a variation of his name, he finds it so fucking adorable that his cock jumps in his pants every time he hears it. 

“I need you to do something for me, okay?” He feels you nod and he can’t help but smile at how pliant and ready you are to please him. “Nothing new,” he whispers, and you can’t help but shiver a bit. 

“We’re just gonna do what we usually do—play how we do when it’s just us,” a soft hand traces hearts on your bare thigh. “And we’re gonna pretend like my friends aren’t here, okay?”

What?

This all feels…weird, and a little scary. But you know that your big brother would never hurt you— of course not! But what if he’s friends with bad men and doesn’t know it? What if…what if something goes wrong?

His words confuse you. Usually, when you’re playing together in the way he means, he always tells you not to do it with anyone else, that it should be reserved for your brother only, so why is he changing his mind?

“I asked a question, baby.” His once soft touch turns firmer until you squeak out an unsure okay, the sound muffled against the crook of his neck. “Good girl,” he purrs. “Y’always so good for me.”

You’re no longer able to think about how anxious and unsure you are as your step-brother pulls you into a soft kiss. Soon, he’s filling up every one of your senses. He’s the only thing you can feel, smell, or hear, and it’s nearly suffocating. 

It’s simple, really. He knows every single thing that turns you on and drives you insane; hell, he created those things. When you met, you were a virgin who didn’t even know what oral was. 

Despite his overwhelming touches, your attention isn’t stuck on him. His friends are all slumped back on the couch and staring straight at you. Their gazes make you feel trapped. There’s a tightening in your chest before Megumi's stern voice breaks you out of your trance. “Don’t look at them,” he scolds, a soft hand redirecting your jaw. “C’mon, baby, look at me.”

Nothing in the world can get him as hard as he is when he sees that look on your face—those big, near tearful eyes that are just begging for him to make it all better. 

As much as he wants to take care of you, there’s still a part of him, a sick and twisted part of him that sits right beneath the surface, too deep down to ignore. That's what’s making him do this. Megumi believes that these feelings can only be attributed to his father’s genetics. It’s not his fault that he wants to ruin you. He knows someone will take advantage of your naivety one day, so why can’t it be him? He deserves that much, doesn’t he? 

“You know I’d never hurt you.” You wouldn’t know the difference, he thinks to himself. You look so worried, but he can’t figure out why. Most of the time, there’s not a single thought in that pretty little head of yours, so what’s running through it now? Honestly, he doesn’t care too much; instead, his hand continues to slide down your back with no regard for your anxiety. 

Despite his words, he can tell you’re anxious. It irritates him a bit, but instead of letting it show, he just leans back against the couch. “Go ahead, baby. Take that shirt off for me.” The thumb rubbing circles into your inner thigh encourages you. 

Your throat feels dry as your big brother puts you on the spot. Nerves shoot through your body at the mere prospect of upsetting him. The thought of him being disappointed in you is a quick way to get your shaky hands pulling at your skimpy tank top. 

Manicured nails tug at the hem of it, eyes trained only on Megumi as you pull it over your head. The air feels bitter when it hits your skin but heat from Megumi’s burning gaze warms you. 

“Good girl.” His praise makes you melt, especially with all that booze in your system. You can’t even remember how much he had you drink. Every time you even began to try and protest, he would just press the rim to your lips and tell you to drink.

A hand on your waist pulls you in, and it’s not long before he has his tongue halfway down your throat. You’re so overwhelmed with simply trying to breathe that you don’t see Megumi pull his cock out. It’s already hard— pretty much has been since you arrived, and he’s not at all sly as he pulls your panties to the side. 

In contrast to yours that are screwed shut, his eyes are wide as they meet with Yuuta. Fuck, Yuuta’s gaze is piercing. It’s so clear that he’s judging him. Yuuta is leaning back into the cushion, his ankle crossed over his leg and his expression reads as if he’s bored. And that only spurs Megumi on further. He’s so desperate to show off in front of the man. 

He won’t admit it, but he’s had a slight crush on the man since he started University; honestly, it’s evident in the way his cock pulses simply from Yuuta’s judgemental stare. 

“G-Gumi..!” You gasp into his open lips, taken completely off guard. In the past, he’s always talked you through it. He would make sure you were prepped thoroughly before trying to nestle deep inside of you. Now, though, you can’t help but feel he’s being mean as he lifts your hips, just to force you down on his cock. 

“Shit,” Noritoshi laughs, palming himself through his sweats. “Didn’t think you had it in you, Fushiguro.” His words earn a disgruntled scowl from Megumi. In turn, you feel his hands grip you impossibly tighter, as if he’s visibly laying claim to you.

He ignores his taunts, far too focused on his baby sister’s sweet and tight cunt. Fuck, it’s tighter than he remembers. Knowing you, you never did so much as finger yourself while he’s been away. This past summer, he told you that he’d know if you had. Thankfully for him, you were naive enough to believe him. 

Soon enough, you’re tucked against his chest as he grinds you over his cock. You squeeze the fabric of his shirt between dainty hands; your hold is so tight he’s worried the threads will snap. The shirt’s quite expensive, so he should care about you potentially ruining it, but he can’t bring himself to when he’s balls deep inside of you. 

A vicious grin finds his face when he takes in the state of his apartment. Noritoshi and Kokichi shamelessly have their cocks out, jacking off lazily to the sight in front of them. Yuuji, on the other hand, takes a more…reserved approach. His lip is tucked between his teeth, nearly quivering as he not-so-discreetly palms his painfully hard cock. 

As you near your orgasm, Megumi takes advantage of your fucked out state. Usually, he’s so sweet and gentle, but tonight, he can’t help but be a little rough as he forces you into a new position. He manhandles you until you’re face down, with your tits pressed into the glass table. 

As much as he loves your tits, Megumi’s always been a sucker for this angle. With his hands having free reign of your ass, he could never get tired of the view. 

You’re pulled out of your near orgasmic high and thrown into the reality of who’s watching. “I-I…” you stammer nervously, still whimpering as Megumi fucks into you. 

“Hey, pretty,” Noritoshi teases, leaning in slightly. “You’re a naughty little thing, aren’t you?”

You’re quick to deny his accusation. “‘Gumi says ‘m a good girl…” you turn your head to look at your big brother. “…right, ‘Gumi?”

“Yeah, you are.” He’s groaning as his pace picks up, making your toes curl as you grip onto nothing. He’s fighting back the urge to cum with every thrust. “My good girl.”

Your eyes roll when he hits deep inside of you—the sight is something straight out of a porno as your tits slide against the glass surface. All you have on is a skimpy little bralette, one that any of these guys could snap with ease. With your tongue lolling out, every single guy in the room, with Yuuta being the exception, is groaning and pumping just a bit faster. 

Yuuta, on the other hand, is just watching. Not once as he adjusted himself or even re-situated on the couch. He almost looks…bored, and that worries Megumi beyond belief.

“Fuck, Fushiguro, y’gotta let me get in on this. At least let me take her throat or something.” All Noritoshi’s doing is running his mouth and it’s starting to get on his nerves. In no world is he letting any of these vile men get their greedy hands on his baby sister. You’re too pure for that. 

“Be quiet,” he snaps, rough hands tugging at the fat of your hips. His eyes cut at his friend, a sinister look in them. The boy backs off, if only for now as Megumi gets closer to his high. 

You feel something brewing in your lower stomach. It’s not unfamiliar— you only get it with Megumi, but it’s more…intense this time. Instead of the slow and gentle buildup you usually get, this time it’s hurtling at you. 

“Gumi,” you stammer out, eyes still rolling as your acrylics scrape at the table. “D-don’t know what’s happening….!”

He’s quick to shush you. The last thing he needs is your whining ruining his orgasm. “‘S okay, baby,” he purrs, a firm hand wrapping around your neck as he pushes you cheek-first into the glass. “Gonna feel good, I promise.”

His pace grows erratic with his approaching orgasm being so close. His dick pulses inside of you and with one last groan, he pushes deep inside of you as his orgasm washes over. 

His entire body shivers in its wake, and that feeling is only amplified when you start to twitch as well. Your cunt grows impossibly tight as your pleasure peaks, and your walls milk him of every drop of his cum— so much so, that it’s starting to leak out and drip down your inner thighs.

“Good girl.” He’s completely out of breath, but he knows the praise is what you need. The small sobs and hiccups that escape your lips are clear indicators of the praise you’ll need from your big brother. “Did so good, baby…”

A soft hand traces up and down your body and he can’t help but feel a little smug when he sees that three out of the four men came as well— Yuuji, unfortunately in his pants. 

But that’s only three, he realizes. It seems that Yuuta disappeared between now and right before his orgasm hit. Where could he have gone—

“That was good.” His voice is low in Megumi’s ear as he leans over the couch. Megumi freezes and he swears that the hairs on his neck stand up. His nearly soft cock twitches a bit at the praise. 

“Now why don’t you let me have a try and I’ll see what I can do about extending a bid.”

tagging: @pussydrunkfyodor @kkittycries @saintriots @chaoticmoonave @enchantedforest-network

[takingchences]

𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐩𝐭. 𝟑

A descendant of a legendary quirk longs to separate herself from her family name, but first she'll have to confront villains, ghosts from the past, and her growing attraction for Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight.

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x OP!fem!oc

Warnings: mature language

series masterlist + my masterlist

After a few more exercises, the fitness test was officially over.

"All right, time to give you your results. I've ranked you all from best to worst. You should probably have a good idea of your standing already. I'll just pull up the whole list. It's not worth going over each individual's score."

Momo came in first place, then Shoto, with Bakugou ranked third. Sana found her name in the seventh slot, right above Kirishima's and Mina's. I did it, Sana giggled breathlessly as Mina roped her into a side hug. I passed. But then... who didn't?

Midoriya's name sat at the bottom of the list. The boy cradled his injured hand with a distressed look on his face. Just like that, he's gone? She frowned.

Sure, she understood Aizawa's point about not wanting to waste time and resources on students with no potential, but on the other hand, didn't Midoriya's strength and determination make up for his lack of control? Out of the thousands of applicants, hadn't they been chosen because U.A had seen promise in them?

Their home room teacher clicked a button on his remote, making the holographic rankings disappear. "And I was lying," he said in his lazy drawl. "No one's going home."

Pure silence.

A deranged smile appeared on the Pro's face. "That was just a rational deception to make sure you gave it your all in the tests."

Sana thought Midoriya was going to vibrate right out of his red sneakers from shaking so hard.

The only person who didn't seem surprised by Aizawa's announcement was Momo, who stated that she'd known all along that it was nothing but a ruse.

It didn't seem like an empty threat though, Sana thought as the class stood frozen in front of the disheveled Pro. She remembered the hard look in the man's hooded eyes, his unruffled attitude at the thought of potentially crushing someone's dream. Maybe he realized that the most rational decision would be to wait and see what all we're capable of before making any big decisions.

In contrast to their relief, Bakugou almost seemed disappointed that no one would be going home. Midoriya is still here, so that's not much of a surprise. The explosive blonde seemed to regard everyone he came across either as competition or beneath him in some way, but something was different between the two boys. She wasn't sure if it was a petty rivalry or something more that fueled Bakugo's apparent hatred for the greenette.

"We're done for the day. Pick up a syllabus in the classroom. Read it over before tomorrow morning." Aizawa called as he stalked back towards the main building. Class 1-A, with the exception of Midoriya, headed to the locker rooms to change back into their uniforms.

After grabbing a syllabus and collecting her things, Sana exchanged phone numbers with her new friends. If today is anything to go by, then I think this will be a very interesting year.

¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*

Day two of Sana's high school career started off much better than the first, mainly because her father had already left the house by the time she'd made it downstairs. "Well, that's one less thing to worry about," she hummed pleasantly as she dug into her breakfast.

Today would be her first full day at U.A. She'd be introduced to more Pro Heroes, get to hang out more with Mina and the gang, and most importantly, she'd get to taste the cafeteria food. I wonder what Lunch Rush will be serving today? Sparkles surrounded her at the promise of delicious treats.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Umi appeared next to her with her hands on her hips. "Is it because of All Might?"

Eh? Sana stopped chewing on her blueberry muffin. "All Might?"

The gray-haired woman looked surprised. "Didn't you hear? There's a rumor going around that U.A offered him a teaching position."

"No, I hadn't heard." Sana shrugged, pinching off another bite of deliciousness and letting the warm pastry melt on her tongue. Umi sweatdropped at the girl's lack of interest in anything but her muffin.

"You know, most kids your age would be thrilled after hearing that they might get to train under the number one hero."

It wasn't that Sana disliked the Symbol of Peace, she just didn't feel the need to worship him like the majority of the world. Maybe it was because she'd heard so much about him growing up under Endeavor, but she preferred less flashy heroes like Best Jeanist and Mirko. She liked Hawks too... though mostly because he was young and hot.

"I hate to be the one to break it to you, Umi, but I'm not like most kids."

A soft pat on the head had Sana tearing her attention away from her breakfast. The old woman had a small smile on her face, but her eyes held only sadness. "Eat up, my little sunflower. You'll need all your strength if All Might is your teacher."

¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*

Besides learning how to react during natural disasters and take down villains, U.A students were also required to take standard core classes like English and Math. After eating lunch with Mina and the rest of the girls of 1-A, it was time for Hero Basic Training.

"I AM HERE!" A boisterous voice announced. "Coming through the door like a hero!" Sana almost snorted at the hulking man lingering in the doorway on the tips of his toes.

The classroom buzzed with excitement in the overwhelming presence of All Might, the Number One hero. "Welcome to the most important class at UA High. Here, you will learn the basics of being a pro."

The Symbol of Peace held out a card with the word "battle" on it.

Sana could practically feel Bakugou's excitement, as well as Midoriya's dread. These two need a larger buffer zone between them than the seat I'm occupying. She placed her chin on her hand. Let's just hope they don't have to go against each other during the exercise. Or worse, team up.

All Might pointed at the wall, where cases with numbers in them were sliding out. "These were designed for you based on your quirk registration forms and the requests you sent in before school started."

After changing out of uniform, the class gathered at Ground Beta for training.

Sana was happy with how her costume turned out. The design was rather simple: a black bodysuit made from iridescent material so that the color changed in the light. Gold detailing was woven beautifully throughout the suit. Lightweight armored paneling protected the soft tissue along her chest, abs, and back while also acting as cooling jets installed to help regulate her core body temperature. The material itself was breathable, as well as heat and flame resistant. Small diamond cuts of fabric along her body exposed flawless golden skin. The dark color of the fabric would also help her absorb heat.

She'd wanted to wear something beautiful, but also embodied what kind of hero she wanted to be. Sana wanted to be seen as a guiding light, a beacon of hope. The deep, pink-purple costume shimmered like oil in the afternoon sun. She'd also requested a tinted visor to help shield her eyes. Her knee-high boots were more of a fashion statement than anything, though they did nothing to hinder her movements. The thick, sturdy heel was enforced with a bouncy material to make them more comfortable when worn for long periods of time. Some heroes wear capes while others wear heels.

As bonus accessories, she'd been given a pair of three-fingered gloves to wear to prevent accidentally burning a civilian due to the heated nature of her quirk.

She quickly inspected her classmates' costumes. Kirishima had opted out of wearing a shirt, bless his saintly soul. His shredded back muscles and drool-worthy torso were on full display. Momo was showing almost as much skin as the human boulder, if not more. Mina wore a psychedelic-patterned leotard with a fur vest because why not? Shoto's entire left side was covered in ice, with an eerie red light where his turquoise iris would normally be. The sight made her sad.

Iida looked like a cross between a robot and a futuristic knight. Midoriya looked every bit like the All Might fanboy she'd imagined him to be, and Bakugou looked badass with a capital ASS standing there with huge, gauntlet-like contraptions strapped to his forearms.

His toned, athletic physique, which had been hidden away beneath his baggy uniform, was now very noticeable. His chest is bigger than mine, Sana half-joked, her eyes lingering on the bulging muscles of his arms and shoulders as they flexed under the weight of his support gear.

"What the hell are you staring at, dumbass?" Bakugou squinted at her choice of costume. Compared to something as elaborate as his, her's was nothing special to look at. She had no need for support items, so her outfit was pretty basic.

"Your tits," she replied honestly.

His eye twitched in annoyance, a feral, demon-like sound emanating from deep within his chest. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Heh. Cute.

"Wow! You guys look super manly!" Kirishima greeted the two cheerfully, completely ignoring the blonde's outburst.

"Hey, Sana!" Kaminari slung an arm across her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. Her long, stawberry blonde hair brushed against his shirt. "Do you know what my costume is made of?" His golden eyes stared into her's excitedly.

She shook her head. "Um, no?"

"Boyfriend material." He pinched his collar and winked, a proud grin on his face. Sero and Mina rolled their eyes at the lightning-haired boy as they joined the group.

"Hey, Pikachu." Mina pulled her new bestie out of the blonde's embrace. "Quit trying to steal my girl." Mina nuzzled Sana's cheek with her own, making the Sakano girl laugh.

"They say that clothes make the pros, young ladies and gentlemen, and behold, you are the proof!" All Might cut their conversation short. "Take this to heart. From now on you are all... heroes-in-training!" She noticed All Might shaking with suppressed laughter at Midoriya's obvious inspiration. He could've been a little more subtle with the design, but the overall look was kinda cute. Like a bunny.

"Now that you're ready, it's time for combat training."

"Sir!" Iida raised his hand. "This is the fake city from our entrance exam. Does that mean that we'll be conducting urban battles again?" Again with the entrance exam, Sana sighed. Recommended students are really at a disadvantage here, huh?

"Not quite." The Pro held up two fingers. "I'm going to move you two steps ahead. Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside. However, statistically speaking, run‐ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place indoors. Think about it. Backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows." Makes sense, Sana nodded along. The less eyes on you, the more you can get away with. "For this training exercise, you'll be split into teams of good guys and bad guys and fight two‐on‐two indoor battles."

"Isn't this a little advanced?" Tsuyu asked.

"The best training is what you get on the battlefield!" All Might answered. "But remember, you can't just punch a robot this time. You're dealing with actual people now."

"Sir, will you be the one deciding who wins?"

"How much can we hurt the other team?" Of course he would ask that, Sana rolled her eyes.

"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?"

"Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?"

"I wasn't finished talking!" All Might quickly grew flustered with all their questions. He pulled out his notecards and began to read off the rules of today's exercise. "Listen up. The situation is this; the villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout. The heroes must try to foil their plans. To do that, the good guys either have to catch the evildoers or recover the weapon. Likewise, the bad guys succeed if they protect their payload or capture the heroes." The hero held up a box. "Time's limited, and we'll choose teams by drawing lots!"

"Isn't there a better way?" Iida was doubtful.

"Think about it! Pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot, so maybe that's the reason we're seeing that here." Midoriya pointed out the functionality of using this method to pick teams.

"Yes, I see." The speedster realized. "Life is a random series of events. Excuse my rudeness."

"No sweat." All Might assured the teen. "Let's draw!" Each student went up and drew their lots one by one.

Not Shoto, not Shoto, not Shoto. Sana chanted as she placed her hand inside the box. Under normal circumstances, the two made a great team. But she wasn't sure how things would go if they were to be partnered up now. Their dynamic had changed... and not necessarily for the better.

Team I, she read. Glancing around, she eventually found her partner for the day. It was a hard task seeing as the girl was completely invisible except for the pair of gloves and boots to indicate her presence. Hagakure, she remembered from lunch. That's her name.

"I declare that the first teams to fight will be... these guys!" All Might held up two balls. "Team A will be the heroes, Team D will be the villains." Looking at the named groups, Sana nearly choked on air.

Bakugou vs Midoriya.

Well, it was nice knowing you, Midoriya. You will be remembered fondly.

"Everyone else can head to the monitoring room to watch!"

As the rest of the class followed behind the massive hero, Sana hesitated, wanting to say something first. "Hey," she turned to the glowering blonde beside her, his ruby eyes locked in on his target. A determined-looking Midoriya met his gaze head on. "Bakugou."

"What?" He growled, refusing to look her way.

"I know it's none of my business, but the two of you seem to have a history." Sana spoke carefully. Bakugou wasn't the easiest person to talk to, especially when he was worked up about something (that something usually being Midoriya). And though he may not like what she has to say, it was something she felt he needed to hear.

"You're right," Bakugou grunted. "It's not."

Sana's eyes narrowed, her arms crossing over her chest defensively. "Whatever your problems with each other are," she continued. "You need to let it go. At least for the duration of the exercise." Otherwise someone is going to get hurt. She knew from their expressions that both boys were taking this mock battle much too seriously. Idiots. Can't they put aside their issues for fifteen minutes?

"What the hell would you know?! You're just as weak and pathetic as he is!"

She took a step back, her eyes lacking their usual warmth. "Maybe I am," her voice was soft, but with a slight edge to it. Her expression was deadly calm. It gave her a sick satisfying to see his eyes widen if only a fraction. "But I'd rather be like him," she pointed her finger at the greenette watching them in confusion. "Than like you," she shoved that same finger into his firm chest. "Any day. Putting others down to make yourself feel better..."

Her father came to mind, then Enji; images of the two men looming behind the young blonde.

"That is pathetic."

The blonde's fists clenched at his sides. Sana turned on her heel, her pastel hair almost smacking him in the face had he not jerked his head back. Stupid girl, he growled internally, stomping into the building to hide the weapon and start the exercise. Siding with that shitty nerd. I'll show everyone who's really pathetic.

[wintaerbaer]

things we don’t say: part 2 TEASER (kth)

banner credit: @itaeewon​

summary: Three years after graduating college, everything seems to be falling into place for you: stable job, cozy apartment, and a long-term boyfriend with a ring box hidden in his desk drawer. But when a mutual friend makes a remark that your best friend of nearly two decades is clearly in love with you, you realize that life may not be as simple as it seems.

pairing: Taehyung x Reader (with some VERY brief Seokjin x Reader and Yoongi x Reader)

rating: 18+

genres: best friends to lovers, idiots to lovers, slow burn, angst, fluff

word count: 721 (for the teaser; full chapter is expected to be 8-10k)

chapter warnings: IN THE SOOP TAE, swearing, alcohol consumption, feelings?, implied sexual situations (not for oc), infidelity, namjoon’s chest

a/n: CHANGE OF PLANS, i was originally going to post the first scene of this next part but then decided it was too boring to be a teaser. this one, i think, does a much better job of framing part 2. enjoy!

PART 1 // SERIES MASTERLIST

The drive proves an easy one for you and Maya as sunny weather and a surprising lack of traffic has you at the house in under an hour. As you drive through the iron gates, a small mansion, white and pristine, spreads itself out before you, and you're once again reminded of just how wealthy a family Jungkook comes from.

You had grown up very well-off, sure, but Jungkook’s parents and their vast real estate portfolio are on an entirely different level of rich. And while your parents had immediately cut you off right after you left for college, Jungkook’s parents continue to supplement his bartending income with a monthly allowance to this day.

The word “spoiled” is a bit of an understatement when it comes to your friend.

"You sure you don't want anything more serious with Kook?" you tease Maya, sitting in the passenger seat with her dark sunglasses over her eyes. "All this could be yours."

"As if," she scoffs. "Not worth it to have to put up with his ass for the rest of eternity."

You key in the code for the front door and are greeted by a multitude of voices, the cavernous open-concept kitchen/dining room/living room only serving to amplify those inside. Hoseok and Sunny are quick to reel you in, introducing you to Sunny's three bridesmaid friends, Hoseok's brother (who you’ve met a few times before), and—

"Joonie!"

Namjoon swoops in to pull you into a bear hug while lamenting how long it's been since he last saw you. Hoseok's best friend since freshman year of college, the former pre-med major had been a core member of your group of friends, but med school combined with helping to manage his family's restaurant means that you rarely see him nowadays in spite of him sharing an apartment with Hoseok and Sunny.

"How's the roomie search going?" you ask as Namjoon pulls Maya into an equally crushing hug.

"Mmph, still no luck. Though I may have an old friend from grade school moving into the city soon, so we'll see if that pans out." He throws a quirked brow at Hoseok. "But I haven't entirely given up on convincing these two to reconsider breaking up the dream team."

"Ah, Joon, you really wanna live with two newlyweds that badly?" Hoseok whines. "Just think about it for two seconds. Really think about it."

Namjoon clicks his tongue, cheeks now tinged with a dusting of pink. "Okay, maybe you have a point."

The light mingling continues as everyone settles in, and you find yourself taking stock of the kitchen and planning a grocery run with Sunny's friends when the last three members of your party come spilling through the door.

Your companions head back to the entrance for introductions, but you stay firmly put, mindlessly busying yourself with plates and silverware, nerves alight at the thought of who just entered the house.

Voices still echoing from the living room, it's only a minute or so later when you sense the quiet presence of someone stepping into the kitchen, and, ever in sync, you don't need to turn around to know who.

"Hey, can I talk to you?"

You turn on instinct, your body responding to his voice before your brain can remind you of your avoidance. Taehyung leans against the kitchen island in a long-sleeved yellow shirt, baseball cap turned backwards on his head. Chin slightly tilted towards his chest, he's gazing at you from under his lashes, and you recognize it as nerves.

"I, um, I'm about to go on a grocery run."

"I can come with?" he offers. "Keep you company, carry the heavy stuff—"

"I made plans to go with Sunny's friends, actually."

"Oh, okay." His shoulders drop ever so slightly, and you glance away at the shoreline crashing in the distance, anywhere but at your best friend looking like a kicked puppy in front of you because of your own cowardice.

"Listen, Y/N—"

"Later?" You quickly interrupt, not mentally prepared to have this conversation right now, especially with Jimin casting you looks from where he stands in the living room.

Taehyung licks his lips, seeming to scan your face for something before he swallows down words on the tip of his tongue, grimacing as if they're nails. "Yeah, okay. Later."

a/n: feedback, thoughts, predictions, etc. are always welcome! :)

[herdelreydear]

I was all over her

pt 1

warnings: college!au, mean!ellie, owenxabby, elliexreader, (a bit abbyxreader bc of readers past, smoking, drugs, alcohol, some angst, nsfw in this or the next parts

summary: Dina drags Ellie to a camp where they can work at for three weeks, the money is good and they get a little vecation from their college life. It’s annoying but it gets more interesting when Ellie gets to know the other girl that is joining as a camp leader.

notes: i’m really excited for this series, it’s gonna be inspired by the 80s slasher summer camp vibe! They’re not in the 80s anymore but their town is so stubborn, that they still got all the old equipments so it kind of feels like it anyways. I’m also going to switch from different perspectives to get a better view from everyone’s thoughts when things get spicy :P

reposting, liking or even commenting would be so so appreciated <3

{ not proofread }

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„Ugh“ Ellie grunted shoving her stuff in her backpack that was already falling apart and had some holes here and there. It didn’t bother her as long as she didn’t loose anything of her supplies.

„If the money isn’t worth it i’m going.“ Dina, laying on her bed watching her- „Of course Ells as if you’re not living off of instant noodles and my stuff the last few weeks“ she grinned and rolled onto her stomach.

„The kids are gonna be annoying but remember how we were that age?“ she let out a quite laugh. „Were the ones making the rules now, so how bad can it be?“

„Oh fuck you“ Ellie sighed and finally got her backpack to zip up. „Kids that age are little shitheads“ she stood up and let herself fall on the bed next to Dina. „Well yeah, but at least they’re not that bad, I mean they wont be older than 16 y‘know?“

„Well with 16 I started selling“ Ellie grinned. „But if I catch one of them doing anything like that imma beat their ass“ she looked at her phone to check the time. „Well, or their mom will“

Dina flipped a finger against Ellies forehead „Ouch“- „You’re the one that has to behave“ Dina glanced a provocative smile at her. „No girls your age except for me and Abby, and a bunch of kids- I think you can handle that“

„I don’t like that Abby and Owen are the ones giving the orders to us, she‘s okay but Owen is annoying as fuck“ Dina nodded to agree with her. Abby and Owen were a bit older then them, and already did the camp counseling the year before.

„Well anyways we gotta go“ Dina pushed Ellie of the bed otherwise to leave would’ve took forever. They got outside and walked to Ellies Pick-Up truck. The others would drive in a school bus Owen got the permission to drive with. They would all meet at the camp.

This year it was so full, Owen and Abby decided to let all the kids sleep in the little cabins and the leaders would have to sleep outside. Because of Ellie having the Pick-Up they already loaded all their tents on it, wondering why there were two from Abby and Owen, thinking they’d sleep together anyways.

The Trip was nice though, Ellie liked driving and Dina liked being Ellies Dj even though Ellie didn’t approve to all the songs Dina was blasting on full volume.

After arriving Ellie looked unmotivated again. „First and last day are always the most stressful ones, so don’t give up today okay Ells?“ Closing the car door Dina tried to get Ellies confirmation. „Yeah sure“ she muffled and helped Dina with the tents and their backpacks.

Already settled in, they could hear the voices of kids and teens laughing in their little cabins. Searching for Abby and Owen they ran into you.

You just had moved to the place you were now also going to college to. Only about three months ago, but you didn’t recognize the two women approaching you. They don’t look 16 anymore that’s for sure, so they must be from college too, also taking the opportunity to get that money.

Of course you needed that money desperately, normal for a college student. Also, extra money didn’t hurt, and you needed to get away from.. well actually you wanted to get away from Abby, but you already applied to the job before knowing it was organized by Abby- and Owen, her boyfriend.. At least the two other girls are joining too, so you’re not alone with them.

„hey! you’re from college too?“ Dina came up to greet you with a welcoming quick hug, surprised you smiled lightly and nodded. „Uh, yeah I am“ you looked over to the other girl, hands in her pockets and not looking like she was going to great you like the other one. „I’m y/n“ you introduced yourself to the two. „Dina“ -she seemed like a person you’ll get along with, but the other one- „Ellie“ she said shortly, seemed not that pleased by the whole situation. Well, maybe she was just here for the money, and you’d understand that. For you, being outside was calming, and working or more like watching the kids a bit was totally fine with you. Growing up with siblings you knew how to handle annoying teens.

„Hey hey“ Owen stepped out of one of the cabins, Abby on his hand, she looked a bit annoyed but smiled when she saw the small group of yours. „Finally, all the kids are already unpacking their stuff and ready for some food“ she smiled and they stepped closer to greet everyone. „So for the basics: we have plans hung out in the kitchen on wich we are divded into wash off and cooking shifts.“ Abby walked to one of the cabins, the only one that was a bit bigger, everyone followed.

Stepping in she pointed to a list that was hung up against a board. „I think it’s okay that we do the dishes, the kids are here to relax. Owen and I are going to do most of the activities with them, but most of the kids are already to old for that and just want to be outside on the lake or on the fields. You guys just watch out that no ones going missing and when we need you, you’ll help us out.“

Her voice was calm and you couldn’t avoid feeling a big clump in your throat.

Just weeks ago she ended it with you, or kind of did. You apparently just were a little flink she had while being broken up with Owen. It still hurted though. She was the first woman you slept with, but even more- she was the one that gave you the security you were a lesbian. At the beginning she was there for you while being the new student, helping you out a lot with how everything worked you both couldn’t deny the tension that got in between you from the first day you’d met. At that point you didn’t knew about the breakup with Owen, you were fully convinced she was a lesbian anyways. You asked her out on sweet little coffee dates and she took you to her basketball practice ones in a while. It felt like you two had known each other for much longer than just a few months. You started to crush on her besides being sexually attracted to her. But it stayed at being fuck buddies, till you mentioned your feelings and she seemed to be on the same side. All fine, till one night- that stupid fucking frat party. You were waiting for her all night, after not showing up you asked around if anybody saw her. Some did, but they also lost sight of her. Already a bit drunk you made your way through the rooms till you accidentally walked in on two people, needing a sec to realize who was having sex right there.

That night didn’t end well. You were heartbroken (you knew it seemed a bit too fast but it still hurted- and it was the way she did not tell you about him- and didn’t tell you she was actually just getting her sexual frustration eased by sleeping with you) You felt used and had cut her off.

Now, you two had to get along somehow. And it was fine, it wasn’t that deep you tried to tell yourself. Move on, gosh you’re embarrassing yourself . You’d tell yourself.

Everyone seemed fine with the list, and you turned to Dina and Ellie. „So, let’s build up our tents?“ you wanted to get away from her. They agreed. You looked up to Abby while walking past her, she gave you a little smile. You noticed her apologizing look, it made you sick.

„Oh I forgot to tell you, Jesse‘s coming too“ Dina turned her head to Ellie while putting together the tent. „How did you forget that“ Ellie scrunched her eyebrows together. Sweet. You held on to the other side of the tent, not doing much because you didn’t knew anything ok how to put up those. „Well, Ells he’s not here so obviously I forgot him. He’s always late!“ she rolled her eyes. „Jesse‘s my Ex“ she turned around to tell you without being asked, but you were to shy to ask anyways, so you appreciated her leading the conversation. „So now we’re two“ you tried to smile. „Wait what? You were dating Jesse??“ You shaked your head hardly. „Noo I don’t even know him don’t worry“ before she could ask about Abby, you quickly finished building up the tent and changed the subject. When all tents were up, Jesse arrived. Extroverted like Dina he started blabbering all kinds of stuff on to you, knowing he just tried to made you feel less left out, you tried to stay as focused as possible and answered to all his questions.

„So now, who’s gonna sleep where?“

All of you stood infront of the three little tents. Abby and Owen were already in the kitchen, making some dough for bread on sticks, but it was obvious they’d sleep together. „I don’t care, you guys can decide“ You smiled and you noticed Ellie glancing over to you. She was really quite since they arrived but it was kind of.. pleasant.

„You wanna sleep with me?“ She said, and you shrugged. „Sure“ giving her a smile that she gave you back. Dina raised a brow, knowing Ellie, she took every opportunity to get girls actually in bed with her. Poor you Dina thought. But Dina was also more than fine with sharing a tent with Jesse. Yes, they broke up, but they still were like besties.

Following Ellie you climbed into your tent, finding yourself unexpectedly really close to her. Ellie noticed the rosy color on your cheeks. „So.. on wich side do you want to sleep?“ you asked, a bit uncomfortable. Before saying anything Ellie just stretched herself and layed down on her side. „is that fine?“ she reassured and you nodded. While humming you started to unpack your stuff. Ellie watched you while rolling herself another one up. You didn’t mind, and didn’t tell her to stop when she lightened it in your little tent, you just opened the entrance and layed down next to her.

„So how come I’ve never seen you at college?“ She looked to the side and held the joint infront of you, as you took it you thought about how you could answer it as short as possible.

„I just came here a few months ago, wasn’t really with anybody that’s probably why“ you shrugged „I like to be on my own“ you exhaled and gave it back to her. She grinned. „Well that’s definitely understandable, but what about frat parties? They can be fun too, never been to one?“ she layed her head on her arm that was behind her and watched the smoke fill the air.

„Well I was“ you caughed, you weren’t used to smoking weed, and the tent was full of smoke. Ellie laughed and opened the outer layer of the tent a bit wider. „Let’s go“ she tilted her head to the exit, noticing you’re not taking the full air that well and you climbed out of it. It already got dark and you decided to collect some wood for the campfire. You didn’t notice how a constant smile was on your lips, and how the stiffness from before started to loosen up. But Ellie noticed and enjoyed your quite being.

After being done collecting some sticks and branches, Ellie lit up the campfire and Jesse and Dina gathered the kids around it. Abby and Owen brought the food and the atmosphere started to get more calm and chatty. You enjoyed it more than you thought and then and there your eyes met with Ellies.

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I know that’s the second series I started, I think I’ll just write them both at the same time. I hope you like it, I already have the next parts planned x3

I’m also making a playlist inspired by the 80s but also the vibe for this series~

[tb5-heavenward]

Hello!!!!! Just read your fic 'Talented Amateurs' and its soooo totally awesome and the writing is AMAZINGGGG!!!

I completely understand if you're not planning on finishing it but was wondering if you had any ideas about the ending you'd thought of? Was super curious as to how the rest would pan out!!!

Thank you <333333

oh man, I am sorry for how absent I have been lately! I have actually spent the past few years moving home to Canada from the USA, and getting settled at home again with my family. I've been split between semi-single parenthood, immigrating my husband from his home country back to mine, and then three or four different jobs across two different countries, depending upon how one counts that, and the rigamarole of generally getting life back into a manageable state. I've been through so many big changes over the past few years that I more or less have to conceptualize just the whole first half of my thirties as having been about just Getting Settled.

As to TA and writing in general, I would love to get back to it someday, the nature of writing for me is that I do end up taking long breaks in order to Live Life for periods of a few years at a time, but I always do mean to come back. I don't want to promise anything, but theoretically things will start to settle back into a real and actual routine in the latter half of 2024, as I whittle my days back down to just working one job, taking care of one household, and having my kid back in school for the bulk of the day.

It's not the only big project or big property I squared myself up against, but it is one that has a very clear roadmap of a plot in my head, so no fear there. As far as Heavenward having been kind of a jumping off point for what I thought the most interesting aspects of TAG Season 1 were, talented amateurs was really the same as far as what I thought about where Season 2 left things, and where I would have gone with what I thought was the other most interesting aspect of the show as a whole, that is to say Penny/Gordon, and the notion of the whole cast as adults with relationships.

The most terrifying thing about TA as it exists right now is that it's maybe only about 30% of the story I ever intended to tell, which speaks to just how awful it is to have my brain. Basically, the intent was always for it to be three parts long, each about 200k words, one for each trimester of the pregnancy it centers around, and for that to unfold in ways that I thought would be entertaining. As a story it is genuinely never far from my head or my heart (I reread it myself with embarrassing frequency) and the broad strokes of the answer to that question of where it goes next actually hinge on whether or not Jeff Tracy is alive or dead in TA's version of the TAG universe, and I never quite settled that question for myself. After how long it's been though, I think I at least have enough perspective to know which way I'm leaning.

I'm very much due for a rewatch of the series, and hopefully I can carve out time sometime soon to make that happen.

As far as something that may or may not resemble a glimmer of hope for a future where I get my ass back in gear, here's a cut and the first half of the chapter I left off in the middle of writing, for whatever that's worth!

61 - knit and purl

Grandma Tracy hasn't had much to knit in a while, and her fingers ache slightly, her muscle memory for the task having gone somewhat to rust. There's no great call for hats and scarves in the South Pacific, no one particularly in need of cableknit when there's Gore-tex and nanofleece to be had. Still, it had all come back quickly enough, and the bag she'd brought with her is no longer full of knitting needles and yarn, but of a gift for her grandson.

Not, crucially, the one whose birthday it actually is, though she'd caught Alan's sideways glances and nods of approval during the flight over, so it's not as though she thinks he minds.

Alan is presently in the process of very carefully putting TB2 down in an empty patch of farmland alongside a dirt road stretching between two fields. The windbreak around the farmhouse is in sight, as is the hulking green pickup truck rumbling along the road towards their appointed landing coordinates. From over her shoulder, Grandma Tracy can feel the intensity of Virgil's silent attention where he leans forward in one of the passenger seats, not wanting to backseat drive, but equally not wanting Alan to fudge the landing. John's still down in the cargo bay, hopefully buckled in.

Grandma isn't worried, though she can see her youngest grandson's tongue caught between his teeth and poking out between his lips as he concentrates. When the Thunderbird finally settles gently to the earth below, she watches him let out a great big breath and grin to himself, and when he glances across the cockpit towards her, she can tell he's after reassurance, and she's only too happy to oblige. "Nicely done, kiddo."

"Not too bad," Alan agrees, though his smile widens at the praise. He pushes his seat back, unbuckling his harness and stretching before hoisting himself upright and clambering back into the cabin proper. "I'm gonna get changed. You okay, Virg?"

Virgil's slept most of the flight through, and could probably do to get up and move around himself, but with his leg still in a cast and TB2's interior not exactly friendly to those in a state of reduced mobility, he's going to need help getting up and out of the ship. "Fine, Al. Good job. Give Grandma a hand before you go."

Grandma Tracy waves Alan away as he turns around, already extending a hand in her direction. "No, no, I'll sit a minute. Go get in your civvies, sweetheart. We're not in a hurry."

Alan shrugs and reverses course, giving Virgil's shoulder a light punch as he passes by, heading for the lockers and showers tucked back behind the cockpit. Virgil looks mildly disgruntled to have been overruled, but his expression softens slightly when Grandma turns in her seat to give him a gently knowing smile. "Hard to be back in your bird and not be the one flying, hm?"

"It sucks."

There's a blunt, uncharacteristic bitterness there that's hard to miss, the past few weeks have been hard on Virgil, in no small measure because they've been hard on his brothers. The pressure release of Gordon's circumstances seems to have done little to improve Virgil's mood, and it's hard to tell if he wants attention drawn to his attitude. She suspects not, and doesn't comment, only nods sympathetically. "Well, we're all on the ground now, and you can take it easy for a while."

This gets no better answer than an non-committal grunt, and the fact that Virgil's been taking it easy for weeks now hangs in the air, obvious but unstated, and then dissipates into nothingness as the cargo lift hums from behind them, and John returns from the lower cargo bay, with the little plexiglass sphere that houses his AI companion held loosely in one hand. "Al getting changed?" he asks, stooping slightly as he moves through the cockpit, coming to the front just in time to offer his grandmother a hand to her feet.

"Showering first," Grandma informs him, and accepts his help to stand and stretch. "Help an old lady back down to terra firma, won't you, dear?"

"Of course," John answers immediately, and offers his arm in a solicitous and genteel fashion, at odds with the way he's often written off as cold and distant. There's a rarely seen streak of gentility in John, most often only seen by his grandmother, who has the fortune of being one of the few recipients of his softer affections. Her hand on his arm is steadied when his palm closes lightly over her fingers, and he contrives to help her aboard the cargo lift in a way that doesn't make her feel doddering and weak. "I'll be back for you in a minute, Virgil, unless Alan gets you first," John attempts to tell his younger brother, but the only response is another dismissive grunt, and this is lost in the hydraulic hum of the cargo lift.

"Never mind about him," Grandma says, tipping her head lightly against her grandson's shoulder when he sighs aloud. "Gordon will cheer him up one way or the other, mark my words."

[raeniskaies]

how to glow up this summer ♡

summer has arrived and school is out , which means you have 1 - 3 months worth of opportunities !! suprise your classmates , friends , families or even yourself as you glow up and enter the new school year absolutely changed !

our plan : :

001 , eat healthier

- try and enjoy the hot , summer day with some mangoes or watermelons as a snack ! make sure to drink lots of water + occasionally treat yourself with some fast food !

002 , stretch // workout

- as soon as you wake up to the beating sun , treat your body with some nice relaxing stretches and pilates ! try and find workout channels

e . g : : hinafit , shirlyn kim etc to change your body ! remember that workouts will be ineffective if you don't eat properly !!

003 , hygiene

- hygiene is a must as most of you will start to sweat due to the sun's heat. remember to apply deodorant & shower properly

004 , mindset // mental health

- you can only truly glow up if you change your mindset, don't pity yourself for your past mistakes and forgive yourself. don't have a victim mindset.

examples of channels to help with this are : :

♡ thewizardliz

♡ freezia

- don't let anything stop you from you being you. you are pretty , gorgeous & unstoppable !!

005 , self care

- try journaling , dancing in the sun , rewatching your favourite movies etc, take care of your body as it takes care of you and you will be amazed with the results !

006 , skincare

- taking care of your skin is an absolute must in this dry , hot weather. apply sunscreen everyday , find out your skin type & shop for whatever benefits your skin the most ! Don't just buy any that is popular on tiktok !!

007 , less screentime

- you can obviously use your phone throughout the day for necessary things but do not waste all of your time on it ! you only have one life ( depending on your belief ) and you can live it in two ways : :

♡ as the earner

or

♡ as the spender

the spender spends all of their time , their money on playing games or buying unnecessary objects etc that will hardly last them. All of this will benefit the earner who has dedicated their time , their money into education , necessary objects etc instead. So who do you want to be ? The earner or the spender ??

008 , study , study , study

- be like Rory Gilmore or Elle woods , someone who spends their time for education. They did not waste their life by doing so , the result of their sacrifice gave them a bright future ! Find out your studying method , find a quiet place , whatever you need to do , just study !!

thank you for reading !

need more tips ?? join my discord server ::

[webtoon-thoughts]

Webtoon Recommendations

Number #1: UnOrdinary

This is one of my firsts and favorites, I absolutely ADORE it

Summary from Webtoons: Nobody paid much attention to John – just a normal teenager at a high school where the social elite happen to possess unthinkable powers and abilities. But John’s got a secret past that threatens to bring down the school’s whole social order – and much more. Fulfilling his destiny won’t be easy though, because there are battles, frenemies and deadly conspiracies around every corner.

Why I love it: The plot is compelling and John is extremely relatable, especially at his worst. Well, all the characters are all relatable in different aspects and also flawed. The story can be used as a parallel to our world and it also involves rebelling against the government + vigilantism. The story involves loss, the feeling of being powerless, friendship, enemies, regret, and it’s all put out beautifully.

BONUS/FAVORITE: The story easily could have gone terrible or become extremely controversial since it involves a world where everyone has special abilities, all at varying levels of power. Which once again, can be seen as a parallel to our world. And when you have a parallel to the real world, things can get heated fast.

Number #2: My Reason To Die

Like the misunderstood bad-boy trope? Like extreme emotions? Well this is perfect for you!

Summary from Webtoons: Ji-o’s luck runs out when she gets injured before the tryouts for the national taekwondo team. In the middle of facing what seems to be the biggest crisis of her life, she meets Gyeol, a mysterious boy who changes her life forever. He’s the definition of a bad boy with a good heart, and she finds herself unable to resist his charms. However, she might be playing with fire as he’s someone who’s involved with the wrong crowd. Is falling for Gyeol worth the risk?

Why I love it: Now this webtoon is beautiful. We see a blooming romance full of uncertainty and doubt, but then when Gyeol saves Ji-o it manages to break your heart and put it back together at the same time

Bonus/Favorite: Well I’m a sucker for romance and bad boys…buttt I also adore when there’s uncertainty and it seems like they won’t make it. Also I love sad things, and this is a great balance of the two.

Number #3: Death : Rescheduled

Like a story with attractive characters trying to change the world, all with sad backstories? Well you’re in luck! Snailords has blessed us with their gorgeous art and storylines. Also there’s our lovely Emai, who just loves violence.

Summary from Webtoons: Yes, you get one kill a year. But you can also get murdered for any reason, at all! In one district, sex and romance are also illegal. Kissed someone? Dead. Made coffee with the wrong amount of sugar? Extra dead. I’m done. We’re fixing this.

Why I love it: Well who doesn’t love a good dystopia? The art is beautiful and the characters have compelling personalities which are all unique. And now another sentence on how incredible each characters individual personality is ( clap here ).

Bonus/ Favorite: Honestly I admire and adore Snailords to the end of the world. Anything snailords related, I’d die for. Leading to our next webtoon…

Number #4: Freaking Romance

Oh Freaking Romance my beloved… My live, laugh, love, and life. This was probably the webtoon that impacted me the most. It’s supernatural, cute, romance, and has its melancholy parts.

Summary from Webtoons: A sexy supernatural story about being out on your own, finding your dream apartment and discovering that your new place is haunted by a handsome spectral stranger from another dimension. Sure, HE can’t see you and YOU can’t touch him, but who said every relationship starts out perfectly?

Why I love it: Can I look at the words romance or freaking without thinking of this webtoon? Nope. This webtoon is so touching and absolutely beautiful. You can practically feel the emotions as if they are your own. And once again, another sentence of admiration about Snailords. (Please someone fill the freaking romance shaped hole in my heart…)

YOU WILL NEED DAILY PASS

Bonus/Favorite: This webtoon also holds a special place in my heart from nostalgia, too. I started reading at the start of my Webtoons obsession, and never ever forgot it. This will never change. Feel free to send me the physical copy of it. (Wait don’t find my address)

Number #5: Wished you were dead

Well we can’t have pure romance! Also this webtoon currently is my life, ever since a friend recommended it.

Summary from Webtoons: King Karloi of Croisen finds himself at odds with his position in life. His wife’s father, Duke Deluah, is angling for the throne, and as an outsider to the family, Karloi fears for his position. His frustrations have affected his marriage, though he finds himself questioning his cold approach to his wife, Evonne. He may no longer recognize her, but Evonne saved his life long ago, and was his first love. This is but one of many secrets Evonne bears the weight of, having fallen victim to a curse that prevents her from telling any secrets...

why I love it: before you ask, this is hopefully not going to end in romance. I am an avid Karloi hater, and I’ll stay that way. Also, the art is stunning. With the art and storyline, you’ll find yourself screaming, crying, hitting the floor, etc. This Webtoon is incredibly put together, seeing how every moment will pull your heart in a new way. You’ll feel anger, sympathy, excitement, and everything I haven’t felt without Webtoons. The story also includes royalty and all that good stuff, which I adore.

Favorite/Bonus: Well this is a heart-wrenching story. And the regret in Karloi’s eyes will continue to be the fuel which pushes me everyday.

Number #6 (FINAL): Your Throne

And welcome to another one of my obsessions. Medea is quite literally life goals.

Summary from Webtoons: Tensions are brewing under the seemingly calm surface of the Vasilios Empire, a kingdom ruled by the Imperial Family and the Temple. Lady Medea Solon has lost her place next to Crown Prince Eros, but resolves to do whatever it will take to win back what's rightfully hers. Will she reclaim her throne?

Why I love it: in the beginning, we see a fight between Medea and Psyche, but they turn out to be great friends. the art is gorgeous, and the characters all are flawed in the most beautiful ways. Psyche and Medea balance each other out and make a great team, which I’m happy about. (They don’t need no men, just date each other) And Medea is ALWAYS PLOTTING. This Webtoon increases my IQ exponentially.

Bonus/Favorite: I feel like Medea plays the role of the necessary villain when she does questionable things for everyone’s sake. Without these, so many plans would have failed. You can’t expect to win without sacrifice, and this Webtoon shows that well.

[oswinsdolma]

i've been reading a bunch of modern aus lately, and i've noticed that quite a lot are a bit uncertain about how the british education system works. it's not a problem by any means, but for anyone who wants it, here is a brief explanation:

we don't say "grades", we say "years", e.g. 7th grade would be year 7. we also don't say things like freshman/sophomore/senior etc. it's just the numbers.

however, some primary schools split into infants and juniors, infants being from yR-2 and juniors being y3-6

we also have a national curriculum all throughout compulsory education, which means everyone studies the same thing, more or less. there are discrepancies at GCSE/A-level with different exam boards, but in general, most people take either the same, or very similar exams, and are taught the same skills.

you start primary school when you are four or five in year R, and continue through primary school from years 1-6.

at the end of year six, you take the SATS, which are a really insubstantial national standardised test for english, maths and spag

it is also optional to take an exam called the 11+ at the end of y6. if you pass, you can go to grammar school. these can be state or private, and are basically redundant nowadays, and just used so parents can say that their child passed the 11+ and got into the Smart School. These are usually single gender and low-key cult like, but otherwise, are exactly the same as normal state "comprehensive" schools.

secondary school is from y7-11. at the end of y11, everyone takes the GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education). you have to do english, maths and sciences, plus several other subjects. most people have between 7-13 GCSEs, and if you fail english language or maths, you have to retake until you pass, even into college.

GCSEs are graded on a scale of 9-1, 9 being an equivalent to A** and is the top 1% of the students who got 7+, and 1 being an F/U. the pass mark is a 4.

the grades you get in your GCSEs are kind of irrelevant, except they determine which subjects you can take for A-level.

After secondary school, you have to stay in full time education for another two years (allegedly, though ik a few people who dropped out), and most people do A-levels (Advanced Level Exams). Instead of doing loads of subjects like at GCSE, you pick 3-4 and study them for two years. these are a LOT HARDER than GCSEs.

if you do four a levels, you're kind of a try hard. honestly, if you do it, good for you, but as a cultural thing, so many people who did four a levels were the most insufferable people who only did it to gloat, and then couldn't handle the workload.

oh, also this entire system is pretty much 100% exam based. for 2/3 of my a levels, i had a coursework essay that was pre graded, but it was only worth 20% of my final grade, and those were rare occurrences. at GCSE, unless you do art or something like that, everything is exam based.

A-levels are graded on a scale of A*-E, and then a U if you literally get nothing. which happens more often than you might think.

this is the bit that i see a lot of people get confused about. in the UK, we don't call university "college". college, to us, is where you take your a levels. if it's an independent institution, it's a "college/further education centre". if it's attached to a secondary school, it's called a "sixth form" (because y12 was year six of senior school in the old system).

i'm sorry i'm trying to be as clear as i can but our education system is complex af

your A-level grades determine where you can apply to uni, which you HAVE to do through a system called UCAS.

UCAS (the university and colleges admissions service) is a national system where you put in all your details required to apply for uni. you start it in the june of y12 and send it in by January** IN MOST CASES

to apply for uni, you need to list all your qualifications/details, predicted grades, personal statement essay and teacher references. this all gets submitted by your school.

HOWEVER. if you are applying to medicine, vet, dentistry, oxford or cambridge, the deadline is in october, and you have to submit written work, do multiple assessments and do rounds of interviews in addition to everything else (would not recommend).

you can also apply to conservatoire for music/drama schools, which tend to have their own deadlines and systems because they're not technically universities

okay nearly at the end

the closest thing we have to an Ivy League is the Russell Group, but it's not as prestigious. Russell Group unis tend to be higher ranked, offer niche courses and demand high grade requirements.

Oxford and Cambridge are not normal universities. i CANNOT stress this enough. you apply through ucas, but the courses themselves are unique and highly competitive (the one i applied for had like 10 spaces)(i got rejected lmao). also they are arranged in colleges within the uni, so it's like a collection of tiny unis linked by a larger institution. colleges are not subject specific and most of them have weird cults. if you're writing oxbridge students, google it, not just for accuracy, but because it's absolutely hilarious.

interviews are also more like interrogations. i was reduced to tears on several occasions, and you also have to swear not to reveal the questions you were asked (everyone does it anyway but STILL IT'S WEIRD). for example, one of my interviews, i was given a poem about feet and asked to analyse it on the spot over a blurry zoom screen. they don't ask you about yourself. they don't ask you about school. they just quickfire questions at you for forty minutes and roll their eyes when you take more than a few seconds to answer.

we also don't have majors/minors. you choose one subject that you apply for specifically, and spend 3-7 years studying that subject pretty much exclusively. the only deviations from this might be if you were taking archaeology and took an art history class or something — everything is really closely related.

we can also drink at 18. not that an age limit has ever stopped anyone in the uk from getting drunk. getting pissed in a field is a major pastime for anyone from the ages of 12-28. it's a problem.

instead of having dorms at uni, most people live in flats. there will be like ten people on a corridor with a shared kitchen. you only live in university housing for your first year, unless you are at oxbridge, in which case i think it's mandatory to live in your college for your whole course.

community college and private universities aren't a thing either. when you apply to uni, you apply to student finance (unless your parents are absolutely LOADED and pay for you) and get a loan for your tuition, and also a maintenance loan based on your household income, which is used to pay for rent, food, etc. you cannot be exempt from financial aid but a lot of people do not receive enough, particularly in recent years when the cost of living in the uk has gone up so much.

university is roughly £9-10k per year (depending on where you study) which is a Lot. but why are people in the US paying hundreds of thousands of dollars, are you guys okay???

also, if you're scottish, university in scotland is free. they also have a standard four year systm rather than the three year system in england and wales (idk about ni i didn't apply there). why?? because the english government is absolute shite and they got rid of the state university programme for england (blame the tories)

don't do your research on the student room. just don't. for your own sake.

and a couple more cultural things before we leave off

we all wear uniform until we get to year twelve. everyone. even the four year olds.

Nottingham Trent university is just the butt of so many jokes and I really don't understand why (they're not even the lowest in the league table 😭😭)

Durham is full of Oxbridge rejects who are in denial about it, and is also the butt of a lot of jokes

everything i have mentioned so far is about STATE education. private education runs on different tracks: you have prep schools, which run from yR-8, and senior schools that run from y9-11, and most of them have attached sixth forms. there is a massive cultural and economic divide between state and private school kids, because they get so much more help applying for uni, and also there is so much nepotism in our government. like. politicians wear their old school ties in parliament so they know who to give favours to. it's AWFUL.

some private schools are so fancy they loop back around and are known as "public schools". they're schools like Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Marlborough, etc. really old institutions that basically guarantee you a place at oxbridge because of family legacy (though this has got a lot better over the last decade or so)(but they still have an unfair advantage).

a lot of compulsory education schools are really religious because education in the uk used to be run basically by the church, and the church still own a lot of schools. universities though, even the ones with roots in the church, are atheistic, their religious links symbolic or supplementary to their main purpose.

okay that ended up being way longer than i thought, but i hope someone finds this useful when writing, or at least interesting.

[p5x-theories]

How would a "full deck" of Social Links work?

If they actually did decide to go for a plan of having a huge cast themed around the entire Tarot deck it would probably make the most sense for the Major Arcana to be reserved for the important story characters, while the Phantom Idol/Confidant-only characters would use the Minor Arcana.  This would make the distinction between main and side content clear.

Having 20 story party members might seem like a lot, but this is a live service game that ideally will keep going for years, and I’ve theorized that instead of wrapping up in winter the story will keep going.  If the plan is to fully cover Wonder’s final two years of high school 20 party members seems about right or maybe a little bit short (time to break out the alternative decks?)

It would also be neat to follow the Fool’s Journey more closely than in previous games and have the numbers of the Arcana be the introduction order of the characters.  I don’t know if they’d actually do this or if they’ve even planned that far ahead, but it would be cool to watch unfold if they did pull it off.

If they wanted to make it clear that some Confidants are more important than others will still firmly being part of the supporting cast instead of the main cast they could use the court cards (Kings/Queens/Knights/Pages) for them.

(Not part of the theory but also worth noting: P5’s Major Arcana is patterned after the Tarot de Marseilles, but P5X’s Minor Arcana seems to be based on the Thoth Tarot.)

Boring but More Likely Theory: Major Arcana and the Large Cast

So how are they going to handle the Arcana if Wonder has more Confidants than Tarot has Major Arcana?  Pulling cards from alternate decks has precedent, but it’s usually more of a spin-off/rerelease thing and there are only so many unless you go really obscure.  Minor Arcana links would be fun, but it hasn’t been done before.  And I really hope they don’t get rid of the Tarot theming altogether.

But maybe the most likely solution is taking a different path: Not limiting the game to only having one character per Arcana.  Maybe Wonder has the ability to meet multiple Magicians, High Priestesses, etc.

This may not be the most interesting option, but it’s the simplest that doesn’t involve discarding the Arcana.

And this way if they do take the option of making Social Link Idols they don’t stand out against the P5X characters.  If Wonder’s Confidants are using increasingly obscure cards it’s a bit weird for random school and job friends of previous protagonists to show up rocking the familiar and iconic ones.  But if it’s standard for everyone to just be assigned a Major Arcana it’s business as usual.  Players brand new to the series won’t even ask about P4 having multiple Strength and Sun representatives, or P3 having both story Persona users and random side characters for some slots.

I’m combining both halves of this theory into one post in order to keep them together!

Having multiple characters per Arcana would make some sense, though I’d argue it’s a little different from previous games having multiple options for some Arcana, because in that case, the protagonist themselves still only picks one of those characters to form a bond with, who then represents that Arcana for them. I do agree it sets the precedent that could make this possible, I just wanted to clarify my thoughts on that because I can’t tell if you were equating that as 1:1 or just saying what I’m saying here in a shorter way, haha. Still, definitely better than not having Arcana at all!

I could also see them using minor Arcana for the Phantom Idols, although that would get a little strange too, since the minor Arcana are also used as items to power up teammates. I suppose there’s really no reason the cards couldn’t have multiple ways they’re featured in-game- Chihaya obviously uses tarot cards for her readings, and what she draws isn’t typically meant to be taken as relating to the characters who represent those Arcana- but it does feel relevant to the discussion here.

That said, I think you’re right that multiple characters per Arcana is probably the easiest way to go about it, especially as they continue to expand the cast. It’s certainly preferable to not having Arcana at all, hah.

[chemblrish]

Hey, First of all, I love your blog. It's literally aesthetic ~ I wanted to ask if you considered job prospects before deciding on your degree because I see people around me saying chem is not worth it because of future possibilities. I also have a background in Biotechnology, but had a similar issue with it being too vague. I am working in a totally different field which I am greatful for but I dont plan on staying here long term. Seeing your blog rekindled my interest in chem so would love to know your point of view on this or any advice you could offer. You can totally ignore this if you want as well <3

[This got SO LONG omg 🙈 But I hope it can be helpful]

Hi there fellow chem enthusiast!

To be honest, it's no secret that finding a job in the scientific field is difficult here in Poland. I was fully aware of it when I chose biotech first and then chemistry second. My reasoning back then was, "I love science more than anything and, since I have the opportunity to study it literally for free, why not take it? Why not spend five years - that are going to come and go anyway - learning something I'm passionate about, broadening my knowledge, and giving myself a chance to create a beautiful future for myself? Even if I fail to get a job in science, at least I will know that I tried my best. I'll have spent five precious years of my life doing something incredible."

Which may sound a little depressing, I agree 😅 But several years later, I still think this way. Even if I can't get a job in chemistry once I graduate, at least I'm so, so happy now. I can't really picture myself doing anything that's not science-related, so I know I have to try.

But at the same time, after a couple of years studying for two different science degrees, I have some insight that I didn't have straight after high school. I have had people tell me getting a science degree isn't worth it too, that I won't get a job afterwards, but I've noticed most of those people belonged to one of the following three categories:

1. People who have absolutely nothing to do with science: distant relatives working in business or trade, my parents' acquaintances with no higher education, everybody who ~has heard things~ but has never really been in the position to see firsthand how these things work.

2. My fellow science majors who have older friends with a science degree: their concerns usually sounded valid to me. After all, they were in touch with people who actually got the degree in question and then tried to navigate the job market post-graduation. Later though I realized a lot of those people belonged to the third category.

3. Science students who honestly don't know what tf they're doing - a category that I like to divide into two subcategories:

a. well-meaning but lost students who really need guidance

b. people who went to uni because eh why not but who don't really care and who refuse to put in the work.

I definitely belonged to category 3a at the very beginning of my uni journey, so there's no shame in that. I'm a first gen uni student, so I had to figure everything out all by myself as I went.

The thing is, I got to talk to a lot of people who complained that a science degree is useless while doing pretty much nothing to sharpen their skills. They floated through uni as if it was nothing but another chore they had to cross out of their to-do list, barely passing, having zero interest in their field of study, not taking any opportunities that were literally out there. No extracurriculars, no internships, no side projects, nothing. Is it surprising at all these people struggle to find a job in science afterwards?

Don't get me wrong, nobody has full control over their life - sometimes you just get lucky. My friend's friend (lol) needed to take a break from uni after his BSc and got a job in an analytical lab straight away. But most often you just really have to work your butt off to get what you want. The people from my old uni who truly cared about biotech worked extremely hard to get to where they are now: with published papers and working with their profs. Harsh as it may sound, I now know that if I don't want to be one of those people with a """useless""" science degree, I have to do more than is expected of me. I have to put my introverted, anxious self out there, because being passive probably won't get me anywhere.

The people who love you and care about you mean well when they say chemistry isn't worth it, but that doesn't mean they're right. Similarly, people who graduate with a science degree and then struggle to get a job aren't all slackers who just didn't try hard enough - that's absolutely not true. Life isn't always what we want it to be. I wouldn't exactly feel comfortable giving you advice since I'm still in uni, but I can tell you my experience, and my experience is people who know what they want and who are willing to work very hard for it, usually get it.

I'd say this is also no secret but it tends to float over people's heads (no shame in this either, it's hard to imagine your whole future when you're like 20) that when your profs tell you to do more, they're being serious. When they say doing extra is important, they're right.

So, I believe in all this stuff and I work hard and I got myself an internship, and will this get me a job in chemistry? I don't know! I've no idea! Maybe I'll fail miserably! Maybe I'll be one of those people who genuinely try hard and then just happen to be really unlucky! But right now I'm doing everything that's in my power not to let that happen. I can't guarantee you success in the scientific field - nobody can - but I can tell you hard work, determination, and faith in yourself increase your chances of succeeding dramatically. It's a cliche, I'm aware, but if you never try, you never know. You only get one precious chance to experience living on this floating rock and everything that comes with it. Why not try to make it good?

[therosefrontier]

@badthingshappenbingo

Title: It Doesn't Take Much (to Cover Up Small Cuts)

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland

Prompt: Lacerations

Characters: Cater (main POV), Trey (gets a brief POV), Riddle

Placement: canon present, somewhere in the middle of the school year well after Book 1 territory, no time in particular

Word Count: 5625

(crossposted to AO3)

+++

It didn’t take long after Cater started his freshman year at NRC to learn that his school had just a slight bit of a fighting problem. Despite all of the school’s rules (and all of Heartslabyul’s), people still had a habit of getting testy with each other, the freshies especially. It was just par for the course, probably. The school was full of strong mages with big egos to match, and sometimes, they resolved their problems in a school-sanctioned way, like a duel (which was still technically fighting) or a sports game like Spelldrive, but at other times, people just kind of went off the rails.

Cater was usually pretty good at staying out of it when there was trouble, or skillfully ignoring it when other people were mad at him, and he was also pretty good at shoving his own opinions and wants out the window to make peace and keep everyone happy, so he never really got into any fights himself (unless he counted Riddle’s overblot…or Leona’s). However, he was the guy to go to when angry people needed to talk things out. All he had to do with disarm them with some lighthearted words and make them realize that fighting just wasn’t worth it. He had to do this a surprisingly high number of times last year, both when mediating between two people having your average everyday argument and when talking down his dormmates from going to war with Riddle. Sometimes, they’d be having an argument because they’d be tossing blame over some infraction on each other out of fear of Riddle, and admittedly, Cater would oftentimes slickly throw the fear of their housewarden right back at them, letting them know that he’d be totes mad if they got into a fight, which was way more mad than he would be over them eating a hamburger on the wrong day of the week or something.

Things were different now, though, so with Heartslabyul on their rocky way to putting all the drama behind them, Cater would try not to use the fear-of-Riddle tactic quite so often, even if it was sometimes still applicable. Riddle was doing way better and Cater wanted to respect that. That said, he wasn’t afraid of Riddle losing it on their dormmates over a few random Queen of Hearts rules, but he would absolutely be red-face-mad if he caught his dorm members in a brawl.

So basically, as much as he really would love to have Riddle or Trey with him right now for backup, Cater figured the best play for today would be to just resolve this problem on his own, nice and easy, no fireworks necessary. Whatever was going on exactly.

“Come on, this way!”

Then again, Bura did sound kind of panicked, so maybe Cater had a few fireworks in store for him once he saw the damage. When Bura found him in the lounge, Cater got only a few reassuring words in before his dormmate grabbed his hand and started emphatically leading the way. However, he was also a freshman, so he might just be freaked out just over seeing his dormmates fight at all. The brawlers in question were also freshmen, which meant that their magical ability was probably not that strong yet, so really, how bad could it be? 

Bad. Very bad. He was absolutely fooling himself when he let himself believe that it wouldn’t be.

“Cater-senpai, there you are! Micah’s lost it! You have to do something!”

“We can’t get in even if we try! My fire spells are useless!”

“Are you kidding!? Micah almost stabbed me! I’m not going anywhere near whatever they’re doing in there! Cater, is Trey around?”

“Micah and Seven are going to kill each other!”

Yeah, very bad. “Whoa, whoa, slow down. What happened?” Cater asked, trying to keep calm as he surveyed the complete and utter mess that was their dorm’s rose garden—which is to say, the garden looked like it belonged in Diasomnia, not Heartslabyul. An absurdly high wall of haphazardly crisscrossed thorny vines dotted with dark-colored roses stood in between him and the two students who were fighting, and the vines were moving. Their ends swayed this way and that like kelp in the ocean, and Cater had a feeling that trying to get near them would not be a fun time. Although he couldn’t see the fight, he could definitely hear it—the distinct clamor of spells getting traded back and forth, and also, even on this side of the wall, there was debris everywhere.

Yeah, no smoothing this one over. Riddle was going to flip.

“Micah unlocked his signature spell just a few days ago,” Bura explained, his voice still shaking. “He called it, uh, Cut the Deck, or something? It’s the thorn wall thing! That’s him! He used it to divide the space between him and Seven and the rest of us! It’s just…it wasn’t nearly this big when he did it before…”

“It wasn’t?” Cater echoed, his voice hitching with a small beat of panic. He couldn’t help but think that this could be the beginnings of an overblot if he was showing some insane display of magic…it wouldn’t be the first time that happened in this garden. Even now his traitor mind would not stop flashing back to the day it happened to Riddle, when he uprooted half the rosebushes and raised them into the sky like projectiles without breaking a sweat, with Cater stuck standing there for a second with his heart stopped in panic, wanting to run but knowing he wouldn’t, realizing just how badly this could go, the reality sinking in that Riddle might even die…

At least then, Cater wasn’t alone. Right now, there was no banking on help from these guys who called him here; they were way too freaked out. Cater had to just go in there and handle it himself. He told himself that it would be fine. This probably wasn’t an overblot; at least, not yet it wasn’t. It was just a couple of freshies in an argument, one of them fresh off of discovering his signature spell (which would be really cool, if he didn’t have to be the one to, well, deal with it).

“I mean…no worries! Cay-Cay’s got this!” he assured with a smile. “Everyone just stay back, okay? Keep as far away as you can. Wouldn’t want to get in the crossfire of all that, right?”

The underclassmen assembled there didn’t object in the slightest. “O-Okay. Be careful!”

Yeah, let them get to safety. While they ran, Cater shot a quick text to Trey and Riddle, knowing that things could get dicey. He knew that they weren’t exactly in the dorm right now, so he wasn’t going to delay this waiting for them, but he’d let them know so they could do damage control once they were free to come back.

>>>Hey guys!! no rush but two freshies are fighting in the dorm garden and it’s totes a mess in here lol. im gonna break it up now. catch u later! bye~!

Alright, time to do things. So much for his lazy afternoon. With a heavy sigh, Cater cast a protective shield around himself and got closer. As expected, the thorns shot towards him when he did, as if they were trying to push him back. He was curious about how the spell worked. Were the thorns directly connected to the spell, or was it mirroring the rose garden? Or was it transforming the bushes, even? Well, whatever. They could figure that out later. Right now, he tentatively cast fire magic towards the wall, noticing how it did burn, but new vines grew instantly in its place. Looked like he was just going to have to sweep a wide area, throwing a lot of power into the spell at once, and then dash in while he could.

Lucky for him, that worked. Next up, talking down the freshies.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU! You blame me for everything!”

“Well I’m not the one DESTROYING THE DAMN GARDEN! Who cares about the color of the roses now!?”

Oh boy, this was going to be fun. “Hey!” Cater dodged the splash of a water spell and shouted towards the two brawlers to get their attention. “Hold up!”

“Wha—Cater-senpai!?” Micah’s eyes went wide, and he stopped for a second.

“Haha, in the flesh! Soo…wanna talk about what’s up? Because everyone out there is getting worried about you guys, you know.”

“He started it!” Micah shot an accusatory finger towards Seven. “He was messing up our job on purpose, and now half the roses are green, for crying out loud! I’ve had enough of him!”

“I’m trying! You’re the one who keeps flying off the handle! You making me nervous is what’s messing me up! What are you, the housewarden!?”

“It’s not my fault! You’re just always like this! Even back home you kept getting me in trouble! Like back in Ms. Vira’s class when—”

“You’re really going to keep bringing up what happened in the SIXTH GRADE!?”

Oh. Oh no. They knew each other. “Hey, hey, don’t worry about it, ‘kay? If you need to learn how to paint the roses, Cay-Cay’s got you covered!”

“Who cares about that!?” Micah spat back. “I’m not stopping until he apologizes!”

“As if! You’re the one who keeps turning everything into a fight!”

“Stop blaming me for your problems! I’m sick of it!”

Well, there was one attempt failed. Cross that one off the list. Cater took in a silent deep breath. “Alright, we’ll start with that, then!” he spoke to them both, making sure to stay both calm and upbeat. He knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere by getting upset at them or acting panicked at all. “You guys obviously got some stuff you need to talk about, right? So, let’s talk!”

“Tsk, I have nothing to say to him!” Micah shot back, but Cater stayed unfazed.

“Well, for starters, what do you want Seven to apologize for?” He got the picture of what just happened a little bit already, but it tended to help to get someone to talk through everything in their own words.

“For ruining my life on purpose, that’s what!”

“Whoops, that’s a little bit vague, don’t you think?” Cater interjected before a very offended Seven could shoot back. “It’s super cool that you two knew each other in middle school, but how about let’s just start with what happened right now? Were you trying to paint the roses together?”

“Yeah, we were supposed to change them half red and half white today,” Seven explained. “Us and our other two roommates. Only problem is, we’re kind of both bad at the color-changing spell. I was trying to help Micah with his part, but he got upset when I did it wrong.”

“H-Hey! That’s not what happened at all! You’re the one who couldn’t do the damn spell!” Micah insisted. “It’s just…can you just slow down, for just a minute? For once?”

“Ergh…fine,” Seven huffed, and Cater felt a tiny bit at relief. Maybe now they’ll simmer down. “I get it. I’m figuring this out too. But you’ve been acting weird all week, you know that? What’s your deal?”

“H-Hey, don’t throw this back on me! I’m just trying to do everything right. With…school and stuff. And I could do better if only you didn’t keep messing up tasks and making me look bad!”

“HEY! I’m not making you look bad! You’re doing that on your own! I was helping, remember!?”

“NO YOU WEREN’T! You were mocking me! You never listen to a single word I say!”

“WHAT!? That’s not true at all!”

“Hey, hey, no need to get worked up, ‘kay?” Cater interjected quickly with an easy smile, trying to tone them back down since Micah and Seven were getting red-faced again. “The roses aren’t that big of a deal. Point is that you learn, alright? Believe me, just about everyone has problems starting out. No need to start a fight over it!”

“No need?” Micah echoed, his eyes narrowing even harder, his seething even stronger. Cater got a bad, bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. This wasn’t working. For a moment, he thought he had a bit of progress, but that wasn’t the case. He failed to say the right thing…

“’No need to start a fight,’ is that it!?” Micah repeated again, magic gathering in his hands once more. “You’re all the same—ALL OF YOU! Everything that happens, I’m just supposed to take it! Is that how this works!? Don’t start a fight, they said. It’s not a big deal. Well, it’s a big deal to me, okay!? Why can’t anyone just listen to me, just once!?”

“Micah-chan…”

“JUST GET OUT OF HERE! CUT THE DECK!”

In an instant, a wall of thorns shot up between them.

Cater jumped back quickly, eyes shooting open as wide as saucers as he narrowed avoided getting slashed by the briars. He noticed now how the spell really did seem to be shaping the garden around them, using the bushes as well as the debris as a starting point for the wall. He could probably make the wall out of other things, too. Cater was sure he’d get a chance to learn soon enough…but of course, that spell was only going to be bad news for him—for all of them, actually.

Micah was making a bubble around himself, rapidly creating walls by the second, yelling incomprehensibly all the while. Regretfully, Cater realized that words might not be enough to get through to him, at this point. He was going to have to use magic just to get him to stop. He looked back to see Seven backing off, looking scared and suddenly lacking the fire he had a minute ago, and he decided that this was his chance to get him out of here.

Cater split himself and sent a copy after Seven, who told him that they had to leave, and Seven didn’t argue. They ran off, and Micah noticed.

“HEY! GET BACK HERE, YOU—”

Cater stopped him in his tracks, throwing up a defensive shield through midair to block the bolts of void magic he tried to send towards Seven and Cater #2. His expression was grim now as Micah turned his attention on him. Cater tensed up, looking at the freshie’s face and half-expecting streams of blot like tears to be falling from his eyes, but gratefully, that wasn’t the case. He was probably accumulating a ton of blot right now, but he wasn’t in an overblot…yet.

Cater split himself again and went after him from either side. He was attacked by thorns the entire time—they seemed to reach for him wherever he turned, and also, Micah wouldn’t stop using his spell to get him away.

“CUT THE DECK!”

Cater winced as the thorns shot up and made quick, shallow cuts through skin. He jumped back and felt hot blood drip down his forearms that he held up to protect his face. He had to do something…

“Micah!” he yelled. “You’re going to hurt yourself! Please, you gotta—”

“Stop it! You don’t know how I feel! You…you would NEVER know…”

Thorny vines kept flying this way and that. It was impossible to dodge and block it all. When Cater threw up a shield around himself, more vines sprung up from the ground beneath him. He kept considering using strong magic to fight back, but he would never deescalate this like that. At least, he didn’t think that would work, right? He couldn’t risk making this about him, which is what would happen if he started fighting back seriously…

“MICAH!” Cater, or rather, a likeness of Cater, got through the bubble, allowed to do so by the real Cater using fire continuously to make a path for him. He reached in and grabbed the freshman’s wrists with a very mild stun spell, even to make him drop everything for just a moment, even as he wriggled out of his grasp.

“Y-You…you…”

“It’s okay that you’re mad,” the other Cater said, the original providing mental prompts. “It’s tough to feel overlooked. I don’t know what happened in the past, and you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but when I said we could talk, I meant it, okay? I’m not going to hurt you. I won’t talk over you, either. So, let’s just take a moment to breathe, alright?”

+++

The rose garden was an absolute mess.

Trey let out a long sigh as he dutifully surveyed the damage, noting the torn-apart rosebushes and heavy debris littering the upturned grass and dirt. Believe it or not, this wasn’t the first time something like this has happened in this garden, although it may be one of the worse episodes. Sometimes, the chaos would be an accident courtesy of mage students still learning magic, and other times, it would be a fight. Things would get heated between the students, and unsurprisingly, the roses would be quick to become collateral damage. Like today.

(At least, this didn’t hold a candle to the state of the garden after Riddle’s overblot…)

The two freshmen who got in the fight had been retrieved and were being quickly escorted by Riddle to the infirmary, who definitely was irate and had an earful for both of them, and a couple other upperclassmen were asked to tag along and help. Riddle asked Trey to check on things here, and specifically, to check on Cater.

Cater, who at this moment was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Cater?” Trey asked one of the freshman onlookers, one of the roommates of the two who had been in the fight, who still looked very shaken up but lingered around the area anyways. There were a lot of people watching, actually, but they kept a very large distance as if nervous. Actually…no, it probably wasn’t nervousness at all, at this point. They likely were just curious but didn’t want to get saddled with the cleanup work…

“U-Uh, I don’t know, he—”

“He’s right here!”

Trey turned around quickly to see Cater running to them from around the corner, looking perfectly fine and flashing his signature peace sign with a smile. “Thanks for coming, Trey! I’m guessing Riddle took care of the rest?”

“Y-Yes…” Trey answered with hesitation. “He’s taking them to the infirmary. Is everything alright with you?”

“Yep! This was a mess, for sure, but at least they’re both fine. Well, mostly. I’m just exhausted, so, I’ll head back to the dorm in a minute. You can take care of everything from here, right?”

“I can.” Trey gave a short nod, frowning.

“Alright, good to hear! I’ll see you later, Trey!” Cater waved before running off again, and Trey watched him silently, a bad feeling settling into the pit of his stomach for one simple reason.

That wasn’t Cater.

“Ugh, he’s not going to help with the cleanup at all, is he?” the freshman groaned with a sour expression. “Can’t believe he just left you in the dust like that, Clover-senpai…”

“It’s fine,” he said evenly. “Cater had to deal with a lot on his own already, and also, there’s no need to fix everything right away. Once they’re recovered, we’ll get Micah and Seven to do most of the work.” Of course, Trey could see himself playing chaperone in his future, as they couldn’t just leave the freshmen alone with this task when they didn’t know what they were doing, but none of that was important right now. “You can go back to the dorm, or wherever you were going to go next. There’s nothing to see here, for now.”

The freshman hurried off, after that. Trey took a deep breath and walked further into the rose garden, sliding himself out of sight of the crowd as he carefully stepped over the debris.

Cater’s copies were nearly identical to himself in appearance, so much so that many people could never tell the difference. Trey didn’t know the difference at the beginning, either, but now, it was hardly even a challenge—all he had to do was look at his eyes. The eyes of the clones had a hollowness to them that was unmistakable, albeit hard to put in words. To put it simply, they were empty. Dead, even. Trey has heard it said that the eyes were the ‘window to the soul,’ and he couldn’t say he knew any concrete scientific basis for that, but the simple eminence of an aura probably had something to do with it, so it would follow that one could tell whether the aura was present or not. Cater being linked to the copies of himself meant that they probably had some ‘aura’ present, but it likely wouldn’t be nearly as strong as it was with the original.

(Trey never said this observation out loud, but sometimes, he really wondered if he should, because it hurt when other people didn’t know. People called Cater shallow and superficial behind his back and in the same breath mention how ‘cold’ and ‘dead inside’ he looks all the time. Trey knew they were talking about the clones and didn’t know it…but then again, Trey would be a liar to say that the real Cater never looked almost the same way.)

Trey didn’t know why Cater tried to pose a clone as himself and insist that he was fine, only tired. Was it just that he had already left for his room to rest, so he sent a clone to do the running for him? It could easily be simply that, but Trey wanted to talk to him in person, if only to get his side of the story on what happened in full (and also, to make sure he was actually okay). Trey would look in Cater’s room next, but first, he would check around the garden, just to see if he was still here. He then remembered belatedly that calling him was an option, so he pulled out his phone while continuing to search.

Cater answered on the third ring.

“Hey, Trey…what’s up? Is everything alright over there?”

Oh no. No, no. Trey’s breath quickened. Cater’s voice sounded shaky. Tired, yes, but there was pain in there too, Trey was sure of it. He instinctively hurried up his efforts, running through the twists and turns of the maze-like garden to try to find him as soon as he could. “Cater! Are you alright? Where are you?”

“I’m…I’m fine, really.”

“Cater. Where are you?”

“I’m…” Cater hesitated, and Trey felt simultaneous a sense of dread and of pain at the realization. Cater didn’t want him there. He was trying to throw him off, and here Trey was, looking for him anyways. Was Trey overstepping? Would his presence do more harm than good? “I’m in the garden,” he said. “Uh, north side, near the yellow daisy plot. I’m in the bushes. I just…well…”

“Okay. Hang on.”

Trey found him not long after that. He was sitting hidden within an enclave of bushes, like he said, leaning back against the rocks, and…

And he looked terrible. Trey’s breath skipped for a bit when he got there, and Cater smiled back up him despite looking like he had been plunged through a pit of thorns, dragged back up, and pushed back down again. There were cuts all over his body, from head to toe: a gash on his cheek, a tear through his right arm that ripped through his dorm uniform jacket, numerous small lines crisscrossing both of his hands, holes and slices through his legs. It was a bloody mess from more lacerations than Trey could count at first glance, some of them deep enough to still be bleeding, and they had no discernible pattern in themselves, but the leaves and thorns sticking into his clothes gave a good indication as to what was the cause. Trey already got a brief picture of what happened with that fight…if he were to guess, this was the work of Micah’s newfound unique magic.

“Cater…”

“It looks worse than it is, really!” Cater blurted out quickly, his energy a good sign, but there was still a very distinct strain to his voice. Perhaps, some of the hoarseness was just due to breathing in all that dust and bits of grass, but still, it didn’t sound good. “I…healed myself a little bit, but I’m kind of on empty. I used my UM a ton just now, and…well, it takes a lot of juice out of me, you know…”

Trey was by his side in an instant, using a healing spell of his own to help mend the wounds, if only on a surface level. “We need to get you to the infirmary,” Trey decided. “But Cater, why didn’t you head there for yourself already? Why hide here?”

“I just…wanted some time to fix myself up first,” Cater admitted, sounding embarrassed as he said it. “It’s not really a big deal, though—just a bunch of small cuts. Getting scraped by thorns is not exactly an infirmary-worthy injury, you know?”

“If it was just a few scratches, yes, but this is all over, and some of them look really deep,” Trey pointed out, brows furrowed in concern. “Besides that, you’re bleeding. It’s worth a look by a professional. Look, I’ll take you there. Riddle already has the freshmen taken care of.”

“R-Right, thanks…” Cater still seemed hesitant, and Trey wasn’t sure what to do.

“Is something else wrong?”

“No, no! It’s just…please don’t make a big deal out of this, okay? It’s fine. I don’t want Riddle to freak out, or anyone else. I mean, Riddle’s probably mad enough as is…”

“It’ll be fine,” Trey assured, not certain what else to say besides that. “It’s not like Riddle would be upset at you. You know that, right? Just…Cater, why didn’t you tell me you were out here? Why strain yourself to make another clone…?” Maybe Trey was asking too many questions. Maybe he should just focus on healing and not be prying into his intentions. Or maybe…

“I…I don’t know. But…thanks for coming anyways, Trey.” Cater managed a weak smile.

With a heavy weight in his chest and also a bit of relief, as well, Trey gave a tired smile back.

+++

Cater didn’t know why he didn’t want them to see him like this. Maybe he was just too tired, or too nervous in a general sense. He also couldn’t think straight. His whole body felt like it was on fire, and his energy felt like it was being constantly wretched out of him with a siphon. Trey’s healing definitely helped, but he still felt like a limp noodle the moment he tried to stand up. So, Trey helped him, and eventually, he changed tactics and started carrying him instead, which was a little embarrassing, but he was grateful for it, too, especially since he was only getting more and more tired…

At some point, he conked out completely. He’s not sure when that happened, but he must have been out for a while, because when he woke up, he was on a bed in the infirmary, fully situated and comfortable with the doctors not even in the room at the moment being, but with the sensation of fresh bandages covering large patches of skin all over, his arms and hands especially. Besides that, he had been changed into a whole hospital gown in place of his torn-up and bloodied dorm uniform. He must have been a little worse off than he thought…

“Cater!” Riddle was in front of his face in an instant. “Are you alright!?”

Cater smiled up at the red-haired housewarden anxiously hovering over the side of his bed. “Yep, feeling great!” he said, and it was partially true, too. He felt way better now than he did earlier; he was just a little out of it still.

“Are you sure about that?” Trey countered weakly, shaking his head with a tired smile. “You had me a little worried when you passed out like that.”

“Yeah…sorry about that.”

“Hmph, I can’t believe the nerve of those freshmen!” Riddle seethed. “To think they would so brazenly attack you just for attempting to speak with them…”

“N-No, it’s not like that, really!” Cater insisted. “I wasn’t ‘attacked,’ per se, just caught in the crossfire, is all! Agh, it’s embarrassing, really. To think I would get knocked out by a freshie. Well, in my defense, I was kind of holding back on purpose, so there’s that, but… Yeah, anyways, where are they now?” Riddle was talking about them as if they weren’t here, but surely…

“They’re asleep,” Riddle answered, gesturing to the other side of the room. “I won’t wake them up now, but, well.” He huffed out a sharp sigh. “I apologize for not being there sooner. ‘Off with Your Head’ would have stopped Micah more quickly, surely…”

“Yeah, no worries. It’s on me for not deescalating things better,” he confessed.

“Hmph. It’s on you for not instilling more urgency in your text, that’s what,” Riddle countered, looking sour about it but dropping it. “Anyways, I’m glad you’re feeling better, if only marginally. Is there anything you need?”

“No thanks,” he said quickly, but then he changed his mind. “Uh, maybe water.”

Trey and Riddle stayed with him for a while. Cater wasn’t keeping track of the time, really. He told them the full story of what happened, all the while wishing he had a better story to tell. He should have been able to talk them down. He shouldn’t have let himself get hurt so bad. Even now, he felt worried, because he did get to talk to Micah, in the end, but…it was obvious he was going through a lot. He was tired and frustrated, and it wasn’t just because of Seven. It was because of his family, because of other ‘friends’ back home, because a whole bunch of unresolved feelings from the past, and he was at his breaking point. He felt like he could never get away from being blamed for every little thing, and so, he blamed Seven for landing him in situations that made him look bad. Even now that he was away from home, he was still being hounded by his parents, who were asking questions about what he was doing and had done without ever really hearing the answer.

(It was no reason to fly off at the handle, but Cater knew that it had to be tough, feeling alone in a crowd like that. Never being heard, never feeling secure enough to say anything in the first place. It was hard, coming to that realization that you were on your own and having to beat down the jealousy monster towards those people who weren’t. So, you just tried to put on a brave face, tried to prove to everyone that there was nothing wrong with you, not now, not ever…)

Cater didn’t know what all was going on, actually—it was a wonder Micah trusted him enough to tell him what little he did share, much less the whole thing—but he did know that it had literally next to nothing to do about those roses. It was never that simple, was it?

He didn’t share the details of what Micah said out of respect for privacy, but Trey and Riddle got the picture well enough. Cater then slid out of that topic as slickly as he could. He wanted to talk about anything else, and so, he somehow managed to bring up breakfast and ask enough questions about pancake preparation to get Trey on a cooking rant, to which Riddle also had opinions.

“Recipes are so aggravatingly vague in this manner,” Riddle vented just a little. “I would like to know the texture of the pancake I will be receiving, but I rarely get that unless ‘fluffy’ is in the pancake’s title, and in that case, I don’t know what ‘fluffy’ is supposed to mean, exactly. I’ve been trying new recipes ever since my time in the Culinary Crucible, but I don’t know if I’m making progress…”

“Ha, well, I’m always up for giving lessons, if you need it!” Trey offered, as he often would.

“Thank you, but I would like to learn this without adding to your workload.”

“You could also stop by more often to watch!” Cater suggested. “I like to join Trey sometimes to help out a little. It’s super relaxing!”

“That’s because you usually just sit at the bar and watch,” Trey pointed out lightheartedly. “You just stay for the food.”

“Ack, got me there!” And then Trey would use his signature spell on the samples, whenever Cater asked, so he could get just a few sweets turned savory, or Trey would make one of those special waffles with the nuts… “It’s just so much fun seeing you cook, you know!” He just liked to be there without a reason, sometimes. To just talk about things or slip into comfortable silence just as easily.

He kind of liked that about this right now, just being here. Not trying to accomplish anything for once. He was still dizzy, though. He also shouldn’t keep Riddle and Trey from their work or whatever else they had planned for today. Again, he really didn’t want to make a big deal of this… That said, awkward as it may be, he was kind of glad they came anyways.

[dreamboundedstar]

I Decided to Do This for Zekina Even Though No One Asked Me To. I’m Gonna Answer All of Them Whether You Like It or Not!

OTP HC Questions

🌈 - What were their first impressions of each other?  Tina - She thought he was an annoying, loud, obnoxious, gross obstacle to Jimmy Jr.'s affection. Zeke - Thought she was creepy, weird, and a goody two shoes. Despite that, he still thought she was overall a nice girl and still considered her a friend. Even with her flaws, Zeke knew that Tina was a girl worth hanging around.

☀️ - Did they both want children/How many children did they want? 

Both want children but the amount of children is a whole different story. Tina initially thinks 1 or 2 will be enough, meanwhile, her eyes immediately widen when she hears Zeke say 4. He wants one child per arm between the two of them to form the ultimate group hug. A very cute dream, but Tina tries to make him see reason because she knows how much her mom and dad struggled with 3 children, even if their home was always full of love.

Zeke ends ups getting what he wants in the end because they have a VERY healthy marriage.

🐬 - Who made the first move? Technically it was Zeke since he made that declaration of marriage in "Midday Run" and the rest of the time he is just him waiting for Tina to make the next move. Though he probably tries to subtly make the first move again so Tina can get the message that he was serious the first first time.  

🌹 - Who initiated the first kiss?  Tina. Whether if the "Hormoniums" end credits are canon or not, Tina gave the first kiss regardless. Zeke is the king of consent (at least when it comes to kissing, not so much for the consent of poo being at random places in school XD) and wouldn't initiate a kiss unless he's absolutely sure Tina's okay with it.

🥀 - Do they both get jealous?  Zeke is definitely not the jealous type, even when he finally has her. He spent years longing for Tina to see him like he sees her only to be outshined by his best friend or the next long-necked, tall boy with a nice butt and endearing accent every, stinkin' time. He knew he wasn't entitled to her feelings and that he was not her type anyway. So there's no use in getting angry over Tina being happy with someone else because her happiness is more important than her being with him. Tina originally did have jealous tendencies but her morals always overcame her jealousy. That was mostly when she was pining for Jimmy Jr. because he didn't help relieve her own insecurities which bred her jealousy. Now that she's with someone, who in her mind is basically a saint for how long he waited for her, in spite of herself, she's all the more motivated to eliminate any jealousy she could have. She's with someone who she can absolutely trust, so she has no reason to get jealous. Still, anxiety is a witch and she slips back into jealous tendencies. Nothing a little conversation can't fix though. Even so, Tina still can't help but feel guilty for feeling jealous because of how much stronger Zeke is about it in comparison to her.

😒 - Do they get jealous easily?  Zeke trusts Tina too much to get jealous easily. Unless something specifically triggers her anxiety and insecurities, Tina doesn't get jealous easily. As long as she's brave enough to talk about it with Zeke she'll be fine.

😚 - When one gets sick, what does the other do?  Zeke becomes a full-blown nursing home nurse when Tina is sick. Tina finds it very sweet, but it can get a bit annoying and - WHAT THE HECK, GET THAT BED PAN AWAY FROM ME ZEKE! She appreciates it but sometimes a girl just needs her sleep. Meanwhile, Tina has considered strapping Zeke to the bed when he's ill because he refuses to let being sick stop him from going about his day. She pulls him by the ear back to bed because she refuses to carry him back to bed when he's passed out on the ground because he rather be a stubborn idiot than admit he's sick. Laying in bed and not being able to do anything is his personal hell. Even though he hates being useless, deep down he appreciates all that Tina does for him and loves all the love she is showing him. Tina knows how much Zeke hates being still and having nothing to do, so she tries to bring stuff to the bed that will help stimulate his brain but not exert too much energy. She also stays with him for a bit until he either falls asleep or is distracted enough for her to continue to do the daily tasks.

👉 - Who is better at giving directions?  As confirmed in "The Bleakening" every one of the Belcher family is bad with directions, including Tina. So Zeke is the one that saves the day on that front.

😊 - Where do they want to go on vacation?  Tina wants to go to Paris, France to fulfill that wish she made in "Comet-y of Errors". Zeke is a simple guy and would have fun wherever he goes with Tina. However, he thinks it would be cool to do a road trip across the states at least once in his life. Though if you had to twist his arm about it he probably would say either Brazil or Japan.

🍁 - How was their first kiss?  Best 2 seconds of Zeke's life and he couldn't wait for the end of the world again just so Tina would kiss him again. Or if you subscribe to the spin the bottle being their first kiss. Zeke was so excited about how smoothly their first kiss went that he opened his eyes immediately just to see how Tina would react to it.

🐕 - Who is the most affectionate?  Zeke hands down. There's not much need to explain with that one because you can see how affectionate he is with just his friends in the show. Tina is very affectionate too but sometimes she feels insecure about how Zeke is so much more so than she is. She loves the affection she gets but she doesn't want to be a selfish lover and wants to be able to give as much as she takes.

❄️ - Who worries about the other the most? Despite his low impulse control, Zeke is the one that worries more about Tina and not the other way around. With all the crazy shenanigans she and her family get herself into whether intentionally or not, it's no wonder he worries more. Though he tries to mask his worry because he doesn't want to freak people out by showing he's freaking out.

🕸 - What does one do that scares the other?  Finding out that Tina thrashed in her sleep scared the crap out of him at first. Thankfully, Tina woke up before he thought to call an ambulance and explained it. Zeke laughed it off in relief after that scare. He holds her in his arms while sleeping now and that stops her thrashing. He doesn't care if it makes his arm fall asleep, as long as he doesn't have to see or hear her flopping around like a dying fish. Other than that, the danger she somehow finds herself in scares him as well. He would want nothing more than to always be near Tina just to be able to carry her away bridal style away from the danger. His lack of impulse control combined with his tendency to sacrifice himself for the greater good is something that Tina admires but also something that pisses her off and scares her. Would it kill him to think a little and come up with a plan with her before he runs off to sacrifice himself!?

🐇 - Who wants to cuddle the other longer in the morning?  Zeke and he's an absolute baby about it if he doesn't get a little cuddle time before fully waking up. Normally Tina wouldn't mind, but sometimes you're in a hurry and you just have to deal with it like an adult.

🍀 - Who is better at comforting? I think both are equally good at comforting each other but maybe Zeke is a bit better because of how immediately affectionate he is.

🥄 - Who is the big spoon and who is the little spoon?  Pretty obvious but Zeke's big spoon and Tina's little spoon.

🍭  -What are their nicknames for each other? Along with the nicknames he already has for her, Zeke also calls her sweet t, darlin', baby, hon, t cake, t cups, Tina turn on, cinny buns, and starshine (this one is probably too cute for Zeke to say but who cares Tina likes stars and I like this one the most) Tina isn't really good at coming up with good nicknames, so she just leaves them for Zeke. She likes calling him by his full first name Ezekiel every now and then when the mood is right though that's the opposite of a nickname.

🔥 - Who realized they were interested in who first?  Zeke. A part of him always felt sort of drawn to Tina but he didn't really realize he had a crush on her until after "Tina and the Real Ghost"

🥂 - How was their first date?  It started out as a cute, little picnic date at the park. Then Zeke tried to cap off the date with a nice row boat ride in the park lake. He even brought an acoustic guitar with him to play a tune on the water (choose whatever acoustic song you want but this is my placeholder song https://open.spotify.com/track/5erH5r100PHxQGTWNUrxqo?si=0ab5c826a4244187 ). Unfortunately, things go bad in the middle of his song when he feels pain in his stomach. He's been ignoring and pushing away his nerves all day and thanks to the spicy pasta salad he made for Tina and himself, it's finally biting him in the butt. The pain becomes so great that he doesn't even bother to row back to shore. He immediately out of the boat, jumps into the water, makes his good jeans soaking wet, and runs to the nearest bathroom. All of that left Tina confused and worried as she rows back to dry land by herself. She uses her intuition and detective skills to figure out that Zeke probably went to the bathroom and is pleased with herself that she got it right on the first try. As for Zeke, his butt is on fire and the fact that Tina found him so soon is making his pain so much worse. From the outside, Tina asks through the door if Zeke is okay. Knowing that Tina is coming from a place of concern, he admits that he has stress diarrhea and he's been ignoring it all day until now. He didn't want to admit to himself that he was nervous and wanted to remain confident and believe he had everything prepared. Unfortunately, his body betrayed him in the worst way possible. For once he wanted to be more than the trailer trash people think he is. Not that he cares what people think but he wanted to prove to himself that he could romance it with the best of them. He wanted so bad Tina to see him the way he sees her. No matter what he does though, he can't avoid the Zeke up looking right at him. Tina immediately reassures him that this isn't the first time she dealt with stress diarrhea and it won't be the last. She also tells him that she knew what she was getting into when she gave Zeke a shot. He may not be the kind of guy she usually goes for, but surprisingly she finds that she's okay with that. She's not sure how she'll feel in the future but she likes where things are going. More importantly, she likes him, a lot, diarrhea and all. Zeke is reminded why he loves that girl and tries to salvage what's left of their date. Once he puts on the emergency shorts he keeps in his truck, they decide to spend the rest of their time at the touch tank aquarium. Zeke is disappointed that they don't have any tiny sharks or sting rays to touch but still enjoys his time with Tina. They got tacos later after they had their fill of touching fish and kissing. Overall, it's definitely one of the better dates Tina has had over the years.

🎉 - How did they propose?  Zeke does a Frankenstein/Zombie-themed proposal in the cemetery during Halloween.

🖐 - Who can’t keep their hands to themself?  Zeke of course, his love language is physical touch. So not being able to have his arms around Tina or even simply holding her hand when he needs it (which is almost always) is torture to him. Tina isn't as touchy as Zeke is but never protests when he initiates it and loves every moment of it. When she does initiate though, it's much more intimate and surprises Zeke in a good way, such as when she gives him a good slap on the butt or has her fingers graze his muscles for example.

🍥 - Who was (insert character)’s first crush?  Tina's is Jimmy Jr., which I don't even need to say but oh well. Who knows with Zeke. The most we get from his past before Wagstaff is the implication that he had no idea how to deal with girls he had a crush on, so he pushed them to the ground. I'm sure this is something he regrets constantly. He definitely would have issues talking about his behavior before Wagstaff in detail because he doesn't like to think about how much of a jerk he was. He may be a troublemaker in Wagstaff but at least he's not a bully anymore.

✈️ - How do they celebrate anniversaries?  Zeke spends a lot of time making the perfect romantic dinner. Tina sets up fun bedroom activities for later (maybe she gets inspired by some of the erotic stories she made or read idk). They either do a nice sunset walk or horse ride on the beach (I headcanon that she eventually gets her horse farm so she can make her horse-riding beach dreams a reality). Probably on some anniversaries he brushes up on his guitar skills and plays her an acoustic cover to one of the songs she loves or heck sings her some original songs if he had the time prior to compose one. Zeke is impossible to buy a gift for but she still tries to give him something thoughtful to show she cares. Some years they might keep it simple by giving each other thoughtful cards, ordering a pizza, and spending all day watching movies as well as cuddling on the couch or when they realize what's on tv sucks they just make out until commercials come on and they look for something better. Whether the gestures be big or small they'll still love each other through it all.

🐀 - Who steals the covers?  Despite Zeke being the one that takes up the most space in bed, Tina is the blanket thief. It is caused by the thrashing moving the sheets around so much. Zeke is usually a heavy sleeper so he doesn't normally notice. He keeps a spare blanket stashed under his side of the bed just in case though.

💤  - Who falls asleep first?  Zeke and Linda are both gifted with the ability to fall asleep super fast that Tina and Bob both envy.

⭐️ - Who is a morning person?  Tina mostly is by force of habit due to working at her dad's restaurant for years. Though, she sometimes fails at being a morning person when she accidentally pulls an all-nighter because inspiration struck her at the worst possible time.

🌙 - Who is a night person?  Zeke and Tina are both night people but more so Zeke. Zeke hates getting up early and needs to stay in bed snuggling with Tina for a bit before he's ready to start the day. Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night to find that Tina is in the zone again. When that happens he groggily carries her to bed, embraces her to get her comfortable for slumber, and reminds her she needs her rest darn it.

🥞 - Which one makes breakfast? Tina tries to split breakfast duty with Zeke because she wakes up earlier than him. Zeke mostly does it though because even though Tina wakes up earlier than him, he is very clingy in the morning and it is nearly impossible to escape his grasp. The man needs his t cuddles before getting up. Zeke likes to get creative with breakfast while when Tina makes breakfast she keeps it basic with pancakes, eggs, and bacon or really simple with just cereal on those days they are both in a rush.

🍰 - Which one bakes/cooks?  Zeke. Tina tries to share the work but Zeke insists because he loves doing it. Tina is not a bad cook, Zeke is just better and Tina is okay with this.

💋 - Who is more rough with the kissing stuff?  Tina, she's a very intimate person when it comes to kissing. Zeke is gentle with Tina because he's hyper-aware of his strength and doesn't want to hurt her. So, especially when in the mood, Tina is rougher with kissing to communicate to Zeke that she's giving him permission to be at least as rough as she's being. She's not always rough though and enjoys gentle kisses too.

🌺 - Do they send cutesy or grossly sweet/romantic texts to each other?  Yes, absolutely. They are the kind of couple that spends hours saying goodbye when texting. Sending each other memes, videos, or cute pictures just to have an excuse to stay in the chat longer.

💐 - Is one more protective than the other? Both are equally protective of each other. Though it's more hilarious with Tina because of her being in front of Zeke, who is bigger than her as she threatens to punch the person that was mean to Zeke again and again and again and again and again and again and again. Zeke just tries to de-escalate the situation by simply carrying her away from the situation as she says her agains. With Zeke, it takes a much more serious tone. Tina simply tries to get him to not go overboard while she's behind him for protection and comfort. Tina is not used to seeing Zeke look so pissed off. It's very intimidating in a scary but sexy way, much to her surprise.

☔️ - How do they make up after a fight?  They give each other some alone time to blow off steam and think about all that was said. They come back to each other to immediately apologize, cuddle it out, and Zeke assures Tina that she means the world to him and that nothing has changed about that or something along those lines. (since her love language is words of affirmation. At least I think it is? I may be just projecting my love language onto Tina because it makes sense for her character. XD Though my love language is a tie between quality time and words of affirmation so I guess make what you want out of that. It's hard when you kin a character so much and you unintentionally project aspects of yourself onto a character and you're not sure if it's even based on canon evidence even after seeing the character for so long. XD) Finally! All done! I hope you enjoy reading the answers you never asked for! lol

[declinlalune]

Peach Rings & Apple Pie

PARTIES: @letsbenditlikebennett & @declinlalune LOCATION: The Generic Store TIMING: 2 1/2 years ago. CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A

Andy turned the block of soap over in her hand, gaze flicking up to meet Alex’s from across the way. The pharmacy they stood in was small, and though Andy had gotten a job at a local diner to make ends meet, there were still some things that were easier to steal than to purchase. It made room in the budget for school supplies, or even a nice meal every now and again if they did it right. “Lavender or…” Andy looked back at the shelf, scanning for a possible second choice, but the options were slim. “Never mind, lavender it is.” She dropped the soap into the basket and moved towards the toothpaste. The things they were typically running low on were what Andy made an effort to take without notice, so she set the basket down and began to rummage through her bag. Andy leaned into the shelf, knocking two tubes of the toothpaste into her tote. “Can you see how much those dish towels are?” Andy made a show of pointing towards the aisle she was trying to get Alex to go to, then pulled away from the shelf. She picked up the basket and moved to where her sister stood. “I like the blue one. What about you?” 

Home. It was a concept Alex hadn’t dared to think of since some time in the land of before— before her parents died, before she became a monster, before Andy had given up everything to protect her. Before. It seemed like such a distant idea now and she could barely remember what her own home had been like. All she knew is it hadn’t been worn. Training session after training session left her father more exasperated with her lack of progress even if Andy always tried to make it better. 

This home would be different. It would be theirs. Despite the monster that Alex could feel just beneath the surface waiting in wake for the light of the full moon, Andy loved her— accepted her, even. There was no one Alex had to be for her sister, but even still, she couldn’t shake the expectations that came with growing up in a prominent hunter family. Not that any hunter worth their salt would look in her direction now unless it was to fire a silver bullet.

The cabin they were renting was remote, out deep in the woods where she could always smell a hint of something else lurking in the night. They barely even had any furniture in it yet, but Lexi couldn’t bear to be the one to dampen the mood. Andy was excited. With a full time job on the horizon, things were finally looking up for the Bennett sisters. This trip to the general store was supposed to be the last one that would require shoplifting. 

Alex let her fingers glide over the towels as she eyed the colors. The purple was light and reminded her of the lavender fields out in Oregon and the deep, golden yellow looked too close to the sunflowers that once grew in their mother’s yard. Blue it was. “Blue is nice,” she mumbled, still perplexed by the idea of dish towels. These were pretty. Far less ratty than the scraps they’d used in the years prior. “Kinda frilly, though?” She turned it over in her hand, looking at the $7 price tag, “You’re not gonna go for a Live Love Laugh sign next, are you?” 

The guilt that had plagued Andy early on when their parents first died had no place in her life now. She couldn’t keep up with raising Alex and keeping them safe if she was drowning in her own self misery. Of course, it wasn’t to say that there weren’t nights where she laid restless, leafing through the number of things that she could have done differently to better support her sister, or even herself. But in the days since they had arrived in Wicked’s Rest, she knew she had an opportunity to change their lives for the better, and she would ignore every inkling of guilt or self-deprecation in order to do just that. 

“Only if it embarrasses you.” Andy grabbed the towel off of the shelf and stuffed it into the basket. Once they were around a corner, she would slip it into her tote. “But hell no. Just wanted something nice. T-shirts aren’t made for cleaning up all kinds of messes, it’d be nice to have something with some actual absorption.” The nights that Alex shifted were messy on several accounts. Whether it was because of the rabbit’s or deer blood she came back covered in, or because of her own mistakes in trying to help her sister, there were a lot of situations in which actual towels could come in handy. 

Andy clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she turned around. An assortment of candles, cards, and general house supplies were on the opposite end. “Did you burn through the last one we had? Candle, I mean.” 

It was difficult to bite back the edge in her voice. The uneasy feeling had no place in their light-hearted outing to get things for the hole in the wall cabin they now called home. Alex couldn’t shake the feeling this place gave her though. The sensitive nose that came with being a werewolf was hard enough to get used to on a good day, but here she could smell others like her and likely worse. She still couldn’t piece it all together. After years of faking being able to sense beasts, now she finally could and it was only because she was now one of them. So much for her family’s “sacred destiny”. 

Alex rolled her eyes playfully all the same, “There’s only one millennial in the house, it’s yourself you’d be embarrassing.” She gave Andy a playful nudge, doing her best to let the sense of ease settle in, “Spring for the Gatekeep Gaslight Girlboss is you really wanna set the tone.” Her eyes glanced over at the towels again. She wouldn’t admit it, but they were nicer than t-shirts. After a particularly bloody full moon, it would be nice to have something meant for cleaning. “Just don’t turn all Stepford Wives on me.” 

Before they even rounded the corner towards the candles and other assorted home goods, Alex could smell it. Her face was trained in a neutral expression as she refrained from a grimace. And to think she used to love the candle aisle as a kid. “I did, yeah,” she answered, “Nose has been a little… you know.” Maybe Andy could never feel the same things she felt or sensed, but they both grew up learning the ins and outs of beasts. Andy knew the challenges Alex was up against, which was a good thing most of the time. “Can we do one of the apple pie ones? They remind me of the McDonald’s playgrounds.” 

“Excuse you, ‘96 is on the cusp of both.” Andy rolled her eyes at Alex before nudging the candle on the shelf with her index finger, moving it to the side so that she could see the scents behind it. To say there were tons would be an understatement. There were scents that Andy wasn’t entirely sure should be candles. Who the hell wanted linen? “I don’t even get that reference. Who’s the millennial now?” She shot a look over her shoulder at Alex, immediately able to tell that the idea of getting a strongly scented candle was off the table. It had been years, but Andy still forgot some of the smallest adjustments that came with her sister shifting into a wolf. 

Even then as they stood in the aisle, the sinking feeling was ever present. It was like her skin was crawling, but all it took were the memories of her sister to push them away, to disarm the idea that no, Alex was not a monster. Andy’s gaze fell upon the apple pie scent just as Alex asked about it and she nodded. She put it into the basket and turned towards Alex, a bright smile stitched to her features. “Snacks?” Andy bumped into her sister lightly before turning a corner and moving towards the brightly lit section that had an assortment of treats, all of which were in brightly labeled packaging. “Strawberry wafers… biscoff cookies…” She hummed lightly before looking sideways down the alleyway. “Cheddar popcorn is obviously a must.” 

“I thought cusps were just for horoscopes,” Alex mumbled while looking over all the home-making stuff on the aisle. A comfortable home was such a distant memory, one she wasn’t even sure had been a happy one all those years ago. All the memories were so tied up in missing her parents and missing being human that it was hard to really parse through the good and the bad parts. The only thing she knew is that she didn’t fit then, she could always tell something was off with her. Everything that Andy did with grace never seemed to kick in for Alex. Their little hole in the wall cabin would be different though. Stable without the crushing weight of expectations breaking both of them. It made the idea of home slightly less unnerving, so she scoffed in response, “Andy, we don’t have cable or streaming. Obviously I watch old movies. Plus, Nicole Kidman is hot.” 

The mention of snacks was always enough to make Alex perk up. Whether it was a werewolf thing or not, she wasn’t entirely sure, but she could piece together that around the full moons, she always felt especially hungry leading up to it. “Snacks are never a question,” she nudged Andy as she moved quickly past the overwhelming smell of candles. The snack aisle was much more her speed. “Strawberry wafers. And the little sour worms…,” she agreed, “And obviously cheddar popcorn but we need the can cheese too. Maybe some crackers and make a movie board.” 

As they rounded the corner, Alex could smell something was off and tensed slightly. It didn’t smell like a wolf, but they sure as hell didn’t smell human either. She wondered if Andy could notice it or if it just felt the same as it always did being around her werewolf kid sister. She longed for the days of faking sensing something supernatural was around instead of her nose doing the job for her. “Hm,” she said, quickly gliding past the woman she suspected to be not entirely human either. She could feel the eyes on her, but did her best to ignore it. Once out of normal earshot, she whispered, “How’d you hear about this place again?”

“I mean, it’s not like we had it before, either.” Their parents weren’t exactly welcoming to the idea of the girls sitting down to watch television. The cable they did have was strictly informational; news channels, cooking channels— though, Andy never minded. The dessert segments on the cooking channels had been her favorite. “But yeah, I mean, I guess.” 

“How could I forget the sour worms?” Andy plucked a bag from the shelf and threw it into the basket. Though it should have been growing some weight to it, it didn’t bug Andy. “What about peach rings?” She eyed them longingly before deciding to grab them regardless of Alex’s choice on whether or not they should have them. With the few items they were stealing accompanied with the lump sum that Andy had made by cleaning a few houses, they were able to at least afford some nice things, even if that looked like mostly candy. 

Far too engrossed in the candy options, Andy barely realized it when Alex tensed up. It wasn’t until she spoke that she could hear the slight change in her tone. Andy glanced towards Alex, then to the woman who was standing down at the other end of the aisle who was also trying to choose between what cookies to get. “It just sort of fell into my lap, you know? Heard through the grapevine that it could be a good place to blend in.” She cleared her throat and turned to look at Alex, resting a hand against her arm. “We’re going to do fine here, Alex. It won’t be like before, and we don’t have to leave in… what, a month? Two?” 

“Fair. You did manage to sneak home that documentary about penguins from the library that one time though,” Alex smiled as she recollected one of her favorite memories. Television wasn’t exactly something their parents permitted outside of the local news and those viewings were usually filled with quizzes on finding patterns of potential supernatural threats. It was perfect nightmare fodder for a five year old which left her particularly anxious on a stormy full moon when she and Andy were home alone. When her sister had pulled out the DVD, she could still so clearly remember the rush of excitement. Penguins were her favorite animal and she knew it was something Andy had done just for her. “Lowkey still mad that Papa didn’t let me get a penguin costume to wear to school on Halloween that year.”

Their basket was becoming an odd assortment of items that resembled a kid with free range on the snack section combined with practical soccer mom purchases. Alex supposed they were kids with no rules when they first started shopping for themselves— though shoplifting for themselves was probably the more accurate statement. “Peach rings are a major food group,” she joked as the bag was already being placed with the other items. 

Alex knew her sister was right. Andy was always right, ever the example of all the things she was supposed to be. Blending in was the safest option. In a town crawling with werewolves and hunters alike, they were less likely to stick out. They always took precautions on the full moon, it wasn’t likely they’d draw a ranger’s attention with everything else present in the town if she wasn’t posing a threat. “Guess not being the strangest people in town doesn’t hurt,” she relented, “Might be nice to make friends, too. Think it’s too late in the school year for me to try out for a sports team?” 

Andy snorted at Alex’s dream to become a penguin on Halloween. “I mean, there’s still time. Just ‘cause you’re older now doesn’t mean you can’t dress up.” They hadn’t ever had the luxury, and dressing up as something other than themselves seemed to be a little too close to what they had been doing in the past several years. However, Andy had to admit that the idea of dressing up and doing something fun was a lot more interesting than focusing on the bad. 

“I think they’re better than the actual thing.” She remembered just after they’d gotten back to the states, they’d managed to find their way through Georgia where Andy had stolen a box of peaches off of a truck on the side of the highway. They were good, but after surviving solely on those and cajun boiled peanuts, Andy knew they needed a better system for their thievery. Luckily, peach rings tasted a little too artificial to incite the same feeling of when they’d been back in Georgia. 

There was a lot that both Andy and Alex had become accustomed to— never making friends, never putting down roots, those were only at the base of what they had given up. But over two years in one place? Wasn’t it about time to make those friends she and Alex had dreamt of? Andy knew that she couldn’t make excuses for not forming connections any longer, especially if she was trying to push her sister to make those same ones. “I think you should do whatever the hell you want to do. If you want to try out, do it. If they don’t let you, make them let you. Just kick a ball at their heads or something.” Andy smiled at her sister before motioning to the checkout. “We should go before we buy that twelve pack of gushers.” 

Given her height, Alex was already mistaken for being younger than she was on a good day. Something told her that unless she found a way to make a penguin costume slutty, people would assume she was 12. “If you can come up with a way to make a penguin costume sexy, I’m game. I don’t need all the cute girls thinking I’m an actual fifth grader or something party crashing,” she laughed, “Though hey, may keep the guys from hitting on me. So there's still a win in there somewhere.” 

As always, Andy was speaking the truth. Ever since a stint living out of the car in Georgia and stealing peaches and peanuts, both foods had lost their appeal for Alex. Peach rings however were their own food group and were exempt from the peach hatred. “So much better,” she agreed, “And you mean you didn’t want to clear out the entire snack aisle? It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.” 

Somehow, Andy always seemed to believe in her despite what she was. Even though Alex loved and trusted her sister more than anyone in the world, it was still hard to wrap her head around how Andy could just throw away everything they were taught about werewolves as kids and choose to protect her anyway. Alex liked to think that if the roles were reversed, she’d do the same thing, but in so many ways she felt like she was still trying to live up to their parents' expectations. Not that she ever could seeing as she turned into the very thing they taught her to hunt. It was a thought that left her feeling jaded on her worst days, but still sparked a bit of defiance in her, too. They’d think a sport like soccer or volleyball was a waste of time, so she’d do it and tell herself that it didn’t matter she wasn’t an actual ranger. “Try out it is,” she nodded affirmatively, “Looks good on college applications and good to get some energy out.” 

“Just wear some fishnets, isn’t that what they do?” Andy had little to no idea of how to make anything remotely alluring, especially a costume. She might’ve known how to sew patches into clothes, but the thought of creating something for aesthetics instead of longevity or necessity was a foreign concept to her. She scrunched her nose up at the thought and shook her head, shifting the basket from one hand to the other. “Maybe just go as something scary. Don’t men hate when women lean into the whole horror concept? I swear I read about that in a magazine once, it was from the 90’s in that one camper we were in for a bit back in North Carolina.” 

Andy rolled her eyes at Alex’s comment and knocked her shoulder into her sister slightly as she walked past. “Listen, we can do that at another store, but we might be a little over budget, if you know what I mean.” She could only stuff so many things into her tote bag before it became noticeable, and God forbid the cashier have x-ray vision or something. 

“That, and it’d be something you’d want to do. Wouldn’t have to be just ‘cause you think it’d be good for… your college stuff.” Andy shrugged, a simple expression melding over her features as she felt the telltale vibrations of knowing run up her spine. She averted her gaze from the person who walked into the store, looking down at Alex. “You should do it ‘cause you wanna do it. I think you’d kick their asses though. Wonder if they have a rule about moon beams on the team.” 

“Fishnet penguin, feels oddly on brand,” Alex joked with a light chuckle. In reality, it’d probably look ridiculous more than anything else, but maybe they both deserved a little bit of ridiculousness. It was hard to wrap her head around, knowing their parents would have never stood for it. Their home hadn’t exactly been the most loving of spaces, but their mom sometimes went a little easier on them. And it wasn’t like they had been thrown out of their home, their parents died the night she got the stupid bite that turned her into the very monster she was supposed to hunt. It was hard to pick out what her parents were right and wrong about when she still missed them so damn much. 

Given how much of the stuff they’d lived off over the years was stolen, it didn’t take long for her to catch Andy’s drift. Alex eyed their basket and tote, knowing they really had more than enough snacks on hand for the foreseeable future. “I think we’re good without, pretty sure we could feed my whole class with all these snacks,” she whispered. 

Between the encouragement from her older sister and the smell of another werewolf getting stronger in her nose, Alex felt herself growing more apprehensive. The unconditional support and acceptance Andy showed her still felt so foreign, even if her sister had been a source of it all her life. It was such a stark contrast from the high expectations their parents had set for the both of them that the younger could never live up to. “Yeah, it’d be fun for me– Still good for college though and I think I wanna do that,” she said, “It’d be nice to make friends and have an outlet for… you know. All of this.” She gestured to herself knowing that Andy understood what she meant perfectly. “But let’s get out of here,” she added in a more hushed tone, hearing the sounds of the other werewolf that she decidedly had no interest in talking to getting closer. 

“Or if you really wanted to fuck around, you could be The Penguin from Batman. I doubt they’d expect that.” Andy wanted normal for Alex. Hell, on nights where she couldn’t sleep, she swore she wanted it for herself, too. She’d been so caught up in making sure that Alex was well taken care of that she hadn’t been paying attention to herself very much, or even at all. So if Alex came to her in October explaining she wanted to be a penguin, Andy would make it happen, regardless if it cost an arm and a leg. 

Even just looking at Alex, Andy could tell that her sister’s mind was working around their situation. Even though she always felt the need to interject when those anxieties were clear as day on her face, Andy had to remind herself that sometimes it just took her sister working through them on her own time rather than Andy trying to patch everything to make it better. “Just let me know what I gotta sign.” She smiled at her sister before looking past Alex to the woman who, just like them, was shopping for snacks. “Yeah, we can open the peach rings on the way home. Car snack.” 

[bifuriouswaterbender]

Ronance? with 24 please!

Send me a ship (or fandom) and a number between 1 & 101, and I’ll use my Spotify Wrapped as fic inspo

24 - Doing All Right With The Boys

Being away from Hawkins for a year was harder than Nancy had thought it would be. She theoretically had fewer things tying her to it since she and Jonathan had parted over the summer. Still, she was acutely aware of not just her family but the entire party’s absence from her life.

She kept waiting for them to call. She kept waiting to find out that something else had happened while she was gone.

Nothing had.

Nancy could come home as though nothing had ever worth concern in the first place.

That was weird.

But here she was, home for the summer and ready to jump right back into wherever she was needed.

So far, that wasn’t proving to be much of anywhere. The kids had already had systems in place when she was still around that hadn’t really involved Nancy. Mike had been willing to call her for rides on occasion before, but she was so busy in school. Usually that was a last resort if Dustin or Lucas couldn’t convince Steve.

“You can relax,” Steve said to her one day as they all sprawled around his pool. He looked as tense as she was, though, and Nancy knew she wasn’t the only one who struggled with this space.

“We all could,” she shot back.

Steve shrugged and replied, “I guess you’re right back in the saddle, one of us again already.”

She hadn’t been gone that long. It stung it a bit that she had to regain anything at all.

“One of who?”

Nancy looks up at the raspy voice speaking from the other side of her chair. Robin.

Even after everything, she still struggles with how to interact with the other woman. Despite being the same age, Nancy had never seen anything in common with the other until the Upside Down incident, and everything she’d learned had been begrudgingly at a time when she couldn’t explain why she seemed so determined not to like Robin.

Instead of answering her, Steve gestured toward Nancy. “You did steal her chair, by the way. That’s always where Robin sits.”

Of course Robin always sat next to him. Why would Nancy assume anything different?

She opened her mouth—to offer to move or to tell Robin it would be fine to sit somewhere else for once, even she wasn’t sure—when Robin beat her to it.

“That’s okay,” she said brightly. “We can share.”

Before Nancy had time to really consider what that meant, Robin had plopped down, willing Nancy to the side as she squished onto the deck chair with her.

“Is this okay?”

Nancy nodded. They were making full-body contact from arm to thigh. Nancy pretended not to notice it. She also tried not to notice whatever nonverbal conversation Steve and Robin were having next to her. She and Steve had never been able to read each other like that. Granted they’d been dating, not whatever Robin and Steve were. Like her and Barb probably, Nancy decided, staring sadly out at the water. They’d had a lot of conversations no one else could hear.

“You look deep in thought.”

“Hmm?” Nancy shrugged and picked up her book from the ground next to her. “Just thinking about old things. Nothing productive.”

Robin shrugged. “I guess sometimes you need to revisit the past.” She hadn’t been around when Barb died, but with the way she looked at the pool, Nancy knew Steve had told her. That was good. The newer people in their group deserved to know the whole story.

“Hey!”

She looked up from the book she hadn’t even started reading as Eddie protested. “How come they get to share? Steve, you told me the chairs can’t handle multiple people! I call foul!”

Steve rolled his eyes. “You and the kids all tried to dogpile me at once. It wouldn’t have held everyone.”

“But two is fine?” He plopped directly onto Steve’s lap and winked at Robin and Nancy as they both laughed.

Nancy could get used to being back with the group. And if the look Robin gave her was any indication, she was going to like it a lot.