#and i wasn’t going to risk ruining this by adding a background so watch them float

[yyumehh]

the turtle crew in concert/rave fits 🔊🎶

is it obvious i started with april and leo, then had to SQUISH everyone else onto the page 😅 poor raph has to crouch to fit lmao

i’m really proud of this though?!?!! i’ve only ever drawn duos at most, so five people is a huge jump for me!

peep the regression 🫣 cus my brain was braining

[nikki-pondtheauthor]

The Side of Princeton

[A College AU where Jazz and Jason are forced to be roommates together. A "Coming-of-Age" fic.] Jazz watched as snow continued to fall around her, so soundlessly in the middle of the night. The campus was mostly empty, with students and faculty members all going home for the holidays, leaving Jazz here to stare and enjoy this beautiful scenery.

“Hey Jazz!” a familiar voice called out to her.

And it was her roommate. And probably her closest friend here at Princeton University.

You’d think for an Ivy League with its reputable background, its housing would be great. But Jazz begged to differ considering her roommate.

When she’d first arrived in Princeton, she had been surprised to find out that she was paired with a male roommate named Jason Todd, a freshman majoring in English—Not like she would ever change it now considering Jason has become one of her closest friends here in Princeton.

Jazz had first complained to the resident adviser about this and was immediately switched to a worse roommate than her first one. An obsessed Fortnite player and not even the Fenton earplugs could block the sounds of her roommate grinding the game in the middle of the night. And Jazz couldn’t even complain again since there were no available housings or rooms left except Jason’s.

And Jazz very much valued well night’s worth of sleep and quiet, thank you very much.

She’s surprised the resident adviser hasn’t caught onto them since opposite genders as roommates were against the dormitory’s policy, though Jason would say he’s got that cover, always leaving her with that particular glint in his eyes, whatever that meant. Jazz did not want to know. Plausible deniability was her best bet.

“Jazz,” he called out, and Jazz blinked in surprise as he stepped closer into her orbit, winding his arms around her.

Jazz let out a little breath and nodded, stepping closer and resting her head on his shoulder, her heart starting to pound madly in her ears. And if her face flushed red as her back faced against his chest, Jazz would forever deny and say it was the cold that was making her cheeks all red.

She was surprised when Jason started to sway their bodies together, humming in her ear, a familiar Christmas tune.

“What are you doing?” She let out a laugh, amused, trying to glance back at him but he only pressed closer to her.

“It’s snowing.”

“So?”

“Blame the holiday spirits. I’m in a mood for some cheers,” he grunted. And Jazz can’t tell whether he’s sarcastic or not. It wasn’t long before he went back to a familiar tune and Jazz couldn’t help but sing it on her head. 

I don't want a lot for Christmas There is just one thing I need I don't care about the presents Underneath the Christmas tree I just want you for my own More than you could ever know Make my wish come true

She was just enjoying being lost in her thoughts while being surrounded by his warmth when Jason suddenly spoke up.

“You don’t have to like me back just because I confessed.” And Jazz tried not to tense. But of course, Jason noticed because he quickly added. “I know I made things awkward between us, ruining our roommate agreement and all that.”

“Yeah…” She won’t deny that.

“I’m not sorry for feeling that way,” he added. 

I don’t expect you to apologize for that, Jazz thought in her head.

“I’m a selfish bastard, I can’t help it. But…I AM sorry that I made you uncomfortable. And that I made things complicated between us.”

“I can’t love you back, Jason,” Jazz uttered after a moment of silence. There’s too much risk if I allow that. I like our little space. Our comforting bubble. Our routine together.

“I know,” he agreed quickly with a bit of heartbreak in his eyes.

She wished she could apologize. She wished she could take her words back if not to see her friend hurting before her, because of her, really, but it needed to be said. That she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to enter a romantic relationship.

Jazz sort of hated Jason for disrupting her equilibrium. She wished she could forget about Jason’s confession to her and just go back to the way they were. But she can’t, no matter how many times she played the oblivious card.

If someone asked Jazz to define her relationship with Jason, she would say:

Our friendship is like a treehouse. A secret ‘you and me’ house. A little escape, high above the world where imagination meets nature’s wonder. A galleon as cozy as can be. Our fort against the maddening world.

“Are you okay with that?” she asked, just to make sure.

“Yeah,” Jason let out a heavy sigh like he already accepted her decision even though it hurt him. “But Jazz…All that matters to me is that you act on how you truly feel.”

What was Jason talking about?

“If you ignore my texts, I’ll let myself be ignored. If you stand me up, I’ll let myself be stood up. And if you dump me, I’ll let myself be dumped. All of that is romance to me…because we’d be doing things together that I can’t do on my own.”

It wasn’t said with resignation. Nor defeated. The words fell from his lips easily as if they’d just been lying in wait for the right moment to make themselves known.

“…okay.”

And Jazz must be crazy for considering it. It’s only going to end with more heartbreaks down the road.

But perhaps Jason was right earlier, blame the holiday spirits, just this once, she’d allow this.

In the spirit of Christmas, I’ll allow it, that’s what Jazz kept telling herself. It was the only gift she could afford to give despite the guilt threatening to swallow her whole. 

His voice dipped with his chin as it pressed against her shoulder. “All I want for Christmas…is you.” he sang softly, sorrow in his tone. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52092610/chapters/131749261

❄️ Haunting Heroes DPxDC Winter Advent 2023 ❄️

The Haunting Heroes DPxDC Discord Server is happy to announce its first official event: Haunting Heroes Winter Advent 2023.

❄️ ABOUT THE EVENT ❄️

🔹 What is Winter Advent? A DPxDC (Danny Phantom and DC Comics crossover) winter event to celebrate the winter holidays and the end of the year. Each day has two prompts you can choose from, along with a total of 6 free days where you can create anything you want!

🔹 When? December 10th to December 31st (2023)

🔹 Where?

Tumblr: If you post on Tumblr, feel free to tag this blog @haunting-heroes-creative-games and use the tag #hauntingheroesadvent23 so we can find and reblog your submissions

AO3: You can submit to our AO3 collection. We'll close the collection on January 31st, so you have plenty of time to catch up.

Discord: You can share your work on our Haunting Heroes DPxDC (safe for work 18+) Discord server. To join, just send us an ask

🔹 What kind of submissions can we send?

We welcome all kinds of creations for this event: art, sketches, drabbles, one-shots, multi-chapter mania, you name it! You are free to combine or skip any days of your choosing. You don’t need to post every day in order to join! The most important thing is you have fun and enjoy these last few weeks of 2023.

We are so excited for this upcoming event, and we hope you can join us as we wrap up the end of the year and look forward to a thriving fandom in the next.

Thanks @disillusioneddanny for the calendar!! 🩵

[Full prompt list under the cut]

December 10: Free Day

December 11: Mistletoe // Snowman

December 12: Holiday Songs // Fireplace

December 13: Free Day

December 14: Candles // Winter Holiday

December 15: Stories // Hot Cocoa

December 16: Past/Present/Future // Sledding

December 17: Free Day

December 18: Stars // Gift Exchange

December 19: Workplace Holiday Party // Blankets

December 20: Free Day

December 21: The Grinch // Snowball Fight

December 22: Baking // Movie Night

December 23: Lights // Gingerbread House/Men

December 24: Free Day

December 25: Holiday Market // Cuddles

December 26: Family Time // Decorations

December 27: Free Day

December 28: Sleigh Rides // Love

December 29: Ice Skating // Money

December 30: Resolution // New Year’s Party

December 31: Year in Review

[imaeraser]

Hi, I loved your ex-Admiral Reader joining the straw hats and U was wondering if you could make a part 2 where the reader and the Straw hats (separately) falling for the new reader.

Please and Thank you

🥰🥰🥰

Sounds great!

Luffy

At first, he thought that he was being friendly

Spending time with you, trying to make the Sunny as welcoming as possible, but then he started to get these warm fuzzy feelings

So he decided that he liked it, and spent even more time with you, but it only made it worse

It got so bad, that at one point he had to leave the room when you entered

When he talked about it to Nami and Robin, they just laughed

Then he got pouty and then demanded they tell him what they were laughing about

“You like them Luffy”

Of course, he likes you, he likes everyone on the crew. Then they had to explain to him that he was feeling romantic feelings

It all made sense, but he also got scared

He saw how love affects people and their careers. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to sacrifice that much for another person

But then Nami and Robin told him he already sacrificed so much for his crew

That’s when he decided he was gonna confess

Zoro

He was against you in the beginning

That’s why it didn't bother him when he wanted to spend more and more time with you. But it started to confuse him when he realized it wasn't to keep an eye on you

So he started to train more, but each time his mind drifted of it drifted off to you

Then he decided to (finally) take more showers, but while washing his hair, he found himself imagining your fingers rubbing his scalp

So he stopped taking showers (again)

Whatever he did, his mind drifted to you. How you would like something, what you would do if you were with him

So he opted to spend more time with you

This confused you, so when you asked he kinda blew up and talked about your allegiance. Of course, this made you sad, and seeing you sad made him realize that he screwed up. Later he talked to you in a hushed voice and apologized

I don’t think he’s the type to ask other people, but after yelling at you and apologizing (which he never does) he thinks it’s time to put down his pride

So when he talked to the boiz (I’m not sorry) they also laughed at him. Except for Luffy, Sanji, and Chopper. Luffy and Chopper were confused, and Sanji was making fun of him

This made him flushed, and as he was about to leave they pointed out the obvious, he liked you.

This made him even more flushed, and he slammed the door shut. But now that he knows what he is feeling, he can decide what to do

Nami

Was suspicious of you too

But as she spent more time with you, she realized that you were nice

So you guys started to stay up and talk about where you guys were from, dreams and aspirations, things you two wanted in the future. And of course about love, marriage, and kids. Just about everything

I think Nami would want to adopt two girls when she’s older. Just like Bellemare

She felt a fire bust in her chest when she saw your smile. She felt clouds split and the sunlight creep down her body when she saw you glance at her

And Nami is self-aware. You best believe that she knew what she was feeling

The knowledge made her shy away for a few days, but she realized that pushing you away wouldn’t make her happy

That means she put her flirtation on 10x

It did make you flustered— I mean a pretty lady hitting on you? Of course, you’re gonna be blushing

It’s mostly a series of compliments and dirty jokes added to the mix. But she didn’t confess for awhile

She didn’t want to disrupt the balance of the crew and was too scared to take the risk

But each time you talk to her, it makes her start to not care

Usopp

High-key scared of you

Was hiding behind Zoro as he interrogated you

But as he interrogated you, he realized that you were pretty nice

So he stopped hiding behind the human meat shield and decided to initiate contact himself

He was doing it to protect his crew… right?

Maybe at first, but he started to become interested in the person you are. Where you grew up, if you had any siblings, parents, dreams, and so on

Then he got addicted. He was a moth drawn to a flame, and he started to feel himself burn up— with love (It’s so cheesy, this is something I am sorry for)

He wanted to impress you. He would start to come up with all of these crazy gadgets

Sometimes he pranks you. He thinks you look cute when you’re mad

When he realized that he was feeling something romantic and not platonic— he went back to scared mode. Think of the stereotypical shy, cute, twiddling thumbs girl— yeah that's him

He keeps trying to confess, but then ends up chickening out

But after asking Franky for advice, he finally steeled his nerves

Sanji

Let’s just say that Sanji was a simp from the start

He may have been suspicious, but when he saw you his heartbeat unlike it had ever done before

It wasn't the usual feeling he got when he just saw a girl, it was something warmer

Of course, that made him want to explore it. Cue the excessive flirting

It honestly got kinda annoying, but once you guys started to talk about things that mattered (not him talking about how lovely you look) was when he started falling

And he fell hard

Sanji had never actually fallen for someone, so he got scared. That meant no more flirting, and him hiding when you entered the room

After you leave he holds his hand to his heart and breathes like he ran a mile

Poor Sanji, you give him butterflies. Too many butterflies

He wants to confess and get over it, but he finds himself getting lightheaded at the thought

Oh, there goes the blood

It gets so bad, that the crew has to take matters into their own hands

Chopper

He fell for you

Because you accidentally tripped him

(I’m not gonna make this romantic)

Robin

She was one of the only people who weren’t super suspicious

Instead, she took the time to get to know you better

When she got to see who you were, she couldn't help but start to fall for you

Make no mistake, Robin is very self-aware. When she started to get an inkling of feelings— she knew

But she likes to play oblivious. She’s good at masking her emotions. Plus, she doesn't want anything to change between you (except for the fact you don't kiss her yet)

She spends even more time with you now. She likes to read and do domestic things with you. She likes to imagine that you two live in a remote cottage

She likes to bring you tea when you read together

She wants to make a move, but she also doesn’t want to ruin what you guys already have

She likes to talk about her feelings with Nami

So every time you walk into the room, you catch Nami doing the wiggling eyebrows and Robin lightly slapping her arm

She just loves the way your brain works (as well as the way your lips look when they pull into a smile)

After enough pestering from Nami, she grabbed some flowers from her garden and decided to finally act on her feelings

Franky

You just started hanging out with him

Probably because he didn't care that you used to be in the navy

You would just watch him make things. And to be polite, he would let you try them out

Of course, this lead to you calling it amazing and boosting his ego

So he started to like when you were around

Then as a pastime, you two would get to know each other

That’s when he started to fall for you. He would start to notice the way your hair fell, and the way it caught the light

You became his muse. And all of a sudden, he's coming up with all of these crazy and brilliant inventions

No one noticed his growing crush on you, since you guys spent most of your time in his workspace, but one dinner the crew found him staring at you during dinner and tripping over himself

Cue the unnecessary teasing. He tries to cover it up as him being a pervert, but everyone knows that he is lying

Since he can’t convince anyone, he tries to convince himself. That means he starts to push you away

But when he starts to feel more empty, he owns up to his feelings and decides to change that

Brook

You would listen to his music

Listen, not just let it play the background

You always had this look of wonder in your eyes as you watched him

After getting to know him (which started by asking him how he learned so many instruments)

He likes the way you laughed and smiled, and… just do anything

He would start blushing when you would come up to him and talk. When he would see you across the room. When he would think about you… all the time

The crew started to notice but brushed it off as him being flattered by you being interested in his music

But when you guys weren’t doing something music-related, the two of you can be seen drinking tea or watching the ocean

He’s pretty self-aware, but he wants to deny it for a little while

But once the crew notices (due to his non-existent eyes following you) they push him to go after it. He’s been lonely for so long, it seems kinda weird for him

He also feels bad for liking you, since he’s dead and old

But he decided that you only live once, but in his instance twice

Jinbei

He was very suspicious of you

He didn't even want you to join. So he decided to keep an eye on you

That backfired

Because he started to notice how good you looked… doing everything. When he started asking you about yourself— boy he started sweating

He can’t get over how cute he thinks you are. Everything from how you look to how you act. The thumping of his heart can be heard by the fishes below

Cue the shifty eyes, twiddling thumbs, and flushed cheeks

He is honestly so cute. But of course, if anyone asks him what’s wrong, he’ll say he’s fine… sure

He tries to woo you by showing you his helmsman skills. If that doesn’t work he’ll tell you stories about Fishman island. If that doesn’t work… he’ll just listen to you and give his sage advice

The crew catches on quickly. He is just too obvious. That means incessant teasing from all of the members (excluding you)

Most of them find it ironic how he was telling Luffy it was a bad idea to let you on board, to think what it would be like to grab your hand with his webbed fingers

He’s self-aware, but he is also scared since he has never felt this way before

But after getting tired of the teasing, he decided he was gonna take you out for a swim… and whatever happens, happens (aka he’s preparing for a stuttering love confession)

[yesimwriting]

The Promise of Rain, blurb 2

The Promise of Rain (part 2?? technically) 

A/n I was not originally planning a second part for this but some people wanted it and this idea came to me and it works better with the context of ‘The Promise of Rain’ but it can technically be read as a stand alone :))

Anyways this might turn into a small series of kinda connected blurbs that are all kind of canon with each other but aren’t necessarily connected except for the reader’s background (the reader is a very sunshine-y person and knows Kaz bc she’s a runaway princess that he was hired to bring back home but she managed to convince him to let her work for him instead)

--

The night air had left me with a chill that made me want nothing more than to have my covers draped over me as I read. I’m normally more sociable after a job, especially after such a simple and safe ending, but a lot of tonight had left me wanting to be alone. 

Well, not truly alone. The company of my books is always welcomed, but tonight I can’t seem to find much comfort within the pages. After almost every paragraph, I find myself distracted by gusts of wind and thoughts of the heavy, silver clouds that seem to make up tonight. A part of me longs for the rain. I know it’s ridiculous to expect rain each time I desire some sense of comfort, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it. Especially when the sky so clearly implies it. 

“This must be the fifth time I’ve come here and you’ve been reading.” Kaz’s sudden appearance is almost enough to shake away my lingering somberness. 

I roll my eyes slightly, turning my attention back to the page in front of me. “That observation is just a testament to how often you come in here.” 

His glare is half hearted, a look I’d find endearing if I was less annoyed. “Where else am I going to find a reminder that good people exist in Ketterdam?” 

I think he may have a sixth sense that warns him when I’m treading the line between being annoyed and displeased. Everytime I find myself mad at him in a way that makes me want to avoid him instead of yell at him, Kaz makes some ridiculously heart-melting comment. He steps further into the room. I don’t miss the way he eyes my stretched out legs. Ever since the conversation we had after he woke up after an injury, we’ve fallen into the unmentioned habit of silently inviting the other to stay by moving to make room for them. 

It had started the day after the conversation in which Kaz had admitted that he wanted me to stay with him. He had been sitting on the small couch while discussing the details of a job. Shortly after I walked in he made a point of shifting so that he was clearly on one side of the couch. I didn’t think much about sitting down, but Inej and Jesper exchanged a look. 

Now, though, I keep my legs stretched out on the bed. He eyes my position on the bed, something grim crossing his features. 

“It might rain tonight.” 

He knows me so damn well. I hate it. “I hope so.”

I turn my head, analyzing the way the world seems to be on the cusp of something. I stare at the silver clouds until I feel something hard tap my leg. The tap is firm but not painful. I’m quick to look at Kaz as he lowers his cane. The mention of rain had been a distraction. 

“You distracted me on purpose.” 

“The first rule of the Barrel is to always be prepared.” There’s a slight uptilt to his lips, something I’ve learned to interpret as a sign of teasing. 

How is he so easy to be around one second and so cold the next? I resist a smile. “I’ll take notes.” 

Kaz ignores my passive aggressive tone. His focus seems to be on my legs that have still not moved to offer him a place next to me. “You wear your emotions too openly.” Great, he’s going to make us talk about it. “What reason could you possibly have to be mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at you.” It’s a partial truth. 

His expression harshens. “Don’t lie.” 

“I’m not thrilled with you, but I don’t think that’s the same as being mad.” 

Kaz lets out a partial sigh. “No, they’re not the same.” Such an early concession feels like a trap. “With you, the first option is worse.” I don’t have anything to say to that. “Is this because of what I said to Jesper?” 

My posture straightens on instinct. “He wants your validation more than he’d ever admit and I understand that expressing praise isn’t exactly something you do, but would it kill you to not actively insult him?” 

“I didn’t say anything that was wrong. He thinks he’s a gambler but he’s just someone born for losses.” The look I give him must mean something to him, because Kaz is quick to tact on, “That doesn’t make him less valuable of an asset or less relatively dependable.” 

I eye him cautiously, the slightest bit of vulnerability playing at his features. “Don’t look at me like that--and don’t tell me that. Jesper’s the one who could use the occasional reminder from you that you hold him to any regard with positive connotations.” His lips press together like he’s thinking about scolding me for scolding him. “It’s only because I know you care more about Jesper than you’d ever let on.” 

“Jesper’s esteem can handle the blow.” The curtness of his voice is a blow in its own sense. “And he didn’t exactly deserve to be in my good graces after what he did tonight.” 

My sigh is not weighted enough to match Kaz’s newfound fountain of emotion. “We were successful--”

“He left you.” I didn’t know Kaz’s voice was capable of such harshness. “I paired him with you, and he left you--and you almost didn’t make it.” I let the weight of his words take up all the available space in the room, keeping the silence that follows them until some of the heaviness has dissipated. “He could have cost me one of my best people.”

Oh. His harshness, his unwarranted coldness, had been a manifestation of his concern. For me. Guilt knots my stomach. Potential words that may offer Kaz some sort of support raise and die back down in my throat. Kaz turns towards the door. 

“Kaz.” He pauses. There’s a long moment in which I think he won’t turn around, but finally, he does. I tuck my legs beneath me, forcing myself to sit up a little straighter. “I told Jesper to leave because I knew the job would have failed if he had been trapped in that room with me.” I drop my gaze towards the window. “I was right, the job was successful, and I got out in time so it was worth it.”

“You risked your safety?” The harsh facet of his being is making its return in full force. 

“For the job,” I’m careful to keep my words factual, “It’s what we’re supposed to do.”

Kaz’s jaw locks. “When I said that keeping you near me would ruin you this is what I meant.” 

Is it really this big of a deal? I made it out. “Kaz.”

“This wasn’t my best idea.” His words are leached of anything. “You’re going back home. Tomorrow I’ll arrange the voyage myse--” 

“Kaz Brekker you may get to live your life doing anything you want but you don’t get to control mine.” My chin raises an inch, an instinctual act of subtle rebellion. “I am not going back there, even if I’m technically indebted to you because you didn’t return me to my father but that does not mean I’ll--”

“I’m not trying to control you.” His words are sharp, boarding on a yell. “A job like that one wasn’t worth you.” 

From Kaz, I know those words are heavy. There’s a lot of things I could say to that. I could tell him that I wanted to do something for him. I could say that I appreciate him telling me that. I could even say that in his own way, Kaz giving Jesper a hard time because he left me, is kind of cute in a misguided way. The thing is I think all of these responses will make things worse. 

“Kaz,” I keep my voice as steady as possible, “I’m fine, you’re fine, it all worked out.” Scratching the back of my arm, I exhale gently. “I’ll be more careful next time, I promise.” 

I watch him carefully, there’s a slight slump to his shoulders as he exhales. Is the fight leaving him so easily? He walks further into the room. “You better.” He sits down in the space I provided for him slowly. “If you’re not you’ll have worse things to worry about than anything that can happen to you on a job.” He moves his cane forward easily, tapping my knee in a swift motion. 

I roll my eyes at the mock threat. “They do say that there’s nothing to fear in the Barrel like the Dirtyhands.” 

“Remember that.” Any edge in his voice is forced. I fight against a smile that seems to always want to break across my face whenever I think I see something resembling lightness in Kaz. 

“I don’t think I could forget anything about you.” 

He turns his head slightly. “You should.” 

“Too bad.” 

Kaz leans his back against the wall, untensing slightly. “I think you just like disagreeing with me.” 

There’s no point in lying about it. “Only because when you argue with me you give me this really particular look.” 

“A look?” 

Adding insult to injury, I smile. “Sometimes you look like you’re too focused on being angry, like you’re compensating for something.” 

Kaz lets out a bitter sigh. “Maybe if you were less of a puppy I wouldn’t have to--”

The laugh that escapes is most definitely a mistake. “Did you just call me a puppy?” I don’t give him a chance to reply, laughter taking over again. “I mean this in the least argumentative way possible--but you’re so weird sometimes.” 

He rolls his eyes, tensing. “I’m leaving.”

I stifle the rest of my laughter. “No. I was--I was kidding!” I keep my eyes on Kaz, expecting some type of annoyed glare, but his expression is a lot more weighted than that. Odd. “Kaz?” 

“You need to be more careful.” I understand Kaz’s pause as something he does before saying something outside of his nature. “I’m not asking you this as a Crow or a Dreg.” 

On instinct, my posture straightens. “I promised and I meant it.” 

“Sometimes I wish I could believe in Saints,” his voice has taken off a distant quality, almost fragile, “That way I could believe something existed to help what matters.” 

Oh. “You never fail, even if I didn’t believe in Saints I’d believe in you.” 

“You’re wasting your faith.” The sound of lightning cracking is almost enough to make me jump. The rain finally came. 

I know I’ll never convince him that that’s not true. “I don’t think so, but that’s why it’s called faith.” 

“I have faith in some things.” His expression is far off. 

“Like what?” 

Kaz’s eyes find the window. “People that find meaning in the rain.” 

Something in my chest swells. “You’re like the rain.”

We sit there in silence, watching raindrops glide down the window. “What were you reading?” 

The question has me dropping my gaze to the forgotten book on my lap. “I stole this book from the palace before I left. It was my mom’s favorite, she’s read it so much the spine’s completely cracked and the cover is practically falling off.” 

“Hm…” He mumbles. “Read some, the books read in a palace must be worthwhile.” 

A part of me wants to tell him that elitism has no place in literature, but his request leaves me frozen. I nod once, turning to the first page of the book. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife--” 

“Your upbringing makes sense--” 

“You can’t judge it off the first sentence,” he’s insufferable, “It’s setting up irony, and if you’re going to complain--” 

He lets out a conceding sigh. “I’m listening, I’m not interrupting.” 

I keep my eyes on him for a second longer than I should. “Okay.” Dropping my gaze back to the book, I adjust my grip on the worn paperback, “Good.” 

And then I keep reading. 

--

@theincredibledeadlyviper @grishaverse7 @lonelystarship @mentally-in-northern-italy @uhanddreag 

[xtinyaurora]

hi can I request a reaction with ateez? how would they back hug their s/o? can you please make it detailed and super fluffy 🥺 thank you

Ateez reaction: Back hugs with Y/N

__________________________________________

➼ requested?: yes

➼ genre: fluff

➼ pairing: Ateez x neutral!reader

➼ Word-count: 2,2k+

➼ Warnings: none? Maybe pet names, neck / cheek kisses and playing with your tummy, idk. 💀 If there are any more, please let me know!

➼ Note: This is not based on their real behavior or meant to represent real life. This is simply a fan fiction and is only for the purposes of fun, it’s a hobby. Read at your own risk!

➼ A/N note: Sorry for not posting in a longer time, my metal state gets worse from day to day but I will try and give my best to update more often now. Please motivate me by giving me some feedback! 🥴 Let me know if any of you wants to be in or excluded to my taglist!

➼ Taglist: @teeztheflag @darkstarlights

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Park Seonghwa

You two were out for a date. After finishing your dinner, both of you went out to the balcony of the noble restaurant you were eating at. You had a perfect view of the city, all the shining lights adding a magical feeling to it. Seonghwa was hugging you from behind, taking in the smell of your shampoo. „It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” A smile creeped on your face. „It is. Thank you for bringing me here, Hwa.” Now he was the one smiling. „Of course, honey.” He now placed a few kisses on your cheek. It felt so good, you didn’t wanted this moment to end. „Thank you, Y/N.” You slightly turned your head in his direction, wondering what he could be thankful for. „For what?” He chuckled, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. „Thank you for being here with me. I’ve never been this happy before.” Your face lit up within a second, eyes shining bright. He’s so cute! „You have no idea how much I love you, Hwa.” Another smile creeped on his face. He was about to kiss you but got interrupted by one of the waiters. „Sir, I will leave the bill on the front desk at the entrance, if that’s ok?” Both of you turned around to face him, then quacking out into a laugher. The waiter seemed confused, so Seonghwa was fast to speak. „Yes, that’s totally fine, thank you.” The waiter gave you a quick nod and left. You looked at each other again, grinning. „He really ruined the moment, ha?” You nodded. „I thought this only happens in movies.”

Kim Hongjoong

A slow song was silently playing in the background. Hongjoong and you lightly swung from side to side, him pressing your back against his chest. It was late at night and you two were finally having a romantic date together. The atmosphere was so relaxing, neither of you wanting this moment to end. Hongjoongs head rested in the crook of your neck, him placing a few kisses on your soft skin every now and then. Now, an hour has passed yet you two didn’t move nor said anything. Honestly, you didn’t had to. You don’t know how but you two communicated through out your minds. Slowly, both of you got tiered. Hongjoong raised his head up and took your hand in his to pull you into your shared bedroom. You two laid down and stared at each other in the eyes. Oh, how you got lost in this this men’s eyes. But it was not only you, Joong felt the same way. He loved your eyes, it was one of his favorite things about you. Reaching up his hand to stroke your cheek, a smile appearing on your face, signaling him that you were thankful for that. Well, you were grateful for everything he has done for you, most importantly for having him in your live. Yet another time at this lovely evening, none of you had to open your mouths to let the other know how much you loved and appreciated each other.

Jeong Yunho

You felt how two arms clung around your waist, while you were washing the dishes. The person behind you then placed a kiss on top of your head and pulled you closer on his body, a smile taking place on your face. „What’s wrong puppy?” You knew that the tall male behind you blushed at that, this happening a lot of times now. „Nothing, I just missed your touch.” You pulled one of your eyebrows up. „Oh? We had a whole cuddle session just a few minutes ago.” Now a laugh left your mouth, Yunho joining you in the process. „That wasn’t enough, I need some more. Now please beautiful human creature, hurry up so I can cage you in my arms for the rest of our lives.” You felt how a bright smile was still plastered on his face, even after speaking. Shaking your head, you cleaned the last few dishes, before turning around and looking straight into the eyes of the smiling boy. Honestly, every time you were with Yunho, you were too happy. Of course you sometimes were scared for loving him so much but you knew that he would never hurt you. Yunho is some that makes sure to show his loved ones, how much he cares for them. He slowly got near your face, making you close your eyes and wait for the kiss to finally appear. When you didn’t felt his lips, you opened your eyes again and started to pout, knowing it was one of Yunhos weaknesses. So, the tall male couldn’t hold back and gave in. Taking your head in his hands, he gave you a long and loving kiss.

Kang Yeosang

After a long and exhausting day, you entered your shared apartment and made your way straight into the living room. Yeosang was laying on the couch, watching TV and eating some snacks. Both of you stared at each other without saying a word. Short after, Yeosang broke the silence. „Hey. Rough day?” You nodded your head. When he opened his arms, you jumped strait in them. Finally getting comfy, you asked if you two could watch a movie. You didn’t had to ask twice, Yeosang immediately opened Netflix and searched for a movie to watch. Once he found one, he got up to get some food. Once he returned, he pressed play and went back to his spot. He tucked you in between his arms and legs, your back pressing against his muscular body. He randomly started to play with the hem of your shirt, now a finger tracing up and down your belly. You lead yourself further into Yeosang and closed your eyes right after, not really caring about the movie anymore. It felt extremely comfortable to lay in his arms that you drifted off to sleep almost immediately. A low chuckle left him when he realized what has happened. „You are really too cute for you own good, Y/N.”

Choi San

You were running as fast as you could, your boyfriend not that far behind. All nine of you kept on shooting each other with water. It was Mingi who suggested to play this game. It was a hot summer day, so why not play around with water guns outside? „Hey, that’s not fair! You can’t protect each other!” Yelled Wooyoung, pointing at you two. „Leave us alone!” Did you yell back, while trying to splash him. He was mad because you escaped from everyone. San made a hand sign to the annoyed boy, no one really getting it except him of course. I guess it’s a Woosan thing... Anyways, Wooyoung seemed happy with whatever San was signaling him and kept on playing. At some point, your protector was nowhere to be found. You tried to look for him while you run away from the rest but then realized that not only he was missing but Woo too. „Oh no, this can’t mean something good...” You whisper to yourself. Out of nowhere, your boyfriend tightly grabbed you from behind. „Got you! Wooyoung, now!” You didn’t really made out on what was happening, you only saw how Wooyoung appeared from behind a tree next to you and aimed his water gun on you. „Goodbye, Y/N-ah.” With a grin, he splashed all of the water at you. Once he was done, San let go of you and gave his accomplices a high five. „San! What are you doing, I thought we are a team?!” You were kinda annoyed, both of them bursting out into laugher. You stormed off to the rest of the group, who seemed to have given up already. „What’s wrong Y/N?” Hongjoong noticed that your mood has fallen. „San ditched me for that brat.” Everyone busted out into laugher, you included. When the other two approached, you immediately stopped. Wooyoung stuck out his tongue, while San sat behind you and gave you a tight hug. „Don’t touch me cheater!” Again, everyone started laughing. „Come on, don’t be mad at me, baby. I will buy you some ice cream, okay?” A smirked appeared on your face. Revenge is sweet Sanie... „Guys! Free ice cream for everyone!”

Song Mingi

„Mingi, I can’t breathe.” You squeaked out while he tightly hugged you from behind. „I can’t help it, I just missed you so much!” You chuckled while rolling your eyes. „It’s been two hours since we last saw each other.” The boy looked at you with his cute googly eyes, mouth lightly agape. „So what? That’s two hours too much! This is absolutely not okay, so let me hug you please!” You gave in, knowing that he will either put on more pressure or start to cry and since you wanted neither of these things to happen, you kept quiet. You don’t really know how long it has been since you two stood outside the garden of your shared home but it was getting dark and the air started to cool off. „Mingi, can you let go now, please? I think that’s enough for today.” He snuggled himself closer on you, not letting go. „Just five more minutes, okay? I wanna enjoy sunset with you. Look, it’s so pretty!” A laugh left your mouth. He’s just too cute and pure for this world. You did watch, until the sun completely disappeared. When it was completely dark outsides, you forced the giant boy into your house, him still clinging on you. Once you reached your kitchen, you asked him to leave you alone so you could prepare dinner. „I don’t want to let go, Y/N. Please keep cuddling me! You’re so comfy!” You finally turned around and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. „I promise I will cuddle you as much as you want once I finished cooking, okay? Now go and search for a movie that we can watch while eating, puppy.” You noticed the light tint of pink on his cheeks. Another one that gets flustered when being called pet names. Mingi obediently nodded his head and turned around to complete the task you gave him, patiently waiting for you to finish.

Jung Wooyoung

He was trying to teach you how to play a game on his ps4 and to his surprise, you were extremely good. „Whoa! How are you so good at this, Y/N?!” He asked surprised, raising his time a bit in the process. You turned your head around to wink at him, a smirk forming on your lips. You then payed your attention back on the TV and kept on playing. For the whole time, your boyfriend cheered for you. His arms were still tightly around you tho. At some point he leaned back, since you didn’t wanted to stop playing. Of course he pulled you down with him, you now laying on top him but still having a good view at the game. He started to get bored so he closed his eyes while softly stroking your belly. When he stopped, you looked back at him, finding him sleeping. You couldn’t help but smile at him. You finished the last round of the game and turned the TV off. Since you didn’t wanted to wake him up, you just snuggled yourself on Woo and pulled the blanket on your lap higher. Closing your eyes, you tried to sleep but opened them again when you felt his hand caressed your head. You tried to look at him but he stopped you by pressing you head on his chest. „Sleep. It’s late and you promised that we will go to the amusement park tomorrow.” You scoffed with a smile on your face and gave him an okay. It didn’t take long until both of you fell asleep.

Choi Jongho

„I mean, I’ve putted so much effort in this! I really don’t know why it didn’t work out. This is so unfair, like I-“ „Pshh I know Y/N, I know. Clam down. It’s not worth it to get upset about this, things like that can happen but still you can be proud of yourself because it’s such a big step to even get it done so far. It might doesn’t look like the one you wanted to creat but it’s still extremely pretty. It’s just the left arm side that’s a bit messed up but nothing too tragic, so chill. You can only do a good job when you’re relaxed and free, so take a break, okay?” You nodded your head in agreement, thank him by smiling. He then moved closer to you and hugged you from behind, the dress you were working on standing in front of you two. You worked so many hours on that dress, it costed you so much effort and yet you still messed up. It was only one damn cut. Jongho pulled you out of your working room, you still between his strong arms. „Put your shoes on. I think it’s better to go out for a walk, to get some fresh air.” You actually didn’t wanted to but I guess you have to because he sure won’t let go of you anytime soon. „Can you let go till I put them on then?” He smirkingly shook his head. „Nope, I won’t let go of you.” You rolled your eyes, trying to put your shoes on. Once you were done, the male grabbed your waist and legs, now carrying you out of your shared apartment. Oh this boy...

[shans-writings]

for the writing prompts, #21, togachako?

Send me a Ship and a Number and I will Write a Kiss

Togachaco + on a place of insecurity.

Ochaco never thought she would be so terrified to see Toga in the crowd.

From the heights the position of the villain was clear. Not mistake could be made: Toga was among the people, that was her hair, her coat, the shape of his face. The thought sank in and the megaphone that Ochaco had held during her speech fell against her thigh, for she was unable to speak or move. Get out of here, she begged silently. If they see you, they will hurt you.

How could they be the heroes if they couldn't protect a young women in need of shelter?

A few moments ago, while she was talking about how heroes deserve to be saved, the mere image of Toga crying had made her hesitate. She had been thinking about it ever since, in Toga's words. What was a hero? What was a villain? Wasn't them humans after all? Ochaco had had a long time to reflect on her stupid decision to let Toga go that day. And then Deku was gone too, as if everything was starting to fall apart without her being able to prevent it. Ochaco could only go after one and she owed it to Deku, she had to put him on her priority list.

Ochaco's lips parted to scream something, but that was when the crowd decided to act. They have seen it. They have seen her.

Ochaco would not get to her in time. They were all angry. The three strongest heroes were present, the AU professors, her classmates. Ochaco's heart beat a thousand times and a thousand more as she gained momentum and canceled her quirk so she could take the advantage of the gravity sinking in. As she fell, she gave little thought to risk. I must arrive, I must arrive, I must–

But Toga was faster. In a second she made her way through the crowd, reaching Izuku.

They would hurt him. Ochaco knew that they would not kill her, but thinking of Toga hurting made her feel the same nausea as when she felt when she overworked herself. Didn't she owe Toga an apology too? She had taken so long to see how lonely Toga was, how much she was suffering. It had been all on her face that day. Ochaco had always seen her as a threat just for being different, and now she was paying the price for her arrogance by having to see that dangerous show.

Toga didn't hit Izuku. Something broke in Ochaco when she saw how the villain extended a handkerchief towards Deku, so that he could wipe the tears from his face. By sheer luck perhaps, Shouto got to them first. She didn't know why, she didn't think about it instantly, when she saw that Shouto created an ice barrier so that no one could touch them but left a space for Uraraka to pass, she ran faster. Ochaco heard in the background the roar of the people, the sound of the pro-heroes and the teachers, of her classmates, and what could she do? They were against the clock.

She wished she could make it all float it.

She wishes she could stop time.

When Ochaco reached the ice dome, she fell to her knees and felt the cold of the wall closing in behind her. Everything happened in a matter of seconds, so fast the others couldn't react. Soon the three students were in front of a badly injured Toga, with the handkerchief in Deku's cheek and an unnerving smile on her lips. Ochaco later learned that Shouto and Deku had had their own revelations about the villains during the war. But in that moment, Deku let Toga wipe his tears away while Shouto quietly reinforced his wall of ice.

Ochaco knew that the agitation and fear that she had felt when she came down must be etched on her face. Toga was shaking slightly, her eyes rainy.

“I thought I would see Izuku-kun die. I came to help if necessary, but I didn't know that Ochaco-chan would make him cry! It was reckless to approach, but I have a handkerchief and– ”

"You are hurt," Shouto stopped her.

Deku nodded, thanking in a whisper as he gently pushed Toga's hand away, using the handkerchief himself.

Ochaco frowned when she saw where the blood was coming from. Something had cut Toga on the side of the waist. Her uniform was dirty and ruined. Her skin was covered in scratches and bruises. It was simply...

Ochaco looked up, meeting Toga's catlike pupils. She had been watching her all this time, in silence. She seemed curious, yet distant. She was probably thinking about the conversation they had that day, the last time they saw each other.

"You need to come in with us."

Toga pulled a knife from her belt at that and Ochaco frowned. The heroine only reached out her hand to pull the girl's wrist and make the knife stay right next to her own neck. She could see Shouto and Deku's surprise and concern out of the corner of his eye, but they didn't have time for that. Toga was hurt. And very conveniently, they were three heroes willing to help.

“If you're going to cut me, do it now. When Todoroki-kun take down that ice wall, I'll be the only thing standing between you and the pro-heroes, ” she paused, inhaling, “ because I don't want to lose you. And you do not deserve to die, or suffer as you do, or be sent to Tartarus. I'm sorry I didn't see you sooner, Toga-chan. You were right to scold me. I'm sorry I didn't see before that you weren't the enemy and that we weren't doing things right. But if you let me ... "

The wall was cracking. Outside she heard the people yelling at them to take down the ice wall. His friends must have been scared, his parents were in the crowd too. However, Ochaco knew they could wait. She was doing perhaps the most important mission she would ever have in her entire life. There were only Toga's eyes, her surprise, the way she slowly removed the knife and returned it to her lap.

"... I can help. You don't have to hide or pretend with me, okay? If you want my blood, I can give it to you. But we will have to go in to heal you first. And you have to help us find Shigaraki Tomura and stop him, or your friends and my friends will all suffer. I just want to see us smiling, all together. Do you think you can do that? "

At first, Toga's reaction was to put a hand to her mouth. She looked from Izuku to Shouto and back to Uraraka.

"Do you want me to betray my friends?"

And there was something so silly about the idea that they hadn't realized until now that Toga was just another girl like them. Something so blind, so obvious, that Ochaco smiled. She extended a hand to Toga, standing up.

It was Izuku who answered.

"No, we want to protect them."

"And bring them home," Shouto added, finally letting the ice melt.

When the crowd regained their vision of the three students, Todoroki and Midoriya found themselves standing again, flanking Toga as if they were ready to face anyone who wanted to take her away.

And Toga ... Uraraka clung to his hand, both girls side by side.

Toga wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her coat. They all watched when Uraraka leaned down to kiss her cheek, thanking her for trusting them.

Toga smiled, wide and shiny.

“Now can I be friends with Ochaco-Chan?"

"Only if you promise to try not to kill me."

[cuddlepilefics]

Funny Cat Videos

Fandom: Stray Kids

Sickie: Minho

Caregivers: Jisung, Felix

Prompt: Persistent Sniffles @sicktember

No one’s POV.:

Minho had caught a runny nose about a week ago. He didn’t really feel sick at all and he knew his nose had always been sensitive, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the weather changes were messing with it. The temperatures had dropped significantly last week and it had been rather windy since then. Already used to being a bit sniffly during the colder seasons, Minho didn’t think he had caught a cold, so he didn’t let his runny nose stop him from going over his day as usual. He’d just have to make sure to take some tissues everywhere he went. The group too knew that little quirk of his and didn’t think much of their friend’s sniffles. They had a few practices together till lunch, during which Minho was fooling around with his dongsaengs as usual. He even promised to meet up with Jisung again after their separated practices in the afternoon, to go for a walk and take some pictures before the seasons would change entirely. They split up after lunch and Minho went to the practice room with Hyunjin and Felix to work on some choreographies. It all was well and they had a lot of fun, at least in the beginning. The longer they continued dancing, the more run-down Minho felt. He usually had more stamina than that but wasn’t all too surprised to be more out of breath as his nose was slowly closing up. “Hyung, do you want to go home?”, Hyunjin offered. They had just struck the ending pose before Minho doubled over with his hands on his knees, panting. His lips were chapped already from only breathing through his mouth. The older shook his head, breathing: “I’b fide, just ndeed to catch mby breath.” – “Come on, you sound so stuffed up and we’ve already been at it for hours. We’d go home in a bit more than an hour anyway, so let’s just head back a bit early”, Felix frowned, surprised when Minho gave in and nodded.

They took their time to drink some water and stretch before, packing their things and throwing on their hoodies. Felix also texted Jisung that he might need to postpone his plans with Minho for the evening. He also secretly shot a picture of the older and sent it to Jisung, who agreed that their hyung looked a little worse for wear and told the Aussie that 3racha had actually gone back to the dorm an hour ago. There was construction work in the part of the building where the studios were located and they found their dorm to have less background noise at the moment. Felix smiled at the thought of having their friends back already. Way too often did they stay at the studio till the early morning hours, so this was a pleasant change. The three dancers made their way back mostly silent, apart from Minho’s frequent sniffles. The wind had picked up, making his nose run and eyes water. At this point, he wasn’t so sure about not having caught a cold anymore. The fatigue a strong indicator, as dancing didn’t usually take that much out of him. The longer they walked through the cold wind, the more aware Minho became of a few things. He felt weak and exhausted, shuddering from time to time as the wind penetrated the fabric of his hoodie. Sure, he had been dancing for a while but it wasn’t enough to explain why he felt so sore. All he wanted now was a hot shower, maybe a cup of tea and to curl up in his bed. Yeah, he had probably caught a cold, he figured.

Minho sluggishly stumbled into the dorm, kicking off his shoes. His eyes fell on the trio sitting at the dining table with sheets of papers scattered around Chan’s laptop. That was when he remembered, he had promised to take Jisung out as soon as they got home. A shiver ran down his spine and he rubbed his arms in an attempt to generate warmth, dreading the thought of having to go out again. Hyunjin had gone straight to his room to get changed while Felix sat down next to Chan, who looked at the quiet Minho and mused: “You were a lot more upbeat a few hours ago.” – “That was whend I could still breathe through mby ndose”, the dancer sniffled, giving a soft cough afterwards. Feeling to tired to stand, he sat down at the table too and was soon joined by Seungmin and Jeongin, who had gotten back mere minutes before the dance-line. “You sound rough”, Jisung smiled sympathetically, as his hyung crossed his arms on the table and rested his head on top of them, whining: “I’b so condgested, I cad’t evend swear properly ‘bout how bad I feel.” – “Oh, my gosh, what a tragedy!”, Seungmin mocked, smiling innocently when his hyung lifted his head to glare at him through watery eyes. “I dond’t appreciate that sarcasmb”, Minho pouted, dropping his head onto his arms again with a pathetic sniffle. Jisung got up and rounded the table, resting a hand on the older’s back and whispering: “Come on, you’ll feel a lot better after taking a shower.” Felix had been completely right earlier, there was no way the rapper would drag his friend outside in this condition.

Minho brought his sweater-paw up to his face and pressed his fabric-covered knuckles against his itching nose, sniffling while Jisung pulled him to the bathroom, promising: “I’ll get you some comfy clothes, hyung. Just go and warm up, yeah?” A hot shower sounded way too tempting for the dancer to argue and he slowly peeled off his sweaty practice clothes. Sighing as the hot water soothed his achy muscles, Minho relaxed his tense shoulders and tried to breathe deeply, so the steam would help clear him up a bit. He heard the bathroom door open and close again a short time after and when he poked his head out of the shower, he found his favorite sweater along with his warmest sweatpants on the sink. Jisung really knew him too well. Minho didn’t want to leave the shower but he knew his dongsaengs wanted to wash up as well, so he forced himself out and hurried to towel off and put on his clothes before he could get cold again. The shower had really helped him to feel better and he could at least breathe through his nose a little. The only downside was that he felt incredibly sleepy and knew he still had plans for the evening. He felt guilty, especially after Chan had pointed out that he wasn’t as upbeat anymore, and worried about ruining Jisung’s fun during their walk later.

Minho went back to the living room to ask the younger at what time he was planning to head out but Jisung was nowhere to be seen. Felix sat where the rapper had sat earlier and got up when his hyung approached them, frowning: “Hyung, your hair is dripping.” – “Where’s Sungie?”, the older asked as Felix dragged him back to the bathroom to properly towel-dry his hair. “Jisung is waiting in your room for you. There you go, that’s better. I’ll make you some tea”, he smiled when he was satisfied the older’s hair was only slightly damp. Minho nodded and shuffled to his room, while Felix made his way to the kitchen to fix his hyung a cup of tea. Dropping onto his bed next to Jisung, the dancer rested his face in his hands for a moment and sniffled before looking at his dongsaeng blearily. “I’m sorry, I’m not as upbeat as this morning. When do you want to head out, so I can change into something more fashionable in time?”, Minho rasped, feeling more drained as the minutes ticked by. The younger looked at him with a shocked expression before asking: “You don’t really think I’m dragging you out like this? It’s totally fine that you’re tired and I didn’t make you put on something comfy only to change again.” – “Oh”, the dancer hummed, too out of it to really catch on.

There was a knock at the door before Felix entered, placing a steaming cup on Minho’s nightstand. “How do you feel, hyung?”, the Aussie frowned, taking the opportunity of Minho lifting his head to look at him to feel his forehead, “You feel a bit warm to me.” – “Ndo, I’b cold”, the older argued, “I’b jus’ stuffed up ad tired.” Hugging him for warmth, Jisung cooed: “Do you need company?” He himself always preferred to have a cuddle buddy when he wasn’t at his best and he knew the same was true for Felix, so they wouldn’t mind hanging around their friend. “I dond’t want you to catch mby cold”,Minho muttered sadly, wishing at least one of them would stay. He was dead tired but he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep, since he had always struggled to sleep when his nose was blocked. From experience he could tell, he’d just keep tossing and turning restlessly. Hugging him tighter, Jisung pouted: “Shame, that’s exactly what I came here for.” – “Wait, really?”, Minho asked confused, causing both his dongsaengs to laugh. “No hyung, I’m joking but I really don’t care. I don’t mind keeping you company even if that means taking a risk”, the rapper explained, moving aside, so the older could lay down. “Same goes for me”, Felix smiled, “For now, I’m going to take a shower but I’ll check on the two of you later.”

Once the Aussie had left, Jisung settled with his back against the headboard, Minho instantly rolling onto his side to hide is face against the rapper’s thigh. “Want to try and sleep already? I could wake you for dinner”, the younger offered. The dancer shook his head, sniffling: “I cand’t really sleep when I’b sick. Mbaybe we could watch sombethi’g.” Jisung nodded and went to retrieve his hyung’s laptop from his desk. He knew the older loved funny cat videos and it would hopefully take his mind off his misery for some time, at least till dinner. Afterwards, he’d try to convince him to sleep. Minho got comfortable with his head on Jisung’s lap, while the younger absentmindedly played with his damp hair. The soothing action almost made the dancer drift off to sleep and he drowsily closed his eyes, when the door opened. Felix had finished his shower and quietly slipped into the room, a tissue-box under his arm. “Hey, I thought you might need this”, he whispered, placing it down on the nightstand before climbing over his hyung and cuddling against his back. Sandwiched between his dongsaengs, Minho melted into the warmth, accepting the drowsiness and letting Jisung’s hand in his hair lull him to sleep.

When Chan went to get them for dinner, he was surprised to find both, Minho and Felix asleep. Jisung paused their video and looked at the leader questioningly. “Dinner’s ready, do you think we should wake them?”, the oldest whispered. Shrugging, Jisung reached over, tapped Felix’ shoulder and whispered: “Lix would be mad if we wouldn’t wake him but I think Minho-hyung should sleep.” – “Hmm?”, Felix hummed lowly, blinking at his hyung standing in the doorway. “Dinner”, Chan mouthed and Jisung carefully slid out of bed. However, when Felix tried to climb over Minho, the older woke up and looked at him confused. Cooing at the dancer’s disoriented expression, Felix whispered: “Sorry, we didn’t want to wake you but dinner’s ready. Do you want to come or go back to sleep?” Minho rubbed at his face a few times, yawning before sitting up and swinging his legs out of bed. He shouldn’t have slept anyway, so he wouldn’t lie awake at night, and now that he was awake, he might as well eat.

Minho spent the entire meal in a sleepy daze, completely zoned out of the conversations and only focusing on eating whatever Chan had scooped onto his plate. Eating itself was a quite tricky task, as his nose was blocked entirely and he struggled to breathe at all while eating. It also didn’t help that everything tasted bland to him. If he could at least enjoy the flavor, he’d probably find more motivation to eat. When they all finished and the table was cleared, Minho sluggishly made his way to the living room, plopping down on the couch. “Hyung, you still look sleepy, don’t you think you’d be more comfortable in your bed?”, Felix frowned, reaching out his hand to smooth down his hyung’s disheveled hair. Minho’s eyes fluttered shut, lips slightly parted before he brought his sleeve up to his face, ducking down with a sneeze. “I’b sleepy but I always get restless. Dond’t thigk I could go back to sleep”, he sniffled, rubbing at his tired and watery eyes. The ceiling light made his eyes water even more and he contemplated going back to his room, just to have some dark and quiet, but that would mean him laying awake all by himself with no distraction from how miserable he felt. Seemingly having read his mind, Felix sighed: “How about cuddles? That worked pretty well earlier, didn’t it?” The older bit his lip, feeling guilty. It truly sounded nice but he had already ruined Jisung’s plans of going out, he didn’t want to ruin Felix’ evening too.

“Come on, we’ll get you to sleep somehow”, the Aussie smiled, pulling Minho up without giving him much chance to argue. Jisung watched the two of them with a fond smile and followed, taking a short detour to the bathroom. When he joined them in Minho’s room, they were already in bed with Felix snuggled against the older’s back. “Hey, don’t exclude me from the cuddle session”, the rapper pouted, making Felix laugh. Minho shuffled a bit to the side, so Jisung could squeeze into bed too, which he did, going back to his earlier position as the dancer’s pillow. “Before you go to sleep, please put on some lip balm because they look like their going to bleed soon”, he whispered, handing his hyung the lip balm he had collected from the bathroom. Minho hummed and put some on his lips before getting comfy again. Gently running his hand through the older’s hair, Jisung questioned: “Does it feel good like that?” Minho hummed in confirmation, closing his eyes again. The younger two exchanged a smile at their hyung’s pleased face. He really resembled a cat sometimes and they were sure, if he could purr, he’d be purring right now. Despite his earlier objections, Minho actually fell asleep pretty fast. At some point during the night, Jisung shuffled down into a laying position too, sandwiching the older between him and Felix. Laying that tightly squeezed into a small bed, at least one of the two woke up every time their hyung grew restless and was quick to pat his hair, successfully soothing him back to sleep.

[delimeful]

my virtues uncounted (4)

winner of august’s second monthly fic poll! hope you enjoy!

warnings: antagonist/villain remus, panic, injury, blood, cliffhanger

previous chapters

-

In the time it took for everyone else to get worked into a panic, Logan had come up with a few theories on why, exactly, their connection with Thomas would be so suddenly muted.

Of course, many of those theories were only useful if they could be proven, and seeing as they  had a limited amount of time and space to work with, he could set them aside to figure out the direct, exact cause another time.

For now, the priority was finding their way back home. Once they were able to reconnect with their part of the mindscape, their connection with Thomas would also hopefully repair itself.

“Think of our current status as dealing with some temporary interference,” he told the others. “Once we leave the subconscious, our metaphorical signals should reach Thomas again.”

“‘Should?’” Anxiety asked, looking dubious.

“And how are we to leave when this shadowy scourge is thwarting our every escape attempt?” Roman added, glaring balefully up at Anxiety.

“Hey, you technically haven’t made any escapes yet, so I technically haven’t thwarted anything yet.” Anxiety ignored Roman’s exasperated expression with ease, shrugging. “Schrodinger’s Thwarting.”

“Anxiety, kiddo,” Patton stepped a little closer, pulling them all back on track, “I don’t think we should stay down here for too much longer. It’s not good for us to be disconnected from our rooms like this.”

“And that’s not even mentioning the fact that we don’t know how Thomas is functioning without his core sides connected to him,” Logan added, hoping that the other Side was in a reasonable mood.

Anxiety kept his face neutral, but Logan could see the little crease between his eyebrows and the way he went slightly paler. “It’s still too dangerous to risk without a plan.”

“And with a plan?” Logan pressed.

Anxiety’s shoulders bunched up even further, and for a moment he was worried he’d gone too far, but then the other Side let out an irritated sigh.

“If it’s actually that concerning, and I can more than imagine how it could be, then. I guess. We could try. With a plan,” he emphasized as Patton perked up excitedly. “One that I agree to.”

“That’ll only take us a lifetime,” Roman grumbled, but even he seemed revitalized now that they were getting somewhere.

Logan found himself getting excited as well. “In that case, I need all the information you have on routes to neutral territory and the weather cycles here.”

Anxiety materialized the data into files on a touchscreen phone, which would work quite efficiently as a display considering their size. “Good luck figuring anything out. This end of the mindscape is way more… chaotic. Stuff’s always changing.”

“I don’t mind a challenge,” Logan reassured him, and then set to work making spreadsheets and comparing trends. It was almost soothing.

In the background, he could hear Patton asking about who they were most likely to encounter if they attempted to beeline for the neutral zone, and Roman bartering for possession of his sword back. (The trade seemed to be settling on Anxiety handing over the sword in exchange for no stabbing and no nicknames for a week. Roman was perhaps more reluctant to stop generating witty quips than necessary.)

As Logan suspected, when Anxiety didn’t feel implicitly threatened by them, he was much more open. Though, that might have also been the exposure to Patton’s determined friendliness, which Anxiety seemed to eye with the wariness of a stray cat. He’d have to bring this up the next time they had a debate about the effectiveness of so many of Thomas’s Sides being hidden away.

Now wasn't the time for that, however. Now was the time for action, as Roman liked to proclaim.

“I’ve found the best path for us to take,” he announced, drawing all eyes to him.

Probably no time for an illustrative powerpoint to demonstrate how he’d come to this conclusion. Perhaps later. A summary of the plan would do fine.

Roman and Patton glanced up at the large side frequently, but Anxiety listened with a critical attentiveness that Logan found himself appreciating. At the end, his brow was furrowed, but he didn’t seem fully decided one way or the other.

“This plan will only work in our current time frame,” Logan cautioned. “As you said, the landscape of this place is always shifting, so we need to take advantage of the patterns that we can. I expect getting lost would not end well.”

Anxiety nodded, and then seemed to come to a decision.

“If you’re certain that it’s the best time… Fine, I’ll believe you.” Anxiety grumped, his body language already displaying several signs that he was growing nervous at the idea.

Logan blinked once, genuinely surprised that he had convinced the other Side, before regaining his composure. No time to be touched by Anxiety’s apparent faith in him. “All the data I reviewed points to this being the best opportunity.”

“One condition,” Anxiety said, holding up a finger. “If it seems like the plan has failed and things get dangerous, our backup plan is giving me access so I can rise up.”

Roman raised a sharp eyebrow, his sword once again sheathed at his side. “I seem to distinctly recall you freaking out about that idea?”

Anxiety made a face at him. “Yeah, and I’ll continue to not like it, but if it keeps you losers from getting discorporated, I’ll deal. Do you guys agree or not?”

Logan traded looks with the other two, and then nodded. “It’s a reasonable backup plan.”

“Sure,” Anxiety snorted, and then hesitated for a moment before reaching out and placing his uninjured hand palm up on the table next to them.

Patton plopped himself down immediately, but Roman wasn’t as eager.

“I am not going back in your pocket,” Roman told him, unimpressed. “Lint on my outfit is a no-no, let alone giant lint.”

“Your outfit is already ruined,” Anxiety snapped back, rolling his eyes. The blood on the white outfit somewhat resembled a candy cane.

Logan raised a hand to interject before it could become an argument. “If I may suggest, your hood seems like it would both give us more space and allow for a vantage point to watch your back.”

“I can watch my own back,” Anxiety growled, and then sighed. “Just don’t fall out.”

He was exceedingly careful as he reached behind him to the hood of his jacket, and the three of them had no problem getting in, though they did end up knocking a few limbs against each other in the process.

As Logan expected, it was much easier to grip the folds of the hoodie fabric and looking over the edge of it gave them a vertigo-inducing view.

“Okay,” Anxiety said, sounding as though he was speaking more to himself than them. “Let’s do this. It’s probably going to crash and burn horribly, but whatever.”

“Remind me to speak with you about cognitive distortions later,” Logan mused.

From where he was peeking over Virgil’s shoulder, Patton cheered. “Woohoo, you can do it!”

“With our talents to help, we can’t fail,” Roman added, making some sort of dramatic flourish that Anxiety couldn't even see. “Onwards!”

“What am I, a horse?” Anxiety shot back, and then firmed his shoulders slightly and stepped to his door. “Remember, low in the hoodie so you aren’t seen.”

After receiving a chorus of agreements, he took an audible breath and stepped through the door.

The hoodie bounced slightly against his back with every step, but nothing too jarring. Logan resisted the completely illogical urge to hold his breath as they descended the creaking stairs.

After a long moment, Anxiety’s shoulders lowered slightly. “Nobody’s down here.”

He picked his way carefully through the living area, until they were back where they started, at that huge, weathered front door. It seemed much less insurmountable from Anxiety’s eye level. The other Side grabbed the knob and pushed it open, stepping over the threshold.

They all let out a breath of relief.

From there, Logan’s attention was consumed with providing directions in a low mutter, carefully navigating their way through the shifting, fog-covered landscape. Patton occasionally pointed out a distant landmark he maybe recognized, mostly unhelpfully.

Still, all factors considered, they made it a fair distance before things went wrong.

Anxiety had just taken the first step over a wooden bridge when the hair-raising cackle split the air behind them. At Logan’s side, Roman latched onto his wrist with an iron grip.

Anxiety held still for a moment longer before turning around, his hands tucked into his pockets in a faux gesture of casualness. “Remus. I thought silently stalking people in the dead of night was too subtle for you?”

There was an unpleasant crack of bone that made Logan glad he couldn’t see Remus. “Wouldn’t want to scare the little emo and his little uninvited stowaways off, would I?”

The three of them exchanged panicked looks. He knew?

Anxiety took a step back, hissing in frustration. “Are you the reason they’re like this? Or Dee?”

Another cackle. “The enchantment was all me! Double D would ruin my fun if he knew. But you’re no spoilsport! I can already feel all the exciting new additions to this game you’re thinking up in that squishy grey matter of yours. We can have a little fun together! Whaddya say?”

Anxiety took another step back, his back twitching with the urge to turn and flee. “Remus. C’mon. Think about Thomas.”

The atmosphere suddenly darkened, sending a chill down Logan’s spine.

“Maybe he’s the one who should be thinking about us,” Remus said, the grin in his voice suddenly much more menacing. “I know you’re tired of being ignored, Anxiety. You’re just as sick of our snakey friend’s interference as I am. Without them, there will be space for us!”

“Thomas needs them,” Anxiety urged, his rough voice a sharp contrast to Remus’s singsong encouragement.

“Puh-lease, we’re not taking them away forever! The Core Bores are like cockroaches; you just can’t get rid of ‘em, even when you crush their little heads.” A thoughtful pause. “They’re just about cockroach-sized now, too!”

Roman’s grip grew painfully tight.

Anxiety shook his head, jostling them slightly, and then began to slowly back across the bridge. The tension in him seemed to scream that he wanted to turn tail and flee, give into his flight instinct. But he couldn’t turn without putting them directly in Remus’s line of sight.

“Don’t be so antsy! I know you want to be noticed as bad as I do,” Remus advanced with slow, predatory steps.

Anxiety was too far from the other end of the bridge. He’d be caught.

Logan made pointed eye contact with the others, and held his free hand out, palm down.

“What I want doesn’t matter here. It’s too risky! It’s. Not. Happening.” They were stepping faster now, the noise overlapping.

Patton nodded once, placing his own hand on top. They both looked to Roman.

“Aw, that’s what I never got about you, emo. You’re always too scared to jump in and grab the bull by the horns! A little goring can be its own kind of fun, y’know.”

Roman’s expression finally turned certain, and he slammed his own hand down, completing the stack.

All of them felt it when the balance shifted, and there was a heartbeat of stillness before everything erupted.

Anxiety turned on his heel and bolted, seconds before a manic, ear-splitting scream split the air from behind them.

“YOU’RE LEAVING US!”

“Rise up!” Roman screeched, clinging to the hood’s fabric for dear life. “Rise up!”

“I don’t know how!” Anxiety yelled back, ducking and weaving through the fog-filled forest that had formed around them. “I’m trying to— it’s not the same as just appearing!”

“You have to stay in one spot and focus,” Patton said, trying hard to keep his voice calm. “You can do this!”

Anxiety came to a standstill, and for a few breathless seconds, they waited.

“It’s… it’s not working!”

“Try and focus on where you want to appear. Let yourself rise, don’t try to control it—“ Logan caught a flicker of movement behind them. “Watch out!”

Anxiety twisted out of the way, a double headed axe thunking into the trunk of a nearby tree. He clenched his fists, closing his eyes tightly, and Logan finally felt the familiar sensation of their part of the mindscape dropping into place around them.

He caught one last glimpse of Remus, body twisted into a throwing gesture and gaze almost shocked, before the scene changed to their living room.

Anxiety staggered, face pale, and the lot of them ended up sprawled over the length of the staircase, ungraceful but undoubtedly home and the right size once more.

A moment spent catching their breath, and then.

“We made it!” Patton yelled, voice cracking in relief as he threw his arms out, laid out on his back.

From the carpeted landing he was still facedown on, Roman grunted an exhausted affirmation.

“It was a close call,” Logan said, pushing himself up and dusting his tie off. “We’ll need to take precautions for the future.”

“Good thing we have Anxiety!” Patton said brightly. “He’s an expert at precautionary measures!”

“As long as he doesn’t precaution Thomas into never going outside again,” Roman muttered, with no real aggression to his tone. He seemed just as glad that Anxiety had gotten them all out of there, if not more.

Anxiety didn’t rise to the bait. Logan turned to thank the other Side properly, and was met with the sight of him curled in over himself, a hunched over ball of hoodie. “... Anxiety?”

With a hoarse cry of pain, the Side yanked something from his side. A comically oversized throwing knife, drenched in a slick coating—

“Oh,” Anxiety said in a small voice, struggling to stem the bloodflow from the stab wound in his torso. “Shit.”

Within seconds, a dark stain began to spread, and Logan immediately lurched forwards, trying to seal the wound, erase it, even just put enough pressure on it to clot the bleeding—

Anxiety inhaled sharply. Nothing about the nature of the wound changed. It wasn’t healing. Logan’s hands were covered in warm-wet-red and nothing was healing.

Past the ringing in his ears, he could hear the others yelling behind him, trying to accelerate Anxiety’s integration into the conscious mind.

All he could focus on was Anxiety’s face, tight with pain and resignation.

“It’s fine,” he muttered, the hitch in his voice betraying him. “We can’t die. It’s fine. Can you— Can you feel Thomas?”

Logan nodded stitedly. The connection was faint, but growing stronger.

Anxiety nodded once, sharply. “Good. That’s— That’s all that matters.”

Then, like the question had been all that was keeping him awake, he went limp like a puppet with strings cut.

[pips-fics]

ask: Hiii can I ask fic where Jisung is a the dorms alone with a stomach bug and after some time he gets really sick and calls minho or Chan for help.. I would really appreciate if you write it.. Thank youu

when jisung had told the rest of his members that he just had a minor stomachache, he’d thought it was the truth.  he hadn’t minded that the rest of them went about their days as planned, leaving him alone in the dorm.  in fact, he’d encouraged it, convinced that the peace and quiet would be soothing to his headache.

a few hours later and he wasn’t so sure.  his headache had only worsened, and the stomachache had transformed from mere pain into overwhelming nausea as he woke up, bleary-eyed, from a nap.  sweat made him so sticky that it was hard to untangle his limbs from the covers.  still, he shivered as he finally managed to emerge.  he couldn’t quite stop a gurgling retch as he stumbled to the bathroom and a thin stream of yellow-tinged bile splattered against the hand cupping his mouth.  he shuddered and kept moving.  he dropped to his knees in front of the toilet, heaving, unproductively this time, but very loudly.  jisung swayed back and forth, gripping the toilet as tightly as he could, though his muscles didn’t seem to be working as well as they normally did.

for the next five minutes, jisung hovered there, shaking, hardly able to hold himself up, but entirely unwilling to risk moving away from the toilet.  his stomach was doing backflips so violently that it was making his head spin.  or maybe that was the fever.  he was pretty sure he had a fever.

jisung was torn between wanting his members to come back and comfort him and not wanting anyone to see him like this.  at some point tears had started streaming down his face, and now they wouldn’t stop, and he hadn’t even been sick yet.

feeling absolutely no better than he had when he’d entered the bathroom, jisung stood on shaky legs and left it.  he knew he was risking making a mess, but this tactic clearly wasn’t working, so he grabbed himself a cup of water from the kitchen and made his way back to the bathroom.  surprisingly, jisung felt notably better after drinking the water, so much so that he wondered if he was just dehydrated after all.  it had happened before.

with that, jisung decided it was okay to relax on the couch for a while.  he made sure to drink plenty of water, and even had some soup in case his stomach was upset because he was hungry.  for a while it seemed to help.  and then all of a sudden, it didn’t.

he was in the middle of getting a third - or fourth? - glass of water when the nausea returned full force.  jisung didn’t even have time to go back to the bathroom -  the nausea was so overwhelming, he couldn’t help but stand paralyzed, sweating from every pore, in front of the kitchen sink, until sick rushed up his throat.

jisung couldn’t breathe.  it was one heave after another and he couldn’t fucking breathe.  it was the sounds of vomit hitting the metal sink and the smell of sweat and illness and not knowing why he was feeling so awful but knowing he was making a mess.  it was not having any control over his body, it was trying to brace himself for a heave and having a wet belch bring sick up through his nose instead.  it was getting the hiccups in the middle of everything else, and making too much noise, and knowing it didn’t matter because he was completely alone anyway.  it was all of that making the nausea all the worse, and jisung didn’t think he’d ever stop.

and yet he did.  the nausea stayed but he thought maybe - just maybe - his stomach was empty.  the sink now held a decently-sized pool of vomit as proof.  jisung sunk to the ground, shaking violently.  he fumbled with his phone, dropped it, and decided it was better that way.  better not to bother anyone.  jisung blinked back his tears, focused on his breathing.  if he could get that under control, maybe he really could handle everything else on his own.  he was sure, now that he’d thrown up, he’d start feeling better soon.

and yet.  just as he felt like he was making progress, he stomach convulsed without warning and a loud retch tore through him, followed by a thin stream of sick.

jisung started sobbing.

in a near-panic, he grabbed his phone and scrambled to the bathroom.  he was more nauseous, suddenly, than he’d been all day.  it was so awful, he forced a few gags, but that didn’t help.  instead, he’d ended up coughing, and retching unproductively and uncontrollably for about 5 minutes.  he was drenched in sweat and feeling nearly out of his mind.

it was in a full-on haze that jisung called chan.  chan, because he was jisung’s go-to speed dial.  he picked up on the first ring.

“jisung!”   chan sounded happy.  jisung hated to ruin his day.  he almost hung up, but—

“jisung, are you crying?”

“chan-hyung… i’m really sick,” jisung managed, in between sobs and probably-too-deep-breaths.

“hang tight, i’ll be there in a few minutes,” chan said, followed by shuffling background noises.  and then, because jisung must have sounded more pitiful than he’d meant to, he added, “hey, sung, don’t worry, it’ll be alright.”

“hyung, hurry, please.”  and with that, jisung hung up.

——

chan would not ever admit it, but hearing jisung like that had shaken him up quite a bit.  he hadn’t heard him sound so vulnerable since he was a child, at least three or four years ago.

back then, jisung had been tiny and scared of the big bad future and letting his parents down and loads of other things that he was now more than strong enough to handle.  it was awful to think that, even now, something had managed to scare him so badly.

on the way back to the dorm, chan wondered if it was jisung’s stomach.  he’d known about his stomachache earlier in the day, but it hadn’t seemed very bad then.

as soon as he stepped into the dorm, though, chan knew his suspicions were right just by the stench.  he made a beeline for the bathroom.

“jisung?”

a shuddering moan.

sure enough, there was jisung, on the floor of the bathroom, in front of the toilet which was… empty.

“hey,” chan said gently, kneeling next to him.  the kid looked awful - washed out and shaking like a leaf, sweating from head to toe.  “you were sick?”

jisung nodded.  his eyes were all puffy an red, but he wasn’t crying at the moment.  “kitchen sink,” he rasped, flinching as he said it.  chan rubbed his back, hoped it would be reassuring, and spoke as calmly as he could.

“it’s alright,” he scratched jisung’s head, knowing from a long-ago memory the way he liked it best.  “you sure you’re gonna be sick again?”

now tears sprung to jisung’s eyes.  “i feel so sick, hyung.  and before, i couldn’t stop throwing up, and now, i can’t start, and i don’t know—“  jisung gasped, and chan squeezed his arm.  “i don’t know why,” he finished, voice choked.

“first,” chan instructed, “breathe.  it will be okay.  can i get you some water?”  jisung shook his head violently.  “okay, sung, i want you to just breathe for a bit.  can you do that?  i’m going to hold your hand.”

jisung nodded, and chan took his hand, eyes drifting to his wrist.  he applied gentle pressure there, a trick his mom had taught him a long time ago.  jisung started looking better after a few minutes.  definitely still sick, but more calm.  chan didn’t need to check his forehead to know he had a fever with the head radiating off his body as it was.

“how about some crackers?”  chan asked.  jisung looked as if he was going to go right back to panicking for a minute.  “hey, no worries.  just asking.  what about a ginger ale?”

at this, jisung hesitated, then nodded.  “just a little.”

“okay.  sung, can we get you to the couch, first?  i’ll bring you a bucket, and that way you can be comfortable, and i can keep an eye on you while i’m in the kitchen.”

“i might throw up on you,” jisung warned.  chan shrugged.

“what will happen will happen.”

the ginger ale seemed to help, with chan reminding jisung to drink it slowly.  he’d found the mess in the sink, and cleaned it once jisung fell asleep.  he’d finished cleaning just in time for jisung to wake up, and grab the trash can, only to heave unproductively.  chan rushed to his side and ran his hands through jisung’s sweaty hair as the sick boy retched and coughed, but failed to actually throw up.  chan gave him a few more sips of ginger ale and glad when jisung fell right back asleep.  he let himself relax into the couch while he watched over jisung.

sure enough, less than an hour later, jisung was up again.  this time, a rush of thick vomit poured out of him as soon as the trash can was in his hands.  it was over quickly, but jisung didn’t budge.  instead, he retched, three times, but nothing came up.

“sung, go back to sleep.  i think you got it all.”

jisung looked unconvinced, but started to hand the trash over to chan - only to snatch it back at the last second.  his whole body shook with the force of the heave, and at first chan thought it would be unproductive again, but after a few violent coughs, a stream of bile spilled into the trash can.  jisung flopped back with a sigh, tears in the corners of his eyes but not falling.  chan smiled.

“feel any better?”  jisung nodded.

“i think… i think i do.  thank you, channie-hyung.”

“mhm.  rest well, sung, i’ll be here.”

——

feel free to send more asks!

[lyssismagical]

i don’t know if you’re still taking prompts but maybe peter telling harley he has a crush on him? with maybe some fluff and angst. thank you :)

Peter had never really had an internet friend before, and sure, he was worried about what he was getting himself into at the start. They met because of Peter’s Twitter account which had amassed over three million followers because of his connection to the Avengers, Spider-Man, and being Tony Stark’s Intern.

There had been some comments he’d seen written by one Harley Keener, and eventually he started replying to them, and then one day, he sent Harley a message.

Worry had time to boil while waiting for a response, waiting to see if Harley was just someone who wanted an inside scoop on what Tony was really like, if Harley would get what he wanted and disappear, if Harley would use Peter’s trust.

But Harley responded with a dorky meme followed by how are you? and saw your last tweet, if you want help I’m always happy to :) Fixing up cars is kinda my forte.

The Twitter messages continued for nearly four months before Peter received a message with Harley’s number. Peter was worried about giving out his private phone number, even to Harley. He wasn’t quite sure he could trust him yet, not with any personal information.

But Harley had followed it up with a message that read only if you feel comfortable using it :) If not, no worries at all. I like Twitter all the same.

Before he knew it, he was waking up to Good Morning Texts, falling asleep to Good Night ones, spending weekends glued to his phone screen. By month seven, they were texting constantly, and by month nine, they started calling at least once a week.

When Peter falls, he falls hard.

Harley, over text and on the phone and even when they facetime, is the best. He’s a bit rough around the edges, the way May always worried Peter would become after all he’s been through, but Harley makes up for the brashness by being charming and doting. He did quietly sweet thing that he never took credit for like sending care packages to Peter. Well technically to the tower because he didn’t want to make Peter uncomfortable by asking for his address. Tony had teased Peter about it for ages.

The anxiety set in the moment he realized how he felt about the boy he’d been texting for a year.

He wanted to tell Harley how he felt, but he was scared. He didn’t want to lose one of the greatest things that had happened to him in a while.

It didn’t help how in the dark he was feeling.

This is where he would’ve turned to Ben.

Maybe even in recent years he might’ve turned to Tony for advice. He did tell Tony all about Liz after Peter started working with him. But Tony gets worried and protective, and if he found out Peter was talking to a boy who he’d never met, Tony might end up doing a full background check, maybe intimidating him. He didn’t want to put either of them into that situation.

He’d already talked to May. It was different, not how it ever felt when he talked to Ben about that sort of thing. Not necessarily bad, just different.

“I really like this boy,” Peter said. His head was in May’s lap and an old romcom was playing muted on the TV. “But we’ve only ever talked online, he lives all the way in Tennessee, and I’m terrified of screwing everything up.”

“You know your parents met online.” May had laughed quietly, nails scratching gently at his scalp. “Mary was working in California and Richard was here, but they met through mutual coworkers, I guess. They emailed a lot and eventually, when Mary moved back here, Richard told her how he felt.”

Peter pouted childishly and rolled his eyes. “It’s not that simple. We’ve been talking for a year, I can’t lose him now.”

“Well if you two are really friends, he won’t drop you if he doesn’t feel the same. But, I know I’m a little bit biased because I love you, he’s missing out on a lot if he lets you go.”

And that was that. To May, it was that simple.

To Peter, not so much.

Harley could ruin Peter’s life easily with the amount of information Pepper and Tony have fought to hide from the public.

But he knows he has to do it anyways.

Hey. I don’t want this to ruin our friendship or anything and if you don’t reciprocate we can just move on and pretend it never happened. I swear I won’t be angry or upset at all.

I just kinda have a huge crush on you. You’re so sweet to me and funny and sarcastic and I just idk I really like you.

And then he does something stupid.

He puts his phone in the suit’s pocket and goes out Spider-Manning, not wanting to miss a reply from Harley despite how late it is.

And then, because Parker Luck will never let him live a peaceful day, he falls straight into the Hudson River again, breaking his phone.

“It’ll work again, kid, if you’re really so attached to this one,” Tony says, flipping the phone upside down and watching the water drip onto the floor.

Peter finishes toweling off his hair and frowns. “I need it. I sent an important text last night and I need to see the response.”

“Thirty-six hours in rice, kid. That’s what Fri says does the trick.”

The towel falls from Peter’s grip. “Thirty-six hours? You’ve got to be kidding me. I need it like now, Tony.”

“I can’t do now, kid.”

So Peter waits.

Thirty-six hours.

He goes to school and his knee never stops bouncing, fingers tapping on his desk and getting reprimanded by five out of six of his teachers. Coach Wilson doesn’t, solely because Peter manages to turn most of his nerves and anxiety into running the track. Unfortunately, it means he forgets to be the pre-spider bite kid with asthma and could barely do three pushups, so Ned has to physically grab him when he’s on his sixth lap to tell him to cool it.

He’s scared.

He doesn’t want to know what his phone will tell him when he gets it back. He doesn’t want to see the rejection on the screen, the potentials of blackmail. It would be so easy for Harley to tell the world the truth about him. Bisexual, nightmare-riddled, dorky, Midtown High School Student, grieving his uncle’s death, secret holder for Stark Industries, Peter Parker. The target it would put on Peter’s back would make Tony put him in lockdown.

But when he arrives to the lab, seven am on the dot, exactly thirty-six hours later, Tony’s grinning in amusement, bag of rice in hand.

“Can’t believe your phone was so important that you’re risking not only detention but a grounding by skipping first period.”

Peter rolls his eyes, a little more annoyed than fond of the teasing, and Tony seems to pick up on it because he hands over Peter’s phone with a huffed, “God, teenagers.”

Fifty-eight texts from Harley and two dozen missed calls.

The most recent text reading a simple call me please.

So he does. He doesn’t even wait for the elevator doors to close behind Tony, leaving him alone in the lab, before turning his back and pushing his phone against his ear.

“Peter?” Harley sounds like a wreck, voice rough and hoarse, trembling like he’s trying not to cry. “If you’re fucking with me, I swear to god, I’ll walk all the way to fucking New York to punch you.”

“I’m so sorry!” Peter gasps. “I had my phone in my pocket and I fell in the river and Tony insisted it had to sit in a bag of rice for thirty-six hours, and I had no way to contact you-”

Harley cuts him off. “You fell in a river?”

Peter hasn’t told him about Spider-Man. “Well, uh, you know me, so clumsy… It’s not important. I’m just so sorry. I had to wait the thirty-six hours before I could see what you said-”

This time it’s Peter who cuts himself off.

Because he didn’t actually read the messages. He doesn’t know what Harley thinks.

“I didn’t sleep last night, I was so worried. Fucking hell, Peter, don’t do that to me, alright? You never answered me, are you fucking with me? Is this some strange joke? ‘Cause it’s not funny.”

“Not a joke,” Peter says quickly. “I swear, it’s not a joke. I’m sorry, Harley, if you- if you want to just forget this all happened, I’d totally get it and I-”

Harley laughs. Well and truly laughs. “Forget this happened? This is by far the funniest love story I’ve ever heard, Parker. Tell me you like me and then fall into a fucking river. What is your life?”

“Love story,” Peter repeats.

“I like you too, you dumbass.”

Taglist: @littlemissagrafina  @spideygirl2003 @romeoandjulietyouwish @c-artara @shadedrose01 @likeaphoenix13 @pj-hermes-tonystark-obsessed  @you-get-killed-walk-it-off @kitkatwinchester  @emo-girl10 @justme--emily  @hold-our-destiny @imalivebecauseirondad @spiderman-peterman  {Let me know if you wanna be added or removed}

[writeroutoftime]

stronger together

pairing: tommy shelby x reader (requested by: anon)

summary: as an honorary member of the shelby family, you’ve been with tommy through thick and thin - even the war. now with the war won, the two of you must battle a strong, internal enemy together. 

warnings: allusions to PTSD and war related trauma 

words: 2790

a/n: hello! this story was requested by a lovely anon, and a HUGE apology for taking so long on this request, but I really like what I came up with. hopefully, tommy doesn’t seem too OOC, I think he’s just more vulnerable in this story, and hopefully it doesn’t seem too redundant. anyway, it is so good to get another story out for you guys, so please enjoy, stay safe, and have a lovely day! 

oOoOo

The first time you truly experienced heartbreak was the day Tommy explained to you that he, John, and Arthur had enlisted to serve in France. When those words left his lips, you felt your knees begin to shake and the breath had been sucked out of you. It took a moment to blink back the tears that had already appeared and compose yourself before you spoke.

“N-no. You’re lying.” you said, voice barely above a whisper, as you pointed a shaky finger in Tommy’s direction.

Tommy sighed at your response and took a step towards you but felt his own heart clench as he watched you step away from him. “y/n, I have to. I can’t let John and Arthur go out there alone.” Tommy pleading, praying you would understand. “Besides, I need to protect my country.”

“Oh, screw this country.” you shouted in anger, tired of hearing that excuse. “What has this country ever done for us beside let us starve in the slums of Birmingham?”

“It’s not the country, it’s who’s in it!” he shouted back. “I need to protect Pol, Ada, Finn…and you, y/n.” Tommy added quietly. Not as an afterthought, but hesitantly as though he wasn’t sure how you would react.

When your eyes widened, with no verbal response, Tommy took a chance and stepped towards you again. This time, you didn’t resist and allowed him to take your hands in your own. Only the background noises of Small Heath could be heard as you tightly gripped Tommy’s cool hands; almost as if you were willing your strength to be transferred to him by the simple action.

“I’m not worth you risking your life for, Tommy. I don’t want to lose you.” you said, looking into his crystal blue eyes and hoping to find some trace of doubt in them about enlisting.

At your confession, Tommy felt tears begin to pool  and he moved one hand so it gently cupped your cheek. “Don’t say that, y/n. Please don’t ever say that. And you’re not going to lose me, I promise.” he said with finality.

As you gazed into one another’s eyes, you couldn’t deny the gravitational pull to Tommy you felt. For years, there had been something there; something neither  you nor he had ever acknowledged. In that moment, if you had truly wanted to, you could have moved your head mere inches to reach Tommy’s lips, but something stopped you.

“Then I’ll follow you to the front lines.” you blurted out as your gripped onto Tommy’s wrist, disrupting the silence between you, effectively ruining the moment that had almost been.

Tommy looked at you in shock, and perhaps a bit of frustration. “You know that they won’t let you become a solider on the front lines, y/n. And even if they did, I wouldn’t let you do that to yourself.”

“You can’t just keep me  locked away in a box, Thomas.” you growled. “And even if they won’t take me as a solider, they will take me as a nurse.”

“y/n, you don’t need to do this. There are plenty of others enlisting as nurses, you could do just as much good here.” Tommy rushed to explain, desperate to keep you safe.

His statement had little effect on you as you stood your ground. “You know I would walk through hell for you Tommy. I’m not letting you go through this alone.” you told him, gentler than before, but with a determination that Tommy knew he couldn’t shake.

oOoOo

True to your word, you made the life-changing decision to enlist as a nurse. Come hell or high water, you wouldn’t leave the Shelby boys – especially Tommy – alone. With the need for nurses high, you were shipped out before Tommy, John, and Arthur, and you were sent not to far from their own base. The goodbye was teary as the Shelby’s saw you off at the train station, and Tommy’s face was the last you saw as the train pulled away from the only home you had known, into the unknown of the Great War.

Each year of the war that passed took its toll on your body and your mind. As a nurse you were not shielded from the horrors of war, in fact your experience of  trauma was more substantial than many soldiers. While you were never transferred to the same unit as the Shelby brothers, you wrote as often as you could which helped to ease your worrying. Eventually, Armistice Day came, finally ending the war, and you thanked whatever higher power existed that you and everyone you loved had made it out safely.

As a nurse, you were one of the last members of the army sent home. The entire train ride back to Small Heath, you couldn’t help the nerves that bundled inside you. After four years, you would finally see the Shelby’s – your family – again. Worries crossed your mind that the war had changed you so much that they wouldn’t be able to recognize you. The nightmares you had each night would be enough to send anyone running, and you knew it would be a long road to overcome the trauma you had been through.

Those fears, however, vanished the moment you stepped off the train to see the entire Shelby clan waiting for you with large smiles and open arms. Without a second thought, you ran straight towards them and threw yourself into the closest pair of arms, which just happened to be Tommy’s.

“We’re back.” you whispered into his chest.

oOoOo

The first time Tommy came to you about his nightmares was three months after you had been home. It hadn’t taken long for you to notice his new behavior and understand that he wasn’t the same Thomas Shelby. Then again, you weren’t the same y/n y/l/n. Once it got to the point that he looked exhausted at all times of the day, you tried to reach out, only for Tommy to shrug you off.

“Just busy with family business. Nothing to worry about.”  he claimed.

Days later, you sat awake, unbothered that in was 2 in the morning and the fact that the rest of Small Heath was successful in their attempts of a night of rest. That was, until there was a pounding at your door that made you freeze and your insides clench. Slowly made your way to the door, an iron rod from your fireplace in hand as a makeshift weapon. Adrenaline coursing through you, ready to attack, you swung the door open, only to see Tommy on the other side.

“What happened?” you asked hurriedly as you ushered him inside. The only reason you could imagine that Tommy would be at your door, at this hour, was if something had happened to Polly or one of his siblings.

“Nothing happened.” he answered then continued at your confused look. “Uh, nightmares.” he admitted, sheepishly. “Honestly, I don’t know why I came here. Sorry for waking you up, y/n.” he apologized and, hastily, made his way to the door.

There was no anger or frustration within you, only an aching that intensified once you noticed the deep bags and pale skin that made Tommy looked ghostly in the moonlight. It hurt even more to know that he felt ashamed for indirectly admitting he need helped. Didn’t he understand that after a whole childhood spent together, there wasn’t anything you would deny him?

“I was already up actually.” at your words Tommy turned back and gave you a pointed look, to which you simply shrugged. “I’m no stranger to nightmares either, Tom. Do you wanna talk about it?”

Unsurprisingly, he shook his head.

“Drink?” you tried again, and this time Tommy nodded. Silently, he began to build a fire while you grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. Maybe it wasn’t the best approach to dealing with the horrors you saw each time you closed your eyes, but it served as an effective, temporary relief.

For the rest of the night, you and Tommy sat in relative silence, watching the fire crackle and relishing in the burn of the whiskey as it slipped down your throat. Every so often, one of you would offer a remark about the latest Small Heath gossip or relive a childhood memory, but neither of you mentioned the war or your sleeping habits. There seemed to be an understanding that what each other needed was simply the presence of another person who shared the experience – a reminder that you were safe at home.  

It was two weeks later when Tommy came back to your house in the middle of the night. While you were sleeping that time, you weren’t surprised to see him. In fact, you were more surprised that it had taken him that long to make his way back. But, slowly, this behavior became habit, and most nights, you could find Tommy at your house. It became a sort of therapeutic experience for you both. However, despite that the relief Tommy might have experienced with you, it was obvious that he wasn’t getting better. He continued to overexert himself during the day, and not even try to sleep on the rare nights he wasn’t at your place.  

Of course, you would never hesitate to be there for Tommy, which made you frustrated when he refused to open up. It didn’t take long before something inside of you had enough when, again, he declined to talk about what horrors kept him from a peaceful rest. “Tommy, it might help, you know?  And I would never judge you or tell anyone else. I know how you feel.” you told him, exasperated. 

“Do you?” he finally snapped.

His words sent a jolt of anger through you. “Yes, I do. Do not fucking talk to me like that. Just because I wasn’t in the tunnels doesn’t mean I didn’t see or go through just as much shit as you. Do you know what it’s like to watch the life leave solider after solider because you couldn’t do enough to save him? Do you know what it’s like to hear the constant cries for loved ones or for a god to spare them from the misery they experienced? All depending on you to feed them and bathe them and heal them when you barely have enough energy or supplies to take care of yourself?” you shouted and broke down sobbing.

Tommy felt guilty and within seconds, took you into his arms. He felt you shake against him and he knew when you pulled away there would be a wet spot on his shirt – not that he cared in the slightest.

“Shh, it’s alright, y/n. I’m sorry, okay? I’m a fucking idiot and I shouldn’t have said what I did. You did your best out there, and you shouldn’t feel guilty. Think of the dozens of lives you did save.” he spoke softly, running his hand up and down your back in a comforting matter.

Eventually you pulled away with a sniffle and looked down at the ground. “See what happens when you let everything bottle up?”

“I’m sorry, y/n.” Tommy apologized again.

“It’s alright, Tom. I don’t want to push you if you aren’t ready to talk about it.” you said, then sighed loudly. “We’re both fucked up, aren’t we?” you asked as you wiped away the tears.

“Yeah, but all the most successful people are.” he said with the softest chuckle, and all was restored between the two of you.

While you knew that he still wasn’t ready, you weren’t upset. So, once more, the two of you spent the night in silence just taking comfort in the other’s presence. It meant you were safe, grounded, and home. Just as you did so many years ago, when Tommy told you he had enlisted, you felt a gravitational pull towards him. Once again, it would have been so easy to lean over and confess everything you had ever wanted to tell him, but you let the moment pass and opted to rest your head against Tommy’s shoulder while he wrapped his arm around you for the rest of the night.

After that evening, you could tell that Tommy began to try harder to take care of himself. He still refused to talk about his nightmares, but it brought you comfort to see that, slowly, the bags underneath his eyes began to lessen. And there was the knowledge that you could share your dreams with Tommy – which had kept you sane on many nights.

Then there was one night a few weeks later when Tommy’s nightmare got so intense that it was hard to snap him back to reality. There were tears slipping down your face as you watched Tommy struggle with his inner demons beneath you. Finally, he woke with a gasp as his eyes darted around the room until they connected with yours. He let out a sigh of relief and pulled you into a tight hold, flush against his chest. There was silence as Tommy’s breathing returned to normal, only silent tears that slipped across his sharp cheekbones.

“I can’t lose you, y/n. I just can’t.” he eventually mumbled, almost inaudible with his face still pressed against your shoulder.

In that moment, you wished you could take away all his pain as you watched the man you had known since you seven break down before your eyes. If anyone were to gaze upon the scene, they would not recognize the widely feared gang leader.  As gently as you could, you lifted Tommy’s head so that his blue eyes, wild like the ocean, stared into your own. “Please, please let me help you Tommy.”

It’s only at your gentle words and touches that Tommy finally allowed himself to open up to you about everything he saw in France and the fear that still controlled almost all aspects of his life. He admitted to the constant sounds of the tunnels he heard long after being trapped underground, the images he saw of Arthur and John, dead on the battlefield, and Finn, Ada, and Polly. And finally, of you - always just out of his reach as he rushed, too late, to save you. 

“Don’t leave, y/n. I can’t lose you.” Tommy repeated when he finished spilling his darkest thoughts. 

“I’m not going anywhere. We both kept our promises, we made it back alive.” you reminded him and swept his disheveled hair out of his face. The act was so simple, but so full of love and unspoken words. Tommy could no longer deny his feelings nor the tension between you both that had reached its peak. With the slightest tilt of his head, Tommy pressed his chapped lips against your own.

Immediately, you responded to the kiss and wrapped your arms around Tommy’s neck to pull him even closer to you. The kiss was fervent, making up for years of unexpressed feelings, and you could feel Tommy’s tears mingle with your own. Your mind was in overdrive as the moment you had waited nearly a decade for finally happened. However, once your mind caught up to reality, you quickly pulled away, a hand on Tommy’s chest.

“Tommy, wait. We’re both emotional, and I don’t want us to regret this in the morning.”  you told him and breathlessly waited for his answer.

“I’m not going to.” he spoke sincerely, his hand cupping your cheek. “I’ve wanted to do that since we were 16, and I should’ve done it the day I enlisted. There were so many times I had the chance, and I never did. Those 4 years apart were terrible, but now you’re in my arms again, and I can’t let you go. Just give me a chance to protect you – to love you.” he confessed with such passion that your heart swelled.

It took a moment for you to regain your composure before you could respond, but your fingers still ran through his hair. “Oh, Tommy. I should’ve said something a long time ago too.” you admitted, slightly frustrated that you had wasted so much time apart, but you could only look forward. “But we’re together now, and nothing is going to pull us apart.” you vowed before you whispered into the night. “I love you.”

Your words inspired Tommy to capture your lips between his again, and this time when you pulled away, it was only when oxygen was a necessity. With his usual air of confidence, Tommy wrapped an arm around you and pulled you to lay down with him. His arms encircled you and his chest offered you a warmth that just radiated safety. It was clear that in each other’s arms, you and Tommy were stronger together and could overcome anything.  

[darkpoisonouslove]

Sleeping Beauty Missed Opportunities

I watched Disney’s Sleeping Beauty about ten days ago and I actually loved it a lot. The aesthetic is lovely and the music is absolutely ethereal, there was some awesome comedy and Maleficent remains such a cool villain even if she is not particularly competent at it, Phillip is probably the best Disney prince ever and I got all nostalgic so it was a great experience. I couldn’t help but notice a couple of things that had so much potential had they been explored and now I am going to write them out because they will simply not leave me alone.

- The fact that Flora’s gift to Aurora was beauty annoyed me a lot. So you’re telling me that her beauty is not only not natural, but it was also pretty much a gift wasted since it literally never played any role in anything. Aurora grew up in isolation so she could have looked as Godzilla for all anyone cared and it wouldn’t have made a difference. And to top it all, her beauty also does not play a role in Phillip falling in love with her because he falls in love with the beauty of her voice at first. It would have been much better if she was naturally pretty (as opposed to supernaturally so aka magically induced) and Flora had given her another gift. I suppose that since she is named Flora, she has something to do with flowers which is why her gift to Aurora was beauty. After all, flowers are there to look pretty and not much else. But I think it would have been a better idea if her gift to Aurora had been that of a nurturing touch that makes it so that Aurora nearly gives life to plants by just touching them. Animals are trickier but she can still heal and nurse them back to health with a little more effort. That would have been in contrast with Maleficent’s whole “kingdom” (aka the Forbidden Mountain) decaying and being in ruins and would have gone better with Fauna’s gift of the soul.

- In the scene where Maleficent appears to the Christening, it is Merryweather that tells her she was not wanted. Granted, the king and queen did not object to that but it was obvious they had already pissed off Maleficent so they probably didn’t want to get on the wrong side of the fairies whose benevolence they still had. When you think about it, though, it was Merryweather who escalated the situation into a disaster that could not be saved so my thought was that it would have been interesting to have learned a little bit more about the fairy ways and the conflict between the Three Good Fairies and Maleficent. Obviously, Maleficent has high social status since even the queen called her “Your Excellence” so the decision to not invite her to the Christening was weird and ill-advised. With a little more background info on the fairy business we could have witnessed the dilemma of the royal family that is caught in the middle of a feud they have nothing to do with aka having to choose which side to invite and risking to draw the wrath of the other upon themselves. It could have been interesting to see what would have happened if they had invited Maleficent instead of the Good Fairies in fear of what she could do if they didn’t only to have the Good Fairies paying them back for the disrespect but that would have changed the plot too much so it is probably best to explore as an AU.

- The consequences of King Stefan’s decision to burn all spinning wheels were never ever shown and that was such a great waste. The fact that the target audience is kids makes it a little bit more understandable, of course, but this could have made for a great political subplot. The decision was impulsive and was made more from the heart of the father rather than the head of the king in his desperation to protect the child he and his wife have wanted for so long. However, that will surely have economical and even political impact on the kingdom. Instead of celebrating the birth of the royal heir, they had to pay the price for protecting her. It is the fourteenth century so without spinning wheels in the whole kingdom, they could no longer turn wool into threads. Any industry including fabric would have suffered from that choice and that would have led to poverty. Now that would have been a perfect way to explore the alliance between Aurora and Phillip’s kingdoms. Maybe they signed a contract for Phillip’s kingdom to trade finished products for the resources that they need to make them coming from Aurora’s kingdom. It would have been a good way to include the aspect of royalty, politics and economics more since they already introduced it through the arranged marriage. And it would be interesting to see Aurora’s reaction once she was back at the palace to how much her subjects and the whole kingdom (even Phillip’s kingdom) had sacrificed for her well-being. Any decisions she could have made on the matter as the future ruler could have shown her introduction into her role of princess and future queen as well as her compassion and good heart.

- The king and queen’s pain over their lost daughter was never explored. They waited for years for the happiness to have a baby and when their only dream finally comes true, they are forced to give up the baby if they want to keep her alive. They can not see her for the first sixteen years of her life and by the time she comes back to the palace she is all grown up. She is not their baby daughter but a beautiful stranger that they don’t know anything about. Whatever happiness and relief there was over her being well and alive was surely overshadowed by the fact that Maleficent still succeeded in tearing their family apart. Their daughter is not dead but they lost her and she never had them. It is a horrible tragedy that the movie never even bothered to address for a second past that scene of them sending Aurora away with the Three Good Fairies. Considering all the negative repercussions the king’s decision to burn all spinning wheels must have had on the kingdom, it was a shame that they never truly showed the emotional consequences of the choice to give Aurora to the fairies to raise for the royal family. It could have added much emotional depth to the story and characters.

- In relation to that, there was a big missed opportunity with Philip also. Since his mother wasn’t there neither at the Christening, nor at the celebration of Aurora’s sixteenth birthday, a sound assumption would be that she was dead. The loss of her that Phillip and his father were going through and the loss Aurora’s parents were experiencing after they gave her away could have become a great bonding point for the two families. It has been shown that Phillip’s dad is a great friend of King Stefan so it would be safe to assume that the two met quite a lot. Phillip could have easily been brought along on those visits and since they lost their own daughter, Aurora’s parents would have probably become very fond of the boy and loved him as their own. He was to be their son-in-law one day and through him they could give their daughter all their love, by caring for him and helping raise him in any way they could. And Phillip could have come to think of them as family as well and respect them like his own parents which would have made it harder for him to stand up to the arranged marriage because he also loved them and didn’t want to hurt their feelings after all the love they’d given him. And later on, once Aurora was back home, he could have helped her get to know her parents. It would have been bittersweet that he knew them better than she did but it would have shown both his support of Aurora and the trust that binds the two families in one as well as helped both Aurora and her parents get over the pain and trauma they’ve experienced.

- This is more of a detail that would have just made things a little cooler if it’d been included but what if the gift of soul Fauna gave Aurora was the reason she was seeing Phillip in her dreams? It connected her to the living beings like the forest animals and it could have very well been the one thing helping her connect with the one she is destined to be with. It could have been a cool side thing. And maybe it also affected Phillip in some way and that was why he could communicate so effortlessly with his horse. Or they could have made it so that Phillip had also been blessed by fairies as a child and that was why he was communicating the same way with his horse that Aurora was with the forest animals and it helped them establish their dream bond.

- And one last possibility that I thought of would have been if Aurora had been raised according to fairy understanding and perception of the world. The Three Good Fairies themselves said that they knew nothing about raising a human child and Aurora neither knew they were fairies, nor had contact with any other humans in order to figure out that something wasn’t quite right with the way they were raising her and the things they were teaching her. So she grew up experienced in fairy traditions and the fairy way of looking on the world. Once she goes to the palace, she finally learns that what she’s been taught is not the human way of doing things so on top of having to patch up her family and learn the royal ways, she also has to learn the human ways. And since she’s been raised with fairy outlook on the world, she cannot believe her parents’ decision to not invite Maleficent to her Christening. It is not that she blames them but to her it seems incredibly stupid and disrespectful and she understands why Maleficent went for retribution. Since Aurora is so well versed in the fairy ways, she becomes something of an ambassador for the kingdom in its dealings with fairies (and possibly other magical creatures) to avoid repetition of history and offend another powerful being. The kingdom becomes prosperous thanks to its extraordinary princess who has managed to earn the benevolence and blessings of various fairies. There are those who do not like her since they think a human should have never been allowed the privilege to know their traditions so well but, in general, she is in the favor of most powerful beings that protect her kingdom and make it a force to be reckoned with.

Those are the things that I would have loved to have seen included or even hinted at in some way in the movie since there is a lot to cover in all the cracks of the story. Any of these would have made for great additions to the original plot imo and would have given more depth and life to the story.

[evabellasworld]

Storm of the Republic

Chapter 2

AO3 Link | 1 | 2

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Summary:  When Tup murdered General Tiplar during a battle, Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex dispatched Ahsoka, Fives, and Yara to solve the mystery that was plaguing the Clone Army. Meanwhile, Senator Padme Amidala contacted Commander Fox, Commander Tori, Riyo Chuchi, and Dipper to help her continue investigating the death of Palpatine, suspecting that Dooku was behind the evil plot. But when Dooku send an ISB agent to stop them, the team had to race against time to search for the truth, which could alter the course of the galaxy.

————————————————————————————

Facing the wide window, Emperor Dooku gazed at the Coruscanti skyscraper, holding a file in his hands. He gazed at the white, puffy clouds floating in the azure sky as he watched the traffic flowing smoothly, taking a mental note of every hovering vehicle. The old man noticed the Jedi Temple from afar, which was left in ruins.

The scenery of the city was like how he remembered when he was first brought to the metropolis planet, where he trained to be a valiant Jedi from a young age. Dooku’s first training from Master Yoda was meditation practice, where he learned to detach himself from his physical surroundings. It wasn’t as easy as it seems, but after a few attempts, he was beaming with pride and joy towards his own success.

When Master Yoda knighted him, he experienced the same emotions he felt as a youngling after going through the challenging trials and errors he endured. Dooku could also say the same for his late apprentice, Qui-Gon Jinn, who was the apple of his eye.

The Emperor recalled the day when a 12-year-old boy with dark brown hair was assigned to him. Qui-Gon was shy and was anxious about failing his master, but Dooku wasn’t upset. Rather, he was impressed that his Padawan admitted his flaws. Not everyone has the guts to reveal their vulnerabilities, and from there, he took Qui-Gon to explore the Temple.

He was a curious boy, Dooku smiled fondly, as he glanced at the photograph of him standing underneath a cherry blossom tree. He even saw some similarities with Qui-Gon’s apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Qui-Gon spoke highly about him a couple of times. At one point, Dooku even persuaded Obi-Wan to join him and defeat the Sith, but was disheartened when the Jedi Master refused his offer.

Turning to his desk, Dooku picked up another file. Only this time, it was related to two missing Jedi Knights. According to an investigation by Agent Starros, Ava Lira and Eva Bella Young were born in Chandrila to a single mother, Kaia Young. At the age of 3, they were taken to the Jedi Temple, and the rest, as they say, was history. Based on their appearances, the identical twins resemble their mother, despite their red hair and blue-green eyes.

Six months ago, the Jedi Order reported them missing after they did not turn up, and the Nurin alert was placed in order to search for them. Though there was a lead, the trail went cold and until today; they were nowhere to be found.

They don’t deserve to die, he frowned at the twins’ photograph when he heard the door hissed open. A light purple woman with chestnut hair and facial markings entered his office, bowing at him with utmost respect. “You summoned me, my Lord?”

“Yes, Agent Doherty,” he greeted cordially. “You may take a seat, please. I would like to discuss the progress of your mission so far.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Lenora answered politely as she sat down and placed her datapad on his wooden desk. “I have a list of senators I have monitored so far. Would you like to have a look?”

“That would be lovely, Agent Doherty,” he agreed as he picked up the datapad, skimming through the list of senators that sided with the Galactic Republic. Though he barely knows all of them, there were a few individuals that stood out, particularly the ones closer to the late Chancellor.

They were Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo, Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila, and former Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora. These were the politicians that were vocal in the Senate, particularly about the ongoing war they’re facing.

Senator Amidala was close confidant with Chancellor Palpatine. They knew each other decades ago, when she was still Queen of Naboo. She was most critical about the Clone Wars and even tried to end the conflict with one of the Separatist senators, before the latter was killed. Despite her background in politics, however, she was also skilled in combat.

Senator Organa was also her closest ally, along with Senator Mothma and Senator Chuchi. His home planet, Alderaan, was the most peaceful in the galaxy, and like her, he also advocated for the war to end, which didn’t come as a surprise to the Emperor.

Placing the last three names on a list, Dooku then shifted his focus towards Riyo Chuchi, who was formerly a Senator of Pantora. She was part of the Republic Senate for almost three years, before the Imperial Security Bureau labeled her as a traitor. “Agent Doherty,” he spoke, showing his interest towards the young politician. “What can you tell me about your findings on Senator Chuchi?”

“Senator Chuchi was responsible for the death of Agent Starros and fled Coruscant 6 months ago,” Lenora explained to him. “She had help from clone units CC-1010, CC-6231, and CT-1512, who were part of the traitorous Republic remnants’ army. If it weren't for Agent Starros, they would have been captured by now.”

“I’m impressed that you outdid your former mentor,” Dooku lifted his chin up. “I find Agent Starros rather emotional for my taste. I’m sure you shared my sentiment towards her, considering what she had put you through.”

Lenora bobbed her head as she recalled the torture Agent Starros had committed in the past, making her fist clenched. “I’m glad she’s dead, my Lord. She had sociopathic tendencies and was prone to emotional outburst when things didn’t go her way. It’s rather unprofessional, if you ask me.”

“And that is something we do not tolerate in our government,” he returned her datapad, along with the files related to the Chancellor’s death. “Take these back to the late Chancellor’s residence, please. It is much safer there.”

“Yes, my Lord,” she bowed, acknowledging his orders.

“And keep a vigilant eye on Senator Amidala and her latchkeys,” added Dooku. “We must let no one bring down our government, just like how the Jedi did with the Chancellor.”

“I understand, my Lord,” the ISB agent approved as she walked out of the room and stepped inside the lift, releasing her breath. That wasn’t so bad, she wiped her forehead. I’m so glad the Emperor wasn’t as bad as he seemed.

Lenora recollected the day the Republic Intelligence was dispatched to handle the case of Palpatine’s murder. Dina Starros was in charge of the case, much to her envy. She used to pour a bucket of ice-cold water on Lenora whenever she failed, and forced her to sleep outside her dorm. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, she begged. I’ll do better next time, I promise.

Thinking about it made her shiver in fright as she pictured herself in a warm, secluded desert, which soothes her. Still clinging on her datapad and files, Lenora stared at the panels when the lift door opened, revealing a familiar face she saw from her datapad. “Good morning, senator,” she chirped, catching her by surprise. “How delightful to see you here.”

“Good morning, Agent Doherty,” Padmé replied in a nervous tone. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Oh, the Emperor summoned me. He wanted to know more about my progress. You know how meticulous he can be.”

“Of course he would,” Padme raised her eyebrows as the lift door was shut, leaving her at mercy with the ISB agent. Out of all people, why must I run into her?

���Is everything okay, senator?” Lenora inquired, noticing her fidgeting. “You seemed tense.”

The Senator of Naboo shook her head and cleared her throat. “Everything is alright, agent. I was just thinking about the next Senate debate, that’s all.”

“That wouldn’t be a problem, given that you are one of the best politicians we have right now. Besides, I trust you’ll do great later on.”

“Thank you, Agent Doherty,” she coaxed. “You must feel honoured to receive a mission. It’s not easy to get special attention from the Emperor himself, you know.”

How smart of her to say such a thing, Lenora bemused as she turned to her, crossing her fingers behind her back. “I wouldn’t call it special attention, really. He only told me to monitor the rest of the senators and put those files back at Palpatine’s residence, that’s all.”

Padmé’s eyes widened when her plan worked, prompting her to sneak a quick glimpse at the datapad and the files she was carrying. “What’s so important about the files that it needed to be kept at the late Chancellor’s house, anyway?”

“It’s a case file relating to his death,” Lenora spilled the truth. “Every piece of evidence that we’ve collected from the investigations is recorded here. That way, it’s easier for us to keep track of our progress. Impressive, isn’t it?”

If I could get my hands on them, I could finally reveal the truth behind Palpatine’s death to the Senate. “It is, actually. I bet there must be a lot of guards outside his house.”

The agent shook her head. “We only placed sensors by the door. The Emperor finds it a waste of resources to dispatch a couple of guards outside. Besides, I doubt anyone is going to break in.”

I’ll risk my life for that file. “That makes a lot of sense.”

Stopping at the 47th floor, Padmé sighed in relief as she stepped out the lift, grinning at Lenora. “I wish I could go on with our conversations, but I have important matters to deal with.”

“I understand, senator,” she maintained her smile. “Have a wonderful day.”

[wichols]

Angst/Fluff Writing Prompt Fun Wrap Up!

Now that I have finally finished all the submitted prompts I thought it would be fun to do a cute little wrap up in case you might have missed any of the stories along the way, along with some background/thoughts/feels about each one! Duration May 13th - July 15th (that was longer than I expected but cool!) 1.  Rain and Confessions (Kyoya X Haruhi WC: 1,662)  Prompt: “And yet, you’re still not enough.”  Summary: After her graduation from law school, Haruhi and Kyoya pack up her apartment in preparation of Haruhi moving back to Japan. Kyoya has been waiting years for this moment and he is going to let Haruhi know exactly how he feels about Haruhi and isn't going to let a little rain ruin his plans for them. AO3, Tumblr, FF.Net Thoughts: This prompt is a canon insecurity for Kyoya and so it was easy for me to write- considering I posted the prompt list on the 13th and uploaded it on the 14th. But also it was so hard to write because they are my OTP!! It pained me to make them suffer like this. To make Kyoya vulnerable is tough. To bring down his walls in front of someone is a struggle. Upon reading back through it I dare say there is a peep of inspiration from Pride and Prejudice (can you spot the hidden Mr. Darcy-like quote?). Favorite Line:  “You say that you will do all these things out of your love for me but it is because of my love for you that I cannot accept your offer because you become less of who you are and more of the person you think I need.”  2. Public Masks for Private Matters (Takashi x Haruhi WC: 1,269) Prompt:  “Being alone would be better than being married to you.” 

Summary: Haruhi has finally reached her breaking point. After winning her career-defining case her world comes crashing down. Blame has been assigned and trust has been broken between Haruhi and Takashi. 

AO3, Tumblr, FF.Net Thoughts: The TakaHaru ship is by far one of the hardest ships to use with angsty writing because of the nature of Takashi. The hurt he could inflict on Haruhi isn’t something so obvious like physical/mental/emotional abuse. I think in my mind that it is his lack of response is the most believable response to causing conflict between them- his inability/insecurity to say the right thing at the right time. At least that is what it would come off to others. Takashi is an introvert/observer. If he was experiencing emotional distress he would probably cave in and bottle things up, holding the burden alone.  (Spoliers!!) The real secret behind this fic is that Takashi only ever told her the truth. Haruhi busted a major company for the terrible working conditions of their low income employees. A week after the close of the trial she was jumped by a group of people and was sent to the hospital. They had know she was pregnant for a short while and wanted to keep it a secret because of the high profile nature of the case- not even telling friends or family. They lost the baby and it broke them. To this day they still have not mentioned the loss of their child. So naturally they suffer alone, putting on masks for the public. I honestly thought about writing something more with this background information but it just seemed a little difficult to set up the scene. Favorite Line:  “The love I held for you is what blinded me.“ 3. Cameras and Questions (Kyoya x Haruhi WC: 1,181) Prompt:  An almost kiss Summary:  Yet again Kyoya convinces Haruhi to be his date to another gala event. Haruhi asks a question that gets answered in the most unusual way. Is there more going on between a young no-name lawyer and one of Japan's Top 5 Eligible Bachelors than the public is aware? AO3, Tumblr, FF.Net

Thoughts: This was so fun to write! I love writing snarky Haruhi. I also love writing the back and forth between them. I mean they are my OTP I love the chase. XD I feel like they both can be very up front with each other but that they enjoy the subtleties of their conversations. I love the challenge between them, and how they push and test each other. I think in the beginning I didn’t quite know how to put them in a situation where there was an almost kiss, mostly because I still couldn’t get myself to fully commit to a fluffy piece of writing. But I think with what I did I could classify it as fluff defined by my standards (nobody died and everyone is happy). Favorite Line:  “I don’t know any Ootori man to half-ass anything.” 4. Disgust and Devotion (Hikaru x Haruhi WC:1,083) Prompt:  “Please don’t cry.” & “It’s three in the morning. What could you possibly want?” Summary:  They said that it wouldn't work between them. Are their worlds so far apart that it is impossible? Hikaru is caught up in another scandal and Haruhi has reached her limit. Does she love him enough to stay or is she just too weak to leave? AO3, Tumblr, FF.Net Thoughts: I think at this point in the prompts I still couldn’t get myself to write fluff and this ask was a fluff/angst mix with the two prompts provided. I do enjoy writing the HikaHaru ship even if there is not much out there. Originally when I was working on brainstorming ideas the end game was for them to have angry makeup sex. But I just couldn’t twist what I had in a way that would flow naturally with the base plot. I think I like writing Hikaru slightly drunk. It curves his temper and makes him more mellow. But he is still our impulsive little boy and he still has a ways to grow up. This wasn’t the first time that something like this has come up. Though both times he was not at fault (though in the original idea he totally did cheat one drunk night but couldn’t really remember). If anything the fluff is implied at the end.... Favorite Line:  “The media can make it look like anything they want to with a well-timed photo.” 5. Love Over Reason (Takashi x Haruhi WC: 2,102) Prompt: “Are you blushing?” Summary: Loving someone is complicated. Sometimes we feel as though the ones we love deserve more than we can give. Does spending six months apart change Takashi and Haruhi's feelings for the better or for worse? AO3, Tumblr, FF.Net Thoughts: There was about 5 days between this fic and Disgust and Devotion and I still couldn’t really bring myself to write straight fluff... But this turned into quite a piece. I think I was hitting a stride of coffee shop AUs and I just couldn’t help myself. Ever love someone so much you push them away because you think it will be better than dragging them through your mess? Well same. I think the fluff in this fic is subtle. They care so deeply for one another that they don’t want to hurt each other more. And just to be kind I added more fluff at the end. I’m not sure I really like how I used the prompt for this one but what’s posted is posted. Favorite Line:  “All I have ever wanted from you is you.” - This line still gets me all sorts of choked up when I read it.

6. Brutality Mixed With Intimacy (Takashi x Haruhi WC: 1,455)

Prompt:  'Please don't cry' or 'You know I have feelings for you, right?'

Summary:  After months of following dead ends, the Ouran Association finally has a solid lead to obtaining useful information on the ring leader of a major underground human trafficking organization in Japan. All other hits had gone to plan for Takashi but this one hit too close to home. With Haruhi as their next target, he couldn't handle the risk of possibly losing her.

AO3, Tumblr, FF.Net

Thoughts: Cue the beginning evidence of my current obsession with Mafia AU’s... The mafia au is just the perfect setting for my dark angsty heart! I just couldn’t resist. Especially when fluff was so far down the list of things I still wanted to write. I won’t name names but a certain TakaHaru shipper threatened me that they were going to write a fix it fic so that Haruhi actually ended up with Takashi instead of Tamaki. And of course she would end up with Tamaki, he of all of them would have the least blood on his hands.

Favorite Line:  “You were never going to make it to the drop off location.”

7. Fashion and Feelings (Hikaru x Haruhi WC: 2,691)

Prompt: “You know I have feelings for you right?”

Summary: After years of silently watching and pining for Haruhi from afar, Hikaru finally gets the courage to reveal his true feelings for her. With his new spring line debuting in a few short days Hikaru is going to lay his fashion reputation and love all on the line in hopes of having his feelings reciprocated.

AO3, Tumblr, FF.Net

Thoughts: Finally, FINALLY, finally I was able to pull out just the most fluffy fluff I could write! Like it took everything I had to put no angst in this one at all. This prompt sat for weeks and weeks without progress. I didn’t have a clue with what I was going to do with it. Like, it laughed at me with it’s blank doc. I wanted this final prompt to be just fluff so I left it to sit until I finally had a spark of fluff. This can be read alone or as part of the back story for Disgust and Devotion.  

Favorite Line:  “Most people would be creeped out by someone other than a significant other who bought them lingerie.” Final Thoughts:

Shortest- Cameras and Questions Longest- Fashion and Feelings Combined Total Word Count: 11,443 Title Themes- I really wanted to give this round of prompts a slightly longer title theme. My favorite is probably Brutality Mixed With Intimacy but a close runner up is Public Masks for Private Matters.

Favorite- Fashion and Feelings Least Favorite- Love Over Reason Thanks to everyone who submitted requests! It is always a pleasure writing for you!

[magic-miraculous]

Daminette December-- So Close (And Yet So Far), Chapter Four “Gaming”

———————————————————————————————————–

Just as he promised, Damian was right on time. He had changed into more casual clothes, just jeans, a dark t-shirt and black sneakers. Marinette had changed too, into black leggings and a striped pink t-shirt with white sneakers. Both of them realized they’d never seen the other in such casual wear, but neither said anything about it out loud.

The two walked over to the building where the club meeting was being held, and even when they were down the hall they could hear yelling and background music-- wait, was that an Ariana Grande song?

It turned out that the club was playing Just Dance 2019 that night, and Damian wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He was a proven champ at Dance Dance Revolution, but Just Dance? That was a bit different. It was on the xbox, so it just charted movements through a sometimes-faulty sensor as opposed to hitting the squares on the floor. Still, he was sure he’d excel as he always did. Marinette, too, was excited and prepped to dance.

“Ooh, this is awesome! I haven’t played Just Dance in a while, and it was the old version on the Wii. Do you want to do a team dance or competition?” she asked, looking at Damian expectantly.

“Why not start with some friendly competition?” he offered. “Fair warning, I’m quite a good dancer.”

“Good for you. So am I.”

“Miss I-trip-over-thin-air can dance? I’d like to see that.”

“Oh, you will, mister I-trip-on-the-sidewalk,” Marinette told him, attempting to look intimidating. It didn’t work on Damian.

“I don’t doubt that,” he replied before walking through the crowd to get in line for the next round.

“Alright, congrats to Bridgette for winning the last round! Who’s up for the next challenge?” A boy with a bright red microphone said over the chatter and hold music from the game console.

Marinette raised her hand to get his attention. “My friend and I want to play!” she told him.

“Fantastic! What’s your name?”

“I’m Marinette, and this is Damian.”

“Welcome to Gaming Club, Marinette and Damian! Are you ready to dance?” The two nodded. “Cool! Do you want to choose a song, or do you want to take a risk and make it randomized?”

Marinette and Damian shared a look, and Marinette responded, “Randomized.”

“Alright, alright! Random it is!” The boy said, and a minute later the song was prepped and the duo was ready to dance.

An avatar that looked eerily similar to The Riddler popped up on the screen and the first few notes of “I’m Still Standing” (the version by TopCulture, not the original Elton John tune, the pair noted) filled the room. Both of them were able to catch on fast, as they both knew the original version of the song well, but the moves were not typical dance moves. There was a lot of arm flailing and jumping around, and on more than one occasion Marinette almost whacked Damian in the face, or Damian almost tripped Marinette during a kicking move (which he later swore was completely unintentional. He would never dare ruin the sanctity of dancing games by cheating to win).

In the end, Damian technically won by a few points, but the crowd loved Marinette’s energy and personal flair. They agreed to consider it a tie of sorts for that reason.

“Wow, that was really fun! We should do another one!”

Damian looked at the line by the side of the room, which had grown substantially longer in the time they were dancing. “Maybe, but the line is so long and it’s a bit stuffy in here.”

“Yeah, it is, isn’t it? I haven’t danced like that in a while…” she sighed. “Wow, I’m out of breath.” It was these moments that she wished she still had the extra endurance the Ladybug miraculous had granted her. “Maybe we can go back to my dorm and hang out? I mean, if you want to, that is. I don’t want to force you to talk to me or hang out with me or anything, that would be rude--”

“That sounds nice, Marinette.” Damian cut her off, but he knew she would probably continue to ramble once they left the room. Best to give both of them a short reprieve from that.

There was a chill in the night air as the two left the building. Neither of them had realized how much time had passed until the saw the moon and some dim stars appearing in the sky.

“If it’s too late for you, we can hang out another time. I don’t know if you have a nightly routine or anything. I don’t-- Allegra does, but she’s home for the weekend so we don’t have to worry about her. I mean, we don’t have to worry about interrupting her sleep, not that we’d have to worry about her for any other reason, because we’d just be hanging out-- wow, how many times have I said ‘hang out’ in the last two minutes?”

“At least four,” Damian replied. “And no, I don’t have a nightly routine. My brother thinks I should, but it’s too tedious for me.” Dick was always telling him about how great a nightly routine was as he went on a tangent about his favorite creams and eye masks and lotions and those jade roller things people were obsessed with, but it was so much work. Sure, Damian obviously took care of himself, but he didn’t need to spend upwards of an hour in the bathroom two times a day for that.

“Oh, okay. You have three brothers, right?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“I always wanted siblings, but given how much people always say they hate theirs, maybe it’s a good thing I don’t have any.”

“They can be good sometimes. You can never tell anyone I said that, though,” he added.

Marinette held out her pinky. “I promise.”

Damian reluctantly held out his pinky as well. If his brothers ever found out he did that, they’d torture him relentlessly.

“So, what do you want to do? We can watch a movie, or play Ultimate Mecha Strike, or just talk,” Marinette offered.

“You choose.”

“Movie?”

“Sounds great.”

———————————————————————————————————–

Daminette is the most competitive couple. That’s it. Send tweet.

All chapters are also up on Ao3!

Tagstagstags:

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COMING UP NEXT: Chapter 5 “Fire”

[mattzerella-sticks]

Reflection, a Buddie fic, jealous!Eddie, 3.8k

Eddie Diaz knew a few things. His wife, Shannon, was no longer with them. While he will always love her, it was time for him to move on. Surprisingly, his heart already did without his notice. It set up camp in the hands of his best friend, Buck. And he was too late to do anything about it.

Because Buck has a personal trainer. Buck has a crush on his personal trainer.

If Eddie ever meets the man, he might dip back into his 'phase'. But knowing how that might hurt Buck, he hopes they never run into each other. At a party in Buck's apartment, there's a high chance their paths will cross. Only what happens when Eddie meets Buck's personal trainer?

Eddie stands in a corner, scanning the crowd for a particular face. Shoulders tense, expression smooth like the marble of Buck’s kitchen counters, he broadcasts a very clear message - stay away. Appropriate behavior if Eddie were back at his station overseas and not at a party. A party celebrating a very important person in his life.

He catches Buck’s eyes in the crowd, the other man in the middle of a conversation. Buck lights up, waving him over. Eddie declines, darting away to sip at his beer. Too slow to miss him deflate at the snub.

His heart stutters over itself. A low growl rumbles through his mind, sharp teeth chewing him out for causing Buck’s smile to dim by ten percent. Barks at him to push off from the wall and join him, even at the risk. Slide in close and interrupt Buck while he works through his fifth tangent. Because Eddie knows his friend loses the plot easier than a loose contact and everyone around him looks antsier than soldiers during a surprise mine sweep.  Eddie would then reel him towards an ending, helping lighten the social traffic.

It’s exactly what he wants to do. But a phantom hold keeps him from following through on the fantasy. The fear that, if he were to go over and enjoy himself, the very person he wasted already too much time searching for would surprise him and ruin his fun.

If there’s no fun had there’s none to ruin.

“You doing okay there Eddie?”

Hen and Chimney double team him, fencing him in and blocking his view of the entire party from his post. Any chance of escape stolen by Hen bracing her arm against the wall and Chimney spreading his legs in an awkward way that he finds comfortable. “So I’m not shifting around all the time.”

“But it’s a tripping hazard!”

Chimney smirked, “Too bad.”

Eddie frowns, carefully constructed mask slipping to expose his raw nerves. It rights itself in the next moment. Only the damage was done.

“What’s wrong?” Hen asks, “This is supposed to be a party! Why are you the treating it like a funeral?”

“I’m not -”

“Eddie’s not imagining himself at a funeral, Hen,” Chim interrupts, “no, no, it’s like he’s surveying a fire for any stragglers.” They snicker into their drinks, Eddie rolling his eyes at their antics.

“Real funny, you two,” he sighs, “Look, sorry if I’m being a little bit of a buzzkill but I’m not in the mood to party.” “Then why’d you come?”

He answers with a soft gaze towards the apartment’s entertainment section, Christopher sitting wedged between Denny and Harry playing with Denny’s Switch. Two more controllers added since his birthday, so they can all play Mario Party. Christopher shakes the controller madly to win whatever mini-game randomly chosen, laughing when Harry knocks into him.

“Hurry up dad!” Christopher urged Eddie. He waited by the front door, bouncing with excitement. Eddie shrugged on his jacket, telling him to be patient. “But I want to see Buck!” he said, grinning, “Don’t… don’t you want to?”

Eddie did, but he wasn’t alone. There’s another person here that probably feels the same flutter in his stomach whenever Buck’s form crosses their gaze. Except they can act on it, whereas Eddie has to wait for his stomach acid to digest those damned butterflies.

“That’s sweet,” Hen says, cup over her heart. “But that’s not explaining the stiff upper lip thing your face is doing.”

Chimney nods, “You’re no Brad Pitt but you have a better poker face than this, man.”

His lips thin further, and Eddie wishes a tornado would sweep through the room and suck him out of the apartment. It’s the only natural disaster he feels his family aren’t equipped to handle, meaning they’re less likely to rescue him from death. Although Eddie believes, even if a tornado found a way to travel across the Midwest and to Los Angeles without dissipating, his Texan blood would keep him alive for the fallout. “Maybe I would perk up a little if people stopped harassing me about why I’m not the life of the party?”

“Hey, don’t make us out to be the bad guys,” Chimney says, “we’re first responders.”

“We’re just doing our jobs,” Hen adds. Her finger pokes his chest three times, on the fourth Eddie waving it away.

Chimney steps closer, voice lowering to a whisper. “Really though,” he says, Eddie straining to hear him over the background chatter, “are you okay? You can tell us?”

“Was it therapy?” Hen asks, “I saw you leaving in a huff. Completely ignored me by the way…”

Eddie winces, unaware Hen saw him storm out of their therapist’s office. “My bad,” he winces, scratching his neck, “I would’ve said ‘hi’ if I saw you.”

“I know,” she says, “I could tell you weren’t paying attention. You had this intense glare in your eye like you had before we showed up.”

“Is that what it is?” Chimney arches a brow, “Something your therapist said that rubbed you the wrong way? A breakthrough you weren’t ready to hear?”

Chimney throws darts blindly and lands one close to the bull’s-eye without thought. Eddie bristles at how closely his friend’s guesses were. Although there are a few facts he has wrong.

Like the breakthrough Chimney thinks Eddie wasn’t ready to hear? Not true. Eddie understood his newfound feelings for Buck almost immediately. Already experienced the blinding, gasping fear that came with the development. Scared how things might change, to be around Buck, and what would happen if his affection went unanswered. Especially since he couldn’t hide his heart as easily as he thought. Frank sniffed them out at their session after Eddie’s revelation.

“Why did you shut down just then?” he asked, leaning forward in his wheelchair, “When you were talking about Buck.”

“I didn’t shut down,” Eddie said, crossing his arms. “I finished with the story… not much else to talk about.” Frank chuckled, rubbing at his eye. “What’s so funny?”

“Usually when it comes to the topic of your… friend , Buck, I have trouble getting you to move off the topic.” Shifting, he brings his pen to the notepad and scribbles a few words. “Has there been another rough patch in your relationship?”

Eddie scowled. “I wouldn’t say that. We’re fine.”

“Fine?”

“ Dandy. ” If falling in love with your best friend and coworker could be boiled down to a word, it wouldn’t be that. But did Frank expect Eddie to tell him the truth?

He did. They spent half the session verbally sparring about Buck, Eddie drawing his line in the sand and making sure Frank wouldn’t wheel across it.

“I thought you didn’t like talking about Buck?” Eddie growled. Squeezed the arms of the chair in an effort to keep his cool. “Why are you making this such a big deal?”

“Because you’re making it one.” Frank lost any pretense of entertaining Eddie’s efforts then, laying into the other man. “You think I’m being annoying with this? Imagine what might happen after you leave this room. How are you going to react when your mood shifts when talking to friends or family - or Buck? When you spend time with Buck will you shut down like you did earlier? I assure you that will only draw more suspicion your way.”

Eddie sunk into his seat. “I can handle myself…”

“Or,” Frank continued, “why don’t you let me help you through whatever you’re working through in this safe space. Where, I promise, there is no judgement.”

He mulled it over for a minute, giving Frank the benefit of actually considering his offer. A scene played through his mind, Eddie in the same room with Buck. Neither doing anything important than existing next to each other. In the sequence Buck turned to him and grinned, little birthmark rising slightly and eyes squinting like he stared up at the sun.

Eddie hoped his cheeks didn’t burn like they were in his head, in that room with Buck.

“Okay,” he started, thumb brushing back and forth across his knee, “if you want the truth…” It spilled forth rapidly, Eddie accidentally twisting the knob on his faucet off and unable to stop it. Went over how, after Shannon, Eddie didn’t know if the hole in his chest would ever be filled. That the pain from losing her once hurt so long, and this time her exit was more permanent.

But, without his notice, someone grabbed a shovel and set to work. Slowly Buck stepped into a new role. Went above and beyond what a friend normally did. Especially given his own condition, dealing with the possibility that his career and life were forever over. At first Eddie thought Buck used his time with him and Christopher as a distraction. To numb the terror of not being able to return to the firehouse. Except the cast came off, and Buck stuck by their side. Became even bigger parts of their lives. Sometimes he picked up Christopher from friend’s houses when Eddie or Carla was busy. Or joined them in grocery shopping. Stayed late into the night, helping Christopher to bed and chatting with Eddie until it was one in the morning. No matter how hard Eddie begged, though, Buck would return to his apartment. Eddie watching him hop into his Uber and waiting until he received a text from Buck to go to sleep.

“God,” Eddie scrubbed his face, “I had it bad for him this whole time and I didn’t notice?”

“You wouldn’t be the first,” Frank comforted him, smiling, “When we go through trauma, it’s easy for things to fade into the background while you heal. Things change, around you and inside, that you might not notice for awhile because the immediate pain takes up all your attention.”

“I guess you’re right,” he sighed, “I spent so long being glad that I had Buck… I didn’t examine those feelings too closely because I was just happy that the pain from missing Shannon wasn’t there.”

“And when Buck abandoned you, as you mentioned in a previous session…” Eddie shifted in his seat at Frank’s choice of words. “How did you feel? Really feel? Looking back on it with the clarity you have now?”

“I… I don’t know,” Eddie said, “I guess it… pushed me over the edge. Two people I loved choosing to walk out on me and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Felt like I was letting Christopher down because I couldn’t give him a stable home… was more like a hotel with one of those revolving doors. It made me mad. And I wanted to hurt people, because maybe then I wouldn’t be hurting inside... God,” he wiped his eyes, laughing, “Buck was right. He was part of the reason I had my… phase . If he found out… his ego was insufferable before.”

“Your confession is safe with me,” Frank told him, “I’m glad we could work through this in today’s time. If you held out a bit longer I was afraid we’d be cut off in the middle and it’d be forever to get you to where we’re ending today.”

“Thanks, Frank,” Eddie said, standing, “I… I needed this.”

He scheduled another session the following week, proactively dealing with his issues. While they covered many things in the hour there were still more to discuss. When his next appointment arrived Eddie wasted no time dumping the remaining worries at Frank’s feet. Like a man dangling off the edge of a skyscraper begging for someone to help him away from the edge.

Frank hauled him onto solid ground with sound logic. “If Buck is all that you say he is,” he explained, “than in the possibility where he didn’t return your feelings occurred, he wouldn’t call it quits like that. You need to have a little faith that things can turn out good.”

“It’s hard, though. When every time I have that faith it all goes sour on my end.”

“Well maybe this time things will turn out differently.”

Eddie took Frank’s advice, deciding that the next moment alone with Buck he would hand him his heart and pray he kept it.

However he could never be alone with Buck.

In the following weeks, any chance where they were the only two in the room was spoiled by a third party joining almost immediately. From fellow firefighters to random strangers. Christopher, when Eddie tried sneaking out to meet Buck. Caught and forced to bring him along since he cannot say no to his son. While at the park, watching his son play, he thought about telling him there. But then Athena walked in, apparently on patrol. So desperate Eddie considered faking an emergency so he could claim the ambulance for him and Buck and confessing on the way.

Eddie was desperate.

Instead of risking a felony, Eddie went with an even riskier option.

“Buck,” he sidled up to his friend, swinging an arm over his shoulders, “You good to join me in the gym for a little one-on-one?” Not the safest place given how accessible their gym was in the open floor plan. If he timed the barbell lifts right, Eddie could give them some protection.

Buck deflated, stepping away from Eddie’s hug. “Sorry, Eddie… no can do.”

“What? Why?”

He frowned, tilting his head in confusion. “Really? You know why…” At Eddie’s silence, Buck continued. “Ever since the accident I… I can’t work out like I used to. I had to switch up how I do things and… find new ways.”

“Oh,” Eddie mirrored his expression, “How, uh… how have you been exercising then? Because - I mean - you’re still looking fit and everything and you had to keep up your strength when going through training of course…”

Buck smiled, ducking his gaze to hide a blush. The sight of flushed skin sent chills racing down Eddie’s spine. “Been doing some classes, got a personal trainer… who I really like. He’s - uh, he’s cool. Derek, I… it’s been different, but uh - uh new. In a good way.”

A good way. Said to the floor yet Eddie still bears the brunt of the blow. Repeatedly suffering with each mention of ‘Derek’. Especially since, after first finding out about him, he becomes a recurrence in his life.

“There’s this really cool trick Derek showed me that’ll cut cramp recovery in half the time.”

“Derek, he had this really funny story he was telling in the middle of our planks…”

“I didn’t think yoga was that effective, but after one class with Derek I can see why people do it.”

Derek. Derek. Derek. He took his place in Buck’s life as his exercise partner without him knowing. The longer he waits the better chance he has of graduating from ‘trainer’ to ‘boyfriend’.

But Derek keeps him at bay. The specter of him shadows every conversation they have. Eddie imagining telling Buck his feelings only to be shot down because some random guy swooped in and struck the scalding iron while Eddie didn’t even know the metal was hot. As more time passed, Eddie sparingly saw his friend.

“It could be nothing,” Frank said. Eddie ignored him, pacing the room. “If you talked to him -”

“I mean it’s perfect,” Eddie spiraled, “being a trainer means that he can get close without there being any questions. Touch Buck’s muscles or - or press his chest to Buck’s back while showing him how to do a move or whatever.”

“If he does then that’s harassment, Eddie. Buck pays him to be his trainer and nothing more.”

“But it could be something,” Eddie turned to him, “The way he talks about Derek… there’s this stupid smile on his face that he gets when he has it bad for someone. Had it when he told me about Abby, when he was with Ally... “

“Did he ever have it when he was with you?” Eddie stayed firm in his silence, refusing to answer him. Frank continued, undeterred. “You’re jumping to conclusions without all the facts. If you talked to him -”

“It wouldn’t make a difference! He’s already gone on some other lucky jerk.”

“And is that so bad?”

He stiffened. “What do you mean? Of course it’s bad!”

“I don’t believe you think that,” Frank said, “To me, it sounds like you’re using this Derek as an excuse to back out of confessing your feelings to Buck. You’re afraid Buck might say no. Having Derek there is the perfect option because if he’s in Buck’s life than you don’t have to tell him.”

Eddie imploded. Glared at Frank, biting down every bit of bile he wanted to spew at his therapist. Swallowed it all and stormed from the room before he did something he regretted. Carried that dark cloud with him from the parking lot to Buck’s apartment where they surprised him with another party. Celebrating him being off blood thinners and hopefully not have it end like last time.

“What happens in therapy stays in therapy,” Eddie mumbles, pushing off the wall, “now if you’ll excuse me.” He escapes them, squeezing through the sewing needle loop between Hen and Chimney.

They follow, matching his hurried pace. Trying to carry the conversation even though Eddie keeps dropping it.

Luckily he sees a distraction by the mirror. Christopher stares at himself, smiling. Eddie walks over and crouches down next to him. “Hey, buddie, what are you looking at?”

“Denny said I had a piece of spinach stuck in my teeth,” Christopher says, “but I… can’t see it.”

Eddie studies his son’s teeth, aware of the figures standing behind him. “I don’t see it either.”

“Denny probably did that so he could cheat,” Hen sighs, “boy is the sorest of losers.”

“You should get back to your game, then, before you end up in last place.” Eddie squeezes Christopher’s shoulders, resigned to losing his shield against the circling vultures. He reaches forward and places a hand on the mirror’s frame, using it to steady his ascent.

At full height, Eddie notices his reflection fading somewhat. Suddenly a figure pops up, smiling and sweating, frozen in mid stretch.

“Whoa, whoa, hey,” Buck rushes over, smile twitching with nerves, “what, uh… what’s everybody doing?”

Chimney jerks his thumb at the scene. “Wondering why there’s a man trapped in your mirror?”

“There is?” Buck feigns surprise, eyebrows disappearing into his hairline. “I don’t - I don’t know how he got there?”

“What? Of course you do, Buck,” Maddie says, joining the conversation, “I helped you set him up and everything.”

“Maddie -”

“Maddie,” Chimney cuts Buck off, “you know what’s going on?”

She nods, pointing to the man in the mirror with her cup. “Being Buck’s sister I was the only one who was forced to listen to him complain about how he was going to lose everything he worked so hard for. Just because he couldn’t work out like he used to because of the accident. One day while listening to him go on and on about it this ad popped up for mirrors that double as personal trainers.” A string snaps in Eddie’s mind, the sound echoing madly. He looks over to Buck, the other man watching his feet while his ears burn. “Anyway I said I would personally buy this mirror for him if it would get him to shut up. He agreed, but only if he liked it. Day after it arrived Buck wasn’t complaining anymore. Best paycheck I ever spent…”

“Wait,” Hen glances between Maddie and the mirror, “so this is a personal trainer?”

“Yeah,” Maddie leans over to tap the glass, despite Buck’s attempts to stop her. The screen shifts and an array of faces smile at them. Derek’s larger than the rest, head enlarged and name clearly labeled below it.

There he was. Derek .

“You can pick from a whole array of trainers depending on what classes you want. It’s really interesting, and Buck seems to like it.”

“Maddie -”

“I figured you all knew about it since he’s replaced complaining with praising his trainer Derek,” she chuckles, elbowing her brother. “Little teacher’s pet.”

“ Maddie .”

Their small crowd thins after that. Christopher returns to his game, and Chimney leads Maddie towards the kitchen to steal some more food. Eddie stares at Derek, a mixture of confusion and relief churning in his stomach.

Hen sidles up to him. “You wanna know something?”

“What?”

“That Derek guy kind of looks like you.”

Eddie whips around in shock, ready to fire a denial. She dips before he can pull the trigger, safe by her wife’s side. Loaded and nowhere to go, Eddie looks at Derek. Sees how, in a certain light, they could be reflections of each other. However Derek’s hair is much longer than his, pulled tight in a bun, And there’s a mole under his nose that draws the eye to it without trying.

Derek disappears, the mirror returning to normal. It’s his face gazing back at him now, Eddie’s a few inches to his side.

“So,” he says, “you’ve met Derek.”

“Yeah. I did.” Eddie turns to him, “Why didn’t you tell me he was in your mirror? I’ve been here how many times, used this mirror, and it had a double life?”

“I… I guess I was embarrassed,” Buck tells him, wringing his hands, “of…”

He guesses, “Of him being in a mirror.”

“Well, that,” Buck says, eyes bouncing around the room, unable to meet Eddie’s stare, “and, because…” His words dissolve into dust.

Eddie understands. Finally sees what he needs. An emotion reflected in his own eyes, not distorted by doubt or fear.

“Y’know,” he starts, running a hand across the mirror’s surface, “this is pretty cool.”

“...It is.”

“Yeah,” Eddie says, smiling at Buck’s face in the mirror, “think you could invite me over the next time you use this?”

Buck frowns, “Why? You already got a good routine going.”

“I’ve been in the mood to shake things up,” Eddie tells him, “and besides… I missed working out with you.”

“You did?” Mood shifting rapidly, Eddie swoons at the dizzying grin lighting up Buck’s face.

“Of course…” Eddie’s hand runs across Buck’s reflection, petting his chest, “there’s a lot of time I have to make up for. We can start with exercise and… go from there.”

Buck nods enthusiastically. “I’d like that.”

The party goes on without them, both men are lost in their own world. Eddie feels the darkness that ate at his heart fade, replaced by the warm embrace of understanding. In lieu of talking Eddie prepares for his exercise date. Stretches the words in his mind so they’ll be ready for the day. Imagines how it will go. And, when successful, Eddie kisses Buck. Derek long gone from the mirror. Only them captured inside it.