#and they were always feuding with a literal child and being made to look like fools when their plan always fucking failed

[medicinemane]

Actually there is one thing I may legit start doing once I have my social anxiety a bit better tamped down on is when someone's telling me how their kid's just kind of a bum who doesn't have a job and hangs out in their room all day (why the fuck are you telling a stranger, once it was a nurse telling me this stuff and it's like... that's real messed up you're badmouthing your kid to a patient)

I think I'm gonna try and hit them with a "sounds to me like they may be depressed" (cause... it does)

Gonna take some work to feel like dealing with this stuff, but... I think I need to start basically trying to sound sympathetic to the parent, while also reframing it as "it sure sounds like they're struggling and could really use some support right now"

Cause once again... that is literally what it sounds like to me

You fools, you've got no idea you're talking to a fucking worthless loser. I will always go to bat for the isolated fuck up who can't get a job, cause that's just me. Don't bad mouth your kid to someone that's got more in common with you kid than with you, I know what it feels like to be in that situation, I'll always go to bat for them and think you're being a cry baby and need to grow up and actually parent

[mostlycorrectdipandpip]

Writing Phan Fiction About Ourselves Stories

I literally just listened to the video, typed as fast as I could, then edited the red squiggles and formatted it to look nice. Let me know what edits need to be made!

Story 1 - The Dragon Prince by Dan Howell

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Dan, from House Fire, whose motto was, "The fire in our ass will never die" and from Phil, the House Amazing, the Kingdom of Squatting. They were sworn enemies whose houses had been at war ever since The Great Lamp Licking incident. One day, Dan was bathing his fiery drake, Kamala Harris, when he saw a glint in the refection of his gauntlet. It was a surprise attack from that scally wag, Phil. He mounted his dragon and yelled his signature war cry, "ZING!"

Phil looked down on the Fire Kingdom. "More like squishy kingdom!" But before he knew it, Dan was on his tail. He was so close he was practically on his toe. Their beasts, Kamala Harris and Markiplier, realeased flames at the same time, like a torrent of lethal piss. Double KO, they fell to the ground and loss consciousness. Dan awoke to find Phil's brain stuck in Dan's eye. He shouted, "Wow, this is a moist situation." Phil roused, gayly. "You saved me," he said.

They locked eyes and knew in that moment how futile their feud was. They saved each other, did they have to slay each other? In that moment, Phil felt something skipping down his hips. He swam as hard as he could and suddenly, he felt it. Phil had birthed a beautiful purple egg. Dan scoffed, "the prophecy is true! It's our child!"

"The legendary worm, and we shall name him Gary," said Phil.

THE END

Story 2 - The Princes by Phil Lester

Once upon a castle, in the Kingdom of Evony, there were two princes belonging to warring families. Tonight was the last time they would meet before the great battle. Danielo awoke, sword in hand as he heard a shuffle at the door. Philipus walked into hid bedroom wearing a panty.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, but I thought I'd tell you that my father is bringing a dragon into the battle, and also a large enchanted hippo." Danielo cried a single tear.

"I don't want to die for this stupid family. I just want to be a knight with you and help old ladies cross the street."

"Why must we spill blood?" Danielo smirked. "Glory and amazon coins."

Philipus says, "Since it's our final night together, I thought we could do our favorite activity, twerking together. It might make up a bit sweaty, but it makes me constipated."

As the sun rose, the two knights had fallen asleep in a hay field using rabbit shit as bedding. This was the morning of the battle, they would be rivaling sides, leading the charge against each other. Danielo few into battle on his dragon, Jeff, scanning lines for his prince, Philipus. Philipus raised his sword into the sky as he was silhouetted by the beast. This was not a fair fight. The war had begun, thousands were being killed. Philipus has a secret weapon, a medieval salami.

His best friend flew down from his dragon and approached him. They crossed swords.

"I can't do this, Philipus" screamed Danielo. "I want to move to North Korea and start our jobs as OnlyPhans' models."

Philipus tried to reason with him, but suddenly Danielo's dragon, Jeff, started to breath fire at them both. It was so hot that Danielo was on fire. He had one final word for Philipus.

"Yeee," as both knights burned to death. They were then eaten by the dragon as a toasty BBQ snack. They tasted like Takis Fuego. The dragon went on to kill all soldiers and both kings. It ruled the castle in a happy gay life with his dragon boyfriend, Alessandra and laid a dragon egg they called Kip. They never saw a human again. The Princes were always remembered as the tastiest snacks in the Kingdom.

Story 3 - The Big Sword by Phan Howlter

They stared at the intimidating shape, thinking, "damn, that is one crusty shaft". Two lowly village boys had found a cave filled with sour cream and onion pringles. One of us must grip this with our teeth. They know one of them would gain the power of hamster flicking.

"I believe its you!" Mr. Phil, the wet pauper, exclaimed.

"Thank you. I got this for you. It's my favorite Party Hat."

"We will never know which on of us is truly the chosen one," uttered Dan, sexily. "We'll have to do it together."

And so the boys stood wearing sports bras, daring to survive the cyclone threatening to bare down on the. They interlocked hands on the shaft as they thought of their favorite food, egg.

"Either we both become heroes, or we might as well become trump supporters."

They yanked it with the might of a thousand anteaters and it burst from the ground, but in that moment, a glint of greed in each boys eye. They wanted the greatness for themselves and all of the steak knives waiting for them in the village. So they tumbled as the blade ripped open their jockstraps and with boing, they knew it was over and they were both impaled on the sword. Gravity was pulling them closer, like a toilet lid. As their noses pressed together, the blood poured out of them like a hydro pump.

"I always knew it would end like this," says Dan.

"You mean scared and throbbing?"

"I wouldn't rather do this with anyone else."

Then they died. Then forever, their petrified bodies stood as a warning to all who sought glory, if you dare to thrust, you will get put on the naughty step.

(respectfully, this was like.... a hard launch right? Like this is the hardest lauch I have ever seen??)

[ultraericthered]

One Villainous Scene: The Way Things Were Before

Passover has begun, so what better scene to bring than this one?

At the point in Dreamworks' The Prince of Egypt this scene occurs, Moses has made repeated requests for Pharaoh Ramses, the man he once knew as his brother, to set the enslaved Hebrews free and allow them to leave Egypt. Ramses has stubbornly refused at every turn, even as God has begun delivering plagues upon Egypt and its people as proof that He does exist, He is all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-powerful, and that Ramses should act in accordance with His will and release the chosen people from slavery. As Ramses' pride as the ruler of Egypt and his desire to not be "the weak link that breaks the chain" as his horrible father had drilled into his head was of such importance to the Pharaoh's legacy are too massive and holding too firm, to the point where not even literal acts of God will make him being to entertain the notion of doing anything that would display any semblence of weakness, Moses decides that maybe he shouldn't need to keep relying on God to get this work done for him, and that he needs to speak to Ramses himself, as a human. As a brother.

Ramses, sitting on the arm of a monumental statue of his father, is immediately dismissive of Moses' presence, throwing a goblet at him and snapping at him to leave him. Moses holds his ground and delivers a gentle plea to Ramses for the two of them to make peace with each other, reach an agreement, and bring this feud to an end before any more living beings in Egypt are made to suffer even greater hardships as a result of Ramses' refusal to act, appealing to him as the patient and supportive big brother he remembers. The continued silent treatment from Ramses gives Moses time to take in his surroundings and reminisce about the good ol' days, and all the mischief the brothers used to get into in this city. And this does not seem to invoke in Ramses what Moses would've liked to see, as the Pharaoh is angered at recalling these juvenile antics and the trouble they landed him in with his father, for which he blames Moses. However, he then gives a pause, a wistful look on his face and even a tiny laugh. "But then...you were always there to get me out of trouble again." His face is turned to Moses and suddenly there is no more anger. Only fondness, sorrow, regret and longing. Putting his hand on his brother's shoulders, Ramses solemnly asks "Why can't things be the way they were before?" In this moment, Moses and Ramses are their youthful senses once again, the stakes of what they'd been fighting over vanishing as they look each other in the eye, can fully recall and understand the brotherly love they share with each other, and both wish to stop being mad at each other. They want to hug, make up, and go back to being the family they were.

But when Ramses' young son arrives on the scene, the bubble pops and Ramses is a fully grown adult again, both a Pharaoh and a father, with the heavy responsibilities that both positions entail. "Why is he here? Isn't this the man who did all this?" asks the child. Ramses turns his head and faces the wall, his shoulders heave and sag, and he replies "Yes. But one must wonder...why?" At the question, he turns his gaze to Moses again, giving him an icy look that is in part accusatory and in part gravely serious about wanting to know why Moses would call plagues down upon Egypt and bring devastation to so many lives, to the place he'd once called home and the family that had once been his. Ramses, due to how he'd been brought up and what he was taught to believe, is adamantly refusing to believe that Moses could possibly be motivated to take these drastic, treacherous actions against him, his own foster brother and an actual person, by sincerely caring about the wellfare of some lowly slaves. However, Moses' response comes as "Because no kingdom should be built on the backs of slaves."

What Moses says next hits uncomfortably close to home in light of current events - "Ramses, your stubbornness is bringing this misery upon Egypt. It would cease if only you would let the Hebrews go." Ramses is spiralling to his breaking point now, angrily declaring he will not be threatened, for he is the morning and evening star over Egypt - he is Pharaoh! Moses' voice grows more desparate and concerned as he warns Ramses that a plague from above worse than all that have come before looms ahead, and Ramses can repel it from Egypt by letting go of his pride, his rage, his contempt for life, and freeing all his slaves before everything he holds dear is torn asunder. "Think of your son!", he pleads. And Ramses' response....is to threaten not just Moses, but all of the Hebrews, with genocidal retaliation for the offenses against him he lays at their feet. "My father had the right idea about how to deal with YOUR PEOPLE". This line and the rage on Ramses' face tells us and Moses that he's arrived at the point of barely percieving Moses as a human being equal to himself, let alone a brother. "And I think it's time I finish the job! And there shall be a great cry in all of Egypt, such as there never has been or ever will be again!" To Moses' visible horror, the mad Pharaoh makes this declaration standing right next to a wall painting of his father....the painting depicting him ordering a number of Hebrew infants to be condemned to a watery death in the Nile.

In the one remaining moment where Ramses could have returned to being Moses' brother, he instead fully becomes his father. "Ramses, you bring this upon yourself" Moses sadly laments. And indeed, just as Ramses proclaimed, there ends up being a great cry in all of Egypt, such as there never has been or ever would be again: the choral cry of all Egyptian mothers and fathers upon awakening to find their first born children laying dead. Dead because of a Pharaoh ruled by pride and hatred who would see droves of his own people, his only son included, lose their lives before he'd ever grant the right to a free life to others he believed to be innately lesser people.

[kopykunoichi]

I'm totally hijacking this thread, because I could do this forever until we've exhausted literally every scene with them.

The second episode is interesting because the scenes dealing with the death of Opal's baby were originally shot to be part of the pilot episode, but then ended up being clipped and made the focal point of this episode.

So the pilot establishes the love triangle with this little kiss that almost came out of left field:

But originally, there would have been a lot more interactions between Neil and Christy centered around their disagreement and subsequent making up about Opal's baby.

To remind anyone who hasn't recently watched the series or read the book of the context, Opal McHone (Fairlight's sister in the show) finally had a little girl. But the baby was suffering some sort of ailment that the mountain people had attributed to being "liver growed". The cure was to touch the baby's heels to the back of her head. Opal did this and accidentally broke her daughter's back. Christy was the only one at the mission, so she was asked to lay out the child and prepare her for burial. When she seeks out Neil afterward, she is shocked, angry, and wanting to blame something or someone for this unnecessary death.

She argues with Neil, accusing him of not doing his duty in teaching the cove mothers how to take care of their babies. He explains that he's done his best, but on certain subjects, his word can't cross Opal's Granny (who had been a local herbalist with a healthy bit of superstition worked into her remedies). He explains how much time he has to spend stitching up these people because of the feuding. He doesn't have time to teach mothers about taking care of their babies because there's only one of him. He also makes a statement that makes him sound like a complete atheist when she wonders how he can believe in God. "I don't! I believe in science and in myself, and I'm sorry if that's not good enough for you!"

Later, Opal overhears Christy explaining to Ruby Mae that Opal's ignorance is what ended up killing her baby and goes into a deep depression and won't eat or talk to anyone. Meanwhile, her husband, Tom, is being hunted as part of a feud aggravated by a dispute about a moonshine distillery, so he's not there to help his wife. Christy takes the McHone boys to the mission and arranges for Fairlight or Miss Alice to stay with Opal.

I love how when Neil and Alice are talking about Opal's condition, Alice comes to Christy's defense, and her words have an effect on Neil. She starts to walks away, but then turns around to tell him that she thinks Christy needs to see him. It's rare to see Alice encouraging the relationship between Christy and Neil (and it's probably because it's early on in the series and she hasn't sensed Neil's regard for Christy yet), but I always appreciated her insight in that moment.

To the man's credit, he does what she suggests and says exactly what Christy needs to hear, with a little physical comfort thrown in for good measure.

"It's my fault," she says when she sees him, her voice cracking.

He quickly assures her that's not true. She says that using Opal's baby as an object lesson for Ruby Mae was a heatless thing to do.

He grips her arm and leans in, telling her that she didn't set out to hurt Opal or for this to happen.

When he makes no move to let her go, she looks and him and briefly dips her head as though she wanted to lean it against him, but then changes her mind and looks forward again. "Will she get better?" Christy asks.

Neil puts his other hand on her shoulder and gives her a gentle squeeze, "I can't say. But if you flog yourself over it, you're no good to anyone. Take it from a man who knows."

We're seeing a clear glimpse into Neil's heart. Beneath the gruff exterior, he's a man who deeply feels every one of his failures. He internalizes so much of the troubles of the cove and blames himself for failing his people. Christy realizes that, though he vehemently defended himself to her, he truly does feel responsible for them...even as he is arguing to absolve her of blame at that moment. Over the series, we see him struggle with this time and again. He gives her more grace than he gives himself, but he also recognizes the futility of allowing guilt to cripple you.

This tender moment showcases one of the great strengths of their relationship. They have similar passions and a similar propensity to take too much on themselves (albeit in different ways, which is why they drive each other nuts). Neil has more experience under his belt, so he is able to guide her through the rough spots particularly effectively, because he's been exactly where she is right now.

At the end of the episode, Opal rallies and helps establish a truce with the feud.

After a brief talk with David, where he offers to "ride her home" (dude seriously needs to work on his phrasing), she declines and says she'd prefer to walk. David turns around and looks at Neil, who is standing behind them, and gets this look on his face and responds "Fine, I'll see you later", with a little too much emphasis...like he suspects she's just lingering to talk to Neil. Which - haha, sucker - she most certainly is.

Neil watches David sulk off. Go on home, pup...

...and then saunters up to speak to Christy, complimenting her for the part she played in the outcome, saying she worked a miracle.

She smirks and replies, "Not me, Doctor. Only God works miracles".

He grins at her retort.

"And God helps those who help themselves, right? Then take the compliment...it was meant sincerely," he adds in a low voice.

She catches his change of tone and stares at him, feeling for the first time that little rush of pleasure she always gets when he praises her. "Thank you," she all but whispers.

Look at her looking at him! I'm always left wondering at these little scene breaks - was there more? Did he walk her part of the way home? All the way home? Did they stand there talking more after that? Or did he just note that little look on her face and head to his cabin to rheumenate on it for the rest of the day/night/week?

Okay, your turn @fandomsbyladymelodrama

@darsynia

No pressure on this, but I wanted to ask if you'd like to tell me about one of/some of your favorite Christy scenes, and the things you like most about it/them? I can't singlehandedly revive the fandom on here, but it's such a joy to talk over this show with other fans!

I didn't realize until recently how thoroughly the Neil/Christy relationship informed my romantic preferences in all the media and writing I've done since watching it in my teens. Older, scholarly man/younger, determined woman, some kind of angst in the man's past, a need to change things for the better as an intrinsic part of the woman's character, a taboo element that stands in the way of the relationship... Even in the slash pairings I love so much, there's still so many elements of it!

Hey filmmakers, don't think we don't notice that you frame these two with Christy on a step/incline half the time to de-emphasize the height difference...

Oh my, oh my. Okay, first, let's be real. I've been waiting for an ask like this since 1994 (baby Tumblr wasn't even born yet 😂) so get ready for some major Neil/Christy feels that I've been suppressing but also diligently-tending-in-the-background for 30+/- years. THEY. ARE. PERFECT. Top-shelf OTP bottle, for sure. You understand, right? Of course, you do. We've discussed. But yeah, I feel the same way about this show/book/pairing influencing and informing both my writing style and romantic preferences in fiction over the years. Happy to admit it. Yes *raises hand* 1000 times yes. Hello, my name is ladymelodrama, and the fact that CBS so cruelly stole resolution for Neil/Christy from us forever (I'm not counting the PAX movies, I'm just not) is a crime against good television everywhere and will haunt my Christy-loving bones until I'm dead and buried in the ground deep enough so's the critter's can't find me, as Little Burl or Creed Allen would say. Anyway, you asked about Neil and Christy and favorite moments and since I can't just pick one...

I have a proposition to make :) Let's trade fave moments until we run out of them, maybe? No pressure, of course, but this is me mostly unwilling to commit to my Top 5 Scenes until I finish my rewatch, and even then I'll probably change my mind a couple times 😂 But here's one that I'll discuss in detail today and which I like to call the "Will This Do?" scene aka "and then they both smiled their little smiles at each other and lived happily ever after. The end." <3

(Credit to @heatherfield for this gif, and bless you, friend, for continuously shipping the same pairings as me - makes my gif-hunting so much easier haha <3)

So why do I love this scene so much? Oh, you know. Margret's dress. Objectively, it's gorgeous (the woman had style, even if she had no heart). And hey, it only coded Neil/Christy as endgame from the first episode, no big deal. Plus it was one of the softest moments in the whole show and THE WAY THEY SMILED AT EACH OTHER. Ugh. Soffffffft. I'm mean, you're seeing this too, right? ;) Meanwhile, I'm sure David is over here in the corner...doing what David does best XD Lurking. Always lurking.

(and, based on the pic I chose, maybe taking notes on how to have better chemistry with Christy? - "Dear Diary, Neil MacNeill is kinda the worst, have I mentioned?" 😂) But in all seriousness, what I love about that scene (and the exchange of smiles, in particular) is how there's an honest-to-goodness, my-spirit-just-spoke-to-your-spirit bit of humanity happening there. I die for those moments, little and quiet as they may be. It's just so...SOFT. They don't know each other yet. Not really. There's no romance at play (other than what I assume might be mutual physical attraction, even if Christy would never let herself go there. Not on her first days in the Cove) so it's more a budding friendship that we're seeing and friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite things? (Jorleesi, Jisbon, Siegfried/Audrey, Obidala, Red Cricket, Dickon/Mary much?). I also really enjoy when she comes down the stairs looking all pretty-in-lavender with her hair down (still lolling at your comment on that detail btw because...c'est vrai 😂) and "Oh no, David, it's so late...how will we ever get to Lufty Branch in time?" "Not we, Christy." (exactly, David, you're getting it). Too bad she has to spend all afternoon in this rustic cabin with a plaid-shirted, barrel-chested, brogue-speaking, moody mountain man with inside pain for dayssssss. Oh the everlasting horror XD

So yeah, so much to love about this scene (and the entire convo in the cabin afterwards and him plucking her from Theo prior to the whole dress thing - guy helps girl down from horse = I'm in love 😍). To witness the very beginning of their arc (okay, Part II of the beginning, but the doctor was busy with brain surgery during Part I, so you know what I mean) and to have the actors play it so, so beautifully and in an Appalachian setting that's just misty and magical and to die for all by itself... Mmmm *chef's kiss* Your turn, @darsynia <3

[mjfsupremacy]

MJF on holiday

You are on holiday wearing your favorite wrestling shirt when you happen to see MJF during his time away.

This is literally nothing but it is inspired by that girl who posted on instagram that MJF made her promise not to post the photos they took until he came back.

You are standing in the city square when you spot him.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman.

You glance down at the oversized shirt you’re wearing, his smirking face emblazoned on your chest and your insides shrivel up in mortification. You literally can’t think of anything more embarrassing than the idea of meeting one of your favourite wrestlers (you have anxiety and you always found meet and greets a little cringy) but to meet them in a random sunny square, while on holiday, while wearing their face. You think you might actually die.

He is exploring the square just like you were with your best friend and despite only being a few meters away he hasn’t spotted you. You take that as a sign and turn on your heel only making it half a step before your best friend asks, “Hey isn’t that the Wrestler you’re in love with?” Normally you find that fact that your best friend doesn’t have an inside voice amusing. Today, as you wince and turn to face her with a mortified glare, you wish someone had ripped her vocal cords out as a child.

Sure, you had a teeny-tiny crush on MJF, but you held the belief that the entire city square of this random small town didn’t need to know that! “What is wrong with you? Were dropped on your head as child and it led to permanent volume deafness? That’s the only reason I can think for why you are yelling my business right now. Oh my god.”

You find Max, browsing trinkets on a table one down from where you stood, A giant smirk on his face. He’d definitely heard your best friend and you feel your face flame averting your eyes quickly. “But is it? He looks exactly like the dude on the shirt you’re wearing.” She tries to whisper and if you weren’t praying for a hole to open and swallow you, you might’ve given her some credit.

“Oh my god, yes it is, please lets go before I unalive right here.” You quickly glance over again and this time MJF is looking directly at you. He’s still smirking but there is a gentle look of pride in his dark gaze. You very awkwardly wave when your eyes connect, and he takes the few steps in you and your best friends’ direction.

“Nice shirt,” He comments, his smirk transforming into an actual smile. He seems to recognise you are anxious and you find it strangely calming that he is trying to be nicer to you.

“Thanks, it’s my favorite.” You smile back self-deprecatingly. He grins, offering his hand and introducing himself. You tell him your name and your best friend introduces herself as well. He chats with the pair of you for a little while about the local area and how you ended up here. You tell him how you loved the nuance of his feud with CM Punk and after a little bit of teasing (you didn’t want to be a bother on his holiday) Max, and your best friend convince you to take a photo with him.

“You can’t post this until I go back,” He warns, his arm around your waist. You raise a brow at him once your best friend has handed you your phone back. “And when will that be again?”

He smirks, giving your arm a quick squeeze. “When they pay me what I’m worth.” “Well then,” You grin in return, stepping away. “I hope they pay you soon, you are sorely missed on my TV."

"Of course I am, you are madly in love with me after all." He winks.

"Oh my god."

-

Three weeks later you are watching All Out and you can’t help but laugh when a masked figure saunters onto the stage during the ladder match. Like he said, you were madly in love with him and you would recognize that ass anywhere.

You post the photo and the story behind the photo on twitter after the main-event and he retweets it instantly, calling you a ‘Mark’ with a single black heart emoji.

[someoneoutofthisworld]

Yoonmin fic rec 29

Memento Mori by PikaChiminie

Demon hunter Yoongi Min isn't the type to dwell on his mistakes. Sure, he underestimated a fire demon and got his beloved gun destroyed. Sure, he worked with a necromancer and managed to get himself killed. Sure, the necromancer reanimated Yoongi, effectively taking ownership of his soul. And yeah, sure, Yoongi may have slept with said necromancer's boyfriend before turning tail and running. But all of that was supposed to be dust in the wind, at least until the Raven of the South, necromancer Jimin Park, comes after Yoongi, demanding the demon hunter pay his dues. Now Yoongi is reunited with his bitter rival, and Jimin is none too happy to be working with him either. Jimin's heart has been stolen, though, and he needs Yoongi's help to get it back. When the quest is a literal matter of life and death, Yoongi can't afford to run again.

"you want a mint?" by blanket_kkik

Yoongi's the guitarist of Jimin's favourite band on campus. Which also means Jimin has an enormous crush on him and wants to suck his dick, maybe.

Supernova by PikaChiminie

As a son of Aphrodite, Jimin is allowed many luxuries in his life on Olympus. Despite being surrounded by the finest clothes, trinkets, and foods the gods can provide, he is also limited by the watchful eyes of his mother and brother. To Aphrodite, Jimin is vibrant, but vulnerable. To Seokjin, Jimin is curious and naive. They choose where Jimin travels, who he associates with, how his judgements should be made. Love is no exception to Jimin's forced limitations.

The son of Athena was never supposed to hold a place in Jimin's heart. Olympus runs thick with blood feuds, and bias is all the young demigods have known. Yet, Yoongi always seems to prove an exception.

wanna hold your hand (니 손 잡고) by blanket_kkik

“N-no, Jimin, I… I like you.” Yoongi looks him dead in the eyes. “And no, this isn’t a prank,” he says slowly, making sure Jimin doesn’t misconstrue his words again.

--

Shit goes down when Jimin and Yoongi room together.

(You're My) Water, Earth, Fire, Air by a_lonely_whale666666

Based on the pro-bending sport introduced in The Legend of Korra

When Kim Seokjin, the heir to Republic City's wealthiest business enterprise, first approached Jimin to sponsor and create a new probending team, Jimin had never expected for him and his friends, Jungkook and Taehyung, to be so successful and so formidable as only rookies in a league full of experienced players.

Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook finally meet their match when they face off with Yoongi, Namjoon, and Hoseok, who together are known as arguably one of the best probending teams of all time. Several missteps and unfortunate encounters later, and Yoongi and Jimin learn that they really can't stand each other.

But sworn mutual hatred doesn't mean there can't be other benefits, right?

(Or: that one bending!AU I really felt like writing but with Yoonmin as enemies who are insanely attracted to each other)

Bad Apples Can Fall Pretty Far by SugaTheTurtle

Personally, Yoongi doesn't mind the bad boy title. He'd the poster boy for the magazine if there were one: with his motorcycle, and leather jacket, and smoking in the boys' bathroom, and frankly, blatant disregard for student conduct. Jimin, being the school's poster child student council president didn't mind the label either, until he comes into direct contact with Min Yoongi and realizes that maybe Yoongi isn't as bad as he seems.

FIC REC 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

[purebarnes]

the family feud fic was amazing, if you made a series with just reader in interviews I’d die

‘Infinity war cast on mtv news compilation

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ— during the release infinity war, you and some of the cast stop by to some trivia and questions with josh horowitz

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ— 1.4k

ᴅɪꜱᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇʀꜱ— clingy seb, nothing but fluff here

ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋꜱ— people seemed to like the other seb one that i did so here is another one. originally i was going to do more of these but you said you wanted more reader!interviews so here it is.

with the pressure of doing interviews before any movie would come out would peeve you out because you had a trouble time not trying to spoil anything. obviously you were no mark ruffalo or tom holland but oh boy was it frustrating. in marvel, they would do their best to situate people with others because they want everyone to be together and also comfortable.

you never had a problem with they would place you in with because you were very friendly with everyone but it was so much like school—where you could pick but you need to have a balance with who you would be paired with. when you did other avenger movies sometimes it would be you and the chris’s.

for the interview you would get paired with sebastian, anthony and winston because your publicist would make the best way for everyone to be together. she knew what it was like if you anthony and sebastian would be together so obviously you didn’t mind and either did the boys which was fine if they weren’t close with you.

you see everyone gathering and did your best to greet everyone and when it was your time to get interviewed with the boys, you all left. “let’s go, you three.” you all three would end up making it to josh where he was getting set up. obviously greeting the man and the rest of the crew, you all started positioning yourselves. since they only had three chairs they had to bring you one, putting your seat next to sebastians.

as josh went to explain what they would do, you sat down next to seb crossing your legs and putting your head on his shoulder. you would notice that he would take off your name tag and switch it with yours as they all did that. mackie noticing you two switching them getting jealous so he would grab winston’s so he would match with the couple, scoffing at them.

grabbing seb’s hand until you heard the camera rolling starting the interview, “you could probably name all six of the infinity stones.” josh asked when everyone all looked at each other when you would answer right away. “uh, time, space, mind, soul, reality and power?” you would say when the boys looked at you impressed. “actually you got it.”

they would all cheer for you when he kept on going with his questions. “what’s the name of the guardians of the galaxy’s ship?” you would actually wouldn’t know that because you haven’t really remembered anything about that movie. “the, uh, millennium falcon.” anthony answering proudly but getting shut down by sebastian. “no.” you would shake your head in disbelief at mackie while winston would just agree with him.

“what are the names of the aliens that invade earth at the end of the avengers?” truth be told, you actually were in the movie so it might accuse that you should know that but you honestly forgot or just weren’t paying attention. “oh, oh, oh, the dudes that came with centipede dude.” you would be thinking on your own little world, “y/n, you should know this— was it the chitauri?” winston answered the question celebrating on his own without his boys.

winston getting upset that no one was cheering with him, “ay! i’m alone? celebrate with me!” he would tell them as you would watch him and chuckle as he kept going. then going on to other questions, “could you describe what y/c/n powers are?” josh asked and you would stay back and see if they honestly would know. the boys being them would go and raise their hands to be funny as they would like to say.

josh picking anthony as he would star his chaos already into this question, “see, i went to elementary school. i can deal with kids.” chucking at your friend then looking at seb to see what he was doing. “she had the ability to control space and time metaphorically—quantum.” winston would intervene him when he kept going with explains the powers you had. “with the quantumization of her hands.” he would also do some hand movements like you would do in the film but you thought he was so hilarious.

“and she does this pop-and-lock thing to make it happen.” anthony would say making you burst out in tears from the ridiculousness that came out of this mans mouth. he would turn to you to tell you he was right, “you know im right—i mean yeah.” you would agree rolling your eyes then focusing on the next question.

going to play another game with all the men, you loved to do those games since it would create a whole amount of fun with them. Josh’s team giving all four of you chris head outs to play the next game making you gawk at the chris’es. you’d play around with the heads as you still were a child at heart, “don’t break them y/n.” josh would joke around with you pouting and placing them on your lap while anthony would tease you constantly, “she’s always breaking stuff.” rolling his eyes at your direction.

sebastian chuckling then watching you with his blue eyes that made you fall for him even more, you two literally could have a conversation with just your eyes as weird and cliche that would sound. you two just knew each other so well that it would just work that way with you guys. “which chris like taxidermy?” josh asked and you grew confused as you weren’t sure what that meant or even was. “what’s that?” you’d ask him then him telling you what it was.

“uh, i don’t know...” you would guess putting up chris pratt’s head up as the other chris’s didn’t seem to be that way but not in a mean way obviously, you and mackie both putting up the right answer. sebastian and winston choosing evans as their answer as anthony would cheer on the side. “i know my weird people.” as the next question appears you all seemed to know the answer pretty quickly. asking who would be the most theatrical in high school, “him of course.” hold up evan’s face, “how does everyone know this—something about those tap shoes that lately have come out.”

josh asking another question and you right away just knowing the answer because of a past experience you had with chris. “you knew that pretty quickly y/n.” josh commenting at your speediness as you chuckle, “care to comment—so when we would work on a film together, he would like speak to me in conversational german.” fanning your self making seb look at you as he didn’t know that. “huh, didn’t know that—didn’t think it mattered.” you would mutter smiling lightly then leaning his stare.

“which chris won the fantasy football league?” you rolling your eyes and holding up evan’s head up when you knew the answer. “he never stops talking about it.” you’d mutter annoyingly at the thought of them both. finally getting asked which chris was the most charming and none of them picking evan’s, you picking evan’s. “you said evan’s—i just felt bad.” you would chuckle as they would all burst out laughing finally finishing the interview.

thanking josh, you all four left to go meet up with the others as you guys were all done. the rest of the day consisted of just hanging out and eating lunch with the cast since it would be that that time around. walking out to see sebastian walking out when you grabbed his arm to ask him if he was alright. “you good—yeah.” he would answer you showing that it he was fine, “are still upset about the Pratt thing, babe that was a long time ago.” you would remind him.

“you should of just told me, aren’t we supposed to tell each other everything.” he said looking down as you went to grab his hand and rubbed your finger against his palm reassuring him that none of that mattered. “you’re right. look, i’m sorry alright.” pushing yourself to him, kissing his cheek then leading him out to everyone.

[haifengg]

Driving With (Some Of) The JJK Boys

Summary: or “Why driving with all of them is less fun than you might think.”

Characters: Gojo, Megumi, Itadori, Nanami, Todo, Toji

Genre: Comedy // Fluff // Toji’s part contains spoiler from later manga chapters! I put it in the end on purpose.

Warning: Bad driving ahead. Also please don’t think this is what responsible driving looks like.

-> Itadori. For starters he has a surprisingly good orientation. He doesn’t use a navigation system or maps, he just intuitively knows where to go. When you’re driving and you’re going the wrong way -  he will tell you. But not actually explain why he thinks or knows it. That is pretty much the upside when driving with Yuuji. On the downside … he is just as fearless as he is clueless. Both to an extreme extend. He drives like an innocent maniac. After just a few minutes in the car with him you start to wonder who the hell got him that license because to you it seems like he won it in the lottery. He goes at extreme speeds whenever he is allowed to and ignores an alarming high count of stop signs.

When you ask him about it he says it is going to be alright because he never hit anything. Or anyone. And by the time he does you are very welcome to take the steering wheel. After a quick negotiation the ‘hit anything’ turned into ‘run a red light’ and about ten minutes later you ended up in the drivers seat.

-> Kento. You think he obey the Traffic Regulations come hell or high water: You are wrong. To your surprise Nanami is actually quite a relaxed driver. Going somewhere after work he rolls up his sleeves and thrums his fingers to the beat of whatever is on the radio. He always pulls out his favourite pair of sunglasses as soon as just a single ray of sunshine shows. You secretly suspect that he feels very cool driving with shades on. 

Nanami is actually a good singer but it took a while until he freely sung with you in the car. For the first months he only summed or hummed along. Even to his favourite songs. The one thing his compliance didn’t disappoint you in was the punctuality and meticolousness Nanami plans his road trips with. He plans every thing. From pee-breaks to what diner to stop and have a snack at. Sometimes you get into a fight about those things. Like how important is it to actually eat at the diner he planned to stop at? Turns out: Very Important. Because he chose the diners and restaurants because of online reviews of the food they are serving there. For him the journey is (part of) the reward. Just sucks that he got no orientation. 

-> Gojo. Simply doesn’t have a license. Just because he was too young to drive growing up and when it became relevant for other teenagers his age it became irrelevant to him. “Why bother mining all those rules and pay for gas when I teleport everywhere.” Needless to say that your ‘It’s fun and it’s important’ argument didn’t do the job. Regardless of all that he still loved the idea of going on a road trip with you. So after hours of negotiating with this man child you agreed on taking him on a trip. Little did you know that even when you drove, chose the snacks and the playlist because according to everyone’s rules the driver always choses the playlist; Gojo still somehow managed to test your nerves. (In a good way. You love him after all, of course.) Because you choosing what music to listen to meant that he didn’t know any of the songs. And not a single word of the lyric. So … his way of singing along turned out to be incoherent yelling. Only after you threatening to pull over and leave him on the side of the road and therefore withholding the road trip he was so excited for - he stopped.

But as soon as quiet settled between the two of you and the radio was playing peacefully you suddenly shouted along the song from the top of your lungs and eventually the two of you yelled together. One worse than the other.

-> Megumi. When you first got into the car with him you were so taken aback by what cautious driver was. Eyes always on the road, both hands on the steering wheel at all times … That was when you first started dating and he took you to the movies. But after a while you found out that Megumi was just scared. Turns out he only passed his driving exam by a hair and the instructor actually got to him. In fact what he got told scared him to the point where he is too scared to even tilt his seat a little bit to sit more comfortably. You offered him to drive multiple times but he insisted on conquering his fear and getting better over time. Once while he was taking you home you dropped a comment about how cool it looked when men drive with just one hand and leaning back. You thought it might encourage him too easy up a little. But instead of driving with more confidence and less up tight, he dropped you at the nearest bus station and told you that if you wanted to be taken home by a master of people transportation you should just take the bus.

Ever since that incident you never made fun of his driving again and after seeing Itadori drive for the first time you were so thankful for Megumi driving the way he drives.

-> Todo. One word: Takada (-chan). Get in the car with Todo and you know the only voice you will hear is not his but the voice of his favorite idol. The actual (and real) love of his life. But luckily he is competing with your idols as much as you are competing with his. Not at all. Because you are (more or less) sane people who know that you can’t date your idol. You can literally fight him about the music and what to listen. And the only thing settling the musically feud between the two of you is a mixed playlist. Everyone’s idols equally represented. At the end of your road trip you know the lyrics to each other’s songs. You sing them together. Dramatically hitting the high notes and singing the duets. The one thing that got you and Todo together and will keep you sticking together: Being a fan.

-> Toji. I am sorry for everyone who was looking forward to this but please do yourself a favour and do not get into a car with this man. He just refuses to die and I am very sure he drives that way. We’ve seen the way he fights. The recklessness of his moves. He named his son Megumi for who ever’s sake. There is just no way he obeys to Road Traffic Regulations.

Masterlist

[techno-the-blade]

Why c!Tubbo is the most tragic character within the Dream SMP

@tannin-tele asked for it and I’m making it a separate post

TW: Breif talk of manipulation, possible suicide, and death.

I want to preface this by saying I’m newer than most to the fandom so I may miss/leave out some moments but I’m caught up enough to confidently have my own opinion like everyone else. ALSO IM ONLY TALKING ABOUT CHARACTERS HERE OBVIOUSLY!!!

I’m also aware Tubbo is just as morally gray as everyone else- I missed the stream the other day but I know Tubbo was really going after Ranboo while trying to “help” him get his memories back. But does anyone expect any character to come out of this smp sparkling and perfect? Honestly all things considered, Tubbo is doing better than a lot of them.

All of my points will take place starting from the creation of L’manburg up to present day. Tubbo has always been Tommy’s best friend- the sidekick, the deuteragonist, the support system. He is just as capable, intelligent, and strong as anyone else in the server, and while he may waver when it comes to being opinionated, he is more cognizant and genuinely caring than most. He’s a team player always, looking out for the group. He played his part in the revolution, worked to still benefit [L’]Manburg under the Schlatt administration, tried to make his country happy as president, and even wants to create peace for whoever needs it in Snowchester. He doesn’t care about power or discs like the others. He cares about making the world better and keeping people happy.

Wilbur didn’t trust Tubbo with much of anything, despite Tubbo being loyal from the start and extremely talented. The only time he did trust Tubbo with anything was when Tubbo chose to risk everything by being a spy (after Schaltt intentionally separated him from the og L’manburg trio). Tubbo threw himself under the bus constantly for Pogtopia yet Wilbur and the others still were suspicious of him.

Schlatt was, well, Schlatt. He took Tubbo away and every day became a moral dilemma for him- how can he both benefit the wellbeing of everyone in Manburg while also supporting Pogtopia? Not to mention Schlatt made him decorate his own execution.

An execution where he was betrayed by everyone. Schlatt tricked him, Quackity watched, the audience watched, Wilbur was too concerned with the button, Technoblade shot him twice despite them being on the same side (he claims he had to because of peer pressure but he literally turned around and killed everyone anyways), and Tommy only came for him after he was killed.

He only became president to act as a scapegoat for Wilbur’s actions- if L’manburg was going to survive the first bombing, everything would fall on Tubbo’s shoulders. In fact, everything that happened in the SMP that was orchestrated by feuding adults somehow got pinned onto Tubbo (and tommy but at least no one expected constant perfection from Tommy). Tubbo was making constant personal sacrifices to try and satisfy everyone in the long run.

Quackity, who betrayed him before, used Tubbo’s good nature and naivety to carry out his own plots (the butcher army, anyone?).

Ranboo, while maybe forgetting in the moment he shouldn’t conspire with the enemies, withheld information from Tubbo and lied to his face about true loyalty. Ranboo made Tubbo so happy towards the end of his presidency, he really trusted him when there was no one else.

He was forced by external forces (the audience, L’manburg, Dream) to exile his best friend- the one person who was always by his side, never using/betraying him like the others. He gave up his support system simply because it meant the rest of the country would be happy. And Dream went out of his way to make sure Tubbo couldn’t have any connection with Tommy, up until the point where Tubbo thought he lost his best friend and their last moments together were Tubbo exiling him. Imagine taking the full blame for your best friend losing everything and then possibly taking his own life.

Tubbo had to watch his best friend supposedly then return with the enemy and a newfound affinity for violence. Tommy blamed Tubbo like everyone else, and wouldn’t listen to Tubbo’s side of the story. Tubbo watched the only other person as loyal to L’manburg as he was steal, destroy, and kill for the sake of his discs. And Tubbo felt even more alone.

Don’t even get me started on “the discs were more important to me than you ever were”.

Dream even canonically admitted to manipulating Tubbo. Dream’s manipulation of Tubbo was so well hidden under layers of trust that Tubbo desperately craved but he knew every insult that would stick when the festival came around. And we all know how Tubbo internalized and took the blame for everything people blamed him off.

That’s his fatal flaw- he was so loyal to L’manburg as a country, including its population, that in trying to make it better, he absorbed all of the problems. He’s not as bad as Schlatt or Wilbur because he tried to remain level headed and made decisions to benefit the majority. Even if those decisions backfired because of the constantly shifting world around them.

Also, Jack Manifold is LITERALLY manipulating Tubbo so that he can get close enough to Tommy to kill him, because he wants to take away the only thing Tubbo has left.

Tubbo already had everything else taken from him- his friends, his home, his earned title, but that’s not enough. This child has been fighting nonstop but the world will continue to step on him, unsatisfied until he has absolutely nothing left.

(Originally written 1/11/21)

Tl:dr: Tubbo just wants to be there for everyone but became a scapegoat for everyone’s issues, treated like an expendable accessory for war.

[forthehpfanboys]

Two Years

Pair: Fred Weasley x Reader; he/him.

Summary: You got back to Diagon Alley after the war and desperately wanna talk to him and explain why you were basically non-existent during the war. But is Fred ready to talk to you?

Warnings: Swearing.

Notes: Reader is Draco's Cousin! Hope you enjoy!

~DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE~

-

Complicated couldn’t even begin to describe your relationship with the Weasley’s. 

For to start, you were related to the Malfoys which automatically meant it was rocky. You were Draco’s cousin. Your family didn’t believe in the same ideology as Lucius and Narcissa, leading to family feuds being normal during literally any time of the year. Your family didn’t exactly want the attention of the Malfoys or the Dark Lord once the war reared its ugly head, so your family fled to America, dragging you with them. They wanted to get as far from the war as possible. 

And two, well, you were Fred’s partner before the war broke out. Since your family was absolutely dedicated to being hidden, you lost communication with him when your family decided to just get up and go. You didn’t even have time to tell him goodbye or really anyone and it hurt. You knew you hurt him too and no matter how you begged, your parents wouldn’t let you see him, let alone send him a letter. Owls couldn’t travel across whole seas and you were basically in lock down, even if you were a grown adult. 

You stayed up most nights because of nightmares. You’d wake up in a cold sweat more times than you could count on both hands. After these tear jerking visions from hell, you’d usually climb from your bedroom window to the room, gazing out at the moon like a love struck teenager, hoping maybe even praying Fred was gazing at the moon at the same time you were.. Most nights he actually was.

During the war, Fred had come into a.. Complication. He ended up fracturing his leg, resulting in a cane and physical therapy. George took up fixing and running the shop with Ron while he was borderline trapped between surviving at the Burrow and physical therapy. 

Fred spent most of his free time sketching out ideas of products to tire his mind long enough to ignore the stupid nightmares and gazing out the window, hoping you’d apperate across the field and come comfort him, but you never came. Everyone in the Burrow avoided mentioning your name around Fred, anyway.

When the time came, Fred went straight back to work with his twin, spewing out ideas about different treats, potions, trinkets, anything and everything he came up with while bed ridden and they both got to work quickly. 

It was nice, relaxing, normal again. Everything was normal to Fred but a piece of him was missing. You were across the world and you held a piece of his heart and he hated you never gave it back. 

No matter how badly he missed you or longed for you to hold his hand, he wasn’t ready to face you when you entered their shop. He literally wasn’t ready to face you. He turned around when the bell went off, ready to say the shop wasn’t open yet but dropped the box he was holding. He ignored the sound of shattering glass and immediately booked it back into the room, where he nearly knocked over his brother. 

“What’s wrong?” George asked, swiftly setting the box he was holding down on the shelf. “Are you going into another attack? Do you need to go upsta-” He was silenced when Fred's hand covered his mouth.

“Hello?” A soft voice called out, causing George's eyebrows to furrow before his eyes grew wide. Fred moved his hand, using it to slowly shut the storage room door, making sure to turn the handle so it shut silently. The separation allowed the twins to whisper to each other in peace.

“Isn't that-” 

“Yeah.”

“Then why-”

“Because I’m not ready.”

“..You’re not ready? Blimey, Fred, it’s been 2 years since he left.” George ran a hand down his face, the other landing on his hip sassily. “What do you mean you're not ready? You always talked about how you missed him but now you aren't ready?”

“You wouldn’t understand-” 

“Don’t even give me that, Freddie. Talk to me.” George smiled, resting a hand on his brother's shoulder. “I know you're older by like, 1/4 a second, but you don’t have to be a rock. Come on, don’t bottle it up.”

Fred let out a sigh, his eyes casting downward before he let out the smallest of chuckles. His hand came to rub the back of his neck.

“Fine.” 

George almost squealed with joy when his brother decided to open up to him. He wanted to clap his hands and jump around like a child, but opted for not compromising their position. 

Fred went on to tell George about how you left, how you didn’t even leave a note, how he didn’t know how to ask if you two were still together and if you loved him anymore. George has already known all of this, causing his face to melt into an unamused expression.

“.. You realize you're being ridiculous, right?”

“Gee, thanks George. I will most definitely come back to you when I have emotional turmoil.”

“No, no, mate, listen.” George wrapped his arm around his older brother's shoulder, gently guiding him away from the wall. “Listen, ok? You’re such a top notch guy, not as handsome as me,” George smiled wider when his brother snorted, “but you’re trying! So why not at least talk to the bloke, yeah? You guys were snogging before he left, so why not try to snog after?”

“I just told you why I can’t.”

“Who are you and what did you do with Fredrick Weasley?” George put the back of his hand across his forehead, being the dramatic shit he is. 

“Don’t call me that, you prat-”

“I thought I knew you! Confidence was your middle name! Frederick Confident Gideon Weasley!” The youngest twin only became cockier when the older one groaned and covered his face. “Oh, Frederick, where did you go?” He wrapped his free arm tighter around his brother and dragged him out the door, ignoring his protests and grabby hands reaching to hold onto the door frame. 

“George, wait!” Fred’s hushed whisper floated in the air, completely ignored by the other red-head.

“Fredrick! Where did you go, Freddie?!” He called out, knowing damn well you were still in the shop. Neither of the twins heard the shops bell ring a second tie, indication your departure.

“George?” Your voice echoed in the closed shop, leading George to dramatically turn to his brother and smirk at him. “Is that you?”

“Why yes, my dear friend! How are you?” George let go of his twin, allowing him to scurry off to the side and hide behind one of their many filled shelves. You walked up to him just after Fred hid, much to his delight and George’s dismay. George’s smile faltered ever so slightly when he took in your appearance. 

Your hair was a nest fit for Scabbers, the bags under your eyes would need to be checked with baggage at any muggle airport and your clothes. Not that there was anything wrong with a hoodie and sweatpants, but it was summer for fucks sake. He could see the sweat across his brow and wondered if he should turn the AC on.

“I’m as well as I can be, I guess..” You fiddled with a stray strand hanging from your hoodie. George noted the fraying hand made thumb holes and his eyebrow raised in confusion. “I um-” You ran a hand through your hair, “I wanted to talk to Fred, do you know where he is?” While your eyes were darting across the top level of the shop, George’s eyes flashed to his brother.

The shop owner shot his brother a glare when he shook his head back and forth fast enough to make anyone dizzy. 

“Um, no.. I haven't.” George grumbled out, his hands going to his pockets. He looked down at the floor deciding it would be better than the disappointed expression on your face. “Um, do you want me to give him a message for something?”

“No, yeah, if that’s ok?” You went back to fiddling with the stray thread. You didn’t notice Fred peaking at you through the products lined on the shelves. “Just um- Could you tell him I’m sorry for me? I’m sure he’ll know what I mean..”

“Yeah, sure thing, (Y/n/n). Anything for you.” George ran a hand through his hair after you turned on your heel and mumbled a thank you before exiting the shop. “You owe me.” The red-head turned to his identical and sighed when he saw the longing expression. “Merlin’s left tit, you’re fucked, mate.”

“I should’ve-” Fred hit his forehead against the wood of one of the shelves, a yell of frustration leaving his throat.

“Say it.” “..You were right. I should’ve talked to him.”

“Damn right I was. Now, go get your bloke before he cries in the street or worse, goes to Malfoy for romantic help.” George faked a shudder at the idea. George watched his brother turn, slamming his back into the shelf and slide to the floor. “Ok, Fred, seriously, this is getting kind of sad.”

“I can’t go talk to him, George!” Fred was pulling at his own ginger locks, his knees coming up to his chest. “I- No, I can’t.”

“Do you want me to do it?” George’s voice was soft. He plopped himself on the dusty floor right next to his brother. “I can talk to him as you? See what all of this is about?” 

“I don’t know, Georgie..” Fred’s voice was softer than his twins. He looked at his brother with a hopeless expression and glossy eyes. George figured from this it would be best to tackle the problem tomorrow so he just pulled his brother into his side and held him for a good while.

-

The next day was easier for Fred. The store was bustling, as it was Monday, morning and all the happy customers provided a great distraction. He took over the register while George focused more on the floor work: answering customer questions, restocking shelves. It was a lot for two twins to handle, but they managed, especially when Ginny or Ron offered their free days to come down and help. 

Fred had just finished closing the drawer, handing a youngster his change back when the bell above the shop's door caught his attention. He shifted on his feet when Draco was practically dragging you into the shop wearing the same clothes as yesterday. The red-head was starting to wonder if you were ok.

“(Y/n)!” George yanked you into a hug before you could even blink, causing you to erupt into a fit of giggles that left Fred absolutely yearning to have you by his side again.

“Hey Geo!” You briefly hugged him back before pulling away, causing his attention to shift to your cousin. 

“Malfoy.” George looked the blonde up and down. He’d throw hands if he had too, even in his own shop.

“Hey, be nice. He’s on our side now.” You punched the tall suited man lightly in the arm before shoving your hands in your pockets.

“It’s unfortunate but true. Most birds did appreciate my bad boy ages.” Draco ran a hand dramatically through his hair while George snorted. “But that isn’t why we’re here. Is your brother around?”

“He’s at the til, why?”

“I’m just here to make sure (Y/n) actually talks to him like he promised too.” Draco put a hand on your back and gently pushed you forward. “But how is business, Weasley?”

While George went on to talk about statistics and boring old shit, you slowly walked over to the red-head who was trying to distract himself by restocking some of the knickknacks in the class case beneath the counter. You cleared your throat, clearly scaring him. He let out a squeak and hit his head on the underside of the glass case.

“I-I’m sorry, Freddie! Are you ok?” you asked, your hands awkwardly fidgeting in front of you as the male stood up and rubbed the back of his head. You bit your lip, resisting the urge to grab his shoulders and check his head. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good.” He had his eyes squinted so tight he could see stars flashing behind his lids. He couldn’t look at you yet. You’d looked like a kicked puppy yesterday when you left and it pained him so much.

“Did, um.. Did you get my message from Geo?” You were fiddling with the string again. Fred opened his eyes slowly, nodding to you while he played with the product in his hand. 

“I.. Look, I don’t wanna beat around the bush, but I-”

“I already know.” Fred spoke up quickly, louder than intended. “I know, it’s fine.”

“S.. So it’s fine then?” You looked around, a tiny bit confused. Fred wasn’t one for jumping to conclusions, but it seemed his legs weren’t tired yet.

“Yeah.” 

“So, I just wanna be sure we’re on the same page, you know my family dragged me to America?”

“Uh-”

“And basically put me under house arrest so I couldn’t see you or message you or leave or really live? And I haven’t forgotten you and my feelings for you haven’t changed and Godric, Fred, I miss you so much.” Tears pricked your tired eyes as you glanced at him. You cleared your throat over the awkward silence you felt was your fault. Fred was replaying your words like a record stuttering on a player and the bloke was still confused.

“.. Come again?” The red-head blinked stupidly, subconsciously leaning over the counter. Maybe he wasn’t hearing you right over the noise of the shop. You couldn’t help but release a borderline silent chuckle that bubbled into your throat.

“I still love you, Freddie bear.” You twiddled with your fingers, your eyes glancing down to his lips before looking back into his sparkling eyes.

“You do?” The co-owner was trying to keep his joy nestled deep down in his chest.

You nodded your head.

“Oh thank fuck.” 

“Wha- Ah! FRED-”

The male had all but jumped over the glass counter, dramatically picking you up by your waist and slamming his lips to yours. You wrapped your legs around his waist, while your hands gripped to his shoulders like your life depended on it. You immediately fell under the spell of his kiss and didn’t even hear your cousin and your boyfriend's twin brother whooping/gagging.

Fred soon set you down, his usual cocky grin spread across his face until his knee buckled. The strain of his dumb ass jumping over the counter and picking you off your feet like you were a feather was finally catching up with him.

“Ah, ow, ow.” Fred groaned out, bending over to hold his right knee. You put a hand on his shoulder, worry etched across his face. “Ah, so um.. I should probably explain-”

“We both have a lot to explain, Freddie. Two years is a lot of time to be apart.”

[medicinemane]

Of course my mom's parents just handed themselves L after L when it came to me, and it was all them scheming in the stupidest ways possible, and me blundering along not realizing the shit they were pulling and absolutely making them look like jackasses without even realizing it

The two big examples I can give are:

My grandpa really wanted me to read these readers he liked, but I just had to go in order instead of skipping ahead (cause he was living out his fantasy of old timey schooling), so I got bored and said I was quitting

Well, he gets the clever idea to tell me that this is very important to my mom that I continue... and he never thought about how I could... just ask my mom why she cared so much, which lead me to find out she didn't give a shit about the readers, which just pissed me off that he lied to me and made me double down on not reading them anymore

Like that's two Ls in one of both the lying, but also the not just letting the kid skip ahead to a reader that was engaging to them. Be proud they're wanting to read the college level reader instead of the 3rd grade one, don't hold them back

Second example is the time my grandma baked a banana cake to prove I was just being fussy and didn't actually hate banana

She was so smug cause I ate that first piece, but it got real awkward for her when half way through the next piece the next day I was like "I'm sorry, I don't know why but this cake taste like banana and so I can't stand to eat anymore... I just don't know why that's happening and I don't want to be rude, but I can't eat anymore"

Oops, turns out I just didn't like banana, and she made an ass out of herself feuding with a literal child

Like just the most oafish behavior from both of them, and neither of them are stupid people, but they're just fucking fools who may have brains but no sense

I wouldn't mind talking to my grandpa again at this point, but I've got no respect for him. Though, that's better than my grandma who I actively dislike, and while I don't think she's some kind of monster, I do think she has an immense capacity for cruelty that she doesn't even register

Also, those two were made for each other in that there are few people worse with money than the two of them

All around just fool behavior from them both. There's a reason I'm always clowning on them and not my dad's parents, and that's cause while the two of them may have been flawed and may have done their own damage, they both had a hell of a lot more sense and cared a lot more

[shoutobabes]

An excerpt from an OCxShouto fic I’ve been working on:

———————————————

Todoroki Shouto hated formal events.

He had attended enough Hero Awards Galas as a young child with his father to soil his opinion of them nearly two decades later, a pro hero in his own right. But tonight was not about his father.

Still.

He drummed his fingers on the fine linen tablecloth and watched as the drink in his glass vibrated slightly with each tiny impact. Taptaptap. Taptaptap. Shouto allowed a small trail of frost to travel up the table inching toward the glass. The bottom began to dust with frost. The water at the bottom began to freeze. Taptaptap. Taptaptap. Taptap--

“Will you stop fucking doing that?”

Shuoto whipped his head up to see a pair of angry red eyes glaring at him. Bakugo drove an accusatory finger toward Shoto’s glass.

“You’re like an antsy kid,” Bakugo huffed. “I don’t wanna be at this shit-parade any more than you do, icy hot, but you don’t see me blowing up the fucking finger cakes, do you?”

“I’m not taking Kacchan’s side, Todoroki,” Midoriya spoke up from his seat between the two feuding heroes. “But you do certainly seem on edge and, well,” Midoriya gulped and glanced toward the stage. “Our category is two away and I’m nervous enough as it is.”

Shouto blinked. “I can stop tapping the table.”

“Yeah, and then you’re gonna start shaking your leg like you were half an hour ago before you started tapping the goddamn table,” Bakugo crossed his arms and faced back toward the stage. “Take a fuckin’ walk. Do a guided meditation in the men’s room, for all I care, but if you stay here you’re gonna piss me off.”

Shoto turned to face Midoriya, often the peacekeeper in these altercations.

Midoriya seemed to be very interested in his napkin.

“Alright, then,” Shouto stood and fixed his tuxedo jacket. “I can take a hint.”

“It’s nothing personal,” Midoriya waved his hands while shaking his head. “It’s just--”

“He gets it, Deku,” Bakugo rolled his eyes.

“Sorry,” Midoriya said, sheepishly.

“I’ll be back in time for the award announcement,” Shouto said as he walked away.

A walk was probably for the best.

Shouto wove his way through tables and chairs full of politely clapping patrons and pro heroes who were practically unrecognizable in their finery outside of their suits and gear. He recalled his father complaining about being forced into a tuxedo for these types of events. His mother would always wave them off wistfully, recounting times when she had been the No. 2 hero’s plus one while Fuyumi cried at being left behind and Natsuo would mope and pretend he didn’t care. Touya would just sit and stare. Until he didn't.

So lost in thought was Shouto, that he didn’t notice the girl in front of him until it was too late. Suddenly, he was staring at the empty glass in his hand trying to make his brain connect it to the growing wet spot on the front of the girl's dress.

Their eyes locked for a moment of shocked silence; silver and turquoise meeting violet eyes widened. A beat passed. Shouto regained his composure.

“My humblest apologies,” he finally said with a small bow. “I have no excuse. I wasn’t looking where I was going and I—“

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” the girl shook her head with a small smile. She had long, silver-white hair parted cleanly down the middle. “Not to brag or anything, but I’m kind of a dry cleaning expert.”

She lifted an arm and made a grabbing motion over her chest with one hand and Shoto watched as the spilled champagne drew itself out into a bubble of liquid. It hovered for a moment, then with a flick of the girl’s wrist, it flew into the pot of a nearby plant.

“Looked a little thirsty,” the girl said with a conspiratorial wink. “No harm no foul. Looks like you could use another drink, though.”

“Isn’t that my line?” Shouto raised a slight brow, elemental quirks were always fascinating and he met so few others with quirks like his. “I’m the offender in the situation, I feel as though it’s only right I’m the one buying you a drink.”

“Well then, it seems we’re in agreement,” the girl gestured to the corner of the room where the bar was set up. “We’re heading to the bar.”

Shouto nodded as the pair made their way over. He gave the girl a once-over; she seemed familiar but he didn’t recognize her as a hero in the Musutafu region or anywhere in Japan for that matter. She wore a simple, pale lavender gown.

“Gin and tonic,” Shouto told the bartender before nodding to his companion. “And for you?”

“Could I get a lemonade?” She asked, with a tilt of her head. “Oh, and if you have some sort of strawberry syrup could you mix that in, too? Thanks.” She grinned at the bartender as he nodded before walking away. She turned to Shouto who admittedly, realized he looked surprised.

“You don’t drink?” He asked.

“Can’t stand the taste,” she replied.

“I see.”

She studied him for a moment. Shouto felt as if he were under a microscope, being picked apart like a bacteria. Normally being analyzed like this would make his skin crawl, yet there was no malicious intent behind the girl’s eyes. Merely a curiosity, as if he were a puzzle she was trying to solve. The bartender brought over their drinks and the girl took a sip before suddenly breaking the silence.

“Why do you look like a turkey come late November?”

“I’m sorry?” Shouto squinted in confusion.

“My bad, I forget I’m not in the States anymore,” she self-consciously tucked hair behind her ear. “I meant to say, why do you look like this is the last place in the world you want to be?”

“The states?” Shouto asked. “Is that where you’re from?”

She wrinkled her nose. “I suppose, technically.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Well to be fair, you never answered my question.”

“And what was your question?”

“Why do you look so miserable to be here?”

Shoto grimaced delicately and took a gulp of his drink. “Ask any other question and I’ll answer that instead.

“Ah, so this is off limits, then,” the girl waggled her eyebrows. “Fine. How about...what brings you here tonight?”

Shoto sighed. That, at least, he could answer.

“My agency is up for an award tonight,” he said. “My partners and I are here in the hopes we receive it.”

“An award! How exciting,” the girl gave Shoto a funny look, as if she knew something he didn’t. “I’m sure you’ll win.”

“It would be an honor,” Shoto said slowly, feeling as if he were being left out of some joke. “To know that the people we are striving to serve believe in us so much.”

“Of course,” the girl nodded. “Your turn. For questions, that is.”

Shoto hummed in response as he took another sip. “I’m assuming that inquiring about the reason you’re drinking lemonade is...off limits?”

The girl sipped her own drink through the small straw that had come with it. “You learn quick! Beauty and brains, the ladies must love you.”

Shouto’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “I wasn’t aware that having one precluded the occurrence of the other. Brains and beauty are two separate elements, their probability of occurring are in no way reliant upon the occurrence of the other.”

“Absolutely true, shame on me for assuming,” she nodded seriously. “But I didn’t hear a question there. Do you forfeit your turn?”

“No,” Shouto protested. “Fine. What do you mean you’re ‘technically’ from the States?”

“Oh, that,” she waved her hand absentmindedly. “I was born there, and I did spend my high school years there, but I spent most of my childhood here and this is where all my fondest memories are from.”

“I see,” Shouto replied.

“I think of myself as being from Kanagawa,” she clarified. “Coastal. I was always fond of the ocean.”

“Did that have to do with your quirk?” Shouto asked, recalling the way she had manipulated the liquid from her dress.

The girl opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by sudden loud cheering from the other side of the ballroom.

“That’s right folks— the award for Best Upcoming Agency goes to Plus Ultra! The hero agency run by graduates of our very own U.A. High School! Please give a hand to the heroes Deku, Dynamight, and Shouto as they come up to collect their award.”

“Shit,” Shouto cursed. He had promised Midoriya he would be back in time. “My apologies again, but I need to go immediately.”

“More apologies,” the girl joked, finishing off her drink. She set it on the bar next to Shouto’s half finished one. “Run along and don’t miss your big award!”

Shouto was already halfway across the ballroom. As he joined his partners on stage, Midoriya was at the microphone holding the award and delivering a speech of gratitude. Bakugo elbowed Shouto as discreetly as he was capable of doing anything discreetly and shot him a dirty look for being late.

“I deserve that,” Shouto whispered.

“Damn right,” Bakugo hissed.

“—in conclusion, we would just like to thank you all from the heart of the Plus Ultra Agency. We could not do this without your continued support and we will continue to go above and beyond to keep you safe! Plus Ultra!” Midoriya smiled brightly as he finished his speech.

The three posed on stage for a few quick photos, then stepped down.

“Todoroki, is everything all right?” Midoriya asked immediately. “It’s unlike you to be late.”

“My apologies,” Shouto cringed inwardly, he had apologized too many times tonight. The words were starting to ring hollow to even his own ears. “I was taking a walk when I accidentally bumped into—“

“Me, actually,” the girl from earlier materialized from the crowd behind Shouto as she stepped forward. “Literally, in fact.”

“Ms. Kagawa!” Midoriya gasped. “I had no idea you would be here tonight, I’m so sorry! I would have said hello earlier.”

Shouto blinked. How did Midoriya know her?

“Please, no formalities,” Kagawa shook her head. “Call me whatever you prefer, it’s just nice to finally meet you all.”

That’s when it clicked. Shouto recalled a team meeting from the month before.

———————

“Why are we bringing in some random chick, again?” Bakugo groaned, putting his feet up on the table from where he was sitting in the conference room. “We don’t need any extra help, hell, I could run this place alone if I wanted to!”

“Well, it’s like I said,” Midoriya replied patiently. “We did great for it being our first year as full heroes running our own agency together. But if we want to keep growing and getting better, we’ll need more than a few sidekicks and interns. We’re going to need another pro to help carry the weight and round out patrols. I thought we all agreed?”

“We did,” Shouto didn’t look up from his paperwork. “Bakugo conveniently chose to forget.”

“Fuck off, icy hot,” Bakugo said. “Whatever. At least this chick seems like she could give some of these thugs a run for their money. Wasn't she like, some big deal in America?”

“She was,” Midoriya clicked his pen nervously. “She’s had a, uh, difficult road. I’m hoping we’ll be able to help her as much as she’ll help us. Or at least that’s the plan. She won’t be here for another couple months, she’s wrapping up her personal business I think.”

“Mm,” Shouto intoned, absentmindedly.

—————————-

Shouto cursed himself for not paying more attention to important meetings. Yet, none of them had expected her so early.

“We weren’t expecting you so soon,” Midoriya said nervously, voicing Shouto’s thoughts. “You weren’t due for ah, another month?”

“You’re right,” Kagawa said sheepishly. “I closed in on an apartment here sooner than expected and, well, wanted to just get on with it.”

“Of course,” Midoriya nodded. “Ah, but we should do formal introductions!”

“Yes, right,” Kagawa nodded with a smile. “Well I already know you from our correspondence! Midoriya Izuku, hero name Deku, a pleasure.”

Midoriya smiled and they shook hands.

“Bakugo Katsuki, hero name Dynamight,” she cracked a lopsided grin. “I’ve heard...explosive things.”

“Shitty joke,” Bakugo shook her hand. “People only say the best shit about me.”

“Obviously,” Kagawa nodded before turning to Shouto. “And of course, we’ve already been acquainted. Todoroki Shouto, hero name Shouto, a pleasure.”

Shouto shook her hand. She had a firm grip. “I’ve made...better first impressions.”

“No, I enjoyed it,” Kagawa said. “It was genuine. You had no cause to act unnaturally to make a good first impression. It was...refreshing.

“That’s a polite way of saying he fucked up,” Bakugo chuckled.

She smiled. “Now for me, I suppose. Kagawa Ren, hero name Kaguya. But you’re hiring me, I’m sure you know.”

“We’re really excited to have you!” Midoriya said, beaming. “My, uh, my friend Uraraka--”

Bakugo barked out a laugh and Shouto suppressed a small smile.

Midoriya began to sweat. “Anyways, um, she- she couldn’t make it tonight because she had to go visit her parents but she’s been excited to have another female hero around. She says our agency is too filled with testosterone.”

“Sounds like me and Uraraka will get along swimmingly.” Kagawa assured.

“Are we still getting drinks to celebrate?” Bakugo said impatiently. “I told Kirishima he could meet us at that shitty bar we always go to.”

Midoriya ran a hand through his hair. “Uh, yeah, yeah we are, just, I wanted to talk with Kagawa about some details really quick.”

Bakugo rolled his eyes. “And we can’t do that at the bar? She can come, it’s her celebration now too, or whatever.”

“Just tell Kirishima he can meet us there in thirty,” Midoriya pleaded. “I’ll make it quick. Here, Kagawa, why don’t you walk with me back to our table? I’ll grab everyone’s things and we’ll meet Bakugo and Shouto by the front.”

Kagawa nodded and raised two fingers in a peace sign as means of saying goodbye to the other two heroes as she and Midoriya headed back to the table in conversation.

Shouto looked back at Bakugo who was busy texting.

“I suppose we should head toward the front,” Shouto said uncertainly.

“Yeah, whatever,” Bakugo clicked his phone off and shoved it in his pocket. “So, you talked to her.”

“I did.”

Bakugo rolled his eyes. “Talking to you is like pulling teeth. What did you think of her?”

“I thought she was smart,” Shouto replied simply. “It seems like she’ll make a strong addition to our team.”

“That’s boring shit,” Bakugo huffed. “If Midoriya hired her then I’m sure she’s professional as fuck but don’t wanna spend my time around some shitty boring suit. So, is she gonna be annoying or not?

Shouto sideyed Bakugo as they turned and began walking toward the front. Social interaction had never been his strongest suit. Most interactions he felt like he was a step behind, or focused on the wrong thing, or someone would say something and he would think they were serious only to realize there was a second, different meaning attached. Mostly, he thought conversations were a bit of a minefield, especially with the wrong kind of person.

He thought back to the way Kagawa had studied him. No judgement, just-- curiosity. The good kind. Not like reporters who were always hungry for photos, desperate to know about his love life, dying to hear what restaurant he best liked to dine at so they could stalk him there later as well. No, her curiosity reminded him of when he and his siblings used to go play by the creek near their house as children, before Endeavor began isolating Shouto for training. They would freeze the water in the middle of summer and slide around, pulling frogs and turtles out from frost-covered hidey holes. One day in particular, they had found a small family of deer. They all sat very still by the edge of the water and waited patiently as the fawns ambled down for a drink under the watchful eye of their mother. One fawn had gotten so close to Shouto that their noses nearly touched, and he could smell the breath of the little thing, sweet and springy. He’d looked in its eyes and saw them searching his face. What it found, he did not know.

That had been the last summer of freedom.

“I don’t think she’ll be boring,” Shouto finally said.

“Another stunning review from half and half,” Bakugo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as the boys came to a halt in front of the entrance to the hall. “She better come to get drinks with us or I’ll think she’s a stiff.”

Shouto slid his eyes back over to the ballroom where Midoriya and Kagawa stood, gathering jackets and talking.

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” he said.

[hopelesshawks]

Physical Fatality Part 6- Ultimatum

18+ Hawks x fem, pro hero!reader

Summary: You’re a rising star in All Might’s agency. Hawks is the darling of Endeavor’s. By virtue of your job descriptions, the two of you are supposed to hate each other, or at the very least be cautiously neutral. For a long time that’s exactly what the two of you did. You stayed out of each other’s way and formed little opinion of the other. One fateful night at an HPSC gala changes all that. Based on the album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom by Halsey.

If you don’t want to see Physical Fatality content blacklist #hopelesspf

This story will have multiple NSFW parts so it is 18+ ONLY minors dni

Warnings for descriptions of unprotected vaginal, minor wing kink

Masterlist

Hawks knows what he’s been doing the past several weeks isn’t fair to you. In his defense, he was attempting to reconcile two different facts in his head. Fact 1: He is completely in love with you. Fact 2: He is completely loyal to Endeavor. Some days fact 1 wins out and he acts the perfect almost boyfriend. He helped you move into your apartment with Mina, he’d leave little gifts on your desk if he found something that made him think of you, and he kept things quiet so the reporters and your coworkers wouldn’t sniff out potential scandal. But some days fact 2 wins and he hesitates and grows distant. It’s not so much that he sees it as betraying Endeavor. He always has and always will think the Endeavor-All Might feud is dumb. But he knows that Endeavor will see it as a betrayal and like it or not Hawks owes a lot to Endeavor.

He sees the way you constantly try to anticipate how the press will interpret your every little move. Frankly, it looks like it makes an already exhausting job even more so. All you want to do is save people and instead you spend a nontrivial part of your day hyper analyzing your every move to anticipate the next day’s headlines. The other day you’d confessed to him that another bad headline could literally mean the end of your time at All Might’s agency and Hawks can’t even imagine that level of stress. And therein lies the problem. The only reason Hawks can’t imagine it is because the HPSC wiped all record of his name and Endeavor agreed to hire him once he completed training. So it’s not so much that being with you feels like a betrayal as it is that at some point he’ll have to tell Endeavor and when he does there will be hell to pay.

You know what Hawks has been doing the past several weeks isn’t fair to you. The hot and cold, on and off again is starting to give you whiplash. At first it was ignorable, after all you were busy settling into your new place so you spent quite a bit of your limited free time getting to know the woman you’d be living with from now on. Mina is a goddamn firecracker and you love her for it. Sure you’d seen some of her antics on Instagram before but you assumed it was all for the camera. Now as her roommate you’re realizing that’s just how Mina is. So for the first week Mina kept you busy even when Hawks would be in one of his weird distant moods. Then more time passed and it started to irk you. Was it or was it not his idea for this to not be a one time thing? So why was he being so distant suddenly.

Then the first fight happened. It was one of those days Hawks had been oddly distant. The task force had managed to narrow the possible groups responsible for the terrorist attack down to five and Hawks insisted each of you should take one to run surveillance on and the sixth person could coordinate. You thought it was a better use of resources to assign some of the lower ranked heroes to the surveillance and have the task force just coordinate and analyze what came through. “Don’t you think it’ll be a little suspicious if we suddenly aren’t doing our usual rounds because we're performing surveillance? Plus a lower ranked hero won't draw as much attention!" you argued. "This case is way too sensitive for us to be working off second hand information!" Hawks fired back. “I don’t know how you all do things over at Endeavor’s agency but our lower ranked heroes are competent enough to handle some simple surveillance,” you pointed out with a of roll your eyes. “What? Like Monoma?” Hawks shot back. “Maybe we should reel it in guys,” Midoriya tried to intervene but it was too late. “Yea like Monoma. What about it?” you replied, anger starting to build. “Just seems like a conflict of interest to me,” he shrugged. “A conflict of interest?” “That’s what I said isn’t it?” “Oh fuck off.” “So you’re not denying it.” “I am literally the first person to shit on Monoma in almost any situation but he’s a good hero.” “Interesting.” “Are you trying to die bird brain?” “OK! That’s enough!” Midoriya finally interrupted. “We’ll present both plans to Endeavor and All Might, let them decide,” Shoto had said simply. In the end they decided on Hawks’ plan.

The two of you probably should’ve talked out your almost relationship then. It was obvious to everyone else in the room that the argument was, fundamentally, not about task delegation, but you and Hawks were in denial and the angry sex afterwards made it easier to kiss, makeup, and just pretend it never happened. Except it did happen. And it happened again and again. On the good days you two are amazing, all sweet words and loving looks. On the bad days you’re a ticking time bomb. Every time you try to address it Hawks gives you absolutely nothing back. It’s driving you nuts. A fact you frequently make apparent to Bakugo and Midoriya. “Oh my god enough already,” Bakugo groans, interrupting your ongoing rant about the difficulties of being almost with Hawks. “Oh I’m sorry are my problems bothering you?” you ask sarcastically. “Look, we get it. He started this shit and now he won’t finish it. But if he won’t then why don’t you fucking finish it yourself,” Bakugo points out. “Kacchan has a point,” Midoriya adds in. “Not you too Izu,” you pout. “Don’t give me that look, I’m just saying maybe it is time to put your foot down,” he elaborates. “I’ve tried talking to him and he never tells me what’s going on with him,” you sigh. “Then stop talking and just hit him with an ultimatum,” Bakugo scoffs. “Yea! Tell him he has to make a decision now or you’re done,” Midoriya agrees. “What if he decides he doesn’t want this?” you ask. “Then it’s his loss,” Midoriya says. “Yea and we’ll kick his ass for it,” Bakugo adds. You really do have the best friends.

Hawks doesn’t know what to expect when you ask him to stick around after the task force meeting, but the thumbs up Midoriya gives you and the warning look Bakugo gives him don’t exactly bode well. Shoto exchanges a look with Hawks to confirm he’ll be fine and, when Hawks nods, Shoto and Tokoyami take their leave behind their former classmates. “So what’s up?” Hawks asks once the two of you are finally alone. “We need to talk about us,” you tell him and you can already feel him preparing to argue you down from having this conversation. “(Y/n)-“ he starts, but you’re not having it, not this time, so you cut him off. “I don’t want to fight right now. I know you’re always right. But even though you’ve been through the ups and downs with me, and even though I care a lot about you, you don’t seem to feel the same.” “That’s not true,” he refutes but even he knows his actions lately haven’t exactly conveyed how much he feels for you. “Really? Because we’ve been through it all, met each other’s moms, shared each other’s tragic backstories but lately, when it comes to talking about us, you can never spit it out for me. It’s like I’m trying to talk to a wall but you can never tear it down for me,” you insist. “That’s what happens when you ask personal questions while we’re still at work.” “What other choice do I have? You never pick up or call me.” “Maybe I just need more time.” “We’re running out of time.” “We don’t have to be! Let’s just talk this through later.” “No, we’ve done enough talking. It’s gotta be right now. I want you to hold me down forever, I do, but it’s your choice. Will you love me now or never?”

Hawks stares at you trying to process what you’ve said. He isn’t oblivious. He knows you’ve been getting frustrated with him being hot and cold. He knows the two of you getting involved was his idea in the first place. He knows he hasn’t been open with you about why he’s suddenly so hesitant. But he still hasn’t decided how to reconcile his love for you with his loyalty to Endeavor, so he still hesitates. “Can we please just figure this out later,” he pleads instead of answering as he reaches for you but you step back and out of his reach. “No. I’m drawing the line. I wasted two years of my life chasing something that wasn’t real with Monoma. I refuse to do it again. Especially when being with you literally puts my career at risk. So you don’t get to take any more time up. I need you to make your mind up. You’ve gotta decide Keigo. Now or never,” you insist.

It hits him then just how serious you are. There’s no talking his way out of this one. It really is now or never and something about the choice feels fateful. As if how he responds to you right now will determine his destiny. Almost his whole life he’s been looking for the kind of earth shattering, all consuming love you see in movies and tv shows. Something to fill the void his parents and the HPSC hollowed into him as a child. The stakes are so much higher with you than with the previous women he’s dated and he’s always been such a lousy gambler. Are you really the best bet? His mind is spinning with the daunting choice in front of him but then you sigh full of resignation and heartache and start to leave. It’s like someone mainlined ice water directly into his veins because suddenly the never is real. It’s real and terrifying and it’s about to be solidified by you walking out that door and he can’t. He absolutely can’t imagine his life without you in it right now so he lunges forward and grabs hold of your wrist. “Now! Fuck baby, I choose now,” he insists so desperately and when you turn to face him you both look absolutely cracked open.

The two of you collide together, mouths finding each other immediately. There is so much need and want and relief in that one kiss because for a horrifying moment both of you felt what it would be like to never have each other again. To never again feel that unique magnetism that constantly pulls you both together. Or worse, to feel it and yet be forever condemned to ignoring it. Keigo pulls you against him by your hips and his grip is hard enough you wonder if you’ll bruise. You make quick work of each other’s shirts and pants, desperate to be closer to each other. One of his hands reaches down to rub you through your panties and you’re already so wet for him. The little gasp you give at his feather light touches is absolutely intoxicating and he can’t believe that he almost lost this. Lost you. “I’m so sorry Love. So sorry I made you wait,” he whispers against your lips as he slips his fingers past the damp material of your underwear to stroke along your sex. “I need you Kei,” you whimper. “You have me.” “All of you. I need all of you.”

You don’t have to tell him twice.

The floor of the conference room perhaps isn’t the most ideal place to finally consummate your love but neither of you has the strength or desire to complain or postpone this moment. Scratchy carpet or the finest silk sheets, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that the two of you are together and finally, finally you can call him yours and he can call you his. So when he’s on top of you, underwear cast aside and nothing left to separate the two of you, you can’t even feel what’s beneath you. All you feel is his erection pressing at your entrance, his chest pressed to yours, and both of your hearts hammering in your chests as if anxious to beat against each other. You feel him in each and every one of your senses. As he presses into you, you both gasp at the sensation and just like that first time it’s so, so overwhelming. You clutch desperately at him to bring him impossibly closer and by the time he bottoms out inside you, you’re both on the verge of tears. “I love you,” he confesses and he thinks it may be the first time he’s ever meant it so utterly and completely. “I love you too,” you reply and for the first time in a long time the words don’t feel like ash on your tongue.

He starts moving his hips and it’s heaven. Each thrust into you feels like a solidification of the bond the two of you have formed over the past couple months since meeting. For the first time since Keigo had started getting distant it feels uncomplicated and you’re reminded again of why you’d thrown out all your rules for this man. This wild, beautiful man you could now call yours. You slide one hand along his back until you get to the base of one of his wings. You run your fingers through the soft plumage and delight in the shiver it draws out of him. One of his hands goes between the two of you to stimulate your sensitive clit and with each thrust you’re both seeing stars. His free hand finds yours to entangle your fingers together and he suspects that the tingling he feels throughout his whole body has less to do with the sex itself and more to do with you and the wondrous revelation that you want all of him, even the broken bits, just as much as he wants all of you. He ups the amount of pressure he’s applying to your clit and you tighten your grip on his feathers to match and soon you’re both hurtling over the edge into climax. You moan each other’s names into the limited space between you but there are multitudes contained therein.

You moan each other’s names but it sounds like I love you.

You moan each other’s names but it sounds like wedding bells and a family.

You moan each other’s names but it sounds like forever.

Author’s Note: This chapter feels short and I can’t tell if it’s because it’s actually short or I’m just paranoid about it being short because I made y’all wait a little bit for it. I’m happy with it or at least happy enough to post it but it��s not my favorite part that I’ve written for this series so far. I’ll try to make sure the next part is longer again to compensate for this one ❤️

Taglist [open]: @akkaso @cathy8taffy @eeppff @iikillerkitteh @pixelwisp

[gamerwoo]

Mingi: Child’s Play (Part 2)

Characters: Mingi x female reader (featuring stray kids) ((also yes i know the first part was gender neutral but i wrote this not knowing if i’d be writing smut so))

Genre/warnings: werewolf au, angst, fluffy-ish ending, little bit of crack, implied smut

Word count: 2,313

Summary: Your pack and Mingi’s pack both want the two of you to get along despite both of you refusing to. So since you want to act like children, they’re going to treat you as such and put you in time out until you work out your problems.

a/n: everybody wanted a second part and I said I’d only do a second part if Romi asked for one so everybody say thank you @songmingki​ ❤ (even though it took me m o n t h s to actually get it done) ((i also truly had no idea for what to do for a second part that i haven’t done already for other fics so........this is what happened)). 

Tags: @philopatris @sensiblebutch​ 

Part One

San didn’t want to be down $25. That was the only reason he was pushing for Mingi to make up with you -- well, that, and the fact that Mingi would literally die if his mate denied him or he kept himself away from you. But Mingi was stubborn about some childhood rivalry that he would do exactly that, not caring if it killed him.

Yeah, it looked like San would be out some money. But he had until Sunday. Two days to get you and Mingi to hate-fuck each other. Definitely a weird goal to hold your pack brother to, but a goal he was determined to get him to.

But if he knew how you saw things, he would know how impossible that would be.

“We’re not fucking doing this,” you told Chan, pointing your finger at him.

“_____, you don’t have a choice,” Chan told you with a shrug.

“But--”

“Wasn’t this like, years ago?” Minho asked. “What do you hate this guy for, anyway?”

And if you were honest, you didn’t even remember anymore. You and Mingi had hated each other for so long that you’d forgotten what you hated him for in the first place. And the fact you were silent as you racked your brain for the answer had Chan crossing his arms over his chest.

“Exactly,” he huffed. “I’m sorry, _____, but you need to get over this dumb enemy thing. Not even just because we have to help them, but because you’re going to end up killing yourself just because you hate a guy and you don’t even know why you hate him!”

“Yeah, we don’t want to lose you, _____...” Hyunjin’s voice was quiet as he gave you a sad, almost desperate look.

You let out a deep sigh, the crease between your eyebrows not going away, much like the unhappy look on your face as you grumbled, “Yeah, well, you’re gonna have to start picking out headstones.”

-

“What’s the plan?” Chan asked as the two packs sat around the dining table in Hongjoong’s pack’s house.

The other alpha ran a hand through his hair as he began to explain, “The hunters already tried to corner Seonghwa, so we know they’ll probably attack again soon. Our options are to either show we have larger numbers now so they can’t mess with us, or we just have to somehow get rid of them.”

“Get rid of them?” Woojin spoke up, surprise clear in his voice and on his face. “Isn’t that pretty ballsy?”

“What else are we supposed to do?” Yeosang shrugged. “Wait around until they get rid of us?”

“How many of them are there?” Chan continued.

“Twelve,’ Hongjoong replied. “That’s why they targeted us, because we have smaller numbers than them.”

“Now we have seventeen,” you pointed out, looking between the alphas. “Five more than them, but considering we’re werewolves, we count as even more.”

“It’s still unsafe,” Mingi grumbled, refusing to even look at you despite he’d just acknowledged you by replying to your statement.

“Yeah, no shit,” you scoffed. “I’m just saying--”

“Well don’t,” he spat, finally looking across the table at you to send you a glare. “Why don’t you leave it to the alphas.”

Mingi was lucky that Jisung and Minho were quick, because as soon as you lunged across the table, the two were up and already blocking you from your mate so you wouldn’t tear him to shreds. Mingi, on the other hand, stood up so quickly that his chair fell backwards, growling and baring his teeth as his golden eyes began to spot red.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Yeosang sighed under his breath, rolling his eyes.

“Come on, you two are mates!” Seonghwa shouted over the commotion the two of you caused.

Both of you paused and looked away from each other to look at the dark-haired wolf, “We are not!”

And then you both looked back at each other, going back to snarling and growling because you didn’t like that you’d said the same thing at the same time. Was it childish? Yes. But this whole feud stemmed from your childhood, anyway.

“_____,” Chan said sharply at the same time Hongjoong barked, “Mingi!”

“Can you cut the shit?” Chan glared at you as he put a hand on your shoulder and pushed you back into your seat.

“Yeah, I’ll put a shock collar on you if I have to,” Hongjoong warned as Mingi’s defensive stance reluctantly relaxed.

Wooyoung stared at the table as he mumbled, “Kinky.”

“You know what,” Chan began as he looked at Hongjoong, “I think the two of you need to be forced to learn how to get along. And if you want to act like children because of some stupid childhood issues you don’t even remember, then I’m going to treat you like children.”

“But Chan--”

“Go to the living room!” he barked. “Sit on the couch.”

You sent a glare toward Mingi as Jisung and Minho let you go, the two of you trudging to the living room as you both mumbled blame to each other.

Chan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “She’s impossible.”

“Yeah well, Mingi hasn’t been such a peach lately, either,” Hongjoong grumbled. “Thank you, by the way.”

As the two alphas walked into the living room, the two packs followed behind -- with San rubbing his hands together because he’d be getting his $25 in no time. They found the two of you sitting on opposite ends of the couch, softly snarling to the other how it was the other’s fault that you were in trouble.

“Cut it out!” Hongjoong shouted, even making the rest of his pack flinch. “All of us are sick of the two of you acting like babies.”

Yunho shrugged, “I don’t know, it’s kinda fun--”

He stopped himself with one glare from his alpha.

“The two of you realize you’ll die right?” Chan asked, looking between the two of you. “I get you say you’re fine with it, but are you really willing to lose your lives because you’re too petty to admit neither of you remember why you’re mad and just love each other like your instincts tell you to?”

“When I say I’d rather die,” Mingi began in a bored tone, “I mean it.”

“And if he dies,” you piggybacked off his statement, “then you won’t have to worry about me dying, will you?”

“_____!” the way Chan shouted your name definitely reminded you of being scolded by a parent.

“Wow, it is as bad as you said,” Minho whispered to Felix, who had reported to the rest of the pack that your arguing was very dark and very immature.

“Until you two can stop being fucking morbid toward each other,” Hongjoong began, “you’re going to sit here and talk your shit through until it’s fixed!”

“So...we’re in time out?” you asked slowly.

“Act like kids, get treated like kids,” Chan shrugged with a fake sweet smile.

“The adults, will be in the kitchen making a plan,” Hongjoong told you. “So if you misbehave, we’ll know. And if I have to come in here again, you will be sorry.”

“Ooh, I’m so scared of a shock coll--”

“He’s not kidding,” Yeosang told you as the wolves began filing out of the living room now that the show was dying down.

With you and Mingi left alone on the couch now, you fell into an uncomfortable silence. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just normal uncomfortable silence where you didn’t want to be near him and you wanted nothing to do with him so you just sat there and listened to the murmurs coming from the kitchen. No, this was uncomfortable because your brain wanted Mingi to be even farther away from you, but your heart wanted you to scoot your ass closer to him. It was uncomfortable because your hand actually twitched to rest on top of his that was resting on the right edge of the middle cushion. Your instincts fought against you, and that what made it uncomfortable.

And Mingi felt the exact same way, but neither of you would admit it.

“You can’t even remember why you hate me?” Mingi scoffed under his breath. “Then why do you still have a stick up your ass after all these years?”

You whipped your head around to glare at him, “Neither do you!”

“Do so,” he frowned.

“Oh yeah? Then why do you hate me?”

Mingi opened his mouth, but no answers came out. You raised your eyebrows with a smirk, causing his frown to deepen before he lowly growled for you to shut up.

“You can’t tease me when you don’t know either,” you told him.

“I didn’t ask,” he snapped.

“But you did open your mouth for no reason,” you pointed out as your fingers mindlessly played with the strings of the rips in your jeans by your knees.

“Yeah well, you--”

You suddenly gasped, eyes widening, “The slide!”

“...Excuse me?”

Your fingers had grazed over the scar on your knee that was shaped like where you had bled when you badly skinned it in first grade. After Mingi had shoved you down the slide when you had sat down to go. You had always remembered how you’d gotten the scar, you could just never quite remember the person who had run up behind you and pushed you. But with that memory quickly flashing through your memory feeling the scar, and Mingi sitting beside you, you remembered it clearly now. Through teary eyes as a little five-year-old, you had looked up at the top of the slide to see Song Mingi scowling down at you, with Choi San watching from beside him.

You slowly turned to look at him once again, looking offended like he’d just insulted your mother, “You shoved me down the slide, you fuckbag!”

“Fuckbag?” he repeated, completely ignoring your statement.

“You pushed me down the slide in first grade, Mingi!”

You could see the gears turning in his head as the memory began to come back to him. But his look of slow realization suddenly halted and turned to one of confusion, “Wait, what? No I didn’t.”

“Yes you did!” you insisted, vividly remembering what happened. “And then you stole my snack and ate it so Mrs. Kim didn’t believe me!”

“I ate your stupid snack because you told Mrs. Kim I shoved you down the slide. She made me serve lunch detention for a week, and she called my parents.”

“Because you pushed me down the slide.”

“No I didn’t.”

You let out an annoyed huff, your head dropping back against the back of the couch. You were getting nowhere, but you didn’t understand why Mingi wouldn’t just admit he started it. He shoved you for literally no reason! And then he had the audacity to steal your snack and eat it!

“Wait...” he mumbled, staring off into space. You rolled your head to the side to look at him as the gears churned in his head again, trying to remember that day.

“Can you just admit you did it?” you groaned. “You were like, glaring at me at the top of the slide.”

“No, I was squinting down at you because the sun was in my eyes,” he corrected, speaking to you like you were stupid. “San pushed you and then hid behind me. But you told Mrs. Kim it was me, and she called my parents and I got in trouble, plus I had to serve lunch detention for a week. That’s why I don’t like you.”

“San was there, but-- ...Wait,” You lifted your head, realizing what Mingi had realized, “So...it really wasn’t you.”

Mingi pressed his lips into a thin line, shaking his head, “Nope. It was San. I didn’t even think that he unintentionally framed me. Wow...”

“Wow indeed,” you nodded slowly as you tried to process the fact that your childhood rivalry from first grade was with the wrong person. Your head whipped around to the doorway to the kitchen, “San!”

-

The next day was Sunday, and hearing the incessant banging of Mingi’s bed against the wall made everyone else cover their ears and groan. Everyone except San, who was smirking to himself as he held his hand out expectantly to Felix.

“Pay up, bud,” he said, curling his fingers a few times.

“Technically, it’s not hate-fucking, though,” Felix pointed out before cringing when he had the displeasure of hearing you whimper out Mingi’s name.

“Technically it is,” San countered. “Mingi and _____ both hate me now and still haven’t gotten over it--”

“Well it’s only been a day,” Seonghwa pointed out.

“So they technically are hate-fucking, and they always will be as long as both of them hate me,” he concluded with a bright smile. “It makes sense if you don’t think about it.”

Knowing San would manage to twist this no matter what, Felix sighed and fished out the 25 dollars. But San wouldn’t hang onto it very long, because later when you and Mingi would venture downstairs to get water and laugh because neither pack could look you in the eye right now, San would get cocky and show off the money he made off of the two of you going at it in Mingi’s room upstairs. To which Mingi would quickly snatch the money that his brother was waiving in your face.

“Hey!” San whined.

“This makes up for the recesses I missed in first grade,” he nodded, shoving the cash in the pocket of his sweatpants. “And all the moaning is going to be payback for the years ______ and I spent hating each other when she really should’ve been hating you.”

“Never too late to start, though,” you grinned, following Mingi out of the kitchen -- but not before whacking San in the back of the head.

[pattercakebakersman]

Candlelit Rat: Chapter 2

[last chapter] [fic chapter list] 

cws: mentions of child abuse and neglect, physical child abuse and food neglect (Gregory is a child abuse victim) and rat harm continuing from the last chapter. 

While no one could say Chef had done it on purpose, or that it had anything to do with the white bandage wrapped around Gregory's tail- breakfast and dinner the following day were Gregory's favourite foods.

This left all the guests who weren't avid cheese fans starving (which just meant more for Greg) and a very happy rat.

Chef was too busy in the kitchen working on the borderline inedible foods he used to torture new guests to see this though. But when it came to cooking, his precision was lacking that day. Every time he raised his knife to cut something he remembered Gregory's pained screech and almost put the blade back down. It was infuriating. All that over one rat- chefs were supposed to hate those anyway.

But the feud between chefs and rodents didn't stop him glancing at the kitchen clock far more often than usual. Gregory started his rounds at a certain time each day, and this time Chef would be waiting for him. Though he had no idea what he was actually going to say to him. Words had never been his strong point, especially not when it came to subjects completely unrelated to food.

He still hadn't figured it out when the time came and he stood near the stairs, his flame smoking from worry like one of his hated cigarettes as he waited.

He waited for much longer than expected. The evening had long turned to night and the mist that enveloped Gregory House every night had painted the graveyard outside a bleak grey by the time Chef heard Gregory's familiar shuffle on the stairs.

Chef listened out for Gregory humming to himself or quietly singing "Do you know who I am- they call me Gregory-y." under his breath but Greg was silent. He only spoke when he came around the corner and saw him.

"Oh. My my, aren't you up late, my friend. I thought late nights were bad for digestion?" Gregory said in his usual smug way.

Hell's Chef didn't say anything but his candle flame burned a little brighter when he heard Gregory's friendly tone and realised he wasn't angry at him. That or he was just hiding it well. Though he couldn't help but feel even guiltier at being called Gregory's friend when he'd done something friends should never do.

The stronger candlelight illuminated them both. Chef realised that Gregory was carrying his tail end in the same hand he uncomfortably held his own sputtering candle in, with his broom in the other. His red eyes lingered on the bandaged tail and Gregory sensed his discomfort.

"It's only a flesh wound." he tried to reassure him, "Catherine said it'll heal just fine- really she did. She even complimented your swordsmanship. Apparently she's never seen a cut so clean," he lowered his voice, "and between you and me, my friend, that syringe maniac would know! Hmhmhm!"

Normally Chef would have literally glowed at his talents receiving the recognition they deserved but this wasn't something he could ever accept a compliment for. He made a grunting noise and Gregory raised his eyebrows.

"Is there something you'd like to say to this old rat?" he asked, Chef slowly nodded.

There was a pause. Gregory patiently waited for him to speak, rather enjoying the uncharacteristically frantic look on the chef's face as he struggled to find the right words for what he wanted to say. Gregory had always liked seeing other people squirm and unfortunately for Chef he was no exception.

"Something, perhaps, about recent events?" he suggested innocently, "mayhaps regarding a… tail?" The unhappiness that was plain to read in Chef's face and body language as soon as Gregory said this didn't bring him the satisfaction he thought it would. He felt alarmed as he realised just how upset he was over this. He'd left the sanctity of his kitchen to wait for him in the drafty halls where his flame was in danger of blowing out just to apologise to him. He shouldn't have teased him like that.

"Please don't worry yourself- it doesn't even hurt me anymore. It's fine really." he said quickly but Hell's Chef interrupted him.

"I am a chef." he stated in his deep voice.

"You are?" Greg said in mock surprise, "I would have never guessed."

"I make the best cuisine. And I am a great chef." he insisted, "Great chefs are not supposed to make mistakes."

He paused again. "But I have made a bad mistake. As bad as… smoking puff puff." despite Chef's serious tone Gregory had to smile at the stupid name he had for cigarettes, "I am sorry."

His words hung in the air for a moment.

"Well…" Gregory was caught off guard. He'd never heard Chef talk so much in one go. The most he'd been expecting was a curt, professional apology, not a heart to heart between heartless monsters. "Maybe great chefs don't make mistakes but perhaps Hell's Chefs do. Besides, everyone makes mistakes my friend." Gregory said with equal sincerity. "I would say we're all only human but of course," Gregory smiled ominously, "That just wouldn't be true."

Chef's candle glowed and Gregory stood basking in his light for a while, enjoying the unexpected warmth.

"I must be continuing my rounds now." he said finally, "Farewell, my friend."

That was the first time since the incident that Chef felt he deserved to be called Gregory's friend. He happily stood aside to let the old rat pass him, still clutching his tail. That, Chef had to admit, was odd.

He pointed at it. "Why do you hold?"

"What? Oh this old thing," Gregory waggled his old withered tail, "it stings slightly when I let it drag across the floor. So I have to hold it like so. You can't imagine the inconvenience," he said self pityingly, "my rounds are going to take forever, which in a way I suppose they already do- I am trapped here for eternity after all, but even so. It's a pain."

That explained why Gregory had been later than expected. Chef tried to imagine cooking while holding something as important as Gregory's tail in one hand and he had to agree, it would make things take a lot longer.

As he thought that he suddenly had an idea. "I could hold for you."

"I'm sorry... are you asking if you can mind my poor tail for me? Hm!" Gregory said with amusement but Chef was serious as usual. "Well I suppose that would solve my little problem... Very well, here you go."

Chef held out his hands as Gregory carefully draped his bandaged tail over his palms. Chef hadn't expected it to be covered in a light dusting of fur, and he couldn't help but curiously stroke a thumb over the surface of it, marvelling at the texture. He also hadn't expected it to be so very…

"Warm…" he murmured.

"Well yes," Gregory said and Chef's flame flared with embarrassment- he didn't think he'd said it loud enough for him to hear! "It may not look it but that thing is chock full of blood vessels- Catherine would be begging to swap places with you if she only knew."

Chef remembered all the dark red blood seeping across the floorboards and his guilt returned.

"My blood goes there to cool when I get too hot." Greg continued, "Mama told me."

Chef could only nod.

"We rats are under-appreciated," Gregory lamented, "we're such a beautiful species but does anyone care? No. Oh I know all about what happens in the real world- my people have been blamed for plagues, people make rat poison and even set cats on us! Why, there's an entire profession called a rat catcher, can you imagine that? How would people feel if I started calling myself a people snatcher I wonder." Gregory was starting to get pretty worked up about the rat xenophobia he was obviously convinced existed, "I'm sure they wouldn't like it one bit."

Gregory carried on with this rant as he swept the floor. Chef simply tuned him out and focused on holding his tail. He noticed that it involuntarily twitched every time Gregory made a point he was particularly passionate about- kind of like how Chef's candle flared and sputtered when he got excited. It was a mannerism he found somehow… cute.

His eyes travelled up the tail's length and he noticed something. At the tail's base it became significantly thinner with less muscle. "Is there… blood vessel reason for that too?" Chef said bluntly, and pointed.

"-Not only that but mice… sorry what?" Gregory said distractedly, "oh, that. Well, I'd rather you not stare, my friend. I have a condition called matchstick tail."

"Matchstick… like for candle?" Chef said in confusion.

Gregory chuckled. "No no my friend. Matchstick tail is a little condition some rats have. An extreme case of square edged tail- it happens when a rat is… underfed and malnourished for a long period in his life. The tail doesn't get enough nutrients and you can see the rather unflattering result."

"You did not eat… proper food?!" Hell's Chef nearly dropped Gregory's injured tail in disgust at the man's lack of reverence for cuisine.

"It was hardly my decision," Gregory huffed, "Mama had more important matters than making sure her son got three meals a day."

"More important than Gregory?" he asked sadly. Gregory's mother, specifically the way she treated her son, was no secret to the residents of Gregory House. She didn't make any attempt to lower her voice when yelling at him and it wasn't unusual to see Gregory wandering the halls with various bruises, his empty smile etched onto his face. But though it was no secret and therefore no surprise the knowledge that Gregory's mother had treated him like that since he was a child was still hard to process.

While Hell's Chef knew that logically speaking, he must've been a human guest at the house at one point his memories of reality had long been severed. Just as the memories of all the residents who eventually returned to Gregory House were. But even though he couldn't remember his own childhood or mother and was now a literal demon, he somehow knew deep in his heart that this was not how children were meant to be treated.

"Yes," Gregory spat, "More important than me…"

There was a silence broken only by the sound of Gregory angrily sweeping. Chef thought to himself as he carefully held the tail about what Gregory had told him. While Gregory enjoyed pretending to be friendly and close to everyone he met, this was one of the few times Chef had felt actually close to him. As in… genuinely close. Not as a victim of Gregory's mind games, or even as a colleague. But on some other level.

Gregory had chosen to confide in him specifically. He couldn't help but feel like he'd been given important information- like a secret recipe. And he had to make the most of it while he had it.

"I can give you good food." he said slowly.

"Are you offering to feed me?" Gregory smiled, "Well… I suppose I did appreciate the "I'm sorry I cut your only tail off" cheeses. I just might take you up on that offer." Gregory added, "though you may live to regret it."

Gregory finished sweeping and gestured for Chef to follow him, carrying his tail behind him. Chef was standing right behind him and he could feel each careful step he took as he followed him. He almost laughed at how ridiculous their procession must look to anyone watching.

"Hmhm we must look pretty stupid." he giggled.

"We are not stupid," Chef said defensively, "we are… just friends…"

Gregory almost stopped at that. He didn't know where he'd picked the habit of calling everyone he met some sort of affectionate pet name, but he'd had it for as long as he could remember. If he was asked he'd probably say that it made the guests even more uncomfortable than they already were, but of course that didn't explain why he was so affectionate with everyone. If he was being honest he'd say the truth, that he'd been starved of the kindness he gave other people and growing up a lonely little boy, friends was all he'd ever really wanted. The way he acted- being so nice, calling people "friend"- it was all pretend. And he knew that, but it was nice to pretend. Gregory House was just one big illusion, one big game of pretend. He couldn't deny that he played it too. It was nice to pretend he had people who cared about him.

It was like ever since childhood there had been a hole inside him that his mother's love should've filled, and there was no lie he wouldn't tell himself to make it feel just a little bit less empty.

But this was no lie. And in all his years living in this place, no one had ever called him friend.

"Yes..." Gregory smiled genuinely for the first time in what felt like years, "I suppose we are friends."

[next chapter]

[joviewinchester]

25 Days of Christmas Special!

Oh my god. He’s so pretty. I need help. My mom literally told me I’m gonna end up marrying a criminal one day and I was like. Oh. Thanks, mom. We have good times. Like if I shift to the Vampire Diaries you best bet I am going to marry a criminal but like here, eh. Maybe. I’m probably on the FBI watchlist at this point. Side note, I love Caroline but she’s getting hard core dissed in this thing so like I guess that’s a warning. Also sorry that this one is a day late. I had writers block.

3.) Secret Santa

“Why did you invite him?” Caroline asked Y/N quietly.

“I don’t know why it’s such a big deal to you. He was literally trapped alone in a prison world for years of his life. He hasn’t had any pleasant Christmases.”

“Oh, I don’t know why I’d be upset that you brought a sociopath that murdered his entire family.”

“Yeah. I don’t know why you’d be upset either but we’re all here for secret Santa, so I guess you’ll just have to deal with it.” Y/N sassed.

“Yeah. Merry freaking Christmas. I have a sociopath and Damon Salvatore in our house. Our house Y/N. Ours.”

“You really shouldn’t be upset. I’m pretty sure l am the only person in this house right now who hasn’t killed someone. Also, you literally look like you want to murder me right now, so you and Kai have more in common than I thought.” Y/N said. She patted her older sister on the back before leaving the kitchen where Caroline insisted on a sidebar.

As Y/N walked into the sitting room, she heard Caroline groan in frustration.

“You do know that more than half of the room heard that conversation, right?” Damon asked as Y/N sat in between him and Kai.

“Yep. Do I care? No.”

“I think you’ve been hanging around those two too much, Y/N.” Bonnie said gesturing towards Damon and Kai.

“That hurts Bon Bon. It hurts.” Damon said sarcastically placing his hand over his chest. Bonnie smiled but rolled her eyes.

“Well, now you made Caroline into the Grinch, so hopefully she doesn’t take it out on the rest of us.” Elena said.

“I heard that!” Caroline yelled from the kitchen. They all laughed under their breath. Seconds later Caroline came out of the kitchen carrying cookies, a light scowl planted on her face. It soon turned into a fake smile, you know one of those scary Caroline fake smiles.

“Hmm. I’m fine. I’m totally fine. This’ll be the best secret Santa ever. Who knows? Might even top Friendsgiving where Jo almost died on the couch. Such low expectations to meet. It has to be better, right? Right?”

“Okay. Okay. Let’s just put down the hot tray of cookies. That’s it.” Stefan said patting her on the shoulder.

Caroline let out a sigh, trying to calm herself. “So, let’s get started.”

The tension in the air was thick. Kai hadn’t said a word. Every time Y/N looked over he was on Twitter. At one point she almost laughed because she saw him looking at Ralph Macchio’s Twitter.

“Okay so, everyone knows how this works right? Give the person’s name you drew last week the gift. It’s simple seriously. If you don’t know how this works you’re an idiot.” Caroline said.

“Okay. So, the passive aggressive attitude hasn’t passed has it?” Y/N asked.

Caroline rolled her eyes. “Let’s just get this over with. Also, I’d appreciate if you found somewhere else to stay at tonight.”

“Rude. Yo, Damon, can I stay in one of the spare bedrooms tonight?”

“Sure. Problem solved blondie.” He said addressing Caroline in her least favorite way. She scoffed.

“I don’t get a say? It’s my house too.” Stefan chimed in.

“Do you have something to say to me there, Stef?” Y/N asked.

“No, I would just like for my brother to console me before having someone spend the night in my house.”

“Our house Stefan. Ours.”

“Oh lovely. Just what we need! Another sibling feud!” Elena exlclaimed.

“Okay, you know what? I’m just gonna go. I don’t want in the middle of this whatsoever. Elena, are you coming?” Bonnie asked.

“Don’t have to ask me twice.” She said following Bonnie out the door.

“Great! Look what you did, Y/N!”

“What I did?! You’re the one that’s being a bitch!”

“You did not just go there!”

“I’m the oldest one Stefan! I make the decisions!”

“Well you sure don’t act like it, Damon!”

The arguments overlapped as Kai stood in the corner observing.

“Heh. Just how Christmas was at my house.” Kai smirked to himself.

Kai didn’t quite catch what was said that caused it to happen, but Y/N punched Caroline in the face.

She gasped popping her broken nose back in place. “Jerk!” She exclaimed.

“Bitch!” Y/N said back. She flipped her off and ran upstairs. Minutes later she came back down carrying a bag of essentials. “Have fun telling mom why I’m not home by curfew, you dumbass! Come on, Kai.”

He chuckled to himself a bit, then followed her. Not long after, they had arrived at Kai’s apartment.

“You coming in or what? You’re staying here now right?” He asked.

“I was just gonna like sleep in my car, but since your offering…”

“You’re welcome anytime your sister’s being stuck up and bitchy.”

“Oh so literally 24/7? Thanks.” She joked.

“Sorry you had to listen to that.” She muttered as they entered the building.

“Eh. I’m used to it.”

They entered his apartment. Y/N threw her stuff beside the couch. There was an awkward moment of silence before Kai broke it.

“I’m hungry. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah. You wanna go to the Grill or something?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

They drove to the Grill and entered to see Damon at the bar drinking whiskey. What else was new?

“Stef kick you out of the house?” Y/N joked.

“Oh ha ha, Y/N. No, I just don’t want to deal with his bullshit. Well, would you look at that? You brought the psychopath with you.”

“Sociopath.” Kai corrected. The door swung open revealing Bonnie and Elena.

“Wow. We all try to avoid each other and end up in the same place.” Elena said.

“Well, merry freaking Christmas and a happy new year. My sister hates me. It’s 7:00 pm and I’m drinking. And I haven’t even stabbed anyone with a candy cane yet. I’ve always wanted to do that.” She mumbled the last sentence to herself. She downed a shot.

“Also you aren’t even 21 and are drinking in a public place.” Elena added. Y/N glared at her.

“You know, I’m starting to worry about your violent tendencies.” Bonnie stated.

“I think it suits her.” Damon smirked.

“I definitely agree with Damon for once in my life. It’s hot.”

Y/N elbowed Kai in the ribs.

“Ow. Why didn’t he get elbowed?” Kai complained.

“He wasn’t flirting with me.”

Y/N ordered some chicken strips and French fries from Matt.

“You’re such a child.” Damon said. “Oh I’m sorry I would rather eat chicken strips than a salad or a blood bag. I’m not a vampire or a real adult, Damon. You should know that by now.”

“Oh yeah. I forgot in the midst of everything. Merry Christmas, Kai.” Y/N handed him a Walkman and a cassette. “I made you a mixtape. I understand if you don’t like use it or anything but…”

“No, Y/N, I like it. Thanks…Wow. Ugh, I’m having that mushy feeling again. Gross. Feelings are hard.”

Bonnie and Elena gave each other a look. “Damon, let’s go play pool or something.” Bonnie said. Her and Elena forced him to get up.

Once they got over to the pool table, Damon glared at them. “No. No. No. We were doing damage control. Are you two seriously going to let your best friend fall in love with him?”

“Look, this could potentially make him less of a threat. Wouldn’t you like to let the issue fix itself for once? Kai has feelings now. He is in love with her. We keep it that way, he might not go on another murderous rampage.”

“How did you say that so nonchalantly? He has feelings because he literally killed his brother.” Damon said gesturing toward him.

“Oh god. They’re making out. That is literally disgusting. How are you all okay with this?”

“I don’t want to do something for once. I agree with Elena. Let the problem fix itself.” Bonnie said.

“You know what? Fine. I won’t interfere. I’ll just be watching. I’ll l be waiting because sooner or later this is going to bite you both in the ass, just like when she was with Kol. The cycle is repeating, and I’m not helping this time when you just ‘leave it alone’”

Damon left, and Bonnie and Elena both shrugged and started playing pool. “Merry Christmas Elena.” “Merry Christmas Bonnie.”