#and the option is not showing up for me yet blegh

[tatck]

Sending this to Artists I follow:

Guess what! Tumblr made a deal with midjourney to sell what they can for AI development, and you have to manually opt-out.

Find it in the blog-settings, under Visibility. Its "Prevent third-party sharing for [Blog-Name]", and it has to be turned on for every blog and sideblog individually.

Or you can go on the offensive and Glaze and Nightshade your Art.

Or you can just do whatever.

They do this as I get off a 7 hour plane flight and after a wedding. Tumblr js a cruel mistress

[lollytea]

ms. lolly i'm getting glasses and i'm afraid i'm going to look uglier than usual in them. i don't want people to make fun of me (esp. not the guy i like. i dont think he will bc he's sweet but im still anxious) but. i'm afraid that people are gonna tease me. idk what to do and im super nervous bc i'm not attractive and i think the glasses are gonna just bring that out. do u have any tips on getting over that, as a glasses-wearer? (at least im assuming by your pfp)

sorry to disturb u with my silly ask but i hope u have a great day <3 love ur writing and huntlow posts

Hello! This kind of thing is hard to give advice on but I'll try my best :D! It's kinda like asking what kind of clothes will make you feel the most confident when only you know for sure what makes you comfortable and what doesn't. But I can definitely give you my opinions on glasses and what I feel best in and maybe you can take it into consideration.

(EDIT: OH MY GOD. I wrote a good bit about choosing glasses to feel nice in but I just read the ask again and it's possible you've already gotten them. Just scroll down to the bottom of the ask and I'll talk a bit about that if it's the case.)

You worry about not liking the way you'll look with glasses. That's okay, I've been wearing them since I was little so I feel really ugly without them. It's fine to feel a little insecure. But hopefully you'll find a pair that you think you like nice in!!

For the first ten years of wearing glasses, I had really small, thin wiry ones. Blegh. No wonder I felt so ugly during that time. They were not it. Was looking like this bitch.

But just cuz I didn't like the way they looked on me doesn't automatically mean you won't! Everyone's face is different.

Size matters (HAH) to me. I feel more happy and confident with the way my face looks with glasses depending on how big they are. I like how big glasses look. So when I was 18 I got THESE frames

And I liked them a lot!! I decided I like big wide glasses. So any frames I got from this point forward would look kinda like this.

However!! I kinda regretted the colour. It's like having a big big blocky border around your face dulls it a bit. So when I got new ones a few years later, I wanted them to be lighter. To brighten up the face area. These ones!!

They're pink!!! Or red maybe. But they're pink to ME!!! They are also EVEN BIGGER than the black pair I had. They're HUGE asgdbjnk. And I love them huge. The bigger the better. They're not really circular but they're also kinda roundish and I like that too.

So I guess think about the size, shape and colour. Would you like something more subtle like a small pair? Would you like them big and round? Getting them in a colour that you like Would definitely help!!

The thickness of the frames also matters. Maybe, since you're a little worried about how you'll look wearing them, you'd like something thinner? More subtle? Something in a pale colour/or without much of a border at all? Something that doesn't hide your face

Maybe something similar to this?

(I mean the frame thickness, not the size ahsbdjnk. We don't know what size you'd like yet.)

I kinda want glasses that look like this. I want thin gold ones like Miss Willow Park from hit Disney channel show the Owb Houb. However I don't really have that option. I'm borderline blind so I need the thick plastic frames to hold the thick as fuck lenses ahsbdjnk.

But since this is your first pair your eyes probably aren't nearly as bad and you have way more options!!

OKAY!! So if you've already chosen your glasses and are still worried about how you're going to look in them.

Alright, there are never any easy answers to this problem. How to get over not liking the way you look. People definitely like to pretend it's easy, that "Love yourself! Everyone is beautiful! :)" are these magic words that will suddenly rewire our brains into being happy and content with ourselves after a lifetime of feeling like the odd one out. When some people are put on a pedestal for how they look and some are not. It's hard to say physical ugliness doesn't exist when it's been beaten into everyone's heads that it does.

Despite everyone's best efforts to dismantle the concept of beauty standards, they persist relentlessly. They're roots in our brains, roots in society, and they're roots made of iron. So it is nobody's fault for being unsatisfied with themselves even after trying for so long to forcibly inject some girlboss confidence into their bloodstream. Its hard. It will always be hard.

If self love isn't easy at the start, aim for self neutrality. Just not hating is a good place to start.

It seems like you're not comfortable with yourself without glasses, so maybe if we start with that, your face with glasses will be way easier to accept.

In the end, you only have the one face to get you through this lifetime. And it's a lifetime you will waste if you spend it wishing it was different.

Everyone's face is a rearrangement of facial features, none of which are inferior to anyone else's, no matter what we've been mentally trained to believe.

You're a masterpiece all on your own. Every feature on your face belonged to someone in your family who came before you. Every feature you have was once adored by someone else. Specifically because it was a feature that belonged to a very wonderful person.

One day there will be someone who loves you more than anything. They'll love you so much than when they see a face that even looks remotely like yours they'll think that it's beautiful.

If it helps, mess around with your appearance a little. What colours do you like? Patterns? Skirts? Button up shirts? Long hair? Short hair? Dyed hair? Cardigans? Jangly jewelry? Figure out what's the most beautiful to you and add them to yourself. If you don't like your face, drown it out with what you do like. Until it gets to the point where its so distinctly you that you couldn't imagine this whole look without your face attached to it.

If you get to that point where you can feel happy with how you look as your default, then sliding a pair of glasses on and off shouldn't make much of a difference.

Thank you for telling me you like my writing and my posts. You seem sweet. I'm sure that's what people think when they're reminded of you. I'm sure that's what the guy you mentioned thinks. How can a person really be ugly if you associate their face with warmth and kindness?

Stay kind to others. Be kind to yourself. There's not much else I can say.

Good luck, love <33

[sapphosvioletts]

Okay well, I’ll answer your questions first.

1. Yes, I do indeed do chores - this surprises me half the time as well 😂. I only really HAVE to do one chore, and that’s washing the pots up ((or is it dishes in America? Or is dishes the British one and American TV has brainwashed me? I’m not sure- )) and that’s only cause that chore pays my phone bill

2. I technically have five dogs - three toy poodles who live with my Dad and step mum, and then at my Mums we have a springer spaniel cross staffy ((not sure if that’s the spelling)) and then the molting dog in question is…complicated. We originally thought she was a Husky crossed German Shepard, but now there’s a chance that she might an Austalian Kelpsie crossed with one of those? Either way, she’s very sweet and kind and not the brightest and she gets dog hair literally EVERYWHERE - with the amount she molts you could probably make another batch of dogs

3. As for my 3DS, aside from tomodachi life ((which I haven’t played in forever and I’m scared to go back to cause the characters comment on how long you’ve been gone for and I’m not ready for that emotional guilt trip- )), I only have Pokémon games. Today I’ve been playing Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, but there’s a fair chance that means nothing to you-

4. I’m not really sure if we have Dance Moms here as I typically tend to not watch those kinda shows as they stress me out with all the stress and shouting - if I’m imagining this correctly that is - so I cannot answer that one sorry 😅

But anyway - that all sounds confusing, stressful and amazing!!!

I’ve never really done anything or been involved in anything like that tbh so I don’t have much experience in that kinda environment - although I have been involved in a few school musical productions, and that’s always stressful as I’m usually running around managing the lights and sounds and stuff ((I’ve never performed myself because I can’t sing, but apparently that’s gonna have to change real soon because as part of my performing arts GCSE I have to be a main part in a musical so that thought is stressing me out))

People have repeatedly tried to get me to do dance, but I’ve always said no cause I have the co-ordination of a blind moth and the muscle mass of an otter!! And I repeatedly tell people that and they ignore me and say that Since I’m double jointed and flexible so I’ve already got a head start and I’m like 99% sure that ain’t how things realistically work— ((it is funny though to watch people freak out as you put your arm behind your neck, bring it back around in front of your face and then proceed to touch the same sided ear 😂))

Sorry- I got side tracked there

But it does sound like you kinda have a love hate relationship with dance? Like it punishes you and you don’t like that but yet you still enjoy doing it at the same time..? I might be reading into that wrong

Either way, what you do sounds really impressive and cool and you should be proud of yourself as is certainly doesn’t sound easy!!!

((Also what’s middle school age? Because In the UK we have primary school and high school, then college and University are optional I’m p sure but Idk what our equivalent of middle school is?))

- 🦋

yeah we call it dishes here lol i absolutely hate doing the dishes my sensory issues when i touch a piece of wet food 🤧 or the scraping and blegh i can not stand it lmaoo but i used to do like almost everything around the house except for dishes until my mom found out and got pissed at my brother and dad because i was doing literally everything so at least now i really don't have to do much bc my dad and brother are still making up for me doing literally everything for like 2 years lol

AND OH MY GODDD THATS SO CUTEEE😭😭 the dog hair though i get that lmaooo but that's so cute shsjsk i love dogs (and cats, i'm more of a cat person but i love both lol) my dog is a corgi terrior mix so thankfully he doesn't have as much hair, but our other two dogs we've had in the past had so much hair IT WAS EVERYWHERE but oh my god i love dogs and i loved hearing about your dogs they sound ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE AND ARE THE GOODEST PETS EVER give all of them pets for me pls

omg no not the guilt trip 😭 i hate when games do that lmaooo and yeah i don't understand pokémon really but it sounds super cool!! it sounds very fun even tho idk what any of it means lol is a 3ds (i think that's what it was called?) similar to a nintendo switch? for a bit i wanted a switch cause i was really into animal crossing for a while lmao so i know at least a tiny bit about switches but not really anything about 3ds

and yeahhhh i used to watch dance moms when i was younger it like first came out but like you said the AMOUNT OF YELLING i could not handle it lol whenever someone even slightly raises their voice at me i cry and even tho it's on tv and not even pointed at me i hated it lmao but people here love it for some reason and always ask "omg is it like dance moms?" lol

but managing the lights and stuff sounds so stressful omg and so bright shsjsksk and omg whatttt why do you have to be the main role?? i feel so bad lol like they won't just allow you to be an extra or in the general cast?? i cant sing either so i get it lol our musical theater isn't like actually singing, it's just to musical songs and wearing character heels lmao oh i forgot to include i also do heels, for some fucking reason i've been doing heels since i was 12 😭 not the most appropriate but you know what i live in vegas this is just how it is i guess lmaooo

THAT ANALOGY I CANTTTT lmaooo honestly my coordination is shit with everything besides dance, i think it's just cause i've been doing it my whole life so it's like muscle memory but outside of it, i am not the most coordinated lol my friend tried to teach to play soccer once (or football lol) and it was a nightmare i couldn't do shit lmao but unfortunately i have the muscle mass of a refrigerator if that's a thing, one of my teachers always gets on me for my "boulder quads" like mam i don't know what you expect from me leave me alone lmaooo

but ughhh i hate when people just won't listen. like sometimes they're trying to be encouraging but it's still just so annoying like just shushhhh. and being flexible does make it a lot easier, but it also makes you more prone to injuries. so you'll get a head start definitely but get set right back once you get injured. i used to do contortion too so i'm pretty flexible, but i have definitely learned that if you don't have the right muscles built up either, you're really prone to injuries. hence why my back is fucked up bc at first i didn't have the back muscles to basically protect my back lol i would say just tell people that next time they try to annoy you about it... but knowing neurotypicals they probably still won't even take that as an answer lol but oh my god i can't even do that lmaooo i'm not double jointed so that's impressive lol

and yeah definitely, it depends lol i love it but sometimes it's just too much and i wonder why i'm even doing this lmaoo but then there's other times that just make all of it worth it. so yeah definitely love hate relationship lol i never though about it as punishing... but now that i think about it yeah it definitely is and dance is also a VERYYY self deprecating sport like you are literally taught to criticize yourself constantly from a young age, that's what the mirrors are there for. and there's definitely times i've used dance as a punishment for myself when i wasn't happy with myself and thought i deserved it... but this isn't a therapy session so ima shush now lmaooo but maybe i just came to a realization lol

and omg thank youuu 🥺 it's kind of unspoken rule in dance to never be happy or proud of yourself because you can always be better, but that really does mean a lot 😭🥺

and oh! middle school age is like 10-13 lol my bad i forgot it's different there

[stellarcat52]

Timeless blue chapter 5

My mind stops functioning halfway though the last few paragraphs. So lady of the lake episode, there were many ways this could have played out that would have been much better probably. (Douxie getting Excalibur alongside them, one of my plans had him learn magic alongside Claire and succeed. Another had him encounter Nari, won’t explain more) so if you don’t enjoy the way this episode went and you want to read one of the other possible scenarios I might write them. Still, hope you enjoy.

Hisirdoux had gotten Krel before getting the others, Krel was feeling somewhat better after what Hisirdoux believed was a night of rest. The prince had honestly been awake all night, something had been bugging him. He had been adding notes to the alchemy book until sunrise, trying not to focus on the strange feeling in his chest.

The group saw no difference in him, fatigue didn’t show, he didn’t bring it up, in fact he didn’t really talk to anyone but Hisirdoux. Douxie found this quite confusing while overhearing their whispers because Krel insisted on referring to both of them as Douxie.

Krel had to be asked personally to join them. Douxie almost asked Archie to steal the alchemy book that Krel was trying to use as an excuse to stay behind.

“Listen,” Krel stooped his grumbling, following behind Douxie on their way through the castle. “I... remember bits of what happened last night, with my past self and you. You’re not alone, and-“ Douxie fades off as Steve’s ramblings of monster trophies gets clearer.

The way there, and after setting up a campfire and such, Krel was mostly reading and marking down things still. Not even Merlin would be able to pry his focus away from it at this point.

“Do you really think Merlin’s plan will work?” Claire and Douxie were talking, on the opposite side of the small ship.

Douxie fumbled a bit with the time map. “We’ve run out of options, and my choices haven’t exactly been working recently.” Krel tensed nearby. “We cannot make any more mistakes. We’ll just have to trust Merlin this time.”

Claire sighs, “I just hope Jim made it out okay.”

Douxie responds with something that makes Steve laugh as they get closer to the cave entrance, and Krel was ready to hit himself. Douxie had apologized, Hisirdoux had helped him, and he was still blaming Douxie for bringing them to the past. Not because Douxie fought with him, not because Hisirdoux had originally bothered him, but because he was stuck in an unfamiliar place and time, and he blamed Douxie despite it not being the apprentice’s fault.

They had entered, while Merlin was speaking to Claire about shadow magic, Krel and Archie had very similar reactions to hearing what Steve’s swimsuit was.

“Blegh. Why does Aja like you?” Keel muttered, the first words he had spoken out loud during the trip itself.

Steve puffed or his chest. “I’m her blond oaf in shining armor. What’s not to like?”

“I could name a few.” Claire adds, rolling her eyes, but smiling.

“We’ve arrived.” Merlin announced.

Claire gasped in wonder. “The lady of the lake is real? I thought she was just a myth!”

“Oh, no. The lady of te lake is very much real.” Douxie pauses. “Though, only Merlin’s allowed to meet with her. Well... ‘Till now.”

“Because her power is beyond your comprehension.” Archie jumped up and flew around the cave. “It is from her waters I originally helped Arthur retrieve Excalibur.”

The group steps up to see a set of faced doors. Krel hangs back a little as Merlin takes the sword, and announces that he is to go inside alone. Krel zones out, some pressure fills the air. Similar to tension, but more physical.

“I won’t just sit here without making things right!” Douxie knocks Krel out of his daze as Merlin opens the doors.

A blue hand lightly grabs the wizard’s shoulder. “Douxie.” Their eyes meet without anger or uncomfortable tension for the first time in a while. “Maybe this isn’t your place to fix things. Merlin knows what he’s doing, I’m sure it will be fine.”

Douxie pauses, and turns back to the doors well after they’ve closed. “Merlin’s magic is uncrackable, we won’t be able to get in now.” His tone isn’t accusing, not blaming Krel for holding him back, but just informing the others.

“Well,” Archie flies over and perched on Douxie’s other shoulder as Krel’s hand drops. “At least we won’t have to see Steve’s birthday suit.”

Douxie smiles and pets his familiar before the words “Too late” leave Steve’s lips. Archie extends a wing in front of Douxie’s eyes and covers his own. Krel decides not to turn around for a while, so he’s left facing Douxie, who eventually does look out from under Archie’s wing.

“Does this mean you don’t hate me?” Douxie still wasn’t looking up, probably due to the fact they didn’t know Steve was no longer in his birthday suit, but also because he didn’t want to meet Krel’s eyes again.

“I-“ Krel inhales. “I should be the one to apologize. I was mad at you for something that you didn’t cause.”

“Oh.” Douxie glances up, but obviously doesn’t like what he sees behind Krel, which is Claire covering her eyes and quietly threatening Steve for good reason. “So.. we’re good now?” He extends a hand, which is met with a handshake.

“Yes.”

They stand in silence for another few seconds before moving. Claire was now glaring at Steve, but his visual was no longer mentally scarring.

They set up a camp, starting a fire with help from Archie and wondering how long it would take for Merlin to get Excalibur fixed.

Krel found it amusing that Steve was attempting to talk the doors open. Merlin had used magic, the only one there with a chance of opening the doors was Douxie. The doors commentary ruined the entertainment by causing Steve to open up about his stress.

“Well he needs a therapist.” Krel commented.

Douxie and Claire start talking about shadow magic, it’s danger, and how they could use it to get inside. Krel was reading over his notes, and using the blank pages to theorize about that strange presence or pressure.

He clicks back into the conversations as Douxie convinces Claire to try, not hiding the laughter the comment on not being a good student brought.

He watched Douxie walk Claire through the steps, the portal appearing, Claire disappearing, and through it all that strange pressure grew.

They got their way in, after Claire, Steve and Archie had entered, Douxie looked back at Krel to bring him too. “Krel? C’mon, you alright?” Of course, te akiridion had no physically symptoms of that massive pressure causing his core itself to feel as if it was a black hole.

“A headache,” he lied, “maybe I should stay out here and guard the entrance.”

“Alright.” Douxie turns back to the portal, closing. “Be safe. And don’t run off without us!”

“I can’t even drive you goober! Go save the past.” Krel faked a smile as Douxie disappeared.

The pressure lifted the moment the portal closed, sucked into the void alongside his friends. The sand met him as gravity seemed to take its toll, the fire crackled quietly as he stares at the cave ceiling, relieved of the strange presence. His core no longer felt in danger, but that meant the others might be.

——

The others were dealing with the “lady” of the lake fairly well. Douxie had retrieved Excalibur, freed the “Lady”, and headed out, to find a very frustrated Krel.

“So much for the headache, your highness.” Douxie grinned as he matched pace with the akiridion. “Though you wouldn’t have wanted to join us anyway. The lady of the lake is this huge tentacle sea monster.”

Keel chuckled, “I would not call that a lady on this planet. Maybe on one I have not visited, but not here.”

“Yeah, how many planets have you visited?” They stood next to each other, talking while in their own little world. Throughout the trip ignoring Claire, practicing making portals, and Steve’s wonderstruck protectiveness over his “monster trophy”.

Archie took perch on the edge of the boat instead of Douxie’s shoulder, he liked seeing his wizard happy, and did not want Krel showing interest in dragons just yet.

Part four Edit!!

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ @sasuhinabigflash2020​​ || Day Nineteen: A Beautiful Choice ] [ Hyūga Hinata, Hyūga Hanabi ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

[ Previous ] [ Next ]

“...are you sure you want me to go with you?”

“Of course. I asked you, didn’t I?”

“Well yeah, but...I mean…” A hesitation. “...we haven’t exactly...been that close.”

“Which is why I asked you, Hanabi.” Looking over from the driver’s seat, Hinata gives her little sister a smile. “...a lot of things in my life have been changing lately. And I want this to be one of those things that changes. You and I have a lot of lost time to make up for...don’t we?”

The younger Hyūga sibling gives a sheepish glance. “But this is, like...a really big deal.”

“Mhm.”

“So shouldn’t you ask some girlfriends or something to go with you?”

At that, Hinata hesitates. “...I...don’t have too many of those. Besides, you know all about this sort of thing, don’t you?”

“...I do?”

“You know, what’s…” Hinata pauses, searching for the right word. “...what’s in and whatnot.”

That earns a snort. “Didn’t think you’d care much about that, honestly.”

“Well, maybe...I should.”

“Nah. You should just get what you want. I mean...you’re only gonna wear it once. Who cares if a wedding dress is in? It’s about looking how you wanna look on your wedding day!”

Mulling that over as she turns off the highway, Hinata eventually nods. “...you’re right. See? This is why I brought you along.”

“Pffft, keep saying that. Wait until I recommend you wear something hot pink and mini.”

At that, she blanches. “...that is not happening.”

“Pink is the new black, right?”

“And wedding dresses are meant to be neither!”

Hanabi just laughs as they pull into the right lot, the bridal shop looming up as Hinata parks right at the front. “But white is boring, ‘nata.”

“It’s also traditional,” is the sniffed reply.

A brown brow perks. “...says the one going against her father’s wishes in marrying this guy, huh?”

Hinata gives a cool glance. “Father has no dictation over what I’m going to...to do with my life anymore.”

“...yeah. I know. And that’s awesome. Now come on - let’s go get you a fancy dress!” Hanabi hops from the car, momentarily glued to her phone as they walk inside.

Immediately, two employees greet them with wide smiles. “How can we help you?”

“Sis is gettin’ married!” Hanabi announces with zero decorum, making Hinata jolt in embarrassment. “And now she’s gotta look the part!”

Thankfully the clerks just both laugh, and then start prattling on about current trends, classical looks, and many other things Hinata mostly tunes out as they become overwhelming, instead looking at various gowns as they’re given a quick tour.

“Do you have anything in mind?”

“Um...not really,” she admits sheepishly. “Just something on the more...traditional side. Nothing short, or...oddly colored.” A pointed glance is given to Hanabi, who snickers.

“Well, that still boasts a wide array of choices! We have a complete guide to all our current gowns here.” One clerk hands her a rather large three-ring binder, which Hanabi immediately snatches. “Or you can just start browsing and see if anything catches your eye! First, however, let’s go ahead and get your measurements marked down so we’ll know how to tailor it for you.”

Immediately embarrassed at all of the touching and looking, Hinata does her best to hold still as every aspect of her person is jotted down. One associate then disappears as the other starts showing off various gown styles.

“This was all the rage last spring - the lace is intricate and yet not too busy, so it’s elegant without being over the top, as they say. And it has an optional train that can be up to ten feet!”

“Oh, um…” Hinata’s brow furrows at the thought. “I...probably don’t want much of a train, actually.”

“Sure! It’s a bit of a fading trend, so you probably won’t see many in our collections anyway.”

Nodding, Hinata then hesitates. “Can I just...take a look around for a while?” Alone? she thinks to herself, finding the employees a bit...stifling.

“Of course - just let us know when you find something or if you have any questions.”

Smiling briefly to be polite, she can’t help a small sigh of relief as they round a corner into another aisle of gowns. “My goodness…”

“Gotta love being mobbed, huh?”

“Mhm.”

“That’s how it was last year when I went prom dress shopping.” Seated on a stool, Hanabi looks up from the catalogue with a deadpan expression. “You’d think I was buying a wedding dress with how much fussing they did. Like...man, it’s not that deep.”

“Deep?” Hinata asks as she flickers through a rack of dresses.

“Like...it’s not that important. I’ll wear it once and then donate it to Goodwill or something.”

“Or keep it for other formal events.”

“Nothing for school though - I don’t wanna be caught dead in the same dress twice.”

That earns a skeptical look from the older sister before she buries back into the gowns...and then pauses.

...oh.

Revealed from the cluster of dresses is one of a shining, simple fabric. No lace, no beads, just...effortless elegance. Strapless, it has a shawl-like top that drapes back down over the torso with a moderate A-frame skirt.

...it’s perfect.

Taking the hanger out, Hinata lets it drape freely, falling more and more in love with it as she looks.

“Hey, did you -? Whoa…”

“...do you like it?”

Setting the binder aside, Hanabi hops from her perch and gets closer. “That’s really pretty! Kinda basic, but like...in a cool way.”

As if summoned, one of the clerks reappears. “Did you find something?”

“...I think so. Can I try it on?”

“Yes, of course!”

It takes a little finagling (Hinata going crimson as her bust fails to fit), but they manage to squeeze her into the gown. Hanabi, from her spot, gives a grin and two thumbs up before beginning to take pictures with her phone.

Turning to the mirrors behind her, Hinata examines each for a different angle. It really is perfect. Simple, elegant...nothing ridiculous. Just...a dress to wear on the happiest day of her life, when she finally gets to marry Sasuke Uchiha.

“...I’ll take it,” she then affirms, earning a clap from the attendant.

“A beautiful choice! We’ll get it fitted to your measurements right away and call you when it’s finished! You’re going to have a lucky beau with his jaw on the floor when he sees you in it.”

Smiling softly at her reflection, Hinata simply nods.

The sisters take their leave once all details are settled, returning to Hinata’s car and heading back out onto the road.

“You looked so frickin’ pretty, ‘nata.”

“Thank you, Hanabi.”

“Can I show my friends?”

“I guess there’s no harm in that.”

“Yeah, it’s not like any of them know Sasuke. He’ll never see it.”

“...you really think it suited me?”

“Chyeah. He’s gonna flip when he sees you in it. But like, in a good way.”

That earns a snort. “...I hope so.”

“I know so. Like you said, I’m the expert.”

“...thank you for coming with me.”

“Sure! Need help picking out anything else?”

“Hm...I’m not sure. But if I do, I’ll let you know.”

“Sweet.”

     I’msofarbehindI’msosorry. Basically I had a very hellish weekend and just...didn’t have heart to write for a few days. Technically it bled into today but I wanted to get at least ONE piece done @~@ Hopefully tomorrow I can grind more out, it just...depends, aha~      BUT ANYWAY! About the actual drabble, lol - a wee scene in modern featuring the sisters. No Sasuke for once! But I always need to give Hinata (and Hanabi) more love, and some sister bonding. And what better way than dress shopping together?      The dress I tried to describe is actually here - hopefully I did okay in words, but here’s the picture just in case! It just felt very ‘Hinata’ to me lol      Anywho, I’d best call it a night. Apologies again for falling so far behind, life is just...blegh, aha. I’ll try and catch up soon - and if not, we’ll just run a few days late! But either way, thank you for reading~

[ironicsnap]

I was tagged by @secretmellowblog! (thenk u)

Favourite colours: Purple Is Best Colour. Objectively

Last Song I Listened To: This would probably be more TF2 stuff so I will instead tell you that Seeming, self-described as “post-gothic, post-human, post-everything”, released a new album yesterday! The previous outing is easily one of my favourite albums so I’m very excited to sit down and listen to it later today

Favourite Musician: I don’t tend to follow individual musicians or bands that closely, but I want to send out huge love to Neil Cicierega, who has not only posted his excellent music and other artistic endeavours to the Internet since 1999 (!!!) but has managed to never say or do anything crushingly racist in all that time! what an icon

(See also: Weird Al Yankovic’s harmlessly goofy uncle vibes, still as proud and harmlessly goofy today as in the 1980s)

Last Movie I Watched: About a month ago I caught up on both Treasure Planet and The Great Mouse Detective! ...have i not watched any movies in a month? that honestly sounds about right

Last TV Show I Watched: Last night I finished Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy and I am in the exact same position I was at the end of Season 1 in that I have no fucking clue whether or not I can honestly say I “liked” it but when Season 3 comes out I’ll probably watch all of that too

Favourite Character: I have a truly worrying number of “favourite characters”, sometimes even selecting a favourite from a story I have never directly consumed. But the simplest answer is that I have written an entire trilogy of stories about Sly Cooper, Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, and Carmelita Fox fighting slash committing crime for good reason. (Also, Legoshi. My sweet, lanky, idiot son Legoshi ;;)

Sweet, Spicy, or Savoury?: First savoury, then sweet. never spicy. never

Sparkling Water, Tea, or Coffee?: Ugh! Blegh! You have to present me with at least one potable option! Gun to head, they’re in that order. Sparkling water by itself is awful, but I consume large quantities of it because I mix it with apple juice to make a budget, relatively-healthy soda. I will drink tea - black - if I am offered a cup at a funeral. I have never, ever had coffee, and at this rate I’m not going to start.

...that probably wasn’t intended as a question necessitating a long answer, but here we are

Pets: In the course of writing this answer, I went outside to feed the stray cat who frequents our garden, but I’m not sure she really counts? Perhaps in the future I will have a housecat to spoil

Tag Eight People: Hypocrite that I am, I never feel comfortable doing these unless directly tagged, yet also, I never feel comfortable tagging others! It just goes to show there really is no ethical consumption under capitalism. truly, we live in a society-

[let-it-raines]

Betting on the Bullseye (24/30)

Summary:Emma Swan loses a drunken bet that means she has to ask her celebrity crush - if you can call him that - to be her date to her office’s annual fundraising gala for Boston’s Children Shelter. Killian Jones is that celebrity. She expects all kinds of humiliation and for her dignity to be completely lost all because of the ridiculousness of the situation. 

What she doesn’t expect is for him to say yes.What she truly doesn’t expect is to actually like the man.

Rating: Mature

A/N: You guys are continuously awesome, and I appreciate you! 

As an FYI, I have this story completely written now, down to the last word, so if anyone was worrying about that, you don’t have to! But mostly I wanted to let you guys know that I’m going to be out of town for a week, so there won’t be any updates next week (but maybe an extra one this week)💕

Found on AO3: Beginning | Current

Tumblr:Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | 

Tag list: @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @wellhellotragic @bmbbcs4evr @onceuponaprincessworld @jennjenn615 @mayquita @captainsjedi @teamhook @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @artistic-writer @branlovesouat @dreadpirateemma @kmomof4 @ekr032-blog-blog @galaxyzxstark @lifeinahole27 @andiirivera @ultimiflos @hollyethecurious @thejollyroger-writer @superchocovian @cs-forlife @qualitycoffeethings @jonirobinson64 @notoriouscs

“Happy birthday,” Killian hums against her neck, kissing the sensitive skin and rubbing his chin into her. She claims that it doesn’t tickle her, but it always does. He hopes it’ll work to wake her up since nothing else will today. “Your alarm has been going off for fifteen minutes.”

“Hmm,” she mumbles, twisting to the side and burying her face in his bare shoulder, ignoring the sound of her alarm like she has been while he’s listened to it wondering just how long she’s going to sleep through it. He swears sometimes it’s like she’s dead to the world. Other times she’s woken up by a whisper of a touch. There’s no in between for her. “That doesn’t sound real.”

“It is, darling,” he promises, nudging her stomach with his knee until she flips back onto her pillow, opening one eye while she stares up at him. He knows that he’s got a smirk on his face, that she probably finds him to be obnoxious, but he’s been awake for longer than her. He’s not nearly as annoyed by life as she is. Then again, the only work he has to do today is finish up packing Emma’s things to take to the new place this weekend. He can fall back asleep as soon as she leaves for work and not have to get dressed until they go out for her birthday tonight.

“Can you go to work for me? I would love you for the rest of my life.”

“While that’s a promising offer, I’m just not sure that it’s worth it.”

“Hey,” she protests, opening up her other eye as her lips part, her teeth showing the slightest bit before she presses them together again.

“Just speaking the truth.” He leans over in the bed and quickly slants his lips over hers, waiting for her to open up to him until he can make it a little deeper, leisurely exploring her mouth and waking her up as he gets lost in the kiss and the way that Emma’s nose is buried in his cheek, her hand softly gripping in his hair. God, he loves when she messes with his hair. “You need to get up and get ready.”

“I can stay in bed for thirty more minutes if I don’t shower.”

“Yeah, but you won’t want to shower after work and before we go to dinner, so you should shower now to get it over with.”

She rolls her eyes at him, but when he kisses the tip of her nose, he can see her smile despite the still dimmed lighting in the room. “I don’t like that you’re reasonable.” “You do. I promise. Now go get ready, Swan.”

She mumbles and groans, but eventually she gets out of bed and turns the damn alarm off before she heads into her bathroom to shower. He’s a bit of an arse, so he doesn’t bother getting out of bed even though he should likely fix her breakfast since it’s her birthday and she hasn’t been too happy about turning twenty-nine. Knowing her, though, she won’t want to eat anything but a yogurt with how late she’s running, so he’ll make her food some other day. It’s the least he can do if he’s going to be up anyways.

He’s only been staying with Emma for a week and a half, and they’re still in her old apartment until the furniture they’ve bought gets moved to their place. It’s got a new mattress and bedframe like they both wanted and a couch, but everything else is still shipping or they haven’t found what they wanted yet. It was a pretty quick turnaround on buying the apartment in Seaport, so they weren’t exactly expecting to be able move in so quickly. He was expecting to have at least a few more weeks, but after they closed on the place, he called Robin and Will to help him pack up his clothes and a few personal items from home. It’s a bit of a disconnect walking into a place he’s lived for years and seeing it furnished only to turn a corner and realize that the books on his shelves are missing along with some of the photo frames he had on the side table in his study. He was going to leave them, but he wanted some personal mementos.

His clothes were easy enough to pack, especially since he only packed his winter things for the next few months, but that odd feeling of emptiness washed over him when he noticed that only his shorts and some swim trunks remained. That emptiness went away when he was hanging his things and a few of Emma’s in their closet, one that they get to share, and those awful Christmas sweaters they both own were hanging side by side, green tassel sticking out against all of the black and navy clothes that he owns. He’d never get rid of them, though. They mean too much to the both of them, so they’ll stay hanging in the closet.

God, it’s both weird and wonderful that they’re getting to share everything in a home together.

The wonder is most definitely going to fade once they get into an argument over the dishes or making the bed every day, but he doesn’t care in the slightest.

Maybe he’ll go buy those barstools Emma saw when they went shopping on Sunday. She’d really liked those, but they weren’t sure if the stools were the right size. He checked, and they are. That’d likely be a nice surprise, especially if he gave them to her today.

Barstools for his girlfriend’s birthday present. It’s what every woman wants.

Or a necklace with a pearl pendant hanging at the end of the chain because gifts are difficult and Emma never wants anything. He’d seen her look at the necklace, though, and she’d run her fingers over her collarbone for awhile after she saw it. It’s simple and beautiful, and he thinks Emma will like wearing it most days just so that she has something to fidget with. She’s always doing that with her earrings or bracelet, so a necklace should be nice, right?

A necklace and some barstools. And this hot chocolate basket that he’s been putting together, her swan mug hidden away in it. For someone who claims that it’s her favorite mug, she sure as hell doesn’t notice when it’s missing for weeks on end.

Yeah, those should be fine things to give her before tonight.

He donated some money to her work and to a few of her favorite charities, but he’s not going to tell her about them. He thought about it, but it doesn’t quite seem right. They’re in her honor and will help out a lot of people who need the help, and that’s all that matters to him.

He hears the water shut off in the bathroom, and he takes that as his cue to get finally get out of bed, throwing the covers off of his legs and slowly moving off of the old mattress so he can get some sweatpants out the suitcase he’s living out of, pulling them on and up over his hips so he won’t freeze while moving out to the kitchen. He may not make her breakfast, but he can at least make her some coffee so she won’t be cranky at work.

Coffee would also be really nice for him. Emma’s alarm went off for far too long, and he can feel the slightest pounding against his temple.

“Do you think it would be too obvious if I called in sick to work?” Emma ponders as she walks into the room a few minutes later, a towel still wrapped around her head but her lashes coated in mascara and face powdered so that her freckles have faded. “I mean, they know it’s my birthday, but people get sick on their birthdays. It’s just a day.”

He takes a sip of his coffee, the liquid still a little too hot from his lack of creamer, and shrugs his shoulders while Emma grabs a mug out of the cabinet and starts making her cup.

“You could, but if you don’t go to work, your other option is to stay here with me and pack up your belongings.”

“I mean, packing is very sexy. I could stay and we could forget about packing for you to give me all of your love and attention since it is my birthday after all.”

“For someone who has been dreading this day, which you literally just said is only a day on the calendar, you’re really milking it.”

“I am indeed,” she smiles, holding up the carton of milk she just got out of the fridge. Emma Swan, a woman who doesn’t like to let bad jokes pass by her. “I just don’t want to go to work. I’m working with Kathryn all day and blegh.”

“Did you just say the word blegh instead of making the sound?”

“Yep.”

“Weird.” “Debatable.”

“I’m sorry you have to work with Kathryn, but hopefully she won’t be that bad today. And I feel like you’re going to have a good day today, signing your new contract and all that, you badass of a woman.” He takes a step toward her and leans down to brush a kiss across her temple, knowing the toothpaste on her tongue won’t mix well with the coffee. He loves her and is proud of her for negotiating a raise that she deserves for her time there and for all the good work she’s done this year, but her really is not a fan of toothpaste mixed with coffee. “And when all is said and done today, I promise I’ll give you all of my love and attention.”

“That’s all I ask.”

When Emma leaves for work, he takes a quick shower and gets dressed to go to Gold and Williams to pick up some of the furniture they saw the other day. He’ll pack later. He’d honestly just feel better if he went ahead and got the furniture now, mixing in with the morning crowd on the train as he makes his way to the south end. He’s still got some work to go on navigating Boston, but he’s figuring things out. It’d help if he had a car here, but he doesn’t want to buy another one when he has a perfectly good car back in California. Then again, it’s either leave it there or take a road trip across the country every time he travels.

That would be ridiculous. The miles and time alone.

Maybe he’ll get Emma to take a road trip with him when she has off for Thanksgiving since they’re spending it with his family so that they can spend Christmas with Emma’s. Or maybe he’ll simply become a master of taking the train.

Or he could ship his car across the country. That’s a thing.

It takes a few minutes in the store for him to find the barstools, telling the man who’s helping him, Eric, that he wants four of them before he wanders throughout the rest of the store, looking at the chairs for the living room they’d both liked the other day. It’s odd shopping without Emma, but then again, she did most of their apartment viewing by herself so a chair seems like a much smaller thing. They can always return it if it doesn’t fit, but he likes the blue velvet and gold accented frames that surround them to go with the light gray of their couch. By the time he’s left the store he has put in orders for the barstools, arm chairs, lamps for their bedside tables, and a loveseat to sit at the foot of their bed all to be shipped to their apartment. He knows that Emma liked the loveseat because he distinctly remembers her sitting down on it and tracing her finger over the teal material and talking about how good it would look with the blue and green accents on the pillows on their bed.

He’s never thought this much about interior decorating, but Emma is having such a blast starting with a clean slate that he’s enjoying it. He likes watching everything come together too.

The rest of his morning is spent packing up Emma’s apartment, sectioning off her clothes and tying them up in bags so they’ll be easier to unpack. All of her dishes but a few they’ll need over the next few days go into boxes, wrapped in bubble wrap, and he makes note of the appliances she’s missing. He’ll ship some of his things from home here. He won’t need a fully stocked kitchen some place he’s not living full time, and there’s no need to buy more plates when he and Emma eat out off of paper plates most of the time anyways.

Maybe they need a few more plates for when they have guests. He’s thinking about flying out Liam, Elsa, and Aiden for Christmas and having them stay over so that they can meet everyone. Of course, he’ll have to fly in Anna and Kris as well. He could offer to fly in Anna and Elsa’s parents, but they’re apparently visiting after the holiday.

It’s something to think about, though.

When he tackles her shelves, that’s an animal in and off itself. She’s got everything marked for keep or donate since nothing in her apartment can stay here, and honestly, he’s a little confused by some of the markings. There are several rocks that don’t look like anything, but Emma has them marked to keep so he packs them away. He assumes Leo has given them to her, but he’s honestly got no idea.

The music on his phone stops playing as it rings, and he reaches to the side and slides his finger across the screen, tapping the speaker so he doesn’t have to pick it up.

“Hey, Will.”

“Why the bloody hell do you have me watering these plants if you don’t even live here anymore? Can’t I just let them die?”

“Nice to hear from you too,” he scoffs, wrapping up a picture frame. “And yes, you have to water them until I get them moved to Liam’s or Rob’s. Or yours. I think you’re rather fond of the plants, mate.”

“I don’t like your bloody plants.”

“It’s okay to like the plants. They’d make your apartment look less like a bachelor lives there.”

“A bachelor does live there.”

“Seriously, take the plants with you.”

“If I take the plants with me, then you won’t pay me to water them.”

“Technically I also pay you to dust, but you never do that.”

“I’m not your maid. I’m your friend.”

“Who likes the money I pay you out of the goodness of my heart for helping me with my house.”

“You’re the most generous man in all of Hollywood,” Will chuckles as the distinctive sound of the ceiling fan in Killian’s study spins. It’s got this thing where it clicks if it spins too quickly. He needs to fix that. “What are you doing today? You got plans? Rob, Rol, and I are going to watch the Kings play later. You want to join us from afar?”

“What time?”

“Six our time.”

He clicks his tongue as he wraps another frame that’s filled with a picture of Emma holding both Leo and Brody the day after Brody was born. God, that had been such an awful day for him, but Emma looks so besotted with those boys that it doesn’t even matter. It worked out for them anyways. They worked it out.

“I can’t,” he admits, feeling the smallest tinge of guilt, but this is how things are going to be sometimes. Not all of the time, but still. He’ll have to take the three of them to a match sometime soon. Maybe he’ll buy them passes for Christmas. “It’s Emma’s birthday, so we’re going out. I’ll try another time though, okay?”

“Aye, that’s fine. It’s not like it’s going to be a good one anyways. Tell your lady I said happy birthday.”

“I will. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. Are you not working at the bar tonight?”

“No, I’ve got today off. Oi, man, I’ve got to tell you about this guy who came in last night.”

He and Will keep talking until Killian’s finished packing up the bookshelves, everything sorted into different boxes and bags and stacked up next to the door as Will regales him with stories of the bar and Roland’s attempt at ice skating for the first time last week. Robin’s also apparently been dating one of the moms of one of Roland’s classmates. He leaves for a little bit of time and suddenly everyone is getting their lives together. He absolutely cannot wait to annoy Rob about this the next time they talk. The man would rather die than talk about his dating life, so he kind of wonders how exactly Will knew about Robin’s new woman. He never explained. Eventually Will has to go, and Killian’s left spending the rest of the day doing as much packing as he can, only stopping to eat a late lunch and drink another cup of coffee.

“How is it so cold outside?” Emma asks as she pulls off her jacket and takes her beanie off, shaking her hair out and closing the front door behind her. “Seriously, it’s freezing out there. Have you been outside today? Probably not. You’ve probably been packing this entire time. Sorry I couldn’t call at lunch. I missed it to read over my contract one more time. Your girl has officially got herself a pay raise.”

“Congrats, love,” he laughs, taping up a box and then putting his tape down so that he can walk over to the kitchen where Emma’s puttering around in the cabinets. They’re mostly empty now, but she’s probably trying to find a glass. “Do you feel less stressed?”

“Exponentially.”

“Good.” He presses a kiss to her cheek before reaching above her and getting a glass out of the cabinet to hand to her. “I actually went and got some furniture for us this morning, some of the stuff we looked at on Sunday, and it’s being delivered to the apartment. And then I was packing up some things we hadn’t gotten yet. I was about to go work in your hallway closet.”

“I can do that,” she blurts, her cheeks flushing, and he quirks his brow as the gears start turning in his mind over why she wouldn’t want him messing with the closet.

“You’re hiding something.”

“I am not.”

“You’re a horrible liar, remember?”

“Maybe.”

“Definitely.”

“So what do you have hidden in the closet? I’ve been in there before, so I know that it’s not dead bodies or anything.”

“Gross.”

He shrugs. “I’m just saying. I’m also going to go look.”

He sidesteps out of Emma’s way, the curiosity too much, but he also knows that if Emma really doesn’t want him to look, she’ll tell him to stop. And he will. Whatever she’s hiding isn’t bad or untrustworthy. He simply doesn’t know what it is.

“Killian,” she chuckles, grabbing onto the back of his shirt and tugging him back so that he turns around and backs himself up against the wall to look down at Emma. Her eyes have widened, and her lips are somewhere between a smile and a quiver. He simply can’t tell. “Please don’t look in the closet.”

“I won’t if you really don’t want me to. I just wonder how you didn’t think of me looking in there while you were gone today.”

“I forgot.”

“You forgot about your deep, dark secret?”

“It’s not a deep, dark secret. It’s a surprise for you.”

“For little old me on your birthday?”

“Oh my gosh,” she scoffs, rolling her eyes and leaning forward to pat his chest. “You’re so cocky, but yes, for you. It was – I was – do you just want it now?”

He does, but he can be patient.

“You can save it. Today is about you anyways.”

Emma groans, actually groans, and it’s a bit of a mixture between frustration and pleasure. He’s got no clue what’s going on right now. Absolutely none.

“It’s not a big deal,” she starts, stepping to the side and sliding open the closet door, the old folds of it crunching the slightest bit. “Like, it’s really not a big deal. I was going to put them up at the new apartment and let you, you know, just notice when you noticed.” She bends down and picks up a small box, and when she hands it to him, he can see Liam’s address on the return label. What the hell? “Just open it or whatever.”

“Okay,” he mumbles, looking up at her and noticing the way she’s fidgeting, her feet never staying in place. “Swan, unless there’s something super freaky in here that my brother has sent you, and I’m not sure where the limitations lie, I promise that there’s no need to be nervous.”

It takes a bit of work to open the package. Liam really doubles down on masking tape and he’s working with just his nails, but eventually he gets into it, the cardboard folds moving open and revealing a few envelopes that are full of pictures…of him. They’re of him. There’s one of him as a child with his mum, a blue popsicle melted all over him. There’s another of he and Liam at his graduation, another of them when they’d just moved into the apartment in California, and several others that he’s seen before but not in a long time. These are from the books that Liam keeps, that he’s made sure to save even when they were in the system and could barely have belongings. These are his childhood, the fond memories of his childhood, and despite how much he’s always loved them, for a long time it was difficult for him to look at some of them, especially the ones with his mother.

“Did you,” he starts, putting the pictures back in the box, “did you ask Liam for family photos so you could put them up in the apartment to surprise me?”

“Yeah. I thought – I thought it would be a nice thing for you to have some of your home here. And, like, I figured it was a better thing than a picture of Queen Elizabeth or, like, a palm tree that would just die in this climate. I know it’s not a big thing but I – ”

“Emma,” he laughs, dropping the box to the ground and stepping forward to wrap his arm around her waist, holding onto her tightly as he pushes her up to the wall and quickly slants his lips over hers, feeling the softness of her mouth as she gasps into his own. He knows that he’s surprised her, that she didn’t expect such a fierce moment over what she very obviously thinks is a big deal but won’t admit, but the truth of the matter is that it is a big deal. They’re flush against each other and into the wall, and when his tongue moves against hers, she cants her hips up to his as he matches her rocks, the two of them moving together.

He knows that they’re both sentimental, that they both hold onto things from their childhood, that they hold onto the happy moments, but he also knows that they’re often only sentimental about it late at night when maybe exhaustion has gotten to them. Sometimes it’s when they’re walking on the beach by his house, Emma wrapped up in a sweater that reaches her thighs as she tells him about the first time she made a friend who she got to stay around for more than a few months before she was moved to another house in the state. It’s a sometimes thing, not an always, but it means the absolute world to him that Emma would do this.

She hasn’t moved the mountains, but he would never ask or expect her to.

He’d go to the end of the world for her, and he knows that she’d do the same.

Emma’s hands move over his shoulders, and it’s what snaps him into attention before he moves his lips from hers and trails them along her jaw, burying his face in her neck and breathing her in as his heart pounds against his ribcage.

“So you like them?”

He nods into her neck before he pulls back, looking into the gleam of her eyes before he leans forward and kisses her noise, his breath still catching up to him as he rests his forehead against hers. “I love them. Why were you so nervous?”

“I don’t know.” Her voice is a bit high, the smallest bit broken, and he groans a bit knowing that it’s all because of him, that their hips are still pushed together with Emma pinned to the wall. “I wanted to do something big for you to make Boston your home a bit more easily, but I couldn’t think of anything. And I don’t know. I figured you wouldn’t pack up all of the pictures you have at home so that you would still have them when you’re there. It was the least I could do, and I wasn’t going to make a big deal about them, but then you were going into the closet and yeah.”

“I did pack some of them,” he chuckles, leaning back and flashing her a grin so that she’ll stop biting her lip. He’s just now noticing that his hand has traveled up her shirt, and he wonders when he started tracing her spine. “Not all of them but a few, but I don’t – I hadn’t gone into those pictures for years. It’s so hard to see Mum’s face sometimes, but this is good. I appreciate it. Really. I don’t need you to do big gestures. I don’t – Emma I’m happy to be here. I can’t say it enough. I’m happy to be here and to be with you.”

“Yeah,” she nods, moving her hands back up his arms to his shoulders before her hands cup his face, soft pads caressing him as he leans his cheek into her so that he can kiss her wrist, “I’m happy too. We should probably stop making out in my hallway and get ready for dinner.” She pats his face as her lips curl into a smile that makes her eyes crinkle. “You need time to fix up that face.”

“My face looks fine.”

“Obviously you already packed up all of the mirrors in this place.”

It doesn’t take long for the two of them to get ready even though he needs to take a shower, and after he gives Emma her gifts, clasping the ends of her necklace together over the back of her neck, they make their way outside so they can drive to dinner. Emma has work in the morning, so neither of them are really planning on drinking too much or staying out late.

“So this place is really called the Barking Crab?” he asks as they walk from the parking deck to the restaurant, moving through the surprisingly crowded streets even with the chill in the air. Emma had put on a short black dress earlier, had checked the weather, and then quickly changed into black jeans and a sweater so that she wouldn’t freeze. As much as he appreciated the dress, he appreciates Emma not dying of hypothermia more.

“Yep. It’s good and fun, right on the water obviously. You’ll like it because as much as I know that you like the occasional stuffy restaurant, how can you pass up eating greasy food out of baskets?”

“You can’t,” he scoffs, reaching down to wrap his hand over her palm while they walk. “And it’s seafood, so how can it get better?”

“If it were a cheeseburger.”

“I’m sure they have those here, but considering you picked the place, Swan, I don’t think you can complain.”

“We already talked about this. It’s my birthday. I can do whatever I want.”

“That’s not how that works.”

“It definitely is.”

“So if you committed murder, you think you could get away with it by saying it happened on your birthday?”

“You took that from zero to one hundred real quick.”

“I was making a point.”

“One I’m choosing to ignore.” Her steps hurry then, heels clicking against the pavement, and he has to quicken his step to keep up. “I see Mary Margaret at a table.”

“She got one outside? It’s freezing.”

“They have heaters.”

“Still.”

“You’ll be fine,” Emma laughs, squeezing his hand tightly before releasing him and running up to meet her friends, wrapping Mary Margaret in a tight embrace, the two of them rocking from side to side.

She’s already moved onto David by the time that he gets there, so he bends down and presses a kiss against Mary Margaret’s cheek, asking her how she is and about the kids before he’s hugging David and doing the same to him. He’s just about to settle down when Ruby and Dorothy show up, so it’s another mess of hugs and too much conversation all happening at once. He’s only met Dorothy in a professional capacity, but he feels as if he knows her a bit from Emma and Ruby talking about her. She’s great, if not a bit shy, but that’s honestly not an option with Emma and her friends.

Okay, so it’s not an option with Ruby, but he doubts Dorothy would be here if she didn’t fancy Ruby.

Eventually the all sit down around the table Mary Margaret got for them, Emma sliding into the chair next to him and opening up the menu to read through all of the cocktails out loud.

“You’d like the Dark and Stormy, babe,” she tells him, pointing to the rum on the menu, “or maybe the Tea Party since, you know, you’re a Brit in Boston.”

“So damn funny,” he scoffs, tapping his fingers against her thigh from where his hand has been resting.

“I’ve never even thought about that before,” David laughs, closing his menu. “You may also like the Bloody Mary.”

“You’re all regular comedians.”

“Aw, he’s kind of crabby,” Ruby sighs, her lips curling up into a smile. “So obviously the Crabby Margarita will also work for you.”

“I believe a margarita would be better for Mary Margaret.”

“Oh I’m not drinking tonight, but I appreciate the pun,” she sighs sweetly, obviously not going to get in on teasing him about his heritage. “Besides, tonight is about Emma and being one year away from thirty, flirty, and thriving. We should totally be making fun of her.”

“What kind of alcohol puns can you make about Emma, though?” Dorothy asks.

“Not really any,” Ruby admits, shrugging her shoulders before taking a sip of her water. “Though, usually when we’re making fun of Emma, we talk about the great tequila incident of 2012.”

“No.”

“Wait,” he laughs, twisting his head to look at Emma and the absolute look of horror that is covering every inch of her skin, “what is this now? I’ve never heard of it, and I really feel like I should know about something that’s called the great tequila incident of 2012.”

“Babe, you really don’t want to know.”

“I really do,” he promises, excitement running through him as he looks between David, Mary Margaret, and Ruby to see which of them is going to break and tell this story.

“So Emma and I were living in this awful apartment,” Mary Margaret begins, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear only for it to fall back from not being long enough, “and we have absolutely no money. I’m a teacher fresh out of getting my Masters and Emma’s just gotten hired as an assistant PR director after that shitty receptionist job she’d had, so we, literally, never go out to do anything because we don’t have money. Ever.”

“Until your homegirl got hired at the same place as Emma,” Ruby adds, excitedly moving her shoulders up and down while Emma’s leg taps underneath his hand.

“Yeah, so we went out to celebrate Ruby getting a new job because she’d spent so damn long in school, and your girlfriend who is about ready to bolt right now, has a few too many drinks. She’s always been a bit of a lightweight.”

“That’s rich coming from you, honey.”

Mary Margaret rolls her eyes at her husband before looking back at him. “That’s not the point. You’re just mad because you weren’t there that night. Anyways, we’re at a bar and Emma has had too much tequila, so when Ruby suggests that it’s time to go home, Emma just refuses. I mean, absolutely refuses because that awful song Call Me Maybe is on, and she insisted that she had to go around quoting it to every man in the bar before she gave them her number.”

“Please tell me you didn’t, Swan.”

“I did,” she groans, leaning into his shoulder and burying her face in his jacket. “I had to change my number because I kept getting calls asking to talk to the hot blonde that gave away her number and then proceeded to ask every single person if they’d be willing to go on a Segway tour with them by saying ‘we could see Boston, and then I could show you my place.’”

The laughter starts in his stomach, but it makes its way up his entire body, his core and his shoulders shaking as it bubbles up and out of his mouth, nothing containing it as Emma keeps her face buried in his shoulder despite the fact that he must be moving her. It’s not the most embarrassing thing in the world. Not really, but he’s imagining Emma singing the song and propositioning all of those people while Ruby and Mary Margaret were likely curled up in balls laughing at her.

“Why a Segway tour, Swan?” he laughs, squeezing her thigh. “What about that would lead you to taking these guys back to your place?”

“I don’t know. I was drunk. I obviously wasn’t thinking.”

“So now Emma isn’t supposed to drink tequila, and if she does, she either has to sing the entirety of Call Me Maybe or pay for all of us to go on a Segway tour of Boston.”

“Emma, love,” he soothes, moving his hand from her thigh and wrapping it around her shoulder so that he can rub it up and down her arm as she obviously replays the night in her mind, “I’m going to need you to stop drinking too much in front of Ruby and Mary Margaret because it seems to get you into all kinds of predicaments.”

“But that’s how she met you,” Ruby points out, and he smiles at the thought. “I’m still waiting for my boat, by the way. I want it to be called The Love Boat. I’ve said it before, but I obviously need to say it again. I think red will be a good color for it, not tacky at all.”

“You’re not getting a boat,” Emma groans, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of red. “Also, are we ever going to order? Because it’s my birthday, and I want to eat.”

They do eventually order, and soon the table is full of ridiculous cocktails and water glasses as well as crab, lobster rolls, shrimp, and more seafood than six people will need. But they manage to eat most of it between laughing and sharing more embarrassing stories about Emma. He’s got several up his sleeve, but he’d rather listen to the tales of when all of them were in university together (apparently David came along a bit later, but he knows the stories well enough) and just starting out. Emma is so comfortable with her friends, comfortable with letting them tease her and share things from a time when she likely wasn’t sure of trusting people too much, and he’s not sure if he’s ever been more thankful for three of the people sitting across from him.

They were the ones who Emma opened her heart up to and who didn’t let her down for the first time in her life, and he’s exponentially glad that she has them.

“I’m going to run to the restroom,” Emma mutters after she takes another sip of her water before placing it on the table.

“I’ll join you,” Mary Margaret adds only for Ruby and Dorothy to say the same thing. “And you two cannot make a joke about women traveling in packs to the bathroom when the two of you do stuff like that all of the time.”

“Wasn’t going to, honey,” David sighs, smiling up at his wife. Mary Margaret simply smiles back before she’s walking away, trailing after everyone else as they disappear into the restaurant and out of sight. “So do you feel like you’ve officially been initiated into a Boston man? You’re eating seafood by the harbor when it’s freezing outside. All you need is to be wearing a Sox cap.”

“Well, I did leave my hat and my jersey at home. I knew I was forgetting something when we left the apartment. But yeah,” he shrugs, fingering at the condensation on his glass, “it feels good to be here. It’s definitely not California, but I’m happy. I can’t wait to get into the new place, though. I’m tripping over boxes every two seconds.”

“You never know how much stuff you have until you move, and Emma’s a packrat so that’s got to be awful.”

“It’s not that bad,” he admits, twisting his head and looking out at the water past all of the people who are crowding the streets. “We’ve gone through everything and either donated it, trashed it, or packed it. I don’t think either of us really expected to be able to move so quickly.”

“But when has anything in your relationship ever gone as normal?”

He clicks his tongue, not really sure how to answer that. “Eh, depends on what you’re saying is normal. I think we do what works for us. We haven’t been together for years or anything, but we’ve been together for awhile. And besides two or three days, once we were in, we were all in.”

David’s eyes slant for a moment, the blue turning into slits, and his lips flatten out into a straight line while he looks at Killian. He briefly sees David tilt his head to the side, something almost unnoticeable, but then he’s widening his eyes again as his features relax. He was just being studied, and he’s honestly not sure why.

“You’re going to propose.”

If he were holding his drink instead of thumbing at the water on it while it rests on the table, he’d drop it. He’d drop it and then likely freeze for the chill that’s blowing over the restaurant, the temperatures continuing to fall the longer they stay out here. He can feel the heat as it moves across his face, red flames tickling his skin, and he knows that it’s not from the nip of the air or the warmth of the heater that’s just behind their table.

“Possibly,” he concedes, his eyes glancing over to where Emma had disappeared into the restaurant. As much as he’d like to talk about his thoughts and his plans and the rings that he’s been looking at when he can, he knows that they don’t have a lot of time. “How the hell do you know that?”

“You’re not as suave and mysterious as you think.” He raises a brow, and waits for David to continue. “You love her. You love her in the way that I love Mary Margaret, and while you two are different, it’s still the same.”

“Aye,” he smiles, eyes only straying from David to look to make sure no one is returning to the table, “I do. I love her, and I want to marry her. I know that now isn’t the time, that things are crazy with the move, but I’ve been thinking about it.”

“Good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, Killian, that’s incredible,” he laughs, his own face covered in lines while he reaches down to break off a piece of bread. “Emma is like a younger sister to me, and I love her. I just want her to be happy. And you’ve grown on me too, so I guess I want that for you.”

He winks, knowing that he’s got a smirk curling up on his lips. “I tend to have that effect on people.”

Emma comes back to the table first, her hair now pulled up in a ponytail, and sits back down in her chair, her hand landing on his knee and squeezing while Mary Margaret follows closely behind her.

“Where are Ruby and Dorothy?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Emma mumbles.

“They’re asking the chef if she’d be willing to make Emma a small birthday cake,” Mary Margaret explains as she rolls her eyes a bit at Emma. “Emma’s embarrassed because she doesn’t want the entire restaurant looking at her as they sing.”

“I’m not embarrassed. I would have been fine if Killian and I had just stopped for milkshakes on the way home.”

“Nonsense, Swan, you’ve got to have your birthday cake.”

Ruby and Dorothy come back to the table with the promise that Emma is going to have a birthday cake brought out to her in a few minutes. Sure enough their waitress comes to the table with a serving dish full of cake, Emma’s name written in sauce on the white of the plate, and everyone sings to her while he watches her attempt not to blush. It doesn’t work, but she tries.

And later that night after Emma has fallen asleep claiming too much cake and seafood, he scrolls through his phone at the pictures from tonight. There’s several of he and Emma, even more of shots he had to take for she and her friends, but as he does, he never uploads a photo of her face online, not since the night they met at the charity gala. Who he’s dating isn’t a secret, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to control what he puts out there on the rare occasions that he does post things online so that Robin doesn’t get onto him about not being social media savvy enough.

So it’s that thought that has him posting a photo of Emma as everyone sings to her. Her hands are covering her face, the loose strands of her ponytail doing the rest of the work, but he can still see the slightest bit of her smile under the glow of the candle light and the bulb lights the restaurant had up.

KillianJonesOfficial: Happy birthday, my love.

He wants to say more, but he thinks he’d rather keep those thoughts to he and Emma. She’s the only one who really needs to hear them.

[winryofresembool]

Matilda’s story

Summary: Emma Rockbell-Elric’s (aka Ed&Winry’s daughter) girlfriend Matilda writes about different periods of her life, from accepting her sexuality to meeting and getting together with Emma.

A/N: Don’t worry guys, Edwin is on its way too! But I thought it would be fun to introduce you guys to one of my OC ships, aka Emilda :’) I imagine Matilda is writing this story to people who are in a lot of self doubt (about their sexuality etc), to make them feel better about their situation. 

Words: 1950ish

Warnings: some adult themes mentioned, nothing explicit

...

Matilda’s POV:

This is going to be a very personal story, but maybe sharing it will help someone reading it.

When I was a kid, I always preferred stories that had cool girl protagonists instead of boys. Blegh. They were just annoying. My favorite bands were girl bands and my favorite movie stars were also women. It hadn’t even occurred to me that some girls could like /boy bands/. Well, I was a kid, so it didn’t matter what I liked and what not. Our tastes were still developing, after all.  

When I was 11, a girl friend of mine kissed me on the cheek, probably as a thank you for something I had done. I couldn’t forget about it for a week, and I didn’t understand why. Now I know better: the little Matilda had her first crush. But that wasn’t an option to the 11-year-old me. When I told my mum I thought a friend of mine looked cute, in an innocent way, she told me to be quiet and made me play with a neighbor’s son. I didn’t like that kid at all, by the way. He was constantly pulling my hair and claimed I looked like a “lesbeean” in my pink clothes. I had no idea what that word meant. That was the way I had been raised.

I grew older and the friends around me started getting boyfriends. My mum was constantly asking if I had one too. I felt there was something wrong with me because I didn’t want one! After she had asked me that same old question many times enough, I finally gave up and asked a male friend of mine if we could go on a date. He said yes, and all of a sudden I had my first boyfriend. He was actually fairly nice, and we did like the same kind of movies, so picking a date spot was pretty easy. But it didn’t take him long to say he knew I didn’t like him that way. He was right, though, and so I experienced my first “break up”. 

After a while, I started feeling the pressure of getting another boyfriend. The same thing happened as with the previous guy; we broke up due to the lack of chemistry.

Life went on, but the dating life started getting more challenging: I was already 18 and the people around me had a sex life. I had such a hard time imagining me doing it, and I even thought at one point I might have been an ace. Then I met a guy I genuinely liked and decided: “heck it. It’s not a big deal, so let’s just get it done.” And so we did. And it was absolutely awful. I blamed the fact that it was my first time, because of course I had heard that it’s supposed to hurt and all that stuff. But in reality, it was more than that. I felt extremely uncomfortable, awkward, vulnerable, even scared. I felt like I shouldn’t have been there, I just wanted to leave as soon as it started!

Well, it’s safe to say it didn’t happen with that guy again. He was surprisingly understanding when I tried to explain my feelings, though, and he too suggested I might be a-sexual. I just admitted: yeah, it’s possible. However, I had started doubting that because one time, when I went to get a casual cup of coffee with this same ex boyfriend of mine, I noticed that our heads were turning in the same direction when a good looking woman passed us. I had tried to deny it, but it was getting harder: I was attracted to women.

The time at the university was a new beginning to me. I met a lot of people. New, more open minded people. I finally learned to accept that women loving women really was a thing, and it opened a new world to me. I let myself have crushes, and sometimes when things got “wild”, I might even have kissed another woman. My mother’s conservative voice was nagging in my head regularly, but I learned to tune it down.

But there was one specific encounter that I will never forget. In my first architecture class I saw a pretty, blonde haired and blue eyed girl. She seemed shy at first, dressed in black, avoiding eye contact, trying to make her already small frame even smaller. But then the professor started asking questions and suddenly she woke up, a fire in her eyes when she started debating with the professor on some topic that was so advanced I didn’t even understand it. And I had always thought I knew plenty about architecture. The debate had to end at some point so the professor could go back to her regularly scheduled teaching, but the girl stayed in the classroom afterwards and continued the conversation. I was both impressed and intimidated by her.

It turned out, that was definitely not the last time I saw that girl. Not too long after, I was put into the same group with her when we were doing group assignments and – we got into a fight. As I had suspected from the moment I saw her, our ideas of architecture in general were so different that we had a very hard time finding a common ground. She thought alchemy could make everything 100% easier, I claimed it was hocus pocus. Our fight got so bad that at the end of one group session she told me she would talk to the professor the next day and ask to join another group.

She never got that far though; that same night my cat went missing and I was searching for him from the campus area for a long while. Finally, I found him in a tree, but he didn’t want to come down. I tried treats, I tried toys, but no luck. I was too afraid to climb after him because I was sure the branches would have broken under my weight. Suddenly, the blonde girl appeared and asked me what was wrong. I showed her the cat on the tree and without hesitation she started climbing like a ninja. At that point I was wondering if there was anything that girl couldn’t do. She caught my kitty and brought him down to me, acting like a whole different person compared to a couple of hours earlier. I asked why she was like that, and she simply said “what happens in the classroom, stays in the classroom”.

I decided to invite this weird girl for a cup of tea as a thank you for saving my cat and because I felt there was so much about her I didn’t know yet. She had made me so curious. We had a lot of fun talking about anything non school related, and she didn’t leave for several hours. I introduced her to my cats, and she showed pics of her dog. When she was finally leaving, she tugged my hair a bit, looked straight into my eyes, and said “you’re not so bad, after all, Kitty.” Someone else might have gotten offended, but I saw her expression, and knew it was her way of saying “we are friends now, like it or not.” Oh, and she didn’t change her group after all.

It would be nice to say my relationship issues were over once I started uni, but that’s not true. I wasn’t really seeing anyone for a long while, while my friendship with Emma deepened, starting some rumors among the people around me. Eventually, my mum heard I may be seeing a girl from the uni and she called me home for a talk. I took Emma with me, or rather, she insisted she come. With her support, I told her that yes, I may be into girls, but no, we are not dating. My mother wasn’t happy with that announcement, telling me I was not welcome back home unless I “changed my mind about women”. Emma dragged me into her car, but she herself went back to tell a couple of well-chosen words to my mother, and when she came back, she was having a devilish smile on her face. She claimed that habit was simply in her Elric blood, which I soon realized was true when she introduced me to her family. They were incredible people, so different from my family. Getting distance between me and my parents was not an easy decision, but it’s one I now understand was necessary for my happiness.

A couple of years later, another incident happened: I was on the swimming team and one day decided to train with Emma, who, while not as fast as I am, made up for it with her stamina. Unfortunately, some guys from the men’s team were at the hall at the same time with us, and one of them started hitting on me. I had a hard time getting rid of him because he kept insisting I should go out with him, even blocking my way at one point. It started getting quite scary, so Emma, bless her, came to my rescue. She wrapped her arm around my waist and planted a kiss on my cheek, claiming I was her girlfriend, and if the guys wanted to have something to do with me, she’d be ready to fight. I have no doubt she would. I have heard stories of her dad’s past…

Anyway, one of the assholes said he wanted more proof so Emma didn’t hesitate. She kissed me straight on the mouth and I kept seeing stars for a minute. Once the stars were gone, I noticed we were already in the shower room (apparently Emma had dragged me there) and she apologized for acting like that. I think my answer was just incoherent blabbering, because honestly, I was just wishing she would do it again. Because in that moment I knew I was in love with Emma Rockbell-Elric.

A few years went by and I was in a constant state of suffering because I could not tell her how I felt. I had seen Emma flirting with a lot of other people, both girls and boys, so I was positive the kiss had not meant anything, and I couldn’t risk our friendship. But eventually, we decided to go on a trip, just the two of us, and little did we know that trip would change everything. It all started innocently. We were supposed to just go down to the hotel bar for a couple of drinks and maybe dance a bit, but… something turned off in my brain. Before I knew it, we were kissing, and back in our room, and… it was the best evening of my life. But then… then she broke my heart.

Now, Emma, if you’re reading this, don’t worry. I know why you did what you did, and you’ve been forgiven a long time ago. Maybe I just added that here to remind people that relationships require work, because no one is perfect, but we did solve our issues, and everything’s better than fine now. We are now living together and having our own kids, aka our pets. Thanks to my girlfriend, I’ve learned to accept myself the way I am, and I have also found myself a new supportive family who really cares about me, and is there for me when I need it. So, my message to people in need of help is: it will get better. Just be who you are, because you’re amazing. That’s what Emma tells me.

Ps. to my dog loving alchemy freak girlfriend: I love you. 

[natsuxlucyfanfiction]

Drunk on Love

This is a one shot request by @deprivedhoney. Hope you enjoy! Please give me feedback, I would like to know where my strengths and weaknesses are.

The streets were quiet, nothing compared to the blaring noise coming from the Fairy Tail guild hall. Everyone was celebrating Cana's birthday. And of course, the boys took the opportunity to start a fight. The battle royale raged on. All the while, the girls of Fairy Tail decided to get wasted. Cana couldn't be more elated.

"Any one up for another round?" Cana slurred. She was merely tipsy, but the other girls were stupid drunk.

"Me me me me me!" Lucy squealed and raised her hand. "I want two more, one for me and one for Happy!" She giggled. Happy did not like the sound of that.

"Um, Luce? I have a better idea. Why don't we get Natsu to drink it?"

Her eyes widened. "Or, we could have Natsu drink it!"

"Amazing idea, Lucy," Happy ignored the fact that her idea was literally what he just said. At least he didn't have to deal with drunk Lucy. "I'll go get him."

Dodging all the junk being flung around, he flew towards where Natsu was fighting Gray. The two were mostly fighting with hand to hand combat instead of using magic.

"Hate to intrude," Happy interrupted sarcastically, "but Lucy's calling for you Natsu."

"Aye, sir!" Natsu responded, jogging towards the bar, where Lucy was. The dimwit didn't ask why she was summoning him. He'll figure it out soon enough, Happy thought grimly. Rest In Peace Natsu.

"Luce? You okay?" Natsu asked with concern. He sat down next to her and put his head down. Natsu would never admit it, but fighting Gray tired him out.

"Yeah. You're sweaty," Lucy giggled. "Were you fighting Gray?"

"Yeah, and I was winning," Natsu replied with pride. He sat back up.

"Why don't we ever fight like that?" Lucy whined. She was slowly leaning closer and closer to him. "Do you not love me as much as you love Gray?" Her lips quivered and her eyes became big ol' puppy eyes.

"Love Gray?! No way!" He barked in response.

"That rhymed," Lucy the intellectual pointed out.

"Yeah, so what? Lucy...are you sure you're okay?" It wasn't until then that he noticed her hooded eyes, slightly pink cheeks, and awful breath. Realization hit him: Lucy was drunk.

"Not again," he whispered underneath his breath. "Never again."

"Natsuuuu~," Lucy drawled out, "drink with me."

"That's not happening," he snapped. Arms crossed and ready to fight back, Natsu was not going to allow the same events happen like the last time Lucy got drunk.

She lifted his drink and brought it close to his lips. "Just one itty bitty sip."

"No," he pushed the drink away, "and you shouldn't drink either."

"Oh come on, do you not like the bitter taste? How about something a little more sweet," she purred.

"Lucy, I-," she cut him off with her lips, giving him a smooch in front of the rest of the guild. Some people catcalled, others just stared. Natsu was frozen. His cheeks matched his hair. Even after Lucy ended the kiss, he was still as a statue.

Lucy giggled and pinched his cheeks. "I love you, Natsu, I love you so much! I have for some time now, you little dingleberry."

Natsu had no idea how to react. Did Lucy really love him or was the alcohol talking? He didn't want to get hopeful; but after being in love with her for so long, he just couldn't help it. Deciding on taking the chance, he planned on asking her tomorrow.

All of their guildmates' eyes were glued on them. If Lucy wasn't drunk, Natsu knew she would've been so embarrassed. "Let's take you home, Luce."

He held her piggy back style, cringing at the fact that he did this yet again while she was drunk though he promised himself he wouldn't. The circumstances were different. Natsu knew that.

"You're warm," she muttered, arms tightening around him. The farther they got from the guild hall, the more anxious Natsu felt. He really wanted to know if Lucy genuinely liked him, but he would have to wait. Even then, there was nothing guaranteeing that Lucy would remember her confession.

"What am I gonna do with you?" He asked in exasperation.

"Loving me is always an option," she teased, then gave the back of his head a quick kiss. "Blegh, you have a lot of hair."

Finally, they reached Lucy's house. He placed her into her bed. Regardless of Lucy begging him to sleep with her (not like that you perverts), he declined.

The couch is comfortable the couch is comfortable the couch is comfortable, he tried to convince himself so he didn't hop into bed with Lucy. His regrets of saying no to Lucy's plea settled in.

************

Lucy groaned, waking up to a massive headache. Jeez, what happened last night? Her memory was completely shot. She begrudgingly left her bed to go make some tea. Staggering towards the kitchen, she was surprised to see a sleeping Natsu on her couch. Lucy closed her eyes very tightly, then opened them again to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating.

Whatever, she thought, leaving him to rest. The kettle took its sweet precious time to warm the water. Her appearance was disheveled, which perfectly represented how she felt inside. The headache didn’t relent, making Lucy's motivation for the day shrivel.

"Hungover?" She heard Natsu ask. His gruff morning voice made her smile. It was one of the many small things Natsu did (but didn't know that he did) that she found attractive.

"You have no idea," she responded. "Did I do or say anything stupid?" She questioned, head in her hands. In attempt to relieve the pain, she massaged the sides of her head.

"I don't know, you tell me. You told me that you love me." Her head shot up. He was gazing intently at her, no smile to show that he was kidding. "So was it something stupid? Or is it real?"

Neither moved a muscle. The kettle screeched, demanding attention. No matter how annoying it got, both were two scared to make a first move.

"Natsu, I'm...I'm sorry but," Lucy began with trepidation, "but it's true." The conviction in her voice surprised him. "I'm tired of hiding my feelings, I love you Natsu. You're the one," she ended with a grin on her face.

"That's good news," he sighed heavily in relief. "I don't know if you've noticed but I've been in love with you for a while. Now turn off that kettle before my ears explode."

"Aye, sir!" Lucy internally celebrated. After months of waiting for him to make a move, she never imagined that it would be her to initially confess. Her glee was immeasurable, and not even her headache could damper her hope for their blossoming relationship. It was a new day that would bring the start of a new love.

[archer3-13]

Fire Emblem Three Houses Direct: Persona Trotter and the Mystery of the Treehouses

so we finally have some more info about this damn game and...

overall its looking fairly solid to me. i have some personal quibbles but most of them fall into the annoyance category and not even the passionately angry annoyances but the annoyances that ill still enjoy if their done well like some kind of fucking moron.

anyways, time to get into my more specific thoughts on treehouses, throw in cute joke about how its proof if proof be needed that hogwarts can in fact work without a slytherin the gits, and lets get this show on the road!!!

1. art style and direction: the most immediate thing that sticks out to me, and a strong contender for best artstyle within the fire emblem series, treehouses nicely combines the stronger elements of modern fire emblem artstyles and classic fire emblem artstyles into one and it really benefits from this approach, well still bringing its own unique aspects to the table. to put it more simply, it doesnt look as archaic as some classic fire emblem styles can be, and it also doesnt look as plasticy and cheap as some modern fire emblem styles can be, it strikes the right balance is me point. hell even the splattering of anime highschool outfit tropes dont bother me that much because of the art style and design, thats how strong i feel it is within this trailer alone. with two notable exceptions of course, namely the not tiki lady and the female avatar (in my opinion anyways)

starting with the more forgivable one in my opinion, not tiki helps distinguish herself from tiki by going for extra long kinda pigtails and weird multicoloured braids, well sporting a fashionable rope bondage shirt. well this particularly irked me when i first saw it im digging it a bit more now that its sat for a bit but it still feels stupid, and i hope that in the final game it works better. as for the female avatar...

it seems shes decided to strut her stuff in a sexy school teacher outfit version of the male avatars outfit, though on further inspection she is at least wearing shorts as opposed to a skirt and thoroughly fucked leggings. this one really bugs me, and i really hope theres other costumes for them to wear or at least different body types that might help make the outfit look less stupid. just, blegh. still the above two dont change my overall praise for the artstyle in this game as we’ve seen so far.

I mean look at that, that is clearly a schools vice principle or an English prof and yet im really digging it. hell id love form him to be recruitable or somethin... cause i would romance the shit out of him. so long as i liked his personality anyways.

2. flexibility and innovation: The other biggest thing that stuck out to me was that IS really do seem like they want to take a spin at actually innovating the wheel here and if it proves to be successful then im all up for it being the direction to take things if only for a while anyways. to try and not ramble one here, treehouses seems set to offer the most unrelenting amount of variety and flexibility in how we are allowed to build units in the series, because now you can chose atleast some of the weapons and even mov types a unit gets to wield.

not only is this infinitely more flexible then reclassing, though presumably there will be limitations on what you can pair with what but if not booyeah, but it offers a lot more replayabilty through unit builds. also it seems fighting is the new actual weapon type which presumably allows a unit to wield claws as seen later in the trailer or other small weapons. but more importantly, it means we can now punch enemies to death

im going to guess that if daggers appear they’re going to be considered a ‘fighting’ weapon but im quite interested in seeing how that interacts with the gameplay. but yeah this promises a lot of versatility which will hopefully work well with the multiple different promotion options that the game also offers (atleast for the royal villagers of the game)

still dont know much about formations unfortunately, but it does seem like you can use artes or atleast special moves with them. also, highly suspect that turnwheel mechanics are indeed coming back. dont know why though, so it could be just a hunch

3. a persona dating sim: i actually kinda mean this as a compliment, though otherwise im gonna keep this short and it does come with cavets. ill be honest here, the support system was always the least interesting part of fire emblem to me, and especially its heavy emphasis in fates and awakening in particular. controversial opinion incoming.

fates and awakening have often been accused of being dating sims in trench coats by people who don’t like them and i feel thats a little unfair to dating sims. the truth of the matter is that awakening and fates are really fucking bad as dating sims. if they were to be sold as dating sims, they would be a disgrace to dating sims and that is a really fuckin low bar to clear.

treehouses on the other hand seems to be cribbing from persona and actual dating sims in this regard, atleast from what i can tell and am being led on to believe, and i feel that overall thats for the best. although, that does come with the cavet... well the avatar is technically a teacher and even if they are closer in age to the sutdents under their care its still pretty creepy and weird to have a teacher date their students (there is a certain power disparity there). it might just be me, but still just... nnnghggh > <

4. da plot: to early for me to say anything definitive, but in general im intrigued as to where they plan to go with the story. seems like the perfect setup for a degree of moral complexity and ambiguity especially with the line noting that the students often go and ‘put down rebellions’. also we do indeed gotta pick a house though thankfully it so far seems to all be contained in one game.

5. overall mood: despite my personal skepticism i am quite intrigued and even a little excited for this one. if theres one line that definitely speaks of my thoughts on the game so far though it would be that “fire emblem treehouses seems to be making a genuine effort to innovate the series” so overall good showing so far guys!

also the official name does indeed seem to be three houses so it is no going to be called treehouses by me for the rest of time

[junhuiste]

[ wonwoo - table for one ]

⌦ fluff, valentine’s day au bc i’m a slut for corporate america milking us dry for a heteronormative holiday, sweater + wholesome + soft feelings for wonwoo, cynical st8ments from reader about being a single pringle 

⌦ lover birds are overrated

⌦ words: 2131

Heaving what was intended to be a sigh of waves of relief, had come out to be a somewhat tornado of mild shame, as you bid a measly attempt at holding your head high, jaunting through the massive doors of the restaurant.

Struck by an endless playlist of the same songs that belted out “you are my only one”, pairs of lovers scattered throughout, and the never ending, pricking sight of dozens upon dozens of hands tucked into one another for comfort or for show that were just enough to throw you over the brink and cause disgusting discomfort in your stomach, nothing but a faltering mumble fell out, “Y/N, and party of one.”

Instead of thrusting pity upon yourself after catching sight of the waiter’s parabolic smile flatten out to what resembled a woeful wince, you chuckled to yourself and reassured the waiter that it was truly okay that no one bothered to ask you out even though you kinda looked “hella cute” yesterday but that’s okay because not everyone can win at love!

Singles empowerment, you thought to bolster your slowly sinking mood. What had you in such a melancholy mood, you internally slapped yourself for, because goddammit this was supposed to be a “treat yourself” night but alas, you wallowed only to drown in self-pity. Okay, so maybe a hot date could’ve made the night better, but Christ, you were about to have a plate of steaming hot food instead, which was indeed ten times better than having to make eye contact in order to revive a conversation towards a partner across the table.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart!” chirped an overly bubbly woman to her husband, who both had just entered the restaurant. 

Sigh.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart.” you mocked her to yourself, an ugly, ugly green snake of envy slithered closer to your brain.

It wasn’t that you were an extremely resentful person, just so filled to the brim with an abysmal hate for every single goddamn person on earth, actually you were completely the opposite, but as you were on every February 14th, nothing could milk you dry of cynical statements and the putrid odor of annoyance. Of course, corporations would take advantage of this day, proposing billion dollar campaigns to dump buckets and buckets of pink and red everywhere but your heart.

As your turn to be called neared, any coveted thoughts induced by this godforsaken holiday started to leave you. You had better plans in mind than being sent over the edge for some overrated mind blowing orgasms, like the ones your roommate said she’d be receiving tonight, blegh, but instead losing your mind over a damn good drink and one hell of a good hot meal for yourself and you only. 

The thought of that big ass plate being delivered to you surely did turn your frown upside down, because sharing, like orgasms, was overrated.

If there were one person, though, an intruding, spontaneous thought pervaded its way upon your train, that you’d want to take you out, what was the best answer out of A.) the cute boy that always scrunched his nose in the most adorable manner when he laughed B.) Jeon Wonwoo, C.) someone that could hold a powerful gaze and was shy and delightful (did you mention cute in an option yet?), or D.) the boy who just walked through the restaurant door with the gently yet menacing look and whipped his head around when a somewhat younger-ish looking version of him called “Wonwoo, come on.”

Wait–

The younger boy, who you assumed was Wonwoo’s younger brother, walked to the waiter to leave his name and party number, as the older stayed behind, hands in pockets, seemingly miserable and not wanting to be whacked by the knuckle of the Valentine’s day atmosphere.

Curiosity sprung upon you, wondering why Wonwoo took his brother to this restaurant, but you concluded that yes, he was just as quiet and sweet as that tiny Hershey’s Kiss your roommate threw at you like he seemed in your biochemistry class. He treated his younger sibling out to a nice dinner, and hat you really appreciated, though having only assumed, because he embraced the family part of love, and did not fall into capitalism’s dirty tricks of romance and didn’t bring a date, which sort of caused a stir within you, which really shouldn’t have because you weren’t a jealous person, but only for tonight–“Y/N, party of one!”

The part where corporations spent billions of dollars on splashing every nook and cranny with pink and red? Yeah, your cheeks were included, as you were seized up in utter humiliation in front of the rest of the customers patiently waiting, though all they wanted was good food and a good orgasm for later, but nonetheless, the world now knew how fucking lonely you were.

Before taking even one step, you spun your head out of worriedness to see if Wonwoo had heard that you were Single McFucking Pringle, and much to your dismay, what normally would’ve caused orange-winged monarchs to quiver around in your stomach instead provoked bees (as much as you wanted to save them) that left tiny little pricks of pure embarrassment.

You met a warm pair of dark brown eyes that held a certain tranquility, but you quickly turned back around to cover your flustered self.

“Come with me,” the waiter cordially lead you to a table and you could’ve tripped on air in response to the lack of dignity you had in this moment, but by the grace of the universe, which you barely trusted at this point, managed to get to the table without toppling over your sad self.

As soon as you were seated, eyes scoured the environment to search for those same pair of brown eyes that had met yours for a short second in time before you descended into disgrace. They were nowhere to be found for now, as Wonwoo and his brother were still in the waited seating area of the restaurant.

Maybe a tall glass of a little something special could’ve helped you get over your blunder and loneliness, which brought you here in the first place, but sure, a glass of water, I’m driving home tonight, no ice please worked just as fine.

Pouting a taut pair of pillows, you breathed in a pathetic pocket of air and sipped as the sight of the waiter leading only Wonwoo’s brother to a table. Perhaps Wonwoo had gone to wash his hands free of sin, but what sin did this boy commit, who you deemed a shy angel in your eyes, or maybe he’d gone and only dropped his brother off as a you owe me bro solid in exchange for a punch on the shoulder.

Maybe Wonwoo had a date of his own tonight, but the bare thought of that sent tiny bubbles into your straw, because you were getting caught up in the mere thought of this certain Jeon Wonwoo, who you’d just noticed was clad in an attire opposite his brother, who wore a button up rolled up to his elbows and slacks--a navy blue sweater paired with jeans and sneakers.

Who you’d just noticed…

Push, push these thoughts out! Goddammit this was your treat yourself night on the night of singles over doubles, celebrating you for some capitalistic reason, where that big plate would show up to your table anytime soon, but a faux smile from the waiter who wrongfully deceived you in the greatest act of treachery brought two plates to the table next to you.

Well shit, at least you’d get a look at Wonwoo again, who was seated with a ghost across the table, fiddling with his thumbs, to which you found extremely endearing because Jeon Wonwoo was an incredibly wholesome boy that you just really wanted to laugh at, with his nose scrunch, at your excruciatingly corny jokes.

Wonwoo’s eyes behind his specs found yours once again, as you continued to stare off into the realm of nothing while reevaluating your current life choices, but immediately deterred to this hands, thus you found yourself in sheer chagrin for the nth time tonight.

It’d be a few minutes before your food would arrive, so you left your trench coat on the back of the chair and trod to the restroom.

An eagle soaring over the vast region, eyeing its prey, your frenzied overlook at the restaurant was maybe more for the fact that your food was just being delivered to your table, or that Wonwoo kid.

Your heel felt entirely uncomfy but it was nothing that a minor tug on your shoe could fix, and while running a hand over your head trying to regain stability, you wobbled slightly but stood up straight after. Oddly enough, your mind was fixated on those two aforementioned things, ahem, someone, hence your dumbass to sort of stumble but not fall to the point of oh my fucking god you idiot into a dark-fabric covered shoulder.

Right before smoothing out you outfit, “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention, Y/N,” rang in your ears for quite some time.

“No, no, don’t worry about it, um...Wonwoo! It’s my fault, I was just too excited that my food came,” you tried to play it cool and brush it off your shoulder, but all there was was dust, mixed with your confusion and distress.

Wonwoo’s hand reached up to tousle his side swept, charcoal colored hair and he chuckled, emitting an unmitigated radiance you’d only ever found to shine for him.

The stiff tension wasn’t fraught, somehow you found it to be quite natural, and the genial tone between both you and Wonwoo was very evident. He took a small breath in, “Um, no offense, really...I  don’t want this to sound rude, so please don’t take this the wrong way because I don’t intend for this to come off the way it sounds but,” Wonwoo shifted his glasses a little.

It was Valentine’s Day, and it felt like being punched in the guts February 13th when someone cackled in your face at the thought of them taking you out, so you didn’t really know what to regard as rude anymore. For all you cared, Wonwoo could sock you in the face for being a stumbling idiot and you would fall to your knees and thank him.

A pause invaded the scene once more, and you clung onto Wonwoo’s words, wanting to know in what possible way he could be rude to you.

“Why are you sitting alone? I’m not judging by all means, but it’s the most barf-inducing yet “romantic” day of the year, and you managed to brace this face of not caring about this ludicrous holiday.”

You didn’t know what to expect with Wonwoo, no one ever did, as he was in a corner one day, to clapping his hands in laughter the next. If this was his definition of rude, anything you’ve ever done would be sinister.

Wonwoo was nothing but wholesome. And you reveled at the mere thought, well, you had the embodiment of precious in the flesh at your sight.

“Wonwoo, don’t apologize for that,” you said, “and evidently I don’t have a valentine, so I decided to treat myself out to dinner tonight. I mean, who cares about lover birds when you could be a lonely bird?”

A simper played out on lips, and thankfully it didn’t convey pity.

The thought came up in you, similar to what Wonwoo had just asked you and deemed “rude”.

“Wait, but Wonwoo, now I have a right to ask why you’re here by yourself?”

He almost looked like he was caught off guard, but shook his head assertively, “My younger brother has a date tonight and asked if I’d drop him off, then uh, I got hungry so I just had to stay and eat–”

It wasn’t a date after all, and you hated that you went out on a limb. But shit, your food had been sitting there for a good 2 minutes whilst you were getting caught up in your mutual loneliness with Jeon Wonwoo.

Wonwoo gaped his mouth a tad bit open to recollect his thoughts, but you were almost impatient because you had a fine ass boy in front of you, wanting to tell you everything, yet you felt like you were interrupting him with your gestures, and you had a plate back at the table.

“And then I saw you here, which compelled me to stay more than their Valentine’s Day dinner discount,” had left his mouth, come again?

There were no feelings of complex emotion coursing raw through your veins, you were simply dumbfounded and delighted.

“Y/N, can I join you at your table?”

bruh so my school’s broadcast/news televisor/tv did a segment on being by urself on valentine’s day yesterday so i rushed to the fucking library to write it asap and usually it takes me a week to plan out the plot but i wrote the plot for this in half a lunch period and wrote it last night and today

imma cry it usually takes me months to write a fic and i have one sitting in my drafts that i started in september and it ain’t even halfway done but i managed to whip this one up JUST FOR THE SAKE OF PUBLISHING ON VALENTINE’S DAY BYE