#also i recently got that pretty fish bag anyway so i still have space for my other pins somewhere its fine

[eldragon-x]

btw im accidentally making these pins big as fuck but loop and siffrin deserve to take up space on my bag

[lambden]

Here’s some belated Geraskier fic that I finally get to post, as last week’s flash fic challenge has wrapped up! This was originally published anonymously; kudos to those of you who guessed that I was the author. Head to the collection to see the picture prompt that inspired this, as well as view the other works. I've been having a great time participating in fandom events like this; I promise there's more on the way!!! (Read on AO3)

Up To Date

prompt: "You were so hot that when you asked if I was the blind date you were looking for, I lied and said yes. But then your actual date comes up to introduce themselves and I'm so embarrassed."

G, 2.3K words, modern AU, Geralt/Jaskier

It shouldn’t be this difficult to find inspiration. He never used to struggle like this in high school, finding his muse in everyone and everything. Even his mundane trip on the city bus to and from school would give Jaskier hundreds of ideas, for poems too personal to publish or lyrics too deep for his band to use. Back then he had thought he lacked discipline and experience, so the clear choice had been to take his interest in poetry one step further and go to university.

The problem, as he’s now discovering halfway through his second year, is that he maybe hates university. He loves it, of course; he loves the praise from his professors and peers, he loves learning about the history of literature and art. He even loves the academic rivalries that wax and wane every term, and the competitions that ignite a mean streak in him he didn’t know he had.

But his assignments are of worse quality than anything he’s ever written before, and try as he might, they aren’t getting any better. Putting words on the page just to meet a count is impossible for a poet, not when the space and thoughts and images are all supposed to be cohesive. Poems used to flow from him so freely he hadn’t been able to keep track and now his well of motivation has just about run dry.

That’s what led him here, for the third time this week. His creative dysfunction has forced him into the day-to-day habits of an elderly man who spends his days reading in public gardens. It hasn’t helped so far, but maybe this third time will be the charm. Jaskier finds his favorite place: right by the koi pond, next to a strange art installation with ivy crawling along it. He sits at the base of the giant question mark, dropping his backpack onto the bench beside him.

“This better fucking work,” mutters Jaskier to himself and the koi, opening today’s book to a random poem. He refuses to let his mind wander at first, gluing his eyes to the page and reading with intense intent. The first poem he sees is about love.

Groaning, Jaskier flips the page. The next poem is also about love.

The third poem is about war, and Jaskier thinks that might be alright, until he realizes what this long-dead poet is trying to tell him, which is that war is also about love. Because it is, of course, but also of course it is. Jaskier scowls deeply and flips through the book to a random page, hoping to find something to spark inspiration that won’t just make him feel hopeless and single and hopelessly single.

Before Jaskier can get through the title, someone speaks to him, startling him so badly he jumps. “Are you Yennefer’s friend?”

Jaskier scrambles to catch the book by its cover and nearly drops it. He hadn’t even heard anyone approach. “Sorry?”

The stranger audibly sighs, as if Jaskier has inconvenienced him terribly. With all the force of someone announcing their presence at their own death row, he grits out, “I’m here for a blind date she set up. With you.” Jaskier looks up at the man and sees him wearing a blank expression, pointing at the question mark in front of the bench. “By the thing.”

“Oh,” Jaskier says, still looking at the man. It takes a second for the words to sink in because the stranger is perhaps the most handsome person Jaskier has ever seen. He could write a thousand poems and still fail to capture his beauty. He has golden eyes, for one, and a sharply chiseled face. Even grimacing like this, his jaw is set in the loveliest way, and his stern brow is framed by platinum white hair, half-tied up. He’s wearing a fairly gloomy outfit for a blind date, but maybe he told whoever Yennefer is that he would be dressed in black. Regardless, he’s making it work.

The gorgeous stranger is still waiting for an answer, scowl worsening as Jaskier tries to make his decision about how the fuck to handle this. Really, there’s no decision at all— he just impulsively takes the leap. All his best ideas come when he’s stumbling forward blind anyway. “Yes,” he finally says, jumping to his feet. “Yes, um, I’m sorry, you caught me off-guard. I’m Jaskier.”

“Geralt.” They’re of a similar height, but Geralt is so much wider. Jaskier wants to climb him like ivy on a question mark. “I’m sorry I interrupted.”

“It’s fine! I got here a while ago. You know, can’t be too early!” Jaskier has never been early for anything in his life. He sits down again and shoves his books into his bag as quickly as he can. Geralt shifts his weight back and forth between his feet before awkwardly sitting on the bench next to Jaskier, looking out at the garden. “I’ve never done this kind of thing before,” he admits, which is true. His usual lies and schemes are much less chaotic.

Geralt doesn’t reply to that, leaving Jaskier to privately wonder about his dating life. He stares at the plants, giving the impression that he might be hideously nervous. Jaskier has no idea why someone like Geralt would be nervous about anything but it’s an awkward situation, to say the least. Right as Jaskier’s about to suggest they get out of here before Geralt’s real date shows up, the man asks, “What were you reading?”

“I was studying, sort of,” Jaskier says. “I’m a student.” Then abruptly he wonders how much Geralt knows about who he’s supposed to be, and he swallows, pulse racing.

Glancing over, Geralt’s yellow eyes meet his. There’s no obvious doubt there, just a curiosity. “What’s your major?”

“Poetry,” Jaskier grins as their conversation starts to pick up something resembling a rhythm. “What about you, are you in school?”

“No,” says Geralt, cutting his dreams of a normal date conversation short. “Are you any good? At writing poetry?”

What a weirdo. Jaskier’s heart thrums. “I’d like to think so!” This, at least, is something he knows how to talk about. Except, of course, it isn’t really the truth. “Well… recently, I’ve been in a bit of a creative rut. Just waiting for the right burst of inspiration to come along.” Perhaps this blind date that he’s stolen will suffice, but he doesn’t say that. “This place is great for that, actually. I mean, it hasn’t worked yet, but I’m sure any day those fish will sing for me.”

Geralt blinks. Jaskier feels a bead of sweat run down the back of his neck. He tries a different tactic, crossing his ankles and asking politely, “Are you a reader? What kind of things do you enjoy?”

“Nonfiction,” Geralt answers, slightly stilted. His gaze drifts over to the plants once more. “Not biographies, more like… encyclopedias and field journals. I like field journals.”

“Alright,” Jaskier says, shrinking into himself. This is going terribly. “I’ll have to go bribe some scientists for their field journals, then.” The corner of Geralt’s lip twitches, and Jaskier’s stomach flips. Gorgeous and weird and maybe, although he’s trying his best to hide it behind seven layers of nerves, maybe a little amused by Jaskier. Jaskier is going to fuck him right here in the garden. “Do you take journals of your own for work?”

A rather roundabout way of asking ‘what the fuck is it that you do’ but somehow, it lands. “I’m a… researcher,” Geralt mumbles. How very vague. “But I don’t publish my findings very often.”

Jaskier raises an eyebrow. “Do you work… for a company?”

“No.”

“Right. So you’re just keeping all your findings to yourself for no good reason at all.”

“No.”

“Then it sounds like you’re a pretty terrible researcher, actually.”

Geralt’s eyes flash as he turns to glare at Jaskier. “What?”

“Well, if you don’t share what you’ve found with anyone—”

“My… colleagues—”

“Aha! So you have colleagues!” Jaskier pokes Geralt’s side. “You aren’t just holed up in some depressing storage unit with months and months of research just for you.”

Once more, Geralt half-smirks. Not even half— more like a one-fifth smirk. “Years,” he admits.

“Years…” Jaskier tilts his head to the side thoughtfully. “Why do I have the feeling that you’re perhaps a significant number of years older than me?”

“I had the same thought when I saw you sitting here,” Geralt mumbles.

Jaskier snorts. “Seems like something Yennefer should have warned us about, perhaps. I would ask you directly how old you are, but I’m fairly certain that the only response I will get is a very gruff no.”

“No,” says Geralt, nearly smiling.

Making a show of pouting, Jaskier folds his arms over his chest. “Is that your favorite word?”

“No.” Geralt breaks into laughter as he repeats himself, and his whole face lights up with it. Jaskier laughs too, delighted by how joyous Geralt looks. He’s even more beautiful when he’s happy like this, and Jaskier wants very badly for this not to be their last date. “If I tell you my favorite word, you’re bound to judge me for it, as a poet.”

“As a poet, I swear not to mock you,” Jaskier raises his hand to cover his heart, barely restraining himself from grinning.

But before Geralt can share whatever it is, someone else approaches their bench. A second stranger— a woman about his height with short brown hair, wearing a pretty blouse. Jaskier notices her much more quickly than he’d noticed Geralt, and he makes the connection instantly. This can’t possibly end well.

“Oh, Yen wasn’t kidding,” says the stranger, eyeing Geralt. “You are very distinctive!”

Geralt stares back at her, slack-jawed for a moment. “What?”

“I’m Renfri,” Geralt’s date introduces herself. Jaskier wishes the earth would open up and swallow him whole, especially when she glances over at him. Her gaze slides back to Geralt, as does Jaskier’s, and yeah, he is very fucking distinctive with that white hair and those yellow eyes. Damn. “My friend Yennefer set us up for a blind date…?”

As Jaskier contemplates throwing himself into the koi pond, Geralt twists to stare at him. Jaskier can only imagine how mortified he must look right now; his face burns as both Renfri and Geralt look his way. Perhaps Renfri will figure it out before Geralt says anything; she looks like a smart woman.

But Geralt just gets up, dusting himself off and shaking his head. “No,” he tells Renfri, which would almost be funny if it weren’t the weirdest thing Jaskier has ever seen anyone do. Then Geralt leaves, turning to walk away from both of them, leaving Jaskier and Renfri alone together in the garden. Renfri frowns, watching him go with obvious increasing confusion. Jaskier also jumps to his feet, equally confused but determined not to lose sight of Geralt.

He chases the man— and it does feel like a chase, Geralt must be fucking speed-walking away— and finally tracks him down well outside the garden. Geralt is thundering down a set of stairs leading to a parking lot and he doesn’t stop at the sound of Jaskier careening towards him. Only when Jaskier desperately calls his name does he finally stop, slowing until he reaches the bottom landing and then standing there, still.

“I’m sorry,” Jaskier calls down the stairs, breathless. He begins to descend them but Geralt doesn’t turn around. “Fuck, you’re fast! Shit. I’m sorry, Geralt.”

Without looking his way, Geralt complains, so quietly that Jaskier nearly misses it, “Yennefer is going to kill me.”

“I would have fucked off,” Jaskier says quickly, hurrying down the rest of the steps until he gets to the bottom. Geralt still doesn’t look at him so Jaskier slides none-too-gracefully into his space, demanding his attention. He’s hardly red in the face or anything, but he looks embarrassed. Jaskier crumbles. “I’m sorry. I— seriously, I don’t care, I would have fucked off. I should’ve left, I should’ve— You should go back there, she’s beautiful!”

Geralt’s nostrils flare but he doesn’t look away. “Why did you lie,” he demands, flat.

“Well,” Jaskier deflates. “Um. You’re beautiful.”

“Hmm.”

“I really am sorry,” he offers.

Geralt, still watching him closely, says, “You don’t sound sorry.”

“What do you want me to do?” Jaskier throws his hands in the air, breaking away from Geralt’s stare— in the greenhouse, surrounded by bright lights and open, manmade nature, it had been easy to sit under the weight of Geralt’s eyes on him. Down here, at the end of a staircase and the entrance to a dark garage, chest still heaving, it feels too intimate. He puts some distance between them, sighing. “You want me to go back there and explain the whole situation to poor Renfri?”

When Jaskier finally turns around again, Geralt’s gaze hasn’t left him. “I want you to come have dinner with me instead,” he says, slowly but purposefully.

“Oh,” breathes Jaskier. “That’s— well, if you want that.”

“I already made a reservation for two. My name’s on the list.” Geralt is fidgeting with the end of his sleeve at first but when he approaches Jaskier he drops it, striding forward without hesitating. “Table for Geralt and one young brunet friend of Yennefer’s.”

Jaskier chokes on his own surprised laugh. “I don’t actually know Yennefer,” he needlessly explains.

“She’s going to hate you,” says Geralt, half-smirking, and then he adds, “Well, she’ll hate both of us now.”

They get to the restaurant twenty minutes late, Geralt’s hair mussed up and lips a bitten red and Jaskier wearing his backpack and a shit-eating grin. The host sees them and immediately tells them their table has been cancelled, and they end up getting terrible two-dollar slices from a hole-in-the-wall pizza place. They eat on the way back to Geralt’s car and then he drives Jaskier back to campus, kissing him soundly in the door to his apartment until Priscilla comes home and yells at Jaskier to get a room. As they squabble Geralt apologizes, polite and nervous, and kisses Jaskier’s cheek and tells him it was nice to meet him.

Jaskier goes inside and spends the next thirteen hours writing the best poetry he will ever write.

[maddpopcorn]

It’s Okay || pjm

Pairing: Maine Coon!Hybrid!Jimin x Male!Reader

Request:  hiii can i request a jimin x male reader fic? maybe an angst/comfort hybrid au where jimin is a homeless hybrid who escaped from his abuser owner and is now trying to survive in the streets. the reader would find him and try to help him, but since jimin is scared and doesn’t trust humans, it’s a bit harder than he expected.. (i’d prefer a series but you can make it a one-shot or drabble or whatev boils your noodles lol) thank you in advance and have a nice day!

Summary: When walking down your normal road, you spy a long, fluffy tail. And when it connects to a bruised and bloodied up hybrid who immediately hisses at you, you find yourself trying everything in your power to bring him home….even if you have to suffer a couple of scratches along the way.

Warnings: Angst, lots of angst, burning of the skin with cigarettes, mentions of starving from neglect/punishment, punching, slight mentions blood and cleaning the wound, night terrors

A/N: Wow, you were my first request! I am so sorry it took long. However, I enjoyed writing this piece a lot so I hope you enjoy it, too! If people like this so much, perhaps I could make a second part (I already have one hybrid series I’m planning on making so it might be too much to make this into a series :)) Also, forgive me if there are any mistakes!

Jimin hates being a hybrid. No, scratch that. He despises it. He despises himself. Because of his nature, he’s immediately treated with little to no respect by most humans in society. He’s treated like he’s some type of scum on the bottom of their shoes.

Which isn’t true at all but who will ever listen to him, right? He is just a mangy good for nothing hybrid, after all.

He despises humans. After all of this time observing them, after experiencing them first hand, he has deemed them greedy, selfish and just evil.

They are all evil.

Without his permission, tears well up in his eyes, and he hastily wipes them away out of habit in fear of being caught. He blinks and then dryly chuckles, looking down at his burnt scars that dotted his arms. Who is going to burn their cigarettes into his now dry and cracked skin? Who is going to punch their frustrations out on him again?

No one, right?

He escaped them.

He escaped them.

.

Sighing in relief and with a smile, you wave bye to the last customer that walks out of the coffee shop. Immediately, your smile drops.

“Holy hell, today was busier than a fucking highway,” you groan, shoulders drooping dramatically. You let the broom slide in your hand until only the tips of your fingers are barely holding it up.

“Yeah, why do these people need all of this coffee on a Friday afternoon anyway?” Yoongi complains, dropping his head on the counter, his recently dyed mint hair covering his eyes. “It’s like they’re addicted or something. Damn.”

“Takes one to know one, Yoongles,” you tease, holding the broom properly again and resuming sweeping.

Huffing at your joke, he stretches, popping several bones in the process (that you may or may not be worried about).“Yeah but unlike them, I know my limits.”

“Hah, funniest joke of the year. Yeah, right, dude.”

He reels back like he has touched fire and gasps. “Wha-excuse me, mister but I know my limits.”

“No, you really don’t.” 

“Ye-”

“Yoongi-” you stop sweeping, putting your hand on your hip. “-you drank 5 cups of coffee in one sitting during exam week. And then, the next week, you kept chugging energy drinks like they were nothing so you could finish your ‘precious song’.” One by one, you start listing off all the times he has drank too much coffee and energy drinks. His body deflates with each jab at his pride until he’s crumbling in on himself.

It’s a hot minute before any of you say anything, quietly cleaning up the shop so that you could finally go home.

“Fuck off, pretty boy,” he finally says, middle finger in the air and face heating up. 

You bark out a laugh. “So you finally admit that I’m pretty, huh? Jin owes me $5.”

“You fucking-”

.

“Don’t forget, 8 o’clock tonight, my apartment. Don’t be late like last time, brat,” Yoongi scolds, adjusting his glasses. You throw your hands up, a cheeky smirk on your face.

“Of course. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

You wave bye to your coworker as you exit the coffee shop. Humming to yourself, you begin your journey on your normal path to home. Mentally checking off your to-do list before you have to get ready for the annual hangout you and your friends have every week, you spot in the corner of your eye a fluffy, blonde blob. You turn your head, fully stopping and squinting.

“What the fuck?” you mutter to yourself, creeping up on the blob. It grows until it stops at a…

“Holy shit!” You yell, quickly slapping your hand over your mouth in disbelief.

A hybrid. A cat hybrid, to be specific, is laying on the dirty and wet ground of the alley way. His eyes are closed, and you timidly squat down near him to examine him. Matted blonde hair sticks to his face with what you can only assume is sweat and dirt which is also smudging across his face. His lips are forming a pout and he moves a bit, making you jump back in surprise. When he stays still after, you continue your examination. His skin looks dry and his cheeks are sunken in. Trailing your eyes down his form, you notice how worn and ragged his clothes truly are. And how big they look on him. Your eyebrows furrow at his state. Someone did a beating on this poor guy.

He whimpers in his sleep and without thinking, you do something stupid. Something incredibly stupid.

You reach your hand out towards him, to pet him or give him comfort, not really controlling your urges to get close. And that’s when you instantly regret it. His eyes snap open, and you yelp in pain as his claws swipe into your skin. Recoiling back, you immediately grasp your now bleeding arm, eyes glued to it. Three deep scratches litter your arm and blood starts to come to the surface.

Even if you’re the one that got scratched, you apologize.

“I-I’m sorry,” you stammer, letting out a shuddering breath. “I should’ve given you your space. I’m sorry.”

“Leave me alone!” He hisses, shuffling far away from you. Growling, his entire body shakes as flashes upon flashes come back to him. Pupils reducing to slits and ears flattening against his head, he swipes at you again, 

You mentally slap yourself in the face. Of course he would scratch you. You invaded his personal space and reminded him of his abusers. You scared him. You back up, giving the hybrid one last glance, guilt racking every bone in your body for scaring the hybrid before you walk away. 

He doesn’t meet your eyes.

-

You rush home, your makeshift bandage from the napkins in your pocket soaked in blood. He got you deep. But it wasn’t his fault. It was yours.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” you repeat to yourself. “How could you be so fucking stupid?”

Someone holds the door open for you as you slide past them, muttering a quick thanks.

“Hi, Mrs. Hags. Bye, Mrs. Hags,” you yell out to the landlady, rushing past people into the elevator of your complex.

“Bye, dearie,” she calls out. “Odd fellow, he is. Isn’t that right, Mr. Whiskers?”

Her cat only yawns in response and she immediately coos, getting right back to her knitting.

Stomping your foot impatiently, you give an awkward smile to the other tenants present in the elevator. They smile back, weird looks on their faces as they realize you’re holding your bleeding arm and you silently wish that the elevator would hurry the hell up. Sighing in relief as the elevators dings, you squeeze through the opening doors.

“Odd fellow,” One whispers out.

“Yeah, very odd,” Another whispers back.

Fumbling with your keys to your door, you curse in frustration as you drop them. Picking them up, you unlock your door after what seemed like forever. Finally, practically throwing open your door, you race to your bathroom, not caring as your door slams behind you. Dropping everything, you quickly get the first aid kit out.

“Fuck,” you hiss in pain as the alcohol seeps into your wound. Tears fall from your eyes from the burning sensation. “Ah, I’m melting, I’m melting…fuck, I’m dumb.”

After 10 minutes of grueling pain, you look at your newly bandaged arm. That was so stupid of you. How could you just invade his space like that? As you focus on your arm, dumb thoughts running through your head, your phone rings, snapping you out of your thoughts. Fishing it out of your pocket, you groan again when you realize it’s Yoongi. You still had time to get there, two hours really, so why was he calling you?

“Hello?” 

“Y/N, wanted to let you know that Joon got the stomach bug so the hangout is cancelled. Hobi and I are taking care of him.”

You can hear groans of pain in the background and Hoseok teasing. “Quit being a baby, Joonie. It’s a mere stomach bug.”

“Feels like I’m dying, Hobi,” he groans dramatically.

“Sounds like you have a handful, Yoongles,” you chuckle, putting up the alcohol and first aid kit.

“Yeah, unfortunately.”

“Okay, thanks for telling me. I hope Joon gets better. I have some stuff to do so I have to go.”

“Yeah, right. Bye, Y/N-Namjoon, did you just hit me with a pillow?”

You can hear Namjoon yelling “Cuddles, now!” before Yoongi hangs up, eliciting a belly laugh out of you. How Yoongi and Hoseok put up with their boyfriend, you have no clue but more power to them. Staring back at your arm, you nod as you come up with a plan to win the hybrid over. Or at least apologize to him. You roll up your other sleeve, making your way over to your kitchen. You’ve got work to do.

-

It’s a couple of hours later when Jimin finally retreats from his hidey hole to see a brown paper bag with a note attached to it. An amazing smell wafts through the air that makes his stomach growl in hunger. He slowly crawls forward, tail swishing in curiosity, and snatches the note from the bag.

I’m sorry about today. Please enjoy your dinner.

P.S, I hear Maine Coons like this fish, assuming you are one. Enjoy :)

-Y/N (The guy who is really sorry about invading your personal space)

He hisses in disgust, shifting backward from the paper bag. The note flies from his grasp and lands in a puddle, immediately getting soaked from the dirty water. What if you poisoned it? Or laced it with something? Are you working for…her? Are you going to take him back? It’s not like he’s never had the wonderful pleasure of starving before. She would make sure of that. He can deal with it. He has done it plenty of times, one more can’t hurt…right?

He sits there, just glaring holes at the bag as rain drops hit him, trying so hard to ignore everything. The smell, the wonderful smell. He clenches his teeth so hard he’s afraid he’ll break them as another sharp pain shoots through his stomach, accompanied by a familiar grumbling. He tries to ignore it. He tries to focus on something else. Perhaps the way his bones are shivering from the rain will do? No, that makes it worse. Makes him want whatever is in the bag even more. It seems warm. Warm enough to make him warm. He wants it. He needs it. So much.

Ignore it.

Ignore it.

Ignore. It.

But, a guy can only take so much.

The smell surrounding him in mockery and the nagging pain finally makes Jimin grab the bag, fishing out the food and digging in, without sparing it a second glance. He’ll worry about the consequences later.

He almost moans from the taste he thought he had forgotten long ago. The fish is still warm, kept in a container that keeps the temperature insulated and whatever soup you got (or made, he can care less) goes perfectly with it.

In a matter of minutes, the fish is finished, and Jimin is gulping down the remaining soup. He pulls back, licking his lips and sighs in satisfaction. His stomach is warm from the soup. He’s not shivering that much from the rain anymore. He actually feels…cozy and it’s incredibly weird to him. Something foreign almost. He places the bowl back into the bag and crawls back into his hiding place. Curling up, yawning, he thinks of you and quietly mumbles a thank you before falling fast asleep.

-

It is a couple of days later when you return, bandage wrapped around your arm. Jimin growls in annoyance and begrudgingly relief. You seem..okay from his scratch.

Stupid human can’t follow a stupid task.

“I come bearing a peace offering,” you smile, holding out two bags.

Jimin’s eyes study the bags and then trail up your hand and to your arm. Annoyingly, in his opinion, guilt racks up. You notice his eyes glued to your arm and you wave your hand.

“Don’t worry about. My friend Jin said it would be fine.”

You lock eyes for a mere second before he’s immediately spitting back, “Like I care.”

He averts his eyes, letting out a loud huff. You sit down, slowly sliding one bag towards him. He views the action from the corner of his eyes. What are you doing? He turns his head just a bit to get a better view and his eyes widen.

“What are you doing?” he practically screeches as you pull out your lunch for the day.

“Taking my lunch break. What else?” you tease, waving the take out container in your hand. “Would you care to join me?”

“No.”

You shrug your shoulders and open your container. “Suit yourself, buddy.”

You begin eating and Jimin rolls his eyes, crossing his arms and looking away. Again, he repeats the same mantra from last time.

Ignore it.

His stomach rumbles and if you heard it, you make no move to comment and instead, continue to happily eat. 

“Wow, this chicken is to die for. Compliments to the chef,” you groan, giving a chef’s kiss. “Sure you don’t want any?”

He knows what your game is. You’re just trying to rile him up to eat the food so that you can do whatever you want with him. No, not this time. It won’t work. After you leave, he’ll throw the food away. He is sure of it.

“I am positive I don’t want your shitty food,” he snaps.

You wince, putting a hand to your chest. “Ouch buddy, that hurt.”

“Not your fucking buddy either,” he growls in annoyance.

“Just slash at my feelings, why don’t yah?”

“Gladly.”

That is his last and final word. You finish your lunch, taking one glance at the hybrid and leave. Jimin sits there and makes a move to throw out the food. He hesitantly reaches out but backs away. His eyebrows furrow at his dilemma. On one hand, should he waste food like that? That would be wrong of him. On another, did you poison the food this time? Can he really trust that you didn’t?

He lasts a total of five minutes before he’s digging into the food. Maybe, just maybe, you’re a decent human. Just maybe.

-

It takes you weeks to earn the still nameless hybrid’s trust. Even then, it was only a small amount. At least you could sit closer together and talk about random things. That’s why it surprises you when he meekly asks if he can go with you this time.

You widen your eyes at his request. “What?” 

“When you leave, can I go with you? Y/N, please?” His ears are flattened against his head and his tail is curled around his waist.

“I don’t even know your name-”

“Jimin. It’s um, Jimin.” He blurts out. He clears his throat, face flushed, eyes looking at every thing but you.

“Jimin…” you whisper, the name so foreign on your tongue. “Pretty name. What made you want to come with me?”

“I…” he didn’t expect that question. “I don’t know. You just seem…comforting, I guess? I don’t know, it was stupid. I’m sorry-”

You cut him off. “Shh, it’s not stupid. I’m glad that I seem comforting to you. My answer is yes, you can come home with me.”

His eyes widen and it’s the first time you have ever seen him smile that wide before. You hope you’ll see that smile even more in the future.

-

“And this is your room!” You gesture with your arm. “I had to quickly clean it since I honestly didn’t think you would come with me so forgive me if it’s still a bit dusty.” You walk in but he doesn’t follow. You turn around towards him, cocking your head. “Jimin?”

Jimin can’t say anything. This is all for him? But, he didn’t do anything to deserve it. He didn’t please you. He didn’t let you use him as a personal punching bag for your frustrations. This is a trick. It has to be. No one is this kind to a stranger, especially a hybrid. A hybrid who hurt you. For fuck’s sake, he scratched you. Yeah, he wanted to come home with you and yeah, he did say you were comforting but he expected that you would make him share the same room or something. He didn’t know what to expect. Just not this.

“Jimin?” Your soothing voice lures him out of his mess he calls his thoughts.

“I-I can’t accept this room, Y/N.”

You must’ve pulled a face or something because Jimin is immediately tense, ready to dash right back out on to the streets.

“Why?” is the only thing you ask.

“What?”

“Why can’t you accept the room?”

He wraps his arms around himself, his tail joining them. “Never had this before. This much kindness thrown at me. Expected to..pay you in return.”

“It’s yours now, Jimin. No payment needed.”

“Why are you so kind to me?”

His question throws you off-guard and it takes you a minute to answer. You brush the lint off of his comforter. “Because you deserve it. I can only assume you’ve been through hell and back. Why not live the rest of your life peacefully?”

“Thank you.”

With that, you smile and leave him be in his new room. A couple of hours later, he joins you for dinner. Whatever you made smells heavenly. Quietly sitting down, he watches as you put the pot on the table in between you two. The bowls are already set and you serve him first before serving yourself. He mutters a “thank you”.

“Dig in, Jimin. I hope you’ll like it. New recipe I’m trying out,” you hum, taking a spoon full of the stew and blowing on it. He waits until you take a bite first. You smile in satisfaction as the spicy fish stew came out perfectly. Just the right amount of spice. He should’ve known better, really. You never wanted to hurt him in the first place but old habits die hard and he finds himself gauging your reaction to the food. You didn’t trick him before, you didn’t poison him at all, so why should this meal be different? Maybe it’s because he’s on your turf now. He waits and when he deems the food is safe enough to eat since you aren’t spasming out of control from poison or getting sleepy from a sedative, he digs in.

Wow.

You’re an amazing cook.

It doesn’t take Jimin even 5 minutes to finish his bowl and your heart aches just a little at the mere thought of him being hungry ever again. 

“Must’ve been good?” You tease light-heartedly. Jimin nods, licking his lips clean. “Want a second bowl?”

His eyes widen at the aspect and you only take his bowl to fill it up again. Jimin wastes no time finishing the second one. He feels all warm, fuzzy even and he looks down at his stomach in confusion. This is a familiar feeling. A feeling he had on the day you two met. It takes him a good solid minute, weighing the pros and cons of asking you if you had made that soup. Would you think it was weird if he told you he had remembered the fuzzy feeling? Would you think it was weird if he told you that that was the only time he had ever felt close to home? Finally, he concludes that either way, he needs to know because he cannot stand the stupid curiosity that’s nagging him.

“I..I have a question,” Jimin mumbles.

You nod, gulping down the remaining water from your cup. “Shoot.”

He looks around the room as he hesitantly asks, “Did, did you..you know, that soup..”

“Soup? What soup?”

“You know, that soup.”

“I’m not following, Jiminie?”

His face heats up at your nickname for him but you don’t seem to realize that you even said it in the first place. He finally blurts out, “The one that you gave me the first time we met! Did you cook it?”

“Oh.” 

“I just,” he continues. “It was the only time I ever felt..I don’t know. Nevermind- it’s stupid.”

“Yes.”

“What?” Did you actually think it was-

“Yes, I made it. I wanted you to have a homemade meal. And I was apologizing to you so I thought it would be a bit more..special I guess.”

“Thank you..”

You both clean the dishes, wash up and head to bed. Jimin is finally alone to just process everything. This could be a home for him. He lays down, relishing in the softness of the bed. He wraps himself with the comforter. It smells so nice and it feels so warm and so..homey. Yawning, he doesn’t notice the smile creeping up on his face as he closes his eyes, sleep taking over.

-

A couple of weeks have passed and having Jimin around is such a delight. Not having to come home to an empty apartment feels so much better. He helps you clean, he accompanies you when you’re watching something on the tv. He lets you ramble about your day at the coffee shop. It takes Jimin a while to grow used to being here. And not everything is so pleasant. Countless of times, Jimin has woken up from night terrors, from flashbacks of that place. And this time isn’t any different.

It’s around 4 in the morning when Jimin wakes up, his eyes flying open from the nightmare. Gasping for air, he looks around. Everything seems so hazy, so dark. All he can remember is him screaming for you.

Oh no, oh no, oh no. You’re not going to give him away, right? Right?

You weren’t anywhere in sight and he could feel himself panicking. He rapidly jumps up, trying to find the light switch or the curtains or something to give light. To give him hope that you hadn’t sneakily sold him back to her. He trips over something and reaches out his hand, grasping a cloth and pulling it down with him. Moon light floods the room and he curls up, sobbing and shaking. His heart is racing and he silently begs for you to appear.

You jolt awake at the loud “thunk” coming from somewhere in your apartment. You jump up, grabbing your baseball bat and tip toe out of your room. Hearing whimpers from Jimin’s room, you drop the bat and rush in.

“Jimin, oh my god, are you okay?” you ask alarmed, freeing him. He’s shaking all over, eyes closed and arms wrapped around himself.

“Please tell me I’m not there again. I don’t wanna go back. Please, please please..” He repeatedly mumbles. “I’m a good boy. I’ll be a better boy, I promise. Please, just don’t take me there.”

Without thinking, you wrap your arms around him, rocking him back and forth. “I promise on everything holy that I will never leave you. I will never let you go back there, Jimin.”

He sobs into your shoulder, gripping tightly at your t-shirt. His tail wraps around you, and you stroke his head.

“Shh, I’ve got you. You’re here, you’re home. It’s okay, you’re safe. I promise,” you whisper. After a long time, Jimin grounds himself and he pulls back to see you, worry filling your eyes and tears at the brim of them.

“Y/N,” he mumbles, diving right back into your arms. You only rub his back in soothing motions.

That was the first night ever that he had asked you to stay in his room.

-

The next morning while you’re making a delicious breakfast for the both of you, he stalks into the kitchen. You hum a little at his presence, asking him if he is okay. He hums in agreement and stares at you. You, already used to him just staring at you, studying your movements, continue cooking. He walks up behind you, ears pinned back, arms opening up.

He back hugs you.

You’re startled for a moment and it makes him hesitate to tighten his grip but when you don’t move away, just slightly humming as you continue to cook, he smiles, ever so slightly, tautening his hold.

“You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me,” he murmurs into your back, so quietly that you have a hard time hearing him. But you hear him. He buries his head into your back, inhaling your comforting scent. “Thank you.”

That’s when you realize that the future for the both of you would be much brighter from here on.

[btxtreads]

perfectly perfect | choi soobin (4)

part of the arcadia academy series

↳ pairing: Choi Soobin x Reader  ↳ word count: 2.1k words  ↳ rating: G  ↳ genre: Highschool!au, Jock!Soobin, mostly fluff, white prince!Soobin,,, also Soobin lets himself get dragged around a lot, tsundere!Soobin but nothing that’s too much to handle ↳ series: Arcadia Academy

(please also read “Personal Best,” Arcadia Academy’s Beomgyu series by @bffsoobin​​ 💖)

a/n: no updates tomorrow since I have a work thing 🥺 i’ll update the day after tomorrow 

Y/N silently sat by the benches in front of the lockers, drying her hair with a spare towel.

Her body was practically swallowed by a gigantic purple hoodie, with CHOI SOOBIN 05 printed in gigantic block letters at the back.

He eyes danced up to the open locker in front of her, frowning at the massive space which was practically a makeshift closet of hoodies, towels and jerseys.

Attached behind the locker door was a collage of photos with Soobin, Yeonjun and Beomgyu—the three best players for the volleyball team and best of friends—with their favorite juniors Hueningkai and Taehyun. His best friends.

Below the collage of volleyball photos was a polaroid photo of Soobin holding a baby, next to a woman slightly older than him.

Y/N reached out and took it, observing.

His smile was different—way more comfortable, more open, more—

“That’s my sister and nephew,” Soobin said, exiting the shower room while drying his hair. “She got a polaroid last month, and I didn’t know where to put it,”

More Soobin.

“Oh,” Y/N replied, setting down the polaroid. “That’s nice,”

Soobin hummed as he reached out and grabbed a folded hoodie off of a shelf in his locker.

CHOI SOOBIN 05.

“How many of these hoodies do you have?”

“Ah, too many,” Soobin shrugged, sliding the hoodie on. “I may have liked them a little bit too much,”

“They’re comfy,”

“Keep it,”

“Okay,” Y/N replied, biting her lip as Soobin closed the locker door and leaned back on it. “So,”

“So?” Soobin asked, raising his eyebrow.

“You smell nice,” Y/N squeaked out making Soobin snort and roll his nice.

“Thanks, pres,”

Y/N cleared her throat.

There was silence between him and her.

The water droplets from the recently used shower room suddenly became too loud.

“I’m sorry,” Y/N started. “I made a scene. Dragged you off in front of a lot of people, even,”

Soobin stayed silent, eyes trained on her as she trailed off.

Y/N sighed, running a hand through her hair.

“You were the only way to make it work.”

“Make what work?” Soobin asked, lips pursed.

“The booth, the cafe,” Y/N shook her head. “You were gone for an hour and everyone was just—they left? Girls kept looking for you, and I thought��maybe you were the only way the booth was going to make it,”

Soobin frowned.

“Y/N, I told you I needed to go to Volleyball,” Soobin said. “I was going to go back, I wasn’t going to leave you,”

“I wouldn’t know, Soobin,” Y/N growled. “You were gone for five whole hours and I looked back up and you were wet and shirtless?”

“What’s that got to do with it?”

“Maybe the fact that you had no thoughts about going back?” Y/N shot back, making Soobin snort.

“How could you know that from just seeing me wiping down a sedan?”

“Maybe because you were thoroughly enjoying the way so many girls were ogling at you,” Y/N glared at him.

“Wh—Are you jealous of them?”

“When did I say that?” Y/N asked, appalled.

“It’s the words and the tone, babe,”

“First of all, you sound like Yeonjun,” Y/N argued. “Second of all, that doesn’t make any sense,”

“Yes, it does,”

“No, it doesn’t,” Y/N spits out. “Besides, I’m not your girlfriend, or friend, or anyone—why would I be jealous?”

Soobin stopped, narrowing his eyes.

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“I’m hurt,” Soobin scoffed. “For someone so smart, you’re pretty oblivious,”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Y/N sputtered out.

Soobin only rolled his eyes.

Y/N scoffed back and crossed her arms.

“Well, for the volleyball prince of the school—you’re not so white prince right now,” Y/N hissed. “Or the whole day today, for that matter. At least to me,”

Soobin rolled his eyes again.

“What’s so hard to understand, pres,” Soobin sighed. “about how I am not a white prince, or volleyball prince, or whatever,”

“Okay, volleyball prince,” Y/N snorted.

“I literally just said I’m not the volleyball prince,”

“Yeah? Well, for some reason,” Y/N huffed. “people keep saying that you are,”

“Yeah? Then, for some reason,” Soobin raised his voice. “You keep driving me crazy,”

Y/N froze, sputtering.

“Huh?”

“Yeah, I can’t get you out of my fucking mind these days and it’s driving me insane,” Soobin said, shaking his head and stepping forward.

Y/N squeaked stepping back as Soobin edged closer and closer.

“For some reason, you’re always there telling me to be Soobin, not the volleyball prince. For some reason, you make me so comfortable I actually forget where I am sometimes,” Soobin said, pressing against Y/N until her back is against the lockers.

He leaned closer, his head lowering until his lips brushed against hers.

“For some reason—” He trailed off, looking at her eyes.

Y/N took a shuddering breath, her eyes dropping down to his lips before returning her gaze back on his brown eyes.

“For some reason, what?” she asked silently.

Soobin only smiled, pulling on the laces of her hoodie.

The cloth tightened up, bunching around her face and covering her line of sight.

Y/N squealed as she reached up to smack his shoulders, hearing him laugh and feeling him back off of her.

She doesn’t know why she was a little disappointed.

“For some reason, I like how I don’t have to be anyone but me when I’m with you,”

Y/N pried the cloth off of her face and looked over at Soobin, whose back was turned on her and one hand shoved in his sweatpants.

“Now, come on,” he said, his free hand reaching out and clasping on her wrist. “Time to run a cafe,”

With a red face, Y/N followed him out.

She didn’t find it in her heart to comment about his equally-as-red ears.

It was four hours to closing time when the cafe closed up itself, having ran out of products to sell.

Y/N and Soobin made their way out of the financing office, having released their declared money for the booth.

“Well,” Soobin rocked back on his heels. “I should get back to the car wash,”

“I’ll take you back,” Y/N smiled over at him. “I did promise Yeonjun I was going to bring you back in one piece, anyways,”

Soobin rolled his eyes as Y/N led the way out of the school and into the parking lot.

Just before the car wash was a small arcade set up by the women’s volleyball team.

Arcadia Arcade, it read.

Soobin turned to Y/N with a smile.

“Hey,” he started, pulling Y/N off to the road away from the school. “Come with me,”

“What?”

“Just follow me,”

Y/N rolled her eyes, walking next to him.

“Sorry about taking so long, by the way,” Soobin said, pocketing his hands. “I should’ve came back to you earlier,”

Y/N turned back to him, smiling slightly as he kept his gaze firmly trained on the path ahead of them.

“It’s fine,” Y/N hummed. “Not your fault,”

“But it is,” Soobin said before taking her wrist again and tugging her towards a huge, noisy building.

It was the local arcade.

Y/N couldn’t find it in her to protest as Soobin pulled out a ten-dollar bill from his pocket to exchange for tokens.

She still gaped as Soobin dragged her towards the basketball machine with a mischievous giggle.

“I’m gonna teach you how to shoot a basketball,” He declared.

Y/N slammed a hand on his arm, making him flinch.

“You have to get back to the volleyball team, remember?”

“Screw that, Yeonjun will be fine,” Soobin waved nonchalantly as he fished a token from his small bag of tokens. “Now, come on!”

A shrill whistle sounded before Soobin took her and pressed himself behind her back.

“Okay, so get a ball,” Soobin instructed and put a basketball in her hands.

“It’s heavy,”

“Well, it’s basketball,” Soobin laughed before positioning his hands over hers. “You shoot—like this—and you let go—“

Soobin burst into laughters as the basketball fell from their hands, not even touching the net.

“Like that, but better aim,” Soobin laughed again, an arm falling on Y/N’s waist and looking back down at her.

Y/N’s hand reached up to touch his on her waist.

“Soobin,” Y/N started, looking up and locking gazes with him.

“Yeah?”

Y/N stopped, her eyes falling to his lips, vaguely aware of how he was slowly moving closer and closer.

She didn’t notice before but he was really attractive.

His black hair wasn’t made up now like it usually was—but somehow he made it work.

His lips were so pink and plump and he was getting so close that Y/N only needed to move her head and kiss—

GAME OVER.

Y/N flinched and Soobin practically fell back as the basketball machine flashed 0 POINTS.

“Ah, we didn’t get to score anything for thirty seconds,” Soobin winced, slotting another token into the machine and shooting basketballs himself.

Y/N leaned on the machine, smiling and observing as Soobin kept on shooting—every single ball effortlessly passing through the hoop.

“Hey, why are we here?”

“Hm?” Soobin asked, looking at her as he shot another ball. “Oh, I saw you looking at the arcade in school and thought, hey why not?”

“There’s an arcade at the school, you know,” Y/N pointed out. “We could’ve went there,”

“That arcade was for babies,” Soobin snorted. “This is a bigger, better arcade,”

“Are you just saying this because that specific arcade was set by the female volleyball team?” Y/N chuckled as Soobin’s game finished.

He narrowed his eyes and scoffed.

“That has nothing to do with it,”

“Never knew the prince could be this petty,” Y/N laughed, turning around to walk towards a claw machine. “That’s cute,”

“The doll?” Soobin asked, following behind her and looking over at a Mollang doll smack dab in the middle of the machine.

“No, you,” Y/N laughed, amused at how fast Soobin’s face burned red. “But yes, the doll too,”

“Move over,” Soobin coughed, hiding his blush as he gently pushed Y/N out of the way and inserted tokens into the machine.

“Hm? Are you getting the doll for me?” Y/N teased, making Soobin shake his head again.

“Nope,” He huffed. “Just—uh, Hueningkai likes Mollang and you said it’s cute so he must like it,”

“Ah,” Y/N laughed.

It took him around three more tries until he finally got the doll.

“Well,” Soobin said, clearing his throat as he held it up. “It doesn’t look cute,”

“Yes, it does,” Y/N snorted as she pointed at the blue cloth around it. “Look at that pink collar, it’s so cute,”

“Not cute enough,” Soobin shrugged before thrusting it over to Y/N, his face red as he turned his head away from her. “Ah, take it,”

Y/N raised her eyebrow.

“You said it was for Hueningkai,”

“He won’t like it, it’s not cute enough,” Soobin muttered, burning brighter.

“Right, well,” Y/N smiled, taking the doll. “Thank you, Soobin,”

Soobin turned even redder when Y/N reached up on her tip-toes and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Cool,” Soobin coughed and turned away, much to Y/N’s amusement. “Let’s play zombies,”

It was almost 9 in the evening when Soobin decided they should go home.

Like before, Soobin insisted on bringing Y/N home.

“It’s really dangerous, you know,” he coughed. “night time,”

The walk to Y/N’s house was smooth and enjoyable—the conversation goes every which way.

As soon as they stopped in front of her house, Soobin bit his lip as Y/N turned to him.

“Want to head inside?”

“No,” Soobin shook his head. “It’s late and I should get home,”

“Hm,” Y/N nodded. “Well, thank you for today,”

“Right,”

“And the hoodie—I’ll give it back tomorrow,” Y/N said.

“Ah, I said keep it,” Soobin shook his head. “It’s cute on you,”

“Ah,” Y/N nodded. “Well, the doll. Thanks for the doll,”

“Your welcome,”

“I enjoyed the arcade.” she smiled. “I can’t remember the last time I did something fun without thinking about how I should have been using the time to improve my college application,”

Soobin smiled.

“You’ll do great trust me,”

“Right,” Y/N nodded awkwardly. “Well, good night, then.”

“Good night,” Soobin nodded as Y/N turned to enter her door. “Hey, Y/N?”

“Hm?”

Y/N turned to see Soobin right behind her.

Swiftly, he leaned down and planted a fast peck on her lips.

He pulled away and coughed, scratching the back of his neck.

He bolted out of the driveway and down the street, face bright red.

Y/N’s hand slowly crept up to her lips, and she smiled.

No matter how fast that kiss was, she can’t help but notice how soft his lips were.

[starlight-writes-stuff]

chapter one - the note // light me up : a draco malfoy fic

a/n : hello ! this is chapter one of light me up. it is a bit short- i really want to get outside opinions on what you think ; i hope you enjoy ! seeing as i have exactly 0 followers on this here blog this story will also be posted on wattpad (where i’m known as starlight--writes) . it’s a bit easier to grow on there , but i figured theres always a chance of someone finding this fic on here and falling in love with it . anyways , if you’re seeing this , reblogs and notes are always appreciated . requests are open as well ! k , bye (:

reblogs are always appreciated ! <3

☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁  ☁

Charms was your least favorite class of the day. Usually you looked forward to it, eagerly awaiting getting to sit next to your boyfriend, Cedric Diggory, but in the week that the two of you had broken up, it had been torture. You still had to sit with him- the seating was assigned that way, but now instead of kisses when you walked in and holding hands under the table, it was forced smiles and awkward greetings. 

So far, you’d spent the whole class looking down at your lap, tangling your fingers together and trying to take up as little space as possible. Maybe, if you were still enough, he would just forget you were there. You made no noise, no sudden movements; essentially, acting like you didn’t even exist. However, that illusion was broken when Nearly Headless Nick has floated in through the back wall, holding a letter that he handed to Professor Flitwick. He read it over silently, then looked up and directly at you. He cleared his throat and stepped down from the pile of books he stood on, and shuffled over to you.

“Miss Y/L/N, it seems you are needed elsewhere. When you finish, please see me for the homework,” he said with a warm smile, handing you the parchment he was holding. 

You smiled back- Professor Flitwick had always been nice to you- and grabbed your bag without even reading the short note; if it meant not having to be so close to Cedric, you were happy for the excuse. As you got up, you felt a gentle tug on your sleeve and your stomach flew up into your throat. Looking up, you saw Cedric smile and drop his grip on your shirt.

“When you’re done, can we talk?” he asked quietly, trying not to draw any attention to either of you. “I’d like to. I’ll wait in the library after classes.”

You couldn’t muster a vocal response- this was the most he’d said to you in a week, and from the look on his face, it seemed important. You just nodded and fled the room, trying to compose yourself before the pumpkin pastie you had eaten before Charms came back up. 

Once you were in the silent, stony hallway, you took a deep breath. Everything was fine. He probably just wanted his jumper back- it was his favorite, and he’d given it to you for pajamas a while ago. You leaned your head back against the cool cobblestone of the hallway, and retrieved the note from your bag, reading it over twice before you fully comprehended the meaning.

Miss Y/LN, Excuse the interruption of your class- upon review of your marks, it seems that you will be quite alright missing a charms class and upholding your grade. The staff have deliberated the results of your try out for Slytherin House’s Quidditch Team, and we are glad to offer you the position of a back-up seeker. Please meet the current Slytherin seeker- Draco Malfoy- in the dining hall for a private practice. We hope this letter finds you well, Slytherin House Quidditch Staff

You tried to contain your excitement, but couldn’t wipe the grin off of your face as you made your way to the Dining Hall. You had mostly tried out for Quidditch as a one off thing, to get Cedric to shut up about it. You absolutely hadn’t expected to be chosen and assigned a spot, so the letter was the only bright point in your week so far. As you entered the great hall, you saw the white-blonde head you were supposed to be meeting leaned over a roll of parchment, chewing on his lower lip.

                                                      ☁ ☁ ☁

Draco Malfoy was in the same year as you- the same house as well- but the two of you had never talked much. Your social circles weren’t intertwined, and besides the few classes you had with him, you didn’t run into him often. As you walked over to him, you dimly wondered if he even knew your name.

“Draco? I’m supposed to meet with you, right?” you asked, timidly. He looked up from his books to meet your eyes. 

“Oh, right. Sorry, I’m trying to get this Potions work done, but…” he tapered off, shaking his head. “Anyway. Sorry- but yes, Flint asked me to meet with you. Y/N, right?”

“Right,” you said with a nod, “Yeah. And I have the answers for the Potions homework, if you want them.”

Draco gathered all his things, shoving them into his bag and asked, “Really? Oh. Wait. Aren't you in my potions class?”

You nodded, and went to fish the paper out of your book, wondering why you’d offered in the first place. You weren’t one to let others copy. “Yeah. I finished it last night, so you can look over it, if you want to,” you replied, handing him the parchment. He took the roll from your hand, giving you a half-smile. 

“Thank you. I can’t seem to understand Potions, like, ever, so I appreciate it. I promise, this will only take a couple minutes; I’ll have you out on the field right after.”

You settled beside him and pulled out your Charms book- might as well finish reading the chapter while you have the time. You could hear Draco muttering the words under his breath as he scratched them down with his quill, and found that oddly endearing. Besides him being the seeker for Slytherin, and his constant feud with Harry Potter, you really didn’t know much about the tall boy sitting next to you, so that fact that you knew how he took notes seemed almost… intimate. Like something you shouldn’t know, but you did. As you pondered on this, you started to wonder what else you didn’t know about him. You referenced the general knowledge of him you’d picked up over the last six years.

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

Name- Draco Malfoy (son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, who were well known in the wizard community. Kind of a dark family, though.)

Year- 6

Position- Seeker

Attributes- tall, handsome, good Quidditch  player, constantly nagging at harry potter for reasons unknown, friends with Crabbe and Goyle, mumbles while taking notes. Had never had a girlfriend, to your knowledge, but had many hookups. Quiet and brooding and slightly scary. Very intimidating, and taller than you’d think. He smelled good, like citrus and musk and old parchment, and his hair looked soft. He was a pretty boy, really. Scarily pretty. 

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

You were still trying to think of anything you’d heard about him, other than the general assumptions of him: good looking, but a woeful git to just about everyone, when he shut his book and slid the roll of parchment back over to you.

“Thanks, again. So you’re gunning for my spot on the team?” he asked, packing up his things. You felt your face flush, and didn’t know how to respond when he chuckled and spoke up. “I’m kidding. It’s always good to have backup players, for when we get hurt. You must’ve really impressed Flint- he was going on and on about the ‘new girl’ at practice.”

Your cheeks got hot again as the two of you walked out of the dining hall and through the passages leading out to the field. “I guess so. I really didn’t think anything would come of me trying out.”

Draco ran a hand through his hair and walked out into the courtyard. “Really? What took you so long to try out, if you don't mind me asking? We’re always looking for new talent.”

You looked up at him out of the corner of your eye, and saw that he was waiting on an answer. “Um- I really didn’t ever think about playing, honestly. Over last summer, I was dragged into a game by a couple of friends, and they told me I had a knack for it. Then Cedric wouldn’t stop bugging me about trying to join the team, so I did.”

“That’s right. Isn’t he your boyfriend?”

You felt your heart pang at his words, and gave him a tight lipped smile. “He was. We aren’t really together anymore.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, I didn't know. I’ve just seen you two around, so I assumed…” he trailed off, looking down at you with sympathetic eyes.

“It’s fine. It was pretty recent that we,” you hesitated, almost choking on the words. “It was recently that we split up. No one really knows yet, besides close friends.”

Draco nodded, pulling a key out of his pocket. He unlocked a door on the side of the castle that you didn’t even realize existed, and walked into the cramped room. It was full of Quidditch  supplies- practice jerseys, brooms, and the trunk that held all the equipment. He picked it up, and you could see the muscles in his forearms flexing and shifting under his pale skin as he held the heavy trunk. 

“Well, I won't tell anyone. I’m sorry, I know how that can be. Will you grab two of those?” he asked, nodding at the wall behind you. Multiple brooms were mounted on it, and you grabbed two, following him out of the room. You replayed his sentence in your head. ‘I know how that can be.’ and wondered if you had missed something. You’d never seen Draco with a girl, much less a girlfriend. But maybe he was one to keep his relationships quiet. It made things much easier when you broke up if no one knew you were dating anyone in the first place.

“Yeah. It’s been… it hasn’t been fun. But, anyway, I really tried out because of that. When I didn’t hear anything for a bit, I figured that I hadn’t made it.”

“Yeah, the review takes a long time. Snape has the whole team review tryouts, then selects certain people to start training. Just about everyone was impressed with yours, though.”

“Well that’s good, right? I mean, if I’m being trained, I assume that I made it.”

Draco smiled down at you, dropping the trunk on the grass. “Welcome to the team. Let’s see what you can do.”

                                                       ☁ ☁ ☁

After a few hours of flying about Draco started packing the trunk back up, strapping the snitch back into place. The curls that had previously adorned your head had fallen limp from flying, and you were out of breath as the two of you walked back to the supply cabinet. 

“I can see why Flint was so impressed. You really could take my spot, if you wanted it,” Draco said with a smile, unlocking the hidden door once more. 

“I don’t think so. But thank you.”

He placed the trunk back on a shelf, and turned to you, crossing his arms. Again, you watched the muscles ripple under his skin and tried not to flush. “You really are good. Maybe not better than me, but good,” he said, and you could feel his eyes on you as you returned the brooms to their wall mountings. 

“I’ve seen you play, Malfoy. If you can take the snitch out from under Cedric’s nose, then I'm not sure I'll be put to much use.”

“Oh, please. Cedric isn’t what I would call competition’” he joked, locking the door behind the two of you. “And if you were watching Cedric play, how would you know if I’m any good?” he raised an eyebrow at you, and your heart fluttered in your chest. 

You’d always known Draco was good looking- it was hard not to notice that- but he was also wickedly funny, and quick witted. You felt better than you had in a week for the first time today, and you didn’t doubt that some of it had to do with the blonde boy beside you. 

“Just because I was dating someone in a different house doesn’t mean I ever stopped rooting for ours. I know where my loyalties lie.”

He gave you a sweet smile, and the two of you continued walking back to the castle in comfortable silence. When you ducked back into the bustling hallways from the courtyard, Draco cleared his throat, stopping in the small alcove. 

“So. Um, I think we should probably do this again. You did almost all solo flying today, but you need to feel the pressure of racing against someone as well. That’s half of being a seeker, is racing your opponent. Do you have a free period sometime this week?” he asked, and you felt your heart stir again- while you might’ve needed more training, you had a nagging feeling that it was a little more than that. The two of you had a good time, and you hadn’t seen Draco smile that much in the whole six years you’d been at Hogwarts with him.

“Sure. I have two on Thursday. Just let me know when you’re free; I’m in the common room a lot, so I should be easy to find.”

He grinned down at you, his blonde hair flopping down and over his forehead and cleared his throat. “Okay. sounds good. I’ll see you later, then?”

You nodded, and gave him a smile. “I’ll see you around.”

                                                       ☁ ☁ ☁

[mcyt-kalopsia]

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚐'𝚜 𝚅𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚗 - 𝟷𝟶𝟶 𝙵𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚆𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐

Theme: Technoblade is the king!!! This was just something I thought of while listening to my friend play the violin.

Characters: Technoblade, Dream, Wilbur, Tommy... I think that’s it.

Warnings: bit of language from Tommy at the end but I think that’s it! Lemme know if I missed anything.

Word Count: 2774

A/N: listen I was super descriptive in the beginning and it dropped off at the end forgive meeee ;;; but also enjoy!

It had taken Technoblade a while to get accustomed to living in the Overworld, but even longer to get accustomed to being a king. Thoughts of being back home often plagued his mind, regardless of where home really was. This - the castle full of echoing hallways and paintings that did no sort of talking back - was not it. Maybe home was back with the piglins in the Nether, or maybe it was in the little cottage that was essentially just a shell now… but again, it wasn’t in the castle. 

The hybrid’s days consisted of small-talk with aforementioned unresponsive paintings, practicing his archery out in the area he’d designated for such sport, accidentally making promises he couldn’t keep to the people under his rule, and playing the violin with what little spare time he had left after anything else unmentioned. He enjoyed the violin, and at the very least he was glad that the castle was good for carrying the sound. 

Sometimes, Wilbur came to visit and would bring his guitar. They would play music with each other until one or the other was dragged back to their duties. Wilbur was free in Techno’s eyes, but Wilbur in his own eyes was almost literally shackled to the life he had made for himself and couldn’t seem to change. Life was just cruel, and the two of them knew that stopping it was out of the question, lest they be punished further. 

Tommy was another story. Tommy led his days with as much joy as he could, which made appearances at the castle even more scarce than Wilbur’s. When he did visit, the entire castle almost seemed more like home. On more than one occasion, Techno would offer Tommy residence in the space, but it was always turned down. It was understandable, really, but Techno would offer each visit anyway.

As for Phil… well, he would send letters, but that was all that Techno got from his father. Any family further than immediate wasn’t big on communicating with him either, and they normally only reached out when they needed something from him. Talk was talk to him though, and whatever they needed was swiftly provided albeit how out of greed the communication was. 

“Your Majesty,” The advisor spoke softly from the doorway to the king’s chambers, startling the half-piglin from his thoughts. The pink-haired male looked over to the source of the voice, giving a soft smile in his direction. “A letter from your father.” To prove this, he held up a neatly sealed envelope, the crest on the wax the same as it had been when Phil himself was king. Techno waved the other male in to set it at the desk.

“Anything from Tommy or Wilbur recently?” Techno moved his braid to lay against his back, looking up at the elder, who shook his head. “I see. I suppose I'll have to write something to them. Tommy’s birthday is soon, so I figured I could round the two up here and make a day of it.” Smiling fondly, he moves his inkwell closer to him. 

“That’s a wonderful idea, I just hope that there’s not too much trouble involved.” The older man waves a finger as he places the envelope of well-wishes on the desk. 

“Ever since becoming king, there’s never been a day of trouble. It’s quite exhausting knowing that I had to grow up so quickly,” Techno bites back bitterly. He missed the days when he was uncaged and hardly had a responsibility to name. Now here he was, sole ruler of a kingdom he hadn’t given a second thought back when he was younger. 

For a while, his royal advisor stayed quiet. Though he didn’t enjoy the attitude from the king, he understood that the younger male had been forced to rule and wasn’t really here voluntarily. He did note, however, that for someone who had been left the kingdom unwillingly, he did a fine job of ruling it. “Also, the invitations have been sent out, your Majesty.” 

Right. Invitations. Damnit. “I wish you could have just forgotten about the whole thing,” Techno complained, dipping his pen into the ink and putting the end to the paper. He loved to write letters, they were his favourite. He was rather proud of his penmanship, so that made them all the easier for him. Then again… how would he write it? He didn’t want to be too formal, since these were for his brothers, but he had to keep some kind of proper to his words. He’d fallen so far out of it with his brothers that he didn’t know how to talk to them anymore, and he felt pretty pathetic for it. 

He ended up thinking so long about it that it left a puddle of ink in the middle of the paper. Now he needed a new paper. 

“I told you that I would hold you to it, so I simply made and handed out the invitations by myself.” The advisor chuckles softly, letting a hand rest on Techno’s shoulder, before he exits the room and leaves Techno to his thoughts again. Once Techno got a different paper, he slowly started writing how he thought it would sound best, although it sounded awkward. He hadn’t intended on it being awkward really, but it came out that way and he figured it sounded best like he would sound around his brothers. He made a separate one for the other, then sealed them both up, after neatly and precisely folding them to nestle into the envelopes with no issue. 

He was starting to think a lot about those invitations. It felt sort of like a betrayal, having the advisor do all of that without notice after Techno made wise cracks about having a royal ball to find someone to marry and have rule alongside him. It felt too cliche, like it had been done one too many times before. He knew he’d heard about other kingdoms doing the same thing, and it just felt… overdone. It didn't matter too much, since he figured he wouldn’t find someone he would like right off the bat, but it still bothered him that he hadn’t been informed of the finalcy of actual planning. 

Techno looked over to the envelope from his father, the seal a bright blue in contrast to the dark red that Techno used when sealing his own envelopes. He couldn’t remember off the top of his head which kingdom usually used blue for their seals, but Techno figured that’s where Phil was at the time of writing the letter and sending it off. He picked the envelope up and examined it, then carefully opened it to retrieve the letter from inside. He put down the envelope and unfolded the letter,  reading the words until his eyes went blurry.

Dear Techno,

I was surprised to see when young women started receiving invitations here and in other areas, and even more surprised to find it was from you. Or, well, the advisor! I figured he’d be retired by now, but when I saw him here, I obviously had to ask about him, and you.

I know how you’re feeling about this whole thing - trust me, I do. Just know that I gave one female in particular an invitation. I’m not telling you who, but I promise that you’re very likely to be interested in getting to know her! 

Besides this whole ball situation, I hope you’ve been well and not giving your brothers too much grief when they stop by. I worry about you three a lot, so it would be nice if you could all see each other and get along more often. If you three manage to meet up for Tommy’s birthday or plan to, let me know beforehand so I can possibly show up as well. 

We miss you, Techno. 

- Dad

After Techno had taken in all of the information and wishes of wellness, his first initial thought was, ‘of course he would say he might be able to show up’. Though not meant in a bitter way, it came out bitter. He had his reasons for bitterness, though. Almost every letter he receives from Phil has some version of the same line, but never once had the older male appeared. Sure, there were times when Phil was busy, but Techno knew he wasn’t busy all the time. No one person could be busy all the time. Not even him, and he was ruling an entire kingdom. 

There came a sharp knocking on the doorframe, so Techno turned in his seat. Dream stood there, adorned in his usual attire of light armour and emerald-coloured clothing underneath, with the additional smirk on his lips. “Your Majesty,” He said dramatically, bowing as far as he could, then straightening back up. 

“You could have warned me of your arrival, so maybe then I could evacuate,” Techno replied jokingly, motioning with one hand to enter the room. Dream strode in, looking around. “So, what brings you here? How’s living out in the forests going for you and your friends?” 

Dream shrugged his shoulders, sitting at the edge of the king’s bed and sighing. “Well, living out there has been great, although Sapnap and George could always use a little separation since they argue a lot.” He laughed quietly, a small smile replacing earlier’s smirk. “They’re both great though. I couldn’t be happier in this life.” 

Dream’s wording sounded a bit weird to Techno, but he didn’t ask questions. “Anyway, why are you here?”

“Oh!” The green-donned male went through his bag and fished out an apple - a golden one, the colour shining where the light from the window hit it - and set it on the desk that the king still sat at. “This is for you. You know how hard those are to get, so be grateful.” 

“If I accept this, will I be indebted to you?”

“No, of course not! It’s just a friendly gesture, since you’ve been so much help to me in the past. Just keep it, okay? I have to go.” Dream patted Techno’s shoulder, then quickly made his way out of the room. Techno was alone once more.

Putting the apple with the rest of the golden apples in his collection, he let out a heavy sigh and looked to the clock. It was already past noon. Lunch would be soon, but Techno’s appetite had left long ago, so he figured he could skip it. Lunch was a rather unimportant meal in his day, and he wanted to replace that time with something more fun. 

Finally, he stood, looking toward the violin case that rested on the window seat. A little bit more practice couldn’t hurt.

The sun had set in the distance, sinking below the horizon and giving way to the night in it’s dark glory, stars covering the blanketed sky and twinkling in such a familiar way that Techno could have sworn they felt like friends. The stars had seen every bit of his life in the Overworld, and had never said a harsh word or judged him based on what he did and didn’t do. Although he had friends that spoke to him sometimes, they weren’t the same. Stars were judgement-free. Stars were always there for him, even if he couldn’t see them. 

He sat on the balcony leading to his chambers, looking up into the star-speckled sky, thinking about the events of the day. After that bit more of violin practice, he had been forced to eat even a little, then was sent out to talk to some of the people in the kingdom. Though mostly uneventful, the day had been sprinkled with some interesting events. 

He had seen a child dressed in a miniature-sized cape that resembled his own, with a blue painted cardboard sword and a crown of the same material, who said he wanted to be like Techno when he grew up. The king had stayed to talk with the little boy for a bit longer, before his father came out to get him for dinner. 

He’d also seen a proposal right in the square, which he had congratulated after the ‘yes’. He didn’t really see the appeal of love and marriage, but they were happy, and that was enough for him. He still didn’t see him getting into a relationship of such a kind in the future, though.

He got up from the balcony’s bench, then went back inside. The day had worn him out thoroughly, so he was ready for it to be over finally. He changed into his nightclothes, putting the ones from the day into a basket near his door for collection. He had insisted on doing his own laundry in the past, but the staff would have him do no such thing. Sometimes, though, Techno was able to do it in secret. He wanted some semblance to his old life, even if it meant sneaking around to do his own laundry once in a great while. 

Techno made his way over to his bed while undoing his braid, a soft yawn escaping his mouth before he finally settled in for the night. It didn’t take long for the room to go quiet, save for the soft snoring of the king as he slept. 

Morning crept it’s way slowly into the window, the light filtering through the curtains and painting the large room in a warm glow. The sunlight left even the sleeping king in a heavenly glow, and slowly his ruby eyes fluttered open. Sitting up, Techno rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes, then stretched his arms high above his head. There was faint birdsong from outside, and it was a comfort in the loneliness that was the castle. 

The half-piglin threw the covers off, then stepped out of bed and stretched again, before heading to the wardrobe and choosing an outfit for the day. Most of said wardrobe consisted of ruffled shirts and black pants, which was only a slight upgrade from what he wore back before his ruling, as well as a couple of nice jackets that he saved for colder weather. After putting his sleeping clothes into the basket, he runs a brush through his long, pink hair, putting it up into the usual braid. His mind was still too sleep-clouded to make a coherent thought, so he made his way to the dining room, the smell of breakfast like a lure to his grumbling stomach. 

“Good morning, your Majesty.” The main chef pulls the male’s chair out, setting a plate of food in front of him. “I hope you slept well.” The woman leaves a gentle pat on Techno’s forearm, then scurries back to the kitchen. Techno picks up his fork and knife, working on cleaning off the plate so he could go start on the day’s activities. 

Once he finishes his breakfast, he pops into the kitchen to thank all the chefs, then grabs his bow and shoulder bag with his arrows, striding toward the part of the yard with the targets laid out. His mind had become clear, the tired grey clouds having gone when he was eating. 

He took a stance a handful of feet away from one of the targets, pulling an arrow from the back and knocking it. He pulled back the string with the arrow, lining it up to hopefully get a bullseye. Letting go, he watched the arrow miss the middle and hit the second outermost circle. Something was on his mind, and that made focusing on the target a bit more difficult. Maybe… maybe the ball was a bigger deal to him than he thought. 

“You’ve gotten rusty, Techno!” A hand comes down on his shoulder, causing him to jump and look over. It was Wilbur! “Woah, man. Didn’t mean to scare you.” He laughs, then gives his brother a side hug. Suddenly, every other thought vanishes, and things feel a lot lighter. 

“I didn’t think you would actually come here.” Techno gives a half-smile, patting Wilbur’s back. Suddenly, another familiar voice rings out.

“I’m here too, fuckhead! Wilbur just needs to learn how to wait up.” Tommy bounds up to the two, grinning from ear to ear and making everything even brighter. If Techno was being honest, this was the first time the three of them had been together since the crowning.

[writing-gifts]

holding on

(platonic bruno x gn!reader)

A/N: This was supposed to be a sugar daddy fic but went the complete opposite direction and now its just the struggle of making friends with a mafioso without realizing he’s a mafioso

the best way i can summarize this is: bruno: i can have a civilian friend….as a treat reader: i am lonely and oblivious

-------

Bruno had come into your life by chance.

You had been rushing to class. And as you hastened your steps, you struggled to shove your almost forgotten notes into your bag.

You were so nervous and shaken from waking up late that your fingers trembled and your papers went scattering across the sidewalk. You immediately knelt down to grab your papers, snatching them up before they got blown away by the wind.

You were so focused on your task that you didn’t notice that you were being helped until a neatly collected stack of papers appeared in front of your face in Bruno's hand--however at the time he was just a stranger to you.

You stood up and quickly thanked the man in a flustered state, babbling about who knows what. In a hurry, you grabbed the papers and placed them in a folder then into your bag.

He probably asked you something but you were barely paying attention, distracted by the time on your watch. The last thing you said to him was a hurried ‘yea bye!’ before quickly continuing on your way.

The next time you met him was at a random park. You had decided to take a different route back home from university for a change of scenery and ended up in a park.

While sitting down and watching the various people passing by, you immediately recognized him. The man who helped you that day.

Without thinking you called out to him, referring to him as sir since you didn't know his name. Thankfully, he didn't seem annoyed by this.

You used this chance to thank him properly since you barely did before. And for some reason he wanted to stay and moved to sit down next to you on the bench.

You properly introduced yourselves and made small talk about random things. He also asked you a decent amount of questions about yourself, which kind of surprised you, but then you remembered this was how people socialized.

You wind up telling him about how you recently moved away from home to go to college here, what you were studying, and how you worked part time at a cafe.

You tried to ask him some things too but he was pretty vague, not giving enough information for you to piece together much.

From then on you ran into Bruno more and more often. It made you wonder if you had passed by him unknowingly before you actually met him.

Soon the two of you become friends. You found yourself spending a good chunk of the time you spent outside your home with him.

Bruno fed you a lot. When he took you out for the first time and tried to pay the whole bill, you practically had to beg him to let you pay half, but every other time after was a lost cause.

Bruno didn't seem to have any issues paying every bill and seemed well off from whatever work he did.

However, when he had tried to randomly help you with some of your school expenses you had to put your foot down. You only knew him for a couple months by then so you just couldn't accept it. Anyways you were doing okay...kind of.

You assured him that you were fine.

When he wasn't fretting over you, you really enjoyed spending time with him. And as you got closer you realized that Bruno was kind of weird, but it was endearing though.

He had a terrible sense of personal space, a strange sense of humor, and a ridiculous amount of knowledge on fish.

He would also say strange things with the straightest face. You really couldn't help playfully teasing him sometimes because of it.

Something else not as fun that you realized about Bruno was that even though he didn't really show it on his face, he could be quite paranoid at times. He wouldn't let you walk home alone when it was too late, which was fair. Naples wasn't exactly the safest place.

But one time he made you stay overnight even though it wasn't dark outside yet. You went along with it because a sleepover sounded fun but then he tried to have you stay again. You had declined but offered to have him stay over at your home one day, but he reacted strangely and said no.

And sometimes you'd catch him looking at nothing in particular with a stern conflicted expression, at least that's what you thought it was.

Other than those moments, Bruno gave off the calm and collected aura of someone who had his shit together. He seemed responsible and reliable. So of course it was no surprise that he'd usually returned a missed call or text right away, but some days he wouldn't reply for days at a time and it made you nervous. You'd overthink and wonder if he was upset with you.

One time he didn't respond to any of your messages for two weeks straight. Text after text unread and every call sent straight to voicemail. And when you finally mustered up the courage to visit his home no one answered.

As you were mulling over getting the police involved, he suddenly appeared at your doorstep, with your favorite dessert, as if nothing happened.

And even though you cried and lost sleep over the temporary disappearance of your first and only friend in Naples, you decided not to pry then. You were just really happy to see him again.

But abnormal things like this constantly happening made you suspicious of what he was up to.

Eventually you couldn't stop yourself and tried to find out anything, but whenever you asked he would simply tell you that you didn't need to worry about it.

It made you sad when he did that.

If he was in trouble you wanted to help. He was always there for you so you wanted him to let you support him too.

When you finally admitted this to Bruno, he looked the most vulnerable you'd ever seen him but it was so faint and momentary you would have messed it if you blinked.

Hiding behind that stoic expression you were starting to get frustrated with, he told you that he appreciated your concerns but they were apparently unnecessary. So you decided it was best to go home to calm down and try to move past it.

After that, sometimes when you both were alone together, he would look at you much more intensely than he usually did. But whenever you asked what was wrong, he'd just shake his head like he changed his mind. And as infuriating as it became you didn’t push.

But fortunately for you, the truth came out anyways.

It was only a matter of time anyways so why'd he keep something like this from you for so long? Logically, it didn’t make sense and you were realizing that your friend might be more reckless than you thought.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" you ask.

It had been a week since you last talked and you decided it was time to confront him.

"I didn't want you involved at all in that part of my life," he pauses, "and I didn't want you to hate me."

You frowned, you should have come here sooner. "I don't hate you, I was just trying to process. I mean...seeing your friend beat the crap out of someone in an alleyway, and then finding out he's involved in the mafia right after is shocking! But not knowing was probably more dangerous..."

Bruno avoids your eyes. "I know."

You sigh and grab his hand. "I'm not going anywhere though."

You begin to squeeze his hand between the two of yours, trying to find something to keep your own hands busy.

"I was mad, I’m still mad, but I understand why you wouldn't want me to know…." you trail off and silence settles between the two of you.

You begin to play with Bruno's fingers unsure of what to say next.

"I wanted to tell you eventually, I just couldn't figure out how," Bruno finally says.

That did make you feel a little better. "This is really dangerous...but I still want to be friends with you.” You laugh a little, “If I told my past self that they’d willingly stay friends with a mafia member...they’d be so pissed.”

Bruno fingers slightly twitch in your grip. You quickly change the subject, internally sighing from your poor joke.

“No more crazy secrets okay?"

Bruno finally looks at you, and you see a bit of conflict in his blue eyes but he nods. "Okay..."

You hold your arms open, and Bruno leans forward and presses his body against yours. You wrap your arms around his neck and push your cheek against his.

The two of you stay like that for a while.

Bruno breaks the silence again. "You smell nice, cara."

You snort. "Thanks Bruno."

[atombombbagel]

Sole goes AWOL and no one seems to know where they went. How would the companions (+ Maxson?) react to accidentally finding out that they have become the fierce Overboss of Nuka World? The angstier, the better!

(ANGST AHEAD) Hey. Thought I’d post because why not… Enjoy. Also I only did romanced companions because It’s been forever and I need some time to get back into things because I have the motivation of a dead fish :) 

(I’ll try and add the other companions later)  

Hours? Days? Months? Who knows. Nobody does apparently, they checked, double checked, triple checked. They had asked everybody who is anybody and nope, they hadn’t the foggiest idea, not the slightest clue. Sole was gone, and they couldn’t help but think the worst… 

 Cait: “I’m not using anymore ye asshole.” Cait snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. She’d been wandering about, walking off last nights hangover (the hangover she’d acquired by trying to drown out her negative thoughts about Sole’s whereabouts) when she’d been approached by an old friend. No. Not a friend, an old dealer she knew.

 "Well… you see, Cait, I told the boss I had the perfect person to do deals out here in the good old commonwealth and you wouldn’t want to let an old buddy down now would you?“ The man in worn slacks snickered. "I know you, Cait, you can’t refuse a good deal… a good high.” The raider twirled a psycho in his hand. 

 "Did ye even hear me? I said I aint usin’ and I definitely aint dealin’ for a waste a space like you. Now ye better piss off before I knock yer feckin’ teeth out.“ Cait seethed, the arrogance of her former dealer making her blood boil. 

 "Is this her?” A voice from the distance said. Cait’s eyes flicked to the person making their way out from behind a decrepit shack. She raised her eyebrows as she focused on the face in front of her. A face she knew all too well. 

 "Sole?“ She said in surprise, "What the hell are ye doin’ messing around with this eejit?” She raised her voice. Sole stepped forward, knocking the dealer in the chest with their fist. 

 "This is who you have for me? You numbskull, get out of my sight.“ Sole shoved the man aside. "Cait.” Sole turned to their former companion. “Long time no see.” They smiled at the red head. 

 “You. Yer the Overboss? Tha one terrorising the Commonwealth with yer gang of thugs?“ Cait pulled a psycho from her pocket. "Ye left me this. Do ye have any idea what ye could of undone?” Cait threw the drug to Sole’s feet. “I can’t believe ye’d do this. I thought… Nevermind what I thought.” Cait sighed. “Stay away from me." 

 "I got pulled into it. I didn’t know you were the person-”

 "Save yer bullshit for someone who cares. After what ye saw me going through? Ye’d what? Inflict that hell on someone else by selling the damn stuff? Yer an ass. I want nothing to do with ye.“

 "It’s only business, I never meant…” Sole tried to convince her but Cait had already turned away. The feeling in her heart worse than any withdrawal she’d ever felt.

Curie: Curie followed the beeping on her radio to the location she was pretty sure was being transmitted. The distress call. The person who needed medical assistance should be right here. But… they weren’t. 

“Fresh meat!" 

All of a sudden, Curie’s vision went black, she tried to scream but she couldn’t, her voice was trapped in the back of her throat. She was terrified. She passed out she was sure of it, only her vision came back to her as a burlap sack was lifted from her head. 

"Looky here Boss. It works.” A raider said (referring to the trap he had set up and planned despite everyone being sceptical about it). Curie’s eyes met her long lost Companions. Soles. She sighed with relief. 

“You’re alive!” She beamed, “I heard a distress call, coming right from here.” Curie explained. “I’ve been trying to help people all over in your absence until I found you of course. Where is the person who needs help?” Curie asked, observing the area carefully. She’d seen similar camps back in the Commonwealth but nothing of this capacity. There must have been hundreds of raiders. She grimaced at the sight of a pile of stacked dead bodies, naked, left there to rot, while a group of raiders rummaged through their clothes and belongings. It didn’t seem like Sole to like this sort of brutality, but maybe she didn’t know Sole as well as she thought she did.  

“There is no distress call.” Sole said plainly, crossing their arms over their chest. She nodded for one of the raiders to come over to them. “You don’t harm her. You and whats-his face,” Sole paused, “You know… Mason’s right hand. You both, take her home and make sure she gets there safe. Not a single hair on her head gets touched, understand?” Sole’s eyes pierced into the raiders. He was clearly scared of them. He nodded. 

“No distress call? But I heard-" 

"It was a trap Curie. You need to go home. It isn’t safe here. I care about you too much to let this corrupt you,” Sole interrupted. “I know you don’t understand but trust me. They need you back home, you need to forget about me." 

Danse: "BOSS!” A Disciple, that was clearly out of the breath from the vigorous running she’d been doing called to Sole. The Overboss of Nuka-World turned to the raider. “We have someone you’d definitely want to see. The bounty on this one’s head. We’ve caught the best of the best!” She was giddy, excited. Sole creased their eyebrows as they followed her. 

“Who is it?” Sole asked, observing the person in front of them, their eyes covered by an old rag. Sole didn’t see the point in covering their eyes if they were to die when handed to their pursuer anyway. 

“Its the Paladin. The one the Brotherhood have been looking for. The one that got away. We’ll be rich!” Sole’s mouth dropped into a frown. It couldn’t be him… could it? 

“Why did you bring him here?” The paladin’s ears perked up when he caught the sound of his capturers voice. That voice that he loved so much, that had pulled him back from the brink at the darkest of times. The voice of the person he never thought he’d see again. 

“Sole?” He said in to blind darkness. He couldn’t see anything, but he knew, he knew deep down it was them. Where they finally back to hand him over to Maxson? Finally seeing him as what he truly was. 

“Remove the blindfold you fool.” Sole said, their eyes meeting Danse’s when the cloth was finally removed. 

“I thought you were dead.” He said after a brief moment of silence. He took a minute to look around at his surroundings. Of all places, he never expected Sole to be here, in this mess. “What are you doing? You’re smarter than this.

"Watch your mouth,” A raider snarled, holding a knife to Danse’s neck. 

“Let him go.” Sole demanded, their eyes still fixed on Danse’s. “I had to get away from the Brotherhood, I found myself here. Its the same, only here I can make my own rules." 

"These people are murderers Sole.” Danse met the other raiders eyes, he watched their scowling faces. They were ready to pounce but they couldn’t, Sole would never let them. 

“So are the Brotherhood.”

“It’s different. They are doing the best for humanity, you’re killing mankind for financial gain. It’s despicable.” Sole smiled briefly. He always was honest. The most honest man they’d ever met. 

“We won’t be turning him in, or killing him.” Sole announced. “Danse, find Preston. He’s in Sanctuary, he’ll let you stay there, for as long as you want." 

"Come with me?” Danse asked, “You don'y belond here.” He wanted Sole to jump into his arms, wrap their arms around his neck and say yes but they stood there expressionless. 

“I can’t. I’m sorry. Find Preston, he’ll help.” Sole swallowed the lump in their throat as they turned. They couldn’t face him as they left, it was too painful. 

Hancock: The red coat wearing devil took a small step backwards, making sure that there was distance between him and the raider, who stood a few meters in front of him. 

“You stick those nails in your armour to make you appear tuff huh big guy?” Hancock mocked, a smirk etched across his disfigured face. 

“You’d better pay up Mister Mayor, or we’ll have to call the boss down here and well, they don’t appreciate it when someone don’t pay for the goods. You understand me?” A raider with bright green hair, stood next to her nail-armour friend. She snarled, making sure the light from the sun reflected on her recently sharpened blade. “Or perhaps we’ll get the pack on you.” She laughed before howling, causing the raider next to her to follow suit. Hancock raised a hairless brow. 

“Aw come on now, we can handle this like men… or women… wait…” Nevertheless, Hancock stepped forward, his concealed knife dug deep into the green-haired woman’s gut. He pulled his knife out and thrust it back in, making sure to twist it. The woman groaned in pain. “Don’t even think about it,” Hancock hissed to the other one, making his threat quite clear to him.

“I think that is quite enough.” Hancock was approached by another raider in Brahmin road leathers, only it wasn’t a raider. It was Sole. The same Sole that had been missing for months, the same one he’d sent search parties out for, the same Sole he thought was dead. 

“Well well… aint this a surprise.” Hancock cleaned his knife using a handkerchief he kept in the inside pocked of his red jacket. “Hanging with the big boys now huh? Or are you the big old bad boss of Nuka World?” He spat. “I didn’t think you were the muderin’ type.”

“I am the boss here Hancock and there is no murdering, but if I get double crossed well that is different.” Sole’s statement made him chuckle with disgust. 

“You.” Hancock pointed his knife at Sole, “Are not who I thought you were.” He put his hand inside his pocket again, this time pulling out a bag of caps. “Here’s your fucking money.” He threw it to the ground, right at Sole’s feet. “Now we are square." 

"It doesn’t have to be like this. You could join us, join me." 

"You really think I want to become a petty murdering thug? You think I was to kill innocent people after stealing their shit? All that they have so you can what? Sit on your throne and boss ME around?” He chuckled. “I’ve got a town to run and you aint fucking welcome.” He shook his head. “I really thought you were different Sunshine.”

MacCready: “There must be some here somewhere.” MacCready muttered to himself as he rummaged around in various chests and bags of an old locker room he’d stumbled across. It was only till he heard a click of a gun he stood still. 

 "What do you think you’re doing in this part of town?“ A rough voice said, making MacCready turn around to face him. His eyes studied the man in front of him. Tall, lanky, not very built, hair was slicked back and around his waste was a belt made of… was that bullets? He looked back up, catching the man’s steady gaze. 

 "The boss aint gonna like this, but if you empty your pockets, they don’t have to know you was trespassing on their property.” The man flashed his teeth with a menacing smile. 

 "I don’t think so.“ MacCready replied standing his ground, ready to aim his rifle. He knew he’d be quicker, but the image of his infant son flashed in his mind. Duncan. He couldn’t do anything rash. "Take me to your boss.” He decided, gripping the leather strap across his shoulder. The raider shrugged before motioning MacCready to follow him.

 The room was dark-ish, lit up by a single lamp, shaped like a cola bottle. Only it had a face, which MacCready thought was weird and a little creepy. 

 "This is the guy that was snooping around in the locker room boss. A thief if you ask me. We should throw him to the dogs.“ He snickered, shoving MacCready forward. It was only then did MacCready catch a glimpse of the person sitting in the chair besides the cola shaped lamp. A smile stretched across their lips.

 "If it isn’t the greatest sniper in all the Commonwealth.” MacCready recognised their voice instantly. 

 "Sole?“ He questioned, making out their features dimly lit by the shit lamp. "So this is what you’ve decided to do while you’ve been gone?” MacCready looked around, heads on spikes jutted out of the ground like some barbaric warning. Junk littered the ground, and in the distance he could discern two of Sole’s raiders roughing each other up. “I’m not one to judge, I’ve made numerous questionable choices too. To each his own.” He shrugged, clutching the leather strap holding his prized sniper, closer to his chest. He knew Sole, he knew they would never hurt him, yet he couldn’t help but feel unsettled by what they had become. He chuckled. “I ran with the gunners, they aint much different. Just be careful." 

 "Thanks Mac.” Sole said with a brief smile. “You don’t want to stay for a while?” They asked, cocking their head to the side. MacCready shook his head, rather quickly. 

 "I should get back to my son. Stay safe out here Sole.“ And with that MacCready left, not wanting to be around Sole when they lead a bloodthirsty pack of savage raiders. It wasn’t safe for him or his son. 

Piper: The story was going to be so good! She was finally hot on the trail of this mysterious boss, the one who was ordering the takeover of the Commonwealth. Once this was all around Diamond City she’d be sold out of newspapers for sure. She’d finally be able to buy her sister that premium box of snack cakes, the ones only Deacon could get on his way back from Washington. A hefty price but her sister deserved it. 

Piper hid against the side of a dilapidated building, crouching down as she tried to keep to the shadows. He held her pen tightly in her grip. 

"Where’s the money you stole from me?” A voice snarled, the person behind it kicking a man in the stomach, before holding their gun up and cocking back the trigger. “I won’t hesitate, you know that, don’t you? And after you’re dead we know where your family lives.” The voice threatened. The man stumbled over his own words. 

“Please don’t hurt them! I swear I don’t know where the money is! I didn’t take it!" 

"Wrong answer.” The loud echo of the gunshot rang through Pipers ears, causing her to gasp without her even knowing it came from her mouth. The person she’d been spying on, the ‘Boss’, saw her. She gulped trying to hurry to her feet but she was grabbed by the bosses minions. They made their way over to where Piper was standing, stopping when they saw the familiar cap and coat of their old reporter friend. 

“What are you doing here?” The Boss asked, their voice softer than it had been when shouting at the now dead s.o.b. 

“Blue? Is that you?” Piper couldn’t believe her eyes. It couldn’t be them. She’d been assured that they were dead. She’d been told they’d been a victim of the Boss. The other reason she was chasing the story. “I thought you were dead.” She choked out, nearly sobbing at this point. Sole shook their head. Piper snapped back to her senses. “Please tell me you’re not the Overboss. Please tell me what I saw wasn’t what I saw.” Sole’s eyes met the ground. “What did you get yourself into?" 

"Its me, I’m the Overboss and what you saw… You can’t tell anyone about it. Do you understand me, Piper?” Sole noticed the notepad in Piper’s hand. “Give it to me.” Piper shook her head. 

“You don’t scare me, Blue." 

"No? I know where Nat is. I know what she looks like. She’s make a great protege. Or maybe I’ll just kill her.” Sole shrugged. “Your choice.” Piper’s face scrunched up in disgust. 

“You wouldn’t. She’s a kid." 

"Do you really want to find out?” Sole threatened and Piper looked down at the ground. She tossed her notepad to the ground. 

“I can’t believe I ever trusted you. You’re a monster." 

"No. I’m just the Overboss. And you better remember that." 

Preston: Preston had been guarding the parameter to Sanctuary when he was grabbed, by heavily armed and armoured Raiders. He fought so hard to get them off but he couldn’t call for help. When he had managed to bite one of the raiders hands he had been knocked out with the butt of their pipe rifle. 

Preston slowly opened his eyes, blinking as he let his eyes adjust to the light shining in them. He tried to lift his arm only to find that he had been tied to a chair by tightly wrapped leather belts. He groaned as the pain in his head finally hit him. Where was he?

"This is the guy we got. The one who’s in charge of that big place we were telling you about.” A smug raider, clearly proud of himself, said with a beaming smile, nudging their bosses arm. He winced as he was slapped across the face. 

“Are you stupid?” Preston’s head snapped up as he heard that all familiar voice. He could not believe his eyes. What was Sole doing here? What was Sole doing surrounded by a bunch of disgusting vile people. “I said stay away from Sanctuary hills you idiot. Untie him. NOW.” Sole snapped, making the guy scurry forwards and quickly untie Preston’s bonds. “I’m so sorry about this.” Sole apologised as Preston stood up.

“How could you side with them?” Preston spat. Sole noticed the look of revulsion on his face. “You know what they are like. You know what they do to people and you’re here siding with them? After all we have built you’d throw it all away to be their ruler?” He looked down, shaking his head. 

“Preston. I told them to stay away from the Minutemen. I would never hurt our people.”

“MY people. You turned your back on us the minute you joined forces with these… things.” He sighed, “I’ll never forgive you for this." 

"Preston…” He pushed past Sole, tugging his arm away when Sole tried to reach for him. “Preston!” Sole called after him, but he was gone and he wouldn’t be turning back.

[vernonfielding]

No pain no gain

Missing scene fic from Jimmy Jabs 2! This is shameless hurt/comfort (and some mild Jake/Amy Being Serious). Thank you to the lovely and super smart @fezzle and @feeisamarshmallow for the fantastic beta!! Title is more Bash Brothers (from Let’s Bash). 

Read on AO3.

First, Amy runs up to Jake and throws her arms around his neck and kisses him soundly, right in front of the entire squad and the staff and the civilians mingling all around the bullpen. She kisses him until he’s breathless and she can feel the too-fast flutter of his pulse in his neck (which could be from the kiss or the adrenaline, impossible to know).

Second, Amy pulls back and grabs his hand and drags him up, arm circling his waist when he stumbles a little. She takes him straight down the garage, to their sensible and very boring Champagne-colored sedan, and drives him to the closest emergency room.

It’s busy for a weekday afternoon. Every seat is taken, mostly by people coughing behind surgical masks or clutching barf bags and sweating in a way that makes Amy’s own stomach turn a little. A woman in a chair just behind them is pressing a bloody towel into the palm of one hand. A little boy two chairs over has an icepack pressed to his nose and blood all over his white T-shirt.

The nurse at the registration desk glances up as Amy approaches with Jake. The nurse’s eyes flit down to the NYPD logo on their matching shirts and she says, “Injured in the line of duty?”

She’s holding a pen in one hand, poised over a clipboard, and Amy knows her answer now will determine the rest of their day: If Jake was hurt on duty they get a free pass back to the ER. If she says Jake was competing in the Nine-Nine’s version of American Gladiators-

“Yes,” Amy says. “My husband was on duty. He fell.” It’s not really a lie.

The nurse hits a buzzer, and five minutes later Jake’s in a bed, plastic wristband on one arm and blood pressure cuff on the other. The adrenaline’s fully kicked in and he’s gone all pale and sweaty, his blood pressure is alarmingly high, and he can’t stop fidgeting when the nurse tries to put an oximeter clip on one finger. Amy feels a twist of guilt in her gut and chews on a thumbnail.

+++

Amy loves Jake. Full stop. No reservations, no conditions, no exceptions. She loves every part of him -- his kind and generous heart, his ridiculous curls and goofball grin, his exceptional detective brain and his remarkably robust digestive system (given his eating habits). She loves his recent addiction to corn nuts, and she loves that his new favorite beverage is boba tea from the shop around the corner from their apartment. She loves that he didn’t learn the months of the year until he was 12 and that he activates his animatronic fish at least once a week, just to make sure it’s still “alive.”

She loves that he’s going to be the father of her child. She knows he’ll be incredible -- she feels it in her heart and her bones and her blood and and her brain and all the spaces in between. 

(And she still really, really loves his butt.)

But damnit if the man isn’t absolutely infuriating sometimes.

“So, what happened here?” says the doctor, pushing aside the curtain at the foot of Jake’s bed. The doctor is very tall and her hair is pulled into a tight braid that falls halfway down her back. Amy’s glad she prepared for this moment.

“My husband fell out of a ceiling,” she says, throwing just the right amount of sheepishness into her tone. “Also, I used an EpiPen on him.”

The thing is, this is almost too easy, striking the right balance between telling the truth and fudging the embarrassing details in these situations. Amy smiles pleasantly at the doctor when she raises a questioning eyebrow.

“What is he allergic to?” the doctor says, looking between Amy and Jake.

“Bees,” Amy says, “but he wasn’t stung. I had to give him the adrenaline so he could break down a door.”

“I see,” the doctor says, though clearly she doesn’t. But she refrains from asking follow-up questions, which is all that matters. “You know that’s not really how EpiPens work.”

Amy does not tell the doctor that, in fact, the EpiPen worked exactly as they’d hoped. Instead she shrugs and says, “We didn’t have a lot of other options.”

“Well.” The doctor frowns and looks Jake up and down, and makes a note on the tablet she’s carried in with her. “Let’s take a look.”

The nurse who got him settled took off Jake’s sweatshirt, but he’s otherwise still in his tactical uniform, boots and all. Amy notices there’s a bruise blossoming along his jawline and another high up on his forehead. It’s amazing that he didn’t get any cuts or badly broken bones when he fell, but she suspects his ribs are bruised, at least. She hopes it’s nothing more serious, and she recalls one morning years ago, when he came to work the day after hurting himself so badly after chasing a perp through traffic and falling through the open sunroof of a car. He’d insisted to everyone that he was fine, when he clearly wasn’t; at the time, Amy had brushed it off as typical Jake: brash, impulsive, foolish and still weirdly endearing.

She would have said earlier today that Jake wasn’t like that anymore -- that he wouldn’t participate in the Jimmy Jabs, of all things, if he was truly injured. But after everything that he’s said and done today, she’s not sure that’s the case. And anyway, she was pushing him, telling him they couldn’t lose their ridiculous (boring) car to a ridiculous bet in a ridiculous game.

Jake hisses when the doctor bends over and prods gently at his left side. She lifts his T-shirt and Amy winces at the mottled blue and purple bruising. His shoulder is similarly bruised, and swollen, and Jake can’t reach his arm up over his head when the doctor asks. 

“I’d like to get some X-rays,” the doctor says. “How’s your head?”

“Hurts,” Jake says. He’s gritting his teeth and has wrapped an arm around his middle.

“Did you hit it in the fall?” the doctor says, taking a penlight out of her coat pocket.

“I don’t think so,” Jake says. The doctor shines the light in his eyes and Jake frowns but endures it. She asks his name, if he knows where he is and what year it is -- all the usual stuff.

“The headache is probably from the EpiPen,” the doctor says. “But we’ll keep an eye on it.”

+++

The doctor leaves and a nurse returns with a gown and offers to help Jake change. Amy says she’s got it.

“You’re a mess,” she says, quietly, as she takes off his shoes.

She helps him strip off his pants and they both pause to look over the bruised bumps on his legs. A particularly angry-looking lump the size of a baseball is forming on his right thigh, and when Amy brushes the spot with a finger the skin feels hot. Her eyes fill with tears and she blinks and looks away, tugging the pants off his feet when they get stuck.

“I’m sorry,” Jake says, so soft she hardly catches it.

Amy sighs and helps him sit up. She peels off the blood pressure cuff, and slides his T-shirt as carefully as she can over his stiff arms, up and over his head. She unfolds the gown the nurse left them and helps him pull it on, then takes a seat on the bed, at his hip.

“I’m not mad at you for getting hurt,” she says.

“I know I was being reckless-”

“Jake, last month you climbed onto an overturned wastebasket on top of a skateboard so you could hang the new curtains in our bedroom,” Amy says. “And you know what my first thought was, when I saw you up there like two seconds from falling through the window?”

“That you married a moron?” Jake says glumly.

“No -- I thought you were right, that the teal stripes match our bedspread really well,” Amy says. “Don’t get me wrong, I also wondered why you hadn’t just climbed on a chair like a normal person. But I wasn’t mad about it, and I’m not mad about this now.”

Jake looks so relieved, his face going soft and smiley, that she almost feels bad when she takes his hand in hers and adds, “But I’m still pretty pissed that you bet the car. Our car.”

+++

Amy hated Jake for the first two weeks after she started at the Nine-Nine. After everything she’d been through at the Six-Four, Jake came across as just another fucking bro-cop, with his dumb, disarming smile and flirting with witnesses and constant boasting about his detective skillz-with-a-Z. He never crossed any lines with her, but she didn’t peg him as an ally, either.

Then he’d said something, something that should have been totally ordinary but wasn’t.

A man in a suit had walked up to Jake’s desk in the middle of a quiet afternoon, just Jake and Amy and Rosa in the bullpen, and he’d said, “What’s up with all the chicks working here, dude?”

Jake, who’d been leaning far back in his chair, feet up on his desk, eating a microwave burrito for lunch, had said without pause, “Dude, they’re women, and they’re detectives. Now go away.”

They’d never found out if the man was a witness or a lawyer or there to report a crime -- he’d just stared at Jake for a moment, cheeks turned bright red, and walked right out. After that, everything sort of tilted a few degrees for Amy. Jake was still immature and boorish and flaky, but he also became someone she thought she could trust. 

In the emergency room, Jake’s palm in her hand is clammy, and when she presses her thumb into his wrist she can feel his pulse still racing from the adrenaline shot, but maybe also because she’s made him anxious.

“I know, the bet was dumb,” Jake says, but Amy can tell by the edge of exasperation in his tone that he’s thinking they’ve been through this already and he thought they were good.

“Yeah, but you know what really pissed me off?” Amy says. “Hitchcock.”

“Hitchcock? You’re mad about Hitchcock?” Jake says. “But he’s always an ass.”

Amy sighs and pulls Jake’s hand into her lap. “I know, but this time you were kind of an ass too, babe. He was so dismissive toward me, and whatever, it’s Hitchcock. But you went right along with it, and that hurt. It really sucked.”

She can feel Jake’s gaze on her face, and Amy looks up to find him wide-eyed and appalled. She debated all day whether she should say something about how that had felt, because honestly, Jake is good. She doesn’t believe he needs to be reminded that women -- and especially his own wife -- should be treated with respect. But at the same time, she thinks he’d be pissed if he knew she was annoyed and not telling him. 

It’s obvious that this particular hit has landed. He looks away from Amy and bites his lower lip, and she knows he’s feeling devastated. Literally nothing wounds Jake more than knowing he’s hurt or let down someone he cares about.

“Jake-”

“I am so sorry, Ames,” he says, eyes locked on the hand that Amy isn’t holding. “God, I’m such a jerk.”

“You’re not,” Amy says, and when Jake shakes his head, she adds, “I mean, okay, you were jerk-ish. But look, you were freaking out a little and not thinking clearly and it probably didn’t even occur to you how rude that whole conversation was.”

“That just makes it worse!” Jake says.

Amy frowns to herself, because- yeah, it kind of does. “Fine. You were a jerk.”

“And then you had to spend the whole day helping me win,” Jake says, “when you totally could’ve won the whole thing.”

“Well, obviously,” Amy says. “It should be noted that I had fun today, babe. I don’t get to goof around like that as much as I used to, and you know how much I love a competition.

“It’s just- I would have preferred to skip the Jimmy Jabs entirely and go to my seminar.”

Jake winces. “Yeah, I’m the worst.”

Amy laughs at that, because it’s so far from the truth. “Jake, I love you, so much. But you’re not perfect. You’re allowed to make mistakes, even kind of shitty ones.”

“Ames-”

“Also,” she says, talking over him, “I stabbed you with an EpiPen so you could win the world’s dumbest obstacle race. I think that makes us even.”

Which is exactly when their nurse reappears.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear any of that,” she says, and helps Jake into a wheelchair to take him for X-rays.

+++

Nothing is broken, and Jake’s head is fine.

The doctor makes them wait around awhile anyway, and after five hours in the ER the adrenaline is finally wearing off and the pain pills are kicking in and Jake is dozing. Amy sits in a chair one of the orderlies brought in, filling out crosswords, and secretly she’s loving all of the uninterrupted downtime.

It’s long past dark by the time they’re free. Jake shuffles to the car and it’s obvious he’s still in a lot of pain despite the Norco. He grunts as he falls into the passenger seat and Amy helps him with the seatbelt when he struggles to reach across his own chest.

Amy sends him straight to bed, and while the soup is heating up she texts Terry that Jake won’t be in the next day. She thinks he’ll be okay at home alone, but wonders if she should use a sick day too. Except they really should be saving those up now.

Jake’s passed out again when she carries dinner to the bedroom. She sets the bowl of soup and the glass of orange soda on his bedside table and nudges him awake. He’s still pale and his eyes are red with exhaustion, blinking up at her slowly, and she swears more bruises have bloomed on his face in the 15 minutes since she saw him.

“I’m a mess,” Jake says, and she thinks he’s deliberately echoing her words from earlier. He sounds tired and pathetic.

She sits beside him on the bed and runs a hand through his hair, nails scratching a little against his scalp. Jake’s eyes flutter closed, and she leans forward and kisses each eyebrow, and the outer corners of his eyes, and the tip of his nose. She kisses him on the mouth. His lips are chapped and the stubble on his cheeks tickles her own smooth skin.

Amy pulls back and Jake opens his eyes, looking up at her with something like wonder.

“You are,” she says. “But you’re my mess. And I wouldn’t change a thing.”

[belxnskx]

Lipstick

Let me be a crackhead and do this for God's Sake.

Written specifically for : @pxffin

A short fluff fic of Jet Black from The Mushroom Samba episode, cause his goofy ass laugh was actually fucking genuine.

The air was thick and heavy with the weight of 3 wondering minds as you walked around the Bebop. Ed and Ein were gone after the ship landed on Europa, and no one else was in sight. After scolding Ed for giving Jet, Faye, and Spike the mushrooms from their most recent bounty which was never caught before Ed went again to get him, you had to deal with your husband, again. Jet was a pretty difficult to spot man in his small green room full of bonsai trees. He might be tall and have broad shoulders, but damn is that tower hard to find sometimes, and he is only hard to spot in that one room.

You decided to cut the shit, light a cigarette and look for Jet, but you were curious on what went on in Faye and Spike's side. Near the cockpit, Spike just kept walking up the same step, and not making any progress. You moved on. Faye, oh Faye. She was " swimming " alright, but she seemed like a fish going heaven. After walking a little ways down the hallway, that's when laughter rang out in a room nearby. " So, the secret to the universe is nothing at all? Hehehee! Uhh, who am I again? " You finally found him. You looked to the floor, then his hands. He drank water from the hose, and -

" Jet, honey why do you have lipstick? And did you bite into it like candy? " This got him to snap out of it only a little to hazily tell you, ' oh yeah. But when did I do that? ' No one was in good shape to work or do anything till the effects wore off. Just like clockwork, you thought. " They ate these 2 hours ago, and at the 3rd hour, they should be fine. At least they shoule be. " Jet, who was still in his haze, was just giggling like a little kid. " Hey, y/n. Can you gimme a kiss? Hehe! " he laughed. Out of all the times you wish things like this wouldn't happen, it did. And at the worst time too. Speaking of, the next thing you knew, Jet stood up and placed a kiss to your cheek.

The lipstick that was once smeared on his face was now also on yours. " Jet, what the hell! First off, why was it everywhere but your lips, and second, where the hell did you get it?! " you were getting annoyed, until he admitted to stealing it from Faye. You ignored what he was doing and laughed it off a little. You began to pondered how long these effects would actually last for. Since these mushrooms costed so many woolongs just for one, they must have been home grown or something. The man that had the bounty was named Domino, yeah?

Your mind was pacing back and forth, wondering how long this all would last and if they would remember a damn thing. Jet, on the other hand, started to snap out of it. " Huh? W-what happened? Did I black out or somethin'? " You looked over your shoulder and started snickering. " Hey, what's so funny? Did I do somethin' while I was dazed out of wh- ." You quickly grabbed a mirror and showed him his face. He began to laugh as well. " What the hell happened?! Did I eat it? Oh God! " His laughter grew louder and then combined with yours.

- 2 hours later -

After telling him what happened and helping Spike and Faye out of their own dazes, Jet looked to you. " Am I a good kisser with lipstick or what? " he teased. " In your dreams Mr. Black! You missed my lips anyways and got my whole cheek red with that shit! " You giggled a little remembering it. Jet walked to you and planted a kiss to your forehead and then your lips. " How did I do now? " " At least you got my lips this time. " you smiled. The rest of the night was spent in the Bebop, where the only food left was that bag of shiitaki mushrooms Ed had. Spike and Faye were sick of it, and decided to just drink water to substitute for the mushrooms.

You leaned on his shoulder and gave him the full detail on what had happened. You both laughed at the funniest parts, and died when you told him that you saw when he ate the wax lip gloss. He did say he still felt him bitting into it, but he didnt care, as long as the majority of it was gone from his teeth and just generally in his mouth. In which it was, thank God. Other than that, the day ended with everyone going to sleep as Jet got more fuel for the Bebop as you all continued your journey through the stars catching the damn idiots who think they're slick. Poor bastards won't see what's commin' next.

See You, Space Cowboy

[retrauxpunk]

Rain, I ask you: ALL the quarantine asks!

Animated character that was your gay awakening? not really an ‘awakening’ so much as a ‘hint’, but Azula from Avatar: the Last Airbender ... yep

Grilled cheese or PB&J? GRILLED CHEESE

What show/YouTube video(s) do you put on in the background when you when you don’t have anything to watch but you want something on? I don’t really experience this mood, but my go-to watch is the vlogbrothers YouTube channel

Your go-to bar order, if you drink? if it’s a low-key/work outing, lager or cider (esp the ones with non-apple fruits too); if it’s getting more serious (lol) or with closer friends or a more celebratory mood: vodka with sparkling apple juice

What’s your favorite pair of shoes that you own? these Doc Martens that are white with red hearts got ’em with my first ever full time design job paycheck. i did not take care of them well so they’re super scuffed/beat-up and very much not Perfectly White ... but they’re still comfy as heck, i still love the design, and they’ve lasted 3 years so far, let’s see how much longer we can make it ... also i think they’re a limited edition so i likely won’t get my hands on any replacements...

Top three cuisines? my cheap-ass answer would be, like: East Asian, South-East Asian, Western European ... but my non-shit answer is... Japanese, Chinese, Italian (ftr i’m not a seafood fan ... i just love the ramen and non-seafood stuff that japan makes hehe)

What was your first word as a child (that wasn’t a variation of “Mom” or “Dad”)? i have no clue

What’s a job that you’ve had that people might be surprised to find out you’ve had? cold-calling strangers to ask them to do market research phone surveys (y)

Look up. What’s directly across from you? the kitchen

Do you own any signed books/memorabilia in general? i have a messenger bag that i got signed by Jeph Jacques of the Questionable Content webcomic that i once adored ... and I think my boyfriend has gifted me a signed Matthew Reilly hardcover.

Preferred way to spend a rainy day? curled up indoors wearing something cosy, reading and eating something delicious. playing animal crossing lol. aaaaand listening to music, a good podcast, watching stand-up comedy, drawing, getting intoxicated...

What do you get on your bagels? What WOULD you get if you had access to anything you wanted? occasionally the standard smoked salmon and cream cheese, but i slightly prefer the meat to be, like, prosciutto

Brunch or midnight snacks? ehh fuck it, both???? both!!

Favorite mug you own easter limited edition waitrose mug, squat and round and yellow, painted/shaped like a very round chick. a Borb,,,,

What coffee drink would you describe yourself as? i actually thought about this and, uh, peppermint mocha. not for everyone, slightly weird, never fitting in with the regulars/being a default, but???? obviously awesome?? also: about 65% on the mainstream/hipster scale

Pick a song lyric to describe your current mood (and drop the name and artist!) The Wombats is the artist. lyrics are either “Let's dance to Joy Division / and celebrate the irony / Everything is going wrong, / but we're so happy” from Let’s Dance to Joy Division or “the edge of nowhere’s such a beautiful place” from Emoticons

Fruity or herbal teas? herbal but i agree with @queenofslime, black tea is the best

What’s that one TV show that you’re a little bit embarrassed to watch but you still like nonetheless? ...do i experience embarrassment about what i like to watch on TV? i don’t know if i do, because i watch relatively few shows ... and have relatively little shame? maybe???

That book you were forced to read for class but actually ended up enjoying? ftr i wasn’t bitter about this before reading, i had no preconceived biases against, and i was pretty open to liking it -- The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Do you match your socks? if they’re of a really nice design then yes always, if they’re of a more standard/generic design then ... not necessarily

Have you ever been horseback riding? yes a few times ... on the last time which was like five years ago ... the lady said i was a natural and asked if i’d ridden much before, which was. flattering. and yes this is a Brag.

What was your “phase” when you were younger? (i.e., Mythology Nerd, Horse Girl, Space Geek, etc) didn’t have much of a hardcore phase but i was pretty much always into fantasy ... oh wait yeah i did! i had a spy phase :)

Have you ever been to jail? to closed-down ones, yep

What’s your opinion on Lazy Susan’s (the spinning tray in the middle of tables)? pretty great idea unequivocably, right?

Puzzles? i tend to enjoy riddles/lateral thinking puzzles, i am impartial about jigsaw puzzles. i enjoy escape rooms.

You can only have one juice for the rest of your life, what is it? apple ... but elderflower if i’m feeling reckless (y)

What section do you immediately head for when you walk into a bookstore? young adult ... or stationery

What’s one thing you’re trying to learn/relearn in your downtime right now? Russian language :( it’s going не так хорошо

Who’s your go-to musical artist when you’re feeling upbeat? not sure if i have a go-to artist so much as go-to playlists i’ve made but some good ones are The Wombats and Bastille 

Where could someone find you in a museum? mammals/birds in natural history

What’s that one outfit in your closet you never get the chance to wear but want to? i swear i was talking about this recently but i clean the fuck forgot what it was ... oh yeah, i have this short-sleeved black minidress festooned with silver buckles/buttons and also featuring decorative suspenders ... which, yes, does make me look like a sexy military officer,,, anyway it’s pretty badass and somehow it hasn’t occurred to me till now that i can just wear that every day now if i want? ftw i do get the chance to wear it, it’s just a little bit Extra so i get self-conscious. i’ve worn it a few times though. including to work. because fuck it, right? i didn’t become a graphic designer to be shy about sometimes looking like a prototypical emo/scene kid-turned-adult??? (ftr i was never an actual emo/scene kid. i lacked the requisite guts, commitment of feeling, and permissive parents.)

Rainbows, stars, or sunset colored clouds? sunset-coloured clouds :)

If you could own any non-traditional pet (dogs, cats, fish, rodents, etc), what would it be? how about a shapeshifting feathered dragon that could range from, like, two thirds of a foot long (20cm) to sit on your shoulder, to ... the size of a massive draft horse? (but longer and thinner)

Do you have more art on your walls or more photographs? photos, though if i didn’t live with a partner, it might be art

You have to get one meme tattooed on your body, what meme is it and where does it go? i’ve already got a meme tattooed on my body ... a private meme i have with my boyfriend, one on each leg (left: outer side, just above knee; right: outside, a few inches above the ankle)

Pick a superhero sidekick to hang out with ?????? is this a sidekick to a known superhero, or a superhero to act as your sidekick? also i don’t know? who are the standard heroes? i’m not up to date on this.

Lakes, rivers, or oceans? rivers or oceans

Favorite mid-2000s song i can’t decide a favourite, it’s too stressful, but one that i like is Rob Thomas’s Little Wonders

How do you dress when you’re home alone? either a t-shirt and PJ pants, or a dress (usually short-sleeved/sleeveless minidress)

Where do you sit in the living room (we all have a preferred spot, and you know it)? on either side of the couch haha

Knives or swords? BOTH but ok swords.

A song you didn’t think you’d enjoy but ended up loving hmmmmm like all of Linkin Park’s first three albums with some exceptions? hahahah

Pick an old-school Disney Channel Original Movie i don’t think i.....know any????

Are you a “Quote that relates to the photos” caption-er, an “explanation of where I took the photos” caption-er, or a no caption kinda person when you post pictures online? explanation, though on instagram quite often the photo and caption are unrelated

Name a classic Vine there’s only one thing worse than a rapist...

What’s the freezer food that you stock up on when you go to the grocery store? dumplings! as in the gyoza type.

How do you top your ice cream? that ‘magic’ chocolate sauce that hardens into chocolate. that stuff. i watched those ads all childhood long but my parents were immigrants and therefore very thrifty so we NEVER bought it iirc and then in my adulthood i got it a bunch of times. but now i live in the uk and can’t find it. and forgot it existed. and have never seen it anywhere.

Do you like Jello? the kind that’s served on a plate as a dessert? meh. the kind that are found in asian grocery stores as individual fruit-flavoured serves in little plastic cups? YES 

What’s something that you don’t have a picture of that you wish you did? future stock prices? LOL ... or i’m gonna go with @queenofslime‘s answer again -- how others see me. it’s a great answer.

How are you at climbing trees? not............ good. i mean, i like climbing, but i have absolutely terrible upper body strength. i did bouldering for a couple months but only stuck to the first like... three out of nine difficulty levels.

[mai-stories]

The Florist and The Mercenary - Chapter Five: A Break from the Rain

Lily had been washed back towards the trees, downed by the miniature flood. When he came over to help her up, that would be a problem. Due to the amount of water that had soaked through her clothing, her involuntary magic activated, her boots and stockings pushed off as her legs changed into a thick, glimmering tail. Aquamarine scales lined the fish tail, a light blue fluke curling idly as she struggled to gather her footwear back into her grasp. Her eyes came up to meet Irvine's one, an embarrassed blush washing over her pale cheeks. "I.. Can't get up." She admitted, brushing damp locks from her face.

Using her magic to dry off was pointless, as the rain had yet to cease. The only option would be to get that tarp up and dry off slowly. Lily's bodyguard stood over her, one eyebrow quirked up rightfully so when faced with this new development. So it was true, she was definitely a mermaid Considering that they had just met a few hours prior, she was a meek thing and merfolk fetched notoriously high prices at the black market for their scales and tails and tears, and slave trade typically for their natural beauty... He could understand her worries. Irvine reached out and petted her head gently.

"No worries." He told the mermaid girl.

There was an automatic flinch when he reached out to touch her, though she relaxed when he told her not to worry. He lifted her, as dragging her undercover, especially her tail, seemed rude and probably painful. Despite her looks, Lily was surprisingly heavy with that thick tail of hers, so she hoped he wouldn't be taken off guard by that, as well. She hung on when he picked her up, pale fingers curling into the cloth as if she'd slip right out of his hold. He set Lily down, moving to realign the pitons to anchor the tarp over their heads once more, with a little tilt to it to allow water to run off. They now had reprieve from the downpour and could dry out. While he had readjusted the tarp, she took to slowly ringing out her hair and clothing, taking off her apron and ringing that out, too. He went to collect Lily's boots and stockings for her as well. With some extra rope, he made a clothesline to hang up said stockings as well as his soaked jacket. He shrugged off his boots and let a bit of water dribble out. Lily handed him the garment to hang up, looking over at him when they had finished hanging up clothing.

"Despite this, I still love the rain.." He said offhandedly, looking out of the grassland under the rain.

"I do, too. Even when I was confined to staying inside, I liked to watch the rain fall." She said in agreement, pulling her skirt up to about hip level to allow her tail to dry out. It would take a while, however, as she had no towel to dry with, and using her magic to dry would do more damage than good. "There's something soothing about the sound of rain, and the smell afterwards. It's calming." She murmured, curling up and hugging her tail close like anyone would their knees.

"Agreed.." And he took a moment to enjoy it. The constant heavy patter of rain mixed with the water filtering through the treetops didn't bother him in the slightest. He simply reclined against the opposite tree and brought out a cigarette just to hang lazily between his lips. "Never seen a real mermaid, didn't think you actually were one to begin with. Some milquetoast house girl who spent her days inside more than out, yeah, but not a mermaid.." He eyed his charge up and down, lone eye lingering on her tail. "Just thought you were imitating the race for fashion.. I can see why you don't get out to meet people.. The vast majority of us are jerks." He said, taking a long drag before blowing away from the tarp.

Lily looked over at him, noticing his gaze. It made her only slightly uncomfortable, as she wasn't used to exposing her tail to others, so she shifted a bit where she sat.

"Wouldn't make much sense for a gardener to stay inside all day, would it?" She said with a slight smile, the scales drying off in due time.

As it did, the scales started to glow every so gently, beginning to fade and evaporate away from her toes up. The fluke faded into nothing, her toes and ankles slowly reappearing, then her shins and knees. More and more scales disappeared, the girl covering up her legs with her skirt. There would be no need for him to see her blindingly pale skin, as it would only embarrass her further. Still, despite having legs again, she had to wait for the bones and muscles to realign and settle before she could stand, otherwise she'd break or tear something as soon as she tried.

"You're not really that bad.. Better than others, I'd say." She told him, pulling a small comb from her skirt pocket to brush her hair. He had shown some of his colors, but she had yet to see if they were true or not. Unlike herself, Irvine didn't seem to wear his hear on his sleeve. "Could we build a small fire? Something to keep warm?" Lily asked, looking around for some sticks to dry and make a campfire, wanting to warm up while the rain was still coming down.

Without a word, Irvine leaned in and began to dig a hole in slightly sodden earth. Their spot had not been long for the soggy weather to soak in deep, so he dug until he had reached a dry point and made a small pit. He took the relatively dry bark and created something of a nest, then brought out a red crystal. The crystal's lighter center glowed and danced like an encapsulated flame, the edges warm to the touch. The mermaid tilted her head when he brought out the crystal, eyes captured by the dancing flame. Fire was another thing she enjoyed, in moderation, as the small flames were warm and comforting.

"Ever seen a condensed bit of mana? Mainly forms in an elemental way or its pure magic energy. I like to carry a few around. Small ones are pretty cheap since this stuff can be found in the wild if you look hard enough." Irvine explained as he let it fall into the pit, the stone starting to glow. It immediately ignited and created a cozy flame that swallowed up the bark, remaining bright and lively. Hearing this, she wondered if water crystals existed, her hand reaching up idly to touch around her neck. Was that something like her heirloom? "Good for a few hours. Only water magic can put it before then," Irvine told her. "It's gonna burn, burn off all of that magic energy.. I'ts so packed with the stuff that natural water takes longer than most to put it out. You know, throw a fire or lightning crystal hard enough and it explodes," The lightning mage said with a smirk. It was quite the morose fun fact, which may explain why Irvine knew such a thing in the first place.

Lily, however, was so lost in thought, spaced out until she heard him mention exploding crystals.

"That sounds.. really bad if you fall on one hard enough." She told him, looking a little uneasy at the thought of exploding crystals and the shrapnel that would produce. "Do you want something to eat? We can roast some of the meat, if you're hungry." She asked, scooting over to open up her recently bought bag. She dug around to get some bread and a little bit of that cheese, only a small amount to eat so there would be more later. She also got out some of the dried meats, as he seemed like a carnivorous guy.

"I'd uh... like that.." Irvine seemed... uncomfortable now. It might have been a stray drop of water coming down his brow from what had soaked his head, or perhaps a bead of sweat as the usual straight-faced bodyguard brought out a small satchel and stared at it for a moment before gently, very gently, setting it off to the side. Odd how he had never considered that before, not that he was ever knocked on his ass to ever run that risk... but it made him sweat. That movement didn't go unnoticed by the mermaid, a slight smile on her face as he seemed newly wary of the crystals. It was a bit amusing, to say the least. "I'll take some of that meat. Pass me some fruit, too.." A little fireside meal with some chat might be nice. Pleasant, at least... Hopefully. Maybe.

The two of them were quite the contrasting pair. As long as his charge trusted his judgement and his words when it counted. Lily passed him some of the meat and a few pieces of fruit, passing that as well before beginning to make her own meal. A little bit of melted cheese on bread made for a nice snack, she found, and would really warm her up in no time. Irvine had used a stray stick to impale his bit of meat to cook over their open magic fire while peeling the rind from his orange. Meat and fruit, better than most meals that crap hole pub served up to him as half-assed payment for keeping the drunks at bay. He offered a couple wedges to Lily. The mermaid reached out and took the orange wedges, popping those in after eating her own food. The salty taste of the cheese and nearly sour citrus made for a strange yet exciting flavor in her mouth.

"I wish I had bought some tea... Tea goes so nicely with rainy weather." She lamented with a sigh, tying her bandanna back behind her ears to get her hair out of her face. The full force of the storm seemed to have waned, the rain ceasing only slightly in severity.

"You wouldn't guess it by the look of her store, but Zara, the woman who ran the apothecary, sells some great tea. Lots of flavor.. Kind of a gamble whether you get hallucinogens or not, though." It was a note worth sharing, Irvine however murmured under his breath to avoid scaring Lily. She seemed the easily startled type.

He gained her attention by speaking about the kinds of tea that strange old lady sold, and that he guessed right that she would've been startled by that. Being in her right state of mind was definitely preferred.

"It's a little after noon, so when the rain let's up, we could probably keep moving. Do you have that map?" She asked, unsure if he had kept it with him or put it in the bag. Regardless of his answer, she'd look in the bag anyway.

"Map.. map..." With no room to roll it out and Lily still grounded for the moment, he sidled over to sit next to his charge to unfurl the map across their legs.

She did little to no protesting, as it was necessary for them to look over the map. Road markers connected every town, mountain ranges lay to the far west and north, thick forests scattered about, but little in between. Lily looked it over, recognizing where her own home was, though it wouldn't be home after so long. Hollifern was her new home, a place where she could be safe and with her own kind.

"Woodmoore is over here.." The mermaid could not gave been further from any ocean water, though Woodmoore did have its small lake to the east outside of town. "We left from the south and have been following the road. Not terribly far, though.. If we continue then we're going yo see Bardale off to the side.." He rubbed his chin. "Hm.. We'll stop there. See if we can't by coats for the rain or umbrellas. If we have to stop whenever a strong rain pops up, you'll be broke before long." Irvine said. An umbrella sounded useful, or even some sort of waterproof cloak to keep most of Lily's hair under wraps with a hood.

She had spaced out once again, daydreaming now about all kinds of magically waterproofed items they could find in order to keep any accidents from happening. Irvine rubbed his chin again, mulling over a couple things. His lone eye drifted to his partner, his charge, as she seemed to drift away into her own happy thoughts. When the time came that she ran out of funds.. Just what the Hell was he going to do?! No doubt the girl was worried about that herself, what could a gardener selling flowers really make? His hand migrated to the back of his head and rubbed it, the bodyguard heaving a soft sigh and deciding to deal with that when it was necessary. This girl would be eaten alive! A yipping puppy might just scare her out of her skin if she wasn't paying attention! He looked out in to the rain and it had lightened up some. Probably not enough to keep the fish tail issue under wraps, but soon enough.

"Oi," And he gave Lily's temple a poke to get her attention if his voice wasn't enough. "How much gold do you have on you?"

Lily was shaken out of her thoughts by the poke, having tuned the world out, not listening until he made that little bit of contact. She looked up at him, head tilted as he asked her about her funds. She pulled out her wallet out, pouring the contents into her lap and letting her skirt catch the coins. She counted it out: eight gold, two silver, and seven copper.

"This is all I have." She said quietly, eyes drawn back up towards his face, an unsure look crossing her own. Did he not have his own money? Was that why he asked her to pay for all their supplies? She only hoped he wouldn't extort her for more by upping the price now that he knew her secret. "Will this be enough to get to Hollifern? I don't have anymore flowers to sell, so I can't make anymore money. All of my savings went to traveling to Woodmore, even my rent." She said, looking down at the money in her lap, gathering it back up to put into the wallet.

"Depends on how many days it takes us." Irvine shrugged his shoulders, giving his charge the simplest and most factual answer he could.

The rainy season could be rough, thunderstorms and monsoons aplenty sure to assail the land in time and soak their particular part of the country to the core. Given Lily's race and the side effects of her getting too wet, well, her tail suddenly appearing could be a hindrance. Slavers on her fish tail wanting her for their auctions, even worse. He gave her damp head a couple pats and reclined against her tree.

"Don't worry about it. You'll get to Hollifern. Plenty of towns have jobs open if you're ever in need of cash." He said, relaxing now that the danger was gone and he had a snack.

So long as Lily had her magic, rain wouldn't be too much of a problem. Buying some sort of waterproof cloak or raincoat would help keep her dry, and her boots would keep water off her feet for a good while. The idea of doing oddjobs along the way did give her a bit of hope, however. Her skills were meager and common, so she could do just about any job that required cleaning or cooking. She'd even help out with gardens and stocking stores if she had to! She had rested long enough for her legs to stabilize, using a bit of magic to withdraw water from her hair and clothing, refilling her water pouch with it. She reached over and grabbed her stockings and boots, looking over at him for a moment. They were the type that went all the way up to her waist, so putting them on in front of him would be a little embarrassing.

"Could you.. turn that way, please?" She asked meekly, still holding the barely damp hosiery and her boots.

Irvine heaved another soft sigh and sidled off to the side. He turned his back to Lily while sitting just under the edge of the tarp.

"Make it quick." He told his charge as he turned his gaze to the sky.

She took that precious moment of privacy to pull her stockings on, glad there was no resistance and that the rain didn't damage the thin fabric. She laced her boots up before patting her skirt down, making sure it was dry enough before slipping her apron on, tying it into a neat bow behind her back. The clouds were starting to thin out, and rain lightened up to a gentle sprinkle. It likely would not last, but the issue before had been the flood brought on by that... thing. Oh, right. Those monsters.

"Ever seen creatures like that before?" Irvine asked, knowing it was a definite gamble to ask, but he had doubted her before.

"Those monsters? No, not really.. They sounded familiar, though, like something out of a nightmare." She answered, making sure the bag was tightened, secured so none of their food or supplies jostled out. With everything checked, she tapped his shoulder to let him know she was done, though it was gentle and light, as if just touching him would shock her. He turned and nodded.

"Figured I would ask. I've never seen anything like that either.." Irvine couldn't help but shake his head thinking about those monsters. "As far as I know.. There is no natural born creature, with magic abilities or not, capable of doing... all of that." He just gestured a bit, the image of those creatures evolving at such a rapid rate to defend against the damage they take was... Interesting. Her bodyguard ultimately shrugged his shoulders. "I don't even know of a magic that can summon like that. There wasn't anyone nearby... My opinion doesn't matter. I dunno why I'm thinking on it so much... but those creatures, I think they were made of mana. Pure magic energy. ... That's as far as my educated guessing goes," He said as he lit his a new cigarette.

"Whatever they were... I'm sure they weren't the only ones." Lily murmured, lifting up the bag, the straps snagging her hair again. She gave an annoyed sigh, dropping the bag down on a rock before reaching up and braiding her hair into a thick braid down her back, keeping it all in one place to prevent the straps from pinching and pulling at it. The bag was not that much heavier than she had originally thought, so carrying it wasn't a problem. "Pure magic? Hm.." She murmured, thinking back on it. It seemed that the more magic he used, the bigger those things got. They absorbed the magic, but it seemed not all magic was a good combination. The lightning completely tore through their water based bodies, and water could remove the mud quite easily. A cycle of the elements, it seemed. "If it helps, I could use the tarp as a wrap to keep dry." She suggested, looking over at their cover. Sure, she'd look like some kind of ragamuffin homeless girl wrapped up like that, but at least she'd stay dry. Irvine nodded in agreement.

"Better than nothing. Wouldn't want that fishtail popping out out of nowhere," He told his charge. He really did not want to deal with hunters and slavers.Gradually, the rain lightened to a degree that should have been safe for Lily. Luckily, he was down to his last drag and he snuffed out the cigarette butt with a quick, firm stamp of his boot. "I'll throw it over you if need be. Let's get a move on.." He got out under the misty rainfall and tore down the tarp quickly, folding it up and keeping it under his arm for quick access. He took the bag as well. It wasn't heavy, but he didn't want to burden Lily. "We've got another mile... mile and a half, before Bardale. We can definitely make it before night." He said, looking down at her.

Lily looked up in return when he had taken the bag from her, not complaining as it made her walk easier. Puddles from the rain had formed in the pock-marked road, the mermaid couldn't resist stepping in a few, playfully splashing like her kind was meant to do. Her boots were water resistant, all the way up to her knees so there was no threat of water getting to her feet. It was a little fun, and definitely took away the thoughts of danger and hostility that the world had no control over. With the rain nearly gone, the sun would come out to shine, a faded rainbow across the northern sky. Lily hardly glanced up when rays of sunshine came out, a smile on her lips as she happily tapped Irvine's arm and pointed up at the sky. When she was relaxed, it seemed her childish nature came to the surface, the mermaid coming out of her shell now that she felt safe with him. Irvine's gaze followed her eager finger and he eyed the arc of light, and he nodded. Quite the sight, but that was of little interest to him compared to the the little mermaid that had been so meek before. She skipped and hopped into the light puddles, splashed him a bit, but it wasn't like that was of any consequence to him. It was actually pleasant, a breath of fresh air, to see his charge actually having some fun. The child-like wonderment came as no surprise to him. Hell, he gave his cute charge a couple pats on her head she was so cute. Would he admit that? Hell. No. Lily happily accepted the head-patting, as it gave her a sense of security. There was no flinch or even a recoil, the mermaid's trust now in his hands. It was clear to her now he had no intentions of harming her, so her guard was completely down. A couple field mice scuttled out of their muddy homes, as wild as wild rabbits whose fur was dark and matted, sticking up in stray directions. They hopped about in the sunlight, bouncing across their path. One took a sharp turn bounced around Lily even, but it went on its way as well. The quick movement of small woodland creatures caught her attention, making her stand absolutely still. Not in fear, but to keep from scaring the animals. It wouldn't be right for them to scare the little things back into still flooded grass, so she would prefer not to spook them. It still brought a smile to her face to see them bound across the path, and once they were safely out of the way did she continue walking. With abundant sunlight and cleared up weather, the walk to Bardale would be much more relaxed. The rainy season brought its fair share of strife, but there was no denying the change brought on after rain. Something was washed away for a new moment, the air cool and fresh. It was definitely his second favorite time, after a nice rainstorm itself.

[jklmn-oh]

Room for Two Pt. 2

Genre : roommates!au, fluff, smut

Pairing : Jungkook x reader

Words : 3,446

This chapter has sexual content.

Summary : Having a crush can be hard sometimes. But what’s harder is when you stupidly decide to hook up with him, and recently he turns out to be your new roommate.

The plan of washing your clothes did not happen at all. The moment Jungkook has decided to bring you to his room, he never stopped until you have to beg him to. If you let him continue with eating you out and making you cum, you wouldn’t be able to leave his dorm and head on to yours. You were supposed to have a movie night with your friends and now that might just be a bad idea instead of sleeping in on a Saturday.

Jungkook insisted that instead of giving him a blowjob, he will walk you home, and that thought has rang too many alarms in your head. First alarm, Jungkook has been very extra sweet since this morning. Second alarm, walking you to your dorm means your friends will see him. Third alarm and most important of all, your friends have been ringing your phone since last night and yet you chose to ignore it and continue sucking the boy’s cock. What a shitty friend you are.

“Baby girl, you’re so good with that mouth.” Jungkook groaned once he finally came and lay down his bed lifeless. He pulled you beside him and made you lay your head on his chest. One thing you knew about Jungkook that not anyone would know is that the boy is a total cuddler. He hates it when his friends try to be clingy with him, especially Jimin, Taehyung, and Hoseok. But now, this cute boy even had the courage to kiss the top of your head as if you two have been dating for how many months?

Jungkook’s phone rang momentarily harmonizing with yours and that might be the signal for you to leave. You sat up and grabbed the clothes Jungkook let you borrow and wore them. Your clothes from last night were already kept inside your bag, which is a back pack and who carries a back pack inside a club? You, of course.

The boy grabbed his phone from the nightstand and read the text message. “Oh, shit.” He cursed.

“What is it?” you asked as you fished your phone out of your bag. “Oh my goodness.” A hundred texts from your dorm mates combined plus twenty voicemails from Luna and Debby? You definitely have a lot of explaining to do.

“It’s just, I suddenly can’t remember if I paid rent last month?” Jungkook said as he pondered over it. “Jin-hyung sent me a text saying that I will be moving out.”

You giggled. “Aw, then maybe you even missed the month before that they decided to kick you out.”

“Nah, I’m sure I paid.” Jungkook’s phone made another ding. “He’s asking me to look at my e-mail.”

“That you should, or you might start packing?” you joked, to which he laughed. You have never imagined this to happen. Sure you did fantasize about the dear boy, but have you never thought that all of this would be real. You inside his room, laughing so casually with a naked boy in front of you. Your laugh halted as you placed one strap of your back pack on your shoulder. “I should go.”

“I could really walk you to your dorm.” He said.

“Do you even know where I live?” you smirked. “What if I’m living just a floor above yours?”

“Then why leave early?” he challenged. Welp, you really aren’t up for doing mind games right now. You really have to leave.

“It’s almost lunch time, my dorm mates even bombarded my phone with calls and texts.” You say, “At least let me see them? Are you planning on caging me in your room huh?”

Jungkook didn’t bother answering your question. Instead, he looked you with soulful eyes and asked, “Will we meet again?”

“I think so?” you told him. “We’re in the same university, Jungkook. I’m sure we would meet again.”

He shook his head, “I mean, can we meet again? Like…”

“Like?”

“Never mind.” He smiled. “Do you want me to walk you to the door?”

You suddenly remembered the first time the two of you talked in sophomore year. If there was anything notable that you have learned from the boy, is that he likes to cut himself off when talking and back off like a scared puppy. As much as you’d want to know what he was supposed to ask you, you just brushed it off. Anyway, this was just a one night stand. Even though you would like to hang around with Jungkook, you know that will not be the case. This was just a one time thing and if it weren’t for the alcohol, you wouldn’t be where you are.

“I know my way out, thanks.” You say. “Have a nice day and um, nice to meet you?”

“Yeah, you too.”

-

Getting back to your dorm was a total disaster. The moment you went in; your dorm mates were all rushing towards you. “We saw you with Jungkook last night!” they said in unison as they pulled you towards the living room. You were sat on the couch as they sat on the floor facing you like a child waiting for their mother to tell a story about Cinderella.

“You and Jungkook fucked! I knew it!” Mina exclaimed before you could even talk, and earning a glare from Leena.

“You’re not supposed to say it that way, Mina!” she said.

“But it’s true!” Mina glared back at Leena. The two girls fighting are never a rare occurrence in the dorm. In fact, it has always been like that because they were friends since high school who love annoying the hell out of each other. “Didn’t you, Y/N?”

“What?” you went back to your senses, looking back at your friends. “Uh, well…”

“You did!” Leena pointed at you accusingly. “What have you done? Why did you do that? It’s Jeon Jungkook for goodness sake!”

Luna then laughed, silencing everyone. “Calm down you guys. Y/N haven’t even told us her side yet.” She looked at you. “And it’s not like she can’t do what she wants, right Y/N?”

“Uh, yes?” of all the people, you haven’t really expected Luna to act this way. You expected her to scold you like Mina and Leena were doing because to them, even though you were the third oldest, you were the baby. You grew up from a pretty strict and tight household that was why you had a hard time learning what college life was: cramming, procrastination, partying till sun rise, and just not doing the best decisions in life but still enjoying and surviving. That also meant you rarely hang out with boys, let alone sleep at their places, or hook up with them when you barely know them. But this is Jeon Jungkook, you might be that shy girl but you’re not exactly innocent, right?

You realized how the girls were playing with you once Yena started to laugh. “I can’t put a serious face on. Let’s stop this!”

Everyone laughed and you sulked. “I hate everyone!”

“We’re just kidding oh my god, you chill sis.” Mina said, hugging you and giving you a kiss on the cheek.

“Ew.” You grumbled, still pouting while looking on the floor.

“I’m not asking you to tell us everything but how good was he?” Leena asked, “you got here pretty late so did you have round two? Oh, wait, it was just two rounds, or three? Or more?!”

Everyone laughed with Leena earning a punch on the shoulder from Luna, “stop it!” she told her. Luna looked at you, as if she was waiting for something.

“What? Do I really to answer that?” you groaned, covering your face with your palms.

“Well, we do tell you when we have sex with-” Yena teased but you stopped her. “It’s not like I asked, though.”

“Oh come on!” Luna blurted, “We all know how much you’re crushing on this boy, okay? So we gotta know this big big progress between the two of you.”

“Well,” Lenna stood up, about to leave. “Let’s just not push her, okay?”

“Ugh, fine.” You moaned in a non-sexual way, but more of on a whiny tone. “It was amazing, as in. The least I can tell you is that I came uh… three times this morning.”

“WHAT?” they all squealed.

“Jungkook really did have sex with you this morning? He did not ask you to leave?” Leena knelt in front of you and started asking questions. If anything, they are all supportive with your crush over the said boy, it’s just you were being stubborn as hell, acting like a mad shy high school girl who only wants to see the boy they like from afar.

“Jungkook doesn’t exactly let his hook ups stay the night, even.” Yena said, “heard from a classmate who hooked up with him, she had to take the walk of shame while he and his dorm mates are having breakfast because she insisted to stay.”

You suddenly remembered, “He asked his dorm mates to leave so we could have breakfast.”

“WHAT?!”

“What?” you looked at them shocked that they were screaming, and this time accompanied with some jumping.

“The boy likes you, Y/N. he would not kick his dorm mates out just for him to have breakfast with you.” Mina screamed, being warned by Leena about the noise warnings. “And he had sex with you this morning! Dear god, our friend is finally having a boyfriend!”

“Or not, what if Y/N was so good at sucking him that he wants her to be his fuck buddy?” It was as if there was an imaginary light bulb on top of Yena’s head that she pointed her finger at you, “You sly mix, you’re a sex goddess!”

“What? No!” you groaned. “What are you guys talking about? Jungkook wants nothing more, okay? I’m sure he wouldn’t even talk to me after that. Besides, it’s not like I see him on a daily, or at all. That boy updates his social media once in a blue moon, and last night was like the second time I saw him this junior year.”

Everyone went quiet and you weren’t sure if that was a good thing. After a full minute, Leena decided to break the silence by saying, “Anyway, everyone will have re-assigned rooms.”

“Why?”

“You should read this.” Mina handed you her phone. Looking at the screen was an email from the dorm administration stating that there will no longer be students who can rent a room for themselves only. Meaning, there will now be roommate system effective today. “What?...”

You love personal space, you take your privacy on a serious note. That is why having a roommate is a big no-no for you. However, with the revised dorm regulations of “roomies”, you know it’s over. The sudden fluctuation of the student population may have caused it because a few days back, you hear a lot of freshmen wanted to rent a room. It’s not like you have a choice, and you’re a junior anyway, there’s nothing you can do – or you could find yourself an apartment outside the university, which is quite expensive; or a sorority house who can adopt your introverted ass – which will never be the case.

“So, do we have new roommates already?”

“No-”

“-yes,” Leena said. “But they’ll be here until next month, to fix things here and there.”

“No, yes? What does that mean?” you asked. Your friends only looked at each other, but then Luna smiled, “it means someone might have asked Leena already and she agreed. Leena is like our RA and she’s like our mother.”

“Aw, thanks.” Leena cooed. “Anyways, yep. Someone did ask me, and they’re a group of five. I figured it’s better to let them rent 2 and a half of the rooms since we are five ourselves.”

“2 and a half? That means…”

Leena looked at Mina, “Yep, one of us must be roomies with one of them too. Or, I don’t know, we could be roomies with them, depends on how the room assignments will be. I feel like it would be safe to assign roomies when they’re here, right? We have five rooms, and if we don’t exactly like them then we could probably give them only one room and share the four.”

Ten people in one dorm? That sounds a lot but you trust Leena has made the right decision, and again, you were bound with no choice. It was in the damned dorm regulations.

“Having roommates is good,” Yena said. “That way, our monthly rent will be cut into half. More money for food and clubbing!!!”

“Speaking of which,” Luna turned to you. “My friend Mingyu is throwing out a party on his crib next, next Friday. We should come! It’s on the 17th St.”

You stood up and sigh, “Well, count me out. I’m still in a bit of one of the worst hangover of my existence and I don’t think I’m up for another round of it.”

“Oh, come on! Jungkook’s gonna be there,” Mina sulked. “You clearly enjoyed clubbing last night, girl.”

“All the more reasons to not attend. I don’t think I wanna see Jungkook.” You grumbled, to which the girls snickered. You turn to them before holding the door knob to your room. “Seriously?”

“Oh, baby girl.” you stiffened at the pet name. Flashbacks of everything that happened between you and Jungkook coursed through your mind. Why are you so not into the idea of meeting the said boy? Was it anger, was it because you actually caved in to his advances?

“I just, I’ll think about it.” You told them, and entered your room.

-

One thing for sure, your friends will do anything to make you do what they want to do in exchange of something that you really want to have or do. So the next day, you were lounging in the living room, sitting on the couch with Luna, scrolling through your social media feed when you saw the trailer of this favorite book you read on your Kindle one time. You literally squealed, announcing your love for the movie right away. It premiers on Friday, and you knew you have to watch it. The problem, however, is that it premiers on this movie subscription site you cannot afford. You know you can download it illegally, but you were too lazy to do that, also considering the viruses that may potentially harm your laptop – which is also a university issued one. And then it hit you that Luna owns an account on the said site, “Hey Luna, will you lend me your Netflix account on Friday evening? I want to watch a movie.”

“Well, I’d say yes, but I remembered we have a party on Friday that we have to attend.” Luna said, looking at her own phone.

“You won’t use it in the party?” you say, lifting a brow.

“And you won’t either.” She chuckled, “you’re coming with us, sweet heart.”

“Apparently, I can’t because I’m gonna watch this movie,” you proudly say.

“Except I won’t lend you unless you come with us, “she smirked. “You can watch it on Saturday.” You were about to retort, but the golden deal comes, “I will lend you this, when you come with us.”

And that was why you were left alone seated on one of the corner couches, watching your friends dance in the middle of the living room that looked more of a dance floor than a part of a normal house. What else can you expect from this kind of houses, though? The kid who invited everyone here is from a rich family, the house itself doesn’t look like a normal house to you.

For a moment, you have somehow forgotten about your hook up with Jungkook. Midterm is already starting and since this part of the semester holds the second highest percentage for the final grade, so you were determined to study the hell out of this term. Except that, well, you’re stuck in this party until your friends decide it was the tie to go.

You aren’t exactly a party pooper, or some kind of kill joy – no. For once, you enjoy parties and all that stuff, it was just since you were born and raised in the strict household, you were used to getting home early, and doing nothing that has to do with alcohol and all that kind of stuff. Plus, the strictness of your parents get in your nerves most of the time. It was as if they still have their pairs of eyes on you all this time even at college. You remember on your second year, you went to this concert of your favorite band and you got home (since it was a weekend and it was your aunt’s birthday the next day) at eleven. You can remember how angry your parents were, already trying to question everything about your lifestyle. You love them, but they can be strict as hell it honestly gave you anxiety.

“Do you wanna dance?”

Your thoughts went back to where you were when you heard that voice. Your heart raced, it did not because of fright but because of… giddiness? The voice itself given an excitement within you that you cannot explain. Or maybe you do. Looking up, it was Jungkook, holding two cups of red beer pong cups, one extended towards you.

“Ah, I still have a drink.” You told him.

He remained standing, staring at you with glimmer in his eyes, as if he was so excited to meet you again. “May I sit?”

“Oh! Oh, yes. Of course.” You immediately say. Jungkook gave you that toothy smile he used to give his friends when they crack a nice joke but still not laugh-worthy. He sat beside you and placed both the cups on the table beside your cup. Placing his hands on his lap, he asked, while turning his body towards you, “So, why are you alone?”

“They were dancing.” You answered, eyes still in the direction of your friends, who must have no idea where you were right now, considering they head straight for the dance floor.

He laughed. Oh, that laugh. “I mean, why won’t you join them?”

“It’s not like I wanna be here, you know.” You said bluntly. “I was supposed to be at home but Luna made a deal with me.”

“I haven’t you the past two weeks.” He said, suddenly changing the topic. “I asked Leena for your number but she said it’s better if I ask you that. However, it’s as if you were hiding from me.”

“What? No. Why would you do that?” you asked, but in truth, you really were hiding from him. Having sex with the boy has given you mixed feelings, again returning to the idea that maybe you were just lusting for the boy instead of really having a crush on him. Also, all these unnecessary heart thumps you get whenever he’s near and acknowledging your presence has been driving you nuts. So you were left with just staying away from where he is.

“I don’t know, maybe because we had sex?” he answered. “But you weren’t ignoring me, right? We’re good?”

“We’re… good. Yes.” You mumbled, looking at him, zeroing on his lips. Would he hate it if you kiss him right then and there? Nah, of course he would.

Realizing the length of how long the two of you has been looking at each other, he coughed and looked away, grabbing his cup and drinking from it. “So, if you weren’t here, what were you supposed to be doing?”

“Watching a movie.” You say, leaning your back on the couch, only to be met by Jungkook’s arm extended on the couch. You blushed, but you thank the lightings for hiding it away.

“What movie?”

“To All the Boys I Loved Before.”

“If you agree, we could watch it together right now,” he said. Thinking it was a joke, you laughed, “It’s not like we can watch it here.”

“We can watch it in your place.” He said. “That way I can also be familiar to where we will live soon.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“What?” Jungkook looked at you innocently. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Yes, that part where you said you’re going to be familiar to where you will live soon?” you air-quoted. “With who?”

The boy sat up straight, placing his cup back on the table and smirked, “What, you didn’t know?”

“Didn’t know what?” you say, frowning. To Jungkook, clearly, you were confused.

“We’re going to be roomies.”

[ja9doeswhole30]

Best laid (meal) plans

Hi friends. 

I’ll be honest. Sitting down to meal plan was way more stressful than I anticipated.

As I’ve indicated before, I consider myself a pretty capable cook. That said, I’ve never been a follow-the-recipe kinda gal. Instructions are important insofar as oven temperature and cooking times, to make sure the food gets done properly, but I’ve always viewed seasonings and other minor ingredients as mere suggestions. At the same time, however, I’m in a position now where I need to cook plain main dishes so as to avoid the wrath of my children. (Heaven forbid 5yo see an herb in her food. If only she knew that I marinate meat before cooking it.)  

Thus, looking through Whole30 cookbooks for meal ideas proved entirely overwhelming. At first glance, I wanted to plan on making alllll the delicious food, but the more I looked at recipes the more I felt so daunted by the long lists of ingredients and instructions. In addition, inventing a boring/plain version of each dish seems both challenging and counterproductive.

Furthermore, despite my prior insistence that I’m always in the kitchen, I do a lot of dinner-cooking in advance. For example, on Sunday I’ll make enough main dish food for that night as well as Monday and Tuesday, and however many sides (e.g. roasted veggies & quinoa) as I can manage. On Tuesday I make main dishes for Wednesday and Thursday, as well as more sides, and so on. Not cooking from scratch every night is the only way I can actually get the daytime dishes done before dinner, and therefore we don’t have to spend as much time cleaning up the kitchen after putting the kids to bed. Also, by Thursday or Friday we're usually just reheating everything, which is a nice reprieve at the end of the week. 

I had been hoping to follow the Whole30 7-day meal plan for the first week of the program, but looking at it more closely nearly sent me into a panic. While the plan builds in space for leftovers, and following it would mean a pre-set shopping list and therefore less thinking, the above issues made me realize that it’s not feasible in my situation. If I was cooking for myself, I might be able to manage it, but given how many meals I need to make in a week, and the other factors involved in feeding my household, the pre-set plan simply isn’t feasible for me. 

This realization was somewhat liberating, but it created a subsequent panic a la “okay, now I need to plan a whole week of meals from scratch AND make up my own shopping list.” 

After pouting to myself for roughly three minutes, I made a plan and got started. First, I looked through the books and picked out main dish (a.k.a. protein-based) recipes that mimic those I usually make. Then, plotting out four meals per day, I came up with a main dish schedule for the first five days of the program. I had to factor in the best way to cook them in advance and re-use them for multiple meals, while being mindful that I can’t plan to cook meat on Sunday and plan to eat it - safely - on Friday. I also tried to mix things up so that I’m not eating the same protein twice in the same day. 

As for the other parts of the meals, the Whole30 overlords advise filing the rest of your plate with vegetables. This is what I usually do anyway, so for now I’ve decided to eschew any overly ambitious side-dish recipes and simply prepare my usual slew of roasted vegetables to compliment the proteins. And, because I don’t want them to hate me, I’ll also make the kids some noodles or quinoa. 

They also tell you to mix in a side of fruit twice per day (easy enough), and add a healthy fat to each meal. That last part felt strangely intimidating as well because many of the approved fat sources are items I don’t normally have around. Hence, my first grocery store excursion on Thursday was Trader Joe’s, where I picked up some coconut oil, black olives (their brand seems to have less sodium than others), sunflower seeds, and raw cashews. We normally get Costco’s brand of mixed nuts, which are roasted in peanut oil and therefore not compliant. Also, whereas I originally planned to clarify my own butter, I also sprung for a small container of ghee. Lastly, I went down the freezer aisle and grabbed a few packages of frozen chopped spinach and riced cauliflower, just to have in case of a vegetable emergency. 

Next, I made off for the produce market. Seeing that it was Thursday afternoon, I did so realizing that I’ll probably need to go back on Monday or Tuesday to replenish certain items (mainly fruit). Further complicating the issue is that we don’t plan to be home much over the weekend, meaning I needed some veggies to cook for Thursday and Friday dinner, and some to prepare on Sunday for that night and the beginning of the week. 

With those considerations in mind, I filled my cart with our usual haul of grapes, apples, oranges, bananas, pineapples, a cantaloupe, zucchini, and brussels sprouts. I also added in several sweet potatoes, a few beets, a spaghetti squash, an acorn squash (all of which used to be in the rotation but got away from me), a big bag of white potatoes, three pints of grape tomatoes, and two bags of mini sweet peppers. I skipped eggplant, since I didn’t anticipate cooking it before it went bad, and kirby cucumbers, because I still have a few from last week to finish before they spoil. We also have onions and carrots left over. And I didn’t get a butternut squash because, in anticipation of Whole30, I recently made a big pot of squash soup and froze individual portions of it - enough to get me through the first two weeks of the program, at least. 

Friday, I set off for our usual chain supermarket to purchase all the meat needed for those first few days of the program - 3 lbs. ground turkey, 5 lbs. beef brisket, and 10 lbs. of chicken breast (some of which I’ll freeze for later). We already have numerous wild salmon filets in the freezer from a previous Costco run, so I didn’t buy any fish aside from a can of tuna as a backup last-resort protein. I also grabbed some apple cider vinegar, called for in a balsamic chicken recipe I plan to make, and some compliant salad dressing. 

Friday evening, I roasted some chicken thigh fillets I bought earlier in the week, leaving a few in the fridge to have for Sunday and Monday. On Sunday, I’ll make balsamic chicken and turkey meatballs, along with the spinach frittata for breakfast and a bunch of veggies. I’ll probably cook the brisket in the slow cooker on Tuesday, but for dinner that night I’ll make salmon, saving the brisket for Wednesday’s dinner. Since the main dish will already be done, Wednesday will be a good time to cook additional veggie sides. 

This is what my meal plan looks like so far. Each night, I’ll probably fill in the next day’s side dishes, to avoid any surprises or aimlessness the would come from being unprepared, and because I can never let well enough alone I’ll probably adjust some of the proteins as I go along. Regardless, it definitely does feel good to have a plan. 

[sterekexchange]

Masterlist of Sterek Exchange 2017 Fics

AO3 collection

Thank you for every author, pinch hitter, beta and cheerleader for working so hard to make this exchange so much fun and such a huge success!

Please, show some love to the authors in forms of kudos and comments on their fics!

#librarynerd by yodasyoyo | 7k | T

“I’ll likely get far more done in  the group if I’m not distracted watching you with your pen–”

“My–My pen?”

“Pens. Drinking straws. Don’t act like you don’t know,” Derek says darkly.  “You know.”

____________

In which Stiles follows Scott into his Spanish study group, takes one look  at the hot nerd who runs it and then decides to stay… even though he doesn’t  actually speak Spanish.

(Don't) Work Your Magic by Saori | 6k | T

Stiles is the Hale pack’s emissary in training. He’s good at what he does, and ninety-nine percent of the time he knows what he’s doing. He does. Too bad that one percent is when he permanently links his soul to Derek’s.

Or, not quite a soulmate AU, but it kind of is, which is totally Stiles’ fault.

A Family Portrait In Soft Lightning by Fearful_Little_Thing | 4k | G

Everything was so much easier when  the kids were small. When the kids were small their problems had been small  too. Easily fixed by hugs or hot chocolates, with kisses to boo-boos and ten  minute time outs when they misbehaved.

Now things aren't so simple and  the problems aren't so small.

Derek and Stiles love their kids.  It's just that raising two delinquent teenagers is a lot harder than it  looked.

Adderall and All by IronRoseWriter | 4k | T

From the prompt: Derek can smell amphetemines on Stiles thanks to his  Adderall, but because no one ever thought to sit him down and say “Hey so  Stiles has pretty severe ADHD” he just thinks Stiles does drugs. Cue a super  judgemental misunderstanding.

For Sterek Exchange 2017

And After All by red_crate | 5k | T

The world fucking ended while Stiles was clear across the country from his  dad. He trekked that distance on his own, surviving the elements, fighting  monsters and scavengers. Stiles rescued a goddamn werewolf who ended up  saving him in return.

Blue Eyes by KFlynn | 4k | T

It had all begun with Stiles slowly driving his Jeep along the road, in  the direction of his home…..

or the story where Stiles finds a wolf Derek, takes him back home and  cuddles with him, only to wake up with naked human Derek the next morning;  then they have breakfast and an important talk where they both realise that  they’re in love with each other.

Can’t Start a Fire Without a Spark by Nerdy_fangirl_57 | 9k | T

After the whole ordeal with the nogitsune Stiles struggles with proving to  himself that he can be good again. He starts learning to control his spark in  hopes that he could be helpful to the pack once he manages to channel it’s  power. Everyone thinks it’s a great idea and are willing to help him anyway  they can, but Scott, Scott doesn’t see the point in it.

It’s not like Stiles’ tiny spark could ever be powerful enough to be an  actual asset to the pack.

Stiles just wants a chance to prove himself.

Charm Misdirect by froggydarren | 4k | T

There are only so many times that Derek will go along with Peter’s plans.  He swears there is a last one, and it’s pretty likely that this is it. Really,  it should have been the time when he almost got arrested, or some of the  times before.  So when Peter asks Derek to be his wingman in Jungle, Derek says no. And  thinks that that’s the end of it.

He’s wrong.

Collision Course by grimmypuff | 5k | T

Roller Derby and Stiles Stilinski: a pairing that should not exist in nature. Add Derek Hale and somehow it works.

Come To My… by Gonardo | 8k | M

It starts out with Derek meeting a new group of people. One standing out:  Stiles Stilinski. So he may seen a little strange at first, but that’s  alright.

Then they are put together for a project. Derek catches feelings. Cue the  pining.

While Stiles looked at other guys objectively, he pretty much thought he  was straight. Boy he was wrong. Maybe he’s just dereksexual.

Can they figure out their feelings in time.

Defenses by inatshej | 10k | T

“Do you know the Molotov Cocktail  café near the station? I think their pastries are the best. We could go there  this weekend.”

Oh wait.

Oh shit.

Oh fuck. He’s proposed a date.

“Sure,” Stiles agrees easily with a shrug.

Immediate friendzoning.

But did he really get friendzoned just now? Can he get friendzoned when  they aren’t even friends?

Does that make them friends? It would be nice, actually-

god, he just feels so lonely at times.

Derek Hale’s Undercover Summer: How to Attract Your FBI-Partner in These 10 Short  Steps (While Also Killing Bad Guys) by the_problem_with_stardust | 4k | T

Written for jennysparkles’ awesome prompt: Derek wasn’t sure why, but if  his time busting the biggest smuggling- and drug-ring in Northern California  had the chance to become a book or a movie, it would be named ‘Derek Hale’s  Undercover Summer: How to Attract Your FBI-Partner in These 10 Short Steps  (While Also Killing Bad Guys)’. It was ridiculous, how killing people  bare-handed turned into a romantic comedy whenever he looked into Stiles’  eyes.

events  may be different than they appear by icarusinflight | 4k | T

The first time Stiles sees the couple, the hot dude is giving the gorgeous  girl a ride on his back through the main walkway of campus.  It’s pretty dumb

it doesn’t stop him from feeling jealous of them

Feelings He Didn’t Know He Had by StaciNadia | 5k | T

Derek is absolutely not in love with Stiles.

Finding warmth in your arms (I’m not even cold) by Saori | 10k | T

When Stiles and his father move to Beacon Hills, they have to get familiar with new rules. Being a werefox, Stiles sticks out as a thumb in the small town, but thanks for his luck, he’s not the only one. He doesn’t expect that Kira and him will get close to the pack of ‘wolves whose territory they live in, so when they both fall in love with one, it takes him by surprise.

Or, Stiles and Kira are both werefoxes, recently moved into Beacon Hills. They quickly steal their way into the heart of the local werewolf pack.

For  If Dreams Die by veritas_st | 23k | M

“I had a dream about a boy last  night,” Mischief says through a mouthful of pancakes.  His dad points  the spatula at him and he swallows before he says anything else.  “His  name was Derek.  He called me Stiles.  I want to be called that  from now on.”

Forever Young by thegirlnamedcove | 12k | T

“What do you want Laura?” he  groaned, “Why am I up?”

“Because you’re going to pack a bag with whatever’s clean and come with me  back to California,” she fished a folded page out of her back pocket and  handed it over, “Someone is on our territory with a vendetta in mind.”

He accepted the paper and opened it up, smoothing it against the side of  the mattress. It was a picture, printed out from an email, of a deer with a  spiral carved in its side.

Fuel  a Fantasy by Delightful_I_Am | 19k | T

Let it never be said that Stiles wasn’t able to keep his cool when faced  with awkward situations. It’d be right maybe, but it should never be said.

 Stiles gasped and spun around,  eyes finding Derek immediately. The poor guy looked a bit shell-shocked.

 “Oh my god! Dude!” Stiles  flailed his arms and lunged forward, tripping a bit and catching himself on  Derek’s arms. “You have to fake date me!”

 “What?”

Hold the Cheese by sheerpoetry | 3k | T

Derek wasn’t sure how he’d gotten himself into this particular  situation. Sure, he’d gotten used to the pack in his space. But Stiles? He  hadn’t gotten used to Stiles.

Prompt:  Fluff. Adorable Derek, maybe some pining, Stiles being his flailing, sassy  self. Lydia and Laura would totally be a power couple. Laura is an awesome  big sister. Stiles as a potential Emissary.

I got the first half, at least? ;) Hope you enjoy it!

How Long Will I Love You? by vaguelyobscene | 6k | T

Stiles is finally marrying his boyfriend of 8 years and Lydia makes a surprisingly  sweet offer on his wedding day, but she’s not the only one who seems  determined to make him cry today.

I Call All The Bullshit by lodgelinski | 3k

An incident occurs at a rave where  a group of people end up with superpowers (the same hand-waving bullshit that  gives anyone superpowers).

They, of course, decide to use  their powers for good–with the blessing of local law enforcement, which gains  them a few enemies, mostly other people at that rave who also ended up with  superpowers but have decided to be evil instead. Also, Derek is trying to  control his powers since the last time he was the weakest link. However, his  partner is Stiles, and it’s hard to control his powers (and emotions) when it  comes to Stiles, especially when Stiles is in danger.

I don’t know why, but I guess it has something to do with you by LunaCanisLupus_22 | 18k | E

“You smell like me,” the guy says,  scowling as he crowds in and Stiles staggers back between the coats and  finally hits the wall. “Why do you smell like me?”

He barely lets out a garbled sound as the blood rushes to his cheeks. “No  reason,” Stiles yelps, struggling to get his footing and grasping at a  whirlwind of puffy fur.

Or the one where Stiles goes thrift shopping and steals an alpha’s shirt.  And gets a lot more than he bargains for.

I’ll Be Your Thrill by red_crate | 5k | E

Stiles asks, “What are you waiting for?” He still hasn’t made a move to  join Derek on the bed.

“I’m waiting for you, Daddy.” It takes everything in him to hold Stiles’  gaze.

There’s a hesitance in him every time they start this. Derek is older, an  alpha werewolf. He can’t quite get over the spike of humiliation that  occasionally works through him at the thought of wanting to give over his  control. He closes his eyes for a moment.

Wanting Stiles to take charge and take care of him isn’t a shameful thing.  

It helps that Stiles is never anything but enthusiastic.

I’m at one, and I’ve been quiet for too long by LunaCanisLupus_22 | 11k | E

“All in favour of Derek not dating for a full year so he can get his shit  together and stop romancing people who want to kill us?”

Everyone raises their hands. Every single pack member.

Or the one where the pack insists Derek can’t date anybody for a full year  but he ends up finding romance much closer to home anyway.

if only by petals | 47k | M

“I could totally stop talking to him,” Stiles interjects, feeling a sudden overwhelming urge to defend himself and brush the whole thing off as nothing. “I could. Easily. That’s the beauty of talking to someone online; you can just, like, talk to them for however long you want and then disappear for however long you want without any real impact on your daily life. It’s not like I’m going to run into him at the grocery store. I could stop at any moment.”

“But you don’t,” Lydia points out.

“No, he doesn’t,” Scott replies, forcing Stiles to scowl at him. “He just got a new one this morning and he hasn’t stopped talking about it.”

Or, the one where Stiles has been talking to some guy that he doesn’t know online, but that’s the least of his worries when a new pack moves into Beacon Hills, and Stiles suspects the alpha of bringing a coven of witches with him.

In Which Derek Has the Worst Luck, Maybe by maraudersourwolf | 7k | M

Derek has a crush. He’s doing all he can to hide his feelings. It’s pretty  easy, since Stiles barely seems to know Derek exists. Hook ups, a school  project that’s half their grade and teenage awkwardness puts his luck to the  test.

In Your Eyes by Hi0ctane | 3k | T

Since the first day of moving in, Stiles had never really seen the  neighbours do anything. His father (who had apparently met some of them  early, before work, and exchanged some pleasantries) told him that it was four  of them: two girls and two guys, all siblings of one family, but that was  about it. Sometimes Stiles thought he saw one of them exit the house, usually  early, even before he headed to school himself; he could only hear voices,  then, drifting up to his bedroom window, loud and usually cheerful, sometimes  rowdy.

“They’re lively,” his father said, with the indulgent smile of a man that  raised a teenager himself on the back of macaroni and cheese and sometimes  far too much hard liquor. Stiles preferred the term “They’re really  annoying”, but sure, lively should work for them, too.

Or, five times Stiles got into trouble with his elusive neighbour D. Hale  - and one time he really, really didn’t.

Knar by LupusScintilla | 17k | E

Derek had not had a clue that this was something that actually existed.

Five times Derek knotted Stiles, and one time, well. You can see what’s  going to happen here, right?

Loyalty Is A Virtue by bellamyhale | 24k | T

Feeling the full wrath of Lydia Martin, Scott quickly changed his argument  to one of defense, leading to one small comment about how Stiles hit Theo  first, which only stirred a hurricane of harsh insults. Lydia’s face  brightened, just a tone lighter than Scott’s own crimson cheeks.

“Stilinski, Raeken, and the rest of your little entourage! Principal’s  office, now!” Coach shouted over the mayhem, as he pushed his way through the  crowd. Taking one look at Stiles who was still attempting to catch his breath,  Coach motioned his hand towards the teen, “oh, for the love of God, someone  get Stilinski to the nurse!”

Or, the time Theo Raeken ruined Stiles’ life, which somehow ended with him  being even closer with the Hale’s. Oh, and did he mention that he was apparently  magic?

making waves by haleofStilesheart | 6k | E

Stiles is no stranger to pining, especially when it comes to Derek Hale.  When his gorgeous crush graduates high school, Stiles figures he can move on  from his pathetic crush. But things don’t work out that way.  Not since Derek just so happens to be working at the same public pool where Stiles  is volunteering as a lifeguard.

Once Upon a Dream by gryvon | 14k | T

Stiles has been dreaming of the Hale family burning alive since he was a  child. After being locked in Eichen for a year, Stiles learns to keep his  visions to himself. That doesn’t stop him from keeping an eye on Derek Hale  while he waits for Kate Argent to make her move. Only watching Derek becomes  loving Derek and stopping Derek and Kate from getting together turns into  Stiles dating Derek Hale. He’s in love with Derek but his visions haven’t  stopped, only now Derek dies with the rest of his family.

Only the Moon Howls by gremlins-came-and-got-me | 7k | T

Derek begs Cora to get him hired at the Supernatural Crisis Center where  she works as a field agent. It was a better option than the coffee shop by  his apartment. However, innocents are being killed by a supernatural creature  and it’s up to the SCC to solve the case, but when they close in on the  culprit, the team is attacked.

Operation Girl Scout Cookies by nogitsune_lichen | 19k | E

After a minute Derek looks back up, his lips puckering in thought, “so…we  just…see each other in secret. Then in November after local elections we can  see each other for real?”

“We are seeing each other for real! It’s just us who know about it for the  first few months,” Stiles corrects.

“Okay.”

Stiles holds his breath, eyes widening, “okay as in okay let’s secretly  date?”

“Yes,” Derek adds his tone a little less bitter as if he is just now  warming up to the idea.

“Awsome! Holy shit, dude we’re mates,” Stiles beams.

Our Little Lives by CallieB | 18k

yodasyoyo prompted:

“There are loads and loads of ridiculous reasons for Derek and Stiles to  be in a fake/pretend relationship. Maybe another pack is visiting, maybe one  of them is trying to impress an ex, maybe they’re trying to win a bet, that’s  three off the top of my head. I bet you can think of more. My point is, pick  one and then tell the story from an outsiders POV. Because if there are two  tropes I really love it’s Fake/Pretend Relationship and Outsider POV. Thing  is, I hardly ever see them together. If you could include the Hale pack (Boyd,  Erica and Isaac) that would be great. Also, I really love stilinski family  feels, so if that could be in there too then fab. Also, I really do prefer  Derek to be a werewolf, so there’s that. Other than that I leave it to you!”

Paint Me by SuperWhoAvengeTrekLock | 14k | M

When Stiles’ laptop breaks, he realizes that it’s not the only expense he  has. He can’t pick up any more shifts at work and he’s desperate. Allison  comes through with a last minute save for him with her connections to the art  world.

Perfect for Each Other by CinnamonLily | 5k | G

Professor Peter Hale has a new TA, Stiles Stilinski. He’s the best TA  Peter has ever had, and Peter wants to reward that somehow. Peter’s nephew  Derek is a socially awkward mechanic whose type Stiles fits to a T. They’re  obviously perfect for each other, now all Peter has to do is make them see  it, too.

Somebody tell me why I’m on my own by phoenixflyinghigh | 5k

Who doesn’t long for someone to hold  Who knows how to love you without being told  Somebody tell me why I’m on my own  If there’s a soulmate for everyone

Since he was a child Derek has dreamed of the morning where he’ll wake up  and know who his soulmate is.  

Since he was a child Stiles knew he would be alone forever and that the  only person he could count on was himself.

Luckily Fate has a plan for everyone.

Something More by kaistrex | 19k | E

When Derek and Stiles stumbled into a friends with benefits relationship  purely by accident, they weren’t expecting it would one day save their asses  when a threat from Derek’s past comes knocking. All they need to do is  pretend to really be in love to avoid an arranged marriage agreed to years  ago with a pact of blood. Considering they hadn’t bothered setting up  boundaries when the ‘benefits’ first started, it’s no surprise that the lines  begin to blur and Derek’s eyes are eventually opened to a truth he hadn’t  been ready to face.

Sovereign Next Door by KARIN848 | 9k | G

Stiles Stilinski defeats the corrupt Argent rulers and inherits their  kingdom and the title of King. With his close group of advisors, he must find  a way to fit into this new role. The first step - attending a celebration  thrown in his honor by the neighboring royals, the Hale pack.

Spring Training (Is Hard To Do) by tiedtogetherwithadagger | 12k | T

When Glow magazine outs MLB starting pitcher Derek Hale, his older sister  gets him a bodyguard until the news blows over.

Stiles Stilinski is on a leave of absence from the military after his  childhood friend dies in combat. When his best friend asks for a favor, he’s  reluctant to accept the responsibility of another person’s life in his hands  anytime soon.

But when these two people meet, they’re surprised when unexpected sparks  begin to fly. And maybe… they can learn how to cope together.

Strains of the Heart by clotpolesonly | 21k | G

Stiles has always worked with Scott for end-of-year projects. Only this year,  Scott wants to work with his new girlfriend Allison, leaving Stiles without a  partner. The only person not already partnered up is Derek Hale, first chair  violin who has played for his sister Laura and only his sister Laura since  joining the academy.

If he was just an asshole, Stiles could handle that. But Stiles has a vision  for this project, one he’s spent his whole life cultivating, and Derek? Derek  just doesn’t get it, and that Stiles cannot handle.

Strong Essences are Held in Small Bottles by addict_writer | 8k | E

Stiles has been training to become the best emissary, but nothing could  have prepared him for meeting Derek Hale. The young Hale Alpha is lucky  Stiles has the power to save him from the sticky situation he got himself in. 

take a break by anticupid16 | 6k | T

Stiles, needing a break from his dad’s lack of trust, decides to take  shelter somewhere he can chill without being asked a lot of questions.  Derek’s loft just so happens to be such a place.

Thanks, Barbie by 138andcounting | 3k

“This one is kind of inspired by a  Tumblr post I now can’t find, but basically Derek is at the movies and there’s  this kid that won’t. Shut. Up. He babbles, he talks about the movie, he talks  about any old shit, and Derek is getting increasingly pissed off. There  aren’t many other people in the cinema, but the ones that are there keep  shushing him so Derek doesn’t have to.

Twist is, the movie sucks. So Derek finds himself actually listening to  the kid’s continuous babble. And it’s kind of… intriguing? This ‘Stiles’, or  whatever he calls himself, is clearly ten different kinds of crazy, but Derek  can’t help but want to find out more about him. Like, when Stiles is talking  about something random, Derek is imagining the questions he would ask if he  could. And does a mental high five when Stiles answers them anyway. And kind  of. Gets annoyed. When the other people in the cinema shush him so he can’t  finish his sentences. God, what is HAPPENING to him?

Up to you how it ends, but a happy ending would be nice! I also thought  about maybe Stiles being off his ADHD medication, which is why he’s talking  so much, but again, up to you.” -CallieB

The Best Men by grimmypuff | 13k | T

Planning a wedding? Not really something Stiles ever wanted to do, thanks.  But when best bro duty calls, you answer. Luckily, another best bro has been  called up, as well. Enter Derek Hale.

The Best Opportunity Yet by Starshaker | 6k | G

Stiles is at a loose end. His thoughts are beginning to send him on a  downward spiral and in the early hours of the morning he finds his way to  Derek’s apartment seeking advice and comfort. Derek offers him a new learning  curve to distract him and in a very short space of time the pair settle into  a closer relationship.

The Dogs of War by moretomhardy | 22k | M

Derek is a warrior prince of a nation in conflict. Stiles is a newly  minted spymaster sent from the capital to help turn the tide of the war.  Somewhere along the way, they start to mean a lot more to each other than just  their titles.

The Farthest Star by Anefi | 9k | T

When an emissary is ready to find their place in the world, they get a  Call. If Stiles answers it, he’ll have to leave behind the only life he’s  ever known. And Derek.

The Hardest Thing In This World by yodasyoyo | 4k | T

Stiles is not a wolf, but he has  the heart of one.

–

After the Hale fire, Derek and  Laura go to stay with the Stilinskis, and end up finding more there then they  could ever have hoped for

The Sea Wolf by TheyDraggedMeInNowIAintLeaving | 7k | M

[…] but this voice you must give  to me           The Little Mermaid

Skinny arms wrapped around him, a head resting on his shoulder and long  fingers idly scratching behind his ears. It’s easy to forget that this is but  a dream.

The Spark by MysticMerc | 11k | G

When two witches arrive in Beacon Hills in search of the Spark, it seems  Derek is the only one who knows what they’re talking about. Can Scott’s pack  save Beacon Hills from the witches or will they capture the Spark?

The Switch by honeymoonmuke | 13k | T

After a fae gift wreaks havoc on Beacon Hills, Derek is left to pick up  the pieces. He doesn’t know what’s harder to deal with - the fact that he’s  been made human or that Stiles has been turned into an extremely doting  gladiator.

Thieves Like Us by Hi0ctane | 5k | T

Stiles chuckled as his father waved him off from the distance, slipping  into the driver’s seat of the car. He waited until the Sheriff started the  car, headlights biting through the dark, growing smaller and paler by the  second until they were gone entirely.  The teenager closed the door behind himself and let the amused expression  slide off his face, making room for one of devious glee.

Time to call in the team.

(Or: The master art thieves AU I didn’t know I wanted, until now)

Things I Never Told You by gremlins-came-and-got-me | 7k | T

“I never want to see you again!”  –  Stiles and Derek have a fight. There’s no way to fix it this time.  –  Read the tags.

Those Red Lights Keep Bringing Me Around by gryvon | 10k | E

Stiles moves back to Beacon Hills after his father retires, hoping for  somewhere quiet where they can both relax. His first day as a paramedic for  Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital lands him in the midst of a werewolf-hunter  war that he knows nothing about. Oh, and his childhood friend, Derek Hale,  wants nothing to do with him. That jerk! 

Waiting There For You by BulletBlaze | 4k | M

“Just give me another week, I’m  sure I’ll make a breakthrough-”

“Stiles, this is not up for discussion. Either take the partner, or you’re  off the case. It’s your decision.”

We Can Work from Home by samanthahirr | 5k | T

A rom com AU in which Derek and Stiles are neighbors with a  misunderstanding:

Derek’s new neighbor is distractingly hot. He goes by “Mr. Magic Fingers”  on his business cards. And he has a steady stream of customers moaning and  screaming in his apartment every day.

Derek doesn’t care that his neighbor is a sex worker; he just wants to get  his own work done.

when the moonlight hits your eyes by the_problem_with_stardust | 8k | M

“Do you have any holiday plans?”  The question is out of Derek’s mouth before he’s even all the way through the  door.

Stiles looks up from one of the ancient books he has spread across the  floor. He sticks a post-it underneath the sentence he was on and rolls onto  his back. “Nope. My dad is going somewhere and he won’t give me any hints.”  Craning his head back so he’s looking at Derek upside down, he frowns. “It’s  weird because I usually can annoy all kinds of information out of him. I must  be getting rusty.”

Would it Have Been Worth While by Cantabo | 11k | E

There’s a smile on her face, but Stiles knows the real reason she’s asking  the question, because she’s a crazy jealous person who literally started  crying when she found out he was (briefly) dating some guy named Lucas during  his sophomore year.

And then Stiles has an idea. A brilliant, terrible, wonderfully  self-destructive idea. Because despite his bravado, most of Stiles’ ideas are  terrible.

“This is Derek,” Stiles says, looking at Derek with big, pleading eyes.  “He’s my boyfriend.”

Or, Stiles and Derek are fake(ish) boyfriends in the name of warding off  unwelcome stalkers. Also, they’re kind of in love with each other.

Would you take one for the team, and go out with me? by fairyfey | 4k | G

Written for this prompt: Maybe something with a kiss cam or Derek winning  a contest to meet his favorite baseball player and sparks fly.

You Better Run Like the Devil by exhibit | 8k | E

The Hale pack was slaughtered but the alpha and emissary escaped alive  though it doesn’t matter much, they died along with their pack that night.  Killing the hunters won’t bring them back, no, but it sure would feel fucking  good.

You’re the Spark (that sets my soul on fire) by TheyDraggedMeInNowIAintLeaving | 7k | E

 There’s a wolf in your bed     "careful, it might bite"     Your smile is wide as you answer     "He’d better"

Your Love is Like an Ax to the Face (or, Plundering Hearts: Viking Edition) by Toxin | 16k | E

Prompt: College AU in which Derek is the junior TA of a freshman  history seminar, and Stiles is a competitive shithead freshman who likes to  argue just to argue. One day, after tracking Derek to a coffee shop on campus  to argue about his grade, Stiles realizes that Derek’s actually a swell dude  and they bond over common interests.

 In which Lydia is a ruthless walking fortune cookie, Scott is  exposed to the relationship-curing potential of ménages-à-trois, and more  importantly, Stiles is convinced he’s pissed off the wrong deity in Valhalla  because the closest thing he gets to action is the weekly ‒and deadly‒  debates he has with his grumpy TA from History 201: Introduction to  Vikings. All of this to Erica’s enjoyment.

Urgh, college.

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: Tokyo Treat May 18

Ahhhh, I took a bit longer than I would have liked to. But with good reason.

Sorta.

Basically, I spent the past few days going through all of the old crates to sort the items and dispose of the boxes/crates. They take up a lot of space when you order so many, and I bought some cute little boxes to sort the items by type and take them to my room.

I still have some to go through, but I made a lot of progress. I think I threw away about 20 boxes. But I did keep a handful of them either because I had use for them, or someone I know did. It’s actually been kind of fun going through them :3 and oddly therapeutic.

Anyway, let’s get on with it! If you like anime, manga, and video games, this box is perfect for you!

Theme: ANIME SNACK ATTACK

So, as you can see, we’re having an anime (and manga and video game) theme. Three things I adore!

LUCKY TREAT

The Lucky Treat is full of anime inspired items, and Pokemon! One of the most popular merchandising brands you find in these boxes lately. Like literally, nearly each box I've gotten recently seems to have some form of Pokemon item in it (not counting the makeups. But I know they have pokemon beauty products.)

MINUTE MAID CRAFTZ CHERRY & PEACH

I'm putting this here because the image of this is the very first one in the post. You can see it on the right-hand side there. Anyway, this is a drink by Minute Maid, a very popular juice brand that I like x3 It combines the sweet, flowery tastes of cherry and peach- I think this would perfect for spring time!

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

If you like Peach then you'd like this drink, basically. The Peach is overwhelmingly strong, and there is a faint cherry-ness to it, but it mostly blends into the peach. It was refreshing~

Sriracha Rice Chips & Don Taro Udon Snack

First up we got some delicious looking Sriracha chips made from brown rice and soy beans. As you can see on the bag in the pic. These are gluten free and flavored with a spicy kick! Perfect for those intense scenes; or when you start feeling yourself getting tired and need a wake-me-up.

Although, there was one little problem with mine...

Seeing this nice, big clean slice in the bag had me worried a teensy-bit. It came like that out of the box and it wasn't tampered with as far as I know- so I can only assume it was a last-second manufacturing thing that went unnoticed. It happens.They seemed fine, so I just put them in another bag.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Besides a tiny bit of staleness they tasted really good x3 They had a "deep crunch" to them, being sorta soft (which was either staleness or due to being made out of bean and rice) but still crispy. Oddly they reminded me of chicken-flavored ramen.

They are spicy, but it has to build up. It sort of lingers on the tongue for a few minutes but otherwise you won't notice it just eating a couple. It wasn’t really hot though for being made with sriracha. But I really like eating it so maybe I just didn’t notice?

Our next item in the pic is a snacking noodle dagashi, flavored after a real udon bowl.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

Honestly they tasted a lot like those chips did. Minus the rice-bean texture. They're not bad or anything, but I'm not super-obsessed with snacking noodles; or noodles as a whole. I have to be in the mood for them. But they didn't taste bad, as I said, and if you really like crunchy snacks (or ramen) you would probably like these.

MENTAIKO UMAIBO & SENZU BEAN EDAMAME

Oh, our usual Umaibo and share pack snacks! How I love and sometimes detest you~

Depending on the flavors that is.

Our Umaibo is one I've had, maybe two other times by now. Mentaiko is "salted, creamy pollock roe", or fish eggs if you're not familiar with the term.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

Not being a fish person, I've never tried fish eggs before. They haven't appealed to me. So I can't say if this tastes accurately or not- to me it reminds me of their cheese-flavored ones. I’m not a big fan of this, but it’s not bad either. It's not as strange to me as it originally was the first time I tried it.

Now, I've already given my opinions of these "share packs" so I won't waste time doing it again. For this month we get packs of this edamame themed snack with a light flavoring on them. First of all, each bag is 64 calories, making this a nice snack for those who worry over their weight or just want something a little healthier.

Apparently chosen to represent the "Senzou Bean" from Dragonball. Each bag also has a cute design, made to look like a mesh bag or pouch filled with edamame!

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

If they reminded me of anything on smell alone, I'd say "cheez-its and some green vegetable". Their taste and texture is about the same too, but I do get an edamame vibe. I think its adorable how they look like them too x3 and they have a light saltiness to them that is pleasant.

Besides the snacking noodles, I’d say these were the top in crunchiness.

DRAGON BALL CHEESE PUFFS

You read that right: Dragonball Cheese Puffs. These are 91.9 calories for the bag, and include a fun card as part of a game series. I know they've made these, but I'm used to seeing the gummy ones; but because I only buy those types, it was neat to try another kind.

So... as you can see, I got Vegeta! He's my favorite x3 I can't ever use the card for its intended purpose- but I'm happy regardless.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

They're basically like any other cheese puff-based snack. However, the flavoring was actually very light on the cheese and tasted more like the corn its made out of. But it didn't taste bad, and the crispy texture is nice. These are good as long as you're not expecting a huge, cheesy flavor.

ALMOND TOFU CHOCOBI & CHOCOPIE

I think I'll swap things around and start with the Chocobi; it hasn't been in the box for a while. This time, rather than a fruit it's flavored after a specific dish: Almond Tofu, a smooth and healthy Japanese dessert. I've never tried it before but I assume it's like yogurt or pudding with a jelly texture.

The box is 139.4 calories, and was made in celebration of yet-another Crayon Shin-chan movie. This one features stickers from different regions in Japan, the one I got says Aichi. But to be honest, the only one of these I recognized was Hokkaido. I kinda wish I got that one~

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

As usual Chocobi as a texture is pretty nice. It's crispy, and they come in such a cute shape!

However... as usual, they also go stale VERY quickly.... So I've never been a fan of them.

Now these, the flavor isn't as odd as past ones I received. It's kind of like sweet, very light coconut, maybe a tiny bit almond x vanilla-ish. I really like almonds and tofu, but I didn't come to this snack knowing what to expect so I can’t say I’m being picky.

Our other item here I was a lot more excited for, meanwhile. The Petite Chocopie by LOTTE! It's basically chocolate covered cake and marshmallow cream- but since when has that ever been a bad thing??

Per each cake/pie its 74 calories, which isn't that bad if you want something sweet. According to the back they also have a type that features a chocolate drizzle rather than coating, and has chocolate and marshmallow cream inside~

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Right off, if you don't like dark chocolate then you probably won't like these. I don't think they're made with it, but they certainly tasted like it. My mom thought so too, and she hates dark chocolate- which is a shame because I really like it. But at least I know it'll be safe from her ;3

These were pretty good, but I did have one complaint. As you can see in the picture I took they don't really sync up with the photo on the package. Which is common, I know, but what the actual item lacks in thickness it also lacks in taste unfortunately. With the rich chocolate and cake/cookies under it, the marshmallow cream is too thin- you barely taste it, if at all.

SHIN-CHAN GUMMY, SPLATOON GUMMIES, AND THOMAS THE TRAIN CHEWY CANDY

This single piece of Shin-chan Gummy is available in soda/ramune, and cola flavors. As much as I enjoy soda/ramune, I really, REALLY wish I got cola. Or maybe one of each. The image in the booklet is a tiny bit misleading because you only get 1.

I kinda had to leave it in the package because by the time I got to it (a week ago, just about) it had like... melted into the plastic. At least I assume. I tried to remove it and it was not coming. I took the picture, then I mangled it to get as much as I could out.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

I LOVED how this tasted. Exactly like the soda/ramune flavor I like. However, I couldn't necessarily judge the quality of the gummy due to unforeseen issues. As noted above...

The next item I got was another one I was excited for cus who doesn't love Splatoon, am I right?

I only have the first game for now, but I'll be getting the Switch VERY SOON, so I'm excited to get the second on x3 I also have a cute pink water-filled squid I got from the toy store like a year or so ago.

Anyway, these gummies are available in Orange and Melon. There's also a very rare gummy shaped like an octopus that can be found in certain bags. Mine wasn't one of them. One bag is 155 calories, which is kind of lame due to how small it is. BUT at the same time, I've seen worse.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Not only are the gummies really cute, but they taste very good too. I was also happy to see that the bag is zip-lock style and they lasted for 4 months with no sign of aging!

I was so excited when I got them back in May that I couldn't resist trying them then (=´3`=)

The gummy texture... I can’t really describe. It's chewy, but not hard, and they don't take five minutes to eat either. More like a few seconds.

Our last item in this picture is the Thomas the Tank Engine Chewy Candy!

The inner-child in me was really excited to see this. Not only because the candy itself sounded good, but I grew up on the Thomas the Tank Engine stop-motion cartoons x3 Ironically, now that I'm older he seems a lot more popular. That or I just never noticed it before. There's also another sense of irony here though. Back in August, I was re-watching the super old original stop-motions I grew up on; not for any real reason, I was just bored and like the background noise.

Okay, so anyway the candy is a grape chewy candy by Lotte. It looks a lot like gum but it's kind of thicker, and what's fun is that each piece has a little puzzle on it, or you can fold the wrapper in certain ways to make shapes or "toys". Each stick, or the whole pack is 85 calories. I can't actually tell.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

It pretty much tastes exactly like grape hi-chew, the only difference is the texture. So if you like Hi-chew or grape candy you'd like this. If you don't then... you probably won't.

(Oh, and if you're curious my favorite is/was James~)

BORUTO GUMMY & BORUTO PINEAPPLE JELLIES

Our last items of the box are these two "Boruto" snacks! Boruto, if you never heard of the series is essentially a sequel to "Naruto". A series I was very fond of. However, I don't like Boruto. It's not because of the characters or anything, but because of some "decisions" they made I just didn't agree with. Besides the cute packaging and decorative detail on the bag, the jellies each feature a decorative lid design based on various Boruto characters. Each Jelly is 19 calories, and are pineapple flavored, with real pineapple juice!

This box was essentially full of nostalgia for me x3 when I was younger I loved eating little jellies. They became pretty scarce as I got older though, and one day they kind of just stopped showing up. It's a bit disappointing.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

They taste really good, it's not an overwhelming Pineapple flavor. I love the slippery, soft, squishy texture~

Our final item is this Boruto energy-drink flavored Hand Gummy :3 Hand Gummies are popular and fun, being based on the game Rock-Paper-Scissors. I've gotten one or two other gummies like this before, but if I recall they were much smaller- but I got scissors both times, including this one!

That's usually my go-to gesture and always has been ;D But you can also look at is as "peace sign" too if you wanted. Anyway, these are energy-drink flavored, but the booklet assures us that no energy drink ingredients were actually used in making this. It's simply BASED on a fizzy, sweet-and-sour pineapple energy drink.

That rested any concerns I had, because I'm one of those who people who avoids energy drinks at all cost. If I want energy I'll just eat sugar.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

It pretty much tastes like the jelly, but the flavor was stronger. I also really liked its super-soft texture x3

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Quality - 4 out of 5. The only real reason why I marked it down was because of that slice in the rice chips bag. I'm sure this was an extremely rare thing though, I usually don't have any problems with any of the items I get in this box.  

Content - 3 out of 5. I didn't hate anything at all this time around- which is almost as rare as the above mention. Usually I find one item I detest, and I pretty much only disliked one item, and even then it wasn't that bad...

Theme - 5 out of 5. Besides a couple of items, it was pretty much covered in anime stuff!

Total Rank: 12 out of 15 Cuties. I genuinely LOVED this box in comparison to the April box. It had a couple of faults but nothing serious that I couldn't overlook. Considering how excited I was for this, I feel like they could have done better- but they did really good! Maybe like a... B+

♥ Cutie’s Scale of Yummy ♥

1. Cherry x Peach Drink - It was so refreshing~

2. Splatoon Gummies - I can't say I prefer orange or melon flavors in comparison to ramune, grape, or cola- but they tasted so good and looked adorable!

3. Thomas Grape Chewy Candy - Loved. Loved. Loved!

4. Hand Gummy - I liked this just a little bit better than the jelly. It's very soft and chewy, I'd recommend these if you can find them, they come in many flavors.

5. Pineapple Jellies - I loved their soft, wiggly-jiggly texture~

6. Chocopie -  I loved the soft, cakey texture and its dark chocolate-esque taste~

7. Rice Chips - Delicious!

8. Shin-chan Gummy - I was disappointed with this because it was delicious! I just wish it hadn't stuck to its packaging. Well, that and I wish we got maybe one or two more~

9. Edamame snack - They tasted good but I just liked other stuff better.

10. Dragonball Cheese Puffs - I liked how they tasted, but I felt like it might have been a tiny bit misleading cause it didn't taste like cheese to me. I don't know if its because the information in the booklet was wrong, or... I’m very happy with the card I got though!

11. Mentaiko Umaibo - It tastes better than when I first tried it. But I can't say it's in my top 5 Umaibo list...

12. Udon Snacking Noodles - As I mentioned, these I have to be in the mood for. They don't taste bad but it's not something I'd probably reach for.

13. Almond Tofu snack - I really am not just a fan of Chocobi...

Alrighty, here we are at the end of another review. I'm sorry if it seemed like the quality started lowering so far down. I'm feeling kinda tired and my head hurts suddenly, and after trying to write these twice I really didn't want to have to try again you know?

Anyway, I hope you'll stay tuned for the next review :3 it'll be May's Doki Doki crate, then we'll be moving onto June stuff!

Until then, stay cute!