#also i want them to eat dumplings. is that too much to ask | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

writingouthere · 1 year ago

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friendswithbenefits!Sukuna x reader. Your friend Yuuji sets you up on a date with his co-worker to help you get over your recent slump, not knowing that his dear older brother had ended it months ago.

cw: none really, some possessive behavior

"He's really great though, I swear!"

"What does 'really great' entail, exactly?"

"Well he's nice! Like, super nice."

You waited to see if there was any more information and when there didn't appear to be any forthcoming, pushed your friend. "Yuuji, I'm going to need a little bit more than that."

Yuuji seemed to think about this for a second and as he did you snuck some dumplings off his plate. He'd taken more than his fair share of the take out anyway.

You loved Yuuji, he was one of the most genuinely kind people you'd ever met. He just happened to have terrible taste in men, aside from his own boyfriend.

"Well, when I got lost the other day, he gave me directions and they were super helpful!"

"Wait, did you find this guy on the street? Are you setting me up with a stranger?" It wouldn't surprise you, Yuuji tended to adopt human beings the way a normal person might adopt stray cats. You couldn't complain too much since it's how the two of you had ended up being friends, but it didn't necessarily mean that whoever he'd picked up off the side of the road this time was your one true love.

"No, no, he works in the school too. He teaches like history or something. He just teaches in the upperclassmen building, so I don't see him that much."

"So he gave you directions after you got lost in your own place of work?"

Yuuji either doesn't hear your tone or he chooses to ignore it. "Yeah, really nice dude. He's also good friends with Maki, so you know he must respect women."

That was actually pretty persuasive. Maki would never put up with any man who was a piece of shit, maybe there was something here.

"Is he cute?"

Yuuji scratched his head and tried to take some dumplings off your plate while you blocked him with your chopsticks.

"I mean I guess, he always looks kind of sad but you're into that right?" You blocked his attempts at stealing your dumplings with a little more aggression than necessary at that.

"I am not!"

Yuuji hummed unimpressed, chewing on the dumpling he'd managed to snatch away while you argued. Thief.

"He's like a little taller than me, pretty eyes and he's stronger than he looks. He actually beat me in some sparring matches last year when the teachers competed." You listened even as you scowled at the way Yuuji said all this with his mouth still full of stolen food. He swallowed and gave you a mischievous smirk. "He has really nice hands too."

"Yuuji!"

"They're big and his fingers are long but not too skinny, they kind of remind me of Megumi's-"

"Who the fuck are you talking about?"

You stiffened as Yuuji's older brother walked in, scratching his bare midriff since he seemed to have once again forgot that wearing shirts was an expected human behavior. Even though he was only a few years older than you and Yuuji, he always seemed larger than life. Maybe because you had known him for so long.

"Yuuta, this guy I work with," Yuuji said, pouting when his brother stole some of the food off his plate. Served him right. "Hey! I asked you if you wanted anything before I ordered it."

"And I told you, I don't want any of this garbage. I'm just sampling," Sukuna said as he popped another piece of chicken in his mouth.

"Go eat your stupid healthy food then and leave our garbage alone," Yuuji protested pushing the plate out of Sukuna's reach. Naturally, this led to Sukuna shoving Yuuji's head into the table as he reached over and stole more food off the tray in the middle.

"So why are you talking about Yuuta's hands anyway. You and Fushiguro finally call it quits?" Sukuna's tone was casual but you had once seen him knock out a guy for groping Megumi in a club. If the day came where Yuuji and Megumi actually broke up, you think he might take turns knocking sense into both of them.

"Mnat mor me."

"Huh," Sukuna said even as he kept Yuuji's face pressed to the table. You rolled your eyes.

"He's saying that he's not the one interested, he's trying to set me up with him." You tried to push down the guilt you felt as you spoke after all you had nothing to be guilty about.

There was a flash of something in Sukuna's eyes but it was gone before you could identify it and with one last shove that had Yuuji groaning, he let him up.

"That hurt, you bastard!"

"Not an insult, I'm literally a bastard," Sukuna said and Yuuji rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, anyway, back to helping you get laid-"

"Hey!"

"-I'll let Yuuta know you'll meet him at six?"

"Can you make it eight, only old people eat at six." Yuuji nods and goes to type something in his phone. There's an awkward silence that he doesn't seem to notice and you can't help but look at Sukuna who hasn't taken his eyes off you.

"Didn't realize you were so desperate," Sukuna says and Yuuji doesn't look up from his phone before throwing a punch at him. Sukuna dodges, his eyes still on you.

"There's nothing wrong with going on a date," you say and you wonder who you're convincing. "It has been a while since a nice guy took me out."

"Ah right, I forgot you liked nice guys." His tone is too knowing and you feel yourself flush.

"Stop picking on her, Sukuna. Don't you need to be going to the gym, anyway?" Yuuji asks, finally putting down his phone. He seems to attribute the current tension for you and Sukuna's usual animosity. You wonder if that's all there is to it. Sukuna scoffs and walks back to his room. You still weren't sure why he'd even come out in the first place.

"Whatever, you two have fun planning the wedding," he says, his tone making your hackles rise.

"Say hi to Uraume for me," Yuuji calls back, oblivious. "Tell them I still want a rematch after last week."

Sukuna waves a hand before shutting the door to his room. Yuuji turns back to you and the two of you talk about other topics while your mind wanders.

You weren't doing anything wrong. Were you?

You and Yuuji decide to meet up with Megumi and Nobara for a movie before you need to get ready for your date. While Yuuji goes to his room to change, you head to the kitchen to clean up the remains of lunch.

You're putting some glasses in the sink when you feel a warm presence at your back. You can't hold back your sigh as a familiar pair of thick arms comes to wrap around your waist and a pair of lips presses gently against your neck.

"I haven't seen you in forever," Sukuna murmurs, the movement of his lips against your neck sending a familiar pulse of want to your core. You tell yourself not to let the soft gesture get to you. He never did shit like this without a purpose and his usual purpose isn't going to be fulfilled with Yuuji in the next room.

"You saw me last week, Sukuna," you remind him before leaning away from him to close the dishwasher. His hands slip down to your hips and you just know he's staring at your ass. You roll your eyes even as he pulls you back to him once you're standing. His hands pressing into the curve of your hips, putting pressure on them in that way that makes you melt.

"That's too long, princess. I was getting lonely," he teases and you feel him smirk against your cheek. "You must be lonely too."

"Actually I'm just fine," you tell him but you tilt your head so he can kiss the skin of your face, your neck, the parts of your shoulders revealed by the stretched collar of your old t-shirt. You let him lull you into a false sense of security before he reminds you why that's a bad idea.

"Really? I just assumed you felt lonely and that's why you were agreeing to go on dates with losers you've never even met."

There it was. This was why you couldn't let Sukuna get soft with you. He never did it without returning your vulnerability with malice.

"Sukuna," you say and you go to pull his arms off you but he pushes you into the counter, you wince as the cold stone presses against your body. "Let go of me." Your tone is calm even as emotions band their way across your throat.

"I would, but you seem to get lost when I let you out of my sights. I mean you're going to go on a date with some high school teacher?"

"Your brother literally has the same job?"

"Well, are you going to fuck my brother too?"

"For fuck's sake, Sukuna, get off me!"

Sukuna does let you go but only so he can turn you to face him.

Sukuna doesn't get mad the way normal people do. Usually he's just amused, maybe even mildly annoyed, but blatant rage isn't his thing. After your years of-acquaintanceship? light antagonism?-friendship, you recognized this as the stage where he was about to make his insults increasingly personal until you needed to go cry in the bathroom later.

"We are not dating," you tell him and he rolls his eyes.

"Obviously."

"Therefore, I can go on dates with other people."

"I don't give a fuck if you go on dates with other people."

"Great, because I'm going to go on this date tonight."

"Good for you."

"Yes, yes it is good for me!"

"You seem really happy with your choices," Sukuna goads in that tone of his. You hate that tone.

"I am. I don't plan on just accepting whatever scraps some loser will throw me when there are actually decent guys who want a real relationship."

Sukuna narrows his eyes at you. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I wasn't being subtle," you tell him before leaning back against the counter. Going for casual, knowing you're not quite hitting it. "Don't worry, I don't hold it against you. You can't give what you don't have, you know?"

"No, I don't know," Sukuna bites out and if he was anyone else, you would think you'd hurt his feelings but this wasn't anyone else and there was no way something you said bother him.

"You're just not a relationship person and that's-that's fine, I knew that before we started this thing. It's just, sometimes I want more." You soften your tone from earlier but it doesn't do anything to relieve the tension between the two of you.

"And this, Yuka is going to give you that?" He sounds bitter and he's not touching you. You'd been the one to tell him to back off but you couldn't remember the last time he hadn't had his hands on you in some way when it was just the two of you.

"I think his name was Yuuta," you correct before his expression tells you this is the wrong step.

"Right, okay. You know what, you go on your date and have the best time with Yuuta. I got places to be."

He brushes past you and goes back to his room just as Yuuji opens the door to his.

"Geez, what's his problem?" He asks as he makes his way over to you. You shrug your shoulders and he takes your lack of response as just your normal discontent with his brother and wraps his arm around your shoulder. "Don't let him get to you, he's just a dick."

"I know," you tell him and you do. You know Sukuna's true nature better than most.

You two make your way out of the apartment so you can make your movie and you try to ignore the guilt you feel as Yuuji talks to you.

"You know, he's actually been in a better mood the past few months. I think he might actually be seeing someone. Can you imagine who would be crazy enough to actually date that asshole?"

new series? wrote this to get the rust off so we'll see.

#jjk sukuna #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen sukuna #ryomen sukuna #sukuna ryomen #sukuna x reader #sukuna x y/n #sukuna x you #jujutsu kaisen

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wonwoosthetic · 16 days ago

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Hey I am new to ur account and have been reading the Minnie stories... i love ur writing style...just wanted to ask if you will be continuing the Nana Tour series??

Hiii, this ask is from quite a while ago, so I hope that you’re still here and that you’re going to enjoy what’s coming as well, THANK YOU!!🩷

series masterlist

word count – 8.8k

warnings – mentions of food, implication to ED

Go Together NANA TOUR EP4-2. Food tours in the provinces 🌷 Minnie

[added captions by me :)]

everything in cursive is outside of the camera

the short bits written like this are in Italian

EP4-2. Food tours in the provinces

The producers announced that as a small celebration, the members were given some freshly cooked Korean food - fried seafood, dumplings, and tteokbokki. Since Minnie was sure she wouldn't eat anything anymore, she had left the members downstairs and made her way into her room, ready to take a shower and get ready for bed. After all, she had been awake for a good amount of time.

She was drying her hair with a towel, coming into the living room, only to find Hoshi spread out on the couch, clearly exhausted, yet a guitar was draped over his lap. She couldn't help but giggle. The members who had stayed downstairs slightly longer were now walking around, going into their individual rooms. Dokyeom was carrying a towel, just coming out of a room that wasn't his, when his eyes fell on the girl, who looked like she had just taken a shower.

"Do you have the shower gel and shampoo?" He asked her, getting a nod in return.

[desperation for shower supplies]

"Yeah, wait, I'll get it for you." Rushing back into her shared room to get the supplies. Her fellow '97 Liner waited patiently by the door. As soon as she handed over the bottles, adding the hair treatment too, DK was ready to turn around and leave but stopped to glance at her.

"I think we need to decide where to put this after using it. Everyone's looking for it," he told her.

[sharing is caring]

"Oh, really?" Minnie stopped squeezing her hair and left the towel in her hands. "Maybe we should buy more tomorrow if we have the time." Dokyeom nodded in agreement. After he left her room, he called out to the other members to leave the shower supplies in the living room, so everyone could find them easily.

Wonwoo walked into their shared room, ready to spread the news about the water problem, only to be met with an empty bed. With a frown, he called out for her,

"Minnie-ya?" Thinking she might have been in the bathroom.

Her voice echoed back from outside,

"Huh?"

As he poked his head out the door, he saw the girl walking out from the room across from them and up to him.

[busy exploring other rooms]

"What is it?" She wanted to know, passing him to enter and sit down on the bed.

"The water's not working," he let her know, throwing himself on his side of the mattress.

"What?" She glanced up from her phone, a yawn escaping her lips. "But I just took a shower."

[luck was on her side]

The rapper shrugged as he closed his eyes, trying to get a bit of rest before they had running water again.

"Shua-hyung said it wasn't working."

Minnie pushed herself off the bed to head to the adjoining bathroom to test if what he was saying was also true for their room. The confusion was written clearly on her face as she came out again to announce,

"It really isn't working."

Wonwoo chuckled, "I told you."

[only believing it with her own eyes]

Early in the morning, some of the members had already gathered in the kitchen. The night before, the staff had told them that they would have to be ready at exactly 10am, as they would be leaving. Anyone who wouldn't be ready to go by then would have to stay at the house. Jeonghan, being very much himself, had found it funny to keep this information to themselves and not let the others know, only shortly before, so they would be stressed.

Thankfully, Minnie was an early riser and already stumbling down the stairs at 8 in the morning.

"It smells good," she announced her presence, coming into sight with a buffet dished out for them on the dining table, gifted once again by the production crew.

"Good morning," she greeted one of the cooks in English who was placing down more plates and food.

Hoshi, Dino, and a shirtless Mingyu were sitting at a small table on the right side of the entrance, welcoming her with warm smiles.

"I made some scrambled eggs with mushrooms," her fellow '97 Liner told her, holding up a spoon with said food. "Here." Motioning for her to come closer and eat it.

Just as she leaned down, a piece of hair fell in front of her face. Mingyu was quick to catch it, holding it away from her mouth, so she could take a bite freely.

[a member who is very attentive]

As soon as she could taste it properly, she nodded with a hum, "It's really good," knowing that even though Mingyu knew exactly that his cooking skills were remarkable, he still enjoyed hearing that she enjoyed what he had made.

"Do you want more?" He asked her, already filling up the utensil again, but she stopped him, shaking her head.

"No, no, I'm good. I'm gonna eat something from there," pointing at the decked-out buffet they had.

With a full mouth, Hoshi spoke up, "Try the croissant, it's good." Minne chuckled at his antics, her hand patting his shoulder before she headed over to the larger table. Minghao joined her, grabbing an empty plate as well, to start placing different breakfast items on it.

"We have no water," Jeonghan spoke out loud, a pot in his hands as he got closer to the staff to ask them about the outage.

"Still no water?" Minnie's head perked up, her eyes moving over to the trio sitting down, who all shook their head at her.

[sorry members, but no water]

With their food, the two '97 Liner headed towards the kitchen, where the oldest member and Dokyeom had decided to try and cook Ramen with the only bottle of water currently in their possession. Sparkling water. Instead of sitting down, they decided to just eat their breakfast standing up, leaning onto the kitchen island.

Hoshi, Mingyu, and Dino had finished with their meal, now standing around the kitchen as well, watching the ramen being made. Wonwoo had come downstairs as well, glasses on, but hair wilder than a bird's nest.

[WONWOO must have wild dreams]

Minnie couldn't help but chuckle. Minghao glanced over at her in confusion, but once she pointed at the older member, he joined her. While the other members were clearly careful with how they presented themselves in front of the cameras, like most deciding to wear a cap, or Minnie choosing to brush it first, the '96 Liner couldn't care less, as it seems. He was just comfortable like that.

"Here, you guys should eat this too," the oldest of them grabbed some of the noodles with his chopsticks, ready to place them on Minnie's plate first, but she stopped him.

"No, I don't want to now, thank you," some of her own food was still in her mouth.

"You have to eat more," Jeonghan fought her back, but she continued to shake her head.

[aggressively caring JEONGHAN]

"I have enough for now, and I had ramyeon just last night."

He sighed but let it pass for now, turning to Hao to switch the offer to him, only to be declined again.

"But you should eat more in general," Minghao directed his remark at the girl, who looked at him in confusion.

[kind caring MINGHAO]

She brushed her hair back in annoyance as it continuously fell forward while she was trying to eat.

"I'm eating more than enough here. And drinking a lot too," she explained, but the guys around her seemed rather unfazed by what she was telling them. Minghao tilted his head slightly, showing her he was disagreeing with her statement, but they decided not to nag her much more about the topic.

She let a sigh fall from her lips as her hair kept on bugging her. The point had come where she was now trying to tie her hair up without a tie, remembering that her hairstylist once showed her that little trick. Only that it didn't work now.

"What are you doing?" Dokyeom laughed at her frustration.

Minnie chuckled with a sad undertone. "My hair is annoying."

A second later, she felt a presence to her right and a hand reaching forward, between their fingers, a black hair tie. The girl gasped, grabbing it immediately and glancing up to find the all-too-familiar messy set of hair.

[help is coming]

"Thank youuu," she beamed at Wonwoo, breathing out in pure happiness.

Na PD caught onto the group standing by the kitchen island, sparking his interest as he saw Jeonghan slurping noodles.

"How did you cook it without running water?"

With still food in his mouth, he answered, "We used sparkling water." Getting a gasp from a female producer and a laugh from Youngseok. Vernon's interest piqued, immediately asking for a bite. The boys were convinced the '95 Liner had cooked some of the best Ramen noodles they had ever eaten. Dokyeom underlined that it must be the sparkling water, to which the girl just shook her head with a chuckle.

Once the entire group had found themselves in the kitchen, the staff called in a meeting, making everyone stop in their tracks to listen. Minnie had sat down with Joshua and Wonwoo close to the terrace door. She originally wanted to go back upstairs and get ready, but now chose to stay and turn towards the producer, sitting only a few feet away from the trio.

"As you guys now know," Na PD started. "We are out of water. And we found out why it got cut short." If he didn't have all of their attention before, he definitely did now. "According to the judgment of the Waterworks Bureau of this country, abnormal water usage has been detected from this house, and it got cut automatically."

Minnie's mouth fell open immediately. The room erupted in "aahs" and "oohs" as the news settled in. They agreed that the mass of people in the house must've been overwhelming and unusual. It's not every day you have an Airbnb housing 25 people at once for multiple days.

"With the one litre of water you have each, just brush your teeth and wash your face," he continued to tell them. Na PD had also explained that they had already talked to the agency, and they should have running water again soon, but as they still had to leave at 10, it wasn't going to happen until then.

"You will definitely feel kind of dirty," he joked, getting a few chuckles in return. "But just for the day, okay?" While he was right and everyone was more than understanding about the situation, Minnie was glad she had been able to use the shower the night before.

At the end of the day, the group had faced much rougher times in their past, going back to even before their debut. A little water outage for a short time wasn't going to make them spiral or crash out.

"When we give you the water, hurry up and get ready," Na PD ended his speech. "We will gather and start then."

He got a round of "Thank you" and "okay" in return before the members started clapping and rambling about who would wash up where and how.

Dino and Mingyu got the fantastic idea to use the water from the small tub in the Sauna, making the girl frown in disgust once she saw them heading towards it with a see-through container to pour.

"That's where Mingyu's meringue went in," she admitted, making Vernon and Wonwoo turn to her and start laughing.

[some members like meringue-infused water]

"Don't mention it, don't mention it," the '98 Liner chuckled, waving his hand out at her as he nibbled on a piece of toast.

"But that's so weird. They're brushing their teeth there," the girl continued to ramble.

Wonwoo seemed to support his fellow rapper as he just laughed as well. "No, no, it's okay."

"It's not," Minnie joined in, her forehead falling onto his wide shoulders as she shook her head. She was once again reminded that, after all, they were just men.

After pulling up her jeans and buttoning them, the female member was officially ready for the day. While she had already brushed her teeth, Wonwoo walked out of their bathroom, doing exactly that, but he was already dressed. She decided to put on the clothes she had travelled with, a pretty top and jeans, whereas he had gone for the shirt they had gotten and kept it simple with a pair of sweatpants - basically what he had been wearing all the other days as well.

At exactly 9:50am, the two walked out of the door together, Minnie holding onto the small bag she had brought along, and Wonwoo had taken the fan with S.Coups' face on it.

"Good morning!" They welcomed the staff together.

"Oh," Na PD pointed out, "Coups!"

"If we're travelling, we have to bring him as well," Minnie explained with a smile, bringing a hand up to shield her eyes from the aggressive morning sun.

[MINNIE always looking out for the member that's not present]

"You're right, we need to bring him around," the producer chuckled along with her.

Slowly but surely, the other members found their way outside, joining the couple and lining up in front of the cameras.

It was then that Na PD gave them further instructions,

"We're going to split up and tour three places." He then added, "It's a small food tour. We're going to go in three groups. First, we're going to go to an Italian cooking class, where you'll learn how to make pasta from an Italian teacher."

The group erupted in happy gasps.

"Wooowww," Dokyeom clapped.

"You can bring the skill to Korea and make it home and make it for your friends," the producer explained.

"How long does the drive take?" Woozi wanted to know, gaining the attention of some of the members.

"25 minutes," Na PD answered. The first place was quite close, but then he continued. "About 45 minutes away is another small town called San Gimignano. Visit the beautiful streets designated as World Cultural Heritage sites." He added that there will be an ice cream event and tour where they'll be able to eat gelato.

"So more walking and a lot of history along with ice cream," Minnie beamed happily, recalling what she had just heard.

"Nice, nice," Joshua sighed.

"And the last one," the producer announced. "We only saw it in our textbooks, the Leaning Tower of Pisa." The group clapped. "After seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you're going to eat pizza."

Dino was quick to claim his place. "I want to go so bad."

The members started dreaming out loud about the pictures they would be able to take at the sight. A historical classic. A female producer let them know that it was truly as beautiful and captivating as it seemed on the internet.

The only problem with this destination, as Na PD admitted, was that it would be a one-hour and forty minutes long drive. Or at least he had thought that it would be an issue, but the group was used to much worse, they assured him.

"It's like when we have to go to set in Panju from Gangnam!" Seungkwan called out. Minnie agreed quietly, still thinking about which one she would most likely want to choose.

"Anyways," the producer continued, "everyone will have different needs. So, we're going to decide fairly through a game where you guys are going to go. First place will decide first, and so on."

Everyone agreed.

"I'm going to do a quick survey." The members' ears perked up. "When we go back home after this vacation, what's the food that you want to eat the most? Starting with Wonwoo." He pointed to the right side of the line where Minnie and he were standing.

He answered with Kimchijjigae. The girl followed with Kimchijeon. The members quickly went through, each one of them having to say something different, there was no possibility of a dish being called out twice - but no one knew what it was for.

Before they could finally leave, the producers chose the Strawberry Game to decide who would be able to choose where they'd want to go first. They also revealed that the food they had mentioned would be the word they'd have to use for this game, along with having to remember the other meals that had been mentioned.

Minnie tried saying it out loud quickly multiple times, yet found herself struggling slightly, making her sigh.

[needs the skills of a rapper]

The game started and they were quick to realise that not only did it challenge them, but it really was going to be tougher than expected, especially when Wonwoo, one of the main rappers of the group, was the first to fail.

Next was Dino, another member who was usually pretty good when it came to speaking fast. Minnie could already see her end coming near.

And she was right. Only a short while later, the female member had to join Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Wonwoo, Minghao, and Dino on the sidelines. She had even managed to say her word on the right beat, exactly six times like Seungkwan had ordered her to do. It was once she had to throw the task to the next person, her victim being Vernon, that she failed, stumbling over her words and giving up.

With a shaking head, she walked right into the awaiting open arms of the oldest member, who hugged her tightly.

"You did well," he reassured her, getting a giggle out of her.

Towards the end of the game, Minnie excused herself for a short moment, rushing into the house to get her pair of sunglasses. She had clearly underestimated the burning of the morning sun.

Once she came back, there were only Seungkwan and Woozi left in the game, but the final results fell quickly when the '98 Liner messed up right away at the start of the round. Now, it was time to choose their dream group: having a tour of eating ice cream and gelato, visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa, or taking a cooking class to learn how to make authentic Italian pasta. So far, Minnie was a fan of the latter. The gelato tour sounded quite tempting, but the idea of being able to make noodles from scratch was just too right up her alley.

The groups for Pisa and gelato were almost full, making her frown as to why no one had yet chosen what she had deemed as interesting.

"Alright," Na PD called out, "next up, Minnie!"

She lifted her head to glance at the producers first, before sliding over to the members that had already chosen their destination.

"Remember Nini, the drive to Pisa is really long," Jeonghan spoke up from behind her, clearly wanting to have a space in the sight-seeing group.

The girl chuckled when the producer scoffed, "You can't influence her!"

"Yeah, let her decide on her own," Seungkwan agreed.

[independent woman, MINNIE]

The female member shook her head in amusement before announcing, "I want to learn how to make pasta." Getting a round of claps in return and a surprised face from Youngseok.

[one of few]

"Okay! Minnie is the first to choose the cooking class!"

And the last.

While Jeonghan, as expected, chose to go to Pisa, Jun went with the ice cream tour, leaving the rest of the members with no choice but to take the cooking class.

"What- am I really the only one that wants to do it freely?" She wondered out loud, a slight hint of desperation laced her voice.

[somebody that actually enjoys cooking]

"They don't want to make us dinner tonight," the oldest of them laughed, getting a snappy answer from her in return,

"I'm not cooking for you guys either!" Making Jeonghan laugh in surprise.

Dino took a step closer to her. "Noona, I will try to be more motivated about this."

"Thank you," Minnie chuckled, interlocking her arm with his.

"Can you make it look like we chose the cooking class?" Wonwoo asked the crew. "Can we make it that we actually chose it?"

Jeonghan was quick to act. "Wonwoo, where do you want to go?" He pointed at him, getting a fake overly motivated answer back.

"Cooking class, of course!!"

Then he continued with the other member. "Dino, where do you want to go?"

"Pisa," the maknae sighed out loud. "The Leaning Tower of Pisa." Earning him a shove to the side from the girl. "I really wanted to go. The distance doesn't matter."

Na PD couldn't help but laugh loudly at the act of desperation. "I'm sure Minnie will motivate you well."

But the girl only bit down on her lip, sending a tight smile into the camera.

[she isn't very sure]

Joshua, Wonwoo, Minghao and Minnie had found themselves in the living room after the other two groups had left. The '95 Liner was strumming random notes on one of the guitars while the rest were focused on their phones. The two '97 Liners were each resting on opposite sides of the sofa when Wonwoo, who was occupying a single seat, spoke up.

"Right now, we watched 'New Journey to the West', so-"

"We?" Joshua wondered, still playing different chords.

"Minnie and I," he explained. "So I knew all the games even before they started. And I lost all of them."

[the two biggest fans of Na PD]

His comment made the female member look to the side, eyes off the phone as she jumped into the conversation.

"Our members are too good at games, that's why."

"Shouldn't Wonwoo be good at games too?" The oldest of them asked with a cheeky grin, getting a scoff from the rapper.

Minnie carelessly laughed. "He might lose his Gameboy title."

[who will do the future gam3boi lives?]

The man in question just shook his head in amusement, clear by the grin curling his lips.

"You're excited for the cooking class, right Minnie?" Minghao suddenly asked.

The female member nodded happily. "But it seems like I'm really the only one that wanted to do this."

"No," he assured her. "I think it's gonna be interesting. I don't know what to expect."

Wonwoo jumped in, quick to agree with the '97 Liner. "Same. I don't think I'll be good at learning how to cook."

"Who knows," Minnie glanced up at him, pushing herself to sit up straight, "maybe you'll start making pasta at home."

[manipulation]

"Sure..." The tone of his voice let everyone know it wasn't going to happen anytime soon - as expected. The rapper was the last person to be found in the kitchen for longer than 10 minutes unless it was for help or to clean up and wash the dishes. Cooking was definitely not his strong point, but therefore they had two other members who didn't mind being the ones to cook most days.

"More enthusiasm," she told him before they were called outside as the producers let them know they were ready to go.

"Let's go!" All of a sudden, Wonwoo seemed overly excited, whether it was an act or not didn't matter to the girl, the smile was still evident on her face.

Outside, they met Dino, who had just given out more pocket money than needed to the other groups.

Vernon was just about to leave when the girl's voice stopped him.

"Vernonnie, wait!" As if frozen, he came to a halt and turned around, only to find Minnie running in the opposite direction. The members of her group glanced at her in confusion, no one knowing what she was getting or doing. Quickly, she snatched something from where the producers had been before joining them again.

"Wha-"

"Take Coups with you." Without another comment and a straight face, she handed him the fan they had brought.

A blank facial expression was plastered on the rapper's face as Joshua chuckled in the background.

"Are you serious?"

"Very."

[MINNIE is taking very good care of S.COUPS]

She copied his stoic look, getting a nod and a sigh in return before he said his goodbye and went his way.

"The team is kind of new and nice," he commented as Wonwoo and Minnie trailed right behind him, followed by the other two members a little further back.

"Really?" The '96 Liner looked at the individuals, making her do the same.

"I feel like we're very similar though," she admitted. "And we usually spent time together."

[best friends in private]

"Yeah, but more privately," Wonwoo agreed. He didn't realise that also he and Dino seemed to have partnered up multiple times during their trip. The two usually find each other quickly.

The group was given the bus they had travelled with as the other cars had already left, transporting the other members. As they were five exactly, the found themselves occupying the very last row with Dino and Joshua on the left side, and Minghao and Wonwoo on the right, leaving Minnie to choose the middle.

First things first on their agenda: taking pictures. The maknae was already holding his phone up higher, calling out for the girl to look over and get into the frame.

"Noona, smile!" She was quick to react, moving her sunglasses up to sit on her head and curling her lips to pose. They shot a few more before setting down comfortably into their seats again.

"I think this village is so pretty," the rapper commented on the scenery passing outside their windows. The class wasn't all too far away, but they got to see more of the surroundings of where they were staying.

Hao pointed at a building. "Here. I came here."

On the other side, the '95 Liner found a familiar place as well.

"Oh, I need to try the hamburger here!" Wonwoo and Seungkwan had told the members about the small food truck that had been too good to pass on apparently.

"That was the place, right?" Shua turned to the other member to ask him, getting a nod in return.

"Yeah, it was that one!"

"You and Seungkwan really like it, right?" Minnie added.

"It was very good," he told her again.

Quickly, the subject of conversation changed once more.

"The view is so nice. I saw it when I went jogging today," Joshua told them.

The girl raised her eyebrows in surprise, a small smile on her lips.

"It's so impressive how motivated you guys are to work out here."

"Isn't it easier when the view is nice?" Wonwoo wondered.

The oldest was quick to nod his head. "It's so much better." But the girl didn't seem convinced.

[doesn't want to work out in the sun]

They continued to stare out of the windows. Everything they passed had been worthy enough to take a picture of, but no camera could capture the beauty that the naked eye was able to see.

"Everything here looks like a painting," Minnie commented. "It's crazy."

"It really is," the youngest agreed. "It must be insane to live here."

Wonwoo glanced over at the other side, when he added, "The place where Minnie's grandparents live looks very similar."

She turned towards him with a grin. The memory of them in France a few months back apparently still engraved in his head.

"Have we seen it before?" Dino asked in confusion, very much surprised by the information.

Joshua chuckled, "I think we've seen a picture, right?" Directing the question to the girl, who nodded.

"But everything looks so much more beautiful in real life."

"Then invite us too one day!" The maknae whined, getting a chuckle out of the members. "We want to see the countryside in France too!"

[jealousy runs deep]

"Okay, okay," Minnie laughed, stopping his ramble. "One day, I'll see if you can all come too."

Dino found a special interest in the fields Minghao had mentioned, lined with grape bushes as far as the eye could see.

"There are a lot of places Myungho knows about," Wonwoo commented with a kind smile, impressed by the knowledge of their surroundings the younger member had accommodated within the past few days.

"I went there yesterday. It's nice," he explained. "I was on this road twice yesterday."

"I think I really need to walk around more," Minnie mumbled to herself, but the other members could still hear her.

"We can do a late night walk if we have the time, Minnie-ya," the rapper proposed, making her head snap towards him,

"Yes, let's do that." A bright smile elevated her face.

[already making plans for the evening]

Hao didn't even try to hide his grin.

A voice from the front of the bus caught the members off guard.

"If you promise to come back, you can take the car and go for a walk further away. There's some very pretty paths, about 10 minutes away by car," one of the producers offered them.

"Oh," Wonwoo seemed surprised by the offer but didn't hesitate to accept it. "That would be very nice, thank you."

"And we promise to come back," Minnie chuckled, finding humour in what he had said.

"Very good," he joked as well.

Minhao giggled to himself, "Cute," peaking over at the male member next to him, whose eyes were focused on the girl in the middle.

Joshua, still as bewitched by the breathtaking scenery, sighed out loud heavily, "Man... how nice the view would be every day if you lived in a house here."

"We talked about that yesterday," Minnie jumped in, recalling the conversation with Jun and Wonwoo in the early morning. "Living in Italy in the summer, and when it gets cold, you can just go to Hawaii or something similar. Then you'll always have nice weather and pretty views."

"I should really live in Italy." One could dream Joshua, one could only dream...

The vineyards continued to follow the bus for most of the drive, each field on the side of the road was used to grow fruits, giving the countryside an extra touch of beauty. No painting or picture could make you relive seeing something like that with your own eyes.

The Tuscany countryside had its very own special charm. So uniquely beautiful and comforting. Welcoming you with fresh air, sunny warmth, and bright colours from the blooming flowers on the side of the dirt roads. In the middle of one of the many vineyards they were lucky enough to see, was their teacher already waiting for them. A white umbrella had been put up, looking professional, yet casual and gifting them with enough shade for everyone. Along with a beautiful wooden table and chairs, with enough working space. Even so far out in the middle of a field, they had somehow managed to get electricity and gas as they had put up a small kitchen space with a stove and grill. Anything else, like utensils and bowls, had been laid out neatly and was just waiting to get used. The members were already on their way over there, greeting the older man, their teacher, with big smiles and an Italian, "Buonjiorno!"

"How are you?" The man asked in return, getting a round of positive affirmations back.

Before they even sat down, the man introduced himself right away.

Fabrizio explained they would be learning how to make three different kinds of pasta: Pici, Tagliatelle, and filled Ravioli.

Minnie could already feel her heart jumping with excitement, the happiness was evident on her face as she smiled brightly, sending Wonwoo a wide-eyed glance that made him chuckle.

"Woah...," she breathed out.

[very excited to gain cooking skills]

"The ravioli that we ate are Italian-style dumplings," Joshua explained to the members, getting a quiet giggle out of the girl. That's for sure one way of describing it.

They didn't waste much more time, as the teacher instructed them to put on their aprons. Some of the members were reminded of other programs they had done back in Korea as they struggled with the right way to tie the piece of clothing.

"I feel like I'm a chef now," Joshua joked.

Minnie smiled as she put the different ties over her head, forgetting about the sunglasses on her head. "So professional- oh-," letting them almost fall if it wasn't for Hao's quicker reflexes.

"Thank you," she took them back and secured them back in her hair, hoping they'd stay there.

"Oh, I'm excited right now," Dino exclaimed." We're making it outside. I thought that we were doing it indoors."

"That makes it even better!" Minnie supported his excitement with the brightest smile of them all. For one, she was happier than ever, and two, the slow realisation of the others of how wonderful this experience could become, made her charge up with glee.

"We're really happy that this is outside. Because of the nice weather," she had turned to the teacher, wanting to include him in their conversation.

Fabrizio smiled at her, clapping his hands. "I hope you're excited about the cooking!" To which she obviously nodded.

"Myungho-ya," Joshua looked over to the dancer, "because of your sleeveless shirt, you look like you have no shirt." Commenting on the finished look with the apron tied around their bodies.

The female member glanced down at her outfit, brushing over the apron.

"Minnie has to be careful. She's wearing a pretty top," Minghao commented. She looked back up with a nod and a nervous chuckle.

"Noona made herself extra pretty today."

[brown nosing?]

A compliment from the youngest always got her to smile, no different now.

"Aww, thank you."

"Why did you have to wear the nicest top today?" The oldest wondered.

"This is what I came with. And I didn't know I was going to get dirty today," she chuckled. "I'm gonna be careful."

The teacher let them know, they'd be starting right away, startling the members, yet exciting them even more. Dino seemed to have become much more enthusiastic about the activity, his entire body moving in excitement.

The five of them were lined up on one side of the working space, while Fabrizio had taken his spot opposite of them. He demonstrated each step carefully, making sure they were looking at him.

"What you're going to do is put four spoons of flour down," he explained in slightly broken English, acting out what he was saying. "And then, make hole in the middle." The members nodded along, even if they didn't understand all of the words he was saying. Watching him do it helped a lot more.

Thankfully, they also had Joshua and Minnie with them, who were more than happy to translate everything into perfect Korean for them.

"Four scoops," they told their members.

"Ok, four scoops," the maknae repeated.

Wonwoo chuckled, "S.Coups." Making the girl laugh and shake her head as she peeked over to Minghao on her left who was already looking at her with a smile plastered on his face.

They did as told, following with the hole in the middle of the hill of flour, before they were told to pour in a slight bit of olive oil as well.

Dino stopped mid-pour. "Oh- did I put in too much?" The look in his eyes must've translated enough as Fabrizio was quick to answer.

"In Italy, there's never too much olive oil," he joked, getting a chuckle out of the girl. Joshua translated to Korean, assuring the youngest to continue pouring as the female member wrapped herself in a conversation with the teacher.

"In Italy you also eat bread with olive oil, right?" She recalled.

Fabrizio nodded his head happily, "Yes, it's delicious! You tried it?"

"Yeah we did, but it's so different from what we eat in Korea."

"Oh, I understand."

"But it really is very good," she assured.

[MINNIE is good at making new friends]

Joshua passed on the bottle of oil to Wonwoo while Dino handed his over to the girl. Behind the camera, a voice from their left made her look up.

"Minnie-ya," Na PD addressed her.

"Huh?"

"Didn't you say you can speak Italian?"

Her eyebrows shot up in immediate shock. "What? No! Don't say that!"

But before the conversation could die, Shua jumped in, watching Fabrizio's eyes follow the quarrel between the girl and the producer.

"She can speak Italian! You can speak Italian to her."

[supportive member]

"Really?!" The surprise lit up the teacher's face, his eyes now glued on the girl, who was already shaking her head and waving her hand.

"No, no, no," she downplayed it in English. "Only a little bit. Tiny bit."

"A little but enough to understand?" He had already switched to his mother tongue, making Minnie chuckle nervously.

"Yes, enough to understand, but... not good enough to speak it well."

"You speak it very well!" His compliment only got another giggle out of her as she, after habit, bowed her head.

"Thank you, thank you."

"How do you know how to speak Italian? Do they teach it in Korea?" He asked further while continuing to watch the members switch to add water to their mixture.

She put the bottle down to pass it to Hao, who was already grinning at the exchange, knowing she was uncomfortable with the situation, even though all the odds were in her favour and Minnie didn't have a reason to be insecure about her language skills. After all, out of the group, she was the most talented in that area.

"Only in special... schools?" She struggled slightly, unable to think of the word for 'course' in the foreign language. "But I learned it in England when I was younger. And then a little bit in Korea."

[sounds like a natural to us]

She was passed the olive oil by Minghao, who was also ready for the next step.

Fabrizio nodded, a much brighter smile than before decorated his face. "Ah, okay, I see." As welcoming and kind as he was, Minnie let out a sigh of relief as soon as they continued with their lesson and he decided to speak English again. She got back to work but not before sending an evil side-eye to the producer on the side who was giggling along.

Once all the fluid ingredients were trapped in the hole in the middle of their flour hill, Fabrizio explained further.

"When you mix the flour and water, be aggressive with it. Put a lot of weight on it."

"Okay!" An excited Wonwoo went on just as instructed.

Minnie tried to smash the dough with her hands as she had done before while baking. The teacher stopped in front of her.

"You put all of your weight into it. Because you are small. You need a lot of strength. Be aggressive." He switched to Italian, but repeated everything in English as well, making the members chuckle along with the girl, who also shook her head. The light-hearted and kind humour started to spread through the class, making it even more enjoyable than before.

"Think about something that made you mad," he added the small tip, which immediately got a reaction out of the guys as they harshly started to roll their dough on the counter space.

"Jeon Wonwoo!" Shua shouted out.

"Joshua!" The rapper copied him, making the others giggle at their act. "This is stress relieving," Wonwoo sighed happily.

On the other side, the members seemed to struggle a slight bit more, the dough continuously sticking to their fingers, having Fabrizio help them out more, although he did go through the entire row, adding water and oil where needed.

"Hey, isn't yours ruined?" Na PD's comment made Minnie look up, only to find him glancing at Minghao's dough. His looked slightly different than theirs, making her frown. Either he was doing it wrong, or they were starting to fail...

Once the teacher was on their side again, Hao asked for more flour, hoping to save his dough, but Fabrizio surprised them all,

"Actually, yours is the most perfect."

"Oh, perfect?" Wonwoo looked over, smiling at the '97 Liner, who was just as perplexed by the sudden compliment.

"Wow," Minnie grinned, "Minghao has a natural talent for cooking!"

"It has to be wet and not stick to your hands." Hearing his instructions let the girl know that she definitely needed more water and asked for it right away.

"You- you've done this... You've made dough before, right?" Na PD, clearly surprised, wondered.

"I watched my mother do it a lot," Hao reminisced in past memories. The members nodded along when the producer suddenly chuckled,

"Minnie, shouldn't you be a natural talent at this?" His question made her lift her head with a tight smile on her lips. "I heard you cook a lot."

"Bake!" She was quick to correct him. "I bake a lot at home, I don't make noodles. That's different."

"Ah, ok, ok," the older man chuckled, the members joining in.

[Na PD enjoys teasing MINNIE]

In the next step, they were instructed to roll the dough into a thin straw-sized line. Minghao asked for an honest opinion, getting another 'perfect' from the teacher.

"Wow."

"Oh! Myngho is so good at this." Wonwoo was surely close to envying him. Minnie had already arrived there.

"In my next life, I want to be Xu Minghao. To be born with his skills." Her comment made her fellow '97 Liner laugh, along with Na PD, who sent a kind smile the girl's way.

"Minnie, you're doing really well too!"

[all the members are giving it their best]

"Thank you!" She leaned slightly forward to beam at him, making the female producer behind him 'aw' in affection.

"Yours looks very good," Fabrizio suddenly commented, taking her by surprise.

"Really? Thank you..."

"Yes. You can make it a little bit smaller. But other than that, perfect."

"Perfect," she repeated in English, nodding to herself proudly, making Hao giggle,

"Cute."

They continued the process a few more times, handing over each thin worm of dough to the teacher before starting on another one.

"Why does mine look so weird?" Wonwoo's voice gained the attention of Dino and Minnie, who decided to glance over, comparing his and Joshua's work.

"It tastes different if you make it differently," the maknae joked, making the girl chuckle and nudge his side with her elbow.

Minghao's movement made her look over to his side, watching him form a heart on the countertop.

"I put my love in and made a heart."

"Aww," Minnie smiled. "You should always cook with your heart. Then it will taste the best."

[this makes the difference, not what the dough looks like, WONWOO]

He nodded in agreement. "You're right."

Fabrizio took each noodle they formed, giving short but sweet comments to everything. His Italian kindness radiated off him, only making the members even happier than they already were. Especially Dino, who lived for the compliments he received, smiling extra brightly once he got his first 'perfect' from the teacher. Minnie understood him, she had felt the same way - if this had been The Great British Bake Off, think of Fabrizio's 'perfect' being a handshake from Paul.

"Dino's so cute when he gets complimented," Minnie couldn't help but comment, smiling at how happy the youngest seemed to be.

"You and him are the same in that regard," Hao told her, his eyes drifting over to the younger members, who chuckled.

"Noona gave me that trait."

[like brother, like sister apparently]

The teacher had brought a silver dish to the countertop on the right of the table, giving Dino, Minnie, and Minghao the possibility to put their noodles inside without him having to inspect them first - the trust was growing bigger. Joshua's and Wonwoo's creations were still continued to be put in by the older man and were certainly catching the eyes of the producers.

"Who's the person that just did it?" Na PD wondered, getting a deep chuckle from the other end of the table in return.

"Just now? Me."

The female member failed to hide her grin.

"Oh... it's a mess." The producer's comment made him laugh as he admitted,

"I guess I really don't have talent in cooking."

Minnie's shake of the head didn't go unnoticed, as Na PD called her out.

"Minnie-ya, you really don't want him to cook like this, right?"

[bad skills in the kitchen are not good for at home]

She chuckled. "Now he has an excuse to never cook."

"Does he ever cook at home?" Dino asked, remembering very clearly what Wonwoo was like back in the days when they used to share a dorm.

"Minnie and Mingyu are much better than me," the rapper quickly defended himself. "I'm good at washing up and cleaning."

"Woah," the youngest sighed, "you really haven't changed at all."

The members laughed, definitely agreeing with him.

"As long as you're giving it your best, it's fine," Minnie remarked, just getting done with another noodle and placing it in the dish before glancing over at the older members. "That looks really good!" She commented on the one Wonwoo had just finished.

"Really?"

The girl and Dino hummed in affirmation.

"You can see some talent?"

"Yeah, you did really well," the youngest assured him once more before Minnie jumped in again,

"You really need to stop talking yourself down like this."

"Am I talented?" Wonwoo and her eyes met as she sent him a smile.

"Maybe it's not talent, maybe it's skill. Believe in your cooking skills the way you believe in your gaming skills."

"Woah, noona," Dino chuckled. "You're really wise today."

Before she could reply, the familiar chuckle of Na PD rang through their ears. "I don't think she wants to be wise. Doesn't she just really want Wonwoo to cook more?" His comment got a round of laughter from the members while Minnie glared over at him sheepishly while trying to hold in her giggles, only making the producers behind the camera laugh in amusement.

One type of pasta down, two more to go. The group was asked to wipe down their work space, so they could continue with the class. The next kind of pasta they'd be making was egg pasta.

Fabrizio started from the beginning again, showing them the same way the had prepared the flour only a few minutes earlier. Only then, the water and oil they had used before, would now be switched with one egg per member - so, that's exactly what they did. Repeating what they had just learned perfectly, Joshua and Minnie helped the others by translating the instructions, giving them a clearer accuracy of what they had to do,

"Break the yolk first and then do the same as before."

"Break the yolk?" Wonwoo asked into the round.

Minnie was the first to answer. "Yeah, break the yolk first, and then move it from the inside to the outside. Like we did earlier." Glancing over to watch the hands of the rapper.

[already becoming a better cook]

"Egg dough feels kind of different," he commented, making the girl nod in agreement.

"This feels more like what I work with when I bake."

"Then Minnie, this should turn out perfect, right?" Na PD suddenly asked, getting another giggle out of her when she turned to him,

"Why are you teasing me?" Only getting a round of laughter from the producers in return as she mumbled under her breath, "Unbelievable."

[this is how SEVENTEEN enjoys their time together with Na PD]

Once they had mixed the flour and eggs well together, Fabrizio handed out a rolling pin to each one of them. Dino beamed in ecstasy as he got a hold of the utensil.

"Woah... I wanted to use this!" And got to work immediately.

The group was instructed to roll out the dough as thinly as possible, they were supposed to be making noodles after all.

"Very nice," the teacher remarked, watching the maknae's work.

"I feel so much better after hearing a compliment."

Minnie laughed next to him, nodding in agreement. Maybe they truly were quite similar in that regard.

Using the rolling pin made the cooking process much easier for the girl. While she may not have had the perfect amount of strength to knead a dough, using the wooden utensil helped her immensely. Within only a short amount of time, she was able to get her dough to a 2mm thinness, waiting for further instructions.

"A little bit thinner," Fabrizio told her.

"More?" She wondered, her eyebrows raised in surprise as she glanced down at what she had created.

"As thin as possible." Well, who was she to deny an Italian chef.

Minghao next to her seemed to be doing perfectly fine as well, but, as mentioned before, they had found out he had a natural talent when it came to noodle making. Dino, on the other hand, was pressing down dragging it forward and backward, creating a long thin piece of raw dough, that weirdly started to resemble something.

"Isn't that too long, Dino-ya?" One of the producers asked as he saw what the maknae had created.

"It looks like a tall person's foot, right?"

Minnie threw her head back in glee, laughing out loud at his remark. As her hands were still full of flour, she used the back of her hand to wipe away a tear that had formed in the outer corner of her eye - only that she forgot that that part of her hand had gotten dirty too.

"Ah- no, wait!" Minghao was quick to stop her, holding down her hand, to do what she had just wanted to, using his knuckles and making her look up. Instinctively, the girl moved her head backwards, only to get scolded by her fellow '97 Liner.

"Stop moving!"

[gentle]

Minnie joined his chuckle. "I can't! You're too close to my eye!"

"I'm trying to help you!"

And somehow he had managed.

"Now," Fabrizio continued after making sure everyone had a thin enough dough in front of them, "we cut into tagliatelle shape." He showed the performers what to do. Carefully rolling the dough into a swirl on one side, then doing the same thing on the other side. With a knife, they would have to cut straight thin lines and lastly, poke a metal stick through it. Once you lift it, the noodles should fall down into place and hang.

"WOW!" The members gasped. "Applause!" Joshua announced before they cheered by clapping, getting a smile out of the teacher.

Now it was their turn.

Joshua went first, making it look almost too easy as he presented his creation to the camera.

Next, "Dino, let's go!" Minghao supported him, watching as he raised the metal stick, the dough unfolding neatly, just like it was supposed to.

Minnie was nervous to show hers, but Hao watched intensely after he had just gotten done with his, going as smoothly as expected.

"Minnie, we have high expectations," Na PD joked.

"Don't make me nervous!" She laughed at the older man, getting a chuckle in return. "Okay..." Carefully, she made sure the metal pick wasn't damaging or poking through the dough before she slowly lift it up. Each cut piece unfolded nicely, leaving her with a big smile on her face as Fabrizio sent her a thumbs-up.

"Perfect!"

"Thank you," she grinned, handing over the stick before accepting the high-five from the maknae to her right.

Now, for the last one: Wonwoo.

"You don't need to put it in that hard," Dino let me know, all pairs of eyes now on the hands of the '96 Liner.

"Just do it lightly," came from Joshua.

"It goes in even if you do it lightly," Minnie added. For how naturally soft-spoken Wonwoo usually was, he underestimated the strength his hands possessed.

"It's really hard," he smiled, but as he had the support of four members behind him, he continued to do as said, carefully. On the count of three, given by the oldest, he managed to lift it just like the others did, revealing slightly wonky-shaped, yet good-looking, uncooked noodles. Perfect enough to be accepted by Fabrizio.

"Oh- Minnie-ya, how did you manage to get your top dirty?"

"Huh?" The girl turned around at Minghao's voice. He pointed at her shoulder, where, clearly a dried-up piece of dough was sticking to,

"How the h-" she frowned, trying to get it off with the back of her actually clean hand.

[hard work ends like this]

At the end of the day, she was going to get a new top anyway, thanks to the amount of pocket money Mingyu had started to collect and would be spending throughout their Gelato tour in San Gimignano.

Taglist: @waosobii @chaebb @lunarxsun @hoe4wonwoo @kimhyejin3108 @soobzao @billboard-singer @cosmicwintr @zwiehe @alixnsuperstxr @angie-x3 @smooore @allthings-fandoms @lllucere @iamawkwardandshy

#minnie 🌷#seventeen #seventeen oc #seventeen 14th member #kpop oc #series #kpop

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baked-potatoes-rule · 3 months ago

Text

The tape, Ben, the woods, and the true horrors

When Shauna,Van and Taissa play the tape, they are reminded.

Obviously episode 6 gave us quite the bite to digest and I’m sure many of us still feel their stomachs churn.

Other people have already done great breakdowns on Natalie,Misty and coach Ben and I doubt I can contribute anything more. We know this is a defining moment for both. Something that is going to mark them for the rest of their lives, along with everything else they did out there. I stand by the initial thought that I had the moment Ben asked Natalie to kill him. It was an act of mercy. They both loved their coach and they both wanted to alleviate his suffering.

Voices of the past and how the Yellowjackets never left the wilderness.

If I have to pick one moment that will stay with me from episode 6,that would be the feast dance. The real horror and dread lies underneath the ground they walk on. The Yellowjackets feel at home. The wilderness has grown roots inside of them and there is no coming back from that.

And we see it. We see it during the feast when they eat. Lottie hears and watches all of her teammates closely. They are eating and they are content.

Natalie and Mari are quietly talking while they eat. Natalie with a new found hole in her soul and Mari,surprisingly likeable this season.

We then see Van and Taissa. Eating and concluding that yes, Taissa was in fact right. They are both smiling.

Shauna is smiling too (been a good while since this one happened). She is merrily munching on Ben’s flesh and she seems surprisingly content. Content because she finally got what she deserves. To be the one on top. To lead. To be seen.

Misty is sitting on her own, eating and mourning in her own way. In a way she is content too. She will forever carry a piece of Ben with her. Just like Shauna will forever carry a piece of Jackie with her. (A piece?Jackie is still her other half,even in death)

And then we see Lottie,leaving her plate aside and saying “This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.” What does she mean? Now with Ben gone,there’s no bridge to go back home? And suddenly she starts hearing again. Maybe this was exactly what was supposed to happen.

And then they start dancing and singing. It is in them. “It’s inside all of us,” Lottie told Shauna during Doomcoming.

And then...

Travis and Akilah have been awakened from the trance-induced dance. They look like they don't believe what their eyes are seeing. "Is this real?"

Lottie yells, "No!". It wasn't supposed to happen that way. Lottie doesn't really seem like she wants to go home and looks upset as their ritual has been interrupted. Someone has entered their bubble of reality; someone else is walking on their sacred ground.

Natalie and Mari are in shock. This is too much for Natalie in one day. With Ben's blood on her hands still fresh...can this really be happening?

Taissa looks like her soul just left her body. Because what is happening and who are these people?

Van looks hopeful. One can easily say she is the most eager to get out of the wilderness and go back home.

Misty is in pure shock. She is frozen and there is a feralness in her eyes.

And then there's Shauna, who looks like she just had the kid she despises show up at her sleepover party. "Who are these people? We're finally going to be saved! But what about me leading? Is that how long it lasts for me? Can I ever win? Can I ever have anything for myself?! Also fuck- Ben's head! Our party decoration! We have been discovered and we are totally fucked. These people have to die."

Okay fine...maybe I exaggerated a bit on the last part. We don't know that, but we wouldn't be surprised.

It feels as if someone walked into their home uninvited. Witnessing things no one else is meant to see.

The last thing they probably expected is someone finding them mid-cannibalizing their coach and doing their little dance in their forest dumplings costumes.

They aren't really ready to go home. At least some of them. Lottie...Misty...Shauna...Tai?...

I wonder if there's a part of them that misses it, in the adult timeline. Or at least part of their time in the wilderness.

Where Shauna could unleash the beast inside of her and pour all of her pent-up anger without having someone stop her...

Where Lottie didn't need her medication and was free to see and hear and connect....

Where Tai and Van could love each other and not be judged about it by the cruel society...

Where Misty was needed and she was finally a part of something instead of being ostrasized...

Where Natalie found purpose and she finally felt "useful"...If only her dad could see her...

Did they ever go back home?

Yes. But a part of them stayed there and they brought part of It back with them.

Nothing is more haunting than their bond with the wilderness.

#yellowjackets #yellowjackets s3 spoilers #shauna shipman #jackie taylor #natalie scatorccio #misty quigley #taissa turner #van palmer #travis martinez #lottie matthews #mari yellowjackets #melissa yellowjackets #akilah yellowjackets #gen yellowjackets #coach ben scott

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tiredandkindaoverworked · 1 month ago

Text

I have work in 8 hours so instead of sleeping.

Now presenting:

Redactedverse and Noodles

David prefers to cook for Angel to make sure that they’re properly fed. It’s the provider Alpha in him. However, they both have nights that run rather late and they’re both pretty exhausted. On these nights, whoever gets home first will create a double batch of instant Laksa noodles and throw in some dumplings or leftover protein. Nutrition be damned for one night, they’ll have delicious noodles and each other.

——————————————————————————

Sometimes, when Damien gets stressed, Huxley decides he wants to cook for him and take his mind off things. Seems counter-intuitive, right? WRONG. Hux, knowing how Damien is, elects to cook before Damien gets home, cleaning up his mess along the way, just to ensure that Damien doesn’t try to insist on cleaning up because Hux cooked. He’ll make jjajangmyeon, a dish Damien had mentioned his mom making whenever they would celebrate a big accomplishment. Dames is super touched that Huxley would go to such efforts to comfort him. He also gives Huxley the sloppiest head later.

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Ollie and Baby have a Friday night tradition of starting their weekend off with chinese food and binge watching shows. A beautiful shared ritual. Baby orders their food over the phone. An orange chicken plate with white rice, a beef chow fun plate, and two hot and sour soups. Ollie picks it up and tips well and the owner hands them a bag with something extra in it. An order of steamed dumplings. Just like clockwork. Ollie tries to tip more and the owner lovingly shoos him out with a promise to see him next week. What a beautiful, vicious cycle.

Baby and Ollie conspire on how to sneak the owner more tips.

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On the night of Anton’s return, Love makes him a feast. Through their culinary prowess, one dish shines through for Anton. In passing, Anton had previously mentioned a dish made by his babička called nudle s mákem. He’d made it previously, but was never able to recreate it the way his babička had. So for his Love to have not only remembered, but gone out of their way to find and make it for him? His heart swelled at the thought of their efforts. And for the first time in his adult years, he had a taste of home right in his kitchen.

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With their newfound freedom, Avior and Starlight have vowed to spend as much time as they can doing new things, within reason of course. They’ve made their foray into coffee making, gardening, biking, hiking, and most recently cooking together. Avior mentioned he hadn’t had a lot of different cuisines seeing as he didn’t particularly need to eat. So far, Starlight’s introduced Avior to arancini, ribollita, tiramisu, and most recently, spaghetti alla puttanesca.

Avior’s a big fan of the sweet/savory combination. He puts extra pepper flakes into his portion. He likes the kick.

——————————————————————————

Asher and Baaabe love going out to their local pho spot. It’s a family owned restaurant and the owners are long-time friends of Frank’s. They treat Asher like family and by extension, Baaabe as such as well. Asher’s go to order is their house special with all the fixings. He’ll get the combination and add everything on the side too. Beansprouts, jalapeños, thai basil, lime, he’s even got the little side dish for a mix of hoisin and sriracha. The family takes care of him, especially knowing that Asher’s family pretty much all moved away from Dahlia. When he’s there, they’re his family away from family. Depending on the day, Baaabe will either get pho or bun rieu. They’re forever thankful that the owner’s daughter introduced them to bun rieu.

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Dear introduced Lasko to khao soi on their third date. Lasko was under the weather and dreaded calling Dear to let them know he wouldn’t be able to make it to their date. Dear asked if he wanted company and Lasko jumped at the idea. 30 minutes later, they showed up with a bag of groceries and a warm smile that could make Lasko melt into a puddle.

They insisted that Lasko lay down and rest while they made him something to eat, but Lasko stubbornly sat at the island, out of their way as they cooked. Dear explained their parents’ lives in Northern Thailand and how the dish was always made for them when they were sick.

Lasko immediately fell in love with them the mild taste of the coconut milk in the broth and the slight burn of the spice as it traveled down his throat. When he recovered, he asked Dear to teach him how to make it. Now, when either of them are sick, the other will make khao soi for the other.

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When Guy and Honey first moved into their new apartment, money was a little tight considering all the things they had to replace. A lot of costs stack up when you move into a new place. So on their first night, Honey made the two of them simple Indomie with frozen veggies topped with a fried egg. A delicious meal, cheap and easy. They make it every year on their anniversary now.

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A/N: ok, i’m going to bed now good night LMAO this was a fun idea, i like doing little blurbles of just random shit.

#redacted audio #redacted asmr #redactedverse

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therantfairysblog · 3 months ago

Text

The Trail of Memory

The peaceful road to the Ubayashiki residence is now wasn't a secret anymore. The two walking together, passing by the small market closer to the place, eyeing on some gifts to be given to the Ubayashiki head of family, the 12 years old Kiriya Ubayashiki.

"After all they were kids, aren't they'll be liking something cute and flashy?" Shinazugawa asking his new friend, his former coworker, Tomioka who just strolling around.

In his hand, two sculptured candy with flower and fish shaped.

"You really do know about this? Isn't this is what Iguro liked?" Tomioka take a fish shaped candy.

"wow,you are pretty observant, what a surprise"

"...Kanroji tell me about it" he smiled. Once in a while his memory with their other deceased coworkers was coming back like a trail, in that meeting room, he still imagining their discussion, sometimes turned into a banter before Himejima acting on his authority.

"Tomioka?" Shinazugawa question snapped him back to reality.

"Oh, I'm sorry"

......

The two was having their lunch in a nearby restaurant, after buying some souvenirs for the family.

"It was as delicious as ever, finally i can eating with a peace in mind without caring much about mission or demons" Shinazugawa finishing his food before gobbling down his ohagi.

Tomioka looked at him, he was just finishing his salmon daikon, sipping his drink.

"...Nowadays i couldn't even moved a stick without getting sore all over the body" Tomioka slightly laugh. He was aware about his degrading health.

"...You aware of it too? Because i thought my body is falling me over time. Also don't tell me to pick up sword again, I'll swear at you." The two laughing.

While finishing their food, Shinazugawa calling the waitress to buy 7 set of foods as a take out.

"You bought quite a lot" Tomioka asked him whether he could share the cost but Shinazugawa refused.

"...maybe a habit from that person i picked up, also this is for Ubayashiki san, Tanjiro and his friends too."

"The dumb Iguro and his hundreds order of dumplings take out...that rich man really pouring his money just like that" Shinazugawa smiling while looking outside the window.

"everytime we finished our mission and having a dinner. That guy really did that and my dumb self thought he was just obsessed with freaking dumplings...'

Tomioka just listening. He was aware how close the two are.

"... I don't even aware about his deal with Kanroji...hahaha what a friend i am" Shinazugawa taking the 7 sets of lunch box and both of them slowly walk away from the restaurant.

"...We couldn't read people mind and i think it's okay, i believe Iguro really appreciate you as a friend all this time" Tomioka's reminiscing his old memories with Sabito, their old friendship that still fresh in his mind.

A little butterfly flying over them, slowly stick on Tomioka's shirt. "oh?"

"Tomioka san tomioka san...? Please be more lively? People will thought you an ornament... aren't that a shame?" A little laugh from that petite girl, smiling in graceful manner shook his memory. Tomioka was laughing.

"huh?"

"I think i do laughing a lot this past years" Tomioka watching the butterfly fly again.

"What do you mean?"

"I want to be more livelier. Kocho always dissing me like that"

Shinazugawa laughing. "Ah yess the good old day when i thought you are acting like a whole statue. That pissing me off you know"

The two walk in the direction of the Ubayashiki estate. Tomioka took some of the souvenirs in his hands.

"Watermelons! Sweet and fresh watermelon for sales!"

"Sanemi nii san, let buy some watermelon? Ahhh i had some money i collect back then. Can i bought it please? Watermelon are yummy!!"

His walk stopped abruptly. Shinazugawa sighed. His heart feel heavy again. 'Genya...'

"Is there's something wrong?"

"This walk took forever, i feel like we are having a long journey or something. Hey, after sending this stuff to Tanjiro's, I'll walk to the cemetery, if you want to come along" Shinazugawa asking him.

Tomioka just nodding. "Yes, it's been a while '

.....

"Thank you you two, i didn't expect the visit and all these stuff" Kiriya was smiling. As they weren't tied formally like before, their relationship turned more casual.

"Please take care of your self Ubayashiki sama"

"I will. I'm so happy you both coming. Next time let's eat together" the wide smile from that child heal their heart. Sincerely they were hoping that the curse over the family were truly lifted and he could live long.

"see you later Ubayashiki sama"

......

After the visit to Tanjiro's and the cemetery,the two separated, back to their respective home.

"It feel empty didn't it?" Shinazugawa asking

".... somehow"

"Today is such a long day...Tomioka, let's meet again"

"Yes of course"

"Please take care of yourself too" Tomioka was smiling.

"Live as long as we could, Shinazugawa. See you again!"

#demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #kny headcanons #kny fanfic #sanemi shinaguzawa #giyuu tomioka #ubayashiki kiriya #sanegiyuu #hashira #genya shinazugawa #obanai iguro #mitsuri kanroji #kny #kny 21 trio #shinogiyuu

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npookie0 · 3 months ago

Note

so since I woke up "blessed" can u do a misaki x fem reader who woke up on her period?

Silliest Caretaker.

Misaki x f!reader, taking care of you when you're on your period, fluff

Words: 895

Cws: Some spoilers for killer chat!, experiencing period (i'll spare you and myself the descriptions that could make all of us uncomfortable like bleeding and such because it's a comfort fic) not all periods all the same so sorry if it doesn't resonate with you i'm trying to be universal here </3

When you went to sleep the night before you were in a foul mood, grumpy but also extremely emotional. You didn't pay it any mind, thinking that it's just one of the bad days or that you were tired, plus you had Misaki who tried to make your day better.

After you woke up you found out just why you were feeling that way the day before.

You had a terrible stomach ache, it was so bad that it alone woke you up. You curled up into a ball, pressed a pillow to your stomach and hoped that this position would be comfortable at least for a second. It didn't help you much, you still felt great discomfort, your cramps were a pain and you just felt so exhausted.

"Hey sugar baby dumpling!" Misaki called out when they entered your home, they probably left to do some grocery shopping while you were asleep.

They entered your bedroom, ready to jump on the bed and start a kiss fight, but they stopped in their tracks when they noticed the position you were in.

"Hey honey, what's up?" They sat on the edge of the bed, brushing hair from your eyes and gently caressing your cheek.

"I think I'm on my period." You murmured, whimpering in pain because a crump just hurt a little too much.

Misaki's face softened. "Oh no baby. That's terrible." They said and cupped your face with their hands, kissing the tip of your nose. "Want me to bring you some pain killers? Or maybe a hot water bottle? Or, or a bath? You know to relax!" They were ready to give you anything you'd need, any source of comfort to make you feel better.

You thought for a second, ravishing in the warmth of Misaki's hands on your face. "I guess a bath would be nice." You replied, slowly sitting up.

"One warm bath for my pretty girl it is!" Misaki exclaimed.

Before they went to the bathroom they placed a kiss on your forehead and told you to lay down, which you did because sitting wasn't giving you comfort or salvation from your cramps.

You listened to the sounds of Misaki preparing the bath for you, the running water, Misaki's steps and her talking to herself while they looked for something. It felt good. knowing that there's someone who is going to help you when you're in pain, ill or just having a hard time.

"Are you ready, m'lady?" Misaki peeked from behind the door, beaming smile on her face, water dripping from their hands, normally you would playfully scold them but today you didn't feel like teasing them.

You answered with a nod and a quiet "mhm," they approached you and helped you up from the bed.

"Want me to carry you honey?" They asked, half joking half serious.

You rolled your eyes. "I'm on my period, not death's bed." You huffed. "Just help me get to the bathroom."

"Ay, ay, captain!" They replied and helped you to the bathroom.

They helped you undress and get into the tub. Misaki sat on the edge, smile on her face when she looked at you. "You're so pretty, even when you're in pain." They stuck out their tongue when you splashed some water at them.

"Oh shut up, you goof." You huffed. "Be a sweetheart and make me something to eat, something that isn't instant noodles." This time they were the ones that splashed you.

"I know how to make food!" They scoffed.

"Yeah, yeah." You watched them as they left the room. "Don't set the house on fire!" You said to Misaki who just answered with a lighthearted 'shut up or I'll set you on fire!' it was delightful.

You were sitting in the living room, wearing the most comfortable clothes you could find, a hot water bottle on your stomach and your breakfast on a plate in your hand. You looked at the sandwiches and then at Misaki who was looking at you eagerly, wanting to hear a compliment for the hard work.

"Good job babe." You said moved closer to them, leaning your head on her shoulder.

"Wanna watch something?"

"Yeah, something super shitty, so I can complain my heart out." You said and started eating, happy that you will be able to take your painkillers after breakfast.

"Your wish is my command." Misaki laughed and looked for a movie, once they landed on one that sound like complete garbage they hit 'play' and the nightmare of watching a shitty romcom began.

"Oh my fucking- why would she ever go after him?!" You groaned.

You two were halfway through the movie, your stomach wasn't hurting so much anymore but you still felt the discomfort that accompanied you throughout your every period since ever. The movie was really terrible, but it made for a good enough entertainment.

Misaki was laughing out loud at your comments, letting you lay your head on her lap while she crocheted a cat case for your hot water bottle, as a gift and a way to make it look cuter.

You were relaxed, even a little happy with how the day was so far, even if you were annoyed with your period, at least you had Misaki to accompany you and make you feel better.

Your very own human comforter with extra tinge of silliness.

I hope you're not suffering too much </3 Sending hugs!!!

Love you, N!

#killer chat #fanfic #asks #fluff #misaki killer chat #misaki x reader #f!reader #fem reader #femreader #misaki x f!reader #misaki katsuo #killer chat misaki

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spoiled-milk · 2 years ago

Text

dan heng as your roommate (modern au)

a/n: in compliance with dan heng’s five star release being yesterday here’s brainrot for my beloved also praying that those who pull for dan heng win their 50/50 or get him early (it took me 80 pity with guaranteed 😭😭). will be mia so i can farm more stellar jades for his weapon since he wanted to come home on hard pity

content warning: mentions of alcohol consumption, other than that none that i can think of. no mention of reader's gender

word count: ~1k words

you share a small apartment with dan heng. you used to share it with one of your friends, but a sudden job opportunity for them turns into you frantically finding a roommate to fill so that you’re not paying the full price of the rent next month

you find dan heng through one of your friend’s friend. March (your friend) knew someone with grey hair who then gave dan heng your details since he was looking for a place to live

you two officially meet at a coffee shop where you discuss rent, house rules, and the lease and you did not expect him to be hella attractive

rules are as follows: there’s a chore list on the fridge in the form of dry erase board, if bringing over friends you must let the other know before you bring them over, no going into the other person’s room without their knowledge, and keep hooking up to a minimum if possible or keep it quiet

at first he seemed like a quiet guy who wanted nothing to do with you which like didn’t hurt your feelings too much yk you just needed someone to pay half of the rent, but slowly he starts to open up to you and you have no problems opening up

usually you take turns cooking, but he’s come to realize you only know how to make is boxed food and breakfast foods, so after eating waffles for the 12th time that week he decides he’ll cook dinner for the most part

dan heng without fail will always give you the last piece of anything he makes. dumplings? you can have the last one. 12 pack of juice in the fridge? he won’t even go get more unless you drink the last one. you make brownies as a token of appreciation for him and insist you don’t want any and all of it is for him? you find the last piece tucked away in the fridge with your name on it

he makes it a point to do the dishes together. at first he argued that he could do it but after much begging from you, he allows you to help him rinse the dishes

this has become a nearly every night thing. you eat whatever dan heng makes then y’all do the dishes. most of the time you’re doing the talking, but it’s not exhausting to talk to him like you talk to others

you don’t know much about his past but he sure does knows a lot about your past. you’re sure march probably unintentionally spilled about your past, but you don’t really mind knowing it’s just dan heng. march has told you to ask him but when you do, he softly shuts it down

it doesn’t hurt your feelings of course. you understand that everyone has their secrets and no one is entitled to his, but it does hurt a little that he doesn’t seem like he wants to tell you since you thought you were getting pretty close as friends

oftentimes at the end of a stressful week, you find some movie on some streaming service and crash on the couch with snacks littering the coffee table. sometimes dan heng will come join you on the couch to whatever movie you put on, regardless of genre. rom com? he’s got his eyes glued to the screen. some environmental documentary about the gas leaks that effect a underprivileged community? he’s sat next to you nodding his head to the tv like a middle aged dad

most of the time you fall asleep in the middle of these movies and most of the time when you wake up in the middle of the night you either find yourself covered with a fluffy blanket or you find yourself in your bed with no memory of how you got there. you suspect dan heng carried you there, but you’ve never had the courage to ask him

there was one time when you woke up from sleeping in the middle of the movie and the tv was left on to the end credit scene. you reach for the remote next to you and turn off the tv. you start to shift a little but then you notice a weight next to you, it’s your roommate. he’s got an arm around your waist and he’s pulling you closer to him

you’re too tired to properly comprehend the situation so you let it happen. you lean your head towards his chest and end up falling asleep listening to dan heng’s heartbeat. when dan heng woke up that morning realizing what had happened, he could not look you in the eye for a week without blushing

he also takes care of you whenever you come home shitfaced from an outing or get shitfaced by yourself with 3 bottles of soju. it doesn’t happen often and you try not to drink often, but when you decide to go out, dan heng somehow knows that you’ve been out drinking and will always be at home waiting for your return

your friends drop you off at your apartment and dan heng helps you into bed. he takes a baby wipe and wipes off any dirt on your face. he’s so gentle with it that it honestly feels like a dream. you lowkey cherish it every single time, it feels so intimate that you wish he meant it in that way and not as just a friend

just as you’re losing consciousness, dan heng gets close to you but your vision is slightly blurring so you’re not sure what he’s up to, but you trust dan heng 100% to not take advantage of you

as you scrunch your eyebrows you feel something soft press against your cheek and then once again on your forehead. they’re brief and short, but you can feel your body get hotter and hotter, not even sure if it’s the alcohol or dan heng (or both maybe)

you pray that your big crush on him isn’t obvious but march tells you otherwise. so now you only hope that dan heng can’t tell but honestly it’s really hard to read his feelings, but you’re not sure how long you can keep up this “he’s just my roommate” act to your friends and yourself

#honkai star rail x reader #dan heng x reader #hsr x reader #honkai star rail #dan heng hsr #dan heng headcanons #dan heng honkai star rail #milk.txt #Spotify

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tracycloud · 10 months ago

Text

COOKING FOR ROBERTA (part 2)

PART 2

Roberta had spotted me a few months earlier at Café Ravenna, where I worked as a kitchen assistant and waitress. She was a regular guest in this small restaurant owned by Erika and Giovanni, an elderly German-Italian couple who were constantly arguing. They alternated between German and Italian cuisine, ignoring the menu posted outside.

The regulars didn't care at all. Most of them ate Erika's ragu Bolognese or Lasagne al Forno just as enthusiastically as they loved Giovanni's crispy roast pork with dumplings or his thick bean soup with bacon and sausages. I never managed to find out why Giovanni, of all people, was so fond of German cuisine. Maybe an answer to the dominance of his mother from Emilia-Romagna, from whom Erika had learned all her culinary skills

Café Ravenna was open seven days a week, from morning to night, because the owners felt a great responsibility for their guests and feared that without their care they might go hungry or, even worse, be forced to eat fast food.

The middle-sized town where the “Ravenna” was located, is best known for its art college, to which I had just applied in vain. It said: “Rejected for lack of perspective talent”.

My divorced parents, as much as they hated each other and never saw eye to eye, would both triumph over this.

That´s why I decided to just stay and try again the next year.

The unimpressive cardboard sign: “Temporary help wanted for kitchen and restaurant” was already a bit faded. Erica and Giovanni hired me on a trial basis. I showed surprising talent in the kitchen, brought food and drinks to the guests without any spills and didn't complain about the working hours.

Roberta was something special. In terms of age, she could have been my older sister. Roberta only came when Erika was cooking. She was always solo, friendly but distant. I noticed how she sometimes looked at me when I served her. I also have a thing for girls and could read her eyes.

But she was still just a guest - until the moment she praised the Ribollita, a thick Tuscan soup made from white beans, kale, leeks, carrots, celery, tomatoes, parmesan and bread.

Giovanni pointed at me: “Our little girl here cooked this”. I was proud and blushed a little when Roberta looked at me intensely and applauded.

A few weeks later, Giovanni asked me if I wanted to cook for Roberta's birthday. The next day, which was actually my day off, and at her house. She would pay me for it and he mentioned a sum that I could make good use of, as I was chronically broke.

She wouldn't take me shopping, but I would just turn up at her door in the early afternoon and cook what she had bought.

I had a bit of stage fright as I stood in front of the weathered wooden door of the old house. It was still summer, the garden was wild, natural, full of herbs, wild flowers, bushes, meadow grass, humming everywhere.

Roberta opened the door. For the first time, she was no longer a guest to me, but a beautiful, desirable woman. She was taller than me, with short blonde hair, wearing a light, green-spotted, casual summer dress that emphasized her boobs.

I must have stared at them for a few seconds too long. I don't have much to stare at when it comes to my own boobs, but I immediately thought about how it would feel if her stiff nipples rubbed against mine. She pretended not to notice my horny stares and walked into the house ahead of me.

I congratulated her on her birthday, of course, and presented her with a small, very feminine clay figurine that I had modeled and glazed myself as a piece of work for the entrance exam. Roberta placed the figurine with a friendly smile next to other slightly dusty odds and ends - where it still stands today.

She lived in a rare mélange of furniture and paintings from all stylistic periods of the 20th century. In the kitchen, fans of old cooking utensils would have been thrilled.

As we toasted each other with a cool white wine, I asked: “What would I even cook?” Roberta pointed to the kitchen table, full of tomatoes, vegetables, fragrant herbs, ripe Parmesan, different types of pasta, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and buffalo butter. There was much more in the fridge.

“I'll leave that to you. Just surprise me”.

“Ohhh, really? Ok. Why not. And when are the guests arriving?”

She grinned at me: “No guests are coming, my little one. You're just cooking for me. And if you want, you're invited to try your own creations”.

I was quite taken aback, but after all, I was paid to cook and not by the number of guests. I decided to use the vegetables to make a range of hot and cold starters, culminating in a real “Ragu Bolognese” because had just learned this from Erika. I was curious to see how Roberta would like it.

Later I was so busy that I didn't notice her looking over my shoulder at first. When I felt the warmth of her body and the light touch on my back, I involuntarily pressed my bottom against her and felt her return the pressure. I started to rub myself against her, continuing to slice the tomatoes, then felt her breath on my neck and the pressure of her boobies against my back. I moaned softly as she whispered in my ear: “My little girl, don't say anything”. Then she slowly inserted her tongue into my ear and her hands felt my stiff nipples through the T-shirt and the wafer-thin bra.

I was getting wet now, moaning louder, supporting myself with my hands on the worktable, crushing the ripe tomatoes, my vulva pressed against the worktop. Roberta's hands were now under my shirt, fumbling my boobs out of my bra, massaging them, squeezing my nipples.

Roberta could feel me giving myself completely to her now. Her right hand unbuttoned my jeans, slipped into my panties and explored my wetness. I involuntarily spread my legs. She penetrated me deeply with two fingers. I began to move rhythmically against her fingers.

“It's so beautiful how horny and submissive you are, my little cooking whore,” I heard her whisper. Suddenly I could no longer feel her hands or her breath on my neck. Now she was standing in front of me, looking at me closely.

I stood with my legs still spread wide apart on the table, my jeans open, my wet panties barely covering my vulva, tomato juice dripping onto the floor, my T-shirt pushed up, my boobs hanging out of my bra, my face feeling hot, drops of sweat running down my face.

“You're so cute the way you're standing there, my little submissive cooking slut. You know, I always dreamed about this when I watched you at the Ravenna. To spot and feel you here. You're a wonderful young woman, independent, clever, you're going to be a great cook and you're so wonderfully submissive. I sense you are yearning to be submissive and to be fucked by a strong woman.”

She leaned over the table, gave me a kiss on my sweaty forehead and walked out. “Go on cooking now, my little kitchen slut. I'm already looking forward to your delicacies.”

Slowly I slipped back into reality. I had never experienced anything so hot and beautiful with a woman. The kitchen had now become a magical, wonderful space. The kitchen utensils became friends now who helped me to achieve my first great performance as a cook for Roberta.

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escapetothelake · 11 months ago

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Mr Crow & Mr Owl for the ship asks ;)

when i say this is one of my absolute FAVORITE dynamics (remember when i said it would be toxic? i made it way too sweet oops)

i'm gonna tag @callmegaith for this one as well because ik they are also an evil bird husbands truther >:)

btw sorry this took so long i'm on vacation and have spotty internet :,)

who made the first move: i think mr. owl likely first contacted mr. crow. we know that they were working together since at least the events of roots, so it's been a very long time.

who kissed who first: aldous started by kissing jakob's ring, and then graduated to his bare hand (it's about the homoerotic tension 🤌). eventually, jakob kissed aldous on the lips. aldous was all too happy to kiss back.

who started the relationship: mr. owl did, as mr. crow is technically his underling, and aldous is a man who is concerned with propriety.

who remembers things: both of them remember EVERYTHING.

nicknames for each other: jakob strikes me as a "my love" user. i think they both say it, actually. i don't think "darling", "dear", or "dearest" is out of the question. also "beloved", "precious", "my treasure", "lover", and "dumpling" cuz these bitches are OLD.

who is more likely to pay for dinner: i feel like they'd be the kind of couple to fight over the bill, calling it "my treat".

*they're eating out together and the bill arrives* "ah. let me get this one, darling." "no, you got it last time. it's my treat." "no, it's my treat. you know how i love to spoil you." "alright dear, but next time..." "hah! we'll see."

that said, usually jakob is more persistent.

who normally cooks: have i ever actually answered this question with "x person in the couple does it"? yeah, mr. owl runs a hotel, and he has mr. toad to cook for him. though jakob knows how to cook, considering that he was on his own for a while and we saw it happen onscreen and everyone else at paradise is incompetent. i'm sure aldous knows how to as well. i think aldous likes to cook for jakob, and he makes an art out of it, incorporating expensive wines and fancy herbs and the like. only the best for his beloved.

who remembers anniversaries: both, of course. they have minds like steel traps when it comes to each other.

what would they get each other for gifts: suits, expensive jewelry and pocket watches, taking each other out to eat, all kinds of stuff! i imagine they're the kind of couple to share a glass of wine to a job well done after they successfully harvest souls.

most trivial thing they fight over: i wouldn't call it trivial, but i think jakob was at least a little upset with aldous for fucking up that one time. i think that incompetence of any sort exhausts jakob after his experiences at home (like this post haha). not that he views aldous as incompetent in any way—after all, he chose him to be his right hand—but, i mean, he goofed in a pretty big way. regardless, jakob can't stay mad at aldous for long.

how often do they fight: they don't really fight much. i think aldous finds shouting disrespectful, and they mostly work in tandem, so it doesn't happen often. when it does, though, i feel like it's a big deal. i mean, a long time without speaking and a lot of pining, because both men can be stubborn. eventually, though, they can't stand to be apart.

who uses all the hot water: both.. together :)

who calls up the super/landlord when the heat’s not working: aldous. he doesn't want jakob to have to deal with that shit

who leaves their stuff around: they're both rather organized. mr. crow meticulously folds his clothes after washing them, even though it takes forever, and both men keep their suits nice and pressed.

who remembers to buy the milk: aldous gets it! he never lets jakob want for anything—the fridge is always stocked before jakob even has to ask.

who controls the netflix queue: i think they watch netflix together, cuddled up in bed or on the couch. aldous asks a million questions. jakob always answers, even if that answer is "i know the same amount of information as you, dearest".

who steals the covers at night: no one really can, since they sleep tangled together.

who cusses more: jakob when he was younger. now? neither, really.

who does most of the cleaning: aldous, or he sees that someone else does it. he doesn't like to let jakob worry about such things.

what’s their favorite non-sexual activity: talking! they really, really enjoy each others' company, whether that's over a glass of wine surrounded by candlelight, in the bath, or in bed. both of these men have had very long lives, so they have much to talk about.

who’s the cuddler: both! birds are cuddly :>

source

who’s the big spoon/little spoon: usually it's jakob big/aldous little. aldous likes to rest his head on jakob's chest (i hc that jakob is taller).

who’s more dominant: mr. owl.

who is the dirty talker: their brand of "dirty talking" imo is more like pillow talk. idk they're just pretty affectionate and like to praise each other. however, i'm gonna lean aldous for this one. i think aldous absolutely WORSHIPS jakob, and he makes it known both in and out of the bedroom.

what do they do when they’re away from each other: miss each other. a lot. both are mutually reliant on each other—aldous makes sure to make jakob's life easier, and jakob in turn gives aldous a sense of direction. therefore, their separation can be hard on both of them. they try to busy themselves with other things (there's a lot of work to be done), and remind themselves that ultimately, they serve the lake.

what would they do if the other one was hurt: both would be very worried, but the injured one would try to put on a brave face for the other. of course, both of them are seemingly immortal, but they also know what it's like to be mortal men, and the memories are all too fresh. they're very protective of each other.

a headcanon: i think that they both struggle to adapt with the times, even if they feel that they need to. for instance, they don't like to give up their old-timey pet names for each other, and mr. crow doesn't like the new-age suits. of course, he grins and bears it because it's part of being immortal, but he still believes that it doesn't matter because.. i mean.. they can turn into birds. being inconspicuous isn't exactly important to him. on the other hand, jakob kinda likes playing different roles to suit his needs. we see this in the white door, for instance. i think it allows him to live out some of the things he missed out on in his youth, whereas aldous got to live out a full life. regardless, as the times change, the biggest constant they have is each other.

#tw swearing #rusty lake #cube escape #aldous vanderboom #jakob eilander #mr. crow #mr. owl #my fics #ask and tell #asks #ask meme #mr. crow x mr. owl #aldous x jakob #aldous vanderboom x jakob eilander #evil bird husbands

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twiceasfrustrating · 2 years ago

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Hello I have a request if your nit busy

Okay can you make one where child mc is like cold as ice like no smiling or nothing like they look dead inside x obey me brothers and side characters can you do that if it's not to much to ask

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: GN/M Fandom: Shall We Date?: Obey Me! Characters: Main Character, Lucifer, Mammon, Leviathan, Satan, Asmodeus, Beelzebub, Belphegor, Diavolo, Barbatos, Solomon, Simeon, Luke Additional Tags: headcanons, fluff, child!mc A/N: I love MCs of different varieties. A tiny child bringing this dysfunctional family back together sounds adorable. But I’m not going to lie, the request confused me a bit. Is it supposed to be their reaction to a cold child or them trying to get them to smile? Is the child actually cold/emotionally stunted or just appears cold to outsiders? I had to guess. I admit I imagined a very young child (4-5) who has a sort of selective mutism. And since you asked for brothers and side characters, I assume you wanted headcanons.

Lucifer

Lucifer gets mistaken for the child's father all the time, often cited as having their same scowl. He took it upon himself to learn how to read their unchanging expression, and takes personal offense to anyone who believes MC's expressions are all the same. He's gotten their exchanges down so carefully that he can almost read MC's mind.

Mammon

He hasn't the first clue how to make this kid smile, but he has never stopped trying. He loves kids, even if he acts like all of them are brats in his eyes. He will do just about anything to try and see them smile, but they simply don't/can't. However, everything is worth it when he's walking around the house and realizes that MC is following him around like a baby chick. He will fall into the fetal position and weep with joy, then brag about it for the rest of the week.

Leviathan

He curls up on the floor and cries whenever MC stares at him. He's such a loser that even a child can see it. He feels so judged. What he doesn't realize though, is that MC likes hanging out with him because he recognizes what character they are doodling and can actually talk about the things they like. They just want to sit next to him and show him their drawings and watch TV with him.

Satan

Satan would, somehow, be the most fatherly of the brothers. He learned very quickly that MC isn't very expressive or even verbal sometimes, so he helps them express themselves nonverbally. No pushing, just giving them alternative tools to communicate. He also reads and cooks a lot for them. He would be the first one they actually start speaking to. Not a lot at first, but small things like greetings are a good start.

Asmodeus

Children are not dolls… but MC is just too cute not to spoil and dress up. He is a little unnerved by the lack of expressions or communication, but he overlooks it. He gets frustrated when MC doesn't play along though (like they won't wear a certain shirt or something). They hide when he's like that. Although, they like when he lets them play with the pretty stuff on his vanity. Or when he (very rarely) let's them put it on him (before he fixes it).

Beelzebub

MC is the only one that could take food from Beel's plate and not lose a hand. He's also the only one who would get clay dumplings and eat them for real. MC just stares when he eats them... they think they're a good cook now. Their icy demeanor doesn't bother him. Also, MC climbs Beel when they want to try being tall.

Belphegor

Sometimes, they will just stare at one another. No one understands it. No one tries to. They seem to have a sort of understanding that no one else can. Belphie doesn't treat MC like a kid so they try to act more mature than they really are. There are lots of naps between the two of them, usually with Belphie holding MC close.

Diavolo

This is called kidnapping, Diavolo. Especially if you took them to another world without notifying their guardian. They would be very scared of Diavolo at first (new place, unfamiliar faces, nothing they recognize) and would walk away as their own form of crying. He tries so hard after that to be a friendly face, but… kids are fickle creatures and they always seem to walk away from him.

Barbatos

Unlike Diavolo, MC likes Barbatos. It probably helps that he offers them treats every time they meet. They like to sneak into the kitchen while he's cooking and… help… Barbatos has learned to let them decorate the cookies and cupcakes. It makes them feel special. They have covered his apron in little handprints. It makes him feel special.

Solomon

Solomon has taken a special liking to his young human ward. He especially likes how deadpan their reactions are and how innocently and straightforward they respond to others. He laughs whenever MC walks away from people they don't like. He gave them a little wand to start practicing their magic and he loves the way they keep doing the same spells over and over again just to watch the result.

Simeon

He's already raising Luke, so another kid is no problem. He doesn't seem to have much of a reaction to their expressionless face, still smiling when they seem curious or gently scolding when they do something inconsiderate. He and Satan both take the title as best caretaker.

Luke

He's so happy to finally be the older brother. He wants to teach them everything! He gets upset when they don't smile or say thank you, and often has to be told that not every child is like him and that's okay. He'll get it eventually and be the best big brother ever… eventually.

#mine #obey me #obey me headcanons #fluff #obey me fluff

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suseagull5914 · 3 months ago

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okay so i'm really bad at making a decision and well i also really like this one

🏠 Really good friends living together for RWRB and either liam/pez or firstprince (or both?)

but no pressure you can decide which of the prompts i threw at ya works for ya

The thing about these falling on my Fridays off (and Taylor's amazing prompts) is that this might've gotten slightly out of hand again and I don't know if I accomplished the "really good friends" piece... Oops. #sorrynotsorry

Enjoy!

“So, you know Valentine’s Day is coming up,” Pez mentioned slyly one day in the beginning of February.

Henry looked over his shoulder from his desk, where he’d been working on his latest draft of his novel. Pez was standing in the doorway to their shared room, arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face. “Of course. What of it?”

“‘What of it?” he says!” Pez sighed dramatically. “My dear Hazza, are you telling me that you haven’t circled the date on your calendar?”

“Why would I do that? I’ve never had a reason to celebrate romantic love, have I, Pez?”

It was at that point that Pez entered their room and flopped down on Henry’s bed. “It doesn’t mean you can’t, though.”

Henry sighed, turning back to his laptop. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Pez.”

“Don’t you?” Pez asked, a twinkle in his eye. “Have you or have you not told me about your affections for our dear roommate Alexander, how you’ve been pining for him since the moment we met him and Liam freshman year?”

“Shhh! He might hear you!” Pez brought up a good point, though, and Henry was going to capitalize on it. “Are you doing anything for Liam? I thought you said it was too soon.”

Pez sighed. “I’ve decided it’s never too soon for love, Hazza. Perhaps too soon to voice those four letters, but to express them? Never. Now, what are you planning to do?”

********

Liam walked into the house, knowing he had to make this quick. There were some days when he hated the chaotic schedule his job as a handyman gave him, but days like this when he got to help those who couldn’t help themselves, like old Mrs. Shrivistava, made it all worth it.

He had expected to find the house quiet, Henry likely in his room or at the library or his favorite tea shop writing and the others at their respective jobs, but instead, he found the lights low in the house except for candles set up on the kitchen table. The air was filled with the dulcet tones of “Love Story.” It was a personal favorite of Liam’s, but he had never told anyone that except for…

He found Pez in the kitchen, happily putting the finishing touches on what looked like- “Chicken and dumplings? With mashed potatoes and biscuits?”

“Liam, you’re back!” Pez exclaimed with a grin. “Welcome home, darling.”

Something was going on here, and Liam couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “Henry is going to be helping us eat all this, I hope?”

“Alas, dear Hazza is too busy holed up writing his novel at the tea shop, I’m afraid.” Suddenly, Pez was right in front of him, holding out his hand. “Here, let me take your coat.”

Liam let Pez help him shrug his coat off, still wondering what exactly was going on here. “Pez, I can’t stay for long. I have to-”

“You’ll have enough time for lunch, I promise. That’s why I made sure everything was prepared by the time you got home. Now come! Let’s eat!”

From the first bite, Liam knew. “You’ve been taking lessons from Alex, haven’t you?”

Pez nodded. “Alexander may encourage a bit too much spice for my liking, but I hope your taste buds are happy?”

“Couldn’t be more thrilled,” Liam moaned around a dumpling. “I could kiss you for doing this.”

It was only when he swallowed the last bit that he realized exactly what he’d said. “I mean- that is, if you-” He had had a crush on Pez for ages, but didn’t want to ruin their friendship.

Suddenly, Pez was right in front of him, wrapping his arms around his neck as he sat in his lap. “Darling, I thought you’d never ask.”

Then Pez was kissing him. Liam lost himself in the kiss, the way biting down on his lower lip made Pez moan just as delicious as the meal he had prepared.

Then all of a sudden, his phone alarm went off, and Liam groaned. “I gotta go.”

Pez shook his head, a gleam in his eye. “No you don’t.”

Liam raised his eyebrows. “What did you do?”

“Oh, nothing. I may have asked your boss if you could have the rest of the day off, but not to tell you, as it was a surprise.”

“You-”

Liam checked his phone more closely. Sure enough, there was a message from his boss. Enjoy your afternoon off. Seems like you’ve got yourself a keeper.

Liam looked back up at Pez, unable to resist kissing him. “Shall we continue this in my room?”

“Darling, I thought you’d never ask.”

********

“Wanna watch a Star Wars movie?” Henry asked Alex when he found him in the kitchen stirring a pot of something that smelled positively scrumptious.

When he faced him, both of Alex’s eyebrows were raised. “Are you sure? Last I checked, we’ve never been able to agree on one.”

“I’ve been thinking about that. I was thinking that since it’s the day of showing friends you love them just as much as romantic love, we could watch Empire.”

Alex couldn’t help grinning. “I knew you loved me.”

He had no idea.

The two of them settled on the couch, a large bowl of popcorn and the chili Alex had prepared (not too spicy, of course) in front of them.

As they watched the movie, Henry noticed that Alex slowly got closer to him on the couch. It was what always happened. When the two of them watched movies together, the lines that Henry had so carefully drawn became blurred until they were practically nonexistent. Well, thanks to Pez’s encouragement, Henry was going to obliterate those lines entirely. Was that was Alex wanted too?

He decided to test the waters. First, once Alex was sitting beside him, he put his arm over the back of the couch. Once Alex started to fall asleep, his head resting on Henry’s shoulder and his soft snores accompanying John Williams’ score, Henry let his other hand come up, his fingers tangling themselves in Alex’s curls like they had been longing to do ever since he and Alex had first met. His heart in his throat, he whispered, “Alex, love. If you’ll wake up for a moment, I have a gift for you.”

He had been afraid that Alex wouldn’t wake, but it seemed that the promise of a present was alluring enough that Alex’s eyes opened. “Whatcha get me?”

Cheeks flushed (hopefully Alex couldn’t see them in the dark), Henry reached behind them for the package he’d hidden. “See for yourself.”

Alex opened the package and once he saw what was inside, his eyes widened. He looked up at Henry, confusion written all over his face. “I thought you weren’t finished your book?”

“I’m not. This is something else entirely.” Henry swallowed hard. “Read it, then, go on.”

Alex poured over Henry’s words. Henry knew exactly what he’d find: the story of a swashbuckling pirate named Alex and the prince he rescued, who had once thought he would never find someone to love. “Hen, this is…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, though. Instead, he cupped Henry’s cheek. “You should’ve said something sooner, sweetheart. I’ve wanted you all this time.”

Henry grinned into the kiss, unable to believe his dreams were finally coming true. When they parted, he asked. “I have it on good authority that things went similarly for Liam and Pez this afternoon and that they’re taking Liam’s room for the evening. So the only question left is this: your room or mine?”

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jillyfoo · 11 months ago

Text

Changeling Encore, Dungeon Meshi Fanfiction [first chapter complete]

Changeling Encore, Dungeon Meshi Fanfiction

(An excuse to write about Tallchuck so I can finally stop obsessing over him.)

[What if Laios’ party did not return to normal from the changelings the second night? What if they couldn’t wash off the changeling spores right away? We will also say the 2nd fight with the gargoyles ended without them figuring out how the changeling mushrooms worked. The Mad Mage and Falin’s encounter with the Canaries had left him badly injured.

Recommend watching all 24 episodes of Dungeon Meshi anime or manga up to 51 beforehand. Alternative story and events to Manga chapters 53-56 and 62.

POV: Tallchuck ]

Izutsumi as a kobold dives into her dumplings and makes them disappear. She is becoming less picky now that she’s part dog. The now tallest member of the party couldn’t taste each individual flavor of the meat as distinctly as when he was a halfling but the savory taste is great regardless. To think the strange mushrooms can change creatures down to the muscles and cells. Chilchuck finishes his meal and feels unsatisfied. Makes sense because a tallman would need to eat a lot more calories than a halfling. At six and a half feet tall he guessed he’s probably three times the weight he was as a halfling. There’s no point worrying about gaining weight and springing traps cause he’s obviously way too heavy already as a tallman. He asks for seconds. The party stops briefly noticing his act making him feel self conscious. Senshi as an elf looks overjoyed and fills his plate with more dumplings.

“You have grown so much. Please make sure to eat your fill.” He said in a sweet feminine, yet to Chilchuck, also unnerving voice.

“Hey. I want some too.” Laios protests. Laios as a plump dwarf would probably eat the same amount as his normal tallman form, Chilchuck figured.

“You can have mine. I’m already full.” Marcille, now a tiny halfling, gives her leftovers to Laios. Chilchuck continues to eat, agitated that he is being stared at by everyone in the party. He’s not used to standing out. He sighs. “So as I am now it looks like I can’t do my job properly anymore. Marcille, I am going to have to guide you though disabling step traps as we encounter them.”

Laios buds in. “You’re right Chilchuck. I was thinking that we will have to reassign our roles in the party until we get our normal bodies back. I’m going to teach you some close combat.”

“I can also teach you magic!” Marcille piped in. Damn it, Chilchuck thought. He had hoped they would forget about their last battle debacle.

“Hey, that’s too much at once!” He pointed at Senshi. “You should teach the elf magic!” Senshi drops the pot he was cleaning. The elf’s arms curled into his delicate chest. He stammers.

“You know how I feel about magic. I.. I don’t feel comfortable with it at all. I’m not… you all may have changed, but I’m still the same on the inside.” He pleads to them with tearful, innocent doe eyes. Everyone could not help but leer at him in disbelief. Laios the ever present optimist breaks the silence.

“We are going to have to adapt as best as we can. Let’s for now clean up the dishware and then look over our inventory to see what weapons will work best in our new bodies.”

Not too long after cleaning up, Chilchuck looked over all the weapons in his possession. Throwing knives. That could work, but will run out if they can’t be recovered. Blade knife and bowie knife. He knew Laios would say that because of the aggro his large form will receive in combat, longer blades such as swords would work better. Knives are meant for surprise stabs like Kabru’s attack on Falin as a chimera. Lastly, the bow. He won’t be able to use it. His hand practically enveloped it. It looks like a child’s- Oh hell no! All his adult life he’s been working to not be seen as a kid from the other races! How dare that creep into his head now that he’s been tallman for just a few hours!

“Lights out.” Senshi calls to him from behind. The beastly dwarf turned into a paper thin shadow of himself struggles to drag his ax to him. “Borrow this and protect us.” Senshi gazes up at him like a princess at her champion. A breeze seemed to be coming from somewhere blowing his long black curly locks. Willing to do anything to get out of this awkward moment Chilchuck reluctantly accepts the gift. There’s no way I can fight with this shoddy thing.

Seeing that there was little else to do, Chilchuck undoned Laios’ borrowed armor and settled into his blankets to sleep. Thankfully Izutsumi seems to be bothering someone else tonight. Everything sounds so calm and quiet as he drifts off.

“Chilchuck!”

“Wha!” The tallman startles awake. “Laios… lights out.” Chilchuck growls.

“Oh that’s no problem for me. I can see in the dark now that I’m a dwarf.” Laios laughs obnoxiously.

“Go to bed, Laios!” Marcille calls out from the darkness, obviously annoyed. Laios tones down into a whisper.

“So I was thinking about what can be used to aid you fight and I remembered that when I started out fighting monsters I used a shield. That should distract the monsters while the rest of us take it down. I recovered my old shield from the floor we first fought the dragon in and I’ll let you have it. I don’t know if we will have much time to practice-”

“I can still hear you, Laios! Shut up and go to sleep already!”

“I’m sorry! Marcille!” Laios sets down his shield next to him. “I will leave this here for you. Everything is going to be fine. We will make it work.”, he reassures Chilchuck in a cheery tone.

A worry seed plants firmly in Chilchuck’s mind. He had very little direct combat experience. Heck Kabru and his party had way more experience than him and how many times did his party find them dead these past few days? It’s gonna be the mimics all over again except Marcille can’t revive anymore cause she’s a halfling. Nothing good will come of this.

The next morning fully geared up Chilchuck holds the ax and the shield up for Laios.

“This ax is meant for two hands.” Chilchuck tries to use any excuse not to take up a new responsibility. Laios comes up to him, handing him his sword.

“Then let’s switch. I’ll take the ax.” Chilchuck hesitates knowing that there is a monster inside the handle to that sword. It had transformed from the changelings too, becoming a kitsch looking skull and bat wings sword. A light emits from the edge of the blade.

A question emerged in his thoughts, Don’t you want to fight monsters head on too?

No. I don’t.

On the other side of the camp, Marcille draws a heat spell inscription on the stone floor while Izutsumi and Senshi watch. Izutsumi pokes her head into the spell inscription, sniffing the charcoal lines with her big dog nose.

“Izutsumi move. This is going to get hot.” Little halfling Marcille pushes the giant dog girl away as best she can. She looks up to Senshi. “See I already drew the spell. Elves naturally have a lot of mana. All I need for you to do is tap it here with my staff and channel the energy of fire.”

Senshi glumly takes the staff.

“Well if it’s to make tea…” He taps it. The lines turn red and fire erupts from it sending sparks everywhere. The three scream out and bolt away.

“What do you think you’re doing!? That was too strong!” Izutsumi yells. Laios attention turns over to them and heads over. While he’s distracted this is a good opportunity to inspect the sword. Chilchuck searched through the gaps in the hilt to find tiny changeling mushrooms growing inside. Disgusting. He will probably need to check his clothing and person to make sure there aren't more of them. For only a moment a gooey creature with snail eyes peeks out at him and sinks back into the sword.

“There you are, you little bastard.” It’s time to get rid of this nonsense before someone gets hurt. Chilchuck takes out a matchstick and lights under the area where the monster was hidden. The spores burn easily causing the living armor monster to push out in an attempt to escape. The flame causes the slimy surface of the creature to boil. Its eyes dissolve into its body as it cooks. He knew it was just an unintelligent monster, but it seems to curse him as it shrivels up. You’re not immune. Suddenly Chilchuck falls over from being tackled from behind.

“Stop! What are you doing to Kensuke?!” Laios yells. The dwarf seizes back his sword and holds it like a baby. “Kensuke, are you still there? Kensuke!” he cries.

“I’m killing it for your own good! You should have done that ages ago!”

“But he helped us get through the door…” Laios sniffs. Marcille steps in.

“Laios, having that monster around was nagging at me too. You can’t keep it forever.”

“Listen to your elders, Laios.” Senshi said in support. Thank god the rest of the party understands reason. Laios pauses and lifts the sword up in a moment of introspection. Chilchuck could not confirm if he had fully killed the monster. Laios gets up and addresses him solemnly.

“Understood Mr. Chilchuck, sir. It won’t happen again.”

That’s new. He had never had Laios behave that formally to him. Laios did not give the sword back to him, meaning the bug was probably still alive, but whatever. It’s damaged enough that it won’t be moving or peeking out for the rest of the time they are here.

They continue on to an enclosed castle wall level with multiple passage ways. There’s no monster encounters for several hours. Chilchuck anticipates his lack of senses getting in the way of moving past this level. Everyone feels tired and hungry. Laios suggests everyone to take a break to discuss what to do next.

“Something’s different. We have made no progress since going through the door. What has changed? ” Laios asks.

“I have read about dungeons that are an endless, empty maze instead of environments full of monsters. Maybe the Mad Mage changed his strategy? We got so far down here by eating monsters to sustain us. Something must have happened to scare him enough to change from offense to defense. ” suggests Marcille.

“What a cheap trick. He intends to starve us.” Izutsumi adds.

“That is a shame. I was hoping to see what monsters would be at the lowest level… What are we going to eat-!” Laios eyes widen and he points to Senshi’s head. It had changeling mushrooms growing out of it. The group scrambles away from him. Senshi picks one from the top of his head.

“Check yourselves and put every mushroom you find in the pot. I suppose we will have to make due with this.” he says.

Turned out there were mushrooms growing all over. Inside their bags. Behind their ears. The less than savvy areas the mushrooms were found were burned in the fireplace. Izutsumi rolls on her side inspecting herself in bent poses only a cat-dog beastling can do.

“Gross! Gross! Gross!”, she growls.

Senshi wet down the mushrooms and cut them. He boils the water in a pot, adds dry merman seaweed, salt and the mushrooms. The changeling mushroom miso soup went down good enough, but it was eaten more out of desperation than anything. Laios smiles cheerfully to lighten the situation.

“I should have saved Kensuke for this soup. He could have tasted pretty good with it. I apologize for not stating my intentions sooner.”

Wanting to clear the air, Chilchuck admits to Laios, “I overstepped my boundaries. I am hired to disable traps and find the quickest, safest passage. Not destroy whatever treasures you find, living or nonliving.” It’s not in my contract to do close combat too unless it's absolutely necessary, but this dungeon dive has had many deviations from the norm.

“If you did bring that living armor monster back to the surface, what would you have done with it? Have it as a pet?” Marcille smirks.

“Well since everyone thinks living armor is a spell, it would be a huge discovery. I could have put it in a monster scholar laboratory to see how it works and published a paper about it. I’m not good at writing so either you or Farlin would have to proofread and edit.” Laios explains to her. Marcille laughs.

“The elvin libraries are so huge, I am very confident that living armor monsters are already well documented in their beastaries.”

“I wonder if a dwarf like me can visit this library to see if that’s true?”

You are already addressing yourself as a dwarf… The rest of them thought.

Laios reads their discomfort and says, “It’s just as well I don’t visit. I like more hands-on work fighting dungeon monsters anyway.” Izutsumi looks down at her bowl full of disapproval.

“I’m going to find my own food!”, she exclaims as she darts out.

“Izuuuutsuuuumi!” Senshi calls out to her dramatically then sighs.

“She’ll be back. There’s nothing here.” Chilchuck reassures him. Senshi clears his throat.

“I have been contemplating our recent stroke of bad luck. I think the dungeon itself has lost interest in us. Dungeons are made to lure people in with whatever wish each individual desires. Did any of you have any desires before becoming a changeling? Has becoming a changeling affected your desire?” Marcille, Laios, and Chilchuck stay silent. “Come now… there must be more to this than merely recovering Falin. Confess!” The beautiful elf Senshi says all this as if he were a terrible actor on a stage. Senshi’s eccentric gestures and tone of voice had been really getting on Chilchuck's nerves. After another moment of uncomfortable silence, Chilchuck speaks up.

“Are you kidding me?! I had no interest in being any taller than I was! I was already paid in advance. All I want is to do my freakin job and go back home to my daughters before they leave me too.” Marcille gasps at the info drop. “Becoming a changeling I don’t even think I can do that. This is all a big inconvenience.” Marcille grabs his shoulder with tears in her eyes.

“Oh. How can I forget you have a family to go back to!” She sniffs. “Um well I think I do feel different now that I have become a halfling. I can’t do magic anymore or at least anything close to dark magic. Anyway, I was always afraid of my friends and family dying off while I had to live on as a long lived elf, but since halflings have the shortest lifespan I was thinking that maybe I don’t have to worry about it anymore since I would die first.” Laios and Senshi were moved by her words. Chilchuck cringes. He hated it when other races refer to halflings as short lived as if it was some kind of tragedy.

“I had a desire too.” Laios said confidently. “Being a tallman is boring. I had always wanted to experience being another race or a werewolf or a troll or giant flying beast and have multiple heads…” Everyone’s jaw drops at his confession of wanting to become a monster. Laios blushes and laughs it off. “Since I’m a dwarf I got what I wanted. Now I just need to stop the Mad Mage from controlling my sister. Also… while we are being completely honest… I think Falin looks cool as a chimera. If she wants to stay as she is I wouldn’t mind.”

“Have you lost your mind, Laios?!” Marcille and Chilchuck yell.

“Let him give an explanation.” orders Senshi.

“Once Falin’s mind is back to herself maybe we can use the changeling mushrooms to turn her dragon half into a creature that can live on the surface. Marcille can’t use revive or high level magic as a halfling so if Falin wants to return back to her old body, we will have to find other mages or healers on the surface.”

“Someone you can trust too that won’t turn you into the authorities. Remember Marcille is wanted now for tampering with dark magic. I wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of us will be taken in as accomplices.” Chilchuck notes. Everyone’s mood sours at that prospect. Damn. He’s the worst person in the party for raising morale. “At- at least we know what we’re working with so we can think of a better plan later.” He feels bad he even brought it up.

Settling in for the night, Izutsumi crawls back into their quarters, slurps up the bowl of soup left out for her and rests at the foot of Chilchuck’s rolled out blanket.

“There are black horses out there, but I could not catch them. I hate to admit I need help, but I want you guys to hunt them for me.”

“Horses? That’s… maybe good to hear. Tomorrow Izutsumi. Tomorrow.

The next day. Is it even daytime? The ceilings of the endless stone walls and towers are sealed over. There’s no beginning or end to the labyrinth. The walls morph as soon as it’s out of sight. It was best that everyone stayed together. This was a situation where Chilchuck’s expertise was vital, yet he couldn’t perform to the best of his abilities. His dulled senses couldn’t quite feel the subtle draft indicating a hidden passage nor spot the one brick out of place from a wall indicating a trigger to open a hidden door like he should.

The mysterious horses were brought up right away. Nobody had seen them. Even with Laios’ ability to see in the dark, he had found no monsters lying in wait in the shadows. He wasn’t even seeing ghosts anymore.

“I didn’t see them. I smelled them. I heard them.” Izutsumi corrects.

“I thought I could hear hooves clattering too,” says Marcille.

“If they are walking that means they are not hippogriffs. But what would these horses graze on here?” wonders Senshi. It seemed like these beasts were incredibly shy if they wouldn’t let themselves be seen. So not very dangerous. The only thing that mattered to the party was how great it would be to eat something that’s not changeling mushrooms. Who knows if eating those things would affect their transformation. It would be quite awful if it was making it last longer or worse permanent.

“Senshi, Izutsumi, and I will keep a lookout for that monster while Chilchuck and Marcille work together to move past this dungeon level.” Laios orders.

“But I wanted to help find that monster too.” Marcille pouts.

“We can do both.” Chilchuck made an effort to give a more encouraging tone.

Chilchuck felt disappointment in himself that he had to employ Marcille to use her newly heightened senses to try to find a way out of here. He lifts her up and presses her side to the wall so she can listen through. A small orb of light floats over their heads. Marcille can pull off some simple light spells in her halfling form. She wanted to do more such as make another familiar to scout, but everyone had been encouraging her to save her mana. The rest of the party stands by a short distance away to keep lookout for the horse monster.

“What do you hear, Marcille?” Chilchuck asks her.

“Steps here and there. I don’t know… everything sounds like it could be a monster. I hate it…” She shivers and grabs onto his head tightly. He blushes trying not to imagine her like one of his kids.

“Try to guess where it’s coming from.”

He dreads proceeding further into the dungeon. Of the party Marcille and Laios were the power houses. Laios, despite being a weirdo, knew how to deal with almost every creature they encountered. He had training as a prior army grunt. Since entering the dungeon, embracing monster cuisine, and becoming a dwarf he’s losing focus. He doesn’t have the stamina he used to have. Marcille casted all kinds of magic to counter the Mad Mage the dungeon master during their last encounter. They need Marcille as an elf with lots of mana to stand a chance against him. Falin as a chimera dragon would be nearly impossible to defeat too. How long were they down here? He had always told his daughters to have everything cleaned up after three weeks. He would be back any day past three weeks. They must remove any evidence of partying or boys over. They wouldn’t have boys over cause his nosey neighbors would have told him all about it. The three of them were all working adults so it’s unlikely they would have any time to cause too much trouble. It would be so great to be back. He wouldn't care if it was a little messy or if they broke into the liquor cabinet. No. He would care about that. It would also be bad if they decided to take things into their own hands to look for him. The thought of his naive girls leaving the safety of their village to look for him in the shady bars and outposts near the entrance to the dungeon taps away his drive to complete the mission.

“I hear some voices.” Marcille whispers.

Chilchuck hopes it’s other adventurers. Not likely because no one else seemed to have moved past the large door they had gone through a few days ago. Yet…

“Give me a direction and distance where you heard it from.” Chichuck instructs her. She stands on his shoulders, puts her hands behind her big ears and listens carefully. “I think that way.” She points forward towards a pillar in the distance. Chichuck turns to tell the party to follow them, but they are interrupted by Izutsumi’s excited barking.

“Look there it is! There it is! See it?! See it?!”

A black horse with two large horns between its eyes stare down at them from a flat stone rooftop a hundred feet away. Laios identifies it right away.

“It’s a bicorn!”

Marcille leaps from Chichuck’s shoulders and heads over to them.

“We’re saved! We might not have to eat mushrooms again if we can catch it!”

Those idiots!, Chilchuck thought. He watches as the four of them run to the bicorn weapons raised and the bicorn darts off into the darkness. Undeterred by this setback, they form a huddle while Chilchuck tiredly looks on. Marcille draws something on the ground and whispers to Senshi. Senshi nods. Laios talks on and on about something. The cat-dog girl wags her tail. Hovering over the huddle, Chilchuck couldn’t make out what they were planning.

“Ok it’s settled!” Laios exclaims. Senshi goes into his bags, gets out a rope and hands it to him. Laios gives him the ax.

“Hey where’s your shield?” Laios asks.

“I’ll just give him this for now.” Senshi gives him his mythril pot.

“What? What’s all this?”

“You didn’t hear?” asks Marcille.

Senshi and Laios murmur to each other.

“Well he is looking kinda aged…”

“I’ll tell you!” Marcille said excitedly. “We are going to use the scorched earth method.” She taps her staff near a heat spell inscription on the ground. “We are going to make a whole lot of these on that side of our prison maze. Senshi is going to activate them. This will smoke the beast out of hiding. Izutsumi will herd it over there.” She gestures her staff to a bottle neck of walls on the other side. Senshi chimes in.

“Hate to see this happen to such a fine horse, but we are going to have you rope the beast and cut off its head when it comes to you.”

“Once you have it roped. I’ll help you slay it.” said Laios.

“But Senshi I thought you hated unnecessary damage to the dungeon environment.” Chilchuck protests.

“Sometimes we need to blow up a few walls to make an exit.”, Senshi admits. Marcille smiles and giggles manically.

“Yes. Finally. Senshi, come with me.”

Small strings of smoke emit from Marcille and Senshi’s side of the labyrinth. Smoking the monster out of hiding will take some time. Laios and Chilchuck wait by the bottleneck going out of the stone courtyard with Izutsumi between the two groups. The theory was as long as there are eyes watching, the walls won’t change. A crash came from where Marcille and Senshi were lighting fires.

“Anytime now.” Laios runs away from Chilchuck towards the entrance.

“Hey! Where you going, Laios?”

“Oh um… it has to do with the nature of bicorns. Bicorns are the opposite of unicorns. Unicorns are pure and can only be approached by virtuous people. Bicorns on the other hand only dishonorable people can-”

“I don’t need your monster encyclopedia answer. Give me the short answer. Why do you want me to do this alone?” Chichuck braces himself for Laios to give a blunt explanation.

“Ever since you became a tallman… you look suspicious.”

“What do you mean?”

Laios dug around in his pockets. “Let me get out my shaving kit. I’ve been having to use it more often since I became a dwarf so I carry it with me. The beard just keeps growing..oh here it is.” Laiosd shows him his mirror. “Look.”

Chilchuck thought he had just become taller and bigger in some places. He didn’t recognise the stubbled middle aged tallman’s face before him. The man looked like one of those loser goons the ores killed at the crooked pub on level three. One word came to mind: troll. He had turned into a troll. The kind he used to tell his girls about to scare them into doing their chores. If he turned up at their front door like this there was no way they would recognize him. Thus the tragedy of becoming a changeling. Chilchuck turns away listless.

“Oh. I see exactly what you mean. I do look like the criminal sort. I’ll be perfect for this role.” He sluggishly moves back into position.

Laios recognizes that he laid it on him too strong. “I didn’t mean to offend you, Mr. Chilchuck! Tallmen just look more aged than halflings. You don’t look bad..you just look more like a father type than you did..I had some issues with um nevermind. Anyway you said some things and I’m not judging-Oh shit!” The bicorn leaps past him. The dark horse slows into a walk approaching Chilchuck. All of his body’s dulled senses bolt awake. His weariness fades away immediately. He stares down the beast, slowly walking towards it. He holds up the rope that was tied into a slipknot and drops it over the monster’s head. The tallman holds it steady while the beast tries to jerk away.

“You got it!” Laios exclaims. Chilchuck stares blankly at the line and the monster in disbelief.

“Oh damn. I did get it.” The monster bites down on Chilchuck’s arm that was not holding the pot shield. Lucky for him, he was wearing Laios’ arm bracers. Chilchuck didn’t have a weapon ready indicating his inexperience with jobs like this. He struggles and backs off just enough for the rope to slip out of his hands. The lassoed bicorn runs back to the courtyard with Chilchuck chasing after it. Laios follows behind them. From their left off in the distance buildings were collapsing. Pillars of fire burst out from the rubble. Senshi, Marcille, Izutsumi and more bicorns were fleeing the scene with a big cloud of dust coming behind them.

“I’m never doing magic again!” elf Senshi screams.

Concentrating on his quarry, Chilchuck tries to grab the dragging rope. He almost grabs it until the bicorn leaps up a ten foot wall onto a roof.

“You’re not getting away!” He jumps up, steps on to the protruding rocks, and climbs the wall in a flash. Laios runs up to it, breathing heavily.

“Damn… Mr. Chilchuck.” He looks around for stairs.

At last Chilchuck had the monster cornered. Behind and to the right of the creature was a much higher wall that was several stories. Below was the rest of the party. He takes the ax and throws it. The ax brushes off to the side of the bicorn. He missed. The bicorn lowers its head and paws the dirt with its front hoof. I messed up. The beast springs into a charge at him. He loosens his largest knife out of his side pocket. Holding the knife he attempts to dodge to the side. The horn of the beast punctures his right shoulder. At the same time Chilchuck stabs as hard as he can into the side of the horse’s head. Brains and blood spill out. At the same time, Izutsumi pounces on to its back and bites into the monster’s neck. The monster collapses to its side, letting Chilchuck’s shoulder go. From the ground it kicks wildly until a moment later Laios steps in and finishes it by piercing its heart with his sword. The kobold beastling howls. Marcille and Senshi cheer. Laios wipes the blood off his blade and sheaths it. He goes right up to Chilchuck and embraces him. Being a lot shorter, Laios stood on the dead bicorn. Chilchuck his heart still racing, cheerfully raises his fists in the air, jumps and laughs with him.

“You were absolutely crazy! I knew you could fight monsters if you wanted to!” Laios yells.

“Of course I can! It was a piece of cake!”

It didn’t feel like him at all to be this hyped up. As a halfling his senses were at peak all the time except when he was drunk or asleep. It's probably why I’m so stressed out all the time. These lows and highs as a tallman… it actually feels really good. Maybe that’s part of why Laios acts like such a happy buffoon.

“Laios! Izutsumi! You got to get Chilchuck down here at once!” Marcille yells.

Chilchuck sees blood rushing down his arm. He reaches to his neck. The horn must have severed a few important arteries. That’s strange. I didn’t even feel any pain. He falls over dead.

Chilchuck gasps and sits up. Laios holds up tiny Marcille as her head sinks. They are inside an enclosure. Senshi already had meat cooking over the fire.

“She insisted she revive you. You died.” Laios recounts.

“Marcille..”

“The colors duke… the colors…” she murmurs to herself.

“Senshi made sure she ate before she used that spell, but it still took a lot out of her. It looks like she has a bad case of mana sickness. She’s most likely completely tapped out of mana too.” Laios explains. Chilchuck holds his head and groans. He watches Laios lay her over blankets. I shouldn’t have brought that on you, Marcille, he thought

“So I have as much luck dealing with other monsters as mimics.” Mimics which hide in treasure chests are the only monsters he as a locksmith is required to engage with as per contract. They have killed him many times. Now all monsters are like mimics… He imagined many different creatures before him turning into crabs. Senshi puts down a strange plate of stringy meat before Isumi, Laios and Chilchuck.

“I made sfilacci and I am going to try to make as much of the leftovers into bresaola.”

They all look at the hair like meat. What’s with the fanciness? Why can’t we just have BBQ?

Izutsumi asks, “What are these words? Oh well it smells good and meaty.” She gobbles it up. Chilchuck nibbles away at it, hiding the fact that he’s very hungry. Laios eats the hair meatball in one bite. The blonde dwarf looks like he wants to complain, but doesn’t. Senshi whittles away cutting up tiny pieces of the bicorn’s leg, making meticulous micro cuts. We are in a dungeon. Not a five star restaurant.

“Senshi, your food prep doesn’t need to..” Chilchuck tried to say. Senshi turns around in slow motion, his long black curls flowing, roses bloom in the air all around him, his eyelashes fluttering.

“You have a critique of my cooking?”

Chilchuck and Laios are stunned. Izutsumi bluntly interrupts, “Had becoming an elf made you lose common sense? I want steak!”

“I didn’t lose anything. I am just the same as I was.”

Izutsumi narrows her eyes at him. “Pretty Senshi, you just do your thing. Manly Chilchuck and you too Fat Laios, let’s make something ourselves too. I know you want the good parts.” Senshi frowns and keeps working.

The three of them move out of the enclosure to build a bigger campfire. It turned out that there wasn’t only one bicorn killed, but five more from the fire explosive magic. All that running around, fighting, and dying proved to be useless, Chilchuck concluded. Chilchuck helps Laios and Izutsumi carry one of the burnt up dead bodies to the campfire. As Chilchuck got the fire going the two butchered the carcass they brought over.

“Magic is so overpowered. There was no point in having me involved.”

Laios gave him an encouraging smile. “We didn’t know Senshi was going to be that effective with magic. If anything we were using them to scare the bicorns your way. We did find out one thing.”

“And that was?”

“You don’t have loose morals. The bicorn still attacked you.” Chichuck sighs and rolls his eyes. “I know Marcille would want to pry into that more, but I will leave it there.”

Thank god. Perhaps Laios is maturing a bit. They set up the grill and put as many steaks on there as they could. As it cooks, Chilchuck’s mind wanders back into his bad habit of rumination. Senshi must be very upset that 1: he was coaxed into using magic, 2: we killed way more monsters than we had to and 3: more than half of us are making our own meal. Marcille too is in rough shape.

The first round of steaks are done and Laios passes a big one to everyone’s plates. Izutsumi brows on it to cool it down before taking a bite. Chilchuck tries his and it tastes amazing probably because he was starved. Being revived takes a lot of vigor out of you. How could he convince Laios to have everyone return to the surface? He remembered the orc girl Leed’s advice to just be honest, yet he also didn’t want to plead with Laios overly emotional like that last time. Finally he said, “I feel bad for Marcille.”

“I know. I know.” Laios admits. “We are not going to be able to proceed without a confident magic user. Marcille is the best we have.”

“Admit it, we all aren’t at our best in these forms.”

“Not entirely. I did chop down on that horse real good.” Izutsumi smiles and ravishes into another steak.

“Yeah! You did do good! Who’s a good girl!?” Laios reaches to pat her head. She draws back.

“Noooo. No!” she barks back at him. Marcille weakly wanders out of the enclosure to them followed by Senshi.

“Come on! Join us!” Laios calls out to them. They gather around and Laios gives them a steak. Marcille quietly eats with tired eyes. Senshi refused their offering and just wanted to help.

And my conversation is derailed again. Chichuck takes another steak. He eats a few more while Senshi talks about the best ways to cook meat.

“You know I don’t understand why I didn’t think to just make jerky out of all this. Why did that fail to come to my mind? I don’t know. Perhaps because of the lack of salt?” As he ate and time went on Chichuck’s mood improved and he forgot about what he was so worried about. The effect of the food maybe? He probably ate the most in this one sitting than he had ever had for a meal in his entire life.

“Soooo I didn’t think you did too bad out there. You liked fighting monsters didn’t you?” Laios poked Chilchuck’s shoulder with a fork. Laios face gets covered by Chilchuck’s hand pushing him away. Chilchuck turns his head away from the group, hiding his grin.

“Maybe I did feel a bit of a thrill in it… I blame becoming a tallman or your insanity rubbing off on me. I think my luck with fighting general monsters will be as good as fighting mimics. I will probably die everytime.” They both laugh together as if they’re drunk. Marcille gives a concerned look and she speaks up to Senshi.

“I might have been too pushy making you use magic… we were too reckless.”

Senshi gazes down at her and nods. In a moment Marcille’s ears perk up and she sees a small familiar fly through the air over them.

“Hey everybody watch out above you!” They all see it. The familiar looked like a glowing bird. “It’s the Canaries. They’re here!” Marcille puts out the fire. She opens her book and flashes through the pages. “Everyone stay together. I’m going to put a camouflage barrier over us so they won’t see us.”

“Wait! Don’t-” Chilchuck cries out. Marcille holds her staff and casts the incantation from the book, stops in mid sentence and falls. Chilchuck catches her. The spell failed. Her body’s not tuned enough in magic to cast high level spells. Especially in the state she was already in. The walls change and a stairwell appears beside their encampment. A party of seven descend the staircase to them. Everyone stands up ready to defend themselves. The only weapons Senshi and Izutsumi had were knives and forks. Laios, the only one with his sword on hand, gets between the two parties. Chichuck holding Marcille in his arms sizes up the arrivals. The new group of seven only consisted of elves in advanced looking gear and armor. The elves walk up to them. Actually on closer inspection one of the men is a tallman.

“Well well. Hello dungeon adventurers. Please put your sword down, dwarf. The rest of you put your… utensils down. We are merely a dungeon investigation unit.”, an elf with long blonde hair similar in appearance to Marcille orders. They do just that. Another elf with tattoos all over his body circles them.

“I don’t see the blonde elf mage. This party is completely different than the one described.”

Chilchuck came to the realization that with their bodies transformed by the changelings, they are perfectly disguised from their wanted physical profiles Kabru’s or Shiro’s party gave them.

“Are you the only party that made it this far? Have you seen any others?”, the tan elf woman asks them. Laios and Senshi shake their heads. “I mean have you encountered a party of five that has an elf female with blonde hair?”

An awkward silence. Chilchuck watches them with increased anxiety.

Come on you two, say something. Senshi adverts their gaze and taps at Marcille’s staff with his foot. Senshi was supposed to deal with elves now that he is one. Laios is supposed to be the leader. In this moment of need they are both dead silent. From experience working with Laios, he often hesitates when speaking with people he doesn’t know. He will probably blow their cover. Chilchuck couldn’t allow that to happen.

“We’ve been trapped here by ourselves for months.” Chilchuck speaks out. Everyone in the other party turned their attention to him. Pressure’s on. “I’m Corkus and this is my daughter Neese.” The elves seemed satisfied with that response.

“That explains everything. We are also here to evacuate all adventurers from the dungeon and neutralize the dungeon lord. Would you like assistance getting to the surface?”, the blonde elf girl offers. The elves stare at the tallman waiting for an answer believing him to be the leader.

Chilchuck wanted to scream yes, but- He turns around to his party.

“What do you think? This could be our only way out of here.” Please everyone…

“Oh my head..” Marcille groans and sits up in his arms. He puts her tiny hand on his cheek. “I’m tired papa. Let’s go home.” She plays the part really well. Everyone followed suit.

“Yeah I think we went as far as we could.” It seems Laios would go with whatever Marcille wants.

“It would be nice to restock on spices.” Senshi says. Izutsumi nods with them.

“Thank you. We would like your help.” Chilchuck answers them pretending to be the party leader.

“I like it when they can be reasoned with. I’ll prepare a spell to get you all to the surface.” A dark skinned young elf in steel armor steps forward.

“Hold it. Before you let them go, I want to ask these adventurers a few questions.” The young man glares up at Chilchuck. The blue eyes look really familiar. “You know, Corkus, your gear and clothing of your party appear to be just like Laios’ party’s clothing and gear. For instance, that green circle scarf looks exactly like it belongs to a halfling in Laios’ party. ” Chilchuck suddenly recognized him. It’s Kabru. It’s fucking Kabru and he knows I’m lying through my teeth. How he disguised himself as an elf and got into the Canaries’ party is anyone’s guess.

“Um..we all shop at the same stores on the first floor?”

“Allow me to go through your gear and make sure it wasn’t stolen.”

The gig is up. We have our initials on everything. Marcille has her full name on all her gear. A messy haired elf girl interrupts them.

“Oh my gosh! Doesn’t this guy…”

The other elves drop listening to Kabru’s conversation and show interest in Senshi. Senshi pulls back his hair and lets it flow in the breeze that’s coming from nowhere.

“Yes! The resemblance is uncanny!” A female elf with short hair yells.

“Whatever do you mean?” Senshi asks shyly.

“I mean you’re that guy from the The Daltian Clan novels. What’s his name…? the one with the eyepatch on a horse..”

“The character’s name is Forva and he’s the one with black hair. The one with the eyepatch is actually General Hareus.” Marcille corrects them in a dreamy whisper.

“Oooooh!” Everyone of the elven’s party except for the tallman and Kabru exclaim with delight.

“Yeah! That!” nods the elf with the messy hair.

“Aww it’s so cute that the little ones are getting into our popular literature.” The blonde elf sighs. She completes her spell and reveals a large door portal to the Chilchuck and his companions. “All done here. Just step on through.”

“But-” Kabru protests. The tan female elf addresses the only tallman in their party.

“Captain, do we need to waste our time questioning these guys anymore?”

He responds with a firm “No.” Chilchuck thought it very strange that a tallman would be a party leader to elves from the North Central Continent. I know it’s a stereotype for tallman males to be party leaders, but this is ridiculous.

Laios’ party gather by the portal. It all unravels when Marcille fully wakes up.

“Where are we going?”

Chilchuck whispers “Out of the dungeon.”

She gasps and squirms out of his arms.

“No, we can’t go. What about Falin?” she says to her party with tears in her eyes.

“Everyone should go, including you. I’ll stay and find her myself.” Laios assures her. Frustrated that all his efforts were about to go nowhere, Chilchuck grabs both of them by their shirtsleeves.

“Absolutely not! You are both going back with us right now!”

“Hey, I still need to find that Dungeon Master to undo my curse!” yells Izutsumi.

“You think it would hurt if I go through that portal?” Senshi whimpers. Chilchuck loses his temper.

“What the hell is wrong with you all?!” They proceed to argue. Kabru puts his palm to his face.

“People. We got company.” The messy haired elf uses her familiars to widely illuminate the area. The dead bicorns that they didn’t eat, rose up. Headless men in black armor emerge and mount the beasts. One of them rides closer holding a giant sword, the tip of it scraping across the dungeon floor. The Captain uses a spell that makes two of them split in half from the waist. The headless men turn into black smoke and reappear fully intact.

“Phantoms.” The tallman grits his teeth, heavy sweat appearing on his brow.

“What are you waiting for?” The messy haired elf pushes Senshi into the portal. The cat-kobold follows him. More mounted headless black knights come out of the shadows surrounding them. Chilchuck kneels down and meets Laios and Marcille’s eyes.

“Pleeease go.” he pleads, feeling exhausted.

“Yes. We are going. Come on.” Laios puts his arm around Marcille and directs her toward the door. “I’m sorry, but Dunahan are really bad to go up against.” He shouts out to the Canary party. “The rest of you should return too!” Laios and Marcille disappear into the portal. Chilchuck leaves the elves behind, but just before he entered the portal he heard one of them say.

“We should retreat too. Captain stepped through a changeling ring and it's negatively affecting his mana use.”

They return to the inside of the governor’s residence. The room was within the town hall section. Laios held his mouth and immediately ran for the exit to throw up. Transportation sickness is the worst for dwarfs. Curious what the elves said about the Captain, Chilchuck waits for the other party to make it through the portal. He notices that Laios and Marcille have already left the building.

“Oh you’re still here.” said the blonde magic-using elf. “You can go now.”

“You said something about the Captain experiencing going through a changeling ring?”

“Yes, a couple members of our party had undergone an inconvenient transformation.” Senshi and Izutsumi grab Chilchuck’s arms and start moving him to the exit. He had to get more information. Anything better than going with the knowledge of changelings from his homeland.

“Is there a cure?”

“Yeah. It’s easy. Just practice good hygiene. Once Captain and our tallman guide have washed off the spores, they should be back in shape in less than twelve hours. It’s really stubborn the longer it isn’t treated. Once the fungus settles into your nails, you're screwed.”

Chilchuck’s color drains out of his face as he hears her warning. Senshi and Izutsumi lead him to the door out of there. Kabru happily waves to them.

“Goodbye. Maybe I’ll meet you at the bathhouse later.”

To everyone’s surprise it was a sunny early afternoon at the surface. The dungeon was in the process of being evacuated and it showed. There were people of all races everywhere. Many figured the days of looting the dungeon were over and were in the process of packing up. Temporary shops were set up with signs saying “One day only sale!”, “Last Chance before we relocate.” and “Everything must go.” If this were different circumstances some shopping would have been in order, but removing the fungal spores is a priority. They head for Laios’ apartment, the only place they have to go to in town since Senshi lives in the dungeon, Izutsumi came from overseas, and Chilchuck’s home is several miles away. Laios’ apartment key was lost with his gear in the dungeon so Chilchuck had to lockpick his way in while the rest stood around him looking very suspicious. Once inside he reminded everyone that they all must wash off those spores. Once inside Laios gathered whatever soaps he could find and a washtub. He had to use a broomstick to get a box of shampoos from Falin’s closet for Marcille. Chilchuck pushed for them to wash out back instead of the bathhouse, because it would be crowded due to the dungeon evacuation. He also didn’t want to run into Kabru, the captain, or Shiro’s group if they are still on the island. He dreaded the scenario in which Laios tells Shiro that they failed and the samurai decides to cut off Laios head or hunt down Falin to put her out of her misery.

He could not help, but feel astounded that the interior of the apartment was just like the insides of the buildings in his hometown. Everything is normal sized. Actually he now had to watch his head going through doors. It will be a relief to be short again. Chilchuck walks into Falin’s side of the apartment to find Marcille on Falin’s bed crying. Izutsumi was sitting beside her providing comfort. He turns around and heads back before they notice his presence. Laios and Senshi had everything ready.

“We will wash first outside and bring fresh water to the girls so they can bathe privately.” Senshi suggests.

“Sounds like a plan.” Chilchuck responds.

Monsters sometimes do appear outside of the dungeon. Changelings were one of them. It was thought that the fairies would replace human children with one of their own to play a cruel joke. It was said that changelings were a problem in his hometown many years ago. The way the halfling community dealt with changelings was throwing them in a burn pit. Any mushroom fairy circles found were burned. Yep fire was the solution. Good thing the real way to turn back to himself was simply washing off the mushroom spores. They went up a nearby stream and got water. Chilchuck anticipated that Senshi and Laios wouldn’t want to bathe. Senshi because he rarely bathed as a dwarf and Laios because he wants to remain a changeling dwarf. To his surprise, they both comply without any hesitation. They wash their gear and clothes too. That included Laios’ transformed sword. Chilchuck walks into a pond the creek was feeding. Wouldn’t you want to remain changed? Tiny black specks swim up to his legs making him step back out. They’re just tadpoles. Normal animals. The dangers of the dungeon have made him skittish. He jumps in, plunges himself in the water and scrubs hard. Laios once again lends him some of his fresh clothes that would fit a tallman. Laios squeezes into one of his own shirts the best he could and rolls up his sleeves. Finally Senshi boils the water and fills it for the girls. Chilchuck wanted to wash up so bad that he didn’t care about water temperature. The girls on the other hand… Well they wanted it to be nice for them. The process takes time so Chilchuck asks Laios to borrow his shaving kit. Laios and Senshi both tease him offering to tell him how to use it. Away from them with a bit of a learning curve, Chilchuck shaves his beard off revealing a warped troll version of his old face. He could already feel that the hair would grow back in hours. How could Laios do this everyday? He returned to Senshi and Laios to see them in deep conversation. They stop as soon as they see him. What were they talking about?, he wondered.

“The water is ready for them. We’ll just take it up to the apartment.”, Senshi says.

“You mean Laios and I.” Chilchuck responds knowing well that elf Senshi can’t lift. Carrying the washtub up with Laios, Chilchuck smells a flowery perfume from the water. “What is this?”

“You know… Marcille likes it fancy.” Chilchuck’s instincts sense a scheme, but decides not to push it. They bring the water over to Falin’s room. Only Marcille remained on the bed.

“Where’s Izutsumi?” Laios asks.

“Oh she got tired of waiting and took off. She told me she would clean off the spores on her own.” Marcille answers.

“It can’t be helped.” Senshi admits.

The three of them wait seated in Laios’ side of the apartment while Marcille washes herself in Falin’s room. Marcille calls over to them.

“So once we are back in our normal bodies, we will go down again?” The three grimace at the prospect of telling her bad news. Chilchuck was about to say something then Laios spoke up.

“The dungeon is being sealed away. The Canaries will enter in a couple days and defeat the Mad Mage.” He pauses. “I don’t know what will become of Falin.”

“What will we do? What can we do?” A long silence fell upon them.

“We should go to the pub tonight.” Chilchuck finally suggests. Everyone else was taken aback.

“Chilchuck really? Really!?” Marcille screams over to them.

He defends his proposal. “That’s what we always do after we return to the surface. It’s tradition.”

“We can’t go out and party at a time like this?! What if you turn back into a halfling in Laios’ clothing over there?”

“I’ll be so happy I’ll dance on the table naked. I’ll be so drunk, I won’t care.”

“Chilchuck, you’re an idiot!”

“Going to the pub doesn’t sound too bad to me.” Laios admits. Senshi agrees.

“You guys are so insensitive!”

“I thought you loved the food there.” Laios said. Chilchuck could hear splashing and grumbling from her side.

“Hurry and finish up, Marcille. There’s gonna be a big crowd tonight. We need to get there early to get good seats.”

“Come over here. I need help with something.” Chilchuck glances over to Laios and Senshi sitting in the corner looking a bit scared. He sighs, stands up and walks over to the entrance. A fully clothed Marcille drops a bucket of water on his head from above. She laughs and surries away.

“You little gremlin!” He yells as he chases after her.

To be continued... (1 of 3)

#chilchuck #dungeon meshi #dwarf laios #elf senshi #halfling marcille #stupid fanfic #tallchuck #tallman #tallman chilchuck #Chilchuck Marcille #fanfiction #dungeon meshi fanfic #dungeon meshi fandom #changelings #Not as cool as the original but I tried.

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