#and WOAH the whiplash I got in this scene

[bilolli]

Hi @spadillelicious , yesterday I read your fic and I'm normal about it. Take a messy fanart.

[dummie-writes]

the party walkers

self insert ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* school bus graveyard

words: 4.08k

previous part: a demon inside of my skin

next part: over the horizon, somewhere

note: woah hey I'm back so soon whattt, anyway. sorry that chapter was kinda more scene setting, we only got to interact with the group at the very end 😭 also, I'd like to say this is gonna be pretty self indulgent for the time being bc idk where I want the story to go 🧍‍♀️keep in mind that while I'm trying to keep it gender neutral, at times y/n may lean more feminine,and this is because I am more feminine. please enjoy :3

ii. a rescue mission

again, there's a tension. there has been for the past minute you've been sitting here. after telling them your name and settling down cross legged on the classroom floor, you kinda expected some questions or something. that blonde kid and ashlyn are still having that weird little staring contest. it's as if everyone wants to start, but no one knows how. like you've passed a test, but they aren't sure if you'll actually pass their little assignment or whatever. you were having nightmares, and eerily, the blonde knew to ask you about them even when you hadn't said you'd been having them. so, they were also having nightmares. at least, from what you could infer. 

“um, okay,” a sandy brunette boy with glasses begins. he's not looking directly at you, but instead at your bag beside you in a spaced out manner, his thumbs tapping the wooden pencil in his hand. “nightmares, monsters, right? what kind of monsters?”

     “like, gray ones? they're kinda big? sharp hands?” you say, still somewhat confused. a robotic voice comes from next to you, and as you turn your head, the tallest of the group has his phone held up, the screen facing you. on it, in black lettering, it asks “humanish?”. you blink, and then nod at it. not much of a talker, apparently. the girl who originally spoke to you, sitting next to Tyler and who you've quickly remembered is his twin sister, though you don't remember her name from the beginning of the year, opens her mouth to speak, but then ashlyn cuts her off. 

     “well, that's weird. what notes do you have on savannah?”

     a second of slight whiplash from the subject change, everyone (except for tyler) gives the freckled girl a weird look. they hadn't expected it either, but they aren't going to interfere. she has a colder tone - not entirely mean, but like she knows how to stick to decisions that she makes. actually, you'd seen her before - this town wasn't where you grew up, but you'd been here since middle school. ashlyn always kept to herself, for what rare times you did see her. the only words that you'd really ever heard from her were “excuse me” “thanks” or just glowering. you didn't know when she got all these friends. 

     you also had friends - unfortunately, they weren't really happy with you at the moment. with the whole “several hours or so in hell” situation, you hadn't really been the greatest companion. one too many times had you had to stay home from a group putting, or just slept straight through. they had a right to be upset with you, especially when you wouldn't communicate and were crabby. 

     “again, not really my fault! what am I supposed to tell them? that I'm bleeding out in the bathroom all night?” but, you know, whatever. 

     you pulled out your notebook, reading through the few notes you had written down since the start of the group project. you wouldn't argue right now. maybe they were just weird, maybe they were all in the same boiling pot you were. either way, the six of them didn't seem open to talking about it, which means another lonely night in the bathroom for you. 

     not for them, though. as you tried to be as quiet as possible on the cold, tiled floor, and then moving to the shower so the blood from your back would trickle down the drain instead, they would have a rather rambunctious evening. 

     “tyler, seriously. if they're here too, we need to get them!”

     “that isn't a risk we should be taking!”

     ash cringed just slightly at the volume of tyler's voice, and picked at the peeling fabric of the bus seat she was in. this argument had been going on for about an hour, stopping them from any sort of progress in terms of supplies, information, or anything, really. aiden was seated in the seat across from herself, foot dangling as he rhythmically tapped the seat, smiling as he usually did. his red eyes swung back and forth between the aggressors, not saying much except for the offhand comment or joke. 

     “guys, what if it was one of us? what if it was taylor?”

     “fields, don't even think about using that kind of an argument. it's cheap, and that's my sister. not a random classmate - who, by the way, might not actually even be here! they could just be having bad dreams! but, no, i’m the crazy one, right?”

    ben shifted uncomfortably, tensing and releasing his fists. tyler was defensive, that much was for sure. truth be told, he in fact did not actually like the idea of possibility leaving you stranded somewhere. it wasn't moral. but he was right, he knew he was right. they didn't have the actual information needed, the possibile required resources, and he wouldn't put taylor in any sort of unnecessary danger like that. not when you lived almost four blocks away from where they already were. despite not saying so, ashlyn agreed almost entirely. she wouldn't lose her entire team saving one person. at the very least, not until they were positive you were actually I'm this other dimension. 

     “remind me again why we didn't just ask them if they were here?” aiden questions, his cheeks rising a little as he stared at tyler in an almost dare to reply. 

     “we won't even tell our parents what's going on. if they're just having nightmares, they'll think we're crazy or on drugs. and in that case, who knows what they'll tell the school, or the police,” ash replies in an even tone, raising an eyebrow as her eyes meet aiden's, and then to taylor as she speaks again. 

     “but it isn't right. you know it's not right. and there was that unexplained scream you heard at the hotel, ash,” taylor points out, throwing her arms out as she paces back and forth. her hair was starting to tangle from all the moment, and a stern look in her eyes told everyone this isn't something she would let go of. at least not thus far. 

     ashlyn sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and looking down. a quiet pooled in the bus as the ginger thought through the possibilities and risks. taylor was right. they couldn't just leave you wherever you were to rot, possibly die. even if she wasn't a people person, she wasn't a monster. she couldn't let any phantoms hurt you or anyone else in good spirits, that would just be horrible and wrong. she knew tyler wouldn't mind getting you either, if it wasn't such a huge risk, and a major liability if you actually weren't there. 

 

   a small glow emitted from a couple feet away from her, looking up to Ben's phone screen as her hand slid to hold up her head. “we need more info”.

     logan tapped his foot tentatively, his face soft but unagreeable. he had been making a more logical argument, but was emotion driven nonetheless in his words. having another person would be an advantage. it would come with its own challenges, yes - explaining why they had another person hanging out with them to ashlyn's already suspicious parents, keeping track of an entire other human being, the extra general supplies - but having another person who wasn't a phantom on their side was also a benefit. another pair of eyes, hands, ears. more supplies could be carried. 

     not to mention, you are not just a video game character. you're an actual human being, with a life, with sentience. in the end, that's the defining factor. they can't abandon you. but they won't come looking for you without being sure you'll be there when they search. 

     “this is a stupid argument because we aren't actually arguing about saving them, but about when.” 

     taylor looks up to ash, lightening from how upset she was previously, and her shoulders beginning to drop. an unspoken understanding passes through them as everyone else mumbles something of agreement. 

     “and how the hell are we supposed to pull that off? do any of you even have their phone number? we didn't add them to any group chats because we were still in our own world when class ended,” tyler huffed, crossing his arms and leaning back into his chair, a sour expression in the creases of his face and eyebrows. 

     “I could run over there,” 

     everyone stared at Aiden for a second as he smiles in excitement before tyler thwacks him in the back of the head. not hard, but audibly. aiden’s mouth opens slightly, his smile unwavering but now wider as he scoffs in hubris.. “that's not happening, you moron.”

     that next morning is a hard one for you. for one, trying to clean that horrible slash with isopropyl alcohol isn't working. it's making things worse, in fact; the flesh around it is red and dry, it throbs when you move too much, and every so often, it'll crack further down your back because you moved too quickly. not to mention, it hurts like a bitch when you do so. not cleaning it runs the risk of infection, but honestly, you're too exhausted to care anymore. your mind is messed up, clearly. talking to a psychologist isn't an option, you'd get put in an asylum before you could finish your sentence. this was just your life now. and you would properly clean it later. 

     walking into class, you felt the jab of a finger at your back. jumping, you turn around to give a dirty look at whoever was giving you a difficult time, before realizing that it was aiden, from your group project. you take a breath and smile. “hey, how are you?”

     despite it being a very normal question that usually results in a “im fine”, aiden clark is not a normal person (to be fair, you aren't at this point either), and answers with a much more winded explanation. 

     “oh! I'm doing pretty great, haha. last night's homework wasn't all too difficult or anything, and since you're having trouble with your work, you can copy off mine if you'd like. speaking of last night, how'd you sleep? you know, with sleeping issues and everything? sorry about my friends yesterday, they can be a bit argumentative. it think it's funny lol.”

     at this point, ben, who you remember now as being introduced as aiden's cousin and is walking behind, looks at you, nodding and giving a small wave. you, in return, smile widely at him. 

     “well, aren't you just a ray of fucking sunshine or something,” you hear an irritated, grumpy voice from next to you, and then a yelp, followed by “ow! don't pinch me!” and a “then be nice!”

     turning to taylor and tyler, the long haired of the two smiles in a nervous apology. “sorry, he's always kinda cranky in the morning. he didn't mean that, I swear.” as taylor tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and chuckles softly, you notice she has a soft sparkle in her eye. that, and the fact that she has been nothing but kind to you in the entirety of the while you've interacted with th pushes her to be your favorite for the time being. 

     “it's okay, i'm not all too great for the first couple hours too. coffee helps, would you like some? do you have a cup or something?” you're being a little over-nice on purpose, mainly to make him feel bad for being a bit of an ass- but it's a genuine offer. he wasn't downright cruel, just a little mean. and the eye bags on top of his cheeks tell you that taylor wasn't lying about him not being a morning person. 

     tyler scowls, wrinkling his nose and glancing at the thermos you have on your desk. it's your favorite color, and the metal is warm with the creamy, light brown coffee inside. for a second, his face drops a little, and he looks like he's genuinely considering your offer, before rolling his eyes scoffing. “I'm good.”

     rough start for a group that hasn't entirely accepted you as part of their project, but he didn't cuss you out a throw a shoe at you, so you'll count it as a win! you don't have much time to process, because you turn your head again and jump at the bright write paper, half an inch from your face. holding it is a pale hand, and connected to that hand is aiden, wide eyed. actually, that might just be his face. you're starting to think he looks like that more than he doesn't. oh, yeah, actually, that's the homework he was talking about. you had only gotten a couple questions done last night before giving up, and trying to comfort yourself with hot chocolate before midnight arrived. 

     aiden was still looking at you expectantly, so you gingerly pinched the paper, smiling at him again as you took out your own unfinished work, and compared them side by side so you could at least not down most of them before mr. thomas got to class. as you did so, a bright yellow post-it note caught your attention, and in messy handwriting, it reads:

     “what are your nightmares about????”

     your eyebrows knit themselves, and glancing up at aiden, he's already looking at you. he turned away to talk to ben about something almost immediately, but it makes you wonder if he knows something you don't. you peel it off, filling out a few of the questions before glancing at the note again, and flipping it over to scrawl down your response of “why do you want to know so badly”. instead of a blank back, you find a phone number, which you can only theorize belongs to aiden. snatching up your phone, you pat the number in, and then hurry to finish what of the homework you can. after filling out what you think will get you a passing grade, you roll up the work and tap the blond on the shoulder with it. 

     he stops mid sentence to turn toward you, smile widely, take his homework back, and then continues talking to ben. all just as mr. thomas walks through the classroom door.

     actually, the fact that he gave you that post it note makes you giggle a little. it looks like an ad for a psychic. you nonchalantly doodle and scribble on your paper during the lecture, nearly falling asleep a couple times before you're all dismissed to sit in groups. you pause for a moment, glancing to your old group. brandy looks in your direction, smiling and standing up to walk over. oh wait what no don't -

     “hey! listen, so, about yesterday,” she whispered speedily, a note book in her right hand, tapping her pen on the cover with her left. you purse your mouth, nodding. awkward. “I'm sorry if I was being mean. I failed this class last year, and I can't repeat it again. I know that's harsh, but I'm not taking any chances.”

     a silent, uncomfortable nod and pause later, she continues. “I copied down a bunch of my notes for you, because I hope you can still pass. I'm sorry if I made you mad. I'll just, go, um, yeah.”

     a second later, you're holding a few pieces of lined paper to your chest and watching her run off and back to her group. a sinkhole opens in your chest, and you bite the inside of your cheek. would ashlyn's group be expecting you? would they talk to the teacher about getting you removed too, since they might not have wanted to fail as terribly as they already were? your eyes find their circle, where three pairs of eyes are looking to yourself, and there's a large enough gap by taylor's seat for your own. 

a soft grin presses onto your cheeks, relief emanating from you when you sigh, grabbing your chair to haul it over. at least you had a solid group for your project now, even if it was going to fall apart. and, even if your group members were a tad, let's say, bold in how long they stared at you for. not in an entirely creepy way, but in a puzzled way, like you were something to be figured out. 

     “um, he gave you his phone number, right?” logan confirmed, pushing his glasses up his nose with his index finger while he spoke. after the glint from the ceiling light left his glasses, you realized his eyes weren't entirely blue, but had a twinge of turquoise to them. or aqua. something like that, either way, they weren't a strict blue. you acknowledge his question by pulling your phone from out of your jean pocket, shaking it a little. “yep, it's all right here.”

     “good! be-”

     “we have something we should really talk about with you. a few questions.”

     “oh my fucking - you're making it sound like we're a cult.”

     “aren't we kinda?? at this point lmao??”

     “aiden, you're not helping.”

     “excuse me?” your features are slightly scrunched in both confusion and amusement - you're assuming this has something to do with the whole weird “what's in your nightmares” note, and on its own this exchange might actually kinda freak you out. but the way tyler looks like he's about to pop a vein has you beaming and nearly laughing. not to mention, aiden is just kinda, weird. a bit creepy too, but mostly weird. 

     “hey idiots, shut up! it was your guys’ decision to do it this way, and now you won't even talk with them about it properly!” tyler gives everyone a dirty look, noticeably glancing at ben and then not glaring at him. ben has a flat expression, and just glances at aiden, who is already chuckling to himself and looking back at him. 

     “ahem,” ashlyn clears her throat, pointing her eyes at you. as you turn to face her back, tyler huffs, crossing his arms and sitting back in his seat, glaring daggers at you even though you. haven't actually done anything. “so, these nightmares.”

     it's interesting that she's the one to bring this all to a head, after specifically dodging the subject yesterday in class. 

     “tell me about them.”

     when she puts it like that, it feels a lot more individual. you haven't really talked a whole bunch to ashlyn banner, even when you guys have been paired together. she was sorta… floaty. 

     “well, uh, what do you want to know?” you feel stupid for asking, but they were the ones who put you on the spot. and who are also glaring down at you, mostly in a friendly way. you think, at least. it's starting to get a bit stuffy. 

     “what color are the skies?” 

     “kinda, red. typically. but I feel like that's sort of normal. for nightmares.”

     this was weird. this was so entirely strange, actually. maybe you were too sleep deprived to actually notice, but the fact that they're dissecting you like a bug isn't normal. especially when they keep sharing glances like that! 

     “okay, hold on. what's going on? I think I should get to know why you guys are trying to scoop my soul apart with your eyes or something,” you stab a dirty look at tyler, who rolls his eyes and looks away. the rest kinda lose their gaze, sights now wandering the classroom- of course, this is excepting aiden, who's still staring at you. oh well. you kinda expected that at this point. 

     ashlyn gives a low sigh, clenching her teeth together and crossing her arms. her fingers tap on her jacket, and aiden leans over to smoosh himself into her shoulder- which she seems irritated by, but doesn't do anything to push him off because he starts speaking. 

     “I don't think we're getting anywhere with guessing games guys.” his eyelids are low, and he puts his hands behind his head, crossing his legs to put them on ben's lap like he's relaxing. that's when ash gives him a hard shove with her other arm, and he lands swiftly on the floor, drawing a giggle out of taylor. “hey! I'm right! don't push me :(.”

     “I hate to say it, but we might need to be just straightforward here,” tyler interjected, glancing at ash. “that's not a good idea, wh-”

     “hello! hi! I'm still here!” you interrupt, your palms facing upward out you wave your arms around. disbelief crosses your face, and you're about to laugh because, what the fuck? what do they know, and what are they not telling you - and why are they being so rude about it! “I would appreciate someone being straightforward with me! actually! if my opinion matters at all here!”

     “of course it matters!” taylor responds almost immediately, her shoulders dropping and her eyes becoming soft. ben stops for a second, signing “yes” in consensus. for the first time, logan speaks up, his words muddled together too quickly for you to understand for a second. 

     “yeah okay so theresthislike alternative dimensions thingandwedontactuallyknow what'sgoingonbutwould youhappentoknowhatwe're talkingabou-”

     “dude, breathe, what the fuck,” you answer, eyebrows tilted in more concern than anything else. while logan wasn't the type to talk so quickly he didn't enunciate his sentences, he didn't want to be stopped by any of the group - specifically tyler, who, surprise, you'll never guess, was glaring at him. 

    

     “... did you say alternate dimension?”

     “yeah lol.”

     “and what exactly does he mean by that?”

     “exactly what i, um, said. there's a shift, it starts at midnight, and we're there for seven hours. only seven minutes actually pass, but, uh, no one actually gets any sleep at that point.”

     that is… exactly what your little nightmare issue sounds like. 

     “the red skies, the phantoms-” who you're assuming are those demon things. “-they all match with our little, uh, nightly problem. the only thing that doesn't match up is how on earth you're there too. we know what caused us falling through - but why are you there?” logan asks, and the more he talks, especially about something he knows, the more he seems less shy. tentative, sure, but more confident in his words. it makes your heart drop into the pit of your stomach. 

     if he's serious about this, maybe they aren't playing some joke on you- which was already unlikely, but you've gotta cope somehow. if there are who knows how many other people in that little hell hole of an evening, then it isn't only you that you need to worry about, and you can't just hole up in the bathroom if there are others too. 

     “when did you start going?” aiden asks, poking you in the back again so you turn to him. 

     “that night at the hotel after the field trip.”

     “hmmm. anything weird happen?”

     “i mean, I went with my group. and I was kinda lagging behind and got tossed up with another group who was touring some haunted house because the lady thought I was with them.”

     “... what house?”

     “ummmm, seed house? something weird like that? ‘s’ somethi-”

     “the sorrel weed house. “

     that time, ashlyn didn't ask, but stated. it was a ghost of her usual, stronger tone. 

    

     “you must have gotten tossed up with our group.”

     the cold bathroom tile that you sat on was uncomfortable when you awoke that night, but the air was chilled with excitement. you were getting busted out. you'd have to do the more difficult part of maneuvering out of the house with what ashlyn and her group called “phantoms”, as well as trying to grab some stuff on your way out. blankets, first aid supplies, food, bags- anything you could really get your hands on. but escape was everyone's first priority. which is why your ear is pressed so hard to the cheap wooden door, and your breathing is as quiet as you can force it to be. you're listening for footsteps. or tapping. or whatever other noises might hint to otherworldly existence. 

     you hadn't been out of this bathroom in your entire time here. had you been hungry? yeah. but… what else were you supposed to do? you didn't exactly have a group to watch your back while you grabbed a lunchable from the kitchen. 

     nothing. nothing for the past ten minutes. the others should be here in about twenty. that's how long you have. so, with that in mind, you focus on your first location: your bedroom, where your phone, backpack, and blankets were. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

that's right, get part 1'd. hope you enjoyed

next part: over the horizon, somewhere

[otakween]

Zero Men - Volume 1

Now that I've finished 0-Sen Hayato, this manga was next on the list, another oldie. At least this time it's by the Godfather of all manga, Osamu Tezuka. I think this is his first work I've ever read??? Apparently no one cares about it because there's very little English material on it. Oh well, the main character is cute!

Ch. 1

Omg I'm loving this so far! The art is so dynamic and cute and the dialogue is really colorful too. The protagonist Ricky is adorable ;w; I love his tail.

That was a pretty badass and hilarious opening with the two soldiers fighting a pointless war while also low key bonding over a baby they saved.

Ricky crying when his dad told him his tail was something to be ashamed of broke my damn heart! Glad the dad isn't fully evil though. Just misguided...

Kind of weird that the dad is like "I swear I'll find you a doctor!" Like dude...you've had many years to do that and it probably would have been easier when the kid was an infant.

Ch. 2

Obvious parental death is obvious. Ricky sure got over it quick lol.

So, so far we know that 0 men can survive extreme temperatures, are really fast learners, and have great agility. I think this is an Elfen Lied scenario where they're supposed to be "evolved humans." Making them squirrel like was kind of a weird choice but oh well.

The professor's design where he basically just has a cloud for a head reminds me of Dr. Uranus from Cyborg 009. Peak old dude character design lol.

Losing one dad and then instantly meeting your real dad is pretty wild. The emotional whiplash made it all feel kind of rushed and silly. It's nice that Ricky doesn't feel like a freak anymore tho. Kind of an ugly duckling story.

Ch. 3

Woah, suddenly the story gets very different. Forget the evil scientists, it's time for robot demons apparently! New bad guys are Enma (Buddhist God of Hell) and Satan. Fun for the whole family!

Enma kinda looks like one of the guards from Squid Game lol, simple but menacing

The scene where Enma and Satan make an entire lighthouse disappear and the keep jumps out to save his life was effectively frightening. I wonder if that guy will come back as a witness?

All of Tokyo is ripped apart and put back together in like an hour and everyone just shrugs it off!? I know Japanese people can be complacent, but not THAT complacent!

This chapter felt like an anti-communist message with every house being exactly the same but "something's missing." I googled it and apparently Tezuka was a communist, but only for a short time before he changed his tune, so it's still possible that's what he was going for.

Ch. 4

So apparently the professor is a good guy now (despite first impressions) as he teams up with Ricky to investigate Enma.

We learn that 0-men are closer biologically to squirrels than they are to humans...riiight. The adults definitely looked more squirrel-like at least.

Pretty savage of the professor to shoot up his friend with a gun to "check if he's human" (including a shot to the head!?) Reminds me of the original Stepford Wives when the MC stabs her friend in the crotch.

The way Tezuka draws the prime minister feels very Looney Tunes. He's very rubbery.

Ch. 5

This manga is very text heavy so the average chapter takes me a bit to get through. Luckily, the Japanese has been very easy so far! (Rare for an older manga...)

Ricky and the Professor escape the clutches of King Enma who was planning to kill them if they didn't reveal the whereabouts of the 0 men. They end up in the forest where Ricky finds his mom and dad again. They ask Ricky to return to their country with them but he turns them down because he's vowed to be an "ally of humanity."

I can see why King Enma wears a mask...he's pretty dweeby looking under there. I like his mad scientist hair though. The fact that his face is a little disfigured gives Darth Vader vibes.

Ch. 6

Ricky and the professor try to alert the public about King Enma's take over. People start to be swayed, but then Enma just kills anyone who tries to join the resistance, so they don't get very far. By the end of the chapter Ricky is captured again by another power hungry person after the 0 men. Gdi Ricky...

I know it's for plot convenience but Ricky's tail pops out so easily that you'd think they'd come up with a better strategy for hiding it than stuffing it into his pants by now.

Ch. 7

Ricky splits up from the professor and finds himself captive on a boat. His 0 men parents come to save the day (apparently this was like a 0 men slave ship) and they knock out their captors.

Ricky just did a dramatic goodbye to his parents in chapter 6 and now he's back with them again? Make up your mind, story!

I was proud that I was able to read the kanji 船長. The videos I've watched of Marine-Senchou (vtuber) helped me out with that one.

We end the chapter in the jungle of the Himalayas. Maybe we'll learn more about 0 man culture?

Ch. 8

Uhhh wtf!? Ricky's dad just dies in an avalanche and they're like "meh, whatever!" Seriously Ricky and his mom recovered from that way too quickly. He might not really be dead, but they believe he is!!

It was cool seeing how the 0 men have been evading humans by living in a place that's only reachable by their species. That felt believable. I bet their land is nicer than the weird place Ricky was living before anyways. No dictators (I hope lol)

Ch. 9

Lol my previous statement was immediately proven wrong in this chapter. Ricky basically went from living in 1984 to Brave New World. I quickly went from enjoying learning about 0 men culture to being like...oh...that's not good.

Kind of confusing that Ricky's mom would intentionally bring her son into this world if she knew how messed up it was? She even is like "here's our apartment where we'll live as a big happy family" but then Ricky learns that kids are separated from their parents super early in this world and sent to live in a children's village. Like...did she not think of that??

Why was chapter 9 like 3 times longer than chapter 8? Well, I've been enjoying the kanji reading challenge. This manga has no furigana...

Ch. 10

Man this story is cyclical. They escape, they get captured, they escape, they get captured. Tezuka also seems to have ditched who I thought was the main villain for now. Will this whole thing be episodic or will we get a real plot?

They come across some yeti in their travels who say "yeti yeti" like Pokémon lol. I wouldn't mind seeing them make friends with all the cryptids, but the visit was very short.

Ricky's mom asking him to shoot her tail off with a gun was pretty dark. It does seem like it would make their lives a lot easier to remove their tails (in hopefully a less painful way), but I guess it's the principle of it.

Dude at they end looked like a Cyborg 009 character with his giant buttons and fancy hair haha.

Ch. 11

And just like that we gain another random party member (and Ricky's mom gains her 2nd adopted son in like 2 chapters). Ricky and Pete bond over their daddy issues.

I was wrong, they did bring Enma back. He reveals that his new, Communist version of Tokyo was inspired by the 0 man way of living, so I guess that explains that.

Like I said, we're going in circles here. Now we're back to looking for the professor Ricky befriended in earlier chapters. After the gang finds a safe place to live, then what? Are they going to save the world from oppressive regimes? Is the goal to just be a normal, happy family?

Ch. 12

So apparently the professor they eventually find is some kind of fake (even though he passed Ricky's needle test). Can Tezuka decide if this dude is a good guy or a bad guy already!?

Kinda funny how when they found a safe place to hide out they're like "now let's confront the evil people!" Like...weren't you running to hide from the evil people? Well I guess heroes gotta hero.

Ch. 13

So now it's doomsday via Mt. Fuji erupting. Although the gang succeeded in destroying Satan's clone factory, they now need to worry about the fate of humanity.

The version of this that I got from Bookwalker is 4 volumes but MAL has it at 7 volumes, so this must be an omnibus. I wonder where the original volume 1 cut off?

That first volume was kind of all over the place. The plot progression didn't feel all that natural, but I think this was one of those stories that was supposed to be a one-off and then got expanded, so whatever. Let's see where things go in volume 2...

[maguro13-2]

Death Vengeance ~ Origins of the Ink Demon Chapter 3 Pt.2

"Central Asia 2003..."

[Hell Drive - Akira Yamaoka]

[MOTOR RUNNING]

Maka Albarn : So, sister! Are you sure this is the way?

Moirai Albarn : Yeah! I know! This must be the way to destroy the heartless's research facility in Africa, this has got to be the way! It's time that we rendezvous to that point!

Maka Albarn : Okay, sister! Thanks for understanding that! Hey, something's coming out of the water!

[the Flying Submarine from Contra Shattered Soldier appears rising from the water]

Maka Albarn : Is that...?

Moirai Albarn : Yeah, I know! It's those rotten heartlesses that beg on destroying humankind. Guess that we can bit off more than we can chew! Here it comes, sister! It's going to fire napalm blasts [the ship launches Napalm blasts as the duo avoids them] Woah! This sucker does know how to punch! But I can't let that happen! It's time that we use our fire power!

Maka Albarn : Got it! [the duo avoids the ship's plasma ray by jumping twice before descends into the water] Hmm? Hey, where'd it go?

Moirai Albarn : [hears something banging] Hmm? What's that noise?

[The Flying Submarine jumps out of the water to surprise the two]

Maka & Moirai : AAAAAAAH!

Maka Albarn : Quick! Do something!

Moirai Albarn : I got it! [does her magic finger gun to destroy the ship's cannon directly] Alright! That did the trick! It won't be blasting us now!

[suddenly, the Flying Submarine transforms into an aircraft and continues to pursue the duo]

Moirai Albarn : What!? It transformed into an Aircraft?! That's not gonna happen! Sister! Let's combine our attacks and destroy the aircraft!

Maka Albarn : Roger! [the two destroy the ship's barrel comparments by using their blood magic directly] Take that you pile of scrap!

Moirai Albarn : Not even a single scratch on this lady! Now for the laser cannons underneat the ship! [Destroys the laser cannon one by one, causing the ship to be damaged with explosions]

Maka Albarn : It's working! The ship can't take much any longer! I love it when it comes to sisters in action!

Moirai Albarn : You said it! But it's not over yet! We gotta destroy one more thing!

Maka Albarn : What's that, sister?

Moirai Albarn : There's a small cannon underneath the ship that is going to fire at us, with real fire!

Maka Albarn : What?! [the cannon attempts to shoot at the girls with devastating fire, but the girls avoids by jumping it] Now! Destroy the small cannon that shoots real devastating fire!

Moirai Albarn : ALRIGHT!!! [uses her Blood Manipulating magic to destroy the small cannon, causing the ship with sustained damaged and explodes before it crashes into the water] That's what I call a HELL DRIVE!

Maka Albarn : Now we can dash through there!

Moirai Albarn : Right you are, sis! Time to juice this goose! [TIRE SCREECHING+MOTOR VROOMING]

[scene changes to a tunnel]

Moirai Albarn : Well, I think we lost them.

Maka Albarn : Not quite, sis. There's more where that came from. I hear a loco motive running by.

Moirai Albarn : What?

[A train is heard approaching them ; it appears to be the Armored train from Sonic Heroes as the Battle Train]

Moirai Albarn : Not that thing again.

[Battle Train (Shin Contra Ver.) - Sota Fujimori]

Moirai Albarn : So, it's one of them things called "Battle Train", huh? I wonder how long we can battle this train out?

Maka Albarn : Good thinking, Moirai! I know that there's no better example of having two sisters fight against a train that's big! We should take this one out! Feel the rhythm within us!

Moirai Albarn : Got it! (uses her blood magic to create a whiplash and deflects the Train Plasma Cannon's shots] This is no way to pick up a fight! If you need something to fight, then you got a fight! Put up or shut up! [the cannon stops and quickly destroys it] Oh yeah! Two for one! Heads up, we got a cargo full of baddies on road hogs. [the cargo releases enemies on motorbikes as Moirai destroys them one by one until the cargo is disconnected]

Maka Albarn : You got it, sister!

Maka's Mother : Maka! Moirai! [record scratch is heard] Your father would like to have a word with you!

[It is revealed that Moirai and Maka were playing Contra Shattered Soldier on the Playstation 2 while the game is paused]

Moirai Albarn : Okay, mom! We'll be right there in a moment! [turns off console] Come on, sister! Our father is waiting for us to see.

Maka Albarn : Right, sister. We're in a moderation meeting for us to have, and we're doing it nicely for us to handle the cause.

Moirai Albarn : Right! Let's get to it. We got a meeting with father someday, and it's best that we're on a tight schedule. [the two leaves]

Maka Albarn : On it!

"So, I guess this is a head start for us. The day I decided that it's going to be one heck of a game, for real."

~ Thirty-Third Scene : Bonds of Sisterhood Pt.1 ~

[nights-legacy]

Trading 3 angrys for 1? - Bakugo Katsuki

   Help and Hide Series. Bakugo Edition

   Kirishima Ed.  Denki Ed.  Todoroki Ed.  Deku Ed.  Shinso Ed.  Iida Ed.  Aizawa Ed.  Tamaki Ed.   Hawks Ed.  Dabi Ed.  Shiggy Ed.

     + You are a student at UA and the whole class is on a field trip in Tokyo. On a free day, you all went out and you ran into to old “friends” and things go south. While trying to get away from them, you spot the token hot head of the class and decide to take your chances with this angry person over the angry people chasing you and are you pleasantly surprised. 

Note: My first My Hero Academia imagine!!! Let me know it you want a part two of this and I was thinking of making this a headcanon type for some of the other MHA/BNHA guys too. What do you think??

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      “Over here Mina! I found those little things you’re obsessed with!” I called over to the pink skin girl.

       “Yay! Lemme see! Lemme see!” She came barreling over and nearly ran into me and the table. I rolled my eyes and chuckled. She squealed and call Jirio over to show her. I walked over to another street vendor. Our class was on a field trip in Tokyo and we were given a free day. Everyone agreed on going out and seeing the scene.

       “Ah! Don’t throw squid at me Kaminari!” I heard Deku scream and laughed at the context before turning to see said electric boy chasing the broccoli with a squid arm. I burst out laughing, holding my stomach. I shook my head before wandering farther down the street.

        I was originally from Tokyo before I moved to attend UA. My family are not insanely rich but we are well off. My parents own a house in both Tokyo and Musutafu as well as vacation homes or condos in different parts of the world. I wandered away from most of the class and I really wish I hadn’t.

      “Oi! Lookie here, dudes. It’s Lee’s younger sister Y/N.” A chill went up my spine as I froze from the familiar voice. I slowly turned around to see my older brother’s former three best friends with wicked smiles on their faces.

      I hadn’t seen them since my brother cast them out of his life. He found out that they were bullying me behind his back for god knows how long and immediately cut ties with them. He only found out because I missed covering up an unmistakable wounds from their quirks. He was mad at me for not telling him but was more concerned for me in the long run.

      “H-hey g-guys.” I stuttered, mentally berating myself for being so scared. I’m training to be a Pro-Hero for god sakes! I tried to steel myself against the incoming assault but couldn’t help but inwardly shake.

      “Aw. Is wittle Y/N scared?” Kei, the leader of them teased. “Well you should be bitch!”

     “You cost us advantage with your brother!” Haru yelled as he jerked forward, grabbing my bicep hard. I yelped and he shook me. “Shut up.”

     “We could never…‘talk’…to you about it because Lee never let us near you again. And it became even harder when you went off to that Hero school. You didn’t even give us a chance.” Kei gave me a smirk when he said talk, meaning something completely different the actual definition. “We could have worked things out.”

      “In more ways than one.” Aaron eyed me up and down. “You sure have grown up, little sis.” Kei rolled his eyes and hit him in the chest hard. Aaron looked at him offended while Kei just gave him a ‘really’ look.

      “I’m sure we could have but…” I gulped as I saw Haru activate his laser quirk. “I really have to go right now.” I pointed behind me. “Gotta catch up with the rest of my c-class.” I tried to pull away but was pulled back hard. I looked at them with fearful eyes.

      “Not just yet, bitch!” They laughed and looked at each other amused. I looked around at the people around us. There are not too many people close so I decided to use my quirk. I have a light and shadow quirk.

      “I really have to go.” I said in a firm voice. They looked at me surprised and I gave them a blinding flash. The grip on my arm immediately disappeared and they all covered their eyes as they yelped. I took off running back in the direction of the rest.

      “Get back here!” Kei yelled. I obviously ignored him. I ran and avoid people easily with my high agility. I stopped to take a breath and see how far they were behind me. At first I could only hear them and other people yelling at them but I saw them finally a ways back.

      “Shit, shit, shit.” I mumbled looking around for anyone I knew or something to hide behind. I finally caught sight of Bakugo a few yards away. I bit my lip and wondered if it was worth asking the angry Pomeranian for help against the anger musketeers. When I saw the three close I didn’t think twice. “Ah!”

      I ran over to the explosive boy and quickly grabbed his arm, dragging him over to the close by building.

     “What the hell!” He screamed at me. I flinched but looked back towards the others.

     “Sh, sh! Please, shh!” I tried to shush him but he growled at me.

     “What the hell do you think you’re doing you damn strobe light?” I wanted to giggle at his nickname for me but there was no time. I caught sight of his hoodie around his waist and ripped it off of him. “Hey!”

     “Please, just…I...ah!” I saw them closer now. I yanked the hoodie over my head and made sure the hood was up. I then did the unthinkable without even thinking. I grabbed Bakugo by the collar of his shirt and backed up. My back him the wall and I pulled him close and into kiss before he could even protest.

      “Wha…” He mumbled against my lips, hands falling tense on both sides of my head. He tried to pull away but my grip was vice.

     “Where is that little bitch! I am going to beat her to a pulp when I get my hands on her.” I heard Kei growl from right near us. “She will be so messed up that she won’t even be able to go to brother to rat this time.” I whimpered against Bakugo’s lips and my grip on his shirt tightened. I felt Bakugo stop fighting me.

     “I say we don’t even let her be able to do anything at all when were done with her.” Haru chipped.

     I don’t know what happened but Bakugo relaxed and leant into me. He moved his hands so one of his forearms rested next to my head and the other moved to my hip. What shocked me most is when he started kissing me back. We slowly started to actually kiss each other making the scene more authentic.

     “Come on, let’s check this way.” Aaron said and I heard them move on only slightly, more focused on the man kissing me then the men who were chasing me. I expected Bakugo to pull away as soon as they were gone but it seemed like he moved in even closer, continuing our soft make out session. We only pulled away when we both ran out of breath.

    “Wow.” I said was gasping for the breath he stole. I saw a small smirk grace his lips. “I think they’re gone now.” I whispered. Bakugo chuckled at my comment.

      “Yeah.” He rasped out before leaning back in, starting another make out session. I don’t know how long we were here but we were only brought back out when we heard a chorus of surprised yells come from Kami and Kiri.

     “Woah! Bakubro! L/N! What’s this pleasant development?” Kami asked while adding kissing noises on the end of his question. Bakugo pulled away and dropped his head a little groaning.

     “Dudes! I didn’t know you had a thing for each other!” Kiri exclaimed. :That’s totally awesome.

      “At least there’s someone out there that can deal with your angry ass, Bakugo.” Kami teased.

      “Shut it you damn extras!” Bakugo yelled over his shoulder. I giggled. He smirked when he turned back to me. He reached up and pushed the hood down and pulled my hair from the hoodie, brushing it out lightly with his fingers. He suddenly placed his hand at the juncture of my neck and pecked my lips. “Keep it on.”

       “Okay.” I said softly. He smiled for real before throwing an arm over my shoulder.

       “Come on you idiots! Let go find the rest of our dumb class. It’s getting close to time to head back.” We started walking and they conversation quickly changed comments. As we walked by an off shot of the street, I flinched when I heard their voice again. I felt Bakugo pull me tighter against him and rub his hand up and down my arm in comfort. He leant down to whisper in my ear. “When we get back to the hotel, I want to tell me what just happened and what those douchebags did to you. Is that okay?”

         “Yeah, that’s okay.” I whispered back. He hummed and smiled before pecking the side of my head and nuzzling my hair. I almost got whiplash by how soft he was being to me but reveled in this side of Bakugo that I was quickly beginning to love. Well, more than I already loved this explosion boy. He just didn’t know that yet.

[theflagscene]

- Random thoughts while watching KP ep09 -

I already hate Tawan’s smug little face.

Subtitle says ‘shoot’ but Ken says ‘shit’. I knew they were sanitizing the English subs, why!? Why not write ‘bad words’ during the violent NC-17 show, you can show ass but not say ass?

Tankhun speaks sense! Listen to that fabulous man! Why not have Kim there too, you know he would back up Khun, always down for a spot of violence they are.

Big speaks sense too, take him off Kim duty put him back on Kinn’s guard, sure his lil crush can be seen from space but at least he’s not a complete idiot… mostly.

An awkwardly placed Porchay flashback with a soft filter over it? Ya know, just in case I forgot this is a BL series lmao!

Arm, the only bodyguard with a brain, besides big daddy Chan of course. Arm, Pol and Pete better back up Porsche when the shit hits the fan, the baby-girl squad.

Don’t question it Pete, just do as Kinn says or the VegasPete shippers are gonna skin everyone alive. Also, Kinn really doesn’t give a fuck about that ‘no cellphones’ rule for the guards does he, dude’s just handing that shit out like skittles.

Why the fuck does Tawan have scissors!? WTF!? Who gave him those and how quickly can they get fired!?

Lol, Apo’s mark on the floor by the window, someone forgot to edit that out.

Woah that was awkward 🫣

I love Yok, I need her in my life.

Omg a wet towel scene! They really are hammering home the BL tropes in his episode lol.

Lmao that was not the sex scene anyone was expecting.

Who taught you how to stalk a person, Pete? That’s not how you do it, Kim could give you some pointers.

Macau: the monk gives great sermons. Also Macau: sleeps through the whole thing. Yep, that’s about how it goes for most teenagers sitting through church lol.

Arm is Porsche’s new ride or die.

He’s really gonna let Tawan call the shots!? Come on! Just get Big to beat it out of him! Omg, don’t be so stupid! Someone get Chan! He’ll make Tawan talk.

Okay for a character that supposedly no one trusts, Vegas just wanders into the main family’s compound whenever the fuck he likes.

Damn that was some heavy shit Vegas, also, I like his shirt.

Okay you cannot lead out of that damn scene with such betrayal on Porsche and Kinn’s faces to one between Porchay and Kim being idiot teens in love! Jesus Christ! The pacing, I’m getting whiplash.

Whew, it was just a cheek kiss, it was just a cheek kiss and a hug, all is well. Barcode is still an innocent little baby, whew!

Are there not cctv in the dungeon as well!? Is Tankhun not seeing Tawan mock Porsche!? Where’s the guard for Porsche, why isn’t Big there to keep Tawan away? See, such sloppy security is how they got into this mess to begin with lol.

I never thought I’d say this, but run away with Vegas babygirl, run Porsche!

Oh Pete coming to the rescue in the next episode, love the hbic energy he’s got going.

[yolkyeomie]

[request] — member: changbin, word count: 2007, genre: enemies to lovers(ish)/genshin au/angst, warning: none.

[2:45 pm]: “you broke it!” You yelled, a heart clenching scream echoing against the sky as you dropped to your knees in disbelief. Of all the things they could have happened, this just had to be one of them?

“What are you getting so worked up over?” The culprit questioned, snapping your head to attention with a face colored with fury.

Changbin stood over you, spinning his giant claymore around by the handle as he glanced down at your feet. His face contorted with annoyance as he unintentionally made you much smaller and weaker as he loomed over your defeated posture and spoke, “It’s just a polearm, we can just get you another one from the blacksmith.”

“Just a polearm?” You blinked once, then twice, as the boy’s harsh words resonated in your head and you rose off of the ground to defend yourself. “This isn’t just some polearm, Changbin!”

You shoved the severed polearm in his face, the once beautifully handcrafted spear now blackened out with ash and covered with scaring a from the boy’s fire. He stepped back instinctively as you continued to force him to look at the damage he had caused and with the trembling of your hands, you shouted, “this was a family heirloom! My father had this polearm, and his father, and his father before him! And you broke it! You snapped in half like it was a twig!”

“I didn’t do anything! You asked to spar and I gave you what you wanted and now you’re bad at the results?” He shouted back, growing defense as you continued to accuse him of such a heinous deed. “Just admit that that thing wasn’t as strong as your family made it out to be instead of blaming me.”

Furious with his attitude and denial, you took the sharp end of the polearm and swiped it at him. Thanks to your inattentiveness, the vision strapped along your glowed it’s ocean blue hue as water gathered around the head to increase the damage to attack. Though your aim was messy and fueled by sheer hatred so Changbin was easily able to dodge out of the way despite being rather slow out of the two.

In retaliation Changbin picked up his claymore with one hand and instinctively aimed the weapon at you, flames began to lick the sides of the blade as the vision embedded into his arm cuff began to glow its red hue.

The two of your never got along very well, no matter how hard you made an effort in hopes of mending your friendship. It was a constant off and on again fighting whenever it came to you two, especially when the vision bestowed upon you had been for the element of hydro, and Changbin’s for the element of Pyro. Though you were usually able to find some sort of middle ground at the end of the day to keep the tension within the group low, it didn’t seem like there would be that kind of resolve this time around.

“Woah, stop! What’s going on? The entirety of Liyue Harbor can hear you two yelling at each other! Do you really want the Millelith to get called on you?” Both of you snapped your head’s toward the voice, catching the shocked sight of Bang Chan and Jisung approaching.

Within seconds Jisung was at your side, forcing you to lower what was left as he tried to gauge what the situation was. Though he didn’t need to when you were already crying wolf to them. “He broke it! Changbin broke my polearm and he doesn’t even care!”

“He what?” Chan and Jisung questioned, turning toward the boy with disbelief printed on their foreheads.

“We were in a sparring match and I saw a weak point so I took my chances!” He defended himself. “The polearm snapping in half wasn’t meant to happen but Y/N keeps acting like I’ve committed a crime when I’ve done nothing wrong! Besides, we can just get you a polearm for the blacksmith, there’s no reason to be acting like this.”

“It’s like you don’t understand what you’ve done at all, you can’t just make another one of these,” you hissed are him, “This is unique, one of a kind, from my family and my family alone. This polearm isn’t something you can just buy from a blacksmith! You snapped it in half like it was nothing but a twig in the mud!”

“Well then maybe it is just a twig in the mud,” he cursed, taking a low blow to your feelings as he continued. “Clearly it must have been, if a weapon that was powered by a vision of all things so easily snapped under my claymore. Shouldn’t a family heirloom have at least some level of power to it? Maybe it really wasn’t one at all then.”

“That’s enough from you,” Chan scolded, moving into a more protective mode after hearing the words tumble out of your mouths with no filter. “Can’t you see you’ve done enough damage as it is?”

Changbin stared back at the boy, struggling to make up an excuse to get back on Chan’s good side. “But—“

“Yeah, don’t you think before you speak?” Jisung added, frowning at his friend’s dismissal of your belongings and feelings. “You’re taking it way too far, you’re being mean to Y/N for no reason now. Can’t you see that they’re upset, right Y/N— Y/N?” The three boys turned their head to face you but by the time they finally addressed you, you were gone.

The three of them glanced around for any speck of your existence, but it seemed as though you had completely vanished from the scene. All that was left was the other end of the broken polearm lying in grass that had been left behind. “Now look what you’ve done,” Chan sighed, crouching down to pick up the polearm. “How are you gonna fix this situation you’ve made, Changbin?”

You huffed ask you trudged through marketplace of Liyue Harbor, the broken polearm clenched in your grasp as you stared down on it. You had forgotten the other side of the polearm back where you had left Changbin and the others, but your pride wouldn’t let you go back to retrieve it. So instead, you had been walking in the market for hours in search of a blacksmith, but there was no one who could give you what you wanted.

The words that Changbin threw at you stung a lot more than you originally thought and facing him so soon when he probably didn’t think he was in the wrong might cause a lot more problems than solving any. You usually had a decent sense of self control, but if he spoke one word to you right now? You’d blow a fuse in a matter of seconds.

You couldn’t focus on that though, you needed to find a polearm to use as quickly as possible. As much as it pained you to look for a replacement, there was no way to repair the family heirloom and you needed to be able to defend yourself in the wild world of Liyue

You couldn’t simply rely on Bang Chan and Jisung for everything, you had a vision and it was to be put to use. The archons don’t just give them to anyone after all.

“Y/N,” a hesitant voice called out to you, your somber attitude turning fiery as soon as you recognize it. You turned your head around to find Changbin cautiously approaching you, covered in dirt and soot despite being clean only a few hours ago. He stopped in his tracks when the two of you met each other’s eyes, struggling to get another word out of his mouth. “Uh... yeah, so Y/N—“

“Are you here to make fun of me again?” You bite back, the conversation from earlier in the day coming back in vivid memories. “Tell me how my polearm wasn’t a good heirloom? That it’s just a twig in the mud.”

Changbin winced at your words, a nervous laugh escaping his lips. “Okay so you haven’t forgotten that... good to know.”

“Forgotten that?” You repeated, scoffing— no, laughing— at the boy’s sheer audacity. “How could I have forgotten how much poison you had sown in your words when you were quite literally yelling at me?”

“I don’t know! It’s been a couple of hours? I thought you had probably forgotten what I said by now?” He hissed, the tensions rising between you two once more. You and Changbin really couldn’t get along with each other, the boy seemed to believe that all would be forgiven if you simply forgot about everything and you held onto grudges a lot stronger then he predicted.

With that the two of your turned away from each other, huffing and puffing with disdain for the other. Was Changbin’s sole purpose in life to make you angry now? Why did he even show up if he wasn’t going to apologize for what he had said to you?

“Talking to you makes me so frustrated, geez.” Changbin muttered to himself, though his words were still able to find its way into your ears.

You turned around fast enough to give you whiplash as you opened your mouth to retaliate, ready to bare your fangs and give the boy a piece of your mind. Though you stopped when the boy shoved something at your face at the same time, nearly crashing straight into the object and struggling to help your balance.

In his hands was a polearm— new, shining black and gold polearm— and he held it out for you to take. “What is this?” You questioned him, cautiously taking the weapon out of his hands to look at it yourself. You had never seen this polearm before, you had walked into nearly every single blacksmith within Liyue Harbor and you never set your eyes upon this one. In fact it looked like it had been... just created.

“I felt bad, okay?” Changbin snapped, trying his best to hide his embarrassment as he turned his back to you. “Chan pulled me aside and made me talk about what happened and I felt bad. What I said was bad, okay? I understand that just take it or leave it, I don’t care anymore.”

You hold the polearm tightly in your hands, mixed feelings begin to swirl around your chest as you glanced at it. “I’ve been... searching for new polearms all over the place. Where did you... where did you even get this thing?”

He hesitated, thinking to himself for a few seconds before he glanced over his shoulder to look at you. “I made it. I got the materials for it, then came together with Hyunjin who uses a polearm too, and... I made it for you.” Changbin turned on his heels to face you, putting on his rough and tough demeanor as he made sure to remind you,” Only because I felt bad and made you upset, okay? Those are the only reasons I made that for you, don’t get it twisted or anything.”

“Changbin, that’s...,” you trailed off, unsure of what to say.

You were still mad at him and hadn’t received a direct apology yet, but the mere fact that he went and made you your very own unique polearm? You couldn’t lie and say you didn’t feel your heart warming at his actions. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as your anger made him out to be. “Oddly kind of you, are you sure Chan wasn’t the one who made it and you’re just giving it to me to look nice?”

“Alright, give that back then.” The boy demanded, reaching out to take the spear away from you.

You immediately slid out of the way, using your heightened agility to stay out of the boy’s grasp, “no! I mean... thank you, Changbin. This... this was nice of you to do for me. I’m still mad at you though, don’t forget that.”

[scarefox]

Not that I expected anything different but still. Woah, the whiplash. That mixture of exaggerated cuteness and dark uncomfortable drama (because of the realness) is a bit hard to stomache sometimes. I am excited but also afraid, we are just at ep5 of 12...!

first of all: Gene renamed his novel to “Lovely Writer”. I can’t. How deep do we go... (also have the feeling there will be a conflict with Hins novel that is also based on Gene and Nubsibs ‘relationship’)

Aoey.... this boy is even creepier faking emotions and manipulating people than Nubsib

I CAN’T TELL IF HE’S GOOD OR BAD

his whole family and lover backstory is so damn sad, someone wrap this guy up! He is so lonely and hurting. He is definitelly not ok mentally.

but at the same time, pls don’t unload your anger and sadness on Gene?? (and Nubsib)

I have the feeling he didn’t confess to Sib? We, as the audience aren’t allowed to see what really happened at the dinner (yet) and that is very suspicious. Does he just want to make Gene jealous?? Like he knows something is going on with Sib and Gene. He kind of told Gene he notices it? Still he goes to Gene telling him he likes Sib and even asks him for help to confess to him? 

But why does he do that? I wish he just wants to push Gene to come clear with his feelings...

yeah but that’s not gonna happen here, he’s gonna be the one who forces them apart isn’t he :(

but then he kisses the other guy (what is their relationship, looks like exes / unrequired love? Also what tf is up with his ex Time and what’s the real story here?)

This makes me feel once more, that he isn’t really into Nubsib. But maybe just wants their fake ship to be as real as possible to get famous / succesfull to stick it to his father. But Gene involuntarily ruins this plan.

but on the other side Sib is cold to Aoey since the very beginning 

and next episode we get to know that Sib and Gene knew each other as kids wtf is going on between all of them?!

Well, here some things that made me happy this episode:

Nubsibs stupid smile when he noticed Gene is jelly

Nubsibs puppy expression when Gene told him he knows Sib likes Gene (also Gene saying that without being shy! progress!)

so much Tum & Tiffy interaction!

Tum & Tiffy on Tiffies bike! (I love the “hold tight” trope and bikes lol)

Tiffy telling him AGAIN that he’s prettier than a girl (???!!!) What the f is up with that, is it just her bi-panicking or 

trans Tum hints?? this my headcanon leave me alone

she is also a bit confused over his new -more masc- style?

still lowkey afraid she just thinks he is gay because he’s feminin but she was joking about him crushing on her (poor Tum lol) so that would be a nope to the gay theory? And she got a bit shy with him as well.

the Aoey and Tiffy moment :( hope he opens up to her before he explodes

also Nubsib -king of consent- striked twice this episode! He called the director out for making the already problematic kiss into a r*pe scene. Then he told those girls to ask for permission first, when taking photos of people 

[saipng]

me? write a frenrey one shot fanfic with them drunkenly playing truth or dare? it’s more likely than you think

-

Nights like these made it all worth it.

The lulling whir of the air conditioner kissed his flushed cheeks as the sound of dying laughter dissipated through the air. The noise of the streets outside the window and the quiet chatter of the TV filled the room instead, and the smell of home cooked food mixed with old cologne and alcohol seemed to cling to his very clothes. His eyes traced the long shadows cast in red, pink, and blue, painting the familiar scene in technicolors.

It was nights like these, Gordon thought, that made it all worth it.

Joshua was long asleep in his room, snuggled next to his favorite plush toy of a head crab that Bubby (lovingly) stitched together out of old scraps of clothing. Tommy arrived first, as was usual, tagging Sunkist along and letting her carry a bottle of wine between her teeth. Dr Coomer and Bubby came later, always together, always the same chorus of ‘Hello, Gordon!’s, always a big bright smile and a warm tingle in his heart. Darnold arrived late, later than he usually would if he were to come at all, but this time he brought his ‘strongest potions’ and Gordon was equal parts terrified and excited to try them out.

Benrey was already there by the time Gordon remembered him. He always simply appeared, but even that became routine at this point.

Gordon never invited any of them.

It was enough, he thought, that they would come over like this, with food and alcohol and maybe a DVD or a board game, and they would spend their time in peace and (relative) quiet. Having the company was enough.

Gordon smiled, sudden warmth spreading through his belly.

“Hey-Hey guys,”- He stuttered, trying to get up on his already slightly shaky feet, the attention of the room shifting towards him from the TV as The Science Team all turned their heads in unison.

“Woah- Um, okay. Creepy. Guys, do you wanna like- Hey guys, do you wanna play Truth or Dare?”

It wasn’t the first time they would be playing it, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Bubby, particularly competitive in, well, everything, immediately perked up.

“What, you itching to lose just like last time, you little bitch boy?”

“Okay, just because I refused to drink an entire glass of bleach doesnt mea-“

“Bitch boy!”

“Um, I would like to go first, Mr Freeman!”- Tommy piped up, having a surprising competitive streak in him too.

Truth or Dare, for most people, was a game of fun and embarrassment and messing around. For The Science Team, it was more like a battle for dominance and glory.

Most of their games were, actually. Gordon already lost 6 packs of Uno cards to fire, and Jenga is completely forbidden in his apartment for the foreseeable future. And god forbid he ever saw anyone with a box of Monopoly ever again.

Gordon took an uncertain step, steadying his feet as he raised his glass and nodded, -“Sure, Tommy. Truth or Dare?”

“Oh, and why do you get to ask,”- Bubby piped up, crossing his arms.

“Because I offered the game, alright? Now-“

“Truth or Dare, Tommy?”- Dr Coomer took over, and Tommy immediately replied with a resolute “Dare”.

“Fantastic choice, my young friend!”- The older man smiled, and then his face immediately turned to stone. Gordon swallowed, on the edge of his seat (still standing) at what might come next.

Dr Coomer was known for going to the extremes. His dares were either along the lines of “Do a chicken dance” or “Drink this glass of bleach” (which was exactly where Gordon drew the line last time). One time he dared Bubby to eat a pack of ramen raw, and the maniac actually did it.

Once Dr Coomer opened his mouth again, Gordon’s heart sank to his feet.

“I dare you to drink-“

“No! No more bleach drinking! That is banned forever, okay, it’s-“

“-An entire glass of Dr Darnold’s strongest potion!”

Gordon paused in his tracks. Suddenly, the bleach idea didn’t seem to be as bad.

He threw a quick glance at the man in question, who seemed to be perfectly beaming at the suggestion.

“Why, I do think my potions are way too strong for you, Tommy! The side effects can be unpredictable!”- He exclaimed, already reaching over the precariously shaped vial, -“Now, I will need you to have a bucket by your side and a pack of ice and maybe a pair of tweezers-“

“I will be fiiiiine,”- Tommy slurred, more determined than ever. He was not one to pass up a dare, no matter how insane it sounded. Gordon began to wonder whether he had any tweezers lying around, just in case.

In the next second, with an agility unbecoming of a man as drunk as he already was, Tommy threw back the glass and Gordon watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed at every resounding gulp. He couldn’t help his jaw clenching as the fiery burn resonated in his own throat at the sight, a shiver running down his spine, The feeling was something akin to watching a car crash, the horrifying fascination making his stomach turn when Tommy thumped the vial back on the table and wiped at his mouth with his sleeve.

He had to sit back down for this.

“go, tommyyyyyy!”- Benrey shouted from somewhere behind the couch, and for once, Gordon agreed wholeheartedly. At this point, he was pretty certain that Tommy was the most badass person he knew.

“Hoo! Yeah! Woo- Aw-Awright, z-zat- Eazy! Eazier zan... zan.....!”- Tommy blinked hard, his eyes clouded over as he tilted further and further to his right, and yeah, maybe he was going to have the worst night/morning of his life, but damn if the street cred he earned in that moment wasn’t worth it.

“Cake!- Darnold helpfully supplied, and Tommy forcefully threw himself at the man to give him a huge hug.

“Iz cake!”- He slurred from Darnold’s shoulder, waving an arm around way too close to Bubby’s face, -“Whoza next!?”

“Gordon!”- The latter smirked, slapping away Tommy’s hand and leaning further back into Coomer.

Gordon turned his head so fast his neck cracked, a slight headache immediately forming from the whiplash.

“No!? What!? No, I didn’t agree to that. Why me!?”- He began pouring himself another drink. Suddenly he was really craving some of that strongest potion.

“Because you offered the game, right?”- Bubby grinned, and Dr Coomer nodded in agreement.

“You did offer the game, Gordon.”

“I know I offered the damn- Hey, why don’t we have someone else go, huh!? Why not- Why not Benrey?”- At the mention of his name, said being popped his head up and stared directly back at Gordon, -“He, like, never participates! What’s up with that!”

And he wasn’t lying, either. For someone who consistently talked about gaming, Benrey almost never took part in their late night competitions. Gordon could never tell why – he could never, ever tell why anything with this guy – but to him this felt almost deliberate. Of course, everything Benrey did felt deliberate – that is, he was always deliberately trying to get on Gordon’s nerves.

And this time was no exception.

“huh?”- Came the simple response, and the burn in Gordon’s stomach turned to a burn in his chest.

“Yeah, you never do anything! Here we are, running around like headless chickens, doing whatever stupid shit we want each other to do, and you just sit there!”

“whu-?”

“What, you think this is like, some kinda free show for you? Some kinda performance piece!? No, nope, that won’t do, buddy. You’re gonna participate or you’re gonna get the hell out of here, alright? Truth or Dare?”

“dare”

The reply came so fast, Gordon nearly lost his footing while sitting. He blinked down at the glass in his hand, brows furrowing in concentration.

Alright, sure, cool. Maybe he didn’t expect Benrey to actually answer. And maybe he definitely didn’t expect him to choose dare. This was fine. It was fine.

Gordon poured himself another drink.

“daaaaare,”- Benrey whined at the same time as Bubby said “The man has chosen dare, Gordon, now will you please give it to him!”

“Alright, alright; don’t shout at me, I’m thinking!”

“Well, think faster!”

“It is rude to make other people wait, Gordon,”- Dr Coomer pursed his lips as Tommy may or may not have said something in agreement. He was now more than half lying on Darnold, who didn’t seem to care in the least, and his hand was absentmindedly stroking Sunkist’s back.

Knowing him, though, he most definitely was on Benrey’s side here. They all always were.

“Would you like some ideas, Dr Freeman?”- Darnold offered, and Gordon reached his boiling point.

“No! No, alright, I got it! I dare you to, uh,”- Gordon looked Benrey over, his stupid acidic gamer slogan hoodie making his retinas hurt, watched as the same hooded eyes not blink as they stared back, dull, unseeing, bored, overcast in a shadow that seemed to be permanently encasing his sharp face. And then Gordon scrunched up his nose as he said with the most vitriol possible, -“I dare you to take off you stupid beanie.”

It was but a beat of silence before Benrey, understandably this time, went, - “huh???”

“You heard me,”- Gordon doubled down this time, fully recognizing how stupid and inconsequential his dare seemed in comparison to Coomer’s, but damn if he wasn’t going to insist on it now, -“Come on. Show us what’s under there. Show us what- Show us what you’re hiding.”

Benrey blinked once. Then twice.

And then he was suddenly making his way towards the front of the room, crawling on all fours like an animal, and his gaze pointedly fixed on Gordon as he said “ohhhhh does feetman wanna- does feetman wanna see my secret parts. does feetman wanna take a glance at my uhhhh my special place”

Gordon nearly choked on his drink, a renegade laugh escaping this throat as he desperately tried not to have vodka pour out of his nose.

“What the FUCK, man, don’t call it that!?”

“what next, you gonna ask me to take my shoes off. maybe my socks? i’m gonna need to see a signed permission for that first”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!”- Gordon slammed the table as he keeled over, and he could almost physically feel Bubby rolling his eyes.

“You gonna do it or what!?”- He nudged Benrey with his foot so that the other nearly toppled over.

“what, that it”

“Wh-What?”- Gordon managed in between taking deep breaths, feeling the room sway slightly from side to side. He hated how everything the guard said made him lose his shit. He especially hated it right then, when he was staring right at him with that self-confident smirk that still somehow managed to look bored. He hated it so much.

“is that all? weak”

“What, you wanna take off your shirt too? Be my guest, man, fucking- Strip down to your pants. Do it. You won’t.”

Benrey stared at him.

Gordon regretted every decision he ever made that led him up to this point.

Benrey smiled.

And then in one confident motion he ripped off his hoodie, his beanie coming along with it.

He threw them to the side, the pile of clothes landing on Sunkist, who didn’t seem to mind in the least, and this was exactly the point where Gordon realized that this was a bad, bad, horrifically bad idea.

He didn’t know what he expected to see when Benrey took off his hat (or helmet or whatever other stupid thing he was wearing at the time), didn’t really think about it (or tried not to) but damn if it wasn’t this. It was just - just hair. Completely normal hair, almost insultingly so, jet black and cropped short to his skull. But it wasn’t even the hair that was the biggest offender - no, it was the now completely open, completely normal and completely handsome face that was staring back at him. Completely human, completely right, and so disgustingly unobscured that it made Gordon’s stomach do back flips that would have scored tens all around at the Olympics.

When Benrey’s fingers twitched to remove the undershirt that he had underneath, he knew he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Okay, okay, fuck! We- We get it! You did the dare, alright, enough! That’s just indecent exposure at this point! Chill out, man!”

Benrey didn’t reply, but didn’t move to strip down any more. Gordon allowed himself to breathe again.

He was way too drunk for this.

He poured another drink.

After an uncomfortable stretch of terrible silence where Gordon could acutely feel the burn in his face and shoulders, Dr Coomer finally spoke up with an “That was a shitty dare, Gordon!”

“Yeah, it was horribly underwhelming. Not even writhing snakes underneath that thing,”- Bubby immediately joined, and at that Tommy perked up only to mumble “badgers” and then fall back down onto Darnold, knocking them both over to the floor.

Gordon couldn’t keep in the laughter that bubbled up from his stomach, and he had to look for support if only to stay upright. At this point, he was certain that if he were to fall down, he would not get back up again.

Of course, it just so happened that this time his closest support structure was Benrey, and by the time he realized that he was grabbing onto the other’s shoulder, it was way too late. Benrey was already staring at him, a smirk stretching over his lips that, without the ever-present shadow painting over his eyes, now looked almost... Nice. Sweet.

Gordon shifted in his seat, slowly removing his hand and clearing his throat.

That’s right. Play it cool. Play it cool.

Easier said than done, though, especially considering Benrey’s skin was practically burning next to him.  

Gordon pulled at his hair tie, freeing his curls if only to have something covering his face. Dammit, Freeman, play it cool!

“Alright, which of you lightweights is going to go next?”- Bubby sighed, clearly resigning to being an observer this round, rather than a participant.

“gordon,”- Came a voice directly from Gordon’s right, and he immediately opened his mouth in protest.

Only to be shut up by Bubby before saying a single word, -“If you even so much as make a single sound besides “Truth” or “Dare”, I swear to fuck I will set your curtains on fire.”

Gordon was really tempted to say “Fuck off, not again”.

Instead, he resigned to whispering, “...Truth.”

“huh? what was that? truth? does little baby want truth? does little baby want his truth bottle?”

“Shut the fuck up, asshole, that doesn’t even make sense. The game isn’t called Dare or Dare, I can choose what I want.”

“stupid shitty baby can’t even handle this truth.”

Gordon snorted, fists curling up at his sides as he inhaled sharply, turning to face the permanent annoyance of his life that was Benrey.

“Okay. Okay. You know what? Okay! You wanna dance Benrey, huh? You wanna dance? Then let’s fucking dance. It’s dare. I choose dare. Hit me.”

Benrey’s smile only widened as Gordon’s heart sank deeper and his ears tingled with a warmth that was unwelcome, but not unfamiliar. And before either one of them could make a move, there was the distinct sound of clothes shuffling, the noise of something breaking, and then Tommy was kneeling on the floor, swaying from side to side like a piece of grass in a gentle breeze, finger pointed up, eyelids half closed as he barely managed out an, “I d-daaare- I dare Miste-ww Freeemann and B-Ben- Rey- To danz!”

Having finished his incredible statement, Tommy fell onto his other side, head landing right on Sunkist, and Darnold gently patted him on the shoulder mumbling “There, there.”

Gordon could only side eye the other scientists. He would be laughing right now, really, if he wasn’t so perfectly outraged by the proposition.

“Uh, how about no? You know I love you Tommy, but if you think that even for a second-“

“chicken man.”

“...What?”

“gordon freeman more like. more like gordon fowlman.”

“Hah, that was a clever one, Benrey! Keep it up!”- Dr Coomer encouraged, and Gordon really didn’t need that in his life right now.

“I’m not afraid to dance with you, I-“

“chickon fowlman”

“Fucking stop, alright! We’re both drunk as shit, and I doubt any one of us is a good dancer, we’re probably gonna break some-“

“what, no. i’m a great dancer. i’m the best- the bestest at dance. moves. number one in just dance 2003 on the playstation 2- got an award. a diploma. what do you got. stupid chicken legs. cluck cluck cluck, i’m idiot baby, i can’t dance-“

Gordon was on his feet in seconds, the room spinning around like a freaking kaleidoscope, but he’d be damned if he let this pretty- this cute- this shitty garbage sack believe that he was better than him. Even if it was true.

At this point, he was more than drunk, he was pissed, he was warm, and he wanted to wipe that stupid smile off of Benrey’s face if it was the last goddamn thing he did. If that meant he needed to dance, then he was going to fucking dance.

“Fine, okay, sure! Let’s go, let’s fucking go, go, go! Dr Coomer, hit us with a beat!”

If it was a dance battle Benrey wanted, it was a battle he was going to g-

The soft sound of a gentle piano was definitely not what Gordon expected to come out of the- Of Dr Coomer...? He honestly wasn’t sure where Dr Coomer was producing the sound from, but that mattered less at the moment than the particular sound being produced - which certainly wasn’t what he had in mind.

“What the fuck!? What is this shit?”

“Gordon, this track is As Time Goes By by the Claude Williamson Trio-“

“No, no, I don’t give- Who cares about the name of the track!? We’re not fucking slow dancing! Give us something with a beat!”

“But Gordon, I enjoy this song.“

This was yet another moment where Tommy decided to speak up, suddenly raising his hand with one finger pointing at the ceiling, his voice muffled by the perfect dog’s fur as he muttered “I- I dare Mr Freeman- and- and Benrey to- to Slow. Dance. For fiiiiiiiiiiive miiiiiinuuuuuutesssssssss.”

His hand fell back to the floor with an audible thump.

“No! Hey, no, that’s not- That’s not in the rules! You can’t just change the original dare like-“

“Oh my god, silently! Quietly! Without words! Slow dance for five fucking minutes with your mouths shut tight, okay! That’s your fucking dare!”- Bubby threw his arms up, and the reflection in his glasses told Gordon that his curtains are very much in immediate danger.

This was dumb. This was more than dumb, this was shitty, stupid, against all rules, and really, he should just kick them all out and be done with it all.

So, like any rational and sound-minded person, Gordon swallowed down the horrible tightness in his throat, and opened up his arms in an invitation.

He didn’t mean to bite his lip when Benrey approached him, really, he didn’t, but his chest refused to stop pounding, his arms felt sticky and gross, and his vision was only ever so slightly blurry when he reached out his hand and grabbed Benrey’s.

“I’ll lead,”- He barely whispered, maybe more like mouthed so that didn’t count, and Benrey did not protest for once, his other hand finding his way over to Gordon’s shoulder. Gordon hesitated only a second before lightly guiding his fingers to the other’s waist.

There was a moment of certain panic, blood freezing over as an electric current ran through his spine, sudden realization that he couldn’t remember the last time he danced with anyone flooding his senses, before being replaced with a gentle, coaxing burn when he felt Benrey pull at him and take a step backwards. Gordon swallowed hard again, allowing his drunkenness to overtake for a moment, letting himself sway ever so gently as he tried his best to guide the other around the room. This wasn’t exactly a waltz, not even close, but at least he was conscious enough not to step on any feet or trip over his own.

This was... excruciating.

He didn’t know where to look, eyes darting around the room like he was desperately looking for an escape, and his hands and hair felt altogether way too sweaty for any of this. He didn’t want to hear Benrey’s slightly exalted breathing, the firm press of his hand in Gordon’s own, the feeling of those dark, dark, immensely dark eyes staring right into his very being. Five minutes, Gordon learned by the first 30 seconds, was an outrageously long time.

It was only around the second minute mark, when Gordon was certain he was going to pass out before finishing the dance, that his vision darkened for a split second, and it wasn’t before long that a feeling of complete and utter surrender washed over him. Shoulders dropping down, muscles releasing with an almost audible click, he felt his anxiety dissipate in the air along with that unbearable, pulsating heat. The only thing left was his heavy eyelids defiantly staying open and the soft sound of the piano keys running through the air. He willed his head to turn to Benrey then, finally allowing himself to make eye contact for the first time, and the sea of gently glowing blue orbs around them nearly overwhelmed his vision.

“calm down,”- Benrey mouthed, and Gordon gladly obeyed, nodding his head ever so slightly.

His arms felt like cotton, like melting butter, so he allowed both his hands to travel to Benrey’s lower back, not able to keep them up anymore. Benrey, in turn, gently wrapped his own arms around Gordon’s neck, and Gordon couldn’t find it in him to protest.

He could find it in him to be delighted, though.

He didn’t know what it was, exactly - the alcohol, the forced silence, or the gentle blue light that filled his very soul, but he suddenly felt braver, braver than he had ever been before. But more importantly, he felt curious - and so he tugged Benrey a little closer, just that much. He knew it was but a gentle pull - no, he was certain of it. The rest of the way between their bodies Benrey closed on his own.

Gordon’s stomach ignited in fireworks, his ribs prickling with the sensation of the other flush against him, the touch of his skin intoxicating in ways he didn’t remember were possible.

And all the while, his eyes were glued to Benrey’s, almost morbidly mesmerized by the two dark caverns that refused to reflect light and seemed to only take, take, and take.

Benrey’s fingers tangled in his hair, and Gordon couldn’t help the genuine smile that easily found its home on his face, couldn’t help the breath that got stolen when he saw that same smile reflected on Benrey’s own.

His fists balled in the other’s thin shirt, and he couldn’t remember the last time he felt so secure.

Serene. Right.

It’s nights like these, Gordon thought, that make everything worth it.

The last note played, the orbs burned out, and the only thing left standing in the middle of it all were the two of them, still clinging one to another, breathing hard as though they have just finished an intense exercise routine, and for a brief moment, time stood still.

And Gordon felt as though something unspoken has passed between them in that one moment.

And in the next, raucous applause followed, mostly provided by Dr Coomer, with Darnold gently joining in. Bubby let out a few claps as well, and they almost didn’t sound sarcastic.

“Bravo, Gordon! What a beautiful display of emotion!”- Dr Coomer kept on clapping, wiping a tear away from one eye as he cheered, -“For 2 Play Coins, I can replay the same song again!”

“N-No- Uhm-“- Gordon began, feeling his throat as dry as a summer in a dessert, having to cough violently as he practically peeled himself from Benrey. The immediate cold and overall shittiness that followed almost weren’t worth it, -“Ahem. That’s- That’s quite alright.”

“Ah shit, there he goes on talking again,”- Bubby rolled his eyes, and the atmosphere seemed to return to normal.

Benrey went to sit next to Tommy’s most probably unconscious form, and Gordon, after hesitating for way too long, sat down on the opposite side of the room.

A decision he came to regret immediately, if the brief look Benrey gave him was anything to go by.

How that permanently bored, expressionless face could carry so much emotion, Gordon would never know.

What he did know was that he needed another goddamn drink.

And from that point on, it was a huge blur. There were more dares, of course. He was pretty sure Darnold had to do a keg stand and Coomer and Bubby had to exchange clothes.

It was all stupid.

It was all ridiculously fun.

Gordon didn’t feel right throughout any of it.

His mind only came back online closer to morning, when the only thing keeping him awake was the constant noise of conversation and sheer willpower.

“truth,”- Benrey said, crude drawings of Sunkist now decorating both his arms. Gordon wasn’t sure if this was part of a dare or if he just did that for no reason.

“You want to mix it up a little, eh? Think this will be easy, don’t you?”- Bubby’s smile was sharp, all teeth and evil intent, and Gordon suddenly was really happy he wasn’t at the receiving end of that. Bubby was the most entertaining when he was being mean to someone else.

“hit me.”

“Okay. So. Who, out of this group, do you have a crush on?”

Oh. So Gordon was on the receiving end of that after all, huh.

He didn’t know why was it, exactly, that that question hit him like a pile of bricks. But it did. And now he was anxiously staring at Benrey, heart beating so fast it threatened to break through his rib cage.

Benrey, on the other hand, didn’t look nearly as panicked. He just... kept on staring at the floor. And he kept on staring. And he kept on staring until he finally blurted out an. “bbbb.... d.... coomer.”

“I am flattered, Benrey, but I am quite happily married,”- Dr Coomer replied hugging Bubby close, who only rolled his eyes and snorted.

“Bullshit! It’s called Truth, now say the goddamn truth!”

It was at this moment that Benrey’s eye met Gordon’s.

It was at this moment that Gordon knew precisely what to do.

In a move that probably required him to be way more sober, he kicked the table so hard that half the glasses and bottles on top of it tumbled over, some rolling to the floor and breaking with a resounding crash.

“Fuck! What the fuck!”- Bubby exclaimed, throwing his feet up on the couch, and even Tommy came back to life for a second to look around, before passing back out on Sunkist again.

“Careful, Dr Freeman! These babies can melt through concrete!”- Darnold immediately busying himself with picking up his vials, and Gordon took this moment to stand up, exaggerating his slur and wobbliness (though not by much) when he said, -“Woo... Huh... Sorry- Sorry, guys, I must have- Man, I’m dying, I think I- I need sleep, guys, I-“

“Yes, yes, we get the message,”- Bubby sighed, as Dr Coomer immediately laid straight down on the couch, forcibly pulling him down as well, -“Goodnight, Gordon.”

“Good night, Gordon!”- Coomer echoed, closing his eyes and passing out within seconds.

“Take care, Dr Freeman,”- Darnold nodded, before snuggling up next to Sunkist and Tommy.

Well, that was easy. If there was one thing about The Science Team that Gordon appreciated most of all, it was how they didn’t bother asking questions. It was better that way, really.

He should be a better host and at the very least get them blankets, Gordon thought, carefully avoiding the broken glass as he made his way across the room.

This was a problem for tomorrow’s Gordon.

Now, however, he had more pressing matters to attend to.

Benrey stood up as Gordon approached him, staring silently, before turning around and abruptly making his way to the entrance.

“Wa- Wait- Benrey, wait!”- This time it wasn’t an exaggeration when Gordon nearly tripped over his own feet. His head was throbbing with a headache unlike any other, but he shut that part up for a brief second. More important matters, -“Where the hell are you going!?”

“away?”- Benrey replied as though that was the most obvious thing in the world.

“But- Wait- I mean. Why? You can stay here? I’m not kicking you out?”

He stared. And then he stared some more.

It was true that Benrey usually disappeared before morning came, like some sort of vampire that could only come out at night. Gordon never questioned it, never bothered to ask him why he left – it didn’t matter that his apartment always felt a little emptier.

It didn’t matter before, but it mattered now.

“I mean- I know there’s not a lot of room, and the guys are all over the living room, but, y’know, my bed is a double, so if you wanna, you can-“

“i don’t sleep”

Gordon blinked down, the ramble in his head and his words interrupted by this simple poignant statement. He tilted his head, desperately trying to keep standing upright.

“What? Like, at all? That’s bullshit man, that’s complete- and I- I saw you, okay, I saw you sleeping in-“

“kind of gay of you. watching me sleep. wanna see my hair then. then taking my shirt off then. then dancing with me like-“

“Shhh- Shut up, shut up!”- Gordon hissed, taking Benrey by the hand and quietly leading him back to the bedroom. There was no way he would be able to handle this conversation standing up, -“This isn’t- It’s not like that, okay, it’s-“

“It’s not?”

It wasn’t often that Gordon was able to tell what Benrey was thinking or feeling at any given moment. In this instance, however, the disappointment in his voice was so palpable that he could almost taste it on his tongue.

“N-No! Wait, I mean- Yes? I mean- I- I don’t fucking knoooow, man,”- He sighed, dropping down on the bed, head immediately spinning like the propellers of a helicopter, heart drumming, jaw aching, -“I just- I’m too drunk, Benrey. I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t- I just know I don’t want you to leave.”

He didn’t know if that was enough. It didn’t sound enough to him.

But to Benrey, apparently, it was.

In a moment the space besides Gordon felt the bed beside him dip, that already familiar heat seeping through his skin like nuclear radiation, overwhelming him whole.

He felt himself magnetized, moving closer to it almost unconsciously, keeping his eyes closed to prevent the room from spinning crazy. His hand worked of their own volition, desperately searching for anything to hold, and when he felt a set of fingers interlace with his own, he allowed himself to exhale all the tension in his shoulders.

“Thanks,”- He whispered, snuggling in closer, inhaling a scent that was near acidic, but not unpleasant. He didn’t know how he would justify this to himself tomorrow, didn’t want to think about that just yet, and he heard a stream of sweet voice being spread around the room.

He opened his eyes just for a second, just a brief moment to register the vibrant pink floating around his bedroom, the gentle glow that outlined Benrey’s hooded eyes, and for once he thought he could recognize something in them.

Gordon exhaled softly, holding on for dear life.

“Goodnight,”- He said, or maybe thought, or maybe imagined, his consciousness finally fading into sweet darkness.

“gordon,”- Benrey replied then, quiet, soft, and with the certain conviction of a man giving the right answer to a demanding question.

[joyful-soul-collector]

Misser Star’

By @joyful-soul-collector for @wh0doyouthinkyouareiam! 

For the @friendly-neighborhood-exchange!

Rating: General Audiences

Characters: Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Helen Cho

Summary: 

“Woah there Sea Legs,” Tony said, catching him under the arms and setting him up straight. “Wouldn’t want you hurting yourself.” “The sea is in my legs,” Peter said, clinging tight to Tony’s arm as he wobbled slightly. “What if my legs… were in the sea?” “Oh wow--this is going to be fun.”

OR

Peter gets his wisdom teeth taken out, and is a very silly lad

Story is under the cut, or you can read it on AO3!

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“Misser Star’, there’s clouds i’ m’ mouth,” Peter mumbled around the cotton, staring at Tony with wide eyes. Tony laughed and pulled Peter’s hand away from his mouth, as he was trying to touch the “clouds”. 

“Don’t mess with those, you need them to stop the bleeding,” Tony said with a small laugh. 

“I’m bleeding!?” Peter said incredulously. Then he suddenly gasped and grabbed Tony’s arm, a panicked look on his face. “Do they know!?”

“Know what kid?” Peter looked around dramatically then yanked Tony’s arm closer so he could whisper in his ear. 

“That I’m a spider,” he said. Tony snorted and gently worked his arm out of Peter’s death-grip. 

“You’re good, kid. You’re at the compound, Helen was the one who operated on you. You remember Helen?”

“Karen?”

“No, Helen--”

“She’s my suit lady, she’s nice. But she can’t do tooth stuff Misser Star’--”

“No, kid, Helen was the one who did the work on your teeth, she’s a doctor--”

“I know who Helen is,” Peter said, as if Tony had told him this information several times before. Tony rolled his eyes and ruffled Peter’s hair, only to laugh when Peter raised his head and leaned into his touch, eyes slipping closed with bliss. He was like a little kitten, leaning into someone scratching behind its ear. 

In fact he leaned so far he almost fell over, and Tony had to catch him by the shoulder, snorting at the panicked look on Peter’s face. 

“Jesus, Dr. Cho gave you the Good Stuff didn’t she?”

“Had to, it was the only thing his metabolism wouldn’t immediately burn through,” Helen said, making Tony jump. “You two are alright to leave now, just make sure Peter doesn’t take that cotton out too early and give him some ice when the medicine wears off.”

“Thanks Doc,” Tony said. Peter made a noise of confusion and pointed at Helen. 

“She’s not Doc Ock, Misser Star’! He has way more arms, and she’s way prettier,” Peter said. “I think you need new glasses.”

“I don’t even need glasses in the first place, kiddo,” Tony said with a snort, signing a couple papers Helen handed him. 

“Oh yeah!? Then what are those!?” Peter said, pointing directly at the square sunglasses perched on Tony’s nose. Tony raised his eyebrows at him, the determined look on Peter’s face making it hard not to laugh. 

“Sunglasses, not normal glasses,” Tony said, then he held out his arm. “Here lemme walk you back to the living quarters, I’m fairly certain you’re not gonna make it there yourself.”

“Why does the sun even need glasses?” Peter muttered as he pushed himself off the hospital bed, and almost immediately toppling over. 

“Woah there Sea Legs,” Tony said, catching him under the arms and setting him up straight. “Wouldn’t want you hurting yourself.”

“The sea is in my legs,” Peter said, clinging tight to Tony’s arm as he wobbled slightly. “What if my legs… were in the sea?”

“Oh wow--this is going to be fun,” Tony said, steadying Peter as he stumbled down the hallway to the elevator. 

Peter babbled on and on about random stuff on their way to the living quarters, Tony having to physically restrain him from pressing all the buttons in the elevator, and had to answer his questions about extremely odd yet mundane things like “why is the ceiling in the sky?” only for him to forget what he asked entirely.

When they finally arrived, Tony walked him to the couch and sat him down, and Peter immediately curled himself into a ball, knees tucked under his chin. 

“Alright kid, you wait here while I call your Aunt and let her know everything went good, alright?” Tony said. 

“Wait here,” Peter repeated, with a determined nod. “Waiting waiting waiting. Like a rock.”

At this point Tony had absolutely no clue what Peter was talking about so he just said “Sure, kiddo”, and ruffled his hair before he stepped away for a few minutes. 

“Hey, Tony,” May said when she answered. “How’s he doin’?”

“He’s alright, pretty damn loopy but fine,” Tony said, leaning against the wall of the hallway. “I’m glad you came to me about this, I was right, a normal anaesthetic wouldn’t have stood a chance against his enhanced metabolism.”

May chuckled and Tony could hear the bustle of the hospital in the background. 

“I don’t know what we’d do without you Tony,” she said. “Thank you so much--Oh, shoot, I gotta go--”

“No problem, May, I’ll take care of him till you get off work. Just call me when you’re done, I’ll drive him over,” Tony said. May thanked him at least ten times before hanging up, and Tony chuckled to himself, slipping the phone in his pocket. 

“Misser Staaaaaaar’?” Peter’s voice said from around the corner. It had a rather guilty tone to it, and Tony quickly rounded the corner to see him. 

Peter seemed to have tried to grab a blanket, and in the process, had gotten himself rather tangled in it, now lying horizontally on the couch and staring up at Tony with a wide-eyed expression. 

“Got tangled in your own web, huh Spiderling?” Tony said, smiling down at him. “Probably for your own good anyway. Might just leave you like that so you don’t get yourself in more trouble.”

Peter frowned indignantly at him, and suddenly started trying to wiggle himself into an upright position, since clearly Tony was just gonna leave him to die like this. Tony rolled his eyes and helped him sit up, but as soon as he tried to get him untangled, Peter leaned away, looking confused. 

“What?” Tony said. 

“I’m a burrito Misser Star’,” Peter mumbled, snuggling himself further into the blanket. “Spider-Burrito. Or Spider-Sushi. Or Spider-Ravioli. Or--”

“Spiders In A Blanket?” Tony suggested, and Peter’s eyes got wide. 

“Oh my god--I’m a spider, and I’m in a blanket!” Peter whisper-screamed. Then he burst into laughter, throwing his head back against the soft cushions of the couch so fast Tony thought he might give himself whiplash. 

“Jesus--Just you existing scares me kiddo,” Tony muttered, deciding tv would probably be the best distraction. Just as long as it isn’t a comedy. Kid might break his neck, Tony thought. It’s a good thing Luke Skywalker isn’t played by Jim Carrey. 

Peter stopped laughing immediately as the Star Wars theme began to play, though his loud, comical gasp proved it wasn’t just the medicine wearing off. 

“I LOVE STAR WARS!” Peter shouted, making Tony jump. 

“Jesus christ--I know ya dork,” Tony said, watching Peter bounce excitedly in his seat on the couch for a moment before sitting next to him. Peter flumped into Tony’s side, giving a deep, dramatic sigh of contentment. Tony couldn’t help but give him a little one-armed squeeze; he knew how much Peter loved hugs. 

Though he couldn’t expect Peter to be silent for more than a few minutes, now could he?

“Hey Misser Star’?” Peter said. 

“Hey Misser Parker?” Tony said, imitating Peter’s tone and voice. 

“What if I was hungry?” he said, either ignoring or completely oblivious to Tony’s teasing. 

“Um, I would get you something to eat? I think there’s some soup I could warm up for you,” Tony said, looking down at Peter with raised eyebrows. Peter looked skeptical at the idea of soup however.

“Mmm, but what if I’m only hungry for something cold?” he said. 

“Uh… you want a smoothie?”

“Something sweet and cold.”

“Smoothies can be sweet.”

“Something chocolate and sweet and cold,” Peter said impatiently. Tony rolled his eyes and looked down at Peter, who put on a very mischievous grin. He sighed in defeat. He just couldn’t say no to that silly face. 

“Your Aunt’s gonna kill me when she finds out,” Tony said, getting up with a groan. 

“No she won’t! I’ll protect you! I’m Spider-Man!” Peter said, trying to take his hands out of his cocoon/burrito, but only succeeding in tangling himself more. Tony snorted, dragging a tub of chocolate ice cream out of the freezer and scooping some out into a couple bowls. By the time he came back Peter had freed his arms and was rubbing his hands over the fluffy blanket, muttering to himself. Tony helped him take the gauze out of his mouth, which had a surprisingly small amount of blood on it, as it seems his enhanced healing had taken care of it. 

Peter ate his ice cream happily, eyes closing with bliss. 

“Ice cream is my best friend,” Peter said around his spoon. “‘Cept for Ned. And MJ. They’re better than ice cream, but ice cream is like… real good friendo. Ten outta ten, would go to the movies with ice cream.”

“Ha, me too kid,” Tony said, scraping the last remnants out before setting aside his bowl to focus better on the movie. He never cared much for Star Wars, but he couldn’t deny that the fight scenes were pretty awesome. Peter eventually nudged him with his bowl to say he was finished, and then went back to his original position against Tony’s side. 

It wasn’t until the movie was over that Tony realized Peter had fallen asleep like that, curled up tightly in the blanket, his face pressed into Tony’s chest. Tony ran his fingers through Peter’s hair for a moment, smiling as Peter relaxed even further against him. 

“You caught all that, right Fri?” Tony said, glancing up at the ceiling. 

“Of course Boss,” Friday replied. “Shall I send you the file for you to view later?”

“That’d be perfect. If there’s anything that’ll be more hilarious than Peter getting stuck in a blanket, it’ll be how red his face gets when he sees himself getting stuck in a blanket.”

Peter didn’t even wake up as Tony lifted him off the couch and down the hall to his room. He whined a little when Tony laid him on his bed, but was quickly consoled by Tony’s fingers running through his hair again. 

“Goodnight ‘Spider-Burrito.’”

[bnha-and-more-imagines]

Progression [Bakugou Katsuki x Reader] Part 2 (END)

A/N: Here’s part 2! If you haven’t read the first part, I highly suggest you do. You can find it here. Thank you all for the overwhelming support for this fic! You guys are amazing!

@succulent-momma @terrifying-testicles

Word Count: 2,465

Request: No

Warnings: Swearing

It didn’t take long for some of his classmates to find out about Bakugou’s little crush. Bakugou made it obvious by the way he’d at her whenever she happened to pass by. Or how he would listen in whenever she was mentioned. Or how his jaw would tighten even more than usual when some guy would hit on her. If they hadn’t been Bakugou’s friends, they wouldn’t have suspected a thing. But these small things were huge in their eyes. They hadn’t confronted him outright, but they decided to help him out in their own way.

What followed were some of the most aggravating weeks Bakugou had ever experienced. Kirishima, Kaminari, and Mina would make a huge scene anytime Bakugou got so much as a scratch so that he’d have an excuse to go to the nurse’s office. When he’d start to protest, they’d cover his mouth and practically beg Aizawa-sensei to have him sent to the nurse’s. As usual, Aizawa-sensei didn’t care as long as he could have some peace and quiet. 

They’d then drag him to the nurse’s office and practically throw him in there as he yelled obscenities at them. Bakugou felt ridiculous as they quickly explained to (Y/N) what the ‘injury’  was and ran out, leaving them alone. 

(Y/N) would awkwardly offer him a band-aid and then he’d leave. Embarrassed and pissed.

They would also fake their own injuries and illnesses and once they’d get the nurse’s they’d ‘miraculously’ feel better and leave.

They’d invite (Y/N) to sit with them during lunch, making sure she’d be seated next to Bakugou. 

Bakugou was about to blast them all into next week. 

Tonight, the boys had dragged him out to a firework’s festival. They were planning on meeting up with some of the girls who decided to come. And apparently, this is when they had decided that Bakugou needed to confess.

“Bakugou-kun, you need to be a man and profess your love to (Y/N). And today’s the perfect day to do it!” Kirishima said

“Yeah man, you’ve caught those feelings hard. It’s so obvious.”  Sero added

A tick appeared on Bakugou’s forehead as he was at his last straw.

“When the hell did I say I liked her?!” He yelled. 

“So you’re telling us you’ve got no feelings for (Y/N)?” Kaminari asked.

“When did I imply I did?!” He screamed as he faced them.

“At all?” Kirishima prodded

“NO, I DON’T FUCKING LIKE HER!” A series of small explosions came from his hands as he yelled each word, drawing looks from a few nearby people walking around the booths. 

They were seriously testing his patience tonight.

“Well, then I guess it’s good news for that guy over there. He seems really into her.” Kaminari pointed.

Bakugou turned his head in the direction Kaminari was pointing at so fast, he nearly gave himself whiplash. 

A bit in the distance he saw (Y/N), looking clearly uncomfortable as the fucking ASSWIPE from the nurse’s office that one time was talking to her. He saw him put his hand on (Y/N)’s shoulder, and before Bakugou could even think he was already halfway to them.

The boys smirked at each other and decided to meet up with the girls to tell them they managed to get Bakugou and (Y/N) together. All according to their plan.

(Y/N) had been told by the girls to meet up at a certain location at the festival. She had been waiting for a few minutes when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She expected it to be her friends, but instead, she was face to face with the guy who made uncomfortable comments at her that one time. 

“Hey! I thought that was you!” He grinned, “Wow, you look great! I knew you’d look even prettier outside of school.”

“Um, thank you…” She said awkwardly, hands fidgeting. 

“Are you here by yourself?” He pried. “Maybe you and I can enjoy the festival together.”

“I’m waiting for my friends. We’re supposed to meet up.” She said curtly, hoping this would give him the hint that she wanted him to go away.

Instead, he put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to tense up, “I’m sure they won’t mind if you and I-”

He was cut off when a hand firmly grasped his wrist. They were both surprised to find Bakugou, glaring daggers at the guy. He shoved the guy’s arm away from her.

“Hey fuckass, can’t you take a hint? She’s not interested.”

Bakugou’s hand crackled in warning. The guy was now glaring back at Bakugou. 

The tension between them was high. (Y/N) spoke up before things escalated.

“I’m alright Bakugou-kun!” She grabbed his hand to prevent him from possibly blowing up the festival. She turned towards the guy, “This is my friend, we should get going now. Bye!”

She walked away quickly before he could reply.

Once they were at a faraway distance, she let go of his hand and turned to him.

“Thanks, Bakugou-kun. I’m sorry if I interrupted anything.”

He looked at her for a moment. (Y/N) shifted slightly, worried she’d angered him.

Bakugou hadn’t taken a good look at her earlier due to being high on adrenaline and anger. She was wearing a kimono with a butterfly pattern. The color complimented her well. Her hair was done in a simple style, yet it framed her face elegantly. He couldn’t deny that she looked beautiful.

“Don’t worry about it.” He said, looking away. 

There was a pause between the two of them where neither knew what to say. 

It was interrupted by a phone ringing. (Y/N) startled slightly and dug her phone out of the bag she was carrying. 

“Hi! Are you here yet?” She answered cheerfully.

Bakugou watched as her brows suddenly furrowed in confusion.

“What?” She stopped talking, seemingly cut off. Her face reddened. “Mina-chan!”

Another pause as she listened, “But! Wait I-!” 

Mina had hung up apparently. 

“What was that about?” Bakugou looked at her expectantly. (Y/N) took a moment to gather her thoughts.

“Mina-chan said that they’ll be really late because, um, something came up.” She explained.

Bakugou felt something was off, but he didn’t pursue the topic.

“Do you want to go together?” 

The words came out before he could stop them. (Y/N) stared at him wide-eyed. Bakugou scowled.

“Are you sure? What about your friends?” She asked.

He scoffed, “If I wasn’t sure, then I wouldn’t have asked. Do you want to go together or not?”

A big smile spread across her face. Again, Bakugou couldn’t meet her gaze when she looked at him like that. His face warmed up.

“Yes, I’d really like that.” She said.

Bakugou found himself not completely disliking spending time alone with (Y/N). The silence between them wasn’t awkward. She didn’t force him to speak and she didn’t speak about random things to fill it. 

Whenever she saw a booth she wanted to see, she’d point at it and asked him if they could stop to see it. For the most part, Bakugou would stay behind her as she glanced around. They made their way to a booth with a ring-tossing game, (Y/N) abruptly stopped.

“Woah!” She exclaimed, looking at one of the prizes. “Is that a Silver Age Recovery Girl figurine?! They’re so rare!”

“It sure is, young lady! Would you like to play to try and win? All you have to do is toss the ring on the prize you want and it’s yours!” The man at the booth said.

“How much is it?” She asked him.

“It’ll be three dollars for five rings.”

Bakugou watched in amusement as she missed all five times.

She groaned in disappointment. 

“Hey old man, I’ll give it a try.” He said, then turned to (Y/N). “You want the Recovery Girl figurine, right?”

“Wha- I, um. Yes…” She said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. Bakugou nodded.

He got into position, drew his arm back, took a deep breath and…

“DIE!” He yelled as he tossed the ring, startling both (Y/N) and the boothman. The ring landed perfectly on the figurine.

“C-congrats, young man!” The boothman said after a pause. He handed the figurine to Bakugou.

“Here.” Bakugou gave the figurine to a stunned (Y/N). 

“Bakugou-kun, thank you!” She jumped and hugged him, making him stiffen up. After not even a second, she let go.

“No problem…” He mumbled. But (Y/N) didn’t seem to hear him, too focused on the figurine she now held. She put the figurine in her bag and turned to him.

“I’m a bit hungry, do you mind if we stop to get some food?”

Bakugou sat at a table, waiting for (Y/N) to come back from getting her food. He thought back to earlier when she’d hugged him and how had made his heart jump. And he thought of his friend’s words from earlier. Confess to her. Should he? Could he? Didn’t she like someone else?

He groaned in anger. Feeling a headache coming.

He was normally such a confident person, what was his problem?

Before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, (Y/N) appeared with two bowls in her hands. She set one of them down in front of him which made him blink in confusion.

“You like spicy food, right? It’s tantanmen. As a thank you for before.” She explained.

Bakugou stared at the bowl of food. The aroma making his stomach growl. “...Thanks.” He said and the two began to eat.

As they were eating, Bakugou asked something that he was wondering about, “Do you like Recovery Girl that much?”

“Hm?” (Y/N) looked at him.

“You practically passed out when you got the figurine.” He snickered

“Oh,” She blushed, “Well, of course I like her. She’s the one who inspired me to be a hero. It’s like a dream to be under her guidance. I used to really hate my quirk, you know.”

“Hate?” He asked, wanting her to elaborate.

She laughed a little, “Yeah. My father has a really strong quirk. I had always hoped that I would inherit it so that I could become a strong hero. But instead, I inherited my mother’s healing quirk. I was really upset about it, thinking that I could never become a hero with it.

One day, though, my mother showed me an old video. It was of Recovery Girl in action, she was incredible. And my mother told me, ‘Sometimes being the strongest person doesn’t mean being the best fighter. Sometimes being the strongest person means being the one who cares the most.�� After she passed away, I promised to use our shared quirk to become a hero who would take care of others.” She finished.

Bakugou just stared in slight wonder. A sudden pang of guilt hit him, remembering the crude things he’d told her in the nurse’s office a few months ago.

“Oh, sorry! I was rambling, wasn’t I? I think the fireworks are going to start soon, did you want to go find a place to sit?” 

They managed to find a decent spot on the hill. It didn’t have too many people crowding it, but it would still give them a good view of the fireworks.

“I wonder if your friends got a good spot.”

“Tch, who cares if they did or not. They’ve been pissing me off so much.” He said.

She smiled a bit, “Still, you’re lucky to have friends that care about you.”

Bakugou snorted indignantly, “You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew half the shit they put me through. If you really wanna heal people, keep them away from me. They give me so many fucking headaches.”

(Y/N) laughed at that, “I can try, but I can’t promise anything.”

Before they could continue their conversation, a boom resounded in the sky as the fireworks show began. They turned their attention to the sky. As the fireworks went off, (Y/N)’s mind drifted to the call she had with Mina earlier.

“Hi! Are you here yet?” (Y/N) answered her phone.

“Actually (Y/N)-chan, me and the girls aren’t going,” Mina said.

“What?” She asked, but before she could say anything more, Mina kept talking. 

“Yup! The boys and we planned to get you and Bakugou alone together. You better confess to him. Don’t make us regret it!”

“Mina-chan!” She exclaimed, her face red. (Y/N) had so many questions running through her head.

“Just tell Bakugou-kun that we’ll be late or something. Good luck!” Mina said. She could hear a few of the girls in the background wishing her luck.

“But! Wait I-!”  (Y/N) was cut off as Mina hung up on her.

(Y/N) bit her lip. Part of her knew her friends were right. She’d regret not confessing her feelings for Bakugou. But the other part of her terrified. She had always admired him, and now they had progressed their relationship into a sort-of friendship. She could handle rejection. It would hurt, but she knew she could move on. But could she handle losing what they had now? She wanted to keep getting closer to him. Would confessing just push him further than how they’d been before?

She brought herself back to reality and decided to do a small test for herself.

Without looking away from the sky, she inched her hand slowly towards Bakugou’s. Her heart was racing as she found his hand and laid hers on top of his.  

There was a pause where nothing happened. But then, Bakugou moved his hand to properly hold hers.

(Y/N) tried to bite down a smile as her face heated up.

She took that as a form of encouragement. He didn’t push her away.

“Hey, Bakugou-kun,” She said, heart racing, “I really like you.”

The explosions were barely heard over the sound of her heart in her ears. She was too scared to see his face. Bakugou didn’t do or say anything, and she started to panic.

“I-I know you don’t really feel the same way. But I’ve liked you for a while now. It’s ok if you don’t want to give me an answer and…” 

What she said fell on deaf ears. Bakugou sat, stunned as something clicked in his head. Was she talking about him during the sleepover a few weeks ago? Did she think all those things about him? 

He finally turned to her.

“Hey,” He cut her rambling. 

She looked at him with worried eyes.

“You talk too much.” He said. Then he brought his face to hers and swiftly kissed her.

He’d need to find a way to thank the guys later, he begrudgingly admitted to himself.

[watchtower-feed]

Another Flashpoint

Notes: As soon as I watched Justice League Apokolips, I started writing this out of frustration and my brain wouldn’t let me stop even when it hit 2k words! Apart from the title and summary, there are no spoilers here. Words: 3,882

      Pebbles dug into his knees as he prepared to sprint back in time to save everything. To change everything. The non-existent pain was almost enough to make him stand up again, tell Constantine ‘no,’ and walk away from them forever. But the image of the ruined world on the horizon was an eyesore, a piercing glass embedding deeper and deeper into his heart.

      So he ran. Barry Allen kicked off from the shoreline of Titans tower and left the dust trailing after him as he entered the light of the speed force. As always, whiplash greeted him harshly, slapping the sides of his jaws and forcing him to blink for a millisecond.

      Just like last time, he navigated his way through the memories of this timeline. He had to relive the same events of torture and happiness within a micro-second, clenching his fist to keep his eyes forward. He had to go back as early as he can. He had to see his mother.

      When Barry tumbled out of the speed force, his body skidded along the road, unable to keep himself upright from the exhaustion that is finally hitting him. He laid on the ground while he felt his lungs desperately rise up and down. Before Barry could recover, a small shadow of a child loomed over him, hair falling down the side as curious eyes stared at him.

      “Whatcha doin’ there, mister?” you ask him.

      Barry’s stunned. He’s never seen you in his entire life before. He looked around quickly to assess where he had landed. He was right across his old house where he can see his mother, Nora Allen, preparing the cake for his birthday.

      Your gaze suddenly landed on the insignia on his chest. Then you looked back at him with such glee. “You’re the Flash!” you yelled out enthusiastically. You quickly helped him up and started dragging him back into the house. Barry is still too stunned to think straight. His mom shouldn’t see him. Nora can’t see his future self. But he couldn’t resist your pull on him.

      “Mom! Mom!” you yelled out as you dragged Barry toward his mother. “The Flash is here! The Flash is here!”

      “The Flash?” Nora asked with suspicion, looking at Barry from head to toe.

      “Yep!” you giggled, “You hired someone to be the Flash at my birthday party!” you let go of Barry and ran up to your mother to give her a hug. She quickly carried you in her arms and pointed a kitchen knife at Barry. “Mom, what are you doing?”

      “Sweetie, that’s not the Flash.”

      You stared at the man standing awkwardly by your entryway. His costume was different but there was no denying that the insignia on his chest is the Flash’s symbol.

      Barry’s eyes widened as he stared at you and his mother. “She’s… your mother? And she’s your…?” Barry quickly tried to level his head. “Wait. Do you have a son?” he asked.

      Nora’s eyes quickly narrowed and backed away from Barry, refusing to answer him. But you were so young and so innocent, and you still believed that Barry is the Flash that you know. The first Flash.

      “He… died,” you answered and buried your head into your mother’s shoulders.

      Nora tried her best to comfort you while keeping the knife aimed at Barry’s chest.

      Barry was completely taken aback. This isn’t his past.

      The sun glinted against Nora’s knife and Barry quickly put up his hands and spoke in a lower voice, “Woah-- I’m not here to hurt you. I’m just passing through--”

      “Watch out!” your yell rang out like an echo inside Barry’s head as he quickly turned to find a man with a gun aimed at him. With ease, he broke apart the man’s gun before his finger could even press the trigger. 

      As time continued slowly, Barry took a look at the man and saw a young boy, a teenager.

      When time went back to normal, the boy, Nora, and you were surprised to watch the unassembled gun fall to the floor.

      You looked back at Barry. “He is the Flash! He’s the real Flash!”

      The teenage boy clicked his tongue and tried to escape. But before he could take a step, Barry tripped him. He grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall. “Who are you? Why are you after them?”

      The teenage boy stared at Barry with wide eyes and full of fear. His fingers trembled as they tried to pry the Flash off of him. “Let go of me!”

      “Flash!”

      Nora’s voice quickly settled him down like a soft cascading waterfall. 

      “He’s just a kid,” Nora said softly while rubbing your head. His grip loosened and the young boy took this chance to run out of the house. Barry looked at the two of you. You wrapped your short arms around Nora’s neck. “His father killed my son and my husband.” Hearing his own death from his mother’s lips made Barry’s knees weak. “He’s in jail but that boy-- He blames us.”

      “No.” Barry shook his head. Thawne was the one who murdered his mother in a rage. Now he’s sure that he’s in a completely different timeline. An alternate universe where he and his father are dead. 

      Without sparing you or Nora another glance, he ran away fast enough to once again enter the speed force. As the white light surrounded him, he slapped his cheeks harshly. “Gotta do it right this time. No more wrong turns.”

      Barry kept his eyes away from the memories but one memory that doesn’t exist in any of his timelines distracted him. He was in a hall filled with family and friends. He was under an arch of white balloons and facing you.

      He was distracted and he tripped out of the speed force. He kept rolling on the floor until your boot promptly stopped him. 

      “Long time no see,” you teased and waited for him to slowly turn around and look at you. It was definitely you, the little girl that was in Nora’s arms. Grown-up. A young adult. And wearing the Flash’s insignia. “I knew you’d be coming by here again.”

      The Flash stared at you and you chuckled, “Well, are you just going to sit on the ground?” You removed your boot and positioned your body to sprint, “or are you joining me for a run?”

      You sped off and let the city lights blur hazily around you, feeling the wind run through your hair, tangling and unraveling at the same time. Running at the speed of light was the best feeling you have ever experienced.

      But having someone just as fast as you, running beside you was a whole new experience.

      “Who are you?” Barry asked as soon as he caught up.

      “I’m the Flash!” you boasted and took a sharp turn to try and impress him. “Isn’t that obvious?”

      “I’m the Flash--”

      “I know! But you’re also Barry-- you look so much like him. You must be another Flash from another world.”

      Barry’s head was suddenly spinning. He has definitely confirmed that there are alternate timelines, alternate universes, and within these alternates, there are also alternate worlds. He suddenly regrets not taking string theory as a minor in college.

      Deciding not to waste any more time, Barry picked up his pace and entered the speed force again, leaving you behind as you shout after him. This time he wasn’t going to let anything distract him.

      This proved to be more difficult because new memories were surfacing. Almost all of them are none he remembers. But it’s his face, his body, his mannerisms. Every scene had him in it and he was intimate with you. A wedding. A honeymoon. Anniversaries. At the hospital.

      “STOP!”

      You throw yourself against Barry until the two of you are forced out of the speed force. Instinctively, Barry wraps his arms around you to take most of the brunt force as you skid along an empty highway.

      When all the spinning had stopped, Barry looks at you. You’re older, maybe just a decade had gone by since he last saw you, but there was something in your eyes that felt older. He could almost relate to it.

      Your eyes start tearing up and you pound against his chest, “Please, Barry. Just stop…” You lean your forehead against his chest and shake your head as the tears stream down.

      “Hey hey…,” he whispers softly as he rubs your head. 

      “Barry,” you call out and finally look up. Your eyes roam desperately over his features before you frown deeply. “You’re not really him, are you?” Barry’s eyebrows rose up. “You’re not my Barry.”

      Barry’s eyes widen.

      You wipe your tears harshly and laugh mockingly, “My Barry would have kissed me by now.”

      Barry blushes a little at the thought, but the thought also quickly jolts his mind into overdrive, “So the memories… they weren’t mine--”

      “They were mine,” you finish.

      “But you and Barry-- aren’t we siblings?”

      You stare at him before you laugh, real this time. “I’m-- I was Barry’s childhood friend!” You slowly stop laughing as you get to the sad part, an explanation you’ve rehearsed so many times because people kept asking you.

      “My parents were killed in a car accident and the Allens took me in. I was so young that all I’ve ever called Nora and Henry is mom and dad. Nora had been so good to me even when Barry and I got married. She kept treating me like her own child.”

      Barry closes his eyes and takes in one long deep breath before he slowly unwraps his arms around you. “Okay. I think I’m the one who needs an explanation here.”

      “Barry-- my Barry wasn’t dead before you-- before your first visit… I wanted to have Henry in our life, too.”

      Barry gives you a long look before he’s slowly piecing the dots together, “I was in your flashpoint!”

      Slowly, you nod your head and close your eyes before you whisper, “But I didn’t make it in time. I just saw it happen.” Barry was looking at you more confused. He wonders if all speedsters have always been like this-- if he had always been like this, rushing through thoughts without proper context.

      You look at him again and decide to explain from the beginning, “I had to go back in time. As soon as I found out I could do it, I knew I had to save Henry.” You suddenly clench your fists and hit him on the chest, “But you--! It would have worked if it weren’t for you!”

      “What are you talking about?”

      “You did it first. You created the very first Flashpoint and you brought Eobard Thawne into my world!”

      Barry’s eyes widened. “Oh no.” He suddenly remembers the first Flashpoint, Eobard had been there. He was the only one in that timeline that knew it was an alternate one. Even when the Amazons and Atlanteans waged war he was calm, like he knew something. Like he had done something.

      “He told me,” you continue and cling onto Barry’s suit, “when he was there, Eobard told me everything. When he slipped through the speed force, he found himself in front of our house. As soon as he saw you, his objective became clear. He killed Barry and Henry and framed that boy’s father. It was only when Nora and I came home that he realized he was in a completely different timeline.”

      Your voice has gotten lower and your eyes are trained to the ground. You stare at the asphalt as you remember everything. “I was just seconds too late to stop him.”

      You bite your bottom lip as you remember the scene in front of you. Barry was a small child who laid limp on the floor beside the man who you knew as a father.

      “I tried to fight Eobard to save Nora and my younger self,” you say weakly. “But I was weak and I was scared. Seeing their bodies-- I just ran away, while he chased me. I ran and I ran until I finally came back to the present, hoping nothing had changed-- that it was just a dream.” You close your eyes and your voice breaks when you speak, “But I was wrong. Henry. Nora. Barry-- Our kids-- they were all gone.”

      Barry winces at the way your eyes looked into his like you’re talking to your own Barry, telling him what had happened. He tries to fight the urge to comfort you but can’t, “I’m sorry--”

      “No, you’re not!” you lash out suddenly. Then with a shaky breath, you continue, “I went back. Of course, I went back. There was nothing else to live for. So I ran back and I fixed it. Eobard was gone. I fixed it, Barry! I really fixed it!”

      Your eyes were staring into Barry’s eyes, willing him to imagine it. A world where none of his family members have been murdered. “Henry was alive. Barry was alive. We lived another life together and it was even better this time. We were so inexplicably happy--”

      You stop abruptly and drag Barry up to stand with you. “But you--” you were gripping him by the sides of his cowl along his jaw and glaring at him. Your voice is like venom when you spoke again. 

      “Eobard was like a virus. The moment he wormed his way into our world, he left a gaping crack that made us vulnerable to everything you did in yours-- Barry, every time you changed your timeline, you were dragging our world through the mud with you.”

      Barry gaped. “You…” He doesn’t finish his sentence which only makes you angrier. You grit your teeth.

      “Do you have any idea what it felt like to wake up and find that my whole family-- my whole bloodline never existed! To find out that I have no world!”

      Barry held onto your hands as it all came to him like a speeding truck, “Your world merged with mine--”

      “And I had no place in it!” you yell out. “No identity! No powers! And no family!” You’re exhausted and you can hear your breathing. “I tried so hard to get in contact with you but you’re untouchable, Barry Allen.” You laugh a little and it hurts, “I was married to you, had kids and everything and yet I couldn’t even get your stupid number.”

      Barry thinks for a moment and then mutters, “Batman. He took measures to hide our identities even from civilians.”

      “So you can only imagine how much harder it was to try and get your attention as the Flash.”

      Barry doesn’t know what to say and you have no more words to get off your chest. What’s done is done. You can’t have your world back. Not anymore. You just wanted to say your piece so he knows how much he’s risking every time he creates another Flashpoint, even if it is necessary this time.

      “I���m sorry but I have to change everything again,” Barry finally says. “My last trip-- it brought Darkseid to Earth and he destroyed everything. We lost everything.”

      “I know,” you tell him, “I was there. I’ve been living in your world.”

      “Right… wait. How did you get your powers back?”

      You raise your hand and let it vibrate, checking to see if it really is still there. “I felt it when you entered the speed force again. It let my powers slip through and return to me.” You put your hand back down. “The first thing I did was run after you.”

      A lightbulb finally clicked inside Barry’s head, “I haven’t been running through my past. I’ve been going through yours!”

      “And you were altering my memories while I was in the speed force,” you punch him. “Thanks for that!”

      “Ow-- okay.” Barry stands upright. He finally understands. “So where are we right now?”

      You look around and recognize the highway immediately. “We’re still in my past. This is where Barry first proposed to me-- in our original timeline.” You can still see it in your head. You were running while carrying Barry in your arms. He loved the feeling of the rush but he always had to keep his eyes closed. When you started hearing the first words of his proposal, you stopped here.

      “I’m truly sorry-- I-- Dang it. I don’t even know your name.”

      “Don’t be. It’s not like you’re my husband or anything.” You laugh nervously, trying to hide the quivering of your lips. “It’s Y/N.”

      Barry holds your shoulders and squeezes them. He knows what it feels like to have lost someone. He knows how it feels to have lost the ones you love like how you have.

      “Y/N, let’s change it. One last time. Together this time.”

      You shake your head, “My world is gone, Barry. We can visit my pasts but all you’re going to be doing is changing my memories. Your past will have a stronger effect than mine.”

      Barry tightens his hold on you, urging you to really hear him out, “Then we’ll share. After we change it, we can both be the Flash.”

      That’s not what you want. That was never truly what you wanted. What you want is your family. You want your Barry.

      This Barry isn’t yours and he never will be.

      “What if I lose my powers again after it’s done?” you whisper.

      He shakes his head, “We won’t know until we try. What other choice do we have?”

      He’s right. It’s not like you want to go back to how the world is now. But there’s still one last thing that’s been bugging you. One last problem that you’ve noticed has been happening the longer you stay in your merged world.

      “Barry, what if I lose all of my memories?” You put your hands over his, “I’m the only thing left that existed in my world. What if you change it one more time and it completely erases me, too?”

      He stoops down to look straight into your eyes, “I can’t promise anything, Y/N. I’m so sorry.” Your eyes hold his gaze even when you start crying. Barry wipes your tears away, “Let’s enter the speed force together and change the past together. I promise,” he takes one of your hands in his, “I won’t let go. I’ll do everything I can to bring you back with me. I at least owe you that.”

      That’s the best Barry can promise you. A chance to continue to exist. If you forget your memories, you won’t know the pain you’ve been living with. You won’t know your Barry. He’ll be gone forever.

      You squeeze his hand before pulling him close until your lips meet. Barry makes a muffled sound before slowly melting into the kiss, closing his eyes and tipping his head to the side to deepen it. When you bitterly part, you lean your head on his chest, “I just wanted one last kiss. Even if you’re not him.”

      Barry holds you and brushes your hair, just like how your Barry used to. Before the two of you run into the speed force, Barry holds your hand in his and squeezes it.

      When you enter the speed force, your memories are no longer displayed on the sides like an exhibit in a gallery. They’ve been replaced by Barry’s. And not a single one has you in them.

      “Close your eyes,” Barry tells you and squeezes your hand.

      You let Barry guide you in the speed force. Sooner than you realize, you’re leaving it with much better landing this time. You open your eyes and find yourself in front of your house. You watch Nora set up for your birthday party alone.

      “What are we changing?” you ask.

      Barry swallows before he finally tells you. “I have to stop myself from saving Nora.” Your eyes widen as you watch the woman you’ve always known as your mother. Before you could say anything Barry turns to you with lines around his eyes, “I saved my mother. Constantine told me that if I hadn’t done that, Darkseid wouldn’t have come to Earth.”

      You grip his arm, “Please, Barry. I’ve seen your father die. Not Nora, too--”

      Barry can’t look at you. This is hard on him, too. “Y/N, you have to help me stop myself because…” he looks at you and you can see tears wanting to spill over his eyes, “I don’t know if I can do this.”

      You bite your lips and let the tears fall because this is the worst thing that could ever happen. You just wanted to save Henry, to let him be part of your lives. You never knew that your Barry had to pay that price and now, Nora too.

      You let go of Barry’s arm and squeeze his hand instead. “Together then. We’ll share the burden, too.”

      Barry gives you a long look before he nods.

      It’s one of the longest moments of your lives. Standing on the sidelines and watching an intruder make his way into your home. You and Barry try so hard to ignore Nora’s call for help, squeezing each others’ hands and digging nails into the skin.

      As soon as Barry’s other self, from his first trip, enter the scene, you move first. You throw yourself at him until you’re both hidden in the bushes.

      “What-- Who--”

      You all hear the last ear-piercing scream from Nora. You watch as the Barry in front of you stares into the windows and his face falls. When he turns to you, his face is distorted in anger, “You--!”

      Barry, the present Barry, puts his hands on his shoulder. When he turns to him, he shakes his head gingerly, “We can’t change the past because… it’s not just our future we’re changing. Go back.”

      You can see the recognition slowly dawning on the younger Barry. It breaks your heart when he too finally resigns from the same mission you’ve all been going through. He disappears before you can say anything.

      Barry helps you up. “Thank you.”

      “Don’t. Don’t thank you for this.”

      He nods and squeezes your hand. “Let’s go. Before I see myself walk into the house.”

      You walk together until you’re under the shade of trees and then you’re sprinting back into the speed force. Your eyes are closed as soon as you enter it, not wanting to see what changes have happened this time. Not wanting to know if you’re not in any of them.

      “Y/N! Look!” Barry’s sudden exclamation piques your curiosity and you open your eyes.

      You’re surrounded by memories of your existence. A new existence for you both. Barry’s tragic past stayed the same and so did yours. You found yourselves growing up together in the same foster home. Going to the same schools. Same college. Same job. Until you’re both hit with lightning at the same time.

      “This is the new flashpoint?”

      “It’s our new world.”

      Suddenly your memories are blending together into a single memory. A kiss on a highway where you’re both laughing while Barry carries you in his arms.

      “Okay, when do we get off this rollercoaster?” you ask nervously.

      Barry chuckles, “Now would be good.”

✧ Watchtower Masterlist ✧

[rusty-guitar-strings]

Sleep Schedule

or This Fic Switches from Fluff to Angst so Fast it Gave Me Whiplash and I’m the One Who Wrote It (Not Sponsored by Starbucks)

Summary: Someone can’t sleep. Two someones, actually, and neither of them want to do anything about it. They do want the other person to sleep though. How could this possibly be solved?

or

Logan has work to do. Remy has no work to do, but is staying up anyway, for some reason Logan can’t comprehend. Remy is hiding something. Logan intends to find out what.

Rating: G or T

Pairings: Losleep/Sleep Schedule (goin’ full RWBY on these ship names)

Word Count: 2,025

Warnings: cursing, playful arguing, two very slight sexual innuendos, use of an undesired name (not deadnaming but similar), crying, one mention of religion

Note: This was written on request/suggestion from @blinksinbewilderment. My first kind-of sort-of request. I do take them!! Anyway enjoy. Also I love Remy. (If you can find the nod to blink I crammed in there, you win a hat)

All-nighters were better when they weren’t ‘all-alone-nighters’ as Remy liked to call them. Luckily, Logan wasn’t currently dealing with loneliness. No, it was quite the opposite.

“Oi, Squid-nerd, check it.” Logan’s very important financing for props of an upcoming video was suddenly blocked by the Sleep aspect’s phone, which contained a meme of some sort. He squinted wearily and adjusted his glasses, leaning in to get a closer look. It appeared to be Winnie the Pooh (what was a ‘pooh’ anyway?) effectively mimicking Logan’s current expression. The top mentioned something about someone’s mom looking at memes, and it was all he could do not to sputter.

“That is not nearly as amusing as you seem to find it, Remigius, and it doesn’t- it’s not even accurate, I can’t- I’m not your mother, that’s impossible- stop laughing-“

Remy was rolling on the floor now, knees to his chest, absolutely weeping with laughter. He got far too giggly when he was sleep deprived, in addition to the sass, and it was as frustrating as it was endearing. “I can’t believe that worked! Girl, you are too much!” He shrieked and wiped his face, chest seizing with giggles.

“How do you expect anyone else to be asleep with all this pandemonium?” Logan couldn’t quite hide all the fondness from his voice. “Aren’t you supposed to be monitoring Thomas’ dream activity, anyhow?”

“Boring business,” the diva wheezed, waving Logan off dismissively. “Same old stuff, weird self-inserts he won’t even remember when he wakes up.”

“Remigi-“

“Remy.”

“Yes, fine, Remy. Your job is important, you should be taking every aspect of it seriously.” Logan lifted an eyebrow at him, managing to pull a serious enough expression for how late at night it was.

The figment in question was sitting up in the blink of an eye, grinning smugly. His shades obscured his eyes for the moment, but Logan knew they were gleaming with mischief.

“Ha. You said ‘Spec.’”

“Really? That’s what you went with?”

“The best jokes are unanticipated and take time to understand,” he stated matter-of-factly, in an infuriatingly accurate impression of Logic himself.

“You shut your mouth, sir.” Logan shoved a hand in Remy’s face in a feeble attempt to get him to stop.

Instead, he took Logan’s hand and, making eye contact over his shades for a split second, pressed a gentle kiss to the back of the side’s knuckles. “Like this?” He purred, lips curling into his usual smirk.

“That’s acceptable, yes.” Logan, determined not to be deterred from his signature stoic state, took back possession of his hand and patted Remy twice on the head before returning to his laptop. He bit the inside of his lip to avoid smiling at Remy’s obvious deflation. He continued his budgeting uninterrupted for a few blissful moments.

“Hey L, I have a proper- poorpro- a propsit-“

“Proposition?”

“Yes, a that. I have one of those for you.” Remy stared up at him through his shades, now kneeling next to Logan’s swivel chair. His arms were folded on one arm rest and he had his chin on them, successfully equating him to the puppies that Roman summoned so often.

“All right, Remig- Remy, what is it?”

“Get your ass in bed and go the fuck to sleep.”

“Profanity does not make one more appealing.” Logan didn’t stop typing. “And you should also be sleeping.”

“I don’t need sleep, honey, I am Sleep.” Remy stuck his tongue out teasingly.

“Falsehoods are not a good look on you, sweetie,” Logan deadpanned. Remy fell backward with a gasp.

“Who are you and what have you done with my Logan?” He demanded. At the end of his accusatory point, the side in question tried not to preen at the (admittedly over-dramatic) reaction to his outburst.

“I am still present.”

“Good. Go to sleep.”

“Why?” Logan waited patiently for his desired statement.

“Because you need it.”

That wasn’t quite it, so he tried again. “And why is that?” He asked evenly, adding Roman’s desperately important party poppers to the budget and scrawling a sticky note reminder to warn Virgil of the prince’s plans. The last thing they needed in a lighthearted video was an attack from him. Or on him. Logan added another sticky note directing future Logan to further explore Virgil’s role as anxiety, if he was the cause or effect, or if he could be both. He almost missed what Remy said, which would have been a disaster.

“Because sleep is important, Dumbo!”

“Ah ha!” Logan whirled in his chair triumphantly, the tip of his pen pointing directly at the figment’s nose. “So we are in agreement, then.”

Remy blinked in bewilderment. “What?”

“We both agree that you-“

“Stoppin’ ya right there, babes.” He waved a hand and conjured green tea in a Starbucks cup (not sponsored), a peculiar ability of his that Logan had yet to discover the reasoning behind. “I didn’t say nothin’ like that.”

“Why are you using double negatives? That is a disgusting misuse of the English language.” Logan, a certified nerd, gave Remy the dreaded Stare of Disappointment™️. Everyone in the Mindscape trembled in their figurative boots. But they were also asleep, so… figurative dream boots. Unless they weren’t wearing boots. They trembled in their figurative dream boots-or-other-footwear. Logan almost missed what Remy was saying for the third consecutive time.

“English is already disgusting, she doesn’t need my help.” He waved a hand. “End scene. Go to bed.”

“Roman appears to be rubbing off on you.” The creative side was the one to originate the habit of saying ‘end scene’ when he wanted to drop a conversation, and lately had begun to use it more and more seriously.

“Bitch, what did I say?” He pointed sternly at the bed, sitting with his legs crossed in the floor like toddler.

Logan tilted his chin upward defiantly. “Only if you sleep with me.” He was promptly hit in the face with a pillow.

“Ew! Nasty! No ma’am! Not in my good Christian household!” A multitude of other objects were thrown at him, luckily light and mostly harmless.

“Remigius, please- Remy! Let me rephrase, I did not intend to imply that we would, ah-“ he cleared his throat. “-have intercourse. If I am going to sleep, I want you to as well. Nothing more.” Logan adjusted his glasses awkwardly.

“Oh. Well, in that case, you’ve got a deal.” Remy looked around at the mess he’d made. “This looks like a problem for future me. I’m gonna get changed, see ya in a bit, boo.” He stood, winking. “Unless you want to join me.”

“No. I can change quite well on my own, thank you.” In a split second, Logan was wearing a science pun t-shirt (courtesy of Patton) and constellation pajama pants, and was idly removing his glasses to place them on his nightstand. He smirked to himself as Remy disappeared into the closet, complaining under his breath about how unfair his powers were and the fact that he had to change by hand.

About ten minutes later, Remy was in a tank top and shorts and his sunglasses still, lying next to Logan in bed and scrolling through his phone idly while the other attempted to sleep.

“Remy,” Logan whispered after a moment, harsh and sudden enough to make the figment jump and drop his phone. “Go to sleep.”

“Not until you do, wise guy.” He immediately regained a cool composure and reached for his device carefully.

“Are you always this hard-headed?” Logan sat up.

“Darling, have you met me?” Remy quirked an infuriatingly perfect eyebrow.

“Remigius-“

“Don’t call me that!” Sleep looked as stunned as Logan felt at his own outburst, then stiffened up and focused on his screen again instead. “Please.”

“Apologies. I wasn’t aware your proper name was a… sensitive… subject.” Logan rubbed one eye, staring downward. The other didn’t look up.

“It isn’t. I just don’t like how similar it is to… his.” He tapped his phone once with odd finality. “End scene.”

“I’m sorry, Remy, truly. I just believe that things should be called what they are, but I shouldn’t have applied that to-“

“End scene, Logan,” he persisted. “Please.” His voice broke a little, startling Logic, which was a rarity.

“Of course.” He fell silent and turned back to the blankets, rewinding the events in his mind and wondering what he’d done. It was unusual to see Sleep silent, still, and just… not causing general mischief. Where was the giggly figment he’d seen less than an hour ago? “Will you at least try and rest?”

“No rest for the wicked.” Remy smirked, typing something to someone, but it lacked the usual fire. “I meant what I said earlier. After you.”

“Remy…”

“It’s no biggie, Issac No-Fun. Go ahead and nod off, I’ll be here.”

“Rem-“

“I can hold down the fort, you know. My incredible humility prevents me from sharing my immense capability.”

“Remy. Look at me?”

“‘Course, I’d never complain about getting to- woah!” He jumped slightly when Logan took a light hold of his jaw, not daring to pull away.

“You mean that literally, don’t you?” Logan swallowed, all of his late nights or totally sleepless ones crashing back with a wave of a guilt to accompany them. “You are incapable of sleeping until everyone in the mind palace is no longer awake.”

Remy shrugged and opened his mouth, as if preparing a snarky comeback. Instead, what came out was, “It’s my job.”

Logan pushed Remy’s sunglasses up into his hair carefully, revealing dark, watery eyes shadowed by sleepless nights too numerous to count. “I’m sorry,” he breathed, “that you feel the need to use caffeine to stay awake.”

“I’m so goddamn tired, Logan,” the poorly named figment whispered, head falling forward to rest against Logan’s chest. “I can’t even take naps, it’s so fucking miserable…”

Logic softened, lifting his arms after a moment to wrap them around Remy. One hand cradled the back of his head as his body trembled against Logan’s and he let out a single, shuddering sob. “I know. We are- I am going to set a more steady sleep schedule. For all of us, including you. Would that be alright?”

Sleep nodded slightly against him, sitting up enough to try and rub his face. Logan lifted a tissue. “May I?” At another nod, he wiped Remy’s eyes, then handed it to him. “Blow. I will return with some water.” He pulled away slowly, then left the room after pausing to glance back.

Upon his return, Logan found Remy still sitting up smirking a little at something on his phone. He tried not to focus on how nice the figment’s eyes looked now that he could actually see them. He offered him the glass of water instead, then slid onto the bed next to him. “Drink at least half,” he advised.

Remy nodded, downed the water according to his orders, then wiped his mouth on the back of his arm. “Thanks, L.”

“No need. Lie back.”

“Dominant, are we?”

“Remy, lie back before I push you.”

“Okay, okay, I’m doing it. No need to get your tie in a twist.” He shifted to lay on his side, eyes still a bit teary. Logan reached out a hand to wipe them away gently. The tears. Remy’s eyes remained stationary. He tugged Remy’s shades from his hair and placed them on the nightstand next to his own glasses.

“Good. Relax, I am going to sleep so that you can. Please take advantage of it.” 

“I will.”

“Good.” Logan closed his eyes, lying down as well. He scooted a bit closer to Remy to wrap an arm over him from behind, no matter how it made his skin burn with heat. No one else was around to see.

“Night, babe,” Remy whispered, and that was the last thing Logan heard until morning.

The next day, the two would share knowing glances while going about their daily tasks. Logan would present his sleep schedule, Remy would deny everything that happened the previous night, and then eventually he would confess the nature of his powers. He would receive shock and some concern, and everyone would abide to Logan’s plan. And everything would be fine.

Everything would be fine.

[guksthighs]

The Stakeout || jhs

Your long-time crush on Hoseok is reciprocated during a drug bust.

wordcount: 1.7k

genre: police!au, fluff, slight angst

“Why did we insist on completing this stakeout with no relief team again?” Hoseok leant back in his chair, continuing to bounce a ball of the crumbling beige wall that had suspicious browning stains splattered in clusters.

You turned to look at your partner, his black hair was pushed out of his forehead with a hairband and wondered if you could plead mental instability in the court when asked why you would kill your partner and boss of three years because he wouldn’t stop talking.

Glueing your gaze on the door of the opposite building and fixing the lens of the camera to stop it from being blurry, you wondered how much longer you would have to wait at the alleged drug pick up point before your superior, Jung Hoseok, would agree that you had been misinformed.

That was unlikely but still, you could dream.

“It’s not that I’m taking away from your star performance on the field Y/N, it’s just- I might have come to the conclusion that two weeks of being cooped up into a hotel room together is sanity-destroying.” Hoseok was on radio duty, flicking through the channels in case anyone radioed a meeting in, but the familiar static that you had grown attuned to was no longer audible and you knew he was busy stalling from actually working.

“Stop talking like I’m enjoying this,” you replied, frowning at how snappy you sounded and with a sigh you pulled your gaze away from the door to meet Hoseok’s intense stare.

Both of you stared at each for a few moments before Hoseok laughed and ran a hand through his hair, “how could you not enjoy being cooped up with someone as handsome and fun as me?”

He batted his eyes in an exaggerated fashion before pouting slightly, causing you to laugh and as you moved to stand up, he leant over and placed a hand on your thigh, “if you’re so bored, wanna have sex?”

Your eyes widened, heart racing as you prayed Hoseok was joking because although you had been crushing on your boss for as long as you’d known him, you were certain there was a clause in your contract that said there were to be no workplace relationships.

After an extended awkward silence that left you whiplashed with shock, Hoseok cleared his throat and caught your eye, a huge blush spread over his cheeks and dyed the tips of his ears a scarlet red, “I was just joking.”

But before you could answer he was beginning to rise from his chair, slowly raising a finger to point at the door you had both been watching, “fuck they’re here.”

And that was all it took for both of you to lose the bashful “first love” act and become serious, as you reached for the camera and began to set it up to record the meeting, both of you grabbed your guns and vests before sprinting out of the apartment.

Even so, you couldn’t help but hope that Hoseok hadn’t been joking and that for once his own emotions had caught him off-guard.

“We have a 10-78,” Hoseok was running down the stairs behind you, his voice echoing around the stairwell, cold and commanding and in front of him you were sprinting, pulling your bulletproof vest on whilst trying not to fall flat on your face.

There had been busts that were famous for losing the only lead and ruining cases and it would be over your dead body that you would be cooped up in a room with Hoseok for two weeks again knowing you had to maintain a work relationship with him.

“All units are needed!” Hoseok sounded frustrated and you decided now was not the time to point out you weren’t wearing your trainers but a pair of bright yellow crocs. Now was the time to make a bust and that was all.

Finally you reached the bottom floor, pulling your gun from its holster you looked at Hoseok waiting for his nod to signal you could leave, but instead you found yourself staring at the small crease in the middle of his forehead, eyebrows furrowed and lips pouting slightly as he waited for enough cover to attempt an arrest.

His shoulders rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath, and it was when you placed your gun back into the holster so you could lean forward and tighten the shoulder strap of his vest that Hoseok fell silent, and you felt the heat of his gaze burning into your scalp as you bit your lip and finished your action.

But before you could pull away Hoseok caught your hand in his and squeezed it, “stay safe detective,” with that he pulled you into his chest and pressed a kiss to your lips. And just as Hoseok began to pull back, you decided it was now or never.

Your hands moved from your sides to wrap around his waist, grabbed his waist so you could run your hands over Hoseok’s new undercut which had made your heart flutter since he’d first come in with his cut. He cleared his throat before glancing away to avoid your gaze and you don’t know if maybe he knew what was going to happen in that bust or if it was just luck that he managed to spout the words: “you know- I- I’ve liked you for awhile now. ”

You were so shocked you were sure your face was hotter than the surface of the sun and you laughed before pressing a kiss to Hoseok’s lips, grinning as you replied, “I’ve felt the same Sir.”

Hoseok pulled away, his entire face flushed red, “so don’t you fucking die,” he whispered against your lips in a hot pant, “my star detective.” and you tried not to smile as you licked your lips and tasted the residual spearmint of his tongue, before placing one last kiss to his lips.

The static of the radio reminded you both of your situation and you jumped out of his hold, with a shy smile to yourself you touched your lips with the thought of Hoseok actually reciprocating your feelings causing your stomach to bubble with joy.

But then you heard the familiar click of a handgun being loaded, and looked up to see Hoseok clicking the safety off his gun before nodding for you to do the same. Quickly you pulled your gun out of its holster and flicked it off safety before nodding at Hoseok, biting your lip and sending a quick prayer to any omniscient being to protect him if this got out of hand.

With a final smile, Hoseok placed his left hand on the door handle, slowly bending it down before nodding at you and pulling the door open in one smooth movement before pointing his gun at the dealer as you aimed at the buyer, “you’re surrounded, drop everything and put your hands up.”

Your eyes were trained on the woman who was smiling a little to large, a black case was tightly in her grip and you watched her nod at the seller who placed a wad of money on the floor. His hands were trembling as he raised them but you felt something cold run down your back and that was when trench coat moved slightly in the wind and you saw what looked like the black strap of a gun holster.

“Sir-“ you started, but Hoseok was busy greeting the other units, who were now arriving with sirens and flashing blue lights, with curt nods and you attempted to warn him again, “Sir’”

“Not now Detective,” he whispered before pointing his gun at the woman who had placed a hand on her hip and was still looking worryingly okay, “Miss hands up and drop the case.”

“Go to hell!” The woman said and your body was moving before you could say anything, and it was as if in slow motion as her manicured fingers wrapped around a small automatic gun before aiming at Hoseok. Then upon seeing the shocked look he was giving you, she smiled, “die you fucking pig.”

The bullet would have hit you in the head if another officer hadn’t tackled the woman by the waist and floored her, using her distraction to take her down and keep the number of causalities to one.

In fact, the bullet skimmed you shoulder and left you laying on your front covered in your own blood and it was only when you watched Hoseok shove other officers to get to you that you began to feel the pain bleed into your bones, “where was she shot?” His eyes were wide and from the amount of blood that covered you, it was unclear to where the wound actually was, “is she dying?” He locked eyes with you and grasped your hand, “don’t you dare fucking die.”

With a cough, you nodded before turning your head to look at the officers detaining both criminals and quickly a medic arrived on the scene, one that was familiar with having to treat you following big cases.

“Woah Y/N, you managed to get shot this time,” Jimin laughed and signalled to his partner to help move you onto your back which led to you biting your lip so hard it drew blood. The medics were quick to find the bullet wound and even though it wasn’t life threatening, the close proximity to the gun and the extent of your shock resulted in you being loaded into an ambulance with Hoseok holding your hand through the entire process.

It was only when you were placed on a hospital trolley that Hoseok noticed your footwear, his eyebrows furrowing before he began to laugh, “Did you seriously just catch a major drug dealer in crocs?”

+++

Jessnote: BROOKLYN NINE NINE SEASON 2 EPISODE 11 !!!!! i’m hopelessly obsessed with my boy jake peralta and also i admit i love a man in a uniform sooo i give you a policeman!au~~ all the terms were from b99 bless and there might be a smuttier part two if wanted?

+ PROMPT GAME:

181: “If you’re bored; wanna have sex?”

48: “I’ve liked you awhile now.”

> POSTS EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY AT 11PM (UK TIME) <

[khhunniewriting]

No Coincidence

As you got closer and closer to the semi-finals of Show Me The Money your fanbase grew. Not only were you gaining credibility as a rapper but also great friends and future business partners. Since you were basically an unknown underground rapper the biggest question on everyone’s mind was who you would end up signing with.

You were always sending love to Yoon Mirae making people think you wanted in with Feel Ghood. But then again you were in Zico & Dean’s team. “I swear I’m going to make my own company and sign you.”

You laughed, it was getting late and you were still caught up rehearsing. Coming up with your next performance for the show was proving to be difficult. Hangzoo had already gone home while you remained. “Give me a good contract Boss and I’ll sign.”

“Really?” Dean asked in shock. He too thought you were after Feel Ghood. 

“Honestly,” your hand pressed against your chest. “I’m open to all offers but I do have a list.” You shot a wink at Zico, “I’ll add you to the list Boss.”

“I like being called Boss,” Zico sat taller feeling like he had just been crowned king. From now on you should just call me Boss.”

“Show me the money first,” you shot back causing the filming staff and Dean to break out in laughter. 

\\\

Unfortunately, your next performance was your last.

You hugged Hangzoo and congratulated him for being the last member of the team. “You have to win this,” you encouraged while shedding a few stray tears. It was an emotional time, on one hand, you were sad to go but on the other, you had done your best and showed what you were made of.

Hangzoo nodded as held you. He really didn’t want to see you go while he stayed. Zico and Dean joined the hug and gave you words of encouragement that brought back your smile. 

On all sides, the other producers and remaining finalists waited to also bid you farewell. You were the final female rapper, your leaving meant the stage would be all men again. They would be losing their witty queen who had a comeback for everything. 

“We’re going to miss you Y/N,” Tiger JK gave you a final comforting pat on the back. He slid you a card making you gawk at both him and Bizzy.  “That’s my wife’s number.”

“Are you serious? I have Yoon Mirae’s number?” Finally, you had managed to get your favorite rapper to notice you. Everyone wanted to take a look but you quickly held it to your chest obstructing their view and jumping with joy. 

That’s how filming ended for you... or so you thought. 

As you walked out into the parking lot you ran into Jay Park. “Going home?” he asked rhetorically. He knew you used public transportation and wanted to offer you a ride. This just seemed like the proper thing to say first before doing so.

“Yeah,” you nodded.

“Even though you got eliminated today, you’re a winner and you should be sent home like one.”

You had to admit you blushed hard just in time for Dok2 to see it too. He came out almost out of nowhere like he was waiting for you somewhere in the shadows.

“What’s going on?” His question was directed at Jay who he thought had already left. 

“Just some business.”

“Business?” you asked now realizing what this was about. You were being scouted by CEO Jay Park. “You want me in H1ghr?” That was the label he seemed to be recruiting for recently but he shook his head.

“AOMG.”

Your hands clasped over your mouth to muffle your loud gasp. Could it be true? Were you really being offered the chance to be the second female signed to AOMG? “Like with Hoody and Simon and Gray-”

Jay laughed, “yes to everything.”

“Shit-” you muttered to yourself. First, you got an invitation to Feel Ghood and now one to AOMG. Could things get any better?

Zico approached the three of you with an amused smile. He had expected this. You were truly talented, a diamond in the rough that people were desperate to get their hands on and help shape into something even more amazing. “Is everyone trying to take my talent?”

“Your talent?” Dok2 asked completely unaware of your little conversation with Zico the week before since the episode had yet to air. None of the other producers even knew Zico planned to open up his own company. 

Zico nodded, “I am now officially CEO of KOZ Entertainment.”

No one was as taken back as you though. “Damn Boss, you really did it?” Because even if Zico had told you about it you didn’t expect him to really want you in his label. By no means was any of this expected.

Dok2 did not appreciate how close you had grown with Zico or how he towered over you as he showed you some pictures of his new office that was yet to be seen by anyone else. He, on the other hand, had to keep from conversing with you.

“Is Illionaire looking for their first female rapper?” Jay asked. Even though he was personal friends with Dok2 he didn’t know he was interested in you. When everyone else talked about you he seemed particularly quiet. He did, however, catch him staring a few times. “Were you eyeing her all this time?”

You nearly got whiplash from how quickly you turned to look at Dok2. 

With all eyes on him, Dok2 had no choice but to say something. “Depends on Y/N.”

The weight of his words made it hard to breathe. “Woah, okay I think I might be dreaming.” For once you had no response to offer.

“If this were a dream I don’t think you would have lost...” Jay pointed out.

“True,” you straightened up and looked each one of them in the eye. All three CEOs were skilled and respected in the community. There was no wrong answer but a decision like this couldn’t be made on the spot. “I appreciate all of this but I need to think about it for a while.” 

It was understandable, this was your future- the future of your career. “And as for the ride- I just don’t want to show favoritism to anyone so I’ll just go home the way I usually do.”

And just like any other day you walked down the street to catch the first bus that would take you to the subway station you frequented. All the while you thought of how you had ended your time on the show by crying. “God~” you whined pushing your forehead against the window making the person sitting beside you question your sanity. “Why did I have to go out like that-” your eyes widened as you saw the familiar Rolls-Royce Ghost of a certain CEO. 

You scowled in its direction as you stepped out off the bus. After only a couple of steps, you heard your phone begging to be dug out of the small red leather crossbody bag you carried daily. You knew he was watching you through his heavily tinted windows. So you rebelled, you shook your head refusing to answer.

Dok2 gave up. He stepped out in his Gucci bomber and tugged on his beanie. “You know I don’t like being ignored.” 

You sighed as people started to notice him and by default- you.  It was inevitable if he was around. “And I don’t like standing out in public.” Ironic- with your passion of performing and aspirations of breaking out of the underground scene into mainstream media. You turned him around hooking your arm with his and dragging him back to his car as quickly as possible- before anyone could act on the fact that you two were speaking to each other on the streets, 

Not forgetting his decorum, Dok2 opened the door for you. “You sure about that?” The way you auditioned for Show Me The Money told him otherwise.

Your eyes followed him as he made his way around the front of the car and into the driver’s seat. “Why are you mad?” Weren’t you the one who was supposed to be mad? He was the one who suddenly showed up.

“I’m not mad.” Correction- he was annoyed, maybe even irritated.

“Well I am,” you crossed your arms over your chest. He was jeopardizing everything you had worked hard for. “Joonkyung all I wanted was to prove myself. I wanted people to see my talent.” 

For the past two years that you and Joonkyung had been dating no one had managed to find out.  At first, it wasn’t intentionally meant to be a secret. It was just you two trying things out without putting pressure or having to explain anything to anybody. Now you were used to it. The two of you were becoming increasingly serious as your name was starting to gain some recognition.

That’s why you decided to audition for Show Me The Money- before anyone could pin your success on your relationship with Joonkyung. You intentionally kept your audition a secret from him, chose a different team, and kept your distance from him to avoid speculation.

“You proved yourself,” Joonkyung reached for your hand holding it up to his lips. “Baby you did good.”

His sincerity warmed your heart but you couldn’t smile. Instead, you leaned over the center console to place your forehead on his shoulder. “I lost Joonkyung~” your voice came out whinier than you intended but dammit you were sad. “All I wanted was to win so I could join Illionaire.”

Dok2 wrapped his arm around you as you began to cry. “If you wanted to join all you had to do was ask.”

“Ugh,” you pushed off of him with a groan. “You don’t get it. I don’t want you to just get me because I’m your girlfriend. I want to earn it.”

“You have earned it.” The whole reason he met you was because Hyoeun told him about you. He had seen you at one of your shows at a bar that was well known for its hip-hop performances. “I didn’t just run into you when we met.”

“What do you mean?” you asked intrigued by where this was going. The remaining 50% of your makeup that had managed to survive your tears at the filming was now gone. You dabbed at the edges of your eyes trying to regain composure.

After two years he was finally confessing how he had admired you from afar before chasing you. How he had intentionally booked Hyoeun and Hash Swan at an event you were performing at just so he could have a way to get close to you. “I liked your music, then I liked you too.”

“Babe-” you cut yourself off as you hid your face in his neck. You hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go or he’ll see how hard you were blushing. 

Dok2 didn’t care, “So you can forget about the other offers now.” He pulled you over to his side making you sit on his lap. Space was tight as you tried to keep from pushing any buttons. 

There was something strange in the way he said those words. It seemed like he was happy, relieved even. “Well, I have to at least talk to them. I didn’t even get to congratulate Jiho.”

“Jiho?” Dok2 tilted his head giving you a questioning look. He wondered when you started calling him by his name. 

“Yeah, he’s my friend- very funny. One time he and Hyuk-”

“You’re friends with him too?”

You nodded, “the episode didn’t air yet but we went to the arcade together as a group.” The arcade was your all-time favorite place to go. When Zico and Dean took the team you were the most excited. “They’re all pretty cool.”

“Babe you can’t just tell your boyfriend how cool other guys are. Especially when I just saw you being with them for months while you ignored me.”

“I had to ignore you.”

“That’s not the point.”

“You can’t be jealous.”

“Why not?” Of course he was jealous. You were beautiful, talented, and potentially single to everyone else. He had to think about the possibility of someone trying to make a move on you. 

“Because I’m already your girlfriend.” The thought of Joonkyung being jealous never even crossed your mind. "You're always so confident and sure of yourself. Do you honestly think I would leave you for Jiho or Jay?”

“I never said anything about Jay.”

You sheepishly smiled, ”Guess I was just thinking about him.” When you saw the flash of jealousy you confirmed he was indeed the jealous type when it came to you. Instead of holding it against him you put him at ease with a kiss. “Just kidding~”

-end-

A/N: Yeah so what do you guys think about CEO Zico and KOZ?

[merrysithmas]

st3 criticisms in sum

-the sexism in stranger things 3 was UNREAL off the CHARTS. like so overwhelmingly apparent that i cant even remember all the instances because there were literally so many. it was seriously jarring because it was totally unintentional -- and worse, often passed off as 'cute'.

-WHERE are the people of color! Suzy, the mayor, the Post characters, Robin.. all could have been cast as people of color. this is a HUGE problem with this show.

-will and robin, the gay characters. i love them. but the writing: we got to know they were gay for sure (yay) but their narratives were reduced to pining and sadness and ostracization in the summer of love -- which we saw rather jarringly juxtaposed to the narrative loudness of the heterosexual romance archetypal wish fulfillment arcs (the pedulum-swinging schoolchild puppy love of mike and el and the alleged 'sexual tension' between joyce and hopper -- which were both, oh boy, VERY alarming. written as if they were supposed to be likeable, realistic, - and even more disturbing -desireable. when they actually appeared at most times as dishonest, insensitive, and nonserious/not genuine love (mike, el) or abusive, dismissive, even scary (joyce, hopper). oh man, heteros i dont understand this! so bleak. just... eek).

-in careful hands the pariah/sadness quality of the limitedness of will and robin's "summer of love" scenes could have been used for poignancy and historical accuracy, while being dedicated to allowing a undercurrent of hope for will and robin through the acceptance of their friends. however, again, like the casual sexism, the casual manner by which will and robin's sadness is written, next to such jarring examples of what is supposed to appear as High Romance between the heterosexual dynamics, the dimness of will and robin's situations appear less like a thoughtful sympathetic commentary on queerness in the 80s, and instead like an unintentional, homophobic bias of the writers, and likely intentional homophobic bias of the company, or CEOs.

-the PRODUCT PLACEMENT HOLY. SHIT. the ENTIRE season was a commercial: Eggos, Kit Kats, Burger King, 7/11, Slurpees, Whoppers, Coke, COKE, Coke!, Snickers, Uhaul, The Gap, Camels, TAB, Nike... and that's just SOME of it. i make a point to avoid/limit ads in my life bc capitalism is a joke, so i REALLY notice this stuff and it was nauseating how sold-out the quality of the show seemed. they even had Lucas say a full-ass Coke commercial in the scene itself. a FULL commercial. sheesh!!

-The American Exceptionalism presented without any irony. Erica (a ten year old child)'s heralding of capitalism with no antithetical commentary from the contrasting communist thought school/and the cartoony depiction of Soviets. those things remove gravity from the show to make it lighthearted mass popcorn fare and takes away any intriguing cerebral-ness that s1 had. The blatant excess of 80s capitalism can be thought of as a pivotal moment in American history, whatever your beliefs, and it was strange how, again, there didnt seem to be much thought or intent in commentary on that but more unintentional promotion of it (neverending product placement). jarring.

-the lack of character development for almost every single character/dynamic and/or the one-note transparent "fill this role" characterization to almost every character.

-the overuse of El's powers as a plot device, limiting the actions/purpose of other characters. el obviously lost her powers as a result which im sure was the intent, but still the over reliance on them as a deus ex machina in the writing makes the other characters purposeless (see the many episodes when all 7 kids were grouped together and never had any lines or did any actions but watch/react to el -- hot damn that's bad writing). this is a dissservice to el's character as much as the others.

-the confused role of "who is the villain" in the show. s1: the lab and American govt were evil/shown to be maybe even more corrupt than the 'Evil' Soviets, contrasted to the blind patriotic belief of midde class midwestern white people in Reagan's 80s America. Hopper doent trust the govt bc of Vietnam but begrudgingly works as a cop, prob one of the only jobs he could get with his skills. SO GOOD. s2: hey everyone was fired at the lab, the lab is nice now. hopper works with the govt that he didnt trust (a bedrock of his character in s1) and keeps their secrets himself to the detriment of the town/el/etc... What???? s3: AMERICA is the BEST! russians are EVIL!!!! hopper is comedic relief. what? woah i have whiplash.

-the lack of stakes. will possessed for a whole season? never mentioned. el lost her powers? mike says "dont worry i know theyll come back". hopper dies? after credits scene. mindflayer beaten 3x? it will come back. very very odd. no gravity at all.

-the saccharine and tonally off 'you gotta grow up someday' vibe of s3, capped by hopper's monologue at the end really negates the whole appeal of the show. st became popular because people do NOT want to give up the idyllic freedrom and adventuresome spirit of childhood and "simpler" times and should not have to. by reinforcing the opposite they dispel the whole appeal that made the show popular. we want to see mike, lucas, dustin, will, el, max be the DnD heroes they aways have been, in both their games and eventually, their real lives. and one day, both. that would be good transition. not give it up! they need to be the heroes to show us we can do the same.

-the dismissal of Otherness. robin had a line, (paraphrase) "all the weirdos just want to be cool and popular" which is SUPER opposite to s1's "we dont need your popular or cool... it means nothing, when we stand together the 'weirdos' are strong" message and it felt, again, like they were gutting their own appeal. i thought this especially obtuse being said by a canon queer character.

well... that's it! wanted to express all the thoughts/why i felt the show was so poorly done this time around. instead of thoughtful nostalgia it transitioned tonally to silly irreverence (with the weird flippant Guardians of the Galaxy vibe many popular franchises try to mimick for some reason). i dont have much stock in s4 or investment now that ive seen how the show has been geared to marketing for mass appeal/corporate sponsors and profitability rather than storytelling, but i will watch s4 for the gays and 80s aesthetic at least. the gays <3