#and promptly freaked out and started gushing over that scene

[backuprandomjreader]

Literally never getting over how godamn CUTE Charlie Spring looks in his lil birthday bowling sweater and his lil "15" pin, standing at the entrance and waiting for nick to show up for his party

[moonchildridden]

Love In The Air Episode 8 vs Episode 10 parallels pt.2

You know what I love about LITA (besides the obvious, of course)? The parallels. The amount of parallels that exist in this series is just mind-blowing and makes me appreciate the time and dedication the production time put in the series and how they really worked to bring us a good story, regardless of what some people may say. Every time I rewatch the episodes (which, by now, became a daily routine as I said before here), I always find something new to talk about, something new to analyze about, something new to obsess over for weeks until a new episode drops, and I start talking about something else or just freak out about PrapaiSky.

 The way these two episodes are so interconnected and simply showcase how the image of Prapai changed in Sky’s eyes, how Sky’s reactions towards Prapai changed since he started spending more time around Pai, how more relaxed and how much trust Sky displayed towards Pai (a reticent trust, but a trust nonetheless), how the walls around Sky are slowly falling and how Pai managed to do so much during that time. It feels like I am just gushing over how their relationship is getting better by the day just because I feel like but it’s impossible to just not comment about it and how much it impacts the road both of them are taking into this relationship, because it is just incredible.

Let’s start with the name of the episode and weather forecast that was shown on episode 8: “not just a wind, but a typhoon” and “blustery with a chance of typhoon”.

The name of the episode is a big clue to the tone of the episode, because it tells that whatever happened between Prapai and Sky was strong enough to be categorized as a typhoon, a very strong version of a storm, somethings that can cause way more damages than just a passing wind. Their encounter was about to be a clash, was going to be dangerous and was going to make damages; also, and maybe I’m thinking too hard on this, but the episode could be related to Prapai, while the weather forecast could be related to Sky and I’ll explain why I think like that.

Going to the weather forecast, because my first language is not English, I had to search the definition of “blister” and, after a skewing a few results, I found something very interesting:

1 - “Bluster can also mean a strong wind. […] When someone full of bluster is talking about how they can do something that you think they can't, they're blowing a lot of hot air in your direction.”

2 – Verb: act in an arrogant, overly self-assured, or conceited manner; show off.

3 – Noun: a violent gusty wind; noisy confusion and turbulence.

What I want you guys to take from this is how the word “blister” is basically a state where strength or instability is always constant, meaning that the forecasting was saying that Sky’s life was either a bit unstable or that something strong enough was about to hit him so hard that his life was about to be shaken because of it. Throw the other words I quoted, and we see basically a description of Sky’s reaction when he saw Pai on his university (confusion) and how Pai presented himself in front of him (a bit arrogant, self-assured, show off) and things start to take form.

Important points of this scene:

1 – The scene happened at night, just like when both met for the first time. Usually, the night period can symbolize the unconscious side of one’s personality, secret and mystery, innocence and vulnerability, and here it puts Sky in a position where he was “forced” to have to interact with Pai when he was not expecting, when he was vulnerable, with his guard down. Sky is the only one being in this situation, because Pai was there exactly to meet Sky, so he had time to prepare himself for what he expected that was going to happen;

2 – Sky tried to hide (unsuccessfully) when he saw Pai, having been spotted by Pai long before his desperate attempt, and then tried to run away (also unsuccessfully) but was stopped by Rain, who promptly pulls Sky closer to Pai. Here, Rain could be compared to the situation that pulled Sky and Pai together in the first place;

3 – While Sky was experimenting a lot of emotions, most of them being confusion as to why Pai was in front of him, how he got there, and after it was revealed that his information (name and number), the same that he withheld from Pai because he didn’t intend to see him again after that night, had been given by his friend, some justified anger, Pai smiled 99% of the time and the remaining 1% he was acting all smug and teasing, just like on the night they met;

4 – When Sky tried getting away from Pai again by saying that he was going home, Rain stopped him and offered to give him a ride, an offer that Sky refused because Rain had a date with Payu. Rain then reminded Sky that he had things with him, heavy things, and he couldn’t carry them in a bike taxi, so he should accept his offer. Pai then stepped into the conversation and offered himself to give a ride to Sky, getting closer to him and using the fact that Rain had no idea about what had happened between them, managing to make Sky accept his ride.

Sky having to find a way to take the box with the documents, his bag and that thing where architecture people keep their design plants (my dad is probably rolling in his grave for me not remembering the name of that thing), probably having to be uncomfortable while doing it so, can be read as a commentary to how he deals with his trauma: it is heavy and, while there may be people willing to help, he prefers to carry it himself, even if that puts him in uncomfortable positions. And sometimes, people are forced to take help, even when they think they don’t need it, just like Pai having to basically make Sky between revealing what happened between him and Pai to Rain or accepting his ride; whether you like his action or not, that’s how I read the situation;

 5 – When Pai tried touching Sky, Sky immediately dodged the touch with a very unpleasant expression and them both left the university with some distance between them.

Now, episode 10. The name of the episode is “could you be the sky that becomes my destination?” and the weather forecast for the episode is actually interesting because, instead of being just one sentence like what happened on episode 8, it basically says that it will have high temperatures in a few areas because of low pressure and warmer weather is expected.

The name of the episode is the way of the story to indicate how far Pai’s feelings were (him considering Sky as his destination, where he could finally stop and simply start enjoying life) and the weather forecast, even if applied for both of them, is leaning towards Sky more.

 By episode 10, Pai and Sky had spent more time than they had spent when they met on episode 8, and a few of Sky’s walls had started to fall by episode 9. This weather forecast is saying that things are calmer than they had been before and things were about to get warmer because of high temperatures, which when translating to PrapaiSky’s situations could be read as things escalating between them (them getting closer, getting to meet each other better, connecting, bonding, giving each other the permission to be in each other’s spaces) and that escalation leading to the relationship between them changing (Sky literally warming up to Pai and Pai being sure of his feelings).

 Onto the scene that parallels with episode 8, the important things you guys should notice are:

 1 – This scene happens in daylight, in contrast with the one on episode 8. Day and night are considered opposites, like two different forces that exert different influences on people, and some people view the day as the symbolism for new life, and fresh beginnings, possibilities, hopes, and opportunities (remember how I said that episode 10 was basically some sort of a new beginning for PrapaiSky, a clean slate for them to start over?). Instead of being caught by surprise by Pai’s presence, Sky was aware of the fact that he was still around the university perimeters, even if he didn’t exactly know where he was, and when Pai got close to him, the first thing he did was to tease him, asking Pai if he hadn’t left yet. Also, different from what happened on episode 8, Pai got more closer than before, his body language was far more relaxed and less teasing than on episode 8 and Sky welcomed that closeness by staying where he was instead of moving away or keeping some distance;

2 – Rain was not there (meaning a reason to force Sky to be in Pai’s presence), and they were a bit isolated from other people, alone in their own little world, save from a few juniors passing by. While Sky had tried to not be in the same physical space as Pai for almost two entire episodes, in this one he was feeling safe enough to not only remain in the same place, but also engage in conversation with Pai, indulging his fake whines about not being appreciated enough after everything he did and always being a bad guy in Sky’s eyes;

3 – Sky allowed himself to show what he was actually feeling, without hiding, expressing his happiness what Pai told him that he needed to show how happy he was after being praised by his juniors. Yes, there was a moment where he felt a bit disappointed, when he thought that Pai would ask for sex in exchange for having taken care of him during the night, but that disappointment turned into surprised when Pai said that he wanted to see Sky smile and the smile actually happened moments later;

4 – When it was time to leave, Pai actually said for them to “go home” while touching Sky’s arm and then the hand went to Sky’s waist, before both of them started walking. Leaving aside the implications of them going to the same place, with Pai not specifying what “home” he was referring to, the fact that Sky accepted Pai’s touch and didn’t try to keep distance between them speaks volumes.

Also, a bonus parallel here: on episode 8, Sky had a lot of things with him, things that he would need to carry back home, and when provided with help, he refused until he was forced to accept it. On episode 10, he didn’t have anything with him to carry, and if he did, Pai would be the one helping him carry back home, sharing the weight with Sky and diminishing any discomfort that Sky could feel while doing it. Instead of forcing himself to carry anything he had to on his own, Sky was now letting somebody else help him, he was letting other people look out for him, he was giving Pai the chance to be there for him when he needed, because Pai was proving himself to be reliable.

Episode 8 and Episode 10 are the perfect parallels because they kinda mirror each other but are unique in their own way to serve as partial stand-alone, while also providing a clear development in PrapaiSky’s relationship, how far each of them had walked up to that point, how they had started in such aggressive environment (the blister and the typhoon) but now were walking towards calmer spaces, albeit a bit warmer, and building a solid foundation before having to test how strong they could be as a team, and how far their trust in one another was in moments of high stress and need.

[waitimcomingtoo]

Would You Rather?

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Synopsis: Tom mentions his crush on you during an interview and you respond

Authors note: this was requested by anon who gave a generous donation to the BLM fund. Thank you!

Masterlist

“Would you rather fight a horse sized duck or a duck sized horse?” Tom read off a card as he adjusted the collar on his blue jumpsuit.

“I don’t know what situation I’d be in where I’d have to fight either of these animals.” He started as he looked at the camera. “I feel like I’d rather fight duck sized horse because that’s pretty small. I could probably defeat that. But a horse sized duck could bite me, you know?”

The crew nodded in agreement and Tom moved on to the next question.

“Would you rather lose the ability to read or the ability to speak?” Tom scratched behind his head as he thought about it.

“I barely have the ability to read as it is.” He laughed. “I’m an actor, so I feel like I need the ability to speak.”

He dropped that card on the couch and picked up the next one.

“Would you rather have Captain Marvel or Black Cat as your girlfriend?” He smiled as he read.

“I don’t know if they mean as my girlfriend or as Spider-Man’s girlfriend but I without a doubt would pick Black Cat.” Tom said confidently. “I was so upset when they cast Y/n L/n as the Black Cat and didn’t connect her movie to the Spider-Man universe.”

“Why were you upset?” A crew member asked.

“Because I’m in love with Y/n.” Tom laughed like it was obvious. “I must’ve seen every movie of hers 100 times. Especially the Black Cat suit because she looked so freaking hot in that.”

“She really did.” A female lighting director nodded in agreement.

“Right? If Black Cat was Spider-Man’s girlfriend and Y/n was my girlfriend I’d be a very happy man.” Tom sighed dreamily and toyed with the card as he day dreamed about you.

That video went up a few days later and made the usual headlines. You were well aware of Tom as an actor but completely unaware of his crush on you. Your heart stopped that first time you saw the headline:

“Watch Tom Holland gush over his celebrity crush, Y/n L/n.”

And yes, you did watch.

You watched many times in fact. The part where he said he was in love with you was your personal favorite. After getting sent the video by all your friends and fans, you decided to do something about it.

“@tomholland1996 you look pretty hot in your suit as well. And out of the suit. And in regular clothes. Damn dude, you’re pretty hot.”

You posted the tweet with a devious smile and shut your phone off. Whatever the world had to say about it, they could wait until the next morning.

~

You were woken up early the next morning by your phone ringing. You wiped the sleep from your eyes but kept them shut as you held your phone to your ear.

“Hello?” You said groggily.

“Y/n? It’s your manager. I have some exciting news.” Your manager sounded giddy on the other side of the line.

“So exciting that you had to wake me up?” You laughed sleepily.

“I don’t know.” She humored you. “Do you think the Russo Brothers emailing me and asking you to come to set is exciting?”

You sat up quickly as your eyes flew open.

“What?” You shrieked in excitement.

“They said they’ve been rewriting the script for Infinity War for the past few weeks and it’s finally finished. They added a scene with the Black Cat.” She said in a sing song voice. Your breath hitched in your throat as the news flooded into your ears.

“You’re kidding.” You gasped.

“Nope. Can you drive down to set at 1? I sent you the address.” She told you.

“I’ll be there.” You nodded as a wide smile spread across your face. Your manager hung up and you threw down your phone.

“AHHHH.” You screamed in excitement and immediately got dressed. It was finally happening.

You were finally going to be in the MCU.

~

You arrived at the address promptly before 1 and were led to set by an assistant. The Russo Brothers met you by the trailers and introduced themselves.

“Great to meet you.” Joe shook your hand, then Anthony. “How much did your manager tell you?”

“Just that you added a scene with the Black Cat.” You nodded as you relayed all the information you had.

“Right. We decided to add the Black Cat to the MCU now that her character has been established in your solo movie.” Anthony explained. “We had to keep it a secret until now to keep it from getting leaked. We have big plans for your character, starting with this movie.”

You smiled gratefully at the two of them and nodded enthusiastically.

“Thank you so much for the opportunity. I’m so honored to be here. What are the plans?” You asked as you twisted your fingers nervously.

“For starters, meet your new boyfriend.” Joe chuckled and turned around and pointed.

“Boyfriend?” You asked and followed his finger.

“Tom, get over here.” He called. Your eyes widened when you realized what name he called and you looked up to see Tom jogging over to you.

“What’s up guys?” He looked at the Russo bothers before his eyes landed on you. His smile faded and he blinked a few times to register the sight in front of him.

“Hi.” His face flushed and he smiled shyly at you.

“Hi.” You smiled back, still not believing what was happening.

“I’m- I’m Tom.” He fumbled over his words as he held out his hand.

“I know.” You laughed softly as you shook his hand.

“Right, sorry.” He shook his head in embarrassment. “Whats uh, what’s she doing here?”

“Change of plans.” Anthony smirked as he handed you and Tom a few pages of the script.

“You’re giving me a script?” Tom asked in disbelief as he ran his fingers over the crisp white pages.

“Yes. Don’t make us regret it.” Joe said sternly.

“Yes sir.” Tom nodded eagerly and began to flip through it.

“Peter is going to get thrown by one of Thanos’s men and Black Cat is going to catch him.” Anthony began to explain. “She saw the spaceship, came to help, and winds up in space with Tony, Steven, and Peter.”

“That’s awesome.” Tom breathed. “This looks really cool.”

You were so wrapped up in the excitement of holding a real Marvel script that you had forgotten the brothers original statement.

“Hold on. You said he was my boyfriend.” You looked at Joe and Anthony skeptically.

“Boyfriend?” Tom perked up from his script and looked between the three of you. “Me boyfriend? To her? Please say yes. I’m fine either way it’s just, I would really like you to say yes right now.

“Yes Tom.” Joe laughed. “Right as they’re falling in love, poof.”

“Dust.” Anthony finished. You and Tom shared a look, evidently impressed.

“That’s brutal.” You remarked.

“It is.” Joe agreed. “Until they’re reunited in Endgame in a similar fashion to the way they met.”

“And the crowd goes wild.” Anthony said slowly. You got chills just thinking about it and smiled as you rubbed your arms.

“I like it.” You nodded and Tom bit back a smile.

“Me too.” He said softly. “I like it a lot.”

“Great.” Anthony rubbed his hands together. “Rehearsal starts tomorrow.”

The brothers walked away, leaving you and Tom alone with each other.

“They don’t play around over here. I just got cast and already I’m on set.” You chuckled and shyly looked at Tom. He was so much cuter in person, the camera didn’t do justice to his freckles. Tom nodded and gave you a half smile.

“Yeah, they’re pretty unorthodox over here. I’d tell you you’d get used to it, but I’d be lying.” Tom shook his head and gave you a once over. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“I can’t believe you told the world I looked hot in my catsuit but never dmed me to ask for my number.” You shrugged easily and Toms jaw dropped at your boldness.

“In my defense, you are way too cool to be interested in me. At least I knew my place.” He shot back and you laughed.

“Didn’t you see my tweet last night?” You asked coyly as you raised an eyebrow.

“What tweet? The one about you calling me hot? The one that I sent to every single contact in my phone, including my dentist?” He asked with furrowed eyebrows. “No, I don’t think I saw it.”

“Funny.” You folded your arms and gave him a sultry smile. “I never checked if you responded.”

“I’d rather if you didn’t. It wasn’t very smooth.” He admitted.

“Hey, Tom?”

“Yes?” He looked at you.

“Would you rather continue talking in the middle of a crowded set or go somewhere secluded to run our lines?” You made a callback to his interview that started it all and he noticed.

“Run lines please. I need to quit while I’m ahead.” He eyed you with uncertainty as he thought about his words. “I was ahead, right?”

“Yeah.” You smirked and linked your arm through his. “You were ahead.”

~

“Kid, what are you doing here?” Tony asked as he craned his neck to see Peter.

“On a field trip to MOMAAAAAA.” Peter yelled as he was flung into the sky. He flew through the air like a rag doll until he landed in your arms. You breathed heavily, you in your masks and suits.

“Hey there.” You smirked at Peter as you held him bridal style.

“Hi, I’m Peter. You’re really pretty.” He said through heavy pants. “Can you pretend I didn’t just say that?”

“Hi Peter.” Your wine colored lips tugged into a smile. “Should you really be telling me your name? I could be dangerous.” You pouted as you set him down.

“Oh, right.” Peter got back on his feet and brushed off his suit. “In that case, I’m not Peter. I’m…Pedro.”

“Mm, Pedro. I like it.” You winked and saw one of Thanos’s minions coming at him from behind. “Watch out.”

You spun around and kicked the minion in the face before hooking your legs around his neck and knocking him to the ground. One swift punch to the throat knocked him unconscious. You stood up and waltzed back over to Peter as you dusted off your hands.

“Woah, where’d you learn to do that?” The eyes of Peters mask widened as you impressed him with your skills.

“A woman’s got to protect herself, right?” You shrugged and popped gum in your mouth before eyeing him up and down. “And apparently, I have to protect you too.”

“I’m totally fine with that.” Peter answered honestly. “Do you have a name?”

You wrapped your arms around Peters neck and blew a bubble with your gum.

“Black Cat.” You said once it popped. The sent of bubble gum filled Peters nostrils and his knees weakened.

“That explains the catsuit.” He gulped. “What, no tail?”

“Tails are so cliche.” You whined and stroked his covered cheek with your hand. “I’m a cat burglar, not a halloween costume.”

“If this is how you go out on a normal day, I’d love to see what you wear in Halloween.” Peter attempted time flirt back with the mysterious woman distracting him from his mission. You leaned forward, close enough that your lips were almost touching.

“I bet you would.” You whispered. You patted his cheek and turned away swiftly, whipping his face with your long gray ponytail. Peter let out a throaty groan as the scent of your perfume enveloped him. You walked around him in a circle, dragging your fingernail along his shoulders as you went.

“Since you know my name is Peter, it’s only fair you tell me yours.” He said as he turned his head to look at you. You paused, standing directly behind him.

“You really wanna know my name?” You challenged.

“That’s what I just said.” Peter sassed you. You smirked and took a step towards Peter so you were pressed against his back, gripping his waist tightly.

“Hardy.” You said right in his ear and he shivered. “Felicia Hardy. I’ve seen you around, Spiderman. You’re pretty good.”

You finished your circle and stood in front of him now. He was grateful for his mask, otherwise you could see just how red he had gone. His heart was racing out of his chest just from the look of you. The white fur cuffs and skintight black suit were making it impossible for him to focus.

“Just pretty good?” He questioned. “I’ve taken down a lot of bad guys.”

“Mm, but never me.” You taunted as you twirled your gray hair around your finger, wanting to get a rise out of you.

“You’re a bad guy?”

“Depends on your definition of bad guy.” You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth and let your teeth drag. “Do you think I’m bad?”

“Depends on your definition of bad.” Peter straightened up.

“This has been fun.” You smirked and tossed your ponytail over your shoulder. Nice talking to you, Peter.”

“You too.” Peter smiled under his mask until a Boulder was flung your way. “Look out!”

Peter shot a web at you and pulled you flushed against his chest. He pulled you to the ground and rolled on top of you as the boulder went over your heads. It was your turn to be blushing as you stared at Peter in amazement.

“How did you-“

“Spidey senses.” He answered before you could finish your question. He could feel his body beginning to lift into the air with you following. “Oh no.”

“What’s happening?” You asked as you and Peter lifted into the air. You clutched him tightly to keep from falling and Peter held on to you for support.

“Mr Stark!” He yelled. “I’m being beamed up!”

“And cut!” Anthony yelled. The wires holding you and Tom up slowly lowered you back down until you were back on the ground. Tom rolled off of you and fell on his back, breathing heavily from the scene. He pulled his mask off and rested it on his tummy.

“Whew.” He panted and looked at you with a tired smile. “Great work.”

You smiled back at Tom, still flushing from the flirty scene. You had done that scene many times from rehearsal all the way to production, but never that well. Your heart usually stopped racing by now, but something about the way he was looking at you kept it in rhythm.

“You too.” You complimented him as you sat up. You helped each other up and pulled each other into a sweaty hug.

“That’s a wrap guys. Great work today.” Joe announced. “Before you leave, I have the official version of the script. This is what we’re going to be filming tomorrow. We couldn’t give it to you until now in case someone spoiled it.”

Joe glared at Tom as he handed out the final scripts.

“I hate it here.” Tom mumbled as his ability to keep secrets was once again under fire.

“Great, thank you.” You smiled at Joe before he walked away. Tom came over to you, hitting his rolled up script against his hand.

“Do you want to go over our lines for tomorrow?” Tom asked.

“Sure. I’ll meet you there after I drop off my costume.” You told him.

Twenty minutes later, your wig and costume were returned to the costume department. You wiped off your makeup and changed into comfortable clothes before heading to Tom’s. You let out a shaky breath as you walked towards his trailer. You’d been in there a hundred times since production began a few months ago, but today felt different. There was something in the air between you and Tom that neither of you could ignore. You knocked on his door and heard your heartbeat in your ears as you waited for him to open. Tom gave you a shy smile as he opened the door of his trailer door for you and stepped aside.

“Sorry, it’s a little messy.” He apologized as he shut the door behind him. You looked around at Toms trailer, noting the clothes hanging off the ceiling fan and the pictures of the two of you taped to his mirror. You walked over to the mirror and touched the picture with a light smile. It was a strip of picture taken in a photo booth a few weeks into production. The photos went from you and Tom smiling, to laughing, to you kissing his cheek, to him kissing your cheek as you laughed. You had spent your only day off together, hanging out a a fair until the sun was coming up. After getting stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel for 15 minutes and clinging to Tom every time it shook, you ran to the photo booth to immortalize the night. You had the exact same strip of photos on your dresser at home, but you never noticed that he displayed them so proudly.

“It’s very you in here.” You looked at him over your shoulder and shot him a smile.

“Thanks?” He bit his lip in confusion.

“Don’t worry. It was a compliment.” You said pointedly and walked back towards him. “Should we look at the script?” You suggested and he nodded.

“Yeah. Here, take a seat.” He sat on his bed and patted the spot next to you. You sat next to him and folded your legs, beginning to flip through the script.

“This looks the same as the last script.” You realized when you recognized the words. Tom flipped through his script and came to a halt when he read something unexpected.

“It’s not.” He said with a dry mouth.

“What’s different?” You looked up at him in confusion.

“There’s a kiss.” He looked you to and saw your face go pale.

“A kiss?” You stammered and went back to your script to find what he was talking about.

“Right here.” Peter held out his script and pointed to the part. “Felicia kisses Peter before she turns to dust.” He read.

“So this is what they didn’t want you spoiling.” You laughed nervously as you read the stage direction over and over.

“They might’ve made a good call on that one.” Tom chuckled softly. “I’m really tempted right now to post a picture of the script on twitter just to rub it in everyone’s face.”

You looked up from the script and gave him a fond smile.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” You said softly.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized. “It’s not everyday you get cast opposite your celebrity crush.”

“How do you think I felt when I got cast as your girlfriend?” You pulled your knees to your chest and rested your chin on top.

“You...liked me?” Tom asked quietly. He didn’t let himself believe it, not wanting to get his hopes up.

“For a long time now.” You admitted. Production was about to end anyway. If he didn’t feel the same, there was nothing you could do about it, but at least he knew.

Tom blinked a few times as he registered what you said and smiled widely.

“I’m really glad I got to know you these past few months. You’re a lot cooler in person.” Tom said sincerely. “Honestly, I have no idea how I’m supposed to act beside you tomorrow knowing I have to kiss you.”

“Tom.” You said breathlessly at his words.

“I’m already a nervous wreck. My mind is in sicko mode right now. I can’t even read.” He put his script down and sighed.

“I think I might be able to calm you down.”

“How?” He wondered. He looked up at you for answers, but was met with a kiss. You tilted your head to the side and pressed your lips against his feeling his eyelashes brush your cheek as his eyes fluttered shut. Tom brought his hand to the side of your face for support and gently rubbed his thumb against your cheek. You smiled against his lips and sat up a little to get a better angle and kissed him deeply. You pulled away to catch your breath and rested your forehead against his. The only sound in the trailer was from your heavy breathing.

“You’re really smart.” He said quietly. “I feel significantly calmer.”

“I’m happy to hear that.” You chuckled softly. Tom pulled away and took on of your hands in his, rubbing gentle circles on the back of it.

“I have a question for you.” He said.

“Go for it.” You bit your bottom lip as you both spoke in hushed tones.

“Would you rather,” he began with a coy smile, “kiss me again or go on a date with me?”

“I can’t have both?” You pouted and a wicked flame ignited in Toms eyes. He hooked his pinky under your chin and moved your face towards his, leaning close enough that his lips brushed yours when he spoke.

“I think I can make an exception.” He whispered before kissing you again.

Tag List 🏷

@maybemona @foreverxholland @damnyoudameron @lavender-writer @captainmandeestudent17 @whatareyouhidingpeter @takenbyheartstrings @ultrunning @imyourliquor-youremypoison @theolwebshooter @andreasworlsboring101 @guksmyfav​ @waiting-to-be-myself @letsloveimagines @peterparkoure​ @a-villain-vying-for-attention @justcallmehitgirl @averyfosterthoughts​ @jackiehollanderr​ @tiny-friggin-human @celestial-skylines @mara-twins​ @iamaunicorn4704​ @spideygirl2003 @the-crazy-fanfictionist @maryjanee23​ @spacebitch2​ @geeksareunique @emmamarshmellow @jillanaholland​ @rebekkah4766 @flixndchill @sovereignparker​ @wendaiii​ @thisisthebiplace​ @spideydobrik @every-marveler-ever @undiadeestos​ @caelestii-e​ @eridanuswave @itscaminow @fiantomartell @solarxmoonchild​ @where-art-thau-romeo @canyouevencauseicant @illwritetomorrow @thehappygrungelife @saysomethingspiderman​ @parkerboop @smilexcaptainx @hes-amarillo​ @quaksonhehe​ @kelieah @silteplaittais-toi @kickingn-ames @purefluff @seasidecrowbar @lovelessdagger​ @love-sick-blues @electraheart-3174 @lou-la-lou @unbelievableholland​ @yourtypicalhotmess @ohnothezombies @spideyanakin

[rowanberry-stolemy-identity]

sunshine & surprises

pairing: gen

fandom: Julie and the phantoms

words: 1.5k

summary: Late morning sunshine filtered through the windows of the garage, the only sounds are that of four teenagers sleeping, when Julie heard a knock on the garage door that woke her. A soft “Julie?” Came from the door “your dad said you might be out here- oh!” the garage door opened, letting in more sunlight and a surprised looking Nick holding flowers. 

Note: i haven’t written anything in a VERY long time so I’m sorry if everything is ooc and bad but i blacked out and ended up writing this little blurb.

~~~~~

“We played the Orpheum!!!” 

The realization of everything finally hitting her. Like a bubble bursting all that tension from early dissipated as they laughed and jumped around, the band revelling in the warm feeling of Julie's healing love and being able to touch each other. She couldn't believe this was happening; she felt breathless.

She thought she was gonna lose her boys tonight, and she almost did, her heart breaks at the thought but they're here and they aren't going anywhere for a very long time. 

Then she felt a tug on her arm as she was pulled to the floor with a yelp. Reggie had tripped over the rug and had pulled Luke down with him, who pulled Alex, who pulled Julie. They laid there in a pile of limbs, a giddy facsimile of the scene Julie had seen when she turned on the lights.

 All of them were breathless as they laid there, enjoying the warmth of holding onto each other.

Julie looked over at her boy finally taking in the guys’ outfits. 

“Why're you guys in suits?” 

“That’s thanks to Caleb,” Luke said, picking at the vest he was wearing, “he kidnapped us after you left for the Orpheum to make one last final offer.”

‘So that's why they were late’ Julie thought as she remembered the way her heart had shattered when she thought they had already died again.

“Yeah though we thought to make some alterations before we joined you” Alex said fiddling with the collar of the see-through shirt he was wearing. 

“Yeah mine had WAY too much red” Reggie agreed from halfway under Luke

Julie giggled, thinking about the boys in stuffy suits, the ridiculous image that came to her head. 

“Yeah I'm sure you guys looked ridiculous.” 

“He put us in bow ties, Jules! Bow ties!” Luke made a face of disgust.

“The pain, the horror!” she said in an exaggerated voice.

“You'd think that man would have a better fashion sense since he’s been dead so long” reggie 

“i guess some ghosts are stuck in the past.” Luke joked

“Was that a fucking ghost pun?” Alex shoved his shoulder and rolled his eyes.

Julie got up and brushed off her jeans. “I don't know about you guys but I’m beat, I'll see you guys in the morning” and as she went to open to the door: 

“Julie?” Luke asked as he nervously looked from Alex to Reggie

 She tilted her head curiously, curls spilling over her shoulder “Yeah?” 

“Could you- could you stay? just a little longer?” Luke looked up, giving her his best puppy eyes, but she could see the hint of fear behind the facade. 

“I've got an idea,” she said, and she could see all three boys deflate a little, probably preparing for a ‘boundaries talk’. she can't have that. “how ‘bout we all get changed and i'll bring in some blankets and pillows and we have a movie night.” the boys immediately perked up, making Julie smile at her idiots. Nodding her head towards the dresser under the loft she said, “the mini projector should be in the top drawer, if you guys can get it while i grab everything” 

“Yeah we got it!” Luke said as he bounced over to the drawer and Alex and Reggie went to the bags of clothes to change.

In her room she changed into her smiley face sweater, the comfiest pajama pants she could find and her monster slippers. Making her smile as she remembered the first time she met the guys.

~

When they all got settled in the nest they made out of seemingly every pillow and blanket in the Molina household and Julie fired up A New Hope to play against the closed garage doors and her and her bandmates all cuddled together enjoying the new found ability to touch she felt love radiate off them and she felt at peace as they each slowly drifted off to sleep.

~ 

Late morning sunshine filtered through the windows of the garage, the only sounds are that of four teenagers sleeping, when Julie heard a knock on the garage door that woke her. A soft ��Julie?” Came from the door “your dad said you might be out here- oh!” the garage door opened, letting in more sunlight and a surprised looking Nick holding flowers.

Julie yawned, sitting up from the pile of blankets and pillows, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

“Nick!”  she tried to get up but Alex pulled her back down, he had ended up holding her in the night with his arm slung over her waist. 

She fell back with a yelp and glared at Alex, who was still asleep. 

“Nick! What ah-” Julie said, tripping slightly on the blanket nest, finally extracting herself from between Alex and Luke, who were starting to wake up. “What brings you here at- what time is it?” 

“It’s uh-” 

“Way too fucking early for this, lover boy” Luke grumbled while stretching.

Nick looked from Julie to the blanket pile that held her boys with a confused look on his face. Almost like he heard Luke, Julie thought. No no that's impossible sure she could touch them now but there's no way Nick could see them. 

She plastered on a smile like she wasn't dealing with ghost shenanigans and tilted her head still waiting on the answer on why he was there.

 “Uh sorry! I just- I came by to congratulate you! on your performance last night, that is, you were awesome! a-and uh to give you these.”  Nick blushed when he handed her the flowers.

“aw thanks Nick, that’s so sweet” she smiled, and took the flowers. Going to smell them she heard Alex groan, “Julie, tell your boyfriend to come back later, I'm trying to sleep,” and promptly pulled a pillow over his head.

Julie blushed but rolled her eyes and as she was about to comment more on the flowers Nick turned towards Alex and said, “oh i'm not her boyfriend.”

Wait.

What! 

The whole room froze as the realization of what just happened sunk in.

Julie looked from Nick to where he was looking which was definitely right at Alex.

Alex removed the pillow from his head to stare at Nick incredulously. Luke got up, with a distracted “sorry Reg” as he jostled Reggie who woke up with a startled grunt.  Luke was looking between Alex and Nick with a thoughtful expression like he was trying to figure out a complicated puzzle.

Nick looked between all three of them with a confused expression on his face, “waaaaaas I not supposed to answer that orrrr?” he asked.

“No no, It's fine!” Julie threw a thousand-watt smile at him as Luke got right up in his face

“This is so weird” Luke said under his breath, waving his hand in front of Nick's face.

“What're you doing?” Nick looked between Julie and Luke, brows furrowed.

“Nothing,” Luke said distractedly, “just checking your eyesight.”

“Luke!”  

Julie batted his arm down away from Nick's face; pleased that she can still touch him even if she has to deal with them being able to be seen now. Which she’ll freak out about and deal with later. But right now she's gotta act like everything is completely normal.

“Sorry ‘bout him” she said grinning like she wasn't freaking out internally. 100% ignoring Luke’s little scoff. “They all get a little weird and cranky when they just wake up”

“Hey!” came from Reggie who was now sitting up, “not all of us can wake up being the personification of sunshine,”

Julie proceeded to stick her tongue out at him.

“Oh yeah no, it's fine, although I don’t think I’ve ever officially met you guys, I’m Nick,” he said doing a little wave towards the guys, “and you guys are Julie’s ‘phantoms’ right?”

“Yup, This is my band!” Julie said proudly, “The one being weird is Luke, ” Julie gestured to the boy beside her with a smile, and he gave a little head nod. She then waved over to the two boys, both now sitting cross legged on the nest, “ the grumpy one is Alex and that's Reggie.”

They gave a little ‘hi’ and ‘sup’ with a peace sign respectively and both gave little smiles.

“Cool! Glad to meet you guys, you guys absolutely rocked it last night.” Nick gushed.

 A happy “Thanks!” came from Reggie. 

Alex just smiled shyly while a self-satisfied grin spread on Luke's face.

“Yeah, well i gotta get going! I gotta babysit my little sister this weekend but I'll see you later Julie!” Nick said as he waved his goodbye to the band.

“Yeah I'll see you! Bye!” Julie waved and immediately closed the garage door and collapsed against it, flowers forgotten in her hand for now.

“So that's new!” 

“Oh ya think Reggie?!” 

~

[coffintownkids]

I had the rare occurrence of having the house to myself for the entire day yesterday, which hasn’t happened since...last September maybe?

Which means I got to bang out translating all of Ch.34 while I was distraction-free!

This chapter had lots of fun moments with the junior disciples. To set the scene, WWX and LWJ come across the juniors in Coffin Town and the kids are freaked out by the sound of a bamboo pole drumming against the ground.

Long Post Ahead!

“That was It again…It really has been following us this whole time!”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “It’s been following you?”

Lán Sīzhuī said, “After we entered the town, the fog was so heavy that we were worried about being separated. We gathered closer when suddenly, we could hear that noise. At the time, it wasn’t so fast. One sound after another rang our very slowly. Ahead in the white mist, we saw a hazy, short silhouette slowly walking by. We chased after it, but it disappeared. After that, the sound kept following us.”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “How short was it?”

Lán Sīzhuī gestured around his own chest, “It was rather short and very petite.”

I guess that very technically counts as the first time Ā-Qìng gets described! She’s so little!!!

Jīn Líng said, “I knew I should have brought Fairy with me. This is all your damn donkey’s fault.”

Just hearing the dog’s name had chills running up Wèi Wúxiàn’s back while he listened to Lán Jǐngyí say, “We haven’t even blamed your dog! It bit first so Little Apple just kicked out at it. Whose fault is that? Anyway, now neither of them can move.”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “What?! My Little Apple got bit by a dog?!”

Jīn Líng, “How can you compare that donkey to my Spirit Dog? Fairy was given to me by my xiǎo-shūshu. If something were to happen to it, 10,000 donkeys still wouldn’t be enough compensation!”

Wèi Wúxiàn started spouting nonsense, “Don’t rub Liǎnfang-Zūn in people’s faces. My Little Apple was also a mount given to me by Hánguāng-Jūn. How could you bring Little Apple down the mountain for a Night Hunt? You also let it get hurt?!”

All the junior House of Lán disciples spoke in unison, “Liar!” They would absolutely never believe that with Hánguāng-Jūn having such good taste, that he would give such a mount to someone. Even though Lán Wàngjī didn’t refute it, they firmly refused to believe it.

Ha! Ain’t nobody buying what WWX is selling. Also, JL refers to JGY as xiǎo-shūshu. It means that JGY is his father’s youngest brother (aka JL does not consider MXY to be his uncle, despite him also being his father’s half-brother and younger than JGY!) LSZ, however, is a good boy and explains the situation-the elders evicted Little Apple for being too noisy in Cloud Recesses :P

Jīn Líng also didn’t believe that he had been given the donkey by Lán Wàngjī, “I hate looking at that donkey. Why is it even called Little Apple? It’s so goddamn stupid!”

Lán Jǐngyí was still thinking about it. If it really had been given by Hánguāng-Jūn, then this wasn’t good and he promptly spoke up for it, “What’s wrong with Little Apple. It loves to eat apples, so it’s called Little Apple. It’s that simple. The name is miles better than you naming your fat dog Fairy.”

Jīn Líng, “How is Fairy fat?! Go ahead and try to find a Spirit Dog that’s in better shape…”

All of a sudden, there was absolute silence.

After some time, Wèi Wúxiàn said, “Is anybody here?”

From nearby came “uhhhhh” and “wahhhh” to indicate where they were. Lán Wàngjī coolly said, “They were causing a commotion.”

…He actually cast the Mute Spell on all of them at once. Wèi Wúxiàn couldn’t help touching his own lips and felt extremely lucky.

LWJ ain’t got time for your shit lol. I also continue to waffle with whether I’m calling it the “Mute Spell” or “Silence Spell” or “Gag Spell” etc etc etc. It’s another case of me being an overly nitpicky overthinker! I’ve mentioned it before, but I figured it’s worth sharing again that it’s written as 禁言. Very technically, it means “speech is banned/prohibited.” which ties into all of the Lán rules that also use 禁 when saying something is prohibited. I’ve been wanting to convey that, plus I’ve seen it used in a more modern sense to “mute” sound. Also 禁言令 is used as “gag order.” So, like, I know it’s one of those things that doesn’t need to be changed, yet here we are.

Naturally, here’s where some zombies show up. LWJ gets rid of a bunch, but...

Another House’s disciple said, “It looks like there’s more zombies!”

“Where is it? I didn’t hear any footsteps?”

“It sounded like strange breathing to me…” The young man realized how ridiculous that was once he finished saying it and shut up out of embarrassment. Another boy said, “I’m done with you. You heard them breathing. Zombies are dead. How could you possibly hear them breathing?”

Breathing, huh?

LWJ decapitates one and...its body spews out a bunch of powder! And then the gravedigger that tried to steal the torso earlier in the book shows up!!! So while he and LWJ start fighting, WWX starts freaking out.

The current situation did not allow for optimism. The gravedigger’s sword was shrouded in black mist, its sword aura couldn’t shine through it, and the white fog was keeping him quite well-hidden. The sword aura from Lán Wàngjī’s Bìchén, however, could not be blocked. He was the light and the enemy was the dark. His opponent’s cultivation was not lacking and the Lán Sect of Gūsū’s swordsmanship was well-known to him. On top of that, they were both fighting equally blind in the fog. He could do so without having any concern, while Lán Wàngjī had to be careful that he didn’t accidentally injury his own allies. It honestly put him at a major disadvantage. Wèi Wúxiàn heard the sounds of their blades a few times and his heart clenched. He blurted out, “Lán Zhàn? Are you injured?!”

There was a slightly muffled sound in the distance, as if someone had received a critical injury. However, it clearly wasn’t Lán Wàngjī’s voice.

Lán Wàngjī said, “Of course not.”

Wèi Wúxiàn smiled, “Of course!”

I love LWJ being pissy over the implication that some scrub could have the potential to injure him. Sorry, Sū Shè. You’re not qualified to injure him, either.

Since WWX isn’t needed there, he starts checking on the kids that inhaled the powder.

Wèi Wúxiàn went to Lán Jǐngyí and touched his forehead. He had a slight fever. He did the same for the others that had inhaled the powder that had gushed out of the zombies. They were in the same state. He lifted Lán Jǐngyí’s eyelids and said, “Stick out your tongue and let me take a look. Ahh.”

Lán Jǐngyí, “Ahh.”

Wèi Wúxiàn, “Okay. Congratulations, you’ve been hit with corpse poisoning.”

Jīn Líng, “How is that something worth being congratulated for?!”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “Because it’s the sort of life experience that you’ll tell stories about when you’re older.”

Life advice according to WWX: get poisoned for the lulz.

Meanwhile, poor LSZ’s little heart can’t take this.

Lán Sīzhuī was worried sick, “Mò-gōngzǐ, will anything happen to them?”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “They’ll be fine for now. However, if we wait for their blood to circulate through their bodies and reach their hearts, we won’t be able to help them.”

Lán Sīzhuī said, “What…what will that do?”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “Whatever happens to corpses is what will happen to all of you. If you’re lucky, you’ll just rot badly. If you’re not, you’ll turn into a long-haired jiāngshī and from then on, you’ll only be able to get around by hopping.”

All of the poisoned disciples gasped at the same time.

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “Want to cure it?”

They all nodded at once. Wèi Wúxiàn said, “If you want it cured, listen well. From now on, you’re going to have to obediently listen to everything I tell you. Every one of you has to listen to me.”

WWX is so goddamn dramatic. I love it! Also, I think it’s the first mention of jiāngshī in the novel. Jiāngshī (僵尸) literally means “stiff corpse” and are a folktale creature in China. They’re something of a cross between a zombie and a vampire. The legend goes that because they’re dead and rigor mortis has set in, their bodies are stiff and rigid. Thus, they can’t bend their legs and can only move by hopping instead of walking. Since it’s a pretty Chinese-specific myth, I’m opting to leave the term untranslated.

WWX’s first order is for the healthy disciples to carry the poisoned ones. And, of course, despite them all agreeing to do what they’re told, LJY has something to say about it.

Lán Jǐngyí said, “I can walk. Why do I have to be carried?”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “Gēgē, if you’re frolicking around, your blood will flow that much faster and that much harder, which means it will reach your heart that much faster. Therefore, you need to limit your movements. It would be best if you didn’t move at all.”

WWX sarcastically calling him gēgē sent me.

And then:

One of them being carried by someone from his sect muttered, “The zombie that just sprayed the poisoned powder really had been breathing.”

The boy carrying him was gasping for breath as he complained, “I already told you the one that was breathing had to be a live person.”

I’m sure that’s not foreshadowing anything terrible.

Meanwhile, LSZ does not complain and just asks what WWX would like them to do next.

The one that was the most well-behaved, most obedient, and made him worry the least was Lán Sīzhuī.

LSZ is the bestest boy!

Next, WWX does order them to go door-knocking. Keep in mind that they have yet to come across anyone in the town except zombies and the gravedigger.

Jīn Líng put in quite the effort and banged on the door for a long time, but no response came from inside, “It doesn’t seem like there’s anybody in there. We’re going in, right?”

Wèi Wúxiàn’s voice floated over from far away, “Who said you could go in when there’s nobody there? Keep knocking. We’ll go in a building that has someone occupying it.”

Jīn Líng said, “Are you still trying to find people?”

Wèi Wúxiàn said, “Yes. Knock properly. You were knocking too hard just now. Don’t be so rude.”

Jīn Líng was so angry that he nearly kicked the wooden door in. In the end, he nevertheless…relentlessly stomped his feet against the ground.

Each building on the main road all kept their doors firmly shut. No matter how much they knocked, they remained looming and unmoving. The more Jīn Líng knocked, the more jittery he became. But he was at least being a little more gentle about it.

JL really is his father’s rude-ass son!

They do eventually find a shop with a creepy old woman, though.

“Shopkeep, when we first arrived in your land, the fog was too thick and we lost our way. We’ve walked for quite a long time and have grown somewhat weary. Would it be possible for us to make use of your shop and rest for a while?”

The strange voice said, “My shop isn’t meant for people to use as a rest stop.”

Wèi Wúxiàn didn’t seem to find this all that out of the ordinary and his expression was the same as usual, “But there is no other shop around in this fine place that still has someone occupying it. Shopkeep, are you truly unwilling to make things easier for us? We’ll reward you handsomely.”

Jīn Líng couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Where did you get the money to reward them handsomely with? Let me be the first to tell you I won’t be lending you any.”

Wèi Wúxiàn shook the dainty little money pouch in front of his face, “Look. What is this?” Lán Jǐngyí was terribly alarmed, “You really have some nerve! That’s Hánguāng-Jūn’s!”

Ahhh...LJY continues to be scandalized on LWJ’s behalf.

Although the old lady was hunchbacked and seemed quite elderly at first glance, she actually didn’t really have any wrinkles or age spots. One could say that she could pass for middle-aged. She opened the door and stepped aside. It looked like she was willing to let them go inside.

It came as a major surprise to Jīn Líng and he softly said, “She’s actually really willing to let people inside?”

Wèi Wúxiàn also spoke softly, “Of course. I also stuck my foot in the doorway, so she can’t close the door even if she wanted to. If she wouldn’t let us in, I would have just kicked the door in.”

Jīn Líng, “……”

WWX: *also rude*

JL: *shocked Pikachu face*

[just-jordie-things]

Menace - Peter Parker

word count: 7939 warnings: swearing, attempted assault summary: (y/n) develops a bit of a crush on Spider-Man, and Peter Parker develops a bit of a crush on (y/n) (a/n): can we pretend mysterio didn’t drop peter parker’s name in FFH? ok cool thanks

Breaking News: Not-So-Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man?

Spider-Man vs… New York City?

The Next Tony Stark - He’s Not The Hero You Think

SPIDER-MENACE

(y/n) threw the papers down on the table angrily.

“This is bullshit!”

“(y/n)! Language at the table, please?” Her mother sighed, a bit disappointed but not surprised.  “What’s wrong now dear?”

“These papers, they’ve got it all wrong!” She exclaimed, earning a very tired, and very confused look from her mother.  “They’re saying that-that Spider-Man’s a bad guy, that he does more bad than good in this city and it’s just bullsh- crap.  It’s crap, sorry”

“If you hate it so much, why don’t you become a reporter? Hm?”

(y/n) glared playfully at her mother.

“And be corrupt with the rest of them?” She sneered.

“Alright, easy there tiger.  Drop the papers, get up and get ready for school”

And (y/n) did follow the instruction, but she didn’t forget about the lies in the news. ___

Peter was stopped on his walk to school, his eyes catching the newspaper stand just a block away from it.

He groaned internally as he flipped through the incredibly exaggerated article about how Spider-Man is ruining Queens, and that he should “give up his day job”.  Peter of course knew that this shouldn’t change anything for him, that he should remain doing his patrols and keeping the city safe, even if they didn’t appreciate his help.

But seeing this headlines every day was starting to get him down on himself.  There had been some destruction, and some innocent people had gotten hurt, but he was trying his best to do what he can to protect them.

There’s always going to be haters, Peter told himself, something Happy had told him a year ago.  As long as you don’t give in to them, they can’t bring you down.

Happy wasn’t great with advice.  Unless it involved using lines from Christina Aguilera songs. ___

“Dude, have you been on the Snapchat News page lately?” Ned said as soon as he saw Peter that morning.

“Good morning to you too” Peter mumbled back, too busy with putting his things away in his locker.

“Everyone hates Spider-Man now!” Ned exclaimed, and Peter whirled around, shushing him harshly.  Last thing he needed was for everyone who hated Spider-Man to know the identity under the mask and hate him too.  “It’s crazy, ever since Mysterio- Beck- posted that fake video about you executing the drone attack, people have been going nuts about how terrible Spider-Man is!” Ned said quieter.

Peter shut is locker and hit his head against it.

“I hate my life” He grumbled.

Ned pulled him back by his shoulder and they walked together to their first period class.  

“Not everyone hates Spider-Man, it’s just a hot topic right now, you know?” Ned said quickly, feeling bad for crushing Peter’s spirits.  “I don’t, May doesn’t-”

“That doesn’t count, you’re my family, you have to say that,” Peter whined.  “I just… wish people looked at the whole story, yaknow? I’m trying my best”

Ned smiled and nodded, knowing fully well that Peter puts his all into being Spider-Man.

-

“And now even the Post, the freaking Post is trashing on him-”

“(y/n), babe,” Michelle cut her friend off from her seemingly endless rant.  “I love you, most of the time.  This is not one of those times”

(y/n) rolled her eyes but chuckled, going back to eating her lunch.  Okay, so maybe she got a bit carried away with her anger towards the recent headlines regarding Spider-Man.

“If I have to hear one more word about you thirsting over Spider-Man, I’m gonna lose it” MJ went on.

“Okay okay, I get it,” (y/n) laughed.  “But I’m not thirsting, I’m just… upset for him.  He’s a hero, you know? He deserves the same amount of respect and understanding as anyone else-”

“You’re doing it again” MJ monotoned, and gave her a bored glare.

MJ happened to know that Peter Parker, who was sitting at a table away from them, was the man under the mask.  She felt for Peter because of the heat he was under with the press, but the way she saw it was that he knew the truth.  And as long as he knows he’s a good guy, then who cares what the papers say?

“Sorry,” (y/n) said sheepishly.

“Babe,” MJ sighed, she only used that nickname ironically.  “You know some people right now are really against Spider-Man? Just cause the papers told them that they should be?”

“That’s not true!” A guy at a table behind them spoke up, having heard MJ’s statement.  MJ rolled her eyes, but (y/n) furrowed her brows and waited for him to continue.  “He really is a bad guy! All these ‘problems’ he tries to solve, just causes more problems!”

(y/n) narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

“Actually… no” She stated, but the guy started talking again anyways.

“You know he initiated that attack at the senior trip to Europe?” He went on.  “And all that construction they’re doing downtown? Why do you think that is?” He asked aggressively.  “Because of all the destruction that he’s caused, the useless fighting-”

“Okay, stop,” (y/n) spoke up now, unable to listen to the crap he was spilling.  “Do you realize that if he wasn’t out there ‘uselessly fighting’ as you so stupidly put it, that the crime in Queens would increase by tenfold? Hm?” She raised her brows almost threateningly as she stared down the boy.

MJ chuckled and went back to her food, enjoying the entertainment her friend was providing her.  She has definitely taught her how to debate.

“And I have this theory that Mysterio was actually the one behind-”

“You just think he’s cute,” The boy rolled his eyes and waved a dismissive hand, as though telling her she could stop trying to argue with him.  “You don’t give a shit about Spider-Man”

With that, he turned around in his seat and gave up talking to her.

(y/n) gaped, staring at MJ with wide eyes, silently screaming about how ridiculous that was.

“I swear to fucking-”

She didn’t even finish her curse before abruptly standing up from her seat, and shoving it in under the table.  The slam was loud and echoed across the cafeteria, gaining more attention.

“(y/n)?” Michelle said under her breath, watching as (y/n) grabbed a fistful of mashed potatoes with her bare hands, along with a carton of milk.  “Woah hey what the hell are you-”

But (y/n) had already stormed over to the other table, where the boy she’d just argued with was now snickering with his friends.

“Hey!” She shouted.

More heads turned to see what was going on.

And just as he looked over to her, he was met with a  hand to the face as she smashed the potatoes against him.

“Fuck you, you ignorant prick!” She hollered.

An echo of ohs surrounded the cafeteria, everyone now watching the scene unfold.

MJ laughed and clapped her hands.

“What the hell is wrong with you!?” The boy stood up from his chair, wiping the food off his face as he grimaced at her.

(y/n) opened her carton of milk, and promptly dumped it on his head.

She never got the chance to say anything before the cafeteria monitors dragged her off to the principal’s office.  But she didn’t have anything else to say.

Even though she was forced to the office, MJ clapped and cheered the whole time she was escorted out of the cafeteria. ___

“You know he initiated that attack at the senior trip to Europe?”

Brian Miller’s voice was a pest in Peter’s head.

“Great, now really everyone’s talking about it” He grumbled, stabbing at his food angrily.

“Come on, Brian’s a dick, don’t listen to him” Ned said reassuringly.  He was right, Brian ‘Miller Light’ was known for being a Grade A Tool™ .  And Peter knew that he shouldn’t get upset over what someone like Brian thinks.

“Do you realize that if he wasn’t out there ‘uselessly fighting’ as you so stupidly put it, that the crime in Queens would increase by tenfold? Hm?”

He did however, perk up at that.

Literally, Peter sat up in his seat and swiveled his head around to see (y/n) (y/l/n), one of MJ’s friends, standing up against lame-ass-Brian.

A smile pulled on his face as he listened to her fight for Spider-Man.

“Hey, hey,” Ned blindly motioned his arm towards Ned to get him to listen to what was going on as well.  “Did you hear that?”

Ned looked over to watch the argument, and chuckled when Brian called her out for having a crush on him.

“Did you hear that?” Ned shot back at Peter.  “You’ve got a real admirer- holy shit is she-?”

“Did she just pick up-?”

“Ohmygod Peter she’s gonna start a freakin- food fight-!”

The boys could barely finish their thoughts, eyes trained on the scene as (y/n) stormed over to Brian, shouting right in his face, and then hitting him full force with the potatoes.

“Holy shit!” Peter shouted, hands flying to his head in surprise.

Sure, he knew people still believe in Spider-Man, but not that much.

“Dude the monitor’s coming over, she’s so getting detention for that!” Ned was excitedly shaking Peter by his shoulder, which only got rougher when they watched (y/n) dump milk over Brian’s head.  “Dude!”

Ned and Peter weren’t the only ones watching her outburst, practically the whole cafeteria was fixated on seeing what was going to happen next.

But nothing did happen.

She dropped the milk, and shortly after was grabbed by the arms and taken out of the cafeteria, likely to go straight to the principal’s office.

As soon as she was gone, the room was buzzing excitedly about the spectacle.

“I can’t believe… I can’t believe that just happened,” Peter said, turning to sit in his seat normally, facing Ned, a shocked expression on his face.  “She just did all that… for me”

“I know right! Wow, she’s so crazy, that was so cool” Ned gushed, shaking his head and grinning wildly.

“But like… why would she go through all the trouble for me? She doesn’t even know who I- who Spider-Man is” Peter continued rambling confusedly.

“Hey, losers,” MJ set her tray down next to Peter and invited herself to finish her lunch with them.  “You guys talking about (y/n)?”

“Yeah.  Peter’s losing it” Ned replied, making MJ chuckle.

“I’m not losing it… I just… didn’t know she cared so much about Spider-Man” He shrugged lamely.

“Seriously?” MJ groaned.  “She spent all day complaining about the papers, in fact, she’s spent the last few months complaining about it.  She’s like your biggest advocate”

“Really?” Peter asked quietly, eyes wide.

“Oh yeah,” MJ answered.  “Really, she loves him”

“Really?” He repeated.

“Well she wouldn’t go getting a detention over anyone” MJ rolled her eyes, so beyond done with this conversation.

But now Peter was running on overdrive, and all he could think about was how (y/n) had gotten a detention for him.

He purposefully lagged in the halls so that he was late to his next class, winding himself a detention after school. ___

While she didn’t want an after school detention, (y/n) did not regret any of her actions.

But maybe she did a little bit when she walked into the classroom that detention was held in.

Luckily she recognized a familiar mess of brown curls, and sat down next to him.

“What did Peter Parker do to get himself a detention?” She grinned over at him, and he (all too excitedly) turned to her.

“I-I was late to Spanish,” He told her sheepishly, and (y/n) giggled a little bit, nodding her head in understanding.  “We can’t all be as badass as you, I guess”

She laughed louder at that, earning a glare from the detention monitor.

“Quiet”

(y/n) and Peter shared an awkward smile, and then she pulled a book out of her backpack to keep her occupied for the rest of the hour.

But Peter didn’t want her to not talk to him the rest of the hour, he’d landed himself a detention just so that he could talk to her for Christ’s sake.

So he did the next best thing to talking.

He wrote a note, folded it up, and flicked it over to (y/n’s) desk.

She looked over to him and quirked a brow, but unfolded it.

I’m really bored

(y/n) stifled a giggle and pulled out a pen, writing back to him.

It’s literally been a minute

And that’s how it started.

The two spent an entire hour passing notes back and forth.  They talked about everything, class, friends, gossip, but most importantly, Spider-Man.

(y/n) had written half a page worth of why she thinks the press is the real bad guy, and how much it bothered her that they were tearing down Spider-Man.  MJ had been right, she was Spider-Man’s biggest advocate.

By the end of the detention, they’d swapped phone numbers and Snapchats.

“Do you want me to walk you home?” He’d asked nervously when they walked out of the school.

“It’s only four o’clock Peter, I don’t think I’ll be mugged between now and three blocks away,” (y/n) said with a big smile, enjoying the pink blush that dusted his cheeks.  “But thank you though”

“Y-yeah, yeah.  So I’ll… see you later then” He waved awkwardly and she nodded.

“See ya Peter!” She called, walking in the opposite direction to her own place.

And the more she walked, the more she thought of him.  She’d always known Peter, he was one of MJ’s friends so they had a mutual connection, but they’d never been around each other like that before.  She didn’t know he was so…

adorable. ___

Peter was doing a late night patrol a few days later.  There wasn’t much going on, but you can never be too safe.  Besides, he enjoyed the breeze has he swung alley through alley.  The later he got, the less he expected to see.

However, he didn’t expect to see (y/n) herself, wandering down the sidewalk with her backpack on and a plastic bag in her hands.

“Karen, what time is it?” Peter called out to the AI.

“12:06, Peter” Karen responded instantaneously.

“What the hell is she doing out so late?”

And before he could think it through, he swung down to the street, and tapped her on the shoulder.

He really should’ve thought it through, because she screamed and spun around, about to punch him in the face when she saw who it was.

“Oh my god, Spider-Man” She breathed out in surprise, eyes blown wide and she almost had a panic attack right there.

“Yeah, uh, it’s me,” He did jazz hands.

Stupid stupid stupid why did I do that?

“What’re you doing out so late?” He asked, and (y/n) held up her grocery bag.

“Late night snack run?” She said weakly, a nervous look on her face.  “I’m kind of binging a show right now and uh… ran out of goods”

Spider-Man laughed, and she found herself relieved at the simple reaction.

“Alright, that’s fair.  Not as sketchy as it looked”

“As it looked?” She repeated, “What, are you following me?”

“N-no!” He stammered out quickly.  “Of course not I-I just saw you walking by yourself in the middle of the night, and I try my best but that doesn’t mean Queens is the safest place in the world” She laughed at his rambling and nodded.

“Okay, seems fair,” She said amusingly.  “Not as sketchy as you sounded” She teased him by mocking him.

“Can I walk you home?” He asked, and she didn’t answer right away, a strange feeling of deja vu coming over her, before he spoke again.  “It’d make me feel better if you let me”

(y/n) nodded, a soft smile tugging on her lips as they began to walk together.

“You think I would’ve gotten mugged?” She asked.

“I don’t know what answer you want to hear, so let’s just say you definitely won’t now” Spider-Man answered.

“Not being mugged tonight sounds good to me,” (y/n) said.  “Hey, can I ask you something? I want to win an argument against my friend, and also be able to brag that Spider-Man walked me home… do you think that I would be jumped at say… four o’clock?”

Peter was smiling so hard under his mask, his cheeks hurt a little.

“Well, that depends where you’re walking,” He explained, and went on to label all the streets he had the most trouble with.  None of which were the ones she passed on her way home.  “Is that good enough to brag to your… friend?”

“Honestly, this whole night is good enough,” (y/n) said almost bashfully.  “That’s my complex right there” She pointed just up the street to where she lived.

“Good, I can proudly say I got the damsel home safe” Spider-Man said, and they both laughed a bit.

“A damsel huh? I was walking home from 7-Eleven” She argued, and stopped at the steps to her apartment complex.

“Who knows what could’ve happened if I wasn’t there to escort you?”

“Mhm,” She hummed, awkwardly standing at the entrance, and not wanting to go inside just yet.  “Hey, uh, before you swing off I should tell you… uh... I just wanted to say that I think what the press has been really harsh,” She said sweetly.  “I know that kind of thing probably doesn’t bother you, but it shouldn’t, cause, yaknow, you’re a hero and all that”

She was mentally kicking herself for getting so flustered.

Spider-Man nodded in response, having a hard time finding the right words.

“Thank you, (y/n), that really means a lot,” He told her.  “It was nice meeting you, but try not to wander around Queens so late, alright? That’s how accidents happen!”

And suddenly he was swinging off, and out of sight.

Leaving (y/n) to wonder how he knew her name if she’d never told him.

When she finally made it back to her room, she put her binging on pause to make a very important call.

“MJ, I have to tell you the craziest thing” ___

“Peter Parker, you’re the biggest idiot to ever live,” MJ smacked Peter as soon as she saw him the next day in class.  He rubbed the back of his head while she went on.  “(y/n) told me all about her cute little encounter with Spider-Man”

“She did?” He asked hopefully, an adorable smile on his face.

“She sure did.  Especially the part where he knew her name” She stated, and suddenly Peter’s heart wasn’t fluttering, but was dropping to his stomach.

“She did?” He asked again, much less happy.

“Uh huh.  Hope you can figure that shit out Parker, before she puts two and two together and realized how Spider-Man knows her name”

Peter nodded rapidly, and began to come up with a plan. ___

MJ agreed to convince (y/n) to join Peter and Ned at lunch that day, and (y/n) had happily agreed.

That was about as much of a plan as he came up with.

“Trying for another detention today?” MJ asked when (y/n) had sat with them.  (y/n) rolled her eyes but smiled playfully at her friend.

“No,” She answered.  “I’m minding my business from now on” She shrugged.

“Detention was that bad?” Ned asked.

“No, Peter was there, so at least I wasn’t stuck there alone,” She smiled sweetly at the boy, who ducked his head to hide his blush.  “But it’s not like I want to go back either”

“Mhm I’m sure your new boyfriend Spider-Man wouldn’t appreciate you being such a rebel” MJ teased.  (y/n) scoffed out a laugh, but there was no hiding her blush.

“Boyfriend?” Ned repeated, kicking Peter under the table.  But (y/n) shook her head dismissively.

“She’s just messing around,” She mumbled, embarrassed.  “She’s been doing it all morning”

“Well, when Spider-Man himself walks you home in the middle of the night…” MJ trails off.

Ned already knew the whole story, because Peter had called him at one in the morning to excitedly ramble about how he got to take (y/n) home.  But, he played along anyways.

“He what? Why didn’t you tell us right away!” Ned said excitedly, urging her to tell the whole story.  (y/n) was smiling adorably and blushing, twirling her fork around her food as she shyly but happily told him about it.

Peter could feel his face getting hot as she was gushing about how kind and funny and awkward Spider-Man was.  Her cheeks were pink and her smile didn’t leave her lips the whole time she spoke.  It was really cute, actually.

“Sounds like Spider-Man has a crush on you, babe,” MJ said, raising her eyebrows towards (y/n), who immediately began to fluster at the statement.  “He walks you home, knows your name”

The girl sent a wink and a smirk in Peter’s direction that luckily went unnoticed by (y/n).

“Yeah, that was so strange,” (y/n) commented, her focus shifting to the one off part about her night.  “I could’ve sworn that I hadn’t told him my name, but who knows, I was so frazzled by actually meeting Spider-Man himself, maybe it just slipped my mind” She shrugged, and took a drink of her juice.

“Or maybe Spider-Man often escorts young women on the streets late at night, and he knows them all by name” MJ suggested with a mischievous smile.  Peter scowled at her, but (y/n) shrugged again.

“I dunno, maybe…” She thought about it, but shook her head.  “But he didn’t seem like that.  He was… different”

“I’m not like other Avengers” Ned teased, earning a laugh from the group.

“Really though,” (y/n) giggled.  “He was normal, like it could be anyone under the mask, you know?”

She looked to Peter with an excited sparkle in her eye, and he couldn’t help but nod along in agreement.  He was glad that she’d sat at his table today so he could hear last night’s events in her point of view.

“And oh my god, I almost forgot,” (y/n) grinned and leaned over the table slightly towards Peter.  “Spider-Man told me the streets I walk to get home don’t have that much crime happen on them, and I don’t need to be walked home from school”

He knew this, of course, he’d been the one who’d told her.  But he played along anyways.

The blush was authentic, however.

“W-well okay then s-sorry for trying to do the respectful thing” He teased, and she laughed with him, squeezing his arm playfully before going back into conversation with MJ. ___

Coincidentally that night, Peter saw (y/n) sitting on the fire escape while he was doing his nightly patrol.

He eagerly swung over to her, feeling giddy when she bit her lip to keep from grinning at him when he landed on the railing.

“Stalking me now, Spidey?” She asked, but he wasn’t fooled by the bold and flirtatious words, able to see the blush on her cheeks.

“Maybe I am,” He said, and she smiled at him from where she sat with her back leaning against the rails.  “Is that alright?”

“Yeah,” She giggled and nodded at him.  “That’s alright”

It was quiet for a moment as she pulled her knees to her chest to preserve some warmth.

“So, are you… working right now?” She asked, and he shook his head, sitting across from her and leaning against the opposite rails.

“Nope, just wrapped it up,” He told her.  “I was gonna head home but I saw you sitting out here so… I thought I’d stop by”

“That’s cute,” She smiled at him, and suddenly the suit felt very hot.  “My friends now have an ongoing theory that you escort a lot of… damsels…”

“You told your friends about me?” He asked coyly, but (y/n) just chuckled and rolled her eyes.

“Of course I did, you’re Spider-Man? I had something to brag about?” She reminded him, and he waved a dismissive hand.

“Sure, sure, I’m sure that’s it,” He said.  “You’re sure you don’t just think I’m cute?”

And there it was again, that feeling, like a lightbulb going off in her mind.

“You just think he’s cute, you don’t give a shit about Spider-Man” Brian Miller’s words replayed in her mind, and she froze up for a moment as she looked at the masked hero across from her curiously.

“Hm,” She hummed, tilting her head to the side as though it would help her identify why this feeling hit her like a tidal wave.  Did he see her cafeteria meltdown? Does the man under the mask go to Midtown?

Does she know Spider-Man?

… does Spider-Man know her?

“What?” He asked, drawing her from her wild running mind.  “What was that judgemental hum for?”

“Judgemental?” She questioned.  “It wasn’t judgemental”

“Sure sounded judgemental” He mumbled, kicking one leg out and propping the other knee up.

“There’s just something… it’s dumb” She bashfully shook her head and looked away, deciding against telling him about the gut feeling she’d gotten twice now.

“What is it?” He asked her, but she shook her head again, too embarrassed by it.  “Oh come on, tell me,” He put his hands together pleadingly.  “Who else am I gonna tell, huh?”

She looked at him skeptically, still unsure if she should tell him.

But she knew deep down she was going to give in anyways.

“There’s something very familiar about you” She admitted softly.

Peter thought he was having a stroke.

“You did meet me last night” He told her, only half joking.  She shrugged, looking away for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts.

“More than that,” She finally spoke again.  “Like I… like I know you”

“You do know me” He answered, and she giggled at his awkwardness.

“Calm down Spidey, I don’t know your secret identity.  Don’t get your onesie in a twist” She teased him, and he hit his head back against the rails of the fire escape with a defeated sign.

“It’s not a onesie,” He groaned, making her laugh.  “The mask is seperate” He added in a quieter voice, and she only laughed more.

“I’d like you if I met you” She told him boldly.

“Y-you would?”

“Mhm,” She nodded, pulling her legs closer to her chest and propping her chin on top of her arms.  “Absolutely” She said in a quieter voice.

She could tell he was smiling under his mask.

“I’m not so sure…”

“Why not?”

“I’m….” Spider-Man trailed off.  Peter, if you tell this girl that you’re a loser, then I’ll hate you forever, he thought to himself.  “I’m not like this in real life, like at all”

“What do you mean?” She asked.  “You’re not nerdy and anxious all the time for no reason?”

Okay, so maybe I am like this in real life.

“Fair point, because yeah,” He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.  “But still I’m not like… I don’t know let’s just say we wouldn’t run in the same crowds”

“What crowd do you think I run in, Spider-Man?” (y/n) asked, curious to see what he thought of her.

“Cool edgy kids” He answered pretty much right away, and she laughed, knowing he’d gotten MJ spot again.

“I wouldn’t say cool” She said quietly, eyes downcast shyly.

“Really? But you’re the coolest” He argued, and she giggled like a little girl, a hand covering her mouth to stop the ridiculous sound.

“Cut it out” She said quietly, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering around the more he spoke.

“Oh come on, there’s no way you aren’t like… the most popular person.  You’re that girl, like from the movies” He went on, and (y/n) covered her face with both hands, cheeks rosy and the giggles came back.

Peter loved this reaction.

“You’re adorable” He told her, only making it worse.

“Okay okay, enough about me,” She ran her hands through her hair, and tried to collect herself.  “What crowd do you run with then?”

“I… I don’t know what you’d call it” He said sheepishly.

“Try,” She shrugged.  “I’m just curious to know more about you, Spider-Man”

“Okay then I’d say I run with the… outcast nerd crowd” He answered honestly, but (y/n) scrunched up her nose and shook her head in disbelief.

“Not with those muscles you don’t” She pointed out matter-of-factly.  Spider-Man genuinely laughed at that.

It was quiet between them for a few moments, before (y/n) sighed, and stood up to stretch.

“It’s late,” She said softly, sadly.  “I should get to bed” “Yeah, I should be going” The masked hero agreed, and stood up as well.

She gave him a gentle wave before sliding open her window to crawl back into her room.  But before he could leave, she leaned back out of it.

“Spider-Man?” She called.

“Yeah?”

“Am I… am I going to see you again?” She asked hopefully.

He was grinning as he leapt up onto the rail, going into a crouching position as he looked back at her.

“Maybe if you’re out here again, around this time…” He trailed off suggestively, and (y/n) grinned at him, nodding in agreement.

“I’ll keep it in mind,” She mused, fingers tapping against her windowsill with excitement for tomorrow night.  “Goodnight”

“Goodnight, (y/n)” He said softly, waving slightly as she shut her window, before he left her fire escape.

Fuck, he thought, I really like this girl. ___

(y/n) took a long drink of her coffee before setting it on a shelf in her locker to collect her books for the day.  After the night she’d had, she wasn’t able to get much sleep, her giddiness to see Spider-Man again tonight kept her mind buzzing and toes wiggling seemingly all night long.

A few rows down, the familiar sound of a hand hitting the wall of lockers hard echoed.  She glanced over briefly to see MJ interrogating Peter.

Zipping up her bag and grabbing her styrofoam cup of coffee, she headed down to meet up with her friends, and see what was going on.

“Morning guys,” She greeted, barely able to get the words out without yawning.  “What’s all the commotion about?”

“N-nothing, no commotion” Peter told her in his usual awkward way of speaking.  She smiled gently at him before turning to MJ.

“Why’re you pickin’ on Peter, MJ?” She asked with a sign, knowing that she was teasing him about something.

MJ turned to Peter with raised brows for a moment, then promptly looked at (y/n) with a shit eating grin.

“Parker told me if I did the Calc homework, he’d do the AP Chem homework and we could trade,” She lied effortlessly.  “And now, he’s not pulling through with his end of the deal”

(y/n’s) eyes flickered over to Peter, as though asking if this was true, and the boy shakily nodded.

“You can just have mine,” (y/n) said with a shrug, handing her coffee to Peter as she took her backpack off to pull out her AP Chem binder.  “Here,” She handed the homework to MJ, and put her bag back on, taking her coffee back from Peter with a sweet smile.  “Problem solved?”

“Yep, thanks babe” MJ said before turning around and leaving the two in the hall.

“You alright?” (y/n) asked Peter, a concerned crease between her brows.  “I’ve never known Peter Parker to forget to do homework”

“Y-yeah,” He stammered out.  “I’m good, it just slipped my mind, must’ve been too busy last night or something”

“Oh? Hit a lot of crazy parties?” (y/n) teased, smiling playfully at him.  He chuckled, shaking his head and gripping the straps of his backpack tightly.

“Sure, let’s go with that”

She giggled before jerking a thumb over her shoulder.

“I should get going…” She said hesitantly.

Although she found herself just wanting to be around him some more, just to talk for a few more minutes.

He nodded, and she turned to head off to class.

“Oh, hey, (y/n/n)?”

She looked over her shoulder as he called out her nickname, one that usually only MJ used, when she wasn’t calling her babe.

“Uh… thanks, f-for covering for me” He said nervously.

She grinned and nodded at him.

“Yeah, no problem, Pete” She replied, and then left for class. ___

“I know, I know,” Peter threw his hands up defensively as MJ sat across from him at the lunch table.  “I’m a dumbass”

Last night, Peter started a groupchat with both Ned and MJ, so he could tell them both all about his time with (y/n).  Ned cheered him on and encouraged him to go see her again tonight, while MJ tended to-

She smacked his arm.

She tended to do that.

“You really are,” She grumbled in agreement, looking over her shoulder to see (y/n) had just walked into the cafeteria.  “(y/n/n’s) coming in, but we’re talking about this later Peter, because you’re about to mess up a whole lot of shit with how reckless you’re acting”

Peter nodded, fiddling with his hands.  He knew she was right, he knew that there were only two ways that this would end.

One, he falls more and more for (y/n), and continues to see her as Spider-Man, which only puts her in jeopardy of bad guys tracking her down and god-knows-what happens, winding up hurting the both of them.

Or two, she finds out that the Spider-Man that she has heart eyes for, is boring old Peter Parker, and she never wants anything to do with him again, which also gets them both hurt.

He couldn’t think of a long term solution that worked out.

“Oh look, it’s the spider’s advocate!” Brian Miller laughed and pointed at (y/n) passed his table.  She flipped him off and kept walking, but apparently Brian wanted more attention than that.  “Always so classy (y/n).  What, nothing to throw at me today? Or have you decided to grow up?”

“Go fuck yourself, Miller Lite” She bit back at him, poison laced in her words.

Peter, Ned, and MJ were all watching as Brian and his friends teased her as she passed their table, but thankfully she kept walking, knowing better than to escalate the situation.

“I’d rather you do it” Brian said, getting up from his seat and reaching out towards her, snatching her wrist so she’d stop walking away, and face him.  The other boys at his table oohed and ahhed like a bunch of idiots.

“Oh shit,” Ned coughed, and moved his head to the side to see (y/n) and Brian better.  “Peter are you- Peter?”

Peter had already gotten up from his seat and walked right over to the two, forcing Brian’s hand off of (y/n’s) arm and shoving himself in front of her.

Ned and MJ shared a shocked look, before looking back at the two.

“Sit back down, Brian” Peter said.

“Or what Parker, are you gonna hit me?” Brian stepped closer to him, but Peter put a strong hand on his shoulder, and forced him down into his seat.

Brian was taken aback with the immense ease Peter Parker had just used to put him back in his seat.  His wide eyes went from his hand, up to his face.

“If you get up from this seat, then I’ll hit you” He said seriously.

Brian didn’t say anything, just swallowed thickly and nodded his head, avoiding the weird looks from his friends.

Peter turned back to (y/n), hand on the small of her back as he walked her over to their table.  She seemed just as lost as Brian had, looking from Peter, to Brian who actually looked scared, and back to Peter again.

“W-what was that?” She asked him in a hushed voice.  He looked down at her, and then straightforward.

“He was being a dick” He answered.

(y/n) gaped like a fish out of water, shutting her mouth after realizing she had no idea what to say to him.  There was nothing to say.

“Thank you” She whispered instead, almost shyly.  Peter nodded at her.

Nobody talked about it for the rest of the lunch period, much to (y/n’s) relief.  However, she kept finding herself staring at Peter, until he’d catch her and she’d look away, only to look back again a few moments later.

She didn’t realize it, but the lightbulb feeling of deja vu went off again. ___

That night, Peter stalled on his trip to (y/n’s) after he finished patrol.

Realistically, he should end this now before it can really get out of hand.  Lying wasn’t one of his strong suits, especially when it came to people he cared about.  And the last thing he wanted to do was hurt (y/n).

But he really liked her, and he really wanted to see her.  And she liked Spider-Man, not Peter Parker, so this was his only chance to be with her.

About a block away from her complex, he stopped, and crouched on the roof of an insurance firm.

Pulling his mask off, he took a deep breath, and tried to gather his thoughts.

“Why did I get myself into this why would I torture myself like this?” He mumbled to himself, running a hand through his hair before looking down at his mask.

He messed with the material all the while thinking of his situation with (y/n).  Just as he was about to pull his mask on and swing over to her place, to tell her that he can’t come by and see her anymore, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Something was wrong.

On instinct, he looked down to the ground, seeing a girl walking along the sidewalk, rather quickly.  And the bulky figure of a man following close behind her.

Peter pulled his mask over his head, alerting the AI to zoom in.

“It’s (y/n) (y/l/n), Peter” Karen told him.

He couldn’t believe it.

But sure enough, it was her.  She looked nervous, and hurried.  She knew that she was being followed.

“Who is that following her?” He asked, turning to focus on the man stalking after (y/n).

“Brian Miller, age seventeen”

(y/n) looked over her shoulder, seeing the man still following her, and she picked up her pace even more, breaking into a light jog.  This only upset him, and he ran after her.  Unfortunately, he was faster, and easily caught her, and shoved her against what felt like a brick wall, she wasn’t sure, she hit her head too hard to really determine what it was.

“You embarrassed me today”

“What the hell do you want, Brian?” She tried to sound tough, but the words came out in a scared whimper.

“I want an apology, a proper one” He pressed his arm against her throat, and she coughed uncomfortably, both of her hands trying to push his wrist off of her so she could breath.

“What’s the matter with you?” She asked in a strangled voice.

“Yoink!” Before she could blink, Brian was practically flung off of her, backwards into the opposite wall of the alley he’d dragged her into.  (y/n) collapsed to her knees, hand coming to her neck shakily as she tried to catch her breath.  “I was just about to ask the same question!”

For half a second, she thought it was Peter, but she glanced up to see Spider-Man, who now had Brian webbed by his hands against the opposite wall.

“Brian Miller, what are we going to do with you?” The hero tsked, before webbing his legs to the wall as well.  “Do I alert the police, or let you rot here for a couple days and see how long it takes them to find you?”

Brian jerked his head forward as though to spit on Spider-Man, but the hero was too quick, and webbed his mouth as well.

“Much better” He brushed his hands together as though he’d done his work, and walked over to (y/n), helping her to her feet.

“Thanks” She mumbled out.

“Here, hold on tight, alright?”

He took her arms, and wrapped them around his neck, before securely holding her around her waist, and then swinging off out of the alley.  (y/n) yelped, not enjoying the feeling of flying at all, instead opting to press her face in the junction between Spider-Man’s neck and shoulder, until she felt him land on solid ground again.

Peter had taken her a few streets away, just to be more private and away from Brian.  He brought them into a more secluded alleyway, and kept his hands on her waist until he was sure that she wasn’t going to collapse again.

“I’m sorry, I got there as soon as I could-” He began to apologize, but (y/n) shook her head, prompting him to stop.

“It’s alright, I’m alright now,” She assured him.  “Thanks to you” There was a shy smile on her lips.

“Did you know that guy?” He asked lamely, since he already knew the answer.

(y/n) nodded shakily, biting her lip before opening her mouth to find the right thing to say, but she just exhaled deeply.

“Yeah…” She trailed off, hanging her head like she was ashamed of it.  “I might’ve picked a fight with him once and he… he uh…”

“It’s alright,” Spider-Man shook his head.  “It’s okay you don’t- someone’s coming”

Before she could comprehend what to do about that, he’d taken her by the waist, pulled her against him, and shot a web up to latch onto a fire escape staircase, keeping them out of the headlights of the passing car.

When it had passed, he slowly let them back down, setting her on her feet and hanging upside down in front of her.

“I really hate that” (y/n) told him with a forced laugh.

“Hate what?”

“The whole… swinging thing”

He chuckled, and for a long moment, she just looked at him.

“I should probably thank you properly, huh?” She asked softly, before stepping closer to him.

“Y-you already thanked me” He stammered, but she smiled that adorable smile, finger gently brushing over his face, before sliding to his neck to find the hem of his mask.  He had told her it was separated from the rest of the suit.

“You did save my life though…” She murmured, stepping even closer as she slowly pulled the material up his neck, revealing his chin, and lips.  She respectfully stopped at his nose.  Her eyes flickered from his lips down to the eyes of the suit, and then leaned in to close the distance between them.

Her lips were soft, even softer than Peter could’ve imagined they felt like.  And she tasted sweet like bubblegum.  If he wasn’t hanging upside down right now, he’d wrap her up and pull her closer to him.

When her fingers grazed the skin of his cheek, he didn’t think anything of it besides how comforting the warmth of her skin felt against his.

(y/n’s) heart was doing somersaults, in complete disbelief that she was kissing Spider-Man right now.

But she couldn’t help herself.

Her fingers brushed over his cheek, and the world seemed to go in slow motion as she pulled the rest of his mask off without disconnecting their kiss.

Once it was off, she opened her eyes, to see Peter Parker, still hanging there with his eyes closed, his mask being off not yet processing in his mind.

It was clear when it did though, his eyes opened fast and they were wide and scared, and he lost his grip and fell from where he hung.

“Peter?” (y/n) murmured out, brows furrowing as she watched him scramble back up to his feet.  She looked down to the mask she held in her small hands, and then back up at Peter Parker, with his messy hair and pink swollen lips.

It made sense now.  The odd feelings she would get when he was around.  She had known him.  And he knew her too.

“I-I can explain,” He spoke quickly, afraid that she was about to storm off and never speak to him.  “Please let me explain, (y/n)”

She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t run away either, so he went on anyways.

“Look I- I didn’t mean for this to happen, I’m sure you’re hurt and I wasn’t trying to deceive you it all just kinda happened,” His hands were flying around as he rambled on.  “-and I know you probably hate me for lying to you but I just- I really like you (y/n), but you liked Spider-Man not Peter so I just thought that maybe I’d just continue to see you as Spider-Man and oh my god this sounds so awful right now-”

(y/n) stepped forward, taking his hand, and tentatively placing his mask in it.  Peter squeezed the material hard in his fist, knowing this was the part where she walked away.

But she didn’t.  She just looked at him, admired him.  And then reached up to fix the mess of curls on his head, brushing a few strands away from his forehead.  Finally, she looked him in the eyes, dropping her hand.

“I liked Peter Parker first,” She told him faintly.  “Spider-Man was cool and all… but he’s overrated, don’t you think?” She was still whispering as she teased, a smile tugging on her lips.  “I think Peter Parker is way cooler than him”

He stared at her in astonishment, absolutely blown away by what was happening right now.

“You do?” He asked, and she nodded, her eyes crinkling from the smile on her face.

“Yeah, I do,” She murmured back, eyes glancing back down to his lips, and then his eyes.  “I especially like the part where I get to see his face” She told him with a small giggle, and he laughed as he stepped forward, taking her face in his gloved hands.  (y/n)  clasped her own hands around his wrists, leaning her cheek into the gentle touch.

“Could I… Can I kiss you again?” He asked, already leaning in close enough that her nose bumped into his as she nodded.

Peter leaned down, sealing their lips again, and feeling her smile against him.  He gave her one more small peck before pulling away.

“Can I take you home?” He asked quietly, and she nodded again.

“Only if we can walk, I never want to swing up there like that again” She stated, making Peter chuckle and nod his head.

“Alright, deal”

He walked her all the way home, pulling his mask on almost all the way as he dropped her off at the door, so that she could still kiss him one more time before saying goodnight.

“Go terrorize the streets some more, menace” She teased him when they parted, and she pulled his mask down to cover him up again.

“Very funny,” He monotoned, making her giggle.  “Goodnight, (y/n)”

“G’night, Peter,” She hummed back, and smiled as he squeezed her hand, before disappearing up into the air.  “Go get ‘em tiger”

___

taglist:  @writings-and-stuff @rofromtheashes @tomshufflepuff @steve-avengers-rogers @vibhati123 @dark-night-sky-99  @hollandhours @drakonwild @imofficiallyobsessed

xoxo ~ jordie

[golden-redhead]

Saioumota Week Day #3 - SWEETS

Saioumota Week Day #3: nicknames / sweets / pets

Thanks for @asteroidtaker for beta reading!

And dedication for @tricky-leader for calling me out on my angst and just being awesome in general :D Like I promised - something non-angsty this time!

Read on AO3.

Kaito Momota can bake.

It’s not a well-known fact, but a fact nonetheless.

Plus, he’s actually good at it. Exceptionally good, in fact.

Normally, Kaito is a walking disaster when it comes to any kind of kitchen activity related to cooking in the “traditional sense”. Most of the time Shuichi and Kokichi are the ones responsible for preparing meals, leaving only some small, easy tasks for Kaito to complete in order to keep him busy and out of their way. No matter what he did it would somehow find a way to turn into a total mess for them to clean and they both want to forget about that kind of hellish scene as soon as possible. He would add too much salt, forget to turn off the oven, stab himself while chopping vegetables, the list goes on. If he somehow miraculously managed to actually prepare the meal from start to finish it would never taste like actual food. Shuichi can’t count how many times he choked on whatever it was that Kaito prepared --- it didn’t even deserve to be called food --- and ended up promptly spitting it out, doing his best to avoid the look of those magenta eyes, filled with too much disappointment for him to bear. It’s not even that Kaito doesn’t try. Shuichi could tell that he was genuinely trying to make a meal that would actually be edible… but failure on that front is around one hundred percent expected.   

Baking, however, is a different story.

It’s like baking changes him into a completely different person and all of sudden he’s measuring the flour with perfect precision, carefully cracking the eggs into a bowl and even decorating the cakes with admirable care. And he enjoys it, too. With a galaxy apron tied tightly around his waist he hums happily telling them stories about the baked goods his grandmother would make when he was little. There’s so much enthusiasm in his eyes that even Kokichi doesn’t dare to interrupt him rudely and settles on whining about ‘how much longer’ and ‘Kai-chan, I’m starving here, why would you starve your precious boyfriend to death like that’. Kaito only huffs in response and lets him lick the spoon clean.

No one loves Kaito’s baking more than his two boyfriends.

They would exploit this hidden talent of his mercilessly. Their methods differed greatly, Shuichi usually settling on subtler methods like showing him recipes that would surely catch Kaito’s attention, while Kokichi would usually pester Kaito about making him cookies or some other cake for long enough for him to finally relent, muttering profanities under his breath as he puts on his apron and a chef hat that Kokichi got him once as a joke. The truth is that he doesn’t mind that much, always way too happy to indulge his boyfriends, pride swelling in his chest at the thought that they enjoy his baking that much.

Kokichi has the biggest sweet tooth out of all three of them, to the point where Shuichi has to make sure that any sweets unauthorized by him doesn’t “find” their way into their basket during the grocery shopping. Kokichi can be a sneaky little bastard and you can never be too careful around him. When everything else fails he uses his ultimate weapon - puppy eyes. Shuichi can tell that Kaito likes to think that he's immune to them, but he also knows for a fact that on his own Kaito has only about twenty percent of immunity at best. There’s something about those big doe eyes that he just can’t resist, especially if they look at him with such eagerness and hope. And Shuichi has no right to blame him, considering how his immunity isn’t much higher. When Shuichi and Kaito join forces their immunity rises to fifty percent at most and more often than not Kokichi leaves the store with a satisfied grin on his face and a bag full of some sickeningly sweet goods that would rot Shuichi’s teeth on the spot if he dared to try them. Shuichi tried to negotiate that he at least doesn't eat any sweets before dinner, but that only provokes Kokichi to huff with annoyance and complain that 'Shumai isn’t his real mother, that would be Kirumi-chan' and obnoxiously stuffing his mouth with as much candy as it can fit while Shuichi can only watch, resigned and wondering why did he even bother in the first place.

So it’s not a surprise when one lazy Sunday they sit in their warm little kitchen and are eating Kaito’s speciality on Kokichi’s request - chocolate cream cake.    

“Thish ish sooo good,��� gushes Kokichi happily from where he’s sitting on the kitchen countertop and chewing through a huge bite of cake. He’s waving his legs back and forth like a child. Shuichi hums in agreement and Kaito puffs up with pride.

When they finish eating the chocolate cream is smeared all over Kokichi's face and Shuichi covers his mouth with a hand to hide an amused smile that appears on his face at the sight.

It looks like Kaito notices, too.

"C'mere, you little freak," grumbles Kaito with an exasperated sigh as he reaches his hand to wipe the chocolate from Kokichi's chin with his thumb. Despite his harsh tone there’s fondness in his eyes, lips twitching slightly in a ghost of an affectionate smile.

Kokichi, however, has other ideas.

As soon as Kaito’s done and about to retreat his hand Kokichi catches it by the wrist and lifts it up to his lips. He stares at Kaito’s fingers with fake interest.

“Waaaah, Kai-chan’s hand is all gross and sticky now!” He whines with fake guilt, eyes swelling with crocodile tears as if it’s something even remotely upsetting. And then within a split second any trace of them is gone and he invades Kaito’s personal space with a shout of “let me return the favor!”

And before Kaito can fully realize what is happening Kokichi looks at him with a mischievous glint in his lilac eyes, opens his mouth and lets his tongue stick out. He leans in closer, his grip on Kaito’s wrist tightening. He licks the chocolate flavour from his fingers, dipping his tongue in between them. His eyes are half-lidded as he slowly treats every finger with careful precision. He winks at Kaito, who looks positively scandalized, his cheeks flushed the prettiest shade of red, mouth open in voiceless disbelief. Kokichi’s tongue swirls between the knuckles and Shuichi swears that he hears a small moan escaping his lips when he takes one of Kaito’s fingers into his mouth and sucks. He then does the same thing with the rest of them, covering them with saliva and gathering the last traces of chocolate with his tongue.

When he finally releases the last of Kaito’s fingers it’s with an audible pop. He licks his lips slowly and with evident satisfaction, the gesture so goddamn seducing that Shuichi can feel the heat slowly creeping up his neck. He dares to look at Kaito who didn’t say anything during the whole ordeal. Shuichi is pretty sure that he's never seen the astronaut this flustered, the tips of his ears red. He seems to be unable to get any noise out of his mouth and the detective notes with quiet amusement that his pupils are dilated, eyes never once leaving Kokichi’s face.

Deciding to put his boyfriend out of his misery Shuichi clears his throat loudly and there's a smile in his voice when he speaks up, causing the two boys to look in his direction.

“I think that Momota-kun’s fingers are, ah, clean enough, Ouma-kun.”

Kokichi blinks, once, twice and then nods enthusiastically, finally letting go of Kaito’s wrist. The latter doesn’t seem to notice, stuck in place like frozen, dumbfounded look on his face. The blush on his face doesn’t fade in the slightest.

“Mmm, Kai-chan tastes delicious,” announces Kokichi and smacks his lips loudly for emphasis. The look on his face is positively sultry, eyes half-lidded, lips parted slightly. Shuichi can feel his mouth go dry. The longer he stares at his smaller boyfriend, the harder it gets to look away.

“N-no more chocolate cakes for you,” chokes out Kaito finally, his cheeks still burning bright red. He looks everywhere but at Kokichi and Shuichi feels a pang of sympathy for the astronaut. After all, he knows very well how it feels to be on the receiving end of Kokichi’s teasing.

Kokichi giggles in response, that weird horse-like laugh of his that honestly freaks Shuichi out sometimes.

“You’re absolutely right, my beloved! I’ll have one chocolate flavored Kai-chan to go instead!”

Kaito splutters and Shuichi can feel warmth spreading through his own cheeks as the blood rushes to his face suddenly. He hopes that it doesn’t show. Oh, Shuichi wants a piece of Kaito, too! Looks like we’ll have to share! He can almost hear Kokichi’s cheeky voice echoing in his head.

“Aww, Kai-chan’s so embarrassed,” coos Kokichi, delight clear in his voice. “Isn’t that cute!”

“I---I forgot to buy, uh... milk! Be right back!” Kaito finally seems to regain his composure enough to blurt out.

And with that he bolts out of the kitchen, almost tripping over his own feet as he hurries to the exist, seemingly unaware of the galaxy apron still tightly wrapped around his body. Shuichi is pretty sure that it’ll take him a while to notice.

For a long moment there’s silence, Kokichi and Shuichi both staring at the door after it closes shut behind Kaito with a resonating thud. And then Kokichi snickers and turns the gaze of those big lilac eyes to Shuichi, dangerous glint in his eyes.

“Do you need my help with cleaning the chocolate off your hands, too, Shumai?” He asks with childish enthusiasm, his head tilted to the side adorably as he eyes Shuichi up and down with a deceptively innocent smile on his face.

“Ah,” Shuichi flushes under the sudden attention. “Uh, no, thank you, Ouma-kun, that won’t be necessary.”

Kokichi shrugs and hops off the kitchen countertop.

“Suit yourself, my beloved.”

And then just as he’s about to exit the kitchen he suddenly turns back and sends Shuichi a smile that he knows never means anything good.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” he chirps cheerfully. “Kai-chan promised me ice-cream tomorrow.”

And then he’s gone, skipping out of the kitchen and humming happily under his breath something that Shuichi vaguely identifies as some cartoon theme song.

Kokichi’s last words hang in the air heavily, seemingly innocent, and Shuichi shivers.

He can recognize a threat when he hears one.

________

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6c/83/61/6c8361445925a31ca5fc8d54918dafcd.jpg - the galaxy apron mentioned in the text, because I imagine Kaito as this one big galaxy disaster and y’all can’t stop me

[ddaddsprompts]

How would dads react to the MC being a well-known stunt-double for action films? and how would they react if MC got seriously hurt on the job?

Robert 🔪 - “That’s fucking awesome, y/n!” You expected excitement, but he is easily the most enthusiastic about your job that anyone has ever been in a while. “How long have you been doing it?” His eyes light up and he’s fully attentive, ready to listen to your stories. 

 “Oh- a while, professionally for a few years!” Robert is on the edge of his seat, and you could gush for hours under his curious attention, he just seems so interested and it warms your heart. 

He’s snuggled up next to you on the couch, an arm around your shoulder as he waits to hear something interesting, something fun, maybe a near death experience, and then he finally asks. “What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever had to do? Jump a shark? Scale a building?” 

You start laughing, and he’s dying with suspense, running a hand through your hair and waiting to hear something crazy. “One time I had to jump over like 5 cars and I almost got ran over?” 

You can practically feel the exhilaration that Robert radiates, his inner adrenaline junkie coming out to play. “Can I watch sometime, kid?” He grins and is immediately asking you for movies you’ve stunted in so he can find your name in the credits, he asks if he could come with you to a shoot to watch you do your stuff, and supports you 100%.

(But if you get hurt, that’s another story. He’s immediately rushing to whatever hospital you’re at, worried out of his mind and demanding to see you. No matter how much you tell him you’ll be fine, he stays by your side until they discharge you and lectures you about being careful.)

Joseph ⛵ - “You do what?!” The fear in Joseph’s eyes is apparent, even if he’s trying to be supportive, and he seems genuinely concerned for your well being. “What if you get hurt?” Joseph is standing across the counter from you, ingredients for the next bake sale’s brownies forgotten in front of him. 

You try to comfort him, looking him straight in the eye and waiting for him to calm down. “I’ve been doing it for a few years, I’m well practiced.” You assure him that accidents are few and far between and slide up next to him, a soothing hand on his shoulder. “I have a lot of fun doing it, too.”

He takes a moment of silence to reflect, and you take the time to pull out your phone, searching for a video somewhere of a recent stunt for him to watch. “You like doing it?” He raises an eyebrow and you nod as you pull up a short video on your phone, just something small.

Joseph’s expression goes from worried, to shocked, to amazed in just a few seconds as he watched you get punched in the face and then vault over the guy and take him down. It’s a simple fight scene, but it still makes you smile. “Yeah, I like doing it, something about that adrenaline rush- and it pays good.” You chuckle.

“Well, y/n, if that’s what makes you happy, then by all means.” Joseph fidgets a bit, looking down at his feet before staring back at your phone. “Do you have any more videos?”

(In the event of you getting hurt, Joseph is an emotional wreck. He comes to love watching you do fight scenes or stunts, he really appreciates the passion you have for it and understands that adrenaline rush, but an accident would have him in hysterics. He would cry more than you, but at least he would be there to help you get better.)

Hugo 🧀🍷 - “Oh- is it…safe?” Hugo stares up from his book and over the top of his glasses when you tell him, an obvious interest in his gaze. You shrug and he sits up in his chair, setting his book aside and waiting for an answer.

“As safe as dangerous stunts can be.” Hugo chuckles and crosses his legs where he sits, looking ready to question you on exactly what that means. You decide to beat him to the punch. “I have experience and I don’t get hurt very often.” 

He nods and motions for you to come closer to him, putting on a sort of serious face. “I don’t mean to pull out my authority, but,” You let out an embarrassing giggle as Hugo clears his throat and puts on his best stern teacher voice. “If you let yourself get hurt, I will kick your ass, y/n.” 

He breaks into laughter along with you and gives you a gentle pat on the back, hoping that you get his message. You lean down and press a kiss to his lips to let him know that you definitely understand. “I have the raw footage of this one intense wrestling scene-”

You can pinpoint the exact second that Hugo’s eyes light up, and he grabs your arms with a newfound joy in his eyes. “You had me at wrestling.”

(True to his threat, if you end up getting hurt his first reaction is probably anger, and he asks himself why he let you put yourself in danger. He does, however, come to his senses and comfort you while you get better, telling you never to scare him like that again.)

Craig ⚾ - “Awesome, bro!” Craig stares at the phone you’ve handed him, a video of you jumping off of something terrifyingly tall and flipping through the air with skill. He looks genuinely amazed. “Is this was you were practicing for in college? I thought you were just going to work on films.” 

You laugh and slide onto the couch next to him with a smile, watching yourself do dangerous, risky stunts that you’re quite proud of. “I do work on films, Craig, just not like you thought I would.” A sound of amazement leaves his mouth when he sees you jump off of a trampoline and flip onto a moving car. 

“This is too awesome, bro, I’ve gotta show the girls!” You can’t help but smile at Craig’s enthusiasm for your interests, the way he leans forwards to look at the phone closer. “They’re gonna think you’re the cool dad, y/n.”

“I’m glad you think so.” The look on his face is enough to keep you entertained as his eyes stay glued to the screen, trying to track your every movement. 

He goes back to replay the video again, pausing to point at you flying in midair with astonishment on his face. “Y/n, how did you even do that!?” You just laugh and tell him that you’ll show him later, grinning as the twins run into the room to ask what’s going on.

(If you get hurt, Craig is packing everyone in the car and coming to help you, maybe even bringing another dad with him for support. He makes you protein shakes specially to help whatever ailment you’ve managed to give yourself and he tries not to freak out even if that’s certainly what he’s doing internally.)

Mat 🎸♩- “Woah, really?” Mat is making a drink for you in the coffee shop when you decide to bring it up, after all you have been seeing him for a while and he happened to ask what you do for a living. 

“Yeah, it isn’t easy, but,” Mat hands you your drink and you take a long, well-deserved sip, watching as he leans closer with his elbows on the counter. “It’s really fun, and I think I’m pretty good at it!” Mat swipes a bit of whipped cream off of the side of your mouth with a grin, a dreamy look in his eyes.

Mat takes the whipped cream into his own mouth and smiles up at you, laughing nervously. “Kudos to you, I could never do something like that, takes a lot of courage.” He grabs a muffin from under a display and starts munching on it, looking into your eyes. “You aren’t going to make me watch while you do it though, right?”

“Of course not, not if you don’t want to see it.” Mat sighs with relief and seems to slow his stress eating, swallowing the piece of chocolate chip muffin in his mouth. “But if you ever do, I will happily show you.”

He promptly shoved a large chunk of muffin in his mouth and covered his mouth with his hands, taking a few moments to distract himself before speaking. “For now, I’m good, I don’t think I can stomach it.”

(Mat is immediately guilty if you get hurt, thinking that he should have paid more attention to what you had been doing, maybe watched you, but he gives you as much support as he can. He heals you with the power of free coffee and hugs, even if you being hurt sort of scares the shit out of him.)

Damien 🌹🌼 - “Oh my!” Damien whispers quietly as he stares up at the movie screen, a much different kind of movie than your first date. He seem equally as terrified, though. “You had to do that? How did you not get hurt?”

You cover your mouth, trying not to sputter out a loud laugh in the middle of a crowded movie theater, and he gasps again while staring at the screen. “That’s not a very difficult stunt, Damien, just wait.” You stare up at the screen, waiting for the big scene. 

You smile and he forgets to breath as you watch yourself leap across the screen, Damien covering his mouth and watching intently. He knows you won’t get hurt, it’s editing and prerecorded and the magic has been done, but he still seems to be on the edge of his seat until the stunt ends.

“So, what do you think?” Damien turns to you and places a hand on your shoulder, taking a deep breath and trying to collect himself. He looks a little stressed, but also kind of proud in a way.

“Do, please, try not to hurt yourself while performing those.” He laughs softly and looks back at the screen to make sure that he’s done watching you do crazy stunts for sure. “But, I do admire the art involved, you’re very talented at what you do.”

(Damien is very shocked when he hears you’ve hurt yourself, and he’s over-worried, which he pints out, is not a bad thing. He checks on you every so often to make sure you’re feeling alright and cations you on not getting back into the danger before you’re ready.)

Brian 🐟 - “Stunts? Now that’s something interesting!” Brian is rubbing his hands together almost like he’s scheming, and for a moment you think he’s trying to find a way to one-up you, but he looks genuinely amazed. “Why didn’t you lead off with that when we met?” 

“I- I didn’t think it was important introduction talk-” You trail off and quickly stumble from your train of thought, having to kick yourself back into gear. “But if you’re interested?” Brain smiles and pulls up a chair, settling in for some story time.

A firm hand on your thigh tells you that he is more than interested, the look in his eyes filled with intrigue. “I like to think of myself as a thrill seeker, y/n.” And there it is, that rivalry. “But, you take it to a whole new level if you’re being serious.” 

You feel butterflies in your stomach as you pull out your phone to showcase some impressive moments, watching the stoic look on Brian’s face and attempting to decipher its meaning. “So...?”

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Brian’s face changes to wonderment as he watched, some of the tricks seeming to render him speechless, even if he tries to hide it. “You aren’t half bad!” 

You roll your eye at his response, but it’s to be expected and you know that he under-sells all of his reactions by now. You can see the pride in his eyes, and it makes you feel great. “Half good is fine by me.” The smile on your face shows it all as he smiles back.

(If you get hurt, Brian is protective. He wants to know what happened and what went wrong and why you were allowed to get hurt. He certainly treats you like a king while trying to make you feel better and heal faster.)

-Mod Arin

[tveckling]

.... so @witchofeindor reminded me that I had promised to put my convo with Sányi on tumblr. So. I wrote what I remembered, and well, it’s beneath the cut.

Here’s just my notes. Most of them are in chronological order, but towards the end I forgot what happened when *shrugs* so you know.

So. He came through the door, saw us and smiled. Came over, said hello and does the handshake and 'I'm Barkóczi Sányi.' To which I think of @janeeyreofmanderley and @doctorfluff‘s meeting with him and promptly dies. I manage to jump into my second life quickly enough to grin and say 'yes, I know. I've been waiting for you.' And then introduce myself and my mom, although I'm pretty sure he didn't get either of our names pffft - we talk about the failure of the night before, he apologizes again we say don't mind it, I tell him to please tell the girl who helped us that I'm really truly grateful to her. Also tells him about the ensemble guy who came out while we were waiting for him (Sányi) and worried asked if we were waiting for someone because we might be standing at the wrong door in that case, and Sányi agreed that most people use the other one but for this show he only uses the main entrance door. - tell him it's great to finally meet him, because I'm such a big fan, tells him about the many times I've tried and failed to catch him after a show, he sheepishly apologizes and I say don't worry I FINALLY GOT TO MEET YOU. After all. - mom interrupts him beginning to ask where we're from (he didn't get further than a 'so whe-', but I guess that what he was gonna ask) to tell him that my favorite song from this operetta is the one HER mother used to sing. I tried to explain which song it was only to realize I have no freaking clue if to Hoppsasa or Hoppszasza or whatever. When I did the little clap dance he got it though pffft. And we talked about how strange it was, and that my grandmother must have sung it back when it was new and just got international and reached even Sweden. That's when he asked if we were from Sweden,  to which we said yes. And he was amazed, and mom commented how he has at least two fans from Sweden now and then chuckled. - he asks if we have Hungarian roots, I say no and explains the whole process of how I discovered the Hungarian musical scene and how I then fell in love with Budapest once I got here. He gushes a bit about the city too, talks about what a wonderful city it is. Mom asks him if he's not from the city, he explains that he's from the country side and came here to study at University in 2008, finished in 2012 and then started working at opi. I, who obviously have lost all ability to not overshare because he's so kind and easy to talk to, tells him about how I understand him and how I've fallen in love with the city so much that I'm going to come here to study next year. He curiously asks me what I'm studying, seems interested when I tell him I'm going to be a teacher in English and psychology. Mom says the universities of Budapest and Lund (my university city) have- and then failed to find the words so I jumped in and explained the situation quickly in a  simplified way. - I gush about his portrayal of Beast, tells him I'm very sad that I will only have had the one opportunity to watch it, but that I'm also very happy to have been able to see it. - I gush about his portrayal of Mercutio, which I really really truly enjoy, since he's my favorite character. Mom comments with a laugh that it's a very big thing, because I'm very critical, and I protest a bit and defend myself - because yes I am gdi because he's my nr one favorite okay not everyone can handle my love - while he chuckles and probably dying inwardly from all the compliments. Oh God I embarrassed him too much by oversharing fuck. Telling him I have several friends who are jealous that I get to see and meet him is one thing, he seemed genuinely pleased by that, but then I told him about my disappointment over his lack of roles - because he has such a great voice and very good actor, so he should be cast in more things! To which he laughed pretty embarrassed, you know, the way when you want to sink into the ground, and said that he too hoped he would get more roles in the future.

[a-writing-bear]

[PruCan] Chapter 3: Soft-Spoken Calling, They Want Their Shyness Back

Ao3 Link:

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11159997/chapters/24905436

This Has been cross-posted onto FF & Ao3 under Aliases: BearBooper

You can read this Fic on tumblr under ‘Keep Reading’

Previous Chapter  Next Chapter

Fandom: Hetalia Axis Powers

Main Pairing: Gilbert Beilschmidt & Matthew Williams (Prussia & Canada)

AU:  College AU - Art Student Matthew and Media/Film Student Gilbert

Age Rating/Mature:  Teen And Up Audiences (12+ due to mentions of mature themes as well as swearing)

Trigger Warnings: None in this chapter (Future addiction to mention themes such as addiction, rape etc.)

“…..Hey! I should hire you to be my animator!”

Gilbert had gushed out the words as If the suggestion held no consequences. It wasn’t easy to agree to accept a role with little to none reward on top of the already exorbitant piles of coursework which tormented any student…that and the pure fact animation took lots of time- time that some would say they did not own or could not conceivably plan out to section off their talents. Art was supposed to be fun, rewarding, fulfilling. It was always an escape for Matthew and to even consider using any free time (something he did not really have nowadays) on projects that weren’t collectively his own sounded like a plunge into self-afflicted failure.

The last time he dabbled in a project that took over his free time, it was a family chore; almost everything involving Alfred felt like a chore. He had been strapped into the position of creating a concept image for another one of that horrible engineering thingy-ma-bobs Alfred designed. No pay and definitely no reward unless you regard crushing hugs and endless “I knew you could do it bro!” as a deserved gift. It was gruelling. It was work, not exactly ‘art’…

Still…This storyboard contained copious amounts of promise, something I haven’t seen in a while. Sure, Results may not prove worthy and it could be an utter failure, heck his ‘director’ might be a hellish nightmare to deal with (‘He reminds me of Alfred…not necessarily a good sign…’) in spite of all of this Matthew’s slight weakness came into play:

Working with Gilbert was a risk.

Danger. Potentially hazardous to his schedule and academic prospects. That sounded hot fun. To the common public, Matthew was unrecognisable. They, understandably, only saw a fellow who resembled a prodigy- the undesirable sibling that was mentioned in a footnote. A small detail in the background of a portrait of someone much more important. If he was noticed and thoroughly acknowledged, the most people understood was that he was soft-spoken, he was very good at art and was respectful of others.

That’s true but horrifically, Matthew was, realistically, extremely bored. Bored and so unmotivated for anything but art. The craving for something more than just paint on a basic canvas was evident, and his creative mind had been screeching for something more tantalisingly sustaining. Call it what you may, sadistic to his sleep and/or work process or a terrible decision to his report card, Matthew loved risky things. Like hockey.

Maybe that’s why he liked art? His parents responded negatively to his progression into art as it seemed dangerous; a traditional occupation like becoming doctor was bound to be a safe job prospect rather than a ‘starving’ artist. It held so much value. And once again…

Gilbert was a Risk.

That was a factor that changed his hesitant decision to not take the job, taking up the offer seemed like the only real choice. Being slightly ‘unsafe’ sounded…unchained. Of course he would have rules and deadlines but still, it was a creative process that he could let take over his uninterested mind. He was going to do it.

“Okay. Yeah that-That sounds good-“

“Wait?! Really Holy shit danke!”

“I didn’t finish” Matthew's voice had taken a more serious tone as he announced his guidelines, “If I agree, I want something in return and I want a freer rein on your story. I want to be able to change some scene ideas, we work as equals on this or else I don’t do it.”

The media student blinked in reply blankly before nodded his head in understanding,

“…so Mattie, What do you want in return?”

Contemplating on what he wanted, the blonde man debated over what could be a gain from Gilbert. At first, he pondered over getting the media student to buy his coffee every morning so he wouldn’t have to leave his bed early but the responsible voice in his head told him that would be stupid. Laundry after his hockey would be useful but then again, it would be weird having someone know about his hockey obsession in detail...He doubted the paler man knew any good weed dealer so that was out of the picture (Besides, his Dutch childhood friend, Tim, already sources that for Matthew).…that and a near-to-stranger acquaintance should definitely not be involved with his- rather unsavoury- habits

“Can I use you as a Model?”

If it was possible to be strangled by silence, Matthew would have been killed that very moment. In the process of getting ready to blurt out a very traditional Canadian ‘sorry, it’s alright to say no’ Gilbert had narrowed his eyes before eerily nodding for himself as if he had just made a deal with a devil he might regret years down the line. The two boys scrambled to sorting through the intricate plan that the albino has created, marking key scenes and a draft template Matt would draw digitally later on in the ‘calmer’ hours of Friday- if anything like that actually existed, Matthew had convinced himself that the paper drawing would be relatively smooth-sailing to replicate. Sharing toothy grins and even the occasional shuffle and chuckle over new concepts, excitedly the boys exchanged numbers and sorted out deadline dates.

Conversations on 'actual' work diminished and at some point, Matthew’s unfinished summer painting was forgotten; as well as Gilbert’s laptop lid closing, the entire device tucked and buried under paperwork. Bands, Movies and stories flew from each other’s heads into the reciprocating ears back and forth. It felt natural. It felt comforting. It felt nice. Just occupying the former exhaustion of usual loneliness with new found company felt indulgent, really this was something the blonde had been yearning for the past few isolated months (He had friends just not those who were exactly ‘easy’ to talk to). As the boys fondly conversed over everyday idle chat the soft beat of Motion City's Soundtrack 'The Future Freaks Me out' played on- Just as Mattie Noticed from the band shirt, Gilbert had the same taste in music. The thrill of it all sounded lame when he realised he was excited over having a decent conversation, at this point 'what could really get in the way of this perfect afternoon of random sketching and laughable jokes?'

“Heyyyyyy sib….so I was wond-“ Well. The peace lasted while it could. A drastically loud boisterous voice pierced through the solace. Midway the voice seemed to die and as Matthew looked up he realised his newfound peace would be ruined for the rest of the evening, at least that's what could be interpreted when he witnessed his brother's expression:

"WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?" Alfred had choked out and had nearly completely crumpled whatever paper he had been holding. Wincing at the aggressive yet usually intrusive nature and tone of his brother Matthew leant forward with head in his hands and let out what could only describe as a disappointed moan and sgot up stumbling towards his brother.

"Has anyone ever uprightly told you how dramatic you are? I doubt Arth-"  

“HEY HEY NO WE ARE NOT DISCUSSING ARTHUR RIGHT NOW-MATTIE WHAT IS HE DOING IN HERE?!”

If anything, Gilbert was less insulted by being referred to as ‘he’, the majority of his feeling of discomfort stemmed from the fact Alfred never mentioned he had a cute ass brother. Tempted to interject the one-sided conversation, he spectated the two squabbling siblings with the cuter one physically holding Alfred at the door by the shoulders. Wait- Is Matthew Canadian?- Actually, that's a stupid question of course he is...It was obvious considering the boy's room was adorned with RED fucking EVERYWHERE, the occasional hockey sweater on the wall and crooked postcards of typical tourist hotspots like Niagara Falls (Not to mention Canadian flags on any item possible as if some cheesy gift Canadian tourist gift shop- Gilbert had noticed even the abandoned pens on the desk had maple leaf emblems)

But that didn't really add up. The media major tried to do the calculations in his head:

Alfred = American? Yes That's right...

Matthew = Canadian? Well duh, they discussed that earlier and the room...

Matthew = Alfred Brother???  

"Um So...if Mattie is Canadian then how is Alfred Americ-"

"IT'S A FAMILY THING" Both of the two mumbled out as they continued to fuss over each other. Finally, Matthew had stopped Alfred rude gawking and had started lecturing Al over god-knows-what.  

*Buzz* *Buzz*

From his jeans pocket, the Prussian could feel the 'so-very-important' calls of his younger brother, deciding that continuing his project with Matthew would be hopeless with both Alfred and an impatient Ludwig he promptly decided to slip out passed Alfred and bid farewell to the cutie from the room next door.  Was I imagining it or was Matthew blushing? Oh verdammt.

[northshorehealthandfitness]

Tuscan Bean and Quinoa Salad

Blood, sweat and tears went into my dinner on Monday night. For real.

Picture this: It’s the last day of the Thanksgiving long weekend. I get home from a coffee date with a friend, toss my keys on the counter, take of my shoes, change into my PJs (#priorities), and open the fridge to figure out dinner. I’d already thrown together a whole bunch of leftover veggies as part of my weekly meal prep earlier in the day, but noticed a bag of radishes sitting in the crisper.

I grab them, my mandolin, and get to work with slicing them. They were pretty small, so I didn’t bother trying to pierce them with the tool you’re supposed to use to grip the veggies as you slice. Being the type that hates food waste, of course I’m still trying to slice them down to as close to the root as possible.

As I sliced away, my mind starts to become more engaged with the audiobook playing from my computer. And then it happened. My middle finger had a nasty run-in with the mandolin blade.

Instinctively, I freeze. All at once, I clench my right fingers with my left hand, squeeze them, tilt my head up to the ceiling, squeeze my eyes shut tight and bite my lip to stop a steady stream of 4-letter expletives from coming out.

I maintain this position for about a minute before mustering up the courage to take a peek. Slowly, I look back down to my hands and start to release the grip around my right fingers. I can’t really feel the damage at this point so I really have no idea what I’m about to see. The optimist in me thinks, “well I’ve been standing here for about a minute and don’t see blood yet – that’s gotta be a good thing, right?

I open my hand up a little bit more and see something red in my still mostly curled up right fist. “I CUT IT RIGHT OFF! IT’S FINGER MEAT!! NO!!!!”

Wait. No it’s not. It’s the end of the radish. Thank freaking goodness.

But then I see my middle finger, and in swoops my left hand to cover it up again, like a parent who quickly yanks their child’s head towards them to cover their eyes during the love making scenes in a movie. I run to the sink, turn on the cold water and run my finger underneath, again, tilting my head up to the ceiling and squeezing my eyes as tight shut as I can. (Am I the only one who does this? Why do we do this?)

This goes on for about 10 minutes before I open up the drawer under the sink and single-handedly open up as many Band-Aids as I can. Surely it would stop gushing soon, right? I couldn’t help but envision needing to be rushed to the hospital, still clenching my fingers an hour later with someone yelling “WE’VE GOT A BLEEDER!“, just like in There’s Something About Mary. Thankfully, the context of my situation would be far less embarrassing.

After another 10 minutes of alternating between rinsing and squishing with paper towels, I apply a dry makeup remover pad as a base and layers of Band Aids over top until my middle finger resembles a mummy.

With only a couple of whole radishes left sitting on the counter, I promptly decide I’ve done more than enough slicing, put them back in the fridge, toss the mandolin in the sink, and thank the heavens that the rest of my dinner had already been prepared.

And now here I am, writing this post. I’ve been attentively watching for the red spelling error underline because my middle finger is still in its mummified state which makes typing kinda tricky. But injury aside, I really wanted to share today’s Tuscan Bean and Quinoa Salad recipe with you so in my mind, quitting was not an option! And don’t you worry – there are no radishes or mandolins required. 

A few recipe notes + helpful tips

Bean best practices

You can use whatever beans you like, and if digestion is an issue that normally makes you shy away from beans, try soaking them first. It might sound like more effort, but it makes a difference. Soaking helps remove the oligosaccharide substance on the surface (which can cause gas and bloating), making the cooked beans far easier to digest. As an added bonus, soaking can also reduce cooking time. Check out more about why I prefer to soaking my beans and grains in this post.

Make your quinoa taste better

If you’re sick of straight-up quinoa, try boiling it in low sodium vegetable broth instead of water. Other ways to add flavour include adding a bay leaf to the water as the quinoa cooks, or quickly stir frying a clove of garlic and some chopped shallots in the same saucepan before adding the quinoa and liquid of choice.

Fresh herbs are a must!

Seriously, they liven up this salad (and everywhere else you use them), and the flavours can help reduce the need for dressing and additional seasoning. I’m of the mind that you can never have too many and toss them on top of just about every meal I eat, but if you shy away from buying them because you think the leftovers will go to waste, simply blitz your leftovers in a food processor with a bit of olive oil and freeze them in ice trays. Voila – instant flavour cubes for pastas, soups, stews, marinades – the possibilities are endless.

Print

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Tuscan Bean and Quinoa Salad

Make it once, enjoy it all week long! This Tuscan Bean and Quinoa Salad makes a perfect plant-based lunch or dinner that’ll leave you feeling satisfied and energized.

Author: Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat

Prep Time: 15 mins (+ chill time)

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Yield: 3 servings

Category: salad

Method: boil

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

2/3 cup uncooked quinoa (this will make about 2 cups cooked)

2 cups diced cucumber

1 ½ cups halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup shredded spinach or baby greens

2 cups cooked beans of choice (Great Northern beans, white navy beans, kidney beans and chickpeas are all great)

1 large roasted red bell pepper, cut into strips

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes soaked in hot water for 10 mins to rehydrate

1/4 cup very thinly sliced red onion

2 tbsp finely minced fresh parsley

1 tbsp finely minced fresh basil

1 tsp dried Mediterranean seasoning or blend of Italian herbs

For the dressing (you may have some leftover):

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp dark balsamic vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Boil the quinoa in water according to package directions, about 10 minutes. While it cooks, prepare all remaining ingredients as directed above and toss them together in a large bowl.

When the quinoa is finished cooking, drain off any excess boiling liquid and let it cool in the fridge for 5-10 minutes. (This will prevent the heat from wilting the greens.)

Whisk together the dressing. Pour it over the salad and toss well to coat.

Once the quinoa has cooled, stir it into the rest of the ingredients. Adjust to taste with sea salt and black pepper, plus a little more Mediterranean seasoning if you like. Note that the flavour will intensify after the salad has been left to sit for a few hours.

Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over top, if desired.

Pack this for lunch: Tuscan Bean and Quinoa Salad #recipe Click To Tweet

So tell me.. Has anyone else out there been the unfortunate recipient of a kitchen injury lately? What happened?

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