#also any platonic duo that I’ve talked about is on the table

[sailforvalinor]

Absolutely up for doing this again this year! Relationships in the tags, but feel free to send one that I’ve talked about a lot and maybe just forgotten to list, I might still get around to it.

Christmas Ficlet Ask Game!

Send me a ship or platonic dynamic with a Christmas-y theme, song, or activity, and I'll write a little ficlet!

Rules: No NSFW allowed, and I do have veto power. The relationship/character options are in the tags! Feel free to reblog this and use it yourself!!

(additionally, if you don't have any ideas for prompts, send me one from this list! Or if you're a Kastle fan, send me a prompt for them from these prompts! I'm hoping to write some stories for these celebrations, and a little help wouldn't go amiss!)

[softstardewimagines]

Friday Night || Shane x Reader

It was just another Friday night in Pelican Town. The small saloon was filled with bright laughter and cheery chatter. Nearly every seat at every table was filled, and Shane could name them all. 

At one table, there was his aunt Marnie making heart eyes at Mayor Lewis - kinda gross, if you asked him. Not too far away were Leah and Elliott, who he didn’t really know too well, but it sure as hell was amusing seeing Elliott get near-wasted after a single drink, embarrassing Leah to death as Pam encouraged him, loving the entertainment.

In front of him at the bar was Gus, the saloon owner who was a pretty nice and caring guy, and Emily, someone he wondered if he could consider a friend; both people he’s spilled his heart out to more times than he’d like to admit. A bit embarrassing, but they weren’t judgmental and truly only wanted the best for him, so he couldn’t be too upset about it. 

He also never found himself too upset with Clint, who sat with Willy and frequently gave Shane dirty yet heartbroken looks every time Emily approached Shane. He was kind of pathetic really, even more pathetic than he was. The guy lived alone for crying out loud, so Shane tried to just ignore him rather than make the situation somehow worse by talking to him. 

And of course there was the loud trio in the back of the saloon, the young adults that somehow acted like they were still in high school. Believe him, Shane would know, he had to put up with Sam at work. Sam, the kid who played air guitar with the sopping-wet mop. 

Shane knew these people, and they more-or-less knew him. Yet on this Friday night, surrounded by all his neighbours, he still felt alone. 

“They’re not here yet, huh?” Before him, leaning on the counter with a bright smile, was Emily. For a moment, Shane wondered how sad he looked - was it that obvious? 

He softly swished the glass of sparkling water around, “Nah, not yet. Could be busy tonight.” It was already nearing nine o’clock, and they were usually here around seven or eight. He knew they could be running late, but he couldn’t help but feel that they wouldn’t be showing up tonight. Shane never liked to get his hopes up anyway, and he kicked himself a bit for being so disappointed about this. They were allowed to be busy, it’s not like they had any kind of obligation to hang out with him every Friday night!

Hearing a snort from Emily, he glanced up to see her watching the door as it flew open. “About time!” She teased, and he followed her gaze.

Shutting the door behind them with a bashful smile was the farmer, “I’m sorry! The farm’s been getting a bit much to handle, I’ve been running around like mad all day.” Shane felt his heart skip a beat. He felt warmer, like they were the sun lighting up the saloon, as cheesy as it was. He couldn’t help feeling this way - they were one of his closest friends, he was allowed to think of them like this, right?

They approached their usual seat, a barstool right next to Shane, whose hands suddenly felt clammy as they always tend to do around the farmer. “So, how are you guys doing?” 

Emily prepared the farmer’s usual drink - a cool glass of iced tea - with a grin. “Pretty good! Some of my friends flew by today, they look as beautiful as ever.” Right, her friends, parrots. Sometimes Shane wondered who loved animals more, Emily or his aunt Marnie. 

The farmer’s gaze then fell on Shane, who simply shrugged as he took a sip of his own drink. “Been alright, work’s work.” He couldn’t help but notice Emily slowly slip out of the conversation, heading over to Gus. As much as he liked Emily, he felt a little grateful to spend some alone time with the farmer. Again, he just wanted to hang out with his good friend! Nothing non-platonic about that. Right? The thought of this sounding like he was attempting to convince himself rather than stating facts crossed his mind, which he tried to ignore.

“Morris annoying as ever?” The farmer teased, and Shane let out a groan with a roll of his eyes, getting an immediate chuckle from the farmer. 

“Yoba, you won’t believe what happened today,” The farmer leaned forward, their eyes brightening. Shane loved telling them stories, and they especially loved hearing about his hell of a job. “Morris nearly fired Sam. On the spot.” 

“No!” The farmer exclaimed, eyes wide. “How the hell did that happen?” 

“You know how Pierre and Morris have that rivalry going on?” 

“Mhm,” The farmer nodded as they took a sip of their drink.

“Well, Morris found out that Sam’s close friends with Abigail, Pierre’s daughter. He had a fit.” Shane paused to take a sip of his own drink before continuing. “Said that if Sam was like, ‘conspiring’ with the ‘enemy’, that he could look for a job elsewhere.” 

“Wow, harsh.” 

“Yeah, I had to step in and calm things down - me, of all people.” Shane said with a sarcastic chuckle.

Something about that made the farmer burst out laughing. Maybe it was the thought of Shane having to mediate that situation to save Sam’s ass, or maybe it was just how Shane sounded when he said it. Either way, it seemed hilarious to them. Their laughter was infectious, and Shane found himself laughing along before he knew it. 

“Pfft, oh my- Shane, Shane look!” The farmer grabbed Shane’s arm, pointing not-so-discreetly to Elliott, who was starting to dance with Pam right next to the jukebox. Both of them were drunk as hell, stumbling over their feet and flailing their arms wildly. The pair watching them could do nothing but laugh even harder. The farmer let out a snort, and Shane tore his gaze away from the dancing duo to look at them and oh.

‘Oh wow,’ was all Shane could think in the moment. They looked absolutely… flawless. Their big smile was stretched across their face, cheeks flushed red, eyes teary from laughter. They had never looked more amazing - of course, they always looked great, but this? Shane felt his laughter begin to slow as he just gazed at them, lost in thought. If he could pick any moment of his life to take a picture and frame it up forever, it would be this one, no doubt about it.

Slowly, the farmer quieted down and they took notice of Shane’s staring. They wiped their eyes and gave Shane a crooked smile, “You good?” 

Shane, now hyper-aware of his staring, quickly glanced away. “Yeah! Yeah, I’m good.” He felt his cheeks redden - he probably looked at the farmer like his aunt looks at the mayor. Gross. His eyes began to widen as he realized ‘oh shit, I just looked at the farmer like how my aunt looks at the mayor.’ Alright, maybe things weren’t as platonic as he had hoped.

The all-too-familiar anxious thoughts began to rise in his mind as he realized how strong his feelings for the farmer truly were. Shane felt sick and a little dizzy as they swarmed his mind for a brief moment. 

The sound of Emily setting down a tray in front of the two distracted him. She had brought them a pizza, “Fresh out of the oven, on the house!” 

“Awh this looks amazing, thanks Emily!” The farmer grinned, grabbing a slice. With a wink, Emily turned around, leaving the two alone once more. Watching Emily walk away, Shane tried to calm himself down. 

He looked back at the farmer, who caught his gaze and gave him a warm smile, making his heart race. Picking up a slice of pizza, Shane started to feel at ease again. Times like these were his favourite, he couldn’t let it go to waste by worrying about his own dumb thoughts and feelings. 

Sure, he was terrified. He hated dealing with his own feelings, and he knew he’d have to deal with his feelings towards the farmer sooner or later. But right now, all he really wanted was to just split a pizza and enjoy their company.

[ambersky0319]

A human AU where the Light sides were all like a found family, until Logan runs away and they are determined to bring him back no matter what, only to find him with Dexter(Deceit) and Remus and looking far happier than with them. But Virgil hates it, pushing the two away from Logan and trying to force him back before screaming "They're fucking monsters, they could never love someone like you!" Which causes Logan to fight against him and leave the lights for good

Hope you’re happy with this! It was super fun to write but also fuck Virgil in this-

Can be seen as either platonic or romantic Intruloceit, your choice really

Warnings : Unsympathetic Virgil, Somewhat Unsympathetic/Highly Implied Unsympathetic Roman, Morally gray Patton, past suicide mention(none of the main characters), mention of a panic attack, lmk if I need to add anything else!

Masterpost 

——————————–

It was just by chance, meeting Dexter and Remus. Though Logan had known about them for a while. They had a small community on YouTube for their random and often insane ideas, usually done in the name of “science”. They did have some more serious videos, though, one that caught Logan’s interest the most being one where they talked about toxic relationships. They had still made some jokes, mostly about their past experiences, but the video was extremely heartfelt and made Logan curious enough to do some research on his own.

What Logan didn’t know, was that Dexter and Remus actually lived in the same city as him.

Logan had left his and his friends’ house after a particularly harsh argument with Roman, and took a bus further into the city to find a place to relax. He remembered a coffee shop from a few weeks ago that Patton had dragged him to. While Patton didn’t really like it as much as he thought he would, Logan really liked it as the people inside always seemed to be full of life and had hearts of gold(seriously, the barista he talked to looked as though she was glowing in the afternoon light).

Stepping inside, there was only one table open which he took quickly, setting his things down before ordering his coffee. The barista, the same as last time he had visited(a shock to Logan in all honesty that she’d keep the job), made his drink quickly and handed it to him with a bright smile, wishing him a good afternoon. Once back at his table, he took out his laptop to work on one of his many projects. He lost himself in one of his favorites, a novel he was writing. Eventually though, he was pulled from his focus.

“Hey um, sir?”

Logan looked up, and he nearly gasped. Nearly. Standing before him was none other than Dexter, looking rather sheepish as he interrupted Logan.

“Sorry to bother you, but all the other tables are full and I was wondering if my friend and I could sit with you for now, at least until one opens up?” Dexter jabbed his thumb over to the counter, where Remus stood chatting with the barista as she made their drinks and another prepared some food for them. Logan almost forgot how to speak, and he cleared his throat.

“Um, yeah, sure. I don’t mind.” Dexter smiled and slid into the seat across from Logan. Remus joined them not long after.

“I’m Dexter, by the way. And this is Remus.” Dexter slung his arm around Remus once Remus settled beside him.

“I kinda knew. I really like your videos, they’re far more informational than I thought they would be.” And then, it was as if Logan just remembered that he didn’t know these two personally, and his cheeks felt a bit warmer all of a sudden. “Oh, and I’m Logan, by the way.”

“Well Logan, it’s always great to meet a fan,” Dexter said, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Yeah! Especially since most people just think we’re two idiots online, huh Dee?” Remus wasn’t really asking him, but he still got an affirmative hum. Remus tilted his head as he studied Logan for a moment. “Hey wait, I’ve seen you before! You’re in that one psych class!”

And that’s how the rest of Logan’s afternoon went. Other tables cleared, but Dexter and Remus didn’t leave Logan’s table as they spoke with him. And Logan’s computer was moved to his bag as he let himself open up to some people other than his main friend group. He wasn’t all too surprised that they had similar interests, and it was fun getting to complain with Remus about the number of projects their teachers gave them.

Over the following months, Logan continued to meet up with them and talk with them late into the night. He learned Dexter wasn’t in college and worked freelance as an artist to pay their house bills so Remus could focus on becoming a psychiatrist(Remus did do art commissions as well to chip in, but Dexter took care of finances the most). Logan also learned that Remus was the younger brother that Roman so often complained about, which initially pissed Logan off. When Remus learned that Logan was living with his brother, and heard of the things Roman had said, just shrugged and told Logan to not tell any of them they hung out. Dexter knew Virgil as well, though he was far less inclined to tell Logan what had happened, and just said they had a major fallout a few years back.

About two years into their friendship, Logan had sent the duo a text during their livestream(Logan had been doing homework and hadn’t noticed the two were busy). It was frantic, and Logan was stuffing essentials into his bag as he waited anxiously for either of them to text back. All Logan’s original text had said was “guys I need OUT”.

Dexter texted him back after ten agonizing minutes, asking what was wrong, and Logan called him, his voice unsteady as he explained the situation. Dexter listened as Remus ended their video so he could hear what was happening too. He and Virgil had gotten into a rather heated argument, and Roman had somehow been dragged into it. Normally Patton was there to calm them all down but he was working at the time, and Logan just couldn’t take any more arguing like this, not when it got so personal and to the point that Logan had been reduced to silence because of a panic attack.

“Do you want me to come pick you up? Lo, where are you?” Remus had snatched Dexter’s phone from his hand.

Logan swallowed thickly, his hand trembling on his own phone as he told them their address. “Virgil and Roman are both home though-”

“Just say you’re going to a last-minute meeting because our teacher is a jackass who does that and the things in your suitcase is this huge project he wanted us to do.” Further away from the phone, Remus called over to Dexter. “Got the keys?” Logan heard Dexter say something along the lines of ‘yes’ and Remus was back on the phone. “Alright, I’ll text you once we’re close by, kay?”

“Mhmm.” Logan took a deep breath, and before Remus could hang up he said, “Thank you, so much.”

He could almost see Remus grinning on the other end. “Don’t worry about it, Logan. See you in a bit.”

Twenty minutes later Logan was in the back of Dexter’s car, having faced no troubles in leaving the house and now on route to Remus and Dexter’s home. The drive was pretty quiet, the silence only filled by the radio playing some random songs softly. 

They showed Logan to his new room, offering to take him out over the weekend to buy some paints if he liked and some other things Logan might want to add to his room. They had just given him their guest room, which was usually for the occasional friend to crash on(they claimed their friend Remy visited the most, but both were sure Remy wouldn’t care if Logan took the spare room). Logan declined their offer for going out shopping, saying that them just letting him stay was good enough.

He was able to move his things in quickly(he really didn’t have much while living with the others anyway), and Logan got to enjoy takeout with his new roommates as they lounged on the couch. Dexter was the first of the two to ask Logan if he wanted to talk about what had happened earlier with Roman and Virgil, to which Logan just shook his head.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Logan said after some thought, and Dexter hummed but didn’t push. He instead returned his attention to the documentary they had picked to watch.

Over the next few days, Logan ignored the explosion of texts he was getting from Roman, Virgil, and Patton, having already told them that he’d moved out about an hour after Logan had initially left. All of them just chose to ignore his message though, it seemed, and Logan actually grew frustrated with how many times the trio was calling him. Eventually, Logan just blocked their numbers and returned his focus to his papers that were due a few days from then.

About two weeks since Logan left the trio, and there’s an unwelcome knock on their door. Remus answers it when he realizes Logan is too caught up on writing and Dexter is busy making dinner, and he stares in shock at who he finds.

Logan looks up when he notices Remus frozen in the doorway to their home. “Rem?” He snaps Remus out of his daze, and Remus glances at him worriedly.

“Uhm.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Remus, just let us see him so we can talk this out!” Logan tenses at the voice, it’s unmistakably Roman’s, but then he just lets his shoulders fall and sighs. Taking this as an 'okay I’ll deal with it’, Remus lets Roman, Virgil, and Patton inside.

Logan closed his laptop, setting it to the side and staring up at the trio, the people he once called family. He still remembered the argument though, the words used which cut through him so badly Logan would have preferred to have been stabbed. “What is it?” He asked, resting his chin on his hand.

“What is it? Logan! You just up and disappeared for two weeks!” Patton exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. “You can’t just do that and make us worry!”

“Roman and Virgil were truly worried about me?” Logan sounded unimpressed. Patton glanced at his other friends as if daring them to answer otherwise.

“Of course we were worried, Logan, you’re like family-”

“So your ideal family is where you threaten to prohibit my breathing? Or claim that I was so annoying, always ruining everyone’s fun and curiosity with my 'boring facts’ and 'unwanted ramblings’ and 'caution’, and that it would just be better if I could disappear for a few hours? And that was just from our last fight!”

Dexter appeared from the kitchen, leaning against the wall that separated it from the living room.

Virgil bit his lip before letting out a fake nervous laugh. “Lo, you know I was only-”

“Oh Stormcloud, don’t play it off as a joke. You knew damn well how that would affect Logan.” Dexter cut Virgil off.

“Plus so many other things you two said!” Remus sang as he plopped down next to Logan, glaring at his brother momentarily. “Honestly, hearing Logan recount the argument, plus so many others you lot apparently had? It’s like none of you changed since we last talked.” Remus slung his arm around Logan, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “And Roman, reducing someone to a panic attack is low, even for you.”

Roman rolled his eyes, huffed, and blatantly ignored his brother. “Logan, c'mon, you can’t really just stay here.”

Logan glanced at Remus, then at Dexter across the room. He leaned into Remus’s embrace. “Actually, I can.”

Virgil glared, and he honestly hated how Logan didn’t even blink when he yelled. “But they’re fucking monsters! I mean, Dexter drove his mom to suicide and Remus is fucking Remus! What could either of them have that is even close to what you had with us?”

Dexter had wide eyes now, his confidence gone and Logan couldn’t tell if the look on Remus’s face was hurt or anger. Logan just stared at Virgil in shock.

“I mean, really! Neither of them could ever love someone like you, Logan, hardly anyone can put up with you-”

That got Logan to his feet, and as quick as the words had left Virgil’s mouth he was being shoved out the door, followed by Roman and then Patton(who was the only one of the trio to apologize to Dexter and Remus, and whisper his apology to Logan as he passed). Logan glared down at Virgil, and for once Virgil couldn’t come up with anything else to say.

“You know, there might have been the tiniest chance of me coming back. But now? Now I just hope you stay out of my damn life.” And with that, Logan slammed the door. He could hear Virgil and Roman argue with Patton about trying again, but it seemed Patton had convinced them to just leave.

Logan grabbed Dexter from where he was frozen by the kitchen entrance and dragged him over to the couch where Remus still sat. Once they both sat down, Dexter wiping away a few tears that had sprung to his eyes, both Dexter and Remus cuddled up to Logan. Remus laughed. 

“Remind me to never get on your bad side!”

“Hush and enjoy the fact that the assholes are hopefully gone for good,” Logan muttered, and Dexter just hummed in appreciation. Their food was burned as they had all fallen asleep, and they just ordered a pizza and opted to watch some trashy horror film Remus had rented the day prior.

Midway through the movie, when Remus had passed out from sheer boredom, Dexter had looked up at Logan. “Lo?”

Logan looked away from their television just as one of the main characters was slaughtered(Logan couldn’t remember his name, he was destined to be murdered anyway so Logan didn’t bother to try and remember it). He tilted his head as he waited for Dexter to continue.

“You know we do love you, right?” Logan smiled slightly, looking back to the TV and he leaned his head on Dexter’s.

“I do. I love you guys, too.”

——————————–

Taglists

Just ask if you wish to be added, removed, or tagged/not tagged in certain content!

TS Taglist

@treasureofpriam @theloveliestsweetspongy @tacochippy @anderswrites @romanknite @0beansprout0 @random-fandom-dragon @daflangstlairde @princerhubarb @that-one-ts-artist @heyitsmeimjustkindahere @aromanticandaromatic @deliciouslycrookedme @batpinkstudentpersona @avocados26 @fandomloverangel @red-eyes88 @adarkgreensoul @analogicallythinking @thatreallyawkwardpotato @insanegoldie2 @gothams-lil-sweet-potato-pie @alexkittycat1 @len-art-trash @faithyfander @an-absolute-failure @lexilucacia @o-hello-its-me @fearthesmolpotato @moxiety-my-love @thatonenerdphotographer @diadems-arewornon-capita @morrogirl9024 @thefandomnerd15 @sulphur-and-honey @aroaceagenderfluid @yalltookmyurlideas @i-didnt-say-liar-i-said-lawyer @sidesareathing @surohsopsisofclouds @dissappropriation @demigodbookdragon @too-many-fandoms89 @a-soul-among-the-stars @croftersgamer @thenaiads @theyluna-womoon @logic-with-a-pinch-of-deceit @willowaudreykeyes @nafsbluebery @stopitanxiety @shipper-devil @underthesea73 (wasn’t sure if you also wanted to be on this list or just the Losleep and Intrulogical ship lists, lmk if you don’t wanna be on general taglist)

[alexiessan]

Never alone - Chapter Five - Soulmate AU

AO3

Previous - Here - Next

Master List

Thank you everyone for your feedbacks!

It makes me really happy to see that you like this story and motivates me to write.

Which is why you get two chapters this week!

Getting to know each other turned out to be pretty easy. Not only did the soulmate magic made them be at ease for each other, but Marinette made it a game out of it. The first game was a classic twenty questions, where they each got twenty questions to ask each other.

Robin was grateful that his soulmate didn’t ask for any too personal questions. She asked him if he had siblings but didn’t ask how many nor for their name. She asked for his favorite color, his favorite meal, his favorite kind of music. She asked for his pass time and favorite TV shows.

For each question they asked, the other would also answer. And thus, he told her how much he loved animals, that he had a dog, a cat, and a cow, and he was a vegetarian ever since he adopted said cow. He told her that he loved to read and to draw, and promised to show her one of his drawings after she nicely asked.

Then, she turned the game into two truths and a lie. And this one made him smile as he had done some crazy things as Robin which made it hard for her to figure out which one was the lie.

Then again, he was also surprised by some of the things she had done.

There was more to Marinette than it first appeared.

They stayed on the roof until five in the morning, only stopping because the blue-eyed girl was starting to fall asleep mid-sentence. So he took her in his arms and took her back to the window of her hotel room where they promised in a whisper to meet at the same time that night.

After four hours of talking, Robin was satisfied as he felt like he knew Marinette better than some people he had known for longer.

That’s probably what happens when you actually put effort into knowing someone, he mused as he got home.

Right as he got out of his uniform and prepared himself to go to bed to catch at least an hour of sleep, he remembered that he had to do a little bit of research about his soulmate.

Not to stalk her or to know everything about her by checking her background. But the feeling that he had seen her before didn’t disappear at all that night, and he wouldn’t be at peace until he knew why.

So he went to the Batcave, empty at this hour of the night, or rather, this early in the morning. As he sat at the computer and typed Marinette’s full name, he discovered that there was already a file on her.

This meant that his family had made some research about her prior to their meeting.

Upon opening the file, he cursed himself for not connecting the dots.

Back when Hawkmoth started to terrorize the city of Paris and Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared to fight against him, Batman had Red Robin investigating the matter.

He wanted to know who was behind the masks of the heroes and the villain, especially since the duo of heroes seemed to be made of children.

While magic was involved in the matter, it didn’t mix well with technology, so Tim had tried to run a facial recognition for the heroes, hoping the magic wouldn’t work on technology.

Unfortunately, Hawkmoth was the kind of guy to act from the shadows and there wasn’t any picture of him anywhere on the internet.

It took a good week, as Paris had millions of people, but they eventually got a result.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was Ladybug and Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir.

Both were only thirteen when they first began their job as superheroes, and no adult was ever seen by their side.

It was also obvious that none of them had any training and were only trusting their instincts. Odds were that they were literally thrown into the superhero business without their consent and, most likely, without any proper explanation.

Damian remembered that he had rarely seen his father and his brothers so mad about something that didn’t have anything to do with the Joker. Batman had then called the Justice League of Europe himself, demanding to know why children were playing superheroes when it was their job, but was then asked nicely to mind his own business back in America and that Paris was not under Batman’s jurisdiction.

There was nothing they could do to help the two heroes, but they had been keeping tabs on the situation in Paris.

That explained why Marinette was not as awkward as she should have been with the “my soulmate has a secret identity” issue. She knew better than to ask personal questions since she herself had a secret identity to protect.

Damian sighed, massaging his temples. He didn’t want to keep too many secrets from Marinette. While he knew there were some things he wouldn’t talk about for some time — his childhood — and he wouldn’t reveal his identity before long, he still didn’t feel like keeping the fact that he knew her identity would be a good way to start any kind of relationship with her.

He would have to tell her when he’ll see her tonight.

Looking at the time on the computer, the youngest Wayne sighed.

So much for catching some sleep.

And he still had to have a conversation with his father.

Despite having only an hour of sleep that night, Marinette managed to wake up at six sharp, even before Alya.

Never before has she been in such a good mood after waking up so early and with only an hour of sleep.

It was a good thing that she got up before her friend too, as she had to figure out how to put contacts on.

“So, I get it that it went well last night?”

Marinette looked up from the little box of contacts, from which she was reading the instructions. She smiled at Tikki, who was looking at her with a knowing smile.

“Yeah, it went well. Sorry I didn’t take you with me.”

Tikki shrugged.

“It was probably better that way. He’s not a civilian, one small error from me and he would have you figured out.”

“We talked for hours. I was at peace with him, it felt like I knew him already and after we talked, it feels like I’ve known him way longer.”

The tiny god smiled.

“That’s part of the soulmate magic. You’ll always feel at ease with each other and the most time you spend together right after your meeting, the more you’ll feel like it. Do you know if your bond is a platonic or a romantic one?”

The designer winced as she poked her eye trying to put the contact on.

“That’s harder than it seems.” She tried once more before answering, “Well, I think Robin is very attractive.”

Which was exactly what told you if your bond is romantic or not. The bond didn’t make you instantly love your soulmate, no, those feelings would develop at your own pace, but instant attraction was the key to know whether a bond is platonic or not.

You’re attracted to your soulmate? The bond is romantic.

You’re not attracted to your soulmate? The bond is platonic.

It’s as simple as that.

“It’s a romantic one, then! I’m so happy for you Marinette!”

“Thank you, Tikki.” the designer smiled.

They were silent then, Tikki enjoying a cookie and the black-haired girl still trying to put the contact on.

It took approximately ten tries before she finally put it on, and just as Alya was knocking on the bathroom’s door.

“Are you almost done?”

The baker’s daughter opened the door with the brightest smile she couldn’t manage.

“It’s all yours!”

The journalist giggled.

“Well, aren’t you happy?”

“I’m always happy, Alya! Come on, now. Go take a shower and change, I can’t wait for today’s visit!”

When Damian came home from school that day, he went straight to bed to take a good nap before dinner. He had done his homework during the day so he could have the evening entirely free. If he wanted to announce to his family that he met his soulmate during dinner, it would be after he was well-rested.

No way was he dealing with that when he was half asleep.

It’s Titus who woke him up twenty minutes before dinner, barking behind his door, probably wanting to be let out outside.

He took the dog outside, playing with him and petting him for a while before Alfred came to tell him that dinner was ready.

After washing his hands, he joined his father and his brothers at the table, wondering how he should bring up the topic of meeting his soulmate.

Turned out, he didn’t have to worry as Dick brought it up himself.

“So, Damian, don’t you have something to share with the family?”

It was enough to silence them all.

Jason raised a brow.

“Something’s wrong, demon spawn?”

The green-eyed boy sighed, putting his fork down.

“Nothing’s wrong, Todd. It’s just…” he turned to look at his father. “I met my soulmate last night. As Robin.”

It was silent once again until Jason let out a low whistle.

“Damn, that’s news. Wonder how she is.”

“She’s such a cutie!” exclaimed Dick.

Bruce cleared his voice.

“I see. It’s a little problematic that you met her under your alias, but… Congratulations, Damian.”

“So that’s why you came back at five in the morning.” mused Tim.

“Come on, tell us about her little D.”

The youngest sighed. They would meet her eventually, so it was better to give them the information they were seeking.

“She’s a French student here on a trip for your Career Program, father.”

“She’s from the winning class that will be interning next week, then?”

Damian nodded.

“I’ve run a background check on each of them. Ladybug and Chat Noir are among them.”

Tim frowned. “Will Paris be alright with them away?”

“They must have a plan to keep Paris safe, they wouldn’t leave just like that.”

Damian took a deep breath.

“About that… My soulmate’s name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Dick’s, Tim’s and Bruce’s eyes visibly widened and Jason let out a snort.

“Figured your soulmate would be a hero.”

“At least, that means she’s understanding about your identity, right?” asked Dick.

The young heir nodded.

“I see. Will you tell her that you know about her identity?” asked his father.

“I will. If I want us to start on the right foot, it’s the best thing to do. She understands that I have to keep my identity a secret, but it’s another thing to know hers and to keep it a secret.”

Bruce nodded, a small smile appearing on his lips.

“You’ve grown, Damian.”

Damian could feel his ears go red from his father’s praise.

“I know that you can’t keep your identity a secret from her forever but… I trust you to wait until you completely trust her before you do tell her, and telling us beforehand, as once she knows about you, it won’t be hard for her to figure out ours.”

“Of course, father.”

Dinner then went as usual, until they all stood up after finishing and his father came to him, giving him an unexpected and somewhat awkward hug.

“I’m happy for you.”

As he saw his brothers smile at him from behind his father, Damian thought that, maybe, from now on, he could talk a little more to his family.

One step at a time, though.

They agreed with his father that he wouldn’t be patrolling for the next two weeks so he could get to spend time with the tiny French girl for the duration of her trip.

It was the first time that Damian didn’t protest about sitting out of patrol.

Marinette was in Gotham for only two weeks, and he wanted to get to know her as much as possible during those two weeks.

So when he took her to the roof at one sharp after giving her his cape to hide her from sight, he told her that they could meet earlier if she wanted.

They agreed to meet at eleven from now on, as her roommate tended to fall asleep around ten, luckily for them.

Before they got in another conversation to learn more about each other, he had to bring up a delicate issue.

“I need to tell you something.”

Marinette smiled at him, and he couldn’t help but compare this smile to the sun.

“What is it?”

He winced before taking a deep breath.

“Back when Hawkmoth appeared in Paris, we couldn’t believe that the superheroes were just two children so we investigate a bit to help. The JLE rejected our offer though… Anyway, we did some facial recognition for Ladybug and Chat Noir and… Well, to put it simply, I know that you’re Ladybug, and I thought it would be better to tell you I knew than to keep this piece of information from you.”

The fashion designer stared at him, completely silent. He stayed silent too, giving her all the time she needed to process what he just told her.

“I see.”

He could see her having trouble breathing, on the verge of a panic attack.

He hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder.

“You don’t need to worry, except for us, no one knows and we won’t tell anyone.”

Marinette took a few breaths before looking at him.

“Sorry. It’s the first time someone figured out my identity and I’m trying not to freak out. I’ve always been told how important it is that no one knows about me being Ladybug that I can’t help but panic.”

“Understandable. But, no one knows about you being Ladybug?”

The teenage girl shook her head no.

It made Robin mad. That girl had so many great responsibilities on her shoulder, and no adult to guide her or to vent to when it became too much.

“What kind of person just drop a miraculous to a child anyway?” he asked not too kindly.

Marinette flinched.

“The guardian… He just chose people that were the most compatible with the miraculous… And children are less likely to use the miraculous for evil so…”

“It doesn’t excuse anything. You were just a child without any guidance. You shouldn’t have the responsibility of Paris’ safety on your shoulders.”

The girl shrugged.

“There’s nothing we can do about that.”

“I could always introduce this guardian to my sword.”

“He’s not here anymore.”

As he was about to answer to that, mad that she was now completely alone except for her partner in all this business, she raised a hand.

“But let’s not talk about it. You know about me. That’s one secret I don’t have to keep and honestly, it’s like a weight off my shoulders, even if it’s not ideal that you know.”

She stopped to take a deep breath, now completely calm. She raised her head, looking at him in the eyes and giving him a shy smile.

“I won’t ask for your identity, don’t worry. We’ll cross that bridge when you’re ready, okay?”

He nodded, grateful that she didn’t ask for his identity in exchange for hers.

“Now, I remember you told me that you loved dogs. I have some very cute pictures to show you!”

Her smile was so bright and contagious that he couldn’t but smile a little too, as he got closer to her to watch her phone over her shoulder.  

Tag list: 

@bigpicklebananatree​ @animegirlweeb​ @crazylittlemunchkin​ @northernbluetongue​ @cutechip​ @justafanwarrior​ @iloontjeboontje​ @resignedcatservant​ @maribat-is-lifeblood​ @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff​ @toodaloo-kangaroo​ @mikantsume​ @dast218​

[makeste]

receive, and entrust (or, my rambling thoughts about That One Thing that happens at the end of Heroes Rising)

I wrote up all of my other thoughts on and reactions related to the movie here, but since this particular section was so long and involved, I decided to make it a separate post. so let’s talk about Bakugou and Deku and the big thing that happens between them in Heroes Rising.

please note this post has spoilers spoilers spoilers and more spoilers, for both the movie and for the manga (apologies to anyone who’s anime-only but there are aspects of OFA which are very difficult to discuss without getting into significant spoiler territory, so in the end I wasn’t able to make this post spoiler-free).

this is it. this is the dynamic I’ve been patiently waiting for since the very start of the series. they really fucking did it. one thing that I was bemused by is that I was making the rounds on twitter and tumblr and reddit checking out people’s reactions afterward, and I saw a lot of “there was real respect between them” and “I like Bakugou a lot more in this dynamic” and “now I understand why some people ship it” and so on and so forth. and just... how do I put this. first of all, yes, exactly, this. but second, I think that what some people missed is that this is the dynamic that people who ship BakuDeku (either platonically or romantically) have really been shipping this entire time. that even when this dynamic wasn’t present, it was the potential for it, the hints of what could be, that made people invested in this relationship. anyway, so to see that finally out in the open though for everyone to see was just so, so gratifying. it was like, yes! this is it! this is what the two of them were always working towards, what they were always meant to be. and it’s all the more rewarding for how hard they struggled to get there. anyway. suffice to say it has been a good weekend.

let’s talk about the big thing. the OFA transfer. the trust and respect and intimacy involved in this moment. Deku knows he has no choice, but he’s also relieved in a way that if it can’t be him, if it has to be someone else, that that someone is Kacchan. he tells Kacchan that he doesn’t regret it, and he says that All Might would approve of it as well, because Kacchan already knows about OFA. but what goes unspoken is the much deeper meaning of this. like yes, it’s convenient that the person Deku ends up passing the quirk onto is the one other person who’s already in on the secret. but it’s not a coincidence that Kacchan does know the secret. Kacchan knows because Deku told him. because they have always been together, because their fates have always been tied together, because Deku could never have not told him.

and sharing OFA is so much more than just sharing a power. it’s sharing a responsibility; a lineage. both a great burden and a rare privilege. this is not something to be passed on lightly, and it isn’t. Deku isn’t making the decision lightly here. because -- and this is the important part! and the part that is the culmination of all of their character development up to this point! the part that took 200+ chapters to build up to! -- this isn’t actually a decision that’s made in this moment at all, but a decision that was made by him ages and ages ago, when he first told Kacchan I got my quirk from someone else. when he opened up to him even though they weren’t friends. when the truth flowed from him even though he was trying to hold it back. because it was Kacchan. and because that bond runs so deep that this secret, this burden, could not be held back. and because Kacchan, even though it took him a while, eventually put the pieces of it together afterwards, because it was Deku. and because he knows Deku. and because, when All Might explained the rest of it later on, Kacchan told the two of them both, without being prompted, without being asked, I won’t tell anyone. because he immediately understood the gravity of it, the importance of it. because Deku was right to choose him.

so the fact is that the decision to pass it on to Katsuki isn’t one that’s just made here in the heat of the moment, with no other options on the table. the decision to choose Kacchan as the one he trusts, as the one to share the burden with, as the one he knows that he can rely on in this moment, is something that stems back to their childhood. does that make sense? basically I’m trying to explain that the circumstances which led to this moment are circumstances which arose because of Deku’s own will, as well as Kacchan’s. that the two of them have made countless decisions which eventually led up to this moment. and so this is not a coincidence. and so that’s why it’s a choice that can be made effortlessly by Deku here, as soon as he thinks of it, with no hesitation or reluctance felt other than the sorrow of losing his dream. the fact that it is Kacchan is a relief. the fact that it’s Kacchan is why Deku knows it will work as soon as he realizes it. so yeah. make no mistake, you guys. Kacchan is his successor, and not once does Deku have even the slightest flash of regret about that. and meanwhile I have about a hundred thousand overflowing thoughts and feelings about it, but I suppose that’s to be expected lol.

so now let’s talk about Katsuki’s side of it. the moment when he realizes what Deku is doing is so intense, you guys. like a dozen different emotions flit across his face in the span of a few seconds. but you can see that chief among them are shock, and then frustration, and then this brief look of intense regret, and then finally, a sort of begrudging determination. and then he takes it.

so a couple things here. first it’s worth noting that at first Katsuki actually has no idea what Deku’s plan is other than that he’s giving him OFA lol. he doesn’t even ask him why until after the transfer, at which point Deku explains that he should still be able to use the embers to fight alongside him, so that they can team up and hit Nine with the ol’ OFA two-for-one special. but before this, for all Katsuki knows, Deku could be giving it to him for any number of reasons. he could be too hurt to fight anymore. or he might even think he’s at risk of dying, and thus is passing it to Katsuki so that it can live on. now there’s a scary thought, though one that I honestly doubt Katsuki would have considered for all that long, if he even did at all (because Katsuki has always seen Deku as someone strong, and we all know that in Katsuki’s mind, strong people = people that don’t lose; but that’s another essay topic for another day). but it certainly was a possibility, that can’t be denied.

but regardless of whatever was running through his mind at that moment, Katsuki takes it. but now here’s the other thing I really want to talk about: he hates it.

he hates it. the entire time, he hates it. he doesn’t want this. he doesn’t want One for All. One for All is Deku’s. and it’s not just that he feels that he himself is unworthy of it (although I think he might, just a little); but more than that, it’s that OFA is not just Deku’s quirk, it’s Deku’s dream. and he happens to know, better than anyone else in the world, just how much OFA means to Deku. what being a hero means to Deku. because this dream, after all, is the one thing that they’ve always had in common. the one thing that they’ve always shared.

and so even though he doesn’t hesitate either once he realizes what has to happen, because he knows they have no other choice, he still grieves all the same, for just a moment. because it’s the end of something that was maybe more important to him than he ever realized until exactly this moment. this partnership he has with Deku, this trust -- because they do trust each other and work with each other so seamlessly time after time again in this movie, and it’s amazing -- he is losing all of that if they go through with this. and also!! maybe, in addition to what he’s losing, maybe just maybe he is also grieving for Deku’s own loss, because he cares. about. Deku.

but he takes it. and he proceeds to kick some ass. and you guys. Bakugou with OFA is a fucking force to be reckoned with. he is a beast. but I’m not gonna go too much into that because there’s not really much to analyze or add to the discussion at this point, other than yes, Bakugou is a legit fucking conqueror and he was put on this earth to kick ass and take names and he knows it and it’s so fucking great holy fucking shit.

but so afterward. after they’ve OBVIOUSLY defeated Nine (BITCH YOU THOUGHT!! GO TELL HELL THE WONDER DUO SENT YOU, AND GOOD RIDDANCE), and they’re both lying there, unconscious. and All Might shows up (which lol how did he even get there; that’s another plot hole that I couldn’t really figure out. Hawks is one thing because the dude can fucking fly, but All Might is just sort of there on the island all of a sudden before almost anyone else, and I guess that’s just the Symbol of Fucking Peace for ya), and he makes a little pillow for Bakugou with his coat, which is something I didn’t see mentioned anywhere and so I wanted to point it out, because he doesn’t just ignore Bakugou and go straight to Deku; he takes care of them both. he’s a good dad.

but anyway. so he’s there and Deku wakes up and starts crying and apologizing and explaining that he gave OFA to Kacchan so they could save everyone etc. etc. etc., and then he passes out and All Might cradles his head and it’s. ;__; why movie do this to me. fff.

BUT ANYWAY I KEEP DIVERGING FROM THE POINT I WANT TO GET TO LOL. which is that at this point, OFA suddenly starts flowing back into Deku. and All Might is the only one that sees this, and he has no fucking idea why this is happening, and then he just decides, or guesses, or whatever, that it must be the Vestiges willing the power to go back to Deku. and he even calls it a OFA miracle in the same vein that people say “Christmas miracle”, which lmao yeah. it’s a OFA miraclleeeee happy holidays.

and I guess this is certainly possible. the Vestiges clearly do have their own wills; that’s canon. and Deku most definitely has some kind of Chosen One thing going on, because he’s the one who finally manages to activate SIXQUIRKS after nine generations, and I don’t think that’s just a coincidence. they clearly like Deku. which, of course they do, because who wouldn’t. Deku is great. and if I were one of the Vestiges and it were up to me, I sure would want to give him a second chance as well!

but here’s the thing which surprises me: no one ever seems to take into consideration what to me is the obvious alternative explanation for this whole thing. which is that this isn’t, in fact, any sort of miraculous occurrence at all, but is in fact OFA just following its normal old rules same as always. because as far as I can tell -- and I could very well be wrong about this, but I’ve looked all over to find a canon source that contradicts it and so far haven’t -- there is nothing in canon that states that OFA can’t be transferred back to someone after it’s been given away. and I don’t see why that would be a thing, either. like, why wouldn’t you be able to give it back and forth? as long as the person who currently has it wills it to go back to the other one, then why not? it’s not like the thing expires or something. it’s just that up until this point, all of the previous successors were either too dead (rip), or too injured to take the quirk back on, which is why they fucking passed it on to begin with.

all of which is my long-winded way of leading up to my point: Bakugou did not want OFA. and Bakugou’s DNA had already been shared with Deku, when they did the blood transfer that Deku used to give OFA to him. that went both ways. so as far as I can tell, all of the prerequisites are there for OFA to simply be handed back to its previous owner once the fight was done. Occam’s razor, right? why look for a convoluted explanation when another one is already there which makes sense? why did OFA go back to Deku? because One for All’s new wielder, a.k.a. the one currently in possession of the ability to pass it on, decided to do just that. and gave it back, to the person he thought was most deserving of it. the person who still had unfinished business with it. when are you going to make that power your own?

why not. to me it makes sense. there are a couple of inconsistencies here if this truly is the case, granted. chief among them being the fact that Bakugou should then logically be included among the Vestiges (and possibly Deku himself for that matter). but (1) that’s still a plot hole either way tbh, and (2) I don’t think handwaving this away is any more of an asspull than the whole “OFA just goes back to Deku because it feels like it” original explanation is, lol. like, either way there are clearly some established rules being broken here. maybe Bakugou didn’t have OFA for long enough for his will to be fully integrated with the other vestiges; or maybe his ghost doesn’t appear because he’s still alive (similar to how All Might’s outline is still pretty faint compared to most of the other vestiges); or maybe this has something to do with that Bakusilhouette which still hasn’t been explained; or whatever. but there are ways to explain it, is my point. and hence, to me, this is the most satisfying explanation for what happens at the end of the film, and the most consistent with the character development we’ve seen. because even if this didn’t end up taking place, Bakugou was always going to give OFA back to Deku in the end anyway. that much, I think, is a given.

anyway. so those are all my thoughts on the whole OFA transfer. oh, except for the whole amnesia thing I guess. and honestly, I’ll just come out and admit that while I obviously would have been thrilled if Bakugou had remembered all of this afterward, I get why they did what they did. because it’s a lot, and while I’m pretty sure this movie is considered canon as far as the manga goes, at the same time it would be pretty unprecedented for Horikoshi to just suddenly start referencing a development as big as this in the manga out of nowhere, and just assuming that all of his readers had the opportunity to watch the movie. the manga has to be self-contained and be its own story which can be understood and enjoyed even if you only read the manga. so for that reason I think a reset button was pretty inevitable, and so I’m okay with it. and on a lighter note, it’s something that can easily be explained away by a concussion (since concussions often do cause precisely that kind of specific forgetting-events-right-before-and-after-the-injury amnesia which Bakugou experiences), and in my mind that would only be fitting. since, again, these kids got fucking bodyslammed into SO MANY FUCKING CLIFFS, YOU GUYS, I KEEP SAYING IT AND I’M GONNA KEEP SAYING IT. it needs to be acknowledged! so. many. cliffs.

so that’s it! tl;dr (1) Deku trusts Bakugou and the transfer of OFA is a momentous display of that trust, (2) Bakugou respects Deku in turn and clearly hated the thought of “stealing” his quirk from him even though that wasn’t what actually happened, and so (3) my headcanon or whatever you want to call it is that Bakugou is the one that transferred OFA back to Deku in the end after all was said and done. and maybe there’s some reason why I haven’t seen this possibility being discussed much elsewhere, like maybe I’m missing some obvious reason why this has clearly been disproven already; but regardless, I see this as being in line with their character development, and something Bakugou absolutely would have done regardless, and I have TEN TRILLION FEELINGS ABOUT IT AND THEY ARE ALL “[wistful crying emoji]” the end. 

[ootori-sibs]

Kyoya's second shot

Episode three: Return of the bully

"What are you doing here?"

"I'd like to request Tamaki."

The twins paused, sharing a glance before looking at the girl once more. "You're blacklisted, remember?"

"No I'm not." She crossed her arms, looked like he'd have to step in.

Kyoya was at the twins side almost instantly, book in hand. "She was blacklisted last year yes, but this year she's done no wrong. You remember Tamaki's philosophy don't you?" He glances down at the twins, watching them frown and shrug, wandering around.

"The boss is weird, we don't trust her." They left to return to their post, disagreeing but conceding.

Kyoya looks down at Seika, his gaze crueller then she could ever manage. "Just tell him your banishment has expired, he'd be happy to welcome you back."

"Using Tamaki's philosophies against him?" She raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a manipulative little homo~."

"Our agreement shall not be spoken of here, keep to yourself, princess." Kyoya gives a fake bow, gesturing towards Tamaki's table. "Have fun."

She approached Tamaki's table, Kyoya sighed and went to sit down, staring at the numbers on the screen. He glanced around for a moment before taking out his phone.

Shadow king: Eclair, have you spoken to that woman yet?

Woman: No, I've been busy. I don't see why I should talk to her when you're not even dating Rene yet.

Child: Who?

Woman: You'd know him as Tamaki.

Child: ah

Shadow king: It won't take that long, and convincing that dreadful woman will.

Woman: Ugh, at least get some progress done before you start hounding me you bitch.

Bitchboy: Speaking of which, my article is ready to print.

Shadow king: Send me a PDF.

An email arrived in Kyoya's inbox, with a link to a pdf file. He opened it, scanning down the page with a critical eye, opening a seperate application in order to edit it. No basic spell check, at least this fool knew how to spell and use grammar. But Kyoya did need to edit out most parts that painted gays in a bad light, making the story focus more on Haruhi and Renge and less on the fact that they're both women. He even attached an image of the duo holding hands, knowing full well that holding hands can often be platonic, but the girls at this school are basic, and will do anything to believe a scandal. He sent an email back, with the new link, and sent a message to the chat.

Shadow king: Post it.

At lunch, Haruhi complained that her new phone had none of her photos, she was sad to have lost all those memories. Kyoya had to sympathise with her there, he'd sort of assumed she used the cloud. Then her complaints changed when she realised her lunch box was missing from her bag- it had been stolen. As expected, Tamaki instantly rushed to her side, promising to buy her lunch for today, and she agreed, apologising as they left the club room. Huh. Tamaki didn't ask Kyoya to join today…

But it was ok, he was alone now. He made his way to Tamaki's bag, it contained two cards, Tamaki's own money, and the club's budget. Kyoya had the details memorised of course, that wasn't why he needed it. He quickly snuck over, and slipped the card into Haruhi's wallet, next to her own. He smiled cruelly, ready to play his part. He'd spent all night thinking about what he would actually do in that situation, so he's more than prepared for his starring role. Of course he'd prefer to not have the starring role, but he is the one who's in charge of finances, he has to react like he actually would.

He sits back down at the table, he needs a reason to ask for the card… he looks on his laptop, finding a little cafe in town that sold custom food platters, entirely customizable… oh, Tamaki did suggest a commoner food theme, maybe a customized platter for each host would be a good idea, and he and Tamaki could even go in person. Oh it was all coming together now! Kyoya had wanted to try some new makeup things, he'd mostly been doing the same face every day, it wasn't exactly catching any eyes by the second week. He should do something special for their day out.

Kyoya was practically bouncing in his chair, clicking his pen as fast as possible when he heard the door quick, scrambling to look busy, and normal. The other hosts entered the room, getting to their seats and doing the usual finishing touches to their appearances before the door opened. Kyoya watches Tamaki comb his hair carefully, his hair almost sparkling in the light. He called over to the king, "Tamaki! Get over here, I want to show you something."

Tamaki hurried over, leaning over Kyoya's shoulder. "What is it mon ami?" He looked at the screen, then glancing to Kyoya. Kyoya smiles softly, switching his window to the website of the little commoner store he'd found.

"Remember when you mentioned that commoner food theme? We could get customised platters for each host?" He suggested the idea, looking at Tamaki closely for his reaction. Tamaki's face lit up, clearly finding the idea a good one.

"Ooh that's perfect! Weldone Kyoya!" He pats Kyoya on the head gently, condescending but oh did it make Kyoya feel actually proud. Funny how that works. "We can all go! A club day out!" Ah. Kyoya's moment of joy evaporated at the king's words, he definitely didn't want that… but Tamaki seemed to notice how Kyoya defeated, looking at him in slight worry. "Is something wrong?"

"Well…" he started, sighing when he realised how stupid it sounded, "I'm sorry Tamaki, I was under the impression we would go alone, it does seem like a more behind the scenes type action as opposed to something we want everyone there for." He wasn't sure exactly what he was saying, he just definitely didn't want to spend time with all the hosts outside of school, that would almost definitely overwhelm him.

Luckily, Tamaki seemed to understand, he smiled, nodding. "Oh of course! It's been so long since I've spent some good quality time with my bestest friend in the entire world." He chuckles and hugs Kyoya, pressing his cheek against Kyoya's face. Said shadow king's face was heating up, feeling a pit drop at the word friend, but feeling still proud to be Tamaki's favourite person, he can ignore Haruhi's existence for a second for bliss.

"If we're going in person," Kyoya began, knowing exactly what his lines were, "you should probably get the club credit card out of wherever you've hidden it." He looked up at Tamaki, watching the recognition spark on the king's face.

"Oh! It's just in my bag, I never take it out." He hurried over, searching through his bag, Kyoya's phone had vibrated so he checked it.

Bitchboy: We're having trouble with the printer, it should be fixed by tomorrow?

Shadow king: Alright, post it tomorrow then.

He looked back over at Tamaki, smiling when he saw the colour drain from the monarch's face. "It's gone!" This caused all the other hosts to look over at him, he looked around at all of them in turn. "The club's card! The one with access to all the club funds! It's gone missing!"

Time for Kyoya's starring roll, his eyes widened, and he spun around in his seat as fast as he could. "What do you mean it's missing? How idiotic to you have to be to loose the club's money!?" His words, or at least the way he'd said them, seemed to spark panic in the other hosts, if Kyoya was worried then surely they should be too.

"Where did you last have it??"

"Doesn't Kyo-chan handle the money?"

"Did you check again?"

Words from the hosts echoed around the room, everyone was sent into a bit of a tizzy. Only shutting up when Mori speaks, quietly, but speaking nonetheless. "Calm down, check your bags and pockets, it may have been dropped and picked up by someone else." Oh, he was a voice of reason, when he managed to find that voice. Kyoya might be head over heels for Tamaki but he can't help but admit that that voice makes him a little weak at the knees.

The hosts do as he tells them to, searching through bags and pockets, Kyoya does so only to keep suspicion away from himself. He was listening for it, he knew it was coming, "oh…" and there it was. He glanced over, to see Haruhi holding the little card, and looking extremely confused. Kyoya got to his feet and was by her side in an instant, plucking the card from her fingers, face contorting into a look of disgust, one he'd cleverly practiced all night.

"So you're a thief now too?" His voice was cruel, and if any of the hosts weren't looking before, they were now. Haruhi looked up at her, eyes widening by the second. "I know you live in squalor but please, don't take us for fools."

"Wh- what?? Senpai, you know I wouldn't do that! I'm not a thief!" Clear panic on her face as she glanced around, realising that Kyoya's word ranked above her own. Kyoya knew this too, but he also knew the other hosts adored Haruhi completely, so time to take a better tone.

His voice sunk into sounding hurt, he was in charge of the money of course, but he was still a friend. "Haruhi please, you don't have to lie to us. You know if you needed money, you could have asked Tamaki, he'd be more than willing- as would most of the others." He glanced to the side, the others were nodding, Tamaki looked hurt as he rushed to her side.

"Are you ok Haruhi?? Is anyone threatening you into paying them money? If you're having troubles we can help you! We would always help you!!" He clasped her hands in his own, eye full of sadness and pity.

"Senpai… I really don't know how the card got into my bag I promise, I wouldn't steal from you guys…" She looked slightly annoyed, but it was clear there was panic behind her eyes. Kyoya was about to say something more, put another nail in her coffin- when the twins spoke up.

"Maybe it was princess Ayanokoji, she loves to bully Haruhi." They spoke in unison, frowning, hands tilted just a little. They weren't wrong, they just didn't quite get it, they were close though, and that scared Kyoya.

"Oh yes," Tamaki stood up, his pondering clear, "she recently told me her blacklisting had expired…" He looked at Kyoya, with eyes that unwittingly make the shadow king's hands shake, "was that something we wrote into the rulebook?"

Kyoya swallowed dryly, nodding once. "Yes," he gestured vaguely, "you said something about redemption and growth whilst we were discussing the club back in the planning stage, so I wrote it into the rules. I'm surprised you don't remember." Yes, that was a good idea, put the spotlight on Tamaki, what kind of a king doesn't remember his own rules.

The twins spoke again, "there's a rulebook?" They frowned at Kyoya, ugh, idiots.

"I gave everyone a copy when you first joined, the big binded file? With the colour coded ribbon?" It was true that he had given everyone a rulebook, and he was quite insulted they couldn't remember, he'd spent a whole week on those.

"Oooh," Hikaru began, a look of recognition on both faces as Kaoru finished, "yeah we threw that out." Kyoya was incredibly angry at that, but simply turned to go and sit down, clicking his pen in a more negative manner, he couldn't lose his temper, he couldn't lose his cool. Not right now.

14:25 - the card was found in Haruhi's wallet, the twins saved her. They don't care one bit for any effort I had put into the rule book, it seems my efforts are an expectation for them.

"That wasn't a very nice thing for you to do, Kyoya had worked hard on those rulebooks. I watched him bind those folders himself, there was glue everywhere!" He could hear Tamaki scold the twins for him, feeling a little better for all Tamaki cared.

"I never got a rulebook when I joined senpai?" Haruhi spoke, clearly sounding slightly shaken.

"Oh!" Tamaki exclaimed, clicking his fingers, he didn't even need to say anything else, Kyoya knew what to do.

"...I'll send you a pdf." He said flatly, going through his google drive, he was going to have to make an edit or two…

Halfway through the session, a sound was heard. Kyoya glanced over to see Tamaki coughing and spluttering, from what little he heard, it seemed Haruhi had put salt in his coffee, or rather Seika had switched the sugar for salt, he knew this was true by her smirk as she watched Tamaki scold Haruhi for being so out of it today. To Kyoya's surprise, Haruhi actually sounded stressed out when she responded. When the session ended she didn't stay behind to help clear up, she just grabbed her bag and hurried off to class.

Tamaki sighed, "I'm worried about her… she's so out of it, I wonder if she's feeling alright."

"She got caught stealing," Kyoya began, not meeting the king's eyes, "only got saved by the twins, got scolded for screwing up something as simple as coffee and didn't even bother to help clear up? Sounds to me like she's trying to spite you for something."

Tamaki paused, looking at Kyoya in clear interest, Kyoya refused to let Tamaki peer behind the curtain like he had so often done. "Are you mad at her? Do you really think that?" Oh great, he'd done it. Once again, Kyoya was angry at this man being able to see straight through him.

"Well, she did try and steal our hard earned funds, you can forgive me for being on edge." It wasn't a question, he wasn't asking to be forgiven, and Tamaki knew that. But Tamaki didn't care, he just sighed. Kyoya didn't stop, "it seems to be like there's something else on her mind, something opposing you." He didn't want to mention Renge, cause he feared that might lead Tamaki to realise he had something to do with the upcoming news.

Tamaki frowned, looking genuinely worried, "she has been distant lately…" Oh, and there was the sound of Kyoya's heart breaking, as much as this was his goal, he hated seeing his love in pain. He sighed, putting his laptop down, throwing his own pain away.

"Hey, I'm sure it's fine Tamaki, even if she is hurting you, you are so far above her, it's only natural she'd seek to lash out." He smiles softly, taking Tamaki's hand in his own. "You've got nothing to fear."

"So… you're saying she's lashing out because she feels inferior?" Tamaki tilted his head slightly, looking confused, Kyoya sighed, sure, that was close enough, he nodded. Tamaki frowned, "oh… she shouldn't, I should think of something to cheer her up. Perhaps I'll take her on a date this weekend!"

"Not before our day out?" Kyoya frowned, hating the outcome of this situation, becoming confused when Tamaki chuckled.

"Oh of course not Kyoya, don't worry." The king smiled, reaching up and ruffling Kyoya's hair. "I missed spending time with you, even if you can be a little demanding at times."

Kyoya had to chuckle at that, feeling reassured that Tamaki was still going to prioritize him. "You're one to talk, remember when we first met?" He didn't even need to elaborate to have Tamaki laughing, knowing full of what Kyoya had referred to.

There wasn't a hosting session at the end of the day, there'd been too many accidents that Tamaki had decided to hold an impromptu meeting. Haruhi was late, so where the twins but that was irrelevant. Kyoya frowned as she walked in, crossing her arms. "A thief and a truant? Are you planning on playing the delinquent this year?"

"Shut the hell up Kyoya!" Hikaru snapped at him, causing Kyoya to all but squeak in alarm, he hadn't been expecting resistance. "She's being bullied if you hadn't noticed, and your stupid comments aren't fucking helping!" Kyoya glanced around the table, it seemed he'd gone a little far, but no one cared about what he'd said, in fact he was being completely ignored in favour of their precious Haruhi being bullied.

"You're being bullied??" Tamaki stood, looking so very worried. "What happened?"

Haruhi didn't say anything in response, choosing only to sigh. It was Kaoru who spoke up, "someone spray painted on the window outside the classroom, essentially calling her a gay whore."

"Oh ouch." Wait shit, did he say that outloud? The other hosts were looking at him, at least they'd stopped ignoring him?

"Yeah…" Kaoru began, letting Hikaru finish, "we stayed with her to talk to the teacher."

Haruhi went to sit down, burying her face in her hands. "I just want to go home and take a nap…" God, Kyoya hadn't expected to feel for her, but Ayanokoji had gone way too far, this was disgusting.

Shadow king: WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU??

A GAY WH*RE? DID YOU REALLY FUCKING CALL HER A GAY WH*RE?

Child: cranky cause you're also a gay whore aren't you?

Shadow king: You're like 13 shut the fuck up.

Woman#2: You told me to make her life hell, that's what I did.

"It's ok Haruhi, you can leave if you want…" Tamaki started, frowning, eyes full of sadness. But he paused, looking down at Kyoya, "who are you texting?" Uh oh.

Kyoya spoke plainly, not letting the other's see his eyes behind his glasses. "I'm putting Seika Ayanokoji back onto the blacklist, at least until she proves it wasn't her." He pauses, noticing how Tamaki appears to approve. "I will also have a talk with her about why she was removed from the blacklist, and how she can get back off of it."

"Hm, good idea Kyoya." Tamaki nods in approval before turning back to Haruhi and going to hold her, she lets him for once, but doesn't reciprocate.

Shadow king: I've put you back on the blacklist for the time being, the hosts are on to you.

Woman#2: But our agreement???

Shadow king: Is only valid if you're actually useful.

So try being useful.

Everything but the graffiti was alright.

And don't forget the school has cameras.

Woman#2: Don't be such a baby.

Shadow king: Don't be so insolent.

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. Tamaki glanced at him, clearly on edge, and Kyoya decides this silence is too unbearable to stand. "Well, I think this meeting has been enlightening. But I'm sure we're all tired, so, Tamaki?" He didn't have the power to dismiss the hosts, but he had the power to ask Tamaki to do so.

And who was Tamaki to refuse him? The king nodded, sighing and curling a lock of Haruhi's hair in his fingers. "Of course, you're all dismissed, you may leave if you wish."

Most of the hosts got up and left, mumbling condolences to Haruhi as they did so. Kyoya began slowly packing his stuff away, he could feel Haruhi's eyes were on him. He didn't feel shame, only pity. He stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He glanced down at Haruhi, "I hope you have a better day tomorrow," he spoke curtly, almost mocking her in a roundabout way, but genuinely meaning that, the news story won't affect her nearly as much as the graffiti, and at least she'd get a reprieve.

Shadow king: Before I forget, don't go after her tomorrow, the article will be enough.

Woman#2: So much for making her life hell, you coward.

[calpalirwin]

Sleepover

Summary: Anon request- I wish you would write a fic where: its Ash and Seb. and the teacher has to tape their lips from telling about Sebs friend in class and how they moved Seb so he could be nearer. And the friendship is very affectionate but platonic as maybe the other kid grew up in a very expressive household so holding hands, fixing hair etc. is normal. And the teacher is much more affectionate with Ash cause he taught Seb about all the different types of love. But they can't tell Ash cause Seb hasnt told Ash.

A/N: Revival of Ash and Seb! And okay, I know you said “platonic” but like… bear with me. 

Content: All the soft affection. Dad!Ashton.

Word count: 1.6k

And away, and away we go!

__

“Um… Miss?” Sebastian’s voice asked from the back seat.

“Yes?” she asked, peeking at the boy through the rearview mirror. His eyes wouldn’t meet hers as he fiddled nervously with the cuffs of his sweatshirt.

“You’re not gonna tell Dad that you moved my seat, are you?”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “Not if you don’t want me to.”

The hazel eyes snapped up to meet hers in the mirror. “Really?!”

She chuckled more. “Sebastian, I didn’t move your seat because you were in trouble. I moved everybody’s seats because I thought you guys would like it.”

“But you moved me next to Ben.”

“Don’t you like sitting next to Ben? I thought you guys were friends.”

“We are! He’s my best friend. Did you know he has two moms?!”

“He does?!” she asked, matching his excitement.

“Yeah!” And then, “Miss?”

“Yeah?”

“Is it weird that Ben holds my hand? Like the way Dad holds your hand? Cuz… he’s done it before. And I don’t care that he does. It’s nice. But Alex saw. And I still don’t like Alex. So I let go. But I think I hurt Ben’s feelings when I did. But I didn’t do it cuz I didn’t like it. I just didn’t want Alex to pick on us.”

She held off on answering for a split second, not aware of how much Ashton had taught the boy about displays of affection and the like. “Well…” she finally decided. “If you and Ben like holding each other’s hands, then I don’t think it matters if other people think it’s weird.”

Sebastian smiled, liking what he had heard as they pulled into the driveway, as Ashton pulled in right after them. “You think Dad will let Ben come over on Saturday so we can play?” he asked as he climbed out in a hurry to greet his dad.

“I think you dad will love that.”

“Think I’ll love what?” Ashton asked, as he crouched to meet Sebastian’s hug.

“Dad! Can Ben come over on Saturday?”

Ashton’s eyebrows pulled together as he did a mental run through of his schedule. “Yeah. Ben can come over.”

“Cool! I’m gonna go call him and ask!” Sebastian said before taking off for the house.

“Don’t think I’ve ever met Ben. Or heard of him…”

“Yeah, Ben only transferred like a month ago. But him and Seb are practically joined at the hip. You’re home early.” She reached up on tiptoes to kiss him.

“Yeah, we finished early. Sorry. If I’d known I would have just come and got Seb myself.”

She waved him off dismissively. “Nonsense. It’s not like it’s a hassle for me to pick him up. Plus it gives me an excuse to come over.”

“Like you need an excuse,” Ashton winked, pulling her into him with a laugh. “You know you’re welcome whenever.”

Whatever moment they were about to share was stopped by Sebastian running back out, causing the couple to jump apart. “Can Ben spend the night on Saturday too, Dad?! His moms said it’s okay if he does.”

“Sure,” Ashton agreed.

“Awesome!”

~~~

Sebastian couldn’t sit still the rest of the week, his excitement constantly making his legs bounce. More than once he had to be reminded to focus on his work, but it was hard when every time he looked over at Ben, the other boy smiled before giving his hand a small squeeze. If Y/N thought there was more to it than just Sebastian being excited about his first sleepover like Ashton assumed, then she made no mention of it. But she did make a point to be more affectionate towards Ashton in Sebastian’s presence, as a subtle act of showing the fourth grader that there was nothing weird with showing those you cared about that you cared about them through simple touches. A gesture Ashton was more than fond of and he subconsciously found himself doing it more in turn, whether it was running his thumb over the back of her hands, or rubbing small circles in the small of her back.

On Saturday, as soon as Sebastian scarfed down his breakfast, he sat in front of the large window overlooking the driveway. He would let out a gasp of excitement before holding his breath at every car that passed by, hoping that it would be Ben. And every time the car would keep driving, Sebastian would let out his breath with a small sigh, and Ashton would glance worriedly over at the clock, hating the disappointment etched on his son’s face.

Finally, a car slowed out front, it’s blinker flashing before it pulled up the driveway. “He’s here!” Sebastian exclaimed, jumping up to his feet and bounding for the door. “Ben!” he greeted, throwing his arms around the other boy in a hug.

Ben broke out in a grin that rivaled Sebastian’s, pressing a swift kiss on his friend’s cheek before breaking out of the hug. Ashton couldn’t hear the words being said, but he assumed it was Ben introducing Sebastian to his moms, as he followed his son out front. “Hi, I’m Ashton. You must be Ben’s moms.”

The ladies’ swiveled towards Ashton. “Yes, hi!” they greeted warmly, still eyeing the boys who were already running back up towards the house, hands intertwined. “Thanks again for having Ben over.”

“Oh, yeah. Don’t even worry about it. What time do you want him home tomorrow?”

“Oh, we’ll pick him up around 2 if that’s alright.”

“Yeah, that’s totally fine.”

The three parents stood in awkward silence for a few moments, wondering what to do next as neither set had much experience with their sons having friendships that resulted in sleepovers. Thankfully they were saved by the boys barreling out of the house, before skidding to a stop in front of them, wide grins on their faces and absolutely breathless. “Dad! Can Ben and I sleep outside in the tent?!”

“Sure, bud,” Ashton smiled. “See if you can grab it out of the garage, and I’ll be out in a sec to help you guys set it up.”

“Daaaad, I can set it up myself…” he muttered lowly, cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

Ashton held up his hands in surrender, “Alright. Ben, I think your moms are ready to leave.”

“Oh! Bye!” Ben said before hugging his moms goodbye.

“Dad, can we make smores over a fire? Pretend like we’re really camping?”

“I think that sounds like a great idea. I think we got hotdogs still too, so we can roast those later for dinner. Sound good?”

“Awesome! C’mon, Ben! Let’s go get the tent!” Sebastian grabbed Ben’s hand, and the duo was running off again.

~~~

“Are they this close at school, too?” Ashton asked Y/N in a hushed whisper, watching as Ben yanked back his marshmallow he had set on fire, and Sebastian quickly blew it out as both boys erupted into a fit of giggles.

She nodded as she leaned closer to him. “Oh yeah. When I redid my seating chart, I purposefully sat them together so they would stop talking to each other across the classroom, and distracting everyone else.”

“Why didn’t you tell me he was doing that? I would’ve said something to him.”

“Because it wasn’t a big deal. If I had to call every parent every time their kid talked to their friend across the room, I’d never get anything done.”

“But he’s happy? I know this year hasn’t exactly been an easy one for him.”

“Ash, you worry too much. Seb’s doing just fine.”

“Dad! Can Ben and I have another smore?”

“Just one more,” Ashton relented, nodding over at the small outdoor coffee table that held all the fixings.

“Thanks Dad!”

“Thanks Mr. Ashton!”

“Better make yourself one before those two eat me out of chocolate,” Ashton murmured in Y/N’s ear, lips brushing against her neck as he pulled back.

“Mmm, you won’t make one for me?” she fake pouted.

“Only if you share it with me.”

“Deal,” she agreed.

~~~

“Hey, Dad?” Sebastian asked as Ashton helped him take down the tent now that Ben had gone home.

“Yeah, bud?”

“Gay’s when you’re a boy and you like other boys, right?”

Ashton choked on air, sitting back on his heels. “It’s… uh, a little more complicated than that, bud. But yeah. Typical when a boy likes a boy, he’d be considered gay.”

“Well, I’m a boy. And Ben’s a boy. And I like him. So I think I’m gay. At least for now.”

“And what do you like about Ben?”

“Well… I like that he holds my hand. And I like that he thinks my backpack’s cool because he likes Spider-Man too. And we have fun.”

“That’s good, bud.”

“He also kisses me sometimes. And I thought it’d be gross like when Uncle Cal and Uncle Mikey’s dogs get too excited. But it’s not.”

Again, Ashton choked on air. “Whoa. You are way too young to be kissing anybody, pal.”

“It’s not a grown-up kiss!” Sebastian giggled, his cheeks turning pink. “It’s like the same kiss I give Aunties and Grandma. Right here.” He stabbed a finger into his cheek.

“C’mere, bud,” Ashton said, patting the grass next to him. “You can like whoever you want,” he told his son as they sat together. “And you can hold their hand, and have fun with them. But-”

“I have to ask, and if they say ‘no,’ then that’s it. I know, Dad.”

“Well yes. That too. But the kissing? I’m not saying that you shouldn’t. But there’s a time and place for that. And school’s not that time or place. Like you can kiss people’s cheeks all you want, just not at school, okay? At least not until you’re a little older. Any don’t worry about labeling yourself. Just like who you like. Deal?”

“Deal,” Sebastian grinned. Then, “Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“I still think I want that person to be Ben. You know, the person I like the way you like Miss Y/N. At least for now.”

“And if Ben wants that too, then go ahead and like him. Just do me one favor, alright?”

“What?”

“Help me put this damned tent away!”

__

Tag List

@frontmanash​ @goeatsomelife​ @flameraine​ @creator-appreciator​ (please have been @here-for-the-uproars...) @cxddlyash​ @1-irwin-94​ @sparkling-calm​ @tea4sykes​ @youngblood199456​ @5-seconds-of-obsession​ @gosh-im-short​ @aquarius-hood1996​ @talkfastromance4​ @itjustkindahappenedreally​ @philthepegacorn​ @boomerash​

[sodalitefully]

8 for Sluff please, love your account

8 - “Please, stop smiling at me like that. I’m not sure what will happen if you keep doing that.”

Thank you! Another anon also asked for 8/sluff so this is for both of you, thanks for being patient! I started this a month ago and then got totally stuck on how to finish it 😓

Duff and Slash both overshare when they’re wasted… 

~~~~

You want to know how Slash and I got to be such good friends? Well, the first thing I gotta tell you is that he’s one of the nicest, coolest people I know, and he doesn’t deserve his shitty reputation, got it?  The second thing, is that I was blown away when I first heard him play guitar and I wasn’t about to let a musical genius like that walk out of my life. 

But the truth is (just between you and me, right?), there’s a third, final, and very important reason.  You see… after Slash, Steven, the girls, and I met, we hung out, jammed a little, then of course proceeded to get absolutely obliterated.  And that’s when it happened: Drunk-Duff met Drunk-Slash and the world would never be the same. 

We’re the drunken dream-team.  Smashed, sauced, and sloshed soulmates.  The Dynamic Duo of gettin’ gazebo-ed. 

You get what I’m trying to say. 

It works out real well because our tolerance is about the same, and we both tend to be happy, affectionate drunks.  We’re partners in crime for all kinds of insane intoxicated shenanigans, but we’ll also look after each other, you know? Or try to at least, hah.  

Last night though? Things were a little different.  Slash got a head start on me, so instead of Drunk-Slash-and-Duff, it was Drunk-Slash and Just-Barely-Tipsy-Duff.  Which was no problem, it was great! Er, it was totally fine! I mean –

… 

Okay… there’s something I didn’t tell you about me and Slash.  It’s true that Drunk-Slash-and-Duff are the ultimate drinking buddy power couple. But sober? That’s another story.

Don’t get me wrong, we’re still best friends! Contrary to popular belief, we do hang out and do stuff besides drinking and drugs.  But there’s one key difference that even Slash never knew about, and that is that Sober-Duff has, well, a huge fuckin’ crush on Slash.

Hey, don’t fucking judge me, dude! …He’s just a really awesome guy, okay? And good looking.  I dig the hair.

Ahem.

Anyway, it could be a real problem when we were both sober, because I really had be on my toes to make sure he didn’t catch me staring or anything, you know?  It’s like, I couldn’t relax because then I might start to slip up and that could mess up everything: our friendship, the band… man, I don’t even want to think about it.  

But when Slash was drunk, I had nothing to worry about!  He never noticed when I zoned out staring at his ass – thank god, because it’s happened a lot.  And Drunk-Slash-and-Duff might be all about the platonic cuddling, but on these special occasions I get to appreciate Slash at his clingiest in a more romantic-kinda-way.  I also get to appreciate how giggly he gets: I’m a sap, I know, but just seeing him smile makes me feel like I just did a whole line of shots so whenever this happens I always pull out all the stops trying to keep him in good humor.

So there I was, telling Slash every lame joke I could think of, pulling stupid faces, generally acting like a total goofball and trying to make him laugh.  And it was working!  Slash was a giggly mess, and I figured it was time to give us both a break.  I watched him compose himself from the corner of my eye as I chugged the rest of my beer.  Even in the dim light of the bar, I managed to get lost in his dark eyes as he looked at me with an exasperated smirk.

“Duff! Stop smiling at me like that!” He whined, and oops, I guess I let my gaze linger a little too long.

“What? Whyyy?” I pitched my voice up to match his tone.

“Because…” He dropped into a drunkenly serious whisper. “…I’m not sure what’ll happen if you keep doing that.” 

Wait.  What?

Was he saying what I thought he was saying?  It’s not just me, right?  It definitely sounded like he was… implying something.

But before I could ask him what he meant, another round of drinks appeared on the table and Slash was back to his cheery, thirsty self in the blink of an eye.  I gotta admit, I was just as distracted by the booze – I was trying to catch up, after all – so I forgot about what he said until about twenty minutes later. 

I was back on my bullshit and better than ever – I managed to get Slash to laugh just as he was about to take a swig of his beer, he snorted into the glass and suds flew everywhere!  Both of us were still laughing our heads off as he whacked me in the arm and tried to find a napkin to clean himself up.  Once he got the foam off his face I was determined to make him do it again: every time he tried to take a sip I’d repeat the same stupid punchline and he’d have to quickly duck away from his glass to avoid getting beer up his nose.

After my fourth or fifth attempt, Slash suddenly bounced up from his seated position to kneel on the seat of the booth so I was forced to look up at his face as he poked a scolding finger into my chest. 

“I thought I told you to knock it off!”

I just laughed, it was hard to take him seriously when he was pouting like that.  “I dunno what you’re talking about!” 

“Nuh-uh, don’t play dumb because I know I told you to quit it!  I’m jus’tryna get drunk here and you won’t stop distracting me!”

“Well then make me,” I teased.

For a split second, I thought that Slash lost his balance and was falling into me, so I put my hands up to catch him.  But then, I felt his mouth on my lips.

I was stunned into helplessness as his tongue thrust between my teeth and overwhelmed my mouth.  I’d wanted this for so long that I couldn’t understand it; the kiss was deep and fast and it was over before I could bring myself to lean into him and suck the taste of whiskey and cheap beer off his lips.

As I tried to catch my breath, I realized that my hands were still planted on Slash’s chest, I was practically groping him.  I tried to slide my arms out of the way but at that moment, Slash decided to swing one knee over my legs so that he was straddling my thighs.  He sat in my lap and scooted all the way up until his ass was right over my crotch, then put his arms on my shoulders for balance, trapping me in place with my hards grabbing his tits and my thighs glued together so he might not notice my dick starting to poke him in the ass.

I stared up at him with my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open, wondering if I was dreaming… And if I wasn’t, would he remember this the next day?  Would he still want to kiss me when the liquor wore off, or would he laugh it off like the rest of the bullshit he does when he’s wasted?

Slash seemed oblivious to the questions racing through my head.  He just stared down at me with a little smile, and then leaned down again to plant another deliberate, chaste kiss.  

“Yeah, now you’re quiet.  Where’s that grin, huh? Did you think trying to get a rise out of me wouldn’t have any consequences?” His tone was smug but his expression was still affectionate. 

“Slash, what –“ 

“Such a tease, acting all cute like that when you know what it does to me.  Fuck, even when you’re being a pain you’re still so sweet it’s unfair.” 

“What – What it does??” 

“Were you trying to get me to confess? ‘Cause I was trying to keep it to myself, all right?  I didn’t want to screw everything up but, y’know, it’s hard when you’re always smiling at me like that.” He bit his lip, hesitating.  “And I’m already in your lap, so I guess I might as well…” He leaned down until his lips were brushing my ear, and whispered, “This is fun… but I’d rather be back at the hotel, just the two of us.” 

Forget dreaming, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.

“Then let’s go,” I breathed, and Slash looked at me like he was genuinely surprised.

“Really? You want that? With me?”

“I’ve wanted that practically since we met, are you kidding?”  I finally worked up the balls to stretch up and kiss him.  He eagerly returned the kiss and then he slid out of the booth, tugging me after him as we hurried out of the bar. 

And the rest, as they say, is history!  I have to keep some secrets, don’t I?

Huh, I guess I was lying before when I said the third reason was the final reason.  Actually, telling that story reminded me of a few more reasons if you know what I mean, hah!

Hey, you’ll keep all this between us, right? Yeah? Good, because I gotta go – Slash looks like he’s about to pass out on the pool table, I think it’s time to take him home… 

~~~~

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hey, do you know any major angst, hurt and little comfort fics that are relatively short? I want to jump on the pain train once again and need some good ones to start with :D

Hi Nonny!

OHHHH I’ve got SO many Hurt/Comfort fics… SO MANY. Hmm, I have my usual urge to just give you every single fic I have, ahhhhh hmm. Let’s do it this way, since you asked for these specifically: the shortest H/C fics I have. BAHH. So hard for my obsessive mind to split them all up LOL. Initially this was going to be a “Under 10K words” list but I have SO MANY on my list, that I decided to start with the short fics, since, well, that’s what you’re asking for anyway!

HURT/COMFORT Pt. 1: UNDER 5K WORDS

See Also: 

Angsty Fluff

Self Harm, Danger Nights, and Drugs

Nightmares, PTSD, Panic Attack, & Mental / Emotional Turmoil

New World, Old Words by thedeafwriter (G, 641 w. || Deaf Sherlock, Sherlock Whump, Pining Sherlock, Marriage Proposal, Fluff, Always John) – It was disconcerting to experience. One second, he was laying on the table, breathing in the gas that would make him sleep, the next, he was dragging his eyes open to look around the bright room, trying to wake up.

Prayers by Jberry (M, 665 w. || H/C, Injury, John Whump, Fear of Death, First Person Sherlock, 3G) – Sherlock has never been a man who prayed.

Promise of Sussex by LittleLongHairedOutlaw (T, 705 w. || First Person POV Sherlock, Sherlock Whump, Angst, Pining, Ambiguous Ending) – John tries to keep Sherlock conscious after he’s been shot on a case.

Words Were Never Useful by Jenn1984 (K+, 819 w. || Hurt / Comfort, John Whump, Friendship, Ambiguous Ending) - ALLEY BEHIND THE BOOKSTORE, JOHN STABBED. HELP NOW. SH

Promises Kept by grannysknitting (K+, 844 w. || John POV, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship / Pre-Slash, Sherlock’s Violin, Worried Sherlock, John Whump, Post-TGG) – When they were in hospital, Sherlock made a promise to himself. Now he’s keeping it. Set after ’Polygamous Marriage’ but before ’Back in the Saddle’

Possessive by Fang323 (T, 850 w. || John Whump, Hospitalization, Possessive / Protective Sherlock, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort) – His John did not belong. Not here. Not in this blasted hospital. It simply was not logical.

You Lead, I Lead, You Follow, I Follow by BrighteyedJill (M, 862 w. || Fever, H/C, John Whump) – John wakes up after a chase gone wrong to find Sherlock watching over him, but he’s a little hazy on the details.

Concussions And Good Old Fashioned Awkwardness by Belldere (K+, 894 w. || Humour, Hospitals, Mild John Whump, Misunderstandings, Platonic Relationship, Concussions, Not-Gay John, Possessive Sherlock) – When John lands himself in hospital… again, all he wants is to just get out of there as soon as possible, too bad his doctor has other ideas about where John may be getting his injuries. Good thing concussions make everything strangely funnier.

Static by Johnnlocked (Krullenbol2602) (G, 917 w. || Fluff, H/C, Doctor John, Headaches, POV Sherlock, Fluff, Pre-TSo3) – Sherlock suffers from a headache.

Dismantle the Sun by Mount_Seleya (T, 965 w. || John Whump, 3G, Angst, Grief) – After a gunshot leaves John in critical condition, Sherlock holds vigil beside his hospital bed, slowly unravelling as the night progresses.

The Most Awful Thing by whitchry9 (K+, 1,072 w. || H/C, Holmes Brothers, Seizures) – When Mycroft witnesses Sherlock having a seizure, he is at a complete loss as to what he should do. Thankfully, John is there.

Goodnight (My John) by consultingcenturion (T, 1,073 w. || Angst, H/C, Pre-Slash, Goodbyes, Unrequited) – Sherlock says a silent goodbye to the one whom he loves most—who he knows he must hurt. Part 1 of Goodnight (My John)

Cuddling by GraciousK (G, 1,107 w. || Angst, Cuddling, Hypothermia, Dev. Rel., Fluff and Angst) - John finds Sherlock and he’s delirious. John saves Sherlock, semi-happy ending.

BBCSH ‘The Comfort of Touch’ by tigersilver (M, 1,116 w.+ || WiP || Post Mary & Baby/Character Death, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance/Bromance, Sherlock Takes Care of John) – This is a post-Mary Fix It fic. Specifically, Mary (and John’s child) have died, expired and passed on, all Off-stage Right! Sherlock has come to the rescue of his friend and carried him back off to Baker Street.

Wreckage and Rubble by grannysknitting (K+, 1,116 w. || Drama, H/C, Ambiguous Ending) – Lestrade’s point of view when he’s called to the wreckage of the pool. He doesn’t want to deal with the wreckage that would occur if London’s newest crime fighting duo are parted from each other.

Internal by OldBesinaStuff (T, 1,131 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, John Whump) – Just a one-shot wherein John is injured and Sherlock deals with it - in multiple ways.

Idiot by Anesthesiologist (T, 1,229 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Alternate TGG / Explosion, BAMF John, Sherlock Whump, Inner Monologue, John Saves Sherlock, POV Sherlock) – What the heck happened? He remembered the pool and Moriarty, but then what? Had he been dying?

Mentality by Cumberbatch Critter (T, 1,350 w. || Friendship, Hurt / Comfort, THoB Fic, Doctor John) – It was weird. But Sherlock was having a panic attack. Re-write of the Hounds of the Baskerville scene.

I Feel A Weakness by Jenn1984 (T, 1,389 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Angst, John Whump/3G) – John Watson is hurt. Sherlock has a hard time processing it.

I Was Wrong by AllesandraQuartermaine (K, 1,496 w. || TGG AU, Friendship, Hospitalization / Injury, John’s Self Esteem, Sleepy Sherlock) – Sherlock and John have a conversation a few days after the pool face off with Moriarty. And John hears something quite surprising.

Lost Without My Army Doctor by ItsRealForUs (K, 1,499 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Migraines, Doctor John, Domestics) – Sherlock’s fighting a losing battle with his migraine when John comes home to help.

I Take It All Back, Breathing’s Not Boring by whitchry9 (K+, 1,551 w. || Hurt/Comfort, John Whump) – Breathing was boring until John forgot to do it. Then Sherlock deemed it important.

Back in the Saddle by grannysknitting (M, 1,577 w. || Post TGG, Donovan POV, Observation / Introspection, Protective Sherlock, Injured John, Case-ish Fic) – Their first return to solving crime after the pool and the explosion.

Conciliatory Coffee (It’s All Fine) by dget (K+, 1,635 w. || Hurt / Comfort, Friendship, Post-TRF Reunion) – “He can feel John’s shuddering breaths in his own lungs, feel John’s heart beating behind his own sternum.” Because John Watson is a doctor, and Sherlock Holmes is a detective, and neither really knows how to be anything else. A post-Reichenbach reunion oneshot. Can be read as Johnlock.

I Never Told You by MrsNoggin (T, 1,650 w. || Fluff & Angst) – Who looks after John when Sherlock is gone? Just a bit of angsty fluff, maybe with a bit of a happy ending. A little wishful one-shot, rated for John’s good old British pottymouth.

206 Reasons by whitchry9 (K+, 1,693 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Pre-Slash, Light Angst, Worried Sherlock) – John won’t wake up, so Sherlock lists all the reasons why he should. Because he appears to be a bit besotted. How inconvenient.

Lost and Found by jaradel (G, 1,750 w. || Post-HLV, John Whump, Est. Rel., Hurt/Comfort) – He’s honestly not sure what’s worse, right now - being where he is, the beaten kidnap victim, or being where Sherlock is, trying to rescue him before it’s too late. Unwillingly his mind offers up the image of Sherlock in a video message, tied to a chair, bruised and bloodied. John squeezes his eyes shut to hold back tears. No, he decides. That would be so much worse.

Quite Contrary by Hollyesque (T, 1,805 w. || HLV Fic, Sherlock Whump / After Mary Shot Sherlock, Hallucinations / Flashbacks / PTSD, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, Lestrade POV, ) – A short one-shot, alternate scene to Greg’s hospital visit in HLV. Instead of Sherlock disappearing, Greg is faced with an unexpected reaction to a hospitalized Sherlock and winds up figuring out something that he really would have rather not known.

In Which Lestrade Looks in on Sherlock and Observes by Aztecwarfareandcrumping (K+, 1,833 w. || Lestrade POV, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, John Whump) – John’s in hospital, which means Sherlock is, too. Lestrade takes it upon himself to look in on them.

BBCSH 'Poor Mary’ by tigersilver (M, 1,839 w.|| HLV Fic, Canon Compliant, Sherlock Whump / Mary Shot Sherlock, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Pining Sherlock, Hospitalization, Missing Scene, Sherlock POV) – As the tin says above, this is a missing scene, set directly after Sherlock awakens in hospital after having been shot by his best mate’s wife. Minor angst, some pining, nothing nasty; please don’t be alarmed unduly.

the fearful passage of death-mark’d love by flibbertygigget (T, 1,980 w. || Magical Realism, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Life Partners, Name Marks, Referenced Deaths) – The first time that John meets Sherlock Holmes, the younger man has his sleeves pushed up to his elbows, wrists bare of any hint of ink. Within 48 hours, John has added “Jefferson Hope” to his clavicle. (Or: The One Where, When You Kill Someone, Their Name Shows Up On Your Arm)

Take My Hand, Knot Your Fingers Through Mine by patster223 (K+, 2,003 w. || H/C & Friendship) - “I know this is an inconvenience for you, but I would really rather you were awake right now, John.” John is unconscious, and Sherlock decides to talk to him anyway. Sherlock/John pre-slash.

The Doctor’s Capable Hands by Totally-Out-Of-It (K+, 2,012 w. || Sherlock Whump, Doctor John, Hurt/Comfort, Hospitals, Anxious Sherlock) – Sherlock is injured during a chase. John sits watchful at his bedside in the hospital and wonders. He wouldn’t leave Sherlock alone like this. Especially not if Sherlock wanted him to stay.

This is Life in Colour by agent iz hyper (K+, 2,038 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Sherlock Whump, Doctor John) – John thought with a flash of amusement that only Sherlock Holmes could look like he was about to pass out and still maintain his usual level of acerbic scorn. “You’re a git,” he told him mildly. “And an idiot,” he added as an afterthought, though no less pointedly.  A look into the perks of being both a doctor and a soldier when one is the friend of Sherlock Holmes.

In The Wake by Ambikai (K+, 2,057 w. || Post-THOB, H/C, Friendship, Nightmares/PTSD/Panic Attack, Bittersweet Ending) – After returning from Baskerville, Sherlock and John deal with the aftermath: unsure of where they sit with one another.

Crisis Averted by Spartangal22 (T, 2,188 w. || HLV Fic, Missing Scene After Confronting Mary, Canon Compliant, Sherlock Whump / Mary Shot Sherlock, Family / Friendship, Hospitalization, Sherlock POV, Holmes Brothers) – Lying in the hospital, Sherlock receives some surprising visitors, and manages to deal with two problems he’s been having lately. A missing scene from HLV about a formal introduction that was never made and a visit that was never shown.

Love Hurts by Grac3 (T, 2,215 w.|| Magical Realism, Pining Sherlock, One-Sided Pining / URT, Sherlock / John Whump, Angst, Ambiguous Ending) – In a world where someone’s physical injuries manifest themselves on the person who is in love with them, John didn’t think that there would ever be anyone who was willing to risk falling in love with him - until he got shot on a case, and it didn’t hurt. Unrequited Johnlock.

Conspiracies of the Universe by immie8 (K+, 2,291 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Post-TEH, Sherlock’s Scars, Missing Scene) – After the railcar incident, John finds himself back at Baker Street where he learns of another secret (or two) that Sherlock’s been keeping from him and somewhere along the way realizes that he really does forgive him.

The Many Faces of Concern by sdrawkcabemdaer5 (K+, 2,473 w. || Friendship, Angsty Fluff, John Whump, Mildly Clueless Sherlock) – John is injured on a case, leading to some surprising reactions and discoveries about their friendship.

Intensive Care by aceofhearts61 (T, 2,539 w. || Ace!Sherlock / Straight John Queerplatonic Relationship, Hurt Comfort, Angst, Cuddles and Snuggles, Hugs, Doctor!John, Medical Procedures) – In which John looks after Sherlock directly following the events of “Bless You and Keep You.” Sequel Fic. Part 15 of A Love with No Name

It’s a Dummy by Johnnlocked (Krullenbol2602) (T, 2,574 w. || HLV-Remix, Major Character Injury, H/C, Love Confessions, Mary is Not Nice, 3G Moment) – What if Mary had taken the shot?

Rescue by missilemuse (T, 2,574 w. || Fake Relationship, Sherlock Whump, Irene Helps Sherlock) - If this was the way Sherlock Holmes loved, it was no wonder why he had avoided the damned emotion for over half of his life. Part 6 of Reichenbach To Return

Those Days by StillWaters1 (T, 2,663 w. || Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD / Sensory Attacks, Caring Sherlock) – If Sherlock had danger nights, then these were John’s danger days.

Domino by Deception’s Call (K, 2,689 w. || Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Scared / Worried Sherlock, John Whump, Crying Sherlock, Hospital, Implied Caretaker Sherlock) – When John is injured on a case and is admitted to the hospital, those at Scotland Yard come to realize that perhaps Sherlock Holmes has a heart after all.

The Rational Machine by Solstice Zero (K, 2,924 w. || Hurt / Comfort, Malnourishment / Fainting, Doctor / Minder John) – Sherlock passes out. John muses on the reasons why. Containing an absorbing case, two bags of shopping, and a few apples.

Once is Enough by Jominerva (T, 3,030 w. || Love Confessions, Domestic Fluff, Whump) – Just as the earth rises to meet the sun at every mountain crest, John reaches out for Sherlock and takes his hand in his own. “Tell me it won’t end like this,” he says, blue eyes holding grey while he laces their fingers together. Sherlock lets out a shaky laugh and shakes his head. “I wish I could.”

A World Without You by tinyhobbit (T, 3,133 w. || Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, John Whump) – After John is quite badly hurt at the scene of a crime, Sherlock reacts in a way which allows John to finally see that his sociopathic best friend cares. One-shot, set sometime between Baskerville and Reichenbach.

Waiting and Recovery by A Wandering Minstrel (K+, 3,173 w. || H/C, Friendship) – Lestrade waits for news of Sherlock and John at the hospital. Mrs. Hudson looks after her boys. Two companion pieces.

Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down by standbygo (M, 3,282 w. || Post-S4, Five Plus One, Missing Scenes, Parenthood, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Cuddling & Snuggling, Hurt/Comfort, Declarations of Love, Fluff, Food, John Whump) – Five times when Sherlock and John ate together, and one time they didn’t. A history of the boys, in food.

As You Wish by PipMer (K, 3,311 w. || Bromance/Pre-Slash/Epic Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, John Whump, Hospitals) – When John woke from his coma, he wasn’t at all surprised to see the wrong Holmes brother sitting at his bedside. Disappointed, but not surprised.

The Dangers of Dating by verityburns (T, 3,325 w. || Friendship, Case Fic, No Slash, John Whump, 3G, Worried Sherlock) – Sherlock and John acquire a new client… with a very unusual problem.

For Thou Art With Me by Ultra-Geek (T, 3,325 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship) – It is a normal day. Boring, routine. Right up until John Watson walks out the door and off the face of the earth. Companion to ’And I Shall Fear No Evil’, but can stand alone.

After the Bombs by VampirePam (T, 3,337 w. || THoB AU, Drugs, John’s PTSD, Panic Attack, Nightmares, Caring Sherlock, Cuddles, Bed Sharing, Angst, Hurt/Comfort) – In which the drugs Sherlock used to dose John trigger a severe episode of PTSD. When terrors old and new cause John to fall apart, Sherlock must rectify his mistake and pick up the pieces.

Listening By Ear by StillWaters1 (T, 3,384 w. || Friendship, H/C, John Whump) –  Lestrade figured that anyone who thought John Watson wasn’t important, and that Sherlock hadn’t changed since meeting him, had to be completely, bloody deaf. Because it was all right there, in every sound Sherlock made. For anyone attentive enough to listen.

In the Bleak Midwinter (A Canticle for Advent) by CaitlinFairchild (M, 3,476 w. || Angst, Injury, Missing Scenes, HLV Timeline) – In the autumn of 2014, Mary Watson shot Sherlock Holmes. This is what happened after.

Fortune Favours the Wet by CaffieneKitty (K+, 3,668 w. || Adventure, Trapped John, Mild Peril) – There was something to be said about the quiet of the bottom of a well… Things go wrong for John during a case.

Coldness/Heat by agirlsname (E, 3,790 w. || Cuddling & Snuggling, Body Heat, New Year’s Eve, PWP, Bedsharing, Frottage) – The inn is booked up on New Year’s Eve. The train home is cancelled because of the snow. The only option is to sleep in the non-heated guest room of a client, and John and Sherlock are freezing. You know where this is going. Part 1 of New Year’s Kiss

Every Step of the Way by Shi_Toyu (G, 3,795 w. || Car Accidents, John Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Slash, Caretaker Sherlock) – When John is injured on a case, Sherlock can’t forgive himself. Everyone expects him to give up on his flatmate and get bored, but he’ll prove them all wrong by sticking with him…every step of the way.

Every Step of the Way by Shi-Toyu (T, 3,858 w. || Romance, Hurt/Comfort, John Whump) – When John is injured on a case, Sherlock can’t forgive himself. Everyone expects him to give up on his flatmate and get bored, but he’ll prove them all wrong by sticking with him…every step of the way. Eventual Johnlock.

Jukebox by standbygo (T, 3,990 w. || Fluff, Singing/Music, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Hurt/Comfort, Humour, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss) – After the music halls of Sherlock’s mind palace get damaged by accident, John learns that Sherlock never forgets a song. Even the ones he’d rather forget. But the random singalong brings some unexpected benefits.

Things That You Can’t Say Tomorrow Day by PsychGirl (T, 4,022 w. || Post S4, POV John, Cuddling / Snuggling, Hypothermia, Snowed In, Angst, Romance) – Things go horribly wrong while John and Sherlock are on a mission for Mycroft. Now they’re out in the woods in the middle of winter with no coats and no shelter. However will they stay warm?

I’ll Take Care of You by Lastew (T, 4,123 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Sick John) – Sherlock doesn’t always communicate well and sometimes that leads to problems. What happens if John suffers because of it?

And I Shall Fear No Evil by Ultra-Geek (T, 4,222 w. || Angst, Hurt/Comfort) – John’s been taken by an unknown enemy who will stop at nothing to find out more about one Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Companion to 'For Thou Art With Me’, but can stand alone.

Trapped and Upside Down on the M6 by BootsnBlossoms (E, 4,256 w. || Whump, Car Accident, H/C) – Everything felt wrong. His hair was going the wrong way. His arms were bent in ways he wouldn’t choose to bend them. His neck hurt and he couldn’t really feel his toes. Something was dripping on his face – and rolling up. A car crash. He had been in a car crash.

A Moment Changes Everything by CymraegCariad (K+, 4,294 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Angst, John Whump, Friendship) – John gets hurt and Sherlock tries to help.

Afghanistan in Baskerville by Amaya Ramiel (K+, 4,357 w. || THoB Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Drugged John, PTSD / Panic Attack, Hallucinations, Worried Sherlock, John’s Past, Friendship) – What if John hadn’t seen the hound when Sherlock trapped him in the lab? What if instead, his very real nightmares of the war had materialized all around him? Trapped and drugged, John can’t tell what’s real and what’s not. How will Sherlock react?

In Good Hands by Haelia (K+, 4,384 w. || Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, John Whump) – John and Sherlock are stranded deep in the wilderness with no phones and no foreseeable escape. With John wounded, Sherlock fears they will die here: in the cold, in the damp, in the woods.

Let Down by Gandalf3213 (K+, 4,505 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, John Whump, Insecure John) – John truly is sorry for letting Sherlock down. The only thing he wanted to do was finish the case, but bleeding out in a dark alley makes it harder for him to pursue that murderer running out of sight.

Very Good Indeed by StillWaters1 (T, 4,531 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Doctor John, John Whump) – John Watson was a doctor, trained to observe details; a fact Sherlock had never been more aware of than when a drugged John’s lifesaving instructions were based on an unlabeled syringe and an unconscious murder suspect’s body.

Carry On by Mazarin221b (M, 4,647 w. || 5 and Ones, H/C, Afghanistan, Frottage, Hand Jobs, First Time) – Five times John didn’t want to be carried, and one time he did.

Butterfly, Pinned Under Glass by billiethepoet (E, 4,648 w. || Possessive Sherlock, Jealousy, Barebacking, BAMF!John) – It started as a desire to keep John safe and whole, and ended up as just desire.

Applied Linguistics by what_alchemy (M, 4,837 w. || Possessive / Anxious Sherlock, Introspection, Bed Sharing, Past John Whump, Est. Rel., Marriage Proposal, Sherlock Loves John So Much, Word Play) – “He wants to shake John by the shoulders, wants to open his mouth and swallow John whole. Wants to marry him.” Sherlock searches for the right words.

Living In Fear by Lady Sam Mallory (T, 4,929 w. || H/C, Angst, Post-THoB, Nightmares/PTSD) – Missing Scene for Hounds of the Baskerville. John suffers from massive PTSD episodes upon their return from Dartmoor.

A Case of Identity by PostcardsfromTheoryland (T, 4,978 w. || Post-TRF, John on Holiday, Pining Sherlock, Sherlock Whump, Angst, Reunion) – All John wanted was to get away from London for a few weeks. No people pointing and whispering about Sherlock Holmes when he walked past, no reporters wanting an “exclusive” about the dead detective, just some rest and relaxation in the sunshine. Then again, these holiday trips never seem to go as planned.

[gay-fly-fish]

What is Love? - Pearlina oneshot

Rating: General

Lots of fluff, some angst and includes headcanons on pearl and marina’s pasts!

Description: in which Marina learns what love is and comes to terms with the fact she’s in love with her best friend

AO3

Feel free to tell me if you like/hate/feel violently neutral towards it!

Warning: This is a long fic. It’s over 3000 words!

For a long time Marina had been curious on what love was. She knew it was an emotion that was often shared between two beings but sometimes wasn’t. It could be platonic or romantic or familial.

 She was unsure what any of that meant but she accepted it anyway.

 Pearl was sitting on the other side of the table as they waited for the next map rotation, making idle conversation in the meanwhile.

 A deep affection for the inkling stirred within her as she looked at her.

 Was this what love is?

 She was 16 and only recently arrived in Inkopolis.  She had a limited knowledge on emotions. Pearl was 19 struggling to start a music career and kind enough to offer a home.

 Pearl had been rejected by another producer and had put on what she had called a ‘TV show’ to cheer herself up. She had invited her to join her which she hesitantly did so. It was…confusing yet somewhat enthralling. Pearl had explained it was called a drama.

 “It’s stupid but I like watching it when I feel down, y’know?” The inkling had said with an empty sounding chuckle.

 Marina had been confused at the question at the time, only later understanding what she meant. At the time, however, she was still new to inkling culture and their language.

 “I-I know?” she had asked, panicking inside. Should she know? What should she know?

 Pearl seemed to realize her mistake. “Well, no, you don’t, I…” she broke off for a moment. “I don’t usually like this sorta thing, but I find it good at cheering me up when I’m feeling down.”

 “Down?”

 “Sad, angry…all that kind of stuff,” Pearl explained.

 Marina nodded in understanding. “So you watch this when you’re sad…” she said slowly. “But…this show does not seem to be cheerful. How does it make you happy?”

 “Because it’s a really bad show and it’s fun to laugh at,” Pearl said cheerfully.

 “Oh.” She blinked and silently stared at the screen. She wasn’t sure what was going on but her friend seemed to enjoy it so she should too.

 It reached a part where two of the characters were talking about another one. One of them – Samantha, was it? – Said they liked another one called Christopher. What did that mean?

 “What does it mean when they say she ‘likes’ them?” She asked her companion. “If they’re friends already then don’t they already like each other?”

 “No, not in that way,” Pearl chuckled. “Samantha likes Christopher likes her as in…more than a friend.”

 “More than a friend?” Marina squeaked nervously.

 “You know…romantically?” Pearl offered. “She has what we call a ‘crush’ on him.”

“A crush…” She muttered. “So she wants to be romantically involved with Christopher?”

 Pearl nodded excitedly. “Yes, yes, exactly! Now you’re getting it!” She chirped.

 Marina warmed at the compliment. “Am I?” she chuckled. “So, why doesn’t she just tell him?”

 The inkling sighed but also seemed to think over her answer. “It’s a lot harder than you’d think,” she answered eventually. “I should know.”

 “You should?” Marina questioned.

 Pearl shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ve had a few girlfriends in the past,” she admitted. “Never lasted too long and not all of them ended well.”

 “Girlfriends?”

 “I like girls rather than boys.”

 “Oh. Ok.”

 “You’re ok with that?”

 “Why would it matter?”

 Pearl felt herself grow to like the octoling a bit more at how easily she accepted the fact that she was gay. “It doesn’t,” she agreed with a grin. “Some people say otherwise though.”

 “Like who?”

 “Like my parents, some of my ‘friends’,” she listed. “There have been stories of the higher ups in certain companies too.”

 “Stories?” Marina prodded. “What stories?”

 “You know, uh, people being fired or treated badly because they like those of the same gender.”

 “Oh.” Marina sighed. “That sounds like a silly reason to me.”

 “It’s more than silly,” Pearl muttered. “It’s stupid, unfair and petty.”

 Marina simply hummed in agreement, her attention switching from the inkling beside her to the TV.

 The characters were still discussing Samantha’s romantic interest in Christopher.

 Idly, she thought whether she’d ever find someone she liked in that way.

It had been early in the morning and she’d woken up early. Pearl had offered her a guest bedroom again but she had chosen to remain on the sofa, not wanting to take up too much space.

 She had thought back to her time in octo canyon, specifically the rare times she had been off duty. There was very little to do but some octolings had formed a band named ‘Turquoise October’ of their own to cheer the others up. The songs had been pleasant enough but were nothing compared to the Squid Sisters at that concert.

 Still she remembered sitting in her bunk, listening to the song and singing along out of boredom. Dull as the memories were they were some of the only good ones she had. Subconsciously, she had begun singing one of the songs.

 What was it called again?

 She couldn’t quite remember.

 Oh well.

 Caught up in singing, Marina had been unaware of Pearl entering the room until she heard something hitting the ground. She whirled around to see the inkling standing in the kitchen doorway, hand wide open and a glass on the floor that was miraculously not broken.

 “Holy carp,” Pearl said with increasing volume. “YOU CAN SING?”

 Marina blushed and looked away in embarrassment. “W-well…” she forced out. “I try. I don’t think I’m that good.”

 “That’s not true and you know it!” The inkling laughed. “Mar, that was amazing! You have one of the best voices I’ve ever heard.”

 Her eyes widened at the compliment and the nickname, her tentacles wriggling wildly in excitement. “Really? I wasn’t even trying,” she rambled. “I’m sure that’s not true I mean-“

 Pearl cut her off with a sharp look. “I’m really not the type to lie about this stuff, Mar,” she told her bluntly. “Your voice is good and that song is good!” The inkling drifted off.

 Marina watched nervously, fidgeting with a tentacle idly. “Pearl?”

 The squid was mostly quiet except for the odd mutter of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and even ‘why would she?’

 “Pearl, are you ok?”

 They finally looked up at her as if she only just remembered Marina was there. “I have a suggestion…” she started then stopped then began again.  “You know I’m trying to get into the music biz, right?”

 “Biz?”

 “Business.”

 “Oh. Yeah, I know.”

 “Well, as you also probably know, I’m struggling in doing that,” Pearl continued. “You told me that you came to Inkopolis because of the Squid Sisters, right? And that you wanted to stay here in Inkopolis?”

 She nodded. “Yes, I did tell you that.”

 “Well, maybe we could help each other out,” Pearl suggested, her eyes lighting up in excitement. “We can join together and form a duo – a bit like the Squid Sisters but different as well.”

 Marina’s eyes widened at the suggestion but she was excited at the prospect.

 She thought over it for a second but grinned at her friend.

 “I’d be happy to help!”

 Pearl’s face seemed to light up at her words.

 She would be lying if she didn’t say that something stirred in her at the sight.

 She was 17 and had joined up with Pearl to form ‘Off the Hook’ – a name Pearl had come up with. Pearl was 20 and having finally got a producer that agreed to take them on was reveling in their newfound success.

 She’s struggling with her emotions.

 Emotions are strange and foreign to her still but she’s getting better. She doesn’t know what it is she’s feeling but she feels warm and fuzzy and good when Pearl is near. She can feel her 3 hearts going wild as Pearl bounces happily, her hands trapped in the inklings tight grip.

 “I can’t believe it!” Pearl repeats for what feels like the hundredth time. “After all these years, I managed to get a producer to take me on!” She paused. “Sorry, I got a bit overexcited. I mean, we got a producer who agreed to take us on!”

 Marina giggled at the squid’s enthusiasm, feeling her cheeks warm slightly at the fact she was included. “I wouldn’t say I did that much,” she mumbled. “You wrote the song and you did a lot of the singing!”

 Pearl shook her head. “Are you kidding me right now?” she asked with mock exasperation. “Mar, I couldn’t have done this without you! Before we teamed up, no one wanted my music.”

 “I’m sure that’s-“

 “It’s true and everyone knows it, Marina,” Pearl sighs. She looks away for a second, seemingly thinking of something else. Marina saw a brief flash of sadness and hurt in her friend’s eyes.

 She felt a surge of protectiveness for the inkling and anger at those who hurt them. “I’m sure that’s not true,” she told her fiercely. “You’re amazing!”

 Pearl looked up at her with an uncharacteristically vulnerable look her cheeks flushed pink. “You know, no one else believed in me,” she whispered softly. “Not my parents, my friends…nobody, other than you.”

 Marina’s cheeks went from warm to burning. “W-Well,” she started, swallowing back her nerves. “Then we’ll just prove them all wrong, won’t we? We’ll get our way to the top and show everyone who doubted you how wrong they were!”

 Pearl grinned at her and she thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

 “And we’ll prove to Inkopolis that an octoling can make it big in Inkopolis!” she added proudly. The squid’s usual energy and positivity returned full force much to Marina’s delight.

 It was also now that Marina realized that she had a crush on Pearl.

 (They went on to become the next big thing in the music scene with many saying they could overtake the Squid Sisters) 

 She had gotten a motorcycle license around a year ago and Pearl had even managed to find an old motorcycle for her to use. However it had recently begun to break down and it was beyond the point of being able to be repaired.

 On the bright side, however, their debut single was selling well. Like really well.

 So well in fact that Marina could easily afford a new motorcycle with the money they’ve earned. She’s honestly astonished by that fact.

 Pearl, as expected, is ecstatic at their success and agrees quickly to a new motorcycle. Marina’s not too surprised – the squid may not be able to drive it but she loved the thrill of the ride and the wind in her face.

It takes a little while for it to arrive but when it does both of them are excited.

 “We need to go for a ride,” Pearl squeals, running over to the cycle.

 “Right now, Pearl?” Marina asks, taken back slightly. The inkling nods rapidly. “Alright…let me just check over things first.”

 After a brief check showed that it was all good and working and their helmets had been put on, they were racing through the city. Pearl’s squeals and whoops in her ear make her smile. She was grateful that the inkling couldn’t see her blush.

 The inkling began to hum the tune to a song she didn’t recognize as they left the city. Pearl had wanted them to go to a small park just outside the city for some reason. She had said she wanted to show her something.

 “Pearl, what’s exactly out here?” she yelled over the wind.

 “I told you, a park!”

 “Yeah, but what are you showing me?”

 “You’ll see!”

 Marina groaned but continued driving towards the destination.

 Thankfully it wasn’t too far out of town and they arrived pretty quickly. The new bike was definitely faster than the old one - which wasn’t much of a surprise. The park was indeed small but beautiful, lit up by small lamps that marked out the path. Pearl hopped off the bike and began dragging her down said path.

 Used to the huge expanse of the city, seeing so many trees was slightly odd but she enjoyed it.

 Pearl led her to a small patch of grass and sat on the ground, motioning for her to join her. “You…want to sit on the grass?” She asked slowly as she walked over to join her friend.

 “Yeah, come on,” The inkling said cheerfully. The octoling hesitantly sat next to the squid much to her delight. She leaned back and allowed herself to fall onto her back. With a questioning look, Marina followed suite. “I’m introducing to stargazing.”

 “Stargazing?” Marina asked in disbelief.

 “It’s when you look at the stars!” Pearl explained, pointing up at the sky. Marina followed her hand and looked at the millions of the glowing dots in the night sky. “Aren’t they pretty? You can’t really see them in the city cos of all the lights and clouds and stuff.”

“Really pretty,” Marina murmured softly. “I never thought I’d see them.”

 “Really?” Pearl looked over at her curiously. “Why not?”

 “I never thought I’d leave octo canyon,” she admitted. “We were forced to live underground so we rarely saw the sky. Screens were used to imitate it, sure, but it was obviously not the same thing. Didn’t help that you could see the edges of each screen.”

 Her companion went quiet as she took in the new information. “Do you think it was worth leaving?” she asked eventually.

 “Hm?”

 “Was leaving octo canyon and coming to Inkopolis worth it?”

 Marina turned to look at Pearl who was staring at her with wide eyes. She smiled softly, feeling her affection for the inkling grow. “Very much so,” she giggled.

 “Do you regret joining me in the music biz?”

 Marina sat up at her words. “Are you feeling ok?” she asked worriedly. “Of course I don’t regret that! Everything that’s happened since I’ve come to Inkopolis has been worth it.”

 Pearl sighed, her eyes drifting away sadly. A small pink blush bloomed on her cheeks. “It’s just that you probably could have done much better than be stuck with me,” she grumbled.

 “Stuck with you?” Marina barked out feeling slightly insulted. “I was stuck in octo valley. I was stuck in a role I didn’t want to play.” She sighed deeply. “I want to stay with you. I want to make music with you.”

 She lay back down and rolled onto her side to look at Pearl.

 “I want to be in Off the Hook with you.”

 Pearl’s faint blush rose to a strong one, making her look a bit like a tomato. “You do?” she squeaked meekly.

 She nodded fiercely. “Yes.”

 “Okay…okay, good,” Pearl replied as her confidence returned.

 “Pearlie?”

 Marina mentally slapped herself for allowing the nickname slip out.

 “Pearlie?” Pearl chuckled at the nickname. “Where did that come from?”

“Uh…n-nowhere,” she mumbled, blushing in embarrassment. “It’s nothing.”

 “I like it,” the inkling told her comfortingly.

 “Y-you do?”

 “Yep,” she chirped. “Anyway, what did you want to ask?”

 Marina smiled uneasily. “Do you regret asking me to join?”

 The squid shook her head quickly. “Of course not!” she assured her. “You know what else?”

 “What?”

 “I don’t regret letting you stay at my place either.” 

She was 18 and her crush was only getting stronger. Pearl was 21 and only just gotten comfortable in their new position as idols when the Squid Sisters became unavailable. The great zapfish had been stolen again and the news had come with unfortunate implications for the public’s view on her it seemed.

 She tried her hardest but she couldn’t ignore the looks and whispers that were sent her way behind her back. Thankfully, Pearl was there to glare at anyone they saw doing so.

 With the ever-decreasing power supply, splatfests had to be cancelled until the zapfish’s return much to their disappointment. This meant no performances for who knows how long. Pearl was restless with unspent energy and Marina grew ever more conscious of the public.

 “Ten minutes until next rotation!” called out a crewmember from off set.

 Marina said a quiet thank you but didn’t look at them. Nowadays her phone seemed the most interesting thing in the world. It helped her ignore the inklings at the window. At least for a while – she’d eventually turn to wave at them.

 “Maaaaaar,” pearl whined from opposite her.

 She ignored her, flicking through inkstagram.

 “Mar.”

 Nothing interesting was going on it seemed.

 “Marmar!”

 A few more posts on the great zapfish being missing still (as if she wasn’t aware of that already!) and people sad over splatfests still being cancelled (again, she already knew that).

 “Marina!”

 She looked up with a huff. “What is it, Pearl?” she asked tiredly.

 “Are you sure you’re ok? You’ve just been staring at your screen all day when we’re not presenting,” Pearl said softly in concern.

 “It’s one way to ignore the looks I’m getting,” she explained briefly, refusing to make eye contact.

 “Mar…I didn’t realize it was affecting you that much,” Pearl sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice.”

“It’s fine, I’m good at covering up emotions,” she dismissed quickly.

 “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 “It doesn’t matter, Pearlie.”

 “Mar, what did you mean by that?”

 “I said it doesn’t matter!”

 “But-“

 Marina slammed her hand down on the table abruptly. The inkling jumped back in her seat in surprise, eyes going wide. “It. Doesn’t. Matter.”

 There was a pause then Pearl nodded. “Okay,” she mumbled eventually, looking away from the octoling.

 Marina pulled her hands back from the table slowly, staring at them in dismay.

 Of all times to lose her temper…

 She turned at the faint sound of muttering. A group of inklings stood at the window, talking to each other with wide eyes. Every now and again, they would point at them as they talked. One turned and noticed she was watching them and they ran away.

 She could feel her eyes sting with unshed tears. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a jellyfish, most likely to tell them about map rotation.

 I can’t do this. I can’t do this!

 She whirled around and fled from the studio, ignoring Pearl calling out for her.

 The apartment felt cold and empty that evening. Marina holed herself in her bedroom, staring at the wall opposite her bed while holding a cushion that resembled Pearl’s squid icon. It had gotten wet from her crying.

 “Marina?”

 Marina’s attention snapped to the door to see Pearl standing there.

 “P-Pearlie?” she whispered. “What are you doing here?”

 “I left after map rotation finished,” the inkling explained, closing the door as she entered the room. “Wasn’t worth staying.”

 “But map rotations don’t end until-“

 “I don’t care,” Pearl stated bluntly. “It wasn’t worth staying if you weren’t there.”

 Marina blushed. “Pearlie, we could lose our jobs over this!”

 “Fuck the jobs!” Pearl yelled. “I care about you more than our job, Mar.”

 “Really?”

 “Well, duh. I’d pick you over them any day.”

 Pearl blushed, looking away from her for a second. When she looked back at her there was a fierceness that she’d never seen before. “I’m just gonna get this out of the way,” she said bluntly.

 Marina tilted her head in confusion. “Say what?”

 “I like you,” Pearl stated quickly. Marina felt her eyes widen at her friend’s words. “As in, more than a friend.”

 “Pearlie…” she started, unsure what to say. “I…”

 “You don’t have to feel the same,” Pearl rambled. “Hell, you probably don’t, I just wanted to get it out there.”

 The squid kept on rambling much to Marina’s amusement. She rolled her eyes before surging forward to kiss her friend. It was only brief but it was enough to make them both blush.

 “Does that answer your question?” she asked teasingly, cradling her friend’s face in her hands.

 Pearl nodded quickly. “Yeah…” she muttered, reaching up to grab her face. “Now get back here.”

 Marina laughed, allowing her to drag her back into another kiss.

 She could get used to this.

 One month later and the great zapfish had returned and splatfests alongside it. The performances may be the same each month but Marina still loved being on stage, singing and dancing with Pearl. Watching Pearl dance with so much energy as she put her all into her performance remained one of her favourite things. Only now it seemed slightly different now that they were dating.

 Dating

 That was a new but definitely welcome development in their lives.

 Marina had a faint memory of watching an awful television show with Pearl on a sofa, wondering if she would ever have a crush on someone.

 She smiled to herself as she reminisced about the memory as she began to walk over to the keyboard.

 As per routine, Pearl was walking in the other direction and would walk past her.

 What wasn’t on the routine, however, was Pearl spinning around and grabbing Marina to press a brief kiss on the lips.

 There were a mix of excited squeals and confused yelling.

 Marina couldn’t care less.

 She was in love and happy with that, winking at Pearl and watching her blush.

 This was what love is.

[mostlyfrukheadcannons]

Welp I’ve written a spoken word poetry style brotherly usuk fic! To clarify, I got nothing against usuk shippers. 

But yea, I like the idea of two of them as bros, that support each other, through their crazy love lives, and their crazy life-life’s

And its inspired by Sarah Kay and Philip Kaye’s spoken word poem An Origin Story. Cos writings about friendship are so underrated!

You can also read it on A03

Enjoy~!

Title: Friends Fall in Love with each other Sometimes (**Platonically**)

Arthur: 

Here’s a toast! [raises glass]

Alfred:

Here’s a toast! [takes a PB&J from the inside of his coat] [Arthur eye-rolls]

Together:

To the both of us — !

Alfred:

And a vow, very solemn...

Arthur:

For better and for worse...

Alfred:

In the crazy wreck of life….we’ve found each other...

Arthur:

And in each other, one of the most wonderful things that can be found in life…….

 …...In me you’ve found…a friend

Alfred:

Someone who will dash over to the bar when you’re piss drunk — to pick you up, and send you home safe

Arthur:

Someone who will put up with all the pop songs you play, and all your ridiculous memey balderdash

Alfred:

Someone who will actually listen to you go on and on about 15th century literature, only because I know you care about it!

Arthur:

Right back at you, regarding comic books, and whatever nation walked past us that was “totally a hot piece of ass”

Alfred:

though bitterness and sorrow and madfests and shitshows, I promise and I swear...

Arthur:

…...if you need me, I’ll be there...

Alfred:

When I'm in trouble, I know you’ll swoop by. And be my hero —

…...Even though…...I’m no longer the Robin to your brooding Batman...because I’ve stepped out of your shadow.

And dang has that caused so many rifts and tensions between us…... 

But it's not all that bad. I know that if I need you I can reach you — even if the bat-signal is broken…...

Because I already know your secret identity. Your darkest nightmares. Your most crippling traumas. Your tears and your resolve. You don't have anything you need to hide from me, because I know you...and I know that your secret hideout will always have a place for me...

Cos we’re still, as ever, the dynamic duo

And here's a special offer, eh? I’ll generously reprise my old role as Robin for you, on the special occasion where you need Robin…...to be…...YOUR WINGMAN...aha...aha...get it?

Arthur:

Psssh, lame

And I’ll always remember that you’re boy-scout Clarke Kent, even when you take off the glasses, and put on the supersuit.

Count on me, always, to step on your cape when you’re about to take off — when what you really need — is to get your hero head out of the clouds, and your all-too-human feet back on earthy ground

I’ll tell you without hesitation — when your actions make the ‘S’ emblazoned on your chest stand for ‘Stupid’ rather than ‘Super’.

And no holds barred, I’ll say it to you straight, when part of your superhero costume…... reaaaaally looks like red underwear…...and you’re speeding off to impress Lois Lane

And I promise, I will never, ever, be afraid of you — and your superpowers. Because in my eyes, you’ll always be my brother. I’ll never carry kryptonite on me, as a guarantee for my own safety. Cos I know I can count on your kindness and your integrity...and that's more powerful...

Alfred:

If someone bursts your bubble, I’ll whip out my bubble gun and blast them away, like Team Rocket

Arthur: 

You’re strong enough to lift loads of weights at the gym. And I’m certainly stubborn enough to try lift any weight off your shoulders

Alfred:

And when the going gets tough and you’ve feelin’ the heat,

Arthur:

but you insist on handling it on your own

Alfred:  

I’ll know when you’re being stubborn, and drag you out of there, no matter how badly you kick and scream for me to let go…...

Arthur:

…...Because I’ve seen you make coffee……

Alfred:

......And I’ve seen you make tea…...

Arthur: 

…...So  I know when the heat makes people and drinks stronger…

Alfred:

Or just plain bitter

Arthur:

And if the latter happens I'll throw in some chocolate, marshmallows, or caramel into your drink of choice...and the flavours your life

Alfred:

Add in a sugar cube, some creamer, or even cinnamon to spice things up!

Together:

With the power of caffeine, we’ll be unstoppable!

Arthur:

And of course I’ll see you through the crazy adventure that is searching for true love in life

Alfred:

I’ll encourage you, seriously, to ask your crush out

With the classic proverb that hey……

Even GOOGLE had to ask to be your default browser for the first time

Arthur:

And I won't judge you for poring over your crush’s texts for hours

In fact, I’ll dissect them with you

I've interpreted Beowulf and scrutinised Bridget Jones

a couple of texts from your potential bae is nothing!

Alfred: 

And I solemnly swear to tell you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the Truth

…….when you’re trying to freshen up for a date….....

And you ask me how'dya look......well......

Don’t worry I'll help you look cool —

my pomade, my leather jackets, and my badass motorbike...are free for your use! 

Arthur:

And if you already look cool, and are trying to freshen up for a date —

My…...err…...extensive collection of romantic poems...the highlight of which is…...18th Century English Romantic Poet Keats….is…yours…along...with...my...well...wishes???

  But also…………

…...if the one you love, is not the one who loves you...

And it becomes such that you start to say

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the ugliest of them all”

And see through the mirror, that the answer is you

I’ll trace my finger over what you think is the misshapen lump of your face

And draw out your every feature that stands out bold and proud:

That shine in your eye that could warm the sun

Your beaming smile that dares the world entire with a note of kindness

And your “double chin” — for god’s sake you don’t have it

in fact the way you hold it up suggests strength and athleticism— which I will remind you social convention finds very attractive

And anyway whoever falls in love, with you, will find a way to be enamoured your every other facial flaw

Because love is NOT a mirror, it sees the world through a completely different kind of lens, that distorts things, in the favour of you, the cherished

That’s not even to mention how I as your friend, already think that you’re beautiful just the way you are

Alfred:

And every time, your crush looks away, and hurts you in ways that he doesn’t even know

When you start to think it’s because you’re not enough, and not even worthy of true love

I’ll tell you all about the times I fell in love with you, as a friend, platonically

That moment when you took my breath away, by showing up at my work desk, with a toasted golden-brown marshmallow chocolate-sauce pizza, when I was starving after six hours of non-stop work

That look in your eye, when you listened to me, all through the night, blabber about my horrible insecurities, ugly jealousies, and nonsensical fears

And that patience, when you put cold spoons over my eyes — to stop them from swelling — and soothed me in the toilet as I cried, hiding away from the rest of the world, in the middle of a World meeting, and I was so ashamed

So how can you believe, that you are any less worthy, of beauty and of grace? Put a smile back on your face!

  But hey now, you’ve found your SO,

and I’ll keep a lookout for if he’s an asshole.

If he is, I'll deliver him a painful blow.

For you, mah man, my best bro

Arthur:

And now that you've decided that he's the one, Shakespeare’ll have nothing on the shovel talk I give your bae

Alfred:

But even then, I’ll still need you to stand by me, to watch my back, and help me with the little-big things in life

Arthur:

Well I can’t hang the stars in the sky for you, but I’ll make sure you hang your laundry

Alfred:

I’ll always share with you the cool things I find on the internet, the cat vids and the touching stories

Arthur:

You’re not Snow White or Sleeping Beauty —

and I’m certainly no Prince Charming either

I won’t wake you with a kiss to your lips.

But like hell I’ll let you oversleep and be late for world meetings

Alfred:

Throw away your ouija board, you don’t need to stress and obsess over predicting every trouble in your future.

Cos you’ve got me. And for you, I’ll raise demons and hell

Arthur:

Don't toss your coins into the fountain — toss ‘em to me

I’ll save them up for you — for a rainy day — and one day you’ll thank me  

Alfred:

If you’re tearing your hair out, cos you’re about to be checkmated in chess

I’ll help you turn the tables on your opponent...literally.

As the chess pieces scatter across the floor, I’ll remind you that there's a real world out there, beyond the chessboard.

Even if your fellow chess competitors don't see it......

Arthur:

If you grin too cockily while looking through your telescope,

thinking that you’ve already got the stars,

I’ll flip your telescope the other way round,

so you'll look through the tiny end,

and see another world where the stars are further than they actually are,

to get a heart-attack,

that shocks you back into perspective

Alfred:

And hey, I know, I won't always give you the right answers to life,

but at least like Siri, I'm programmed to listen

Arthur:  

I’ll won’t ever settle for just being your compass in life.

I’ll be more like your Google Maps and 4G 

tracking you each step of the way, until you reach your destination,

even if my signal gets a little spotty sometimes

Alfred:

And whenever I’m having a snack,  I’ll always snap my kit-kats and kinder-buenos in half,

cos half of it will always be for you.

Arthur:

What I call crisps, but you call potato chips —

even if I’ve eaten through most of the bag in a wild binge

and am down to that one last hyper-addictive handful  —

if you need it because you’re stressed —

then those crisps I will gladly give to you

Alfred:

 And the TLDR; is basically, as the classic song goes: ~If you wanna be my lover, ya gotta get with

my friends, make it last forever, friendship never ends~ [from SPICE girls]

Arthur:

And as the annoying Swiftie beside me would also like to sing — the two of us

Alfred:

We’ll never go out of style! We’ll never go out of style!

Arthur:

Because there were so many before us, before our days — their footsteps echo down to us, to show and light the way!

Alfred:

I’m talking ‘bout Ash and Pikachu

Arthur:

Sherlock and Watson

Alfred:

 Spongebob and Patrick

Arthur:

Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee

Alfred:

Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Arthur:

Peter Pan and Tinkerbelle

Alfred:

Capt’n Kirk and Spock

Arthur:

the Doctor and his Tardis

Alfred:

Charlotte the Spider and Wilbur the Pig

Arthur:

J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis

Alfred:

Cookies ‘n Cream!

Arthur:

Jam ‘n Scones!

Arthur:

Sophie and the BFG

Alfred:

Elliot and E.T.

Alfred:

Together, we boys got chemistry! We’re unstoppable! — And even if we aren't —

Arthur:

~with a little help from our friends~ [from The Beetles]

Together:

We’ll be O.K.!

[shellyzelly]

Hair brush

A funky little oneshot i made for an AU.

.

.

As quiet as he wanted to be, he had to admit he was extremely anxious for the next few moments to dance upon him. The gentle rush of rain water danced upon his strawberry orange hair, which he was futilely attempting to dry under the awning of a small castle. His grey, heavy jacket was thrown around his shoulders rather carelessly; part of it was desperately clutching to his soaked T-shirt, almost as if it was terrified to drop into the muddy ground below. His boots were covered in dirt, the color being almost a barkish brown instead of a concrete grey.

He desperately combed his hair with the tips of his fingers, the metal covered fingernails scratching against his scalp. It didn't cause him much pain, not that he would of felt it any lower down than his chest. He looked down at his orange shorts, they were a dark pumpkin color and almost glued to his legs with water.

He knocked on the castle door again, waiting for an answer. "King Blake? Your highness, I have been locked out in the rain."

A young boy, no older than 13, pushed the door open quickly and engulfed the person standing outside in a hug. Water dripped from the soaked human onto the dry clothes of the king.

"That's where you were!" The albino pressed his glasses back up to his pale face, pulling away to stand face to face with the other male. "I was so worried they found you and-"

"Don't worry about them, Sir."

"But I should!" The young king teetered on his feet, the scarf around his neck swinging with his feet. "Claus, what if they kill you again? What would i do without my only friend?"

"Sir-"

"Please, can't you just call me by my first name for once?" The king played with the zipper on his ran down jacket, huffing out a sigh. "I don't call you Servant, so I'd like to be called by my first name.."

The cyborg huffed a sigh. "Sir Lloyd, I don't think you should worry about me. I am mostly robot. I would be able to provide and protect myself. I am more worried for you, as you have 10 people you used to care about wanting to hunt you down for treason."

"I know," Lloyd mumbled out a few words of encouragement to himself. The kid seemed to hold back another sigh, instead fiddling with the hems of his Goldenrod polo.

The gentle stepping of the two as they walked through the main hall of the castle echoed off walls, singing a foreground tune for the bassline of Ghosts partying in the rooms beneath them. The walls were concrete, their grey shining of the metallic ends of the chimera's boots. The two walked side by side, Claus resting his hand on a hidden dagger. Lloyd twiddled his thumbs.

"So.. How'd you even end up out there, Claus?" The scilent bot seemed to glance at the king before turning away, pretending not to be flattered someone cared about what he was doing.

"I was.. making my daily rounds." He answered. "A ghost from the bottom floor wanted me to check out a potential entry route."

"Ok.." Lloyd seemed suspicious of that, but didnt want to push the conversation much farther. "Well, do you know why it started raining, then?"

"No. It just suddenly started to rain. It was Probably just clouds." Claus tapped his boot on the ground, mud splattering off of it onto the towel.

Lloyd grabbed and flung a towel at the robot, laughing when it landed perfectly on his face. The cyborg took the towel to dry his hair, Rubbing it against his Fiery locks. Lloyd seemed to just laugh harder at the way Claus hair looked after it.

The male, after drying his soaked hair and wringing out his jacket and socks, left the room to wring out the rest of his clothes. Leaving Lloyd alone in the throne room.

The king waited patiently for his friend to return. He dried his hair from the water that got in it and polished the crown. The sudden light tapping of metal boots nearly made him jump out of his socks.

Claus laughed, standing in his position at the front of the throne room. "Well someone's surprised to see me! It's your call, Lloyd."

Lloyd gave Claus a slightly shook grin, sitting down the crown back on his head. "haha.."

Claus' hair was thrown into its style but in dissaray. All his clothes were slightly wrinkled, but he didn't care. At least the throne room was dry. The window behind the Throne suddenly shone white as thunder cracked down in the nearby cemetery.

Lloyd took notice to the boy's messy hair. "Hey, do you mind if i comb your hair?"

"Comb my hair?" Claus looked slightly taken aback. "You mean. You want me to sit down and you comb my hair? Not the other way around?"

Lloyd pulled a comb out of his pocket. "Yeah. Your hair isnt normally messy, mine is. The least I can do for all you've done for me is comb your hair."

"All I've done for you?"

"You've helped me keep an eye on the castle. You're basically the knight here, you know?" The king put a hand on the shocked bot's shoulder. "The least i can do for the only other person around is comb his hair."

Claus abided, sitting down to let his friend attempt to fix his dampish hair. Lloyd sat down on his knees behind him, starting by slowly combing out the hairs at his neck. The king was surprisingly patient with his hair, slowly getting out every knot. In fact, the boy never really thought to comb all his hair, normally he would just comb out the long hairs at the top into it's flung back style. Normally only the other Tazmilian families would comb out their hair fully, especially those with long hair, except Lucas of course. Claus knew he thought of combing his hair as comfort because their mom used to comb the twin duo's hair.

Claus didn't even notice Lloyd was singing at first. He was too busy enjoying some memories. But when he noticed, he was left scilently agape at the king's voice.

"With a bit of rock music, everything is fine.."

Lloyd was gently singing to himself some song he knew, his voice smooth like butter.

"You're in the mood for a dance," The boy took a small breath. "And when you get the chance."

Lloyd moved to the upper part of Claus hair, starting from the back and moving to the front. His hand movements were rhythmic, almost as if following a beat. The cyborg was slowly relaxing from his once tense stance.

"You are the dancing queen. Young and sweet, only seventeen."

The music was awfully familiar, Claus could admit. He remembered..

Ninten was playing a song just like it on a weird circular disc. Ninten and Anna were dancing to it, Lloyd sitting by him and singing along to the lyrics. Kumatora was rollerblading to the table across from him, his brother, Nichol, Ritchie, Pippi, and Lloyd. Her movements were so pretty, and Duster was playing his bass to the tune, watching her move. Lucas was watching her also, stars in his eyes. Nichol jumped into the chorus.

Anna jumped, Ninten twirling her around him. The two spung into a square dance, dancing in the place where no tables were. Kumatora swung to the table, her work attire on.

"Hi Violet!" Pippi enthusiastically waved, Kumatora setting glasses of water in front of everyone at the table.

"Hello, Pippi!" she blew a platonic kiss at the girl. "May I take all of your orders?"

Everyone ordered drinks, Kumatora took note of them. She took off towards the bar. Once she was away, Lucas let go of his breath.

"I forgot how pretty she looked while in her Club Chichibu attire.."

The others at the table laughed at the boy.

Ninten and Anna spun around during the chorus.

He could hear Lloyd's voice instead of the singer, which brought Claus more comfort than it should've.

"Dancing queen, Feel the beat from the tamborine.."

Duster waltzed up to the table as Kumatora placed the drinks they ordered down in front of each person. He placed a kiss on her cheek, which the girl playfully pretended to dislike.

Ness and Paula were watching Ninten and Anna, debating if they should join them. Ness pulled Paula into a spin, the two groups spinning around eachother. Claus watched with intent.

"Oh, yeah.. You can dance, You can Jive,"

Paula pecked Ness on the cheek as they swung into a square dance like the other couple. A couple tables away, a Mook and his band were swaying to the song.

Claus turned back to his drink, a smile on his face.

Ritchie was talking to her brother, the two laughing slightly.

Claus opened his mouth, and with a gentle tune..

"Having the time of your life!" Claus sung with Lloyd, waking from the daydream. The two began to sing, face to face as the king was fixing Claus' bangs.

"Ooh, see that girl, watch that scene!" Claus shouted, his smile showing through. "Digging the dancing queen!"

The two sang in harmony, Lloyd finishing off Claus hair. Putting away the comb, the two held the last high note.

"Digging the dancing queen!"

[valeriebielbooks]

Interview with author Liz Czukas (aka Ellie Cahill)

I absolutely loved I Temporarily Do by Ellie Cahill (the not-so-secret pen name of author Liz Czukas). It all starts with a marriage of convenience between two wonderfully written and believable characters who don't mean to fall in love. They really don't! And I'm not giving away anything here--this is a romance novel after all. Of course, they fall in love. But what happens next is what makes the story so delicious. I just love a story that makes me laugh out loud. I was so glad to learn there that this is the first book in Cahill's Cordially Invited duo. Can't wait for the next installment.

About the book: A little white lie. A little white wedding. A pair of roommates in over their heads.

Days before she's set to move across the country and start a prestigious graduate program, a con artist leaves Emmy with no where to live and less than zero dollars in her bank account. But her day doesn't seem quite so bad compared to Beckett's--his fiancée called off their wedding just days before they tie the knot. Now he's single and ineligible for his place in married student housing.

So what are a girl without a home and a guy without a wife supposed to do? A quickie wedding in Vegas will solve both their problems. It's a business arrangement, and no one even needs to know. They'll just get an annulment in a few months. What could go wrong? Only Beckett forgot to mention his new apartment is a one-bedroom. And neither of them counted on their new friends at Middlesex University thinking they're a great couple. The platonic newlywed game might be harder to play than Emmy thought. Especially when it starts to feel less than platonic.

To Purchase:   Kindle   Paperback

I'm so glad Liz agreed to let me pepper her with questions here today, because she's really busy writinggreat stories for us!

Can you tell us about the different jobs you’ve had other than writing? I always like to ask authors this, mainly because authors always seem to have had so many different careers and often an interesting job history.

Before I was published, I was a Labor & Delivery nurse for 9 years! I have a master's degree in Nurse-Midwifery as well, although I never practiced as a midwife. But I only went to nursing school after I realized that my undergrad degree in History and Anthropology wasn't exactly a hot commodity on the job market! Writing is by far my favorite job.

How long have you been writing and how long ago did you publish your first book?

I've been writing as long as I can remember. Terrible stories as a kid, novels, short stories, non-fiction for a health information website, fan fiction...you name it. I wrote it. My first book didn't come out until 2014, but it definitely wasn't the first book I wrote!

If there’s anything that you could go back and tell your ‘unpublished’ self, what would that be?

Patience is a virtue. It can feel very "do or die" in publishing, but the truth is, humans have been making and reading books since we figured out how to communicate. Stories aren't going anywhere, so it's okay to take your time, and it's okay if publishers don't like your first offering.

Is there anyone/anything you would consider the most inspirational or influential in your success as a writer and why?

My senior year English teacher told me that I was a good writer. In fact, he told me he'd give me my money back if I didn't get a 5 on the AP English test. I got the 5 so he got to keep his money. But the things he taught me about reading and writing stuck with me. I dedicated to my first book to him (and my other high school English teachers, actually, because they all had an influence on me in one way or another.)

As you can see from my review above, that I loved “I Temporarily Do”, which you wrote as Ellie Cahill. I know that you also write books under your real name—Liz Czukas. Can you tell us a little bit about how your pen name came to be and how the books you author as Liz Czukas differ from each other?

First of all, thank you so much! I'm glad you loved it. I was first published as Liz Czukas. All my books under that name are YA, intended for teen readers. When I got an offer on my first adult-oriented book "When Joss Met Matt", my publisher wanted me to have a separate identity so readers would know what they were getting. Thus, Ellie Cahill was born. It's handy having a name like Elizabeth, because there are so many good nicknames to use for author personas. And as for Cahill, I wanted something people could actually pronounce!! (Incidentally, Czukas is pronounced CHEW-kiss, or two fun things to do with your mouth.) Although I have a lot of cross-over readers, there are definitely people who prefer one type of book over the other. If you are someone who reads multiple genres, I think it's safe to say that if you like one of my books, you'll like the rest. I'm all about the fun, romantic-comedy feeling in both YA and adult.

Can you please explain the difference between the Young Adult (YA) and New Adult (NA) genres? (I still find people who don’t know that the new adult genre exists.)

New Adult is basically a fancy title for books about people who aren't teenagers, but aren't living the responsible lives of "grown-ups" yet. It can be about college students, or people in the military, or athletes...anyone who is still kind of figuring out who they want to be as adults.

Can you tell us a little bit about how your ideas develop as a writer? Do you have a clear vision of the main characters from the beginning? Do you outline?

Every project is a little different for me. Sometimes the idea for a character comes first. Sometimes just the spark of an idea. Some ideas start as sparks, but can't go anywhere until I combine them with other ideas or characters. I'm not a full outliner. I am a planner, though. I write out a 1-3 page synopsis that gives me a rough plan for where I want to go with my story.

As a writer of middle-grade/young-adult stories, I often get asked why I write stories for this age group. What appeals to you about writing for the young adult and new adult age groups.

I like writing for these age groups because the characters still have so much to learn. They haven't become set in their ways, or bogged down by the drudgery of adulting, like paying mortgages and grocery shopping. Instead, they still have the chance to learn about new things, and who they want to be. They're open to new ideas and possibility. Plus, the intensity of relationships is so strong at these ages. First love, first kisses, first heartbreaks. So much more juicy than later in life.

Of all the books you’ve written (and there have been quite a few) do you have a favorite or is that rather like asking a parent which child is their favorite?

Ha! Definitely like asking my favorite child. I like them all for different reasons. Some, like Ask Again Later, were so much fun to write because of the structure. Others have characters that I practically feel like old friends, like "When Joss Met Matt". Some have favorite scenes or lines of dialogue. That's the joy of writing a lot--there's always something new and unique.

I am always curious about other author’s writing environments . . . so where do bring all your wonderful characters to life?

Nowhere special! I don't have an office at my house. So I'm usually working on my couch on kitchen table. I also meet up with other local writer friends and do some writing at coffee shops, or libraries. If I'm lucky, I get to go on multi-day writing retreats with other fabulous writers and get to immerse myself in nothing but making the words appear on the screen for days and days.

Can we look forward to another book from you soon?

Yes! I have another romantic comedy coming out as Ellie Cahill in November. It's called "The Designated +1", and it features a character who made a very brief appearance in "I Temporarily Do". Don't worry though, it's a complete stand-alone. You can read it without reading any of my other books. It's up for preorder at Amazon, Kobo, and iBooks.

Before we move on to the Fast Five list, is there anything else you want to tell readers about yourself or your books?

Just that I can almost guarantee you a laugh if you read my books. When you need a pick-me-up read, keep me in mind!

Fast Five:

Fav Pizza Topping – mushrooms

Book You’re Reading Now – Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes

Coffee, Tea, or Both – both, but especially latte

Fav TV Show as a Child – Tiny Toon Adventures

Best Place You’ve Vacationed – Rome

How can readers discover more about you and you work?

Website: http://lizczukas.com Facebook: Liz Czukas OR Ellie Cahill Twitter: @LizCzukas OR  @Ellie_Cahill

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizczukas/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lizczukas/ Amazon Author Page: Liz-Czukas OR Ellie-Cahill Goodreads: Liz_Czukas OR Ellie_Cahill

Thanks, Liz, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk with me today!