#and this is just a funny silly accidental meeting haha

[kezoire]

@saburaito // the really dangerous people believe they are doing whatever they are doing solely and only because it is—without question—the right thing to do, and that is what makes them dangerous.

the scent of blood — copper notes had long overstayed its welcome in kezo's presence, though he garnered it would take more than two showers to truly get it off his skin. it stained him like a second shell, splattered across his chin, dripping down his neck onto a shirt he'd toss as soon as he got home. he'd never gotten used to it, even as it felt less like the remnants of whatever target he'd had the pleasure of shredding from the inside out in place of an exorcism. “ this about you or me ? ” head shook out the small bits of hair that'd been blocking his view, now clinging to the side of his skull. “ i mean — ” laughter escaped from the hallows of covered larynx, though it was filled with mirth and more air than sound. “ is it the blood and the body ? hope he didn't mean anything to you, business is business. you know. ”

he could say precisely what the average person would think — the carcass by his foot was just a target that would do more damage to others if he didn't die. that was what kezo used to tell himself in the beginning when he carried out his jobs. now it was just an added benefit for the tale, but it didn't matter to him anymore. he reached into his back pocket to pull out some napkins he'd taken from a diner earlier, starting to wipe at the mess on his hands, all without breaking his attention from sabu.

[always-just-red]

I loved the Drunked Call with Sylus scenario you made! I like the way you write it and I see you accepting request hehe. Can I request about... Sylus, Zayne and Caleb reaction meeting fem!reader, dates or accidentally met (you name it) and they noticed her long hair has been attached with chewed bubblegum? some kid pulled a prank on her before and she didn't even aware of it

Aw thank you so much!! 💕 I did different pranks for each of the boys just to keep things interesting- I hope you don't mind! They're all equally silly haha, and I had SO much fun writing them. Added Xavier and Raf for good measure, too!

It's Just Not Your Day...

L&DS Boys (& Caleb!) x Reader

Summary: It's you against the kids of Linkon City, and guess what? The kids are winning.

Genre: Humour + fluff!

Warnings/Additional tags: gn!reader, established relationship, swearing, canon pet names, reader gets a little stressed (and with some of these boys you can understand why 🙃)

| Word count: 4k | Masterlist | Opt-in to my taglist here!

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Love and Deepspace. All work is my own, so please don't repost or plagiarise!

Xavier ⭐

One of the perks of being a Deepspace Hunter is the way people look at you. You’re used to respect: appreciative nods and gestures, wide-eyed admiration. You’re out in Linkon almost every day, putting your life on the line for everyone in the city. You’re a hero, right?

So why is everyone looking at you so… funny?

“Xavier,” you speak in a hushed whisper, tugging at the sleeve of your partner’s uniform. “I don’t like this. Something weird is going on.”

He yawns. “What do you mean?”

Can he really not see it? Sure enough, a businessman strolls past you, his eyes locked on you as he frowns, mid-telephone call. You think he even stumbles on his words. “Just look around,” you whisper again. Someone is watching you from across the street, their head cocked.   

Xavier is already looking around. You’re on patrol; that’s sort of the point. But he trusts you, so he follows your instruction: casting his sky-blue eyes around a little more carefully. They narrow. “Sorry,” he says, because you’re usually on the same page, “what are you talking about exactly?”

You fold your arms impatiently. “People are looking at us, Xavier.”

“Oh, I…” he seems to hesitate, “I think they’re just looking at you.”

The words could be romantic, but you don’t get the impression they’re intended to be. He’s implying something. He’s uncertain. “What makes you say that?” you ask, hands moving to your hips.

He shifts awkwardly on his feet. “I think it’s your, you know—” his finger waggles in front of his mouth.

You don’t know. “My what?”

“Your moustache.”

“What?”

Your hand shoots to your upper lip, but you don’t feel anything out of the ordinary. Xavier is staring, though, so you reach for your phone and turn the camera on yourself.

A black, cartoon-villain moustache has been sketched onto your face.

You gape at your reflection. “H— how…?” you stutter, tracing your new feature. Then a memory of this morning flashes through your mind: how you’d fallen asleep on the train to work. How there were those two schoolkids, sniggering, when you’d woken up just in time for your stop. Ugh. Really?

Wait— this morning?!

“Xavier!” you exclaim, turning to him like you’d just found his sword in your back. “Why didn’t you say something?”

It’s just gone three in the afternoon, and he’s been with you for hours. “I thought you knew,” he mumbles, rubbing his neck gingerly.

“You thought I…” You’re too bewildered, too betrayed to repeat it fully. Worst of all you feel guilty; how the hell can he look so freaking innocent? You turn back to your phone, desperately trying to rub the ink from your skin. It doesn’t budge. It doesn’t fade.

“Are you ok?” Xavier asks.

Of course you’re not ok, you feel like an idiot. Your cheeks are hot and the redness is spreading to the rest of your face as you fail to reclaim any of your dignity. “No,” you spit back, “honestly, Xavier, how could you just let me walk around like I’m some kind of—”

You glance up to discover he’s no longer listening. He’s not even here; he’s over there, talking to an old man who’s sat completing a sudoku. Great. Wonderful. Why not? At least one of you is making a good impression on the citizens of Linkon City.

With your eyes close to watering, you have one last, futile attempt at wiping the moustache from your upper lip. It’s not working. Gods, you’re gonna be stuck like this, aren’t you?

Someone taps you on the shoulder, and you look up to see Xavier, back at your side. He smiles reassuringly, sporting a drawn-on moustache of his own. The ends of it are curled even more theatrically than yours.

“Xavier…” you half-laugh in surprise, your eyes watering even more. “Why would you—? Now we both look stupid.”

“I look stupid,” he corrects, running a thumb over your wet cheek. “You look really pretty, moustache or not.”

Zayne ❄

“What… happened?”

You sit across from Zayne on a picturesque park bench, like something from a postcard: blue sky stretched above, wildflowers sprouting from the grass below. Birds are singing, butterflies are flittering about, and even the doctor looks perfect— unmarred by the first half of his work day, no matter how stressful it’s been.

It’s a fairy tale you covet: a little reunion with the man you love, on the odd occasion where your lunchbreaks match up and he isn’t drowning in paperwork. And it would be a fairy tale, if it wasn’t for you. You— your uniform soaked and your hair dripping wet. The wooden bench has gone damp beneath you; you’ve literally only just sat down.

“Gee, I don’t know, Zayne,” you hiss, face almost buried in your phone, “what do you think?”

Not too far away from you, some kids are locked in a water-gun battle, their shrieks of laughter loud and infuriating. Zayne glances between you and them, making his deductions. “Why—” he starts.

“Doesn’t matter,” you sniff, wiping your forehead with the back of your sleeve. “They messed with the wrong person, and we’re gonna make sure they know it.”

“We’re going to?”  

“Yeah. Me and you. That a problem?”

You shoot him a glare that sends a shiver down even his spine. “No,” he answers quickly— a survival instinct, uncharacteristically submissive— but his composure returns as you turn back to your phone. “Haven’t you got—”

Another dark look.

“Haven’t we got better things to do than start a war with some children in the park?”

“Not really. Justice is justice.” You shrug before pointing a finger at yourself. “Deepspace hunter.” Then at him. “Cardiac surgeon. Precision is kind of our thing, right? They really don’t stand a chance.” You’re laughing, now: “Gods, I almost feel sorry for them.”

Zayne has been watching your descent into madness with a calmness that does him credit. When he interrupts, it’s gentle. “I don’t think—”

Too gentle; you don’t hear him. “Pick your poison, Dr. Zayne!” Your phone is angled at him to reveal the all-too accessible armoury of an online store. “You’ve got your standard water pistols. Your water blasters.” You’re scrolling and indicating his choices as though you’re the salesman. “This one has two options, single shot or power shot, and— ooh! Look at this one! The AquaJet3000!”

With a soft laugh, Zayne pushes your phone out of his face. He would buy anything you’re selling, although— having seen the prices on your screen— he knows he’d be bankrupt within a week. “Linkon City is fortunate to have you defending it, and whilst I would be honoured, as always, to fight at your side, I was hoping we could… relax. You’re on a break, remember?”

You pout as he peels a wet strand of hair from your cheek. “Justice doesn’t take breaks.”

“Well, justice is going to have to on this occasion, because I said so.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” he chuckles. “Besides, you shouldn’t fight fire with fire, or water with water. A lot of people look up to you, you know. Me included. So, set a better example. Save violence for the Wanderers.”  

It ought to be patronising: him, lecturing you on right and wrong when you’ve already added three types of water-gun to your virtual cart. He’s always so righteous. So collected. So moral. You want to be mad at him, but how can you be when he’s looking at you like that? Like he thinks the world of you, even when you’re plotting revenge against ten-year-olds.

You have a point to make, so you fold your arms and turn your back on him, even though he’s making your heart feel so frustratingly warm and fuzzy.

“I have something for you,” he says quietly.

To hell with the point. “What is it?” you ask, spinning eagerly around.

He smiles as he retrieves something he’d concealed behind him. It’s a small-ish box, pale pink, with patterns printed to emulate white lace. There’s a logo in the centre and you recognise it at once. “No way,” you enthuse, “that new bakery finally opened?”

You’ve both been waiting for months. “I couldn’t resist when I saw it,” he confirms, lifting the lid. Inside sit two unbelievably pretty cupcakes, buttercream icing spiralled high and adorned with sprinkles of gold leaf. Zayne plucks one from the box. “Perhaps—” he offers it to you— “perhaps this can make you feel better? Without us needing to, well… attack children.”

You giggle; it does sound pretty stupid when he puts it like that. “Thanks, Zayne,” you grin, reaching out for your reward. You’re glad one of you is vaguely sensible— those water-guns were expensive.

The cake is an inch from your fingers when a jet of water sends it flying from Zayne’s hand. It lands at your feet with an unceremonious splat, and from somewhere behind you, laughter roars.

The doctor blinks down at it in disbelief, his hand still hovering beside yours. He grieves for a long moment, then looks to you solemnly like you’re a colleague and he’s about to ask for a scalpel:

“The AquaJet3000,” he says.  

Rafayel 🎨

“Rafayel, call me stupid one more time, and I’ll—”

You’ll… you’ll… what? He’s looking back at you with wide eyes, his hands frozen when they had just a moment ago been drying the plate you’d handed him. He has some nerve, pretending he’s the victim when he’s spent the entire evening insulting you. This is supposed to be a wholesome moment of domesticity— doing the dishes together before he has to disappear to a late-night gala— so why is he ruining it? Ever since you got home, it’s been: so how was your day, stupid? Hey, stupid, want a hand washing up?

He said he was fine with you sitting out the gala tonight, but maybe he’s not.

“I’ll do this,” you finish, lifting a palmful of suds from the sink and raising them to your lips, ready to blow.

“Puh-lease, you bought me this suit. You really think I can’t tell when you’re bluff— hey, wait! Stop!”

You do blow the bubbles at him, and he recoils, holding the plate and dishcloth up to defend himself. He blocks some of them, but not all of them. “Honestly, Raf, if you’re not ok with me skipping out on tonight then you can just say so.”  

He puts the plate gently aside. “I mean, of course I’m sad you’re not coming,” he thinks aloud as he sets about sweeping bubbles from his suit, “but I’m ok with it, really. You’ve had, like, a crazy week at work. You deserve a quiet night in.”

Compassion? Really? After you just—? Ugh. “So why were you being so mean, then?” you sigh, taking the cloth from him and dabbing away the bubbles he’s missed.

“Mean?”

“You’ve called me ‘stupid’ like fifty times in the span of, what— three hours?”

“Yeah,” he shrugs innocently. “Because you told me to.”

Huh? You stop what you’re doing. “Since when did I—”

He reaches over your shoulder and you feel fingers on your back. “See?” he answers, bringing a piece of paper in front of you. It looks like it’s been torn hastily from a notebook, and it says, in bold, capital letters: ‘CALL ME STUPID!!’

You take the note from Rafayel sheepishly, your lips parted in surprise. How did it—? Wait. “Those kids!” you exclaim, thinking back on your walk home from work. “Oh I knew they were spouting bullshit when they said they saw a Wanderer!”

Your dish-washing companion doesn’t seem impressed by your lightbulb moment. He’s watching you, confusion etched across his face, but you can see right through it. “Rafayel!” you slap a soapy hand to his chest, “you had to call me stupid that many times before telling me?”

“I thought you wrote it. Pet names can be weird sometimes— I don’t know what you’re into.”

He’s still acting. Still lying. Fine, two can play at that game.  

You fall deathly silent, turning back to the sink to retrieve the bowl you’d dropped in there the last time he’d called you your new ‘pet name’. “I guess it suits me,” you mumble, half to yourself.

“What d’you mean, cutie?”

He can call you cutie as many times as he wants; you’re out for blood. You give the bowl another once-over with a sponge. “Some hunter I am. Can’t even tell when some kids are messing with me.”

Rafayel frowns. “Hey, it’s been a long week, yeah? You’re just tired.”

“Tired,” you echo, and you drop the bowl back into the water with a dramatic plop. “Tired? No. I’m exhausted. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I work, there’s always… something. To make me feel like an idiot. To make me feel… stupid.”

“Hey,” Rafayel tries again, and his voice is fraught with worry. “Don’t say stuff like that. You’re not stupid. I’m stupid. I’m supposed to make you feel better and instead I was just screwing around. I’m sorry, ok? Don’t be sad. Please?”

He wraps his arms around you and pulls you close, resting his chin on the top of your head. You don’t give in, not at first, but then you hug him back. “Thanks, Raf. I’m ok— really.” You hear his phone buzz from where he’s left it on the counter. “You should go. Thomas will kill you if you’re late.”

“Nah, he needs me,” the artist chuckles. “You get first dibs, though. You sure you don’t want me to stay?”

“Yeah,” you laugh quietly back; your heart not quite in it. “Quiet night in, remember? Go on. Go.”

He steps away from you, though not before planting a light kiss on your cheek. “I’ll make it up to you when I get home,” he says, collecting his phone and the rest of his things. He gives you another kiss when he’s done, dodging your efforts to shoo him away. “Miss you already, cutie.”

“Go!”

And he does as he’s told this time, no matter how listlessly. It’s sweet he wants to stay and make things better, but he already has— he just doesn’t know it yet. It wasn’t the hug. It wasn’t the apology. You lean back against the counter with a smirk, savouring the view as he leaves.

It might have something to do with the note you’ve stuck on his back.

…

Rafayel retrieves the note the moment he closes the door behind him, stuffing it smugly into his pocket. He’ll have a story ready for you, by the time he gets home, about just how much you humiliated him. About how he walked around for a good hour before Thomas spotted the note and gave him a lecture about his ‘image’.

He smiles to himself; he’s a really good boyfriend.

Sylus 🩸

“You should know better than to keep me waiting, sweetie.”

Oh, great. This is just what you need.

You peek over the saddle of your motorcycle from where you’re crouched behind it. “Hey, Sylus,” you greet. The man is watching you, his arms folded. “Yeah, sorry.”

“Sorry?” he repeats, an eyebrow raised sceptically. “What— no ‘patience is a virtue, Sylus,’ no ‘oh please, Sylus, we both know you’ve nothing better to do?’”

You had disappeared behind your bike again, but you steal another glance at him. “Wow,” you marvel, “is this what you did before we met? Have arguments with yourself?”

“More or less,” he smiles dryly, then shrugs: “I’m not bad, as far as sparring partners go. You of all people can vouch for that. Besides, what were my other options? Mephisto?” He laughs. “Luke and Kieran?” He laughs harder.

“I’d rate Mephisto above you,” you add distractedly, no longer looking at him.

“Is that right?” he purrs, and it’s very obvious he doesn’t believe you.

He sounds close— too close— so you stand, re-entering his eyeline so he doesn’t come closer. Gods, this is embarrassing. Those stupid kids; he’s gonna have a field day if he finds out. “Yeah.” You wipe your hands slowly with a cloth, disguising the fact that your mind is scrambling. “The things that bird comes up with, just… scathing, honestly. Emotionally devastating.”

“Oh really?” Sylus tuts. “That’s awful. I can’t imagine where he gets it from.”

You smile back at him, resting your hands on your hips. You do feel bad, actually; you’d completely forgotten you were supposed to meet him this morning for breakfast before work. He’d received no texts to cancel. No calls. How long was he waiting at that sweet little café you’d picked out?

Then again, this morning isn’t really going to your plan, either.

“Something wrong with your bike?” he asks, because he’s already figured out that much. “Besides the usual, I mean.”

Your smile drops. Your whole act drops. “It’s nothing, Sylus.”

“You’ve already stood me up this morning, sweetie. Are you really going to lie to me, too?”

You let out an exasperated sigh. Fine. “Some kids graffitied it, ok?”

“This piece of junk? Really?” He toes the front wheel of it, then catches onto the withering look you’re sending him. “Oh no,” he tries again, with absolutely no enthusiasm, “what a dreadful crime against such an advanced, state-of-the-art vehicle.”

Prick. You keep the label behind tight lips as he wanders around the motorcycle to join you, assessing the damage. You’re stood by a bucket of water and the litany of rags you’ve used to try to scrub it clean— each one a testament to your failure. The sight alone makes you want to burst into tears. The skin of your hands is pink. Raw.

You feel cheated; you wish you were at that café right now.

Sylus taps a finger against his cheek, eyes narrowed pensively. They’re spoiled for choice of what to look at: misspelt obscenities, a generous number of crude symbols. All in permanent marker, naturally. “An improvement, wouldn’t you say?”

“I wouldn’t say. No.”

“Art is subjective.”

“Yeah? So is your face.” Not your best effort. Sylus glances up at you, amused. “Shut up,” you dismiss proactively. “Besides, this is my work vehicle. I can’t ride around Linkon on this. It would be—”

“Too staggering a blow to your professional reputation,” he finishes like he’s bored.

“This isn’t funny, Sylus.”

He points at a particularly chaotic drawing of a penis. “It is.”

You smack his hand away. “It’s not.” Your voice wobbles, ever so slightly betraying you. This is serious; you could get in trouble. You stare down at the graffiti, despair setting in.

Keys dangle in front of your eyes. “Here. Borrow my bike.”

“You’re joking, right?” You swat at them. “You really think that’s gonna help? Me— rolling up to work on a bike that costs twice my annual salary?”

“Twice? That’s cute, kitten.”

You glare at him, any guilt you felt about standing him up long gone. “Can you just stop? Being you? For like, two seconds? Please? This is the last thing I need today, Sylus. I’m gonna be late. I’m gonna embarrass myself in front of everyone. And worst of all? I was actually looking forward to seeing you this morning. Before all of this—” you gesture dejectedly at your bike— “all of this shit happened.”

Sylus is looking back at you, his arms crossed again. He does nothing for a few, slow seconds, and it’s just long enough to make you feel like you’re overreacting. Then he leans over, running a hand across your bike, and you watch as the graffiti flakes and lifts, turning to ash under the influence of his Evol.

He brushes his hands together when he’s done, straightening with a hmph and a self-satisfied smirk. Content (more than content— thoroughly impressed with himself) he turns back to you. Your bottom lip has dropped in surprise and he chuckles, reaching a finger to lift your chin. “You can thank me later, sweetie, and I intend to spend the entire day thinking about how you might. Don’t disappoint me, hmm?”  

You’re still silent, and it takes him a moment to realise you’re bristling with something other than awe and adoration. He frowns. “Sweetie?”

The second ‘sweetie’ breaks you, and not in the way he wants. You slap his chest, hard; he doesn’t really feel it.

“Sylus! You could have done that the whole time?!”

Caleb 🍎

“Sit still, dear.”

Sit still? How are you supposed to sit still when you’re brimming with rage? Every inch of your body is tense, waiting, yearning for you to spring into action. It wants you to retaliate. It wants revenge.

“I can’t, Grandma,” you whine, crossing your arms as if to hold yourself back. You’re still fidgeting on the chair as she navigates your hair with her scissors. “This sucks. Everything sucks. The only thing that could make this worse is if—”

You hear the front door swing open, then closed. Why couldn’t you keep your mouth shut?

Sure enough, Caleb strolls into the kitchen mere moments later. “What’s happenin’ here?” he asks, dropping a bag of groceries onto the countertop.

“Nothing,” you mumble. “Grandma’s giving me a haircut, that’s all.”

“Ok. So what’s actually happening here?” he tries again. He’s known you forever, after all; he can tell when you’re lying.

You swing a foot out at his shin as he tries to step closer. Nuh-uh. No investigating. No sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. “Nothing,” you hiss again. “Gods, Caleb. What’s your problem?”

“You’re my problem, pipsqueak.” He uses his foot to push yours away. “At least Gran’s on my side—” his amethyst eyes seek her— “can you tell me what’s going on? Please? Pretty please?”

A hand breaks their eye contact. “You don’t have to answer that, Grandma.” You glare Caleb down. “The DAA has no authority here.”

“It does.”

“It doesn’t.”

“It does.”

“It doesn’t.”

Grandma sighs; she’s had far too many years of this. “You know Mr and Mrs. Lee’s children? Down the road? Well, they—”

“Grandma!” You round on her. How long did she last— all of three seconds? You bitterly regard Caleb, your voice dark with resentment: “They put gum in my hair, ok?”

“Really?”

“Yeah." He wanted the truth, didn’t he? “They lured me in with some nonsense about a Wanderer. I didn’t realise until, well, until…” You wave at your hair. “Too late.”

He considers the story, then shrugs. It’s clearly not as thrilling as he was anticipating, because he disappears from the kitchen, leaving you and Grandma in peace once more. The silence is as uncomfortable as it is sudden. You’d expected laughter— a lot of laughter. Teasing. Maybe even a shot at how gullible you are.

You release an uneasy breath, resting your head back on the chair.

“Sit still,” Grandma repeats, nudging you, prompting you to sit up straight. “I’ve almost got it. Just one more… here!” There’s a decisive snip.

“Thanks, Grandma.” You slump again, staring up at the ceiling.

You’re not sure what you’re waiting for. Maybe for the blush of your cheeks to cool, or for a Wanderer to spring out of the floor, killing you, so you can be dead and not so embarrassed. You hear heavy footsteps— Caleb returning— and you really wish the Wanderer would hurry up.

“Caleb…” Grandma’s tone is wary. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?”  

You readjust your head so you can look at him. He’s clutching what must be a dozen rolls of toilet paper; they’re piled up to just below his chin, almost spilling out over his arms. “How about it, pipsqueak?” he asks as he struggles to balance them. “A little team-up between the DAA and The Association— wanna do your part in reclaiming your neighbourhood?”

Now that’s more like it. “Fuck yes! Sorry, Grandma.”

You’re really as bad as each-other. She tuts reproachfully as you leap out of your chair, and she's disappointed, but not surprised.

[koolades-world]

Silly resquest: yk when MC is teleported to the council in lesson 1 and meets everyone? Diavolo and the brothers (-Belphie bc he was locked in the attic of course pff) reacting to MC being a serial killer who had just murdered someone before being summoned to the devildom 💀

Like, blood in their clothes, holding a knife or something, very unfazed by the fact that they're meeting demons

haha hello! sure thing :)

this is so funny, love this. silly indeed, maybe even silly goofy

enjoy, this was fun to write!

Serial Killer Mc arrived to the Devildom

Lucifer

of course with his luck he got a human like you haha

he’s quick to take the knife off you despite your protesting

he’s glad you’re not afraid but you seem almost too comfortable in the presence of so many powerful demons

then he realizes he has to welcome you into his home… oh it’s going to be a long year

Mammon

he’s not quite sure how to feel about you but he can’t show his fear

humans can smell fear… or was that dogs?

he’s supposed to be bossing you around but it seems like the other way since you drag him where you want to go

unwilling but great tour guide, just make sure to bring your knife to wave at him haha

Levi

are all humans are like this? he hasn’t met many and he knows media about them isn’t always accurate

but this one? he’s sure that’s not all humans, but not that Solomon is a better example

he does really want to get you to rate murder and gore scenes though, since you know from experience

what a bonding experience!

Satan

he likes how bothered lucifer is by you

you and him could talk for hours about past kills!

after chatting, you discover you’ve actually met

right after the kill you accidentally summoned him with the blood splatter patterns, aww what a meet cute haha

Asmo

he’s into it LOL expect him to be attached to you like a shadow from day one

once you get closer, he really wants to learn more about your methods

maybe exchange tips, and do favors for each other in exchange for help cleaning up the crime scenes haha

the only rule is no pics during crimes haha even if they might be super cute

Beel

unfazed king

he’s got no reason to be afraid of you and will treat you all the same

unless you stab someone from his family, he honestly doesn’t care

if you need help cleaning up a body though, he might be able to help you /j

Diavolo

he won’t let this shatter his dreams of the program

in fact, he thinks it might help you fit in more and keep lower demons from even thinking about going after you

he still welcomes you with open arms

although he does request you get cleaned up and put the knife away through haha

[dontremembermejust]

Wolfwren crack/fluff fanfic (or fanart) prompts

I need more wholesome/funny fanfics of Sabine and Shin. Feel free to write any of these prompts. All I ask if you tag me and send me a link so I can read it. Thank you!

- Shin speaking Mando’a which surprises Sabine

- Shin being surprisingly good at art. She draws Sabine when she isn’t looking and Sabine finds the drawing.

- Shin and Sabine time travel

- Shin and Sabine switch bodies

- Sabine takes shin dancing. Shin never danced before. I need a dancing fic.

- Wolfwren handcuffed together and going on a crazy journey to remove it.

- Shin, Sabine, and Ezra babysit Jacen

- Shin, Sabine, and Ezra babysit GROGU. (Imagine Sabine meeting Grogu for the first time. Sabine is a Mandalorian becoming a Jedi. Grogu is a Jedi becoming a Mandalorian)

- I’ve seen a lot of fix’s of Shin taking refuge with Sabine and Ahsoka. Itd be cool if there was a fix of Sabine taking refuge at Shin’s camp.

- Shin is Sabine’s plus one to Zeb and Kallus wedding. (You can see the parallels: Zeb and Kallus were stranded on a planet together too)

- Ghost crew reunite.

- Kanan meeting Shin.

- Sabine giving Shin a tattoo or vice versa.

- Ice skating fanfic!

- “You know how to clean a crime scene but not the dishes”

- Shin: “I’m grateful to share the same galaxy with you.”

- “You’re hot.” “oh?” “I just said that out loud didn’t I?”

- Person A laying their head on Person B’s stomach

- Accidental hand touching

- Drunk/high Sabine and Shin

- Wolfwren making bets or doing a fun competition

- Shin being buddies with Ezra. Sabine’s heart is warmed by her two favourite people getting along.

- Ezra, Sabine, and Shin just doing fun and silly things together.

- Cooking together or for each other

- Sabine painting Shin

- AU: what if Sabine was Baylan’s apprentice while Shin was Ashoka’s apprentice?

- chopper and Ezra meddling: they try to bring a clueless Sabine and Shin together.

- shin trying to meditate but Sabine is really distracting her haha

- Sabine and Shin making new lightsabers together.

- Cuddling! Ponchos! Shin booping Sabine’s nose!

- Everyone finds out about Shin and Sabine’s relationship (in a funny way. Like how in Friends, they find out about a certain relationship - S5 Ep14)

- Shin or Sabine singing

- FakeDating! Or FakeMarried!

- Swimming in the Living Waters of Mandalorian

Bonus Angst prompt: “I love you.” “It’ll pass” (inspired by Fleabag)

[xerith-42]

Elaborates

(@co1n-operated @t4tdanvis @mortalcomplaints I hope you're happy (t4tdanvis especially will be because I accidentally added Dante to the polycule whoops)

Yeah so I decided to start shipping what has quickly become my favorite My Street polycule of a bunch of dumb werewolves and also Laurance and Travis. Let's break it down one member at a time.

It all starts with Blaze, as the best things do. His two primary romantic attachments are Garroth (obviously), and Aaron (I feel like this is also obvious). Now his attraction to Aaron only started when they were in college, where they reconnected after Aaron decided to start actively rebelling against his parents because they suck and barely raised him. Something tells me his parents wouldn't have approved of Blaze as a friend because of... [gestures to Blaze] all of that.

This is also true for Garroth, but Garroth and Blaze only got together in my mind at Starlight, which means this series sort of follows the plot of MyStreet, but stops at Season 5 and doesn't have any of the angst or whatever season 6 was on about. Starlight is still Aaron's big emotional recovery summer vacation with all of his friends, and Garroth and Blaze totally hook up because Laurance decided to stay home to look after everyone's houses (mostly because he's making absolute bank house sitting to. Seriously, like two months of summer that he gets to spend doing basic maintenance across like... at least 4 houses on Lover's Lane. He's thriving).

But Garroth misses his boyfriend, and he and Laurance agreed before this vacation even started that Garroth was free to go out and meet some cute guy and have a fun summer fling with him. Literally nobody anticipated that person being Blaze, but here we are. And this trip originally came after Blaze had spent a full year helping Aaron with his recovery process, and Blaze's main reason for being here was to ensure Aaron was getting better. And Blaze has chronic falls in love with his friends disease.

Aaron doesn't but it happens anyways and he has no idea what to do about it. Especially when he finds out Blaze and Garroth are a thing kind of. He tries to keep this in, try to make it seem like nothing is bothering him, but Blaze can read Aaron so easily it's not even funny. He's probably dyslexic and he can still read Aaron like an open book. He very easily manages to coax the truth out of Aaron, but Blaze is really blunt (haha get it) and just front and center tells Aaron "This doesn't have to be anything, but also I'm in love with you and thought you would have realized from being friends with me for nearly a dacade that you can date multiple people."

Aaron's honest reaction

But when Blaze starts going on about Garroth one day, Aaron realizes that he kind of agrees with Blaze about a lot of things relating to Garroth that he maybe wouldn't normally agree with. Like how uplifting his smile is, or how cute he looks when he gets excited, or how much fun it is to rile him up and make him mad because he always gets really silly, that sort of thing. And uhh, yeah needless to say Aaron doesn't often fall in love, but when he does it is hard and it is fast.

And then they go back home and Garroth kinda sits Laurance down and is like "So... I kind of fell in love with Blaze. And Aaron." And Laurance just goes "Yeah I know, I was talking to Travis like the entire time you guys were there." I feel like Laurance and Travis are friends with benefits. And maybe something happened between Laurance and Dante when everyone was gone, but who knows? Maybe something more happened when Travis came back between all three of them too, but you didn't hear it from me.

So Laurance takes it well, yay! But uhhh... Now Aaron and Garroth realize that they either have to fess up to their parents about not only falling in love with each other, but also the stoner loser friend who their parents barely tolerate because he has actually been helping Aaron. As an anon scholar once said "The best ships are ones that would make Garte disappointed in Garroth." He was already displeased with Garroth for dating one boy he liked in high school, now he's dating three?! Finding out that he had a summer fling turned gay polyamorus romance would certainly cause... A reaction. AND it's with another wealthy businessman's son?

I feel like Derek would slowly start to come around, having more time to adjust to the fact that he can have gay children after Melissa re-introduced him to Lucinda as her girlfriend like a week into their stay at Starlight, and he just learned to accept that his children are both probably gay in some way. He's still not the biggest fan of Blaze, but Garroth has a good head on his shoulders. Although he still doesn't entirely get how this works in tandem with Aaron having a relationship with Aph, but he'll get there eventually.

And let's be clear, while this whole thing starts as like two separate romances with a common link between them because of Garroth and Laurance being together, it does become a proper polycule very easily. Laurance and Blaze would adore each other, and they would love to shower Garroth in attention together, they'd hang out and play video games together, they'd do each others make-up badly while listening to white girl pop and oh hey Dante when did you get here?

Blaze may not get along the best with Garroth and Aaron's parents, but he's besties with literally everyone's siblings. Melissa is his wing man and vise versa, he's literally Vylad's dealer, and Zane tolerates him. And when he meets Cadenza they would instantly hit it off, are you kidding me? Blaze doesn't know a thing about fashion or color theory because he's literally colorblind, but Cadenza seems to be excited when he lets her take him shopping for outfits. And he knew Gene before he even knew Dante, they literally sold each other drugs under the bleachers at Phoenix Drop high before Dante was even there.

And we take all of this in tandem with my stoner headcanons? With Blaze already being friends with/knowing deep secrets about almost everyone involved, and they're all just kinda naturally chill around him because of that. Blaze goes over to Travis and Dante's house before any of this even happens to help them hotbox it with whatever wack ass set up he decides to bring. Who's to say something more never happened between them? I'm just saying, in my experience, weed makes people more of homosexuals than they already are.

No matter how you pair it up this just works. When I say this ship is everything to me, I mean it is everything to me.

[prestonmonterey]

Hello!! I uhm, think you’re very cool and wanted to say hi :3

Also, I see you’re in a production of the Percy Jackson musical! That’s so cool!! What role do you have? I’d love to hear about it if you want to tell me :D

hi!!!! thank you sooo much :D you also seem really really cool :)

i was part of my schools production of percy jackson last spring!! i was just like. ensemble haha :PP (im not very good at acting and i havent done much musical theater before) but my like. named role was dj cerberus :3 (i didnt have any lines and was pretty much only there for charon to make a joke but it was still pretty silly)

it was super duper cool!! honestly i think i had the most fun off stage, bc i also did tech :) and my boyfriend was one of the set designers and i got to help him do stuff and all of it was just really really really cool :DDD

(i think i have some stuff under "#tlt update" which has some random info and pictures of props and sets and stuff from rehearsals and tech meetings if you wanna see those as well) :)

also my school kept a couple of the props and stuff like the shields from capture the flag, and the winged shoes that luke gives percy, and i think they're planning on buildning a display case for all those things so i might be able to get more pictures :D

we also still have the minotaur which might be going in there, but i just think its pretty funny that he's just sitting in the theater directors office :P

um since i didnt post this before,, heres a cookie i got, i think during strike after closing night maybe?

(also not to like. dox myself too much or anything but i am a minor and this was a high school production haha :P so im certainly not a like. professional or anything so i hope i didnt accidentally give that idea :PPPPP)

yea idk,, i already kinda rambled a lot haha :P but feel free to ask any questions if you have more :D

[mamawasatesttube]

aoejznajwuzgVw. OKAY SO

This is gonna be such a ramble, I apologize in advance, but first off, yes Nightwing Kara does indeed pair with Flamebird Kon (or Supernova. You’ve converted me wjejshwhs)

So the idea is literally born from just like, her and Karen’s brief time as the Flamebird and Nightwing of Kandor, and it got me thinking about what it would be like for that concept to have been more expanded upon. And the ways that it could keep in theme with the Superfam and the immigration story, especially with Kara and Clark as first generation, and then Kon as second gen.

Then that got me thinking (as always) about Kryptonian culture and what it means to Kara and Kon. Like, Kara does struggle with keeping her Kryptonian heritage alive and staying true to it atop of assimilation, and how she just can’t blend in with humans in the way that Clark and even Kon can. And then there’s Kon who doesn’t always have a reason to want anything to do with Krypton, despite being Kryptonian himself. Like, the way the three of them are so so interesting to me in the ways that they just never fully feel like they belong. Also like, parallels! While some of Kon and Kara’s story’s are obviously meant to be throwbacks to Clark, it means that they (Kara and Kon) end up paralleling each other in ways that are so delicious, but completely accidental. For all their differences, they’re also so similar in a lot of ways that are completely different from Clark , namely their tempers.

Which brings me back to Nightwing and Flamebird! It would be such an interesting way to like, really explore Kon and Kara’s dynamic, and what they mean to each other. Like, Kara is a nonbeliever. She doesn’t believe in the Kryptonian gods (which is funny af considering Thara became the Flamebird vessel in canon), and I like to think that after crash landing on Earth and seeing that gods to in fact exist, there’s more than a bit of bitterness on her part. I think it would be such a good opportunity to have Kara, technological prodigy of the science guild, be the vessel of one of the gods and really confront what that means.

I have more, but I’m already making this message so long qoejzbwhehehw

ARTHUR THIS IS SO GOOD. WAIT A MINUTE IM YELLING I LOVE THIS CONCEPT SO MUCH ?!?!?!?!???

firstly i do still think its so funny re: kara and flamebird/thara like. no gods arent real dont be silly. yeah thats my bestie theres a god using her as a vessel but like. its probably nothing. something here along the lines of that joke about edward elric meeting god and then deciding he's an atheist anyway.

but also YES......... science guild kara vs the idea of faith and also like, the way gods can and do exist in the dc universe, but not as the untouchable and lofty ideals that a lot of real-world religions tend to posit godly figures as (which is not in any means saying all real world religions do that, as i primarily have experience with only 3 out of A Lot of those, but. yknow.) i think that adds a different flavor to that kind of conflict. like, they're immensely powerful but also just as flawed as anyone else, oftentimes. interesting and fun potential to toy with there (ofc id come at it from a specific angle personally bc haha religious trauma but. lol!)

but kara and wanting to keep her culture alive and then doing so in this very literal way while still grappling with what facets of that culture she wants to represent and support. that's FUN. very real immigrant story in that.

[gay-for-the-snz]

Miscommunication (M, cold)

This was supposed to be short. This was really intended just to be a short silly little "haha, wouldn't that be funny if" sort of thing, and instead it is almost 12,000 words. Lol. Elliott accidentally goes on a date with a new coworker who may just be interested in him for more than just his personality...

Contagion ment, 11.5k

⁂

He's hunched over his lunch when he sees Bolormaa for the first time today, the new hire hot on his heels. He fondly recalls his first day, the trepidation and eagerness to make a good first impression. It's been a decade now, and he's showed his share of new hires around, but he's glad that today it's someone else showing her around, a little extra help for the holiday season. He could do it, and certainly would if anybody asked him to, but he's got an absolutely streaming head cold, and, really, he'd rather not have to spend the whole day talking and being the first friendly face she sees.

"You didn't really get to see it much when we came in this morning, but this is the break room, and the locker room, and the whatever else room. You'll clock in in the corner in the mornings, stow whatever you brought in your locker, and then won't be back here until you're on your breaks or your lunch. Smoke breaks are off property in the smoke shack, but if that's not your poison, you can--"

He's really trying not to interrupt, but he can't help the sudden jagged inhale. "hiH-! YISH'ue! hH'DZZHhue! 'DZZHhieww! Hh--huH-!? ...huH'UDZZHHyue!" He manages to partially suppress the first one, but the other three aren't so keen on behaving themselves, scraping roughly across an already sore throat. He gasps for a fifth, but it evades him, just leaving him snuffling blearily and fishing the crumpled tissues from his pocket and attempting to tend to his dripping nose as unobtrusively as possible. He offers a congestion laden, "excuse me" that doesn't do anything except draw more attention to himself.

A scattering of "bless you"s meet him, especially from the new girl, and Bolormaa puts a hand on her shoulder. "This," he gestures towards him with a flourish, "is Elliott. He does that. Pay him no mind."

He pockets the tissues again and offers a sheepish smile. "It's, uh, true. You'll have to forgive the lack of a handshake, I'm--well, I'm sure you can see. A little under the weather."

She reaches out and takes his hand anyway, and gives it a warm squeeze. "Don't be silly. It'd be rude to refuse a handshake, especially from people I'm supposed to be getting to know. Bless you."

He's so surprised he doesn't know what to say, shocked into a rare moment of silence, save for a somewhat incredulous, "oh! Uh, thank you! Elliott, it's nice to meet you."

"Marissa."

Bolormaa pulls the two chairs on the opposite side of the table out, but she seats herself beside him, and he decides it clearly isn't worth the battle to truly try and move her away from him. "You're taking a gamble if you wanna sit next to him. He likes sharing, including his colds."

"Oh, you're--don't listen to him, I'm not half as bad as he makes me out to be. I think there's a certain, uh, inevitability perhaps with it, but they don't catch half of what I drag with me into work. But you wouldn't know it, given the way he complains."

"Be SO for real right now. Even if I don't catch everything you do, even if it's, like, call it a quarter, that's still several things a year?"

"It is not that bad--"

"ELLIOTT. A sniffle happens to cross into your zip code and you've got it, and then some of us have got it."

"All I'm saying is, there's no telling for certain that it's always my doing, instead of just the, you know, seasonal sort of 'whatever' floating around!"

Marissa hardly seems bothered by the conversation, and remains where she plunked down next to him. "Ah, you know, I've got one of those immune systems of steel."

"Well he'll put it to the test then. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"You don't have to be so negative, it's not like I go out of my way to do anything!"

"And it's not like you try and keep it to yourself either? You KNOW I love you, dude, but you're, like, a gangly plague rat. You don't have to have your tongue down my throat or, like, sneezing into my open mouth for it to happen."

Marissa chokes on her bottle of water, a spluttering cough as she waves a hand to bid them not to pay it any heed.

"Look at what you've done. Bolormaa, you're going to kill her on her first day."

"Alright, alright, whatever. Consider it dropped. Just don't say that we didn't warn you."

He turns his attention to his own lunch, and leaves the two of them to do whatever they please.

"So, how are you, uh, liking it so far? I know it's not terribly glamorous, but it's good work. Good people and all--or most of them, anyway." Bolormaa doesn't look up from his phone, but sticks his tongue out from across the table.

"Oh, it's great! It's a lot different than I really expected, I think. I was picturing something a little more...I don't know, high tech?"

"Ahh, nah, it's just us, some power equipment, and a bunch of dusty pallets. Nothing super fancy, but it gets done. If you were in one of the Amazon warehouses or something, I'm sure they've got tech that'd boggle my mind, but we aren't really backed by any huge companies or anything. We're more of a storage and then distribution center for some of the local businesses that can't afford to have their own building." He wrinkles his nose, distinctly aware of the irritation trying to bud into a sneeze. "Like, there are stores around here, mostly mom and pop sorts, that are too big to just have everything all their product stored in the actual store, but too small to really be able to have a warehouse that's just theirs, so that's where they end up partnering with the Captain and sort of, like, renting the space."

"That makes sense. I guess I never really considered what people would need for that intermediary phase." She's got pretty eyes. The way they're locked on him makes him a little shy, because he's sure he's not saying anything that actually deserves this level of interest or enthusiasm, but he's deeply flattered by the notion that she's trying to be friendly. He doesn't envy having to be in that position again, where you've got to make new friends and do that whole 'get to know you' routine.

He, in return, wants to make a good impression on her, and he feels like he's probably not doing a very good job of it when the only thing on his mind right now, distracting him from what she's saying, is the fact that now he really needs to sneeze. He's never been any good at holding back, and the only way he can ever really stifle it is to do something physical about it, and that's really never a sustainable option. For two or three, he can survive it, but it never really satisfies that need to sneeze, so it never ends up just staying at two or three.

He manages to rush out a breathless warning, before he's pitching into tented hands, the little bedraggled tissue nest the only thing between him and blowing this. "Excusemeholdon--'DDZZHhieww! hyeEIZZHhue!" The double does nothing to actually sate the itch, so much as it merely makes it back down somewhat. He still feels distinctly sneezy, but it's not really actionable at this precise second. It will be, and probably soon, but for now he's just left wrinkling his nose hard and sniffling back the moisture threatening to leak from nostrils blushed a warm shade of pink.

"Bless you...quite the cold you've caught, huh?"

"Gosh, excuse me. This is, uh, actually not too bad. I'm sure it'll be a little more vicious tomorrow, and probably the day after, and then it'll be on the upswing." He can feel his cheeks match the same color as his nose as he gives the softest, most pitiful little blow he can possibly manage.

And she must be embarrassed by it too, because he can see that she's blushing a bit when she looks away to grant him a little extra privacy. "Is it usually bad for you, then?"

"I wouldn't say--okay, well, some people would say it's always bad, but I don't think it's usually too terrible. No worse than for most people, I'd think." Bolormaa looks like he's going to say something, so he preempts him. "But, I guess it depends on who you'd ask. All things considered, I'd hate to complain about something that's really more of a nuisance than anything actually terrible to deal with."

She pushes his mug of tea closer to him, and he doesn't need to be told twice to take a sip. He is nothing if not obedient. "So, is one of us going to have to make you some soup, then? Convince you to stay home and rest?"

Someone across the room laughs, a single, harsh bark of a ha! that startles the both of them. Niklas gestures towards him with his fork, waving a piece of broccoli like he's conducting an orchestra. "You'll need nothing short of about twenty feet of rope to tie him to his bed if you want him to stay there when he's caught something."

Bolormaa joins the prosecution, a partner to Niklas in their little imaginary law firm, he's sure of it. "He'll be here, rain or shine, sick or not, if he's on the schedule. He doesn't leave for anything, unless the Captain himself tells him he's being sent home."

"You're all horrible gossips, did you know that? I hardly think a cold is something worth calling out over--and besides, if I waited until I was in pristine health, I don't think I would ever leave my house again for the rest of my life. I've gotta strike while the iron's hot, and all that." He can hear them snicker, and occupies himself with pointedly ignoring them and sipping his tea. It's warm, all soothing and sweet in a way he can feel the heat permeate his whole being, not just in his belly.

She's looking at him so intensely that he freezes when he catches it out of the corner of his eye, unsure if looking back at her would make this more or less weird. He swallows his sip, and carefully sets his kitschy little travel mug back on the table. Her gaze is still locked on him as he tries not to sniffle, not to wrinkle his nose or do anything else that'd be gross while people are trying to eat--and especially when she's looking at him like...well, honestly he isn't sure what she's looking at him like.

With the same caution as one might defuse a bomb, he tears off one of the paper towels from the middle of the table and brings it to dab away the wet sheen that clings to his nostrils.

"Did you forget how to move?" He's suddenly aware that Bolormaa is staring also. "You're being...weird." He reaches across the table, hands him a fork with some kind of meat on it. "Here, taste this. Deenii made us some lunch."

"You know I'm a vegetarian."

"Actually, I know you enough to know you're vegetari-ish, so taste this or I'm telling her that you hate her forever."

He rolls his eyes, but takes a bite anyway. It practically melts in his mouth, tender and fatty. "I mean, it tastes like cooked meat. It's kinda plain, though, I feel like she's usually more...liberal with the spices, I guess?"

"Yeah, this is probably the most plain thing she ever makes. It's JUST salt, pepper, and caraway. But it's not bad, and I think she misses making it like we did when we were kids--not that we can do that in a duplex, but you know what I mean. It's got the like--okay, so when you make it, you've gotta--"

"heDZZHhue! hH'ZZhhyue!"

"--do hot stones and meat and vegetables like a fucked up lasagna, and then water, and it'll all start cooking itself in the milk jug. Or, in this case, a pressure cooker that we had on the stove, because we can't really have an open fire in the living room."

"Rea--hH-!? heEIZZHhue! 'ZZhhyue!--ugh, okay, I--sdf!--think that was it. Excuse me." He snuffles thickly, still reluctant to emerge entirely from the little nest of tissues he's shuddered into. "Reasonable."

Marissa's hand on his shoulder startles him, and he can feel the blush on his cheeks that's washing clean through to his ears. "Bless you...you've really got it bad, it sounds like."

"Aw, that's nothing. Four is, like, amateur hour." Bolormaa inclines his head towards a whiteboard on the wall by the sink. Among the cluttered notes about upcoming projects, reminders to schedule leave a month in advance, and a blurry and strange photo of the Captain taken like someone might take a photo of a cryptid, is a set of tally marks nestled in the corner. "See those?"

"Oh, Bolormaa, don't--"

"Four is nothing compared to how bad he gets sometimes. Seventeen is the current record."

"I keep telling you, it was not seventeen. It was, like, maybe eight, and then nine."

"And I keep telling you that if you don't come up from your sleeve or your hands or whatever in the middle, it counts as one."

Someone on the other side of the room butts in. "We're not starting this debate again. The Captain already made us lay this one to rest."

He's mortified to be such a topic of conversation. Not even him, really, just his nose. He is going to melt into the tiles to escape if the world is merciful.

Fortunately for him, while the world may not be merciful, the clock over the door chimes the half hour--and the end of lunch--and everyone begrudgingly begins to shuffle towards the door. He stows the rest of his lunch in his locker, and is almost back onto the floor when a hand on his wrist catches him.

"Hey, sorry, I just--" she glances sideways, like she's afraid of being caught, "--just wanted to say that your girlfriend seems really nice. She's done a good job of showing me around today."

He blinks in surprise. "Bolormaa?" The grin that splits his face is goofy, he's sure, showing off that little gap between his teeth that makes him consider trying braces again now that he's more stable and an adult (but, Lord, orthodontics are so expensive!) "Nah, he is really cool, but also unfortunately a lesbian, and married. I'm not seeing anyone right now."

"Oh, really? I'm surprised."

He snorts, a dangerous act with a cold that's settling in, but it works out in his favor this time. "I guess. But I won't keep you--I'm sure he's probably waiting for you, and I don't wanna be the reason you're not learning more. Have a good rest of your shift!"

What a nice woman!

⁂

He's absolutely in the thick of it when he turns back up to work on Saturday. He's breathing through chapped, parted lips, the skin around his nostrils a horrid shade of scarlet and raw from the constant moisture and rubbing that it's being forced to endure. He muffles a cough into his sleeve while he trudges through the puddles in the parking lot to shoulder open the door and avoid spilling his thermos on the cracked concrete at the threshold.

He's surprised to see Marissa here already--he hadn't thought she was going to be starting until closer to eight or nine, not here at six like himself and a scant few others. Bolormaa doesn't even work today. Perhaps that means she'll be his charge for the day, or perhaps it means she's been released to go do her own work without the need for a chaperone. Either way, she's here, and he offers a congested "morning" as he reaches over her shoulder to grab his time card.

"Oh my God. Elliott, you weren't kidding--did those sick days even do you any good?"

He huffs a mirthless little laugh, that becomes a cough. "They weren't sick days, but they definitely didn't." He wishes he could be buried in his blankets, snuggled in all cozy and enjoying the sound of the rain on the windows. Instead, he's in his steel toes and hard hat and shivering from the same rain he was listening to this morning. "Can I, uhmb, clock in?"

"If you're sure you want to be here today..."

"I am. I mean, it's just a cold. It sounds worse than it feels, I promise."

"Does it look worse, too?"

He smiles sheepishly. "It might be closer on that aspect. But I'm fine, it's really not a huge deal. I'll probably just go home and eat a can of soup and go to bed after I get off." The siren's song of his bed is already calling to him, especially when he won't have anyone else to feed or take care of tonight. Just him, some soup, and an early bedtime...

"Uh--listen, if that's the case, I know it's kind of sudden, but I had dinner plans tonight with a friend, and she canceled on me, and I've already got a reservation for two, so I was wondering if you might want to take her spot? I can pick you up, so you wouldn't have to worry about driving or anything, and it can be my treat. I'd just hate to see the reservations go to waste...I'm not really much of an 'eat by myself at a restaurant' type of person."

"Oh!" Well...shoot. There go the evening plans--or lack thereof, he guesses. He doesn't want to leave her hanging, but he also isn't really super enthused by the prospect of going out anywhere.

But...he also doesn't really want to say no. He knows how it is to have plans canceled last second, and also what it's like to not want to have to go by yourself out to something. And, besides, it should really be encouraged that she's trying to reach out and make friends with people. It won't do any good to punish behavior they want to see.

"Uh, you definitely don't have to treat me, and I don't need you to pick me up, unless you're really sure it wouldn't be a huge imposition. What, uh, time is it? What side of town?"

"Six thirty, downtown in a place I've heard has got some killer food and I've been dying to try out since I moved here." She offers him her phone, the screen pulled up to add a contact. "I'll text you the address?"

Gross. Downtown parking, and he won't have time to go home and shower after he gets off. "Uh--maybe I will take you up on that offer of a ride, actually, if you're sure you wouldn't mind." He would rather be boiled alive than have to try and parallel park on the street. "I can give you my address and I'll, uh, just rush home when I get off and meet you there?"

"Sounds perfect! Just text me your address once we've got numbers situated. They hold the table for fifteen minutes, so we've got a little wiggle room." She takes the hand that's holding her phone and gives it an affectionate little squeeze as she retrieves it, now freshly holding his contact details, and practically bounces off towards the receiving bays.

She is SO friendly! It's refreshing to get someone in here who isn't quite so curmudgeonly, and actually seems interested in meeting people and making friends.

He slowly makes his way over to his own little corner, because nobody else is putting these pallets up if not him, and if he doesn't start doing something then he's going to fall asleep standing up. He doesn't just want but needs to make it through this shift as painlessly as possible.

It's smooth-ish sailing, save for the constant intrusions of needing to smother a cough into his sleeve, or to duck down into the tissues and napkins he's hoarded together like a rat in its humble garbage abode with sneezes that are just viciously productive and ragged, both in sound and feeling. Ugh, goodness gracious, this cold is annoying. He is so much sicker than he really wants to be. He takes a couple of the rare opportunities of solitude to blow his nose, and he actually winces from the mere sound of it. He is disgusting right now.

Which is why he's surprised that he sees Marissa pop by every now and again, and he's glad every time she has something to do on this side of the warehouse, because aside from just being pleasant company, she always has a couple of tissues, or a stack of napkins, or something else on her person that she lends him. He takes them gratefully, every time, and this time is no different.

"Uh, sorry, this is--just gross." He blows his nose to try and gain some semblance of his consonants back, but also to try and do something about the wet congestion that's so intent on trying to drip, and not giving him any real way to try and sniffle it back. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were finding excuses to come over here."

She laughs, the sound of it so warm and bright and cheery. "Truthfully, I am. You looked like you were having a rough go of it, and I thought you might be in need of someone to come peek in every now and again and get you something."

"Oh! Aw, shucks, that's really nice of you." Well now he feels silly.

"I figured if you weren't taking care of that cold, maybe somebody else ought to." The grin she gives him is positively teasing, and he can't help but rub the back of his neck.

"Aw, man, it's really not that bad, I promise. I do appreciate it, though. You're really kind to be trying to look out for me." He slides off the forklift, stretches his back out and winces at the cracking of his joints. "I'll be good for dinner, I promise. I'm sniffly, but otherwise unscathed--and I promise I'll try not to make you worry about me."

"I don't mind it. You seem like you could use someone actually looking out for you." She hands him a little travel packet of tissues, the plastic decorated with some bright pink gingham and a little cartoon mascot he doesn't recognize. "I've got a bunch of these in my locker, if you ever need any and I'm not here."

"The old ladies back home would've called you just sweet as pie. That's a really generous offer--I'll try not to abuse it." He probably won't ever actually avail himself of them--going into somebody else's locker feels so taboo, but especially to pilfer something like this. He'll just make do with whatever napkins or paper towels he can get his hands on, or occasionally a couple tissues when he's feeling especially gracious to his poor nose.

And maybe she can read his mind, because she puts a tender hand on his forearm. "It's really okay if you do, I promise. I bought them to be used, I'd rather they do you some good than just sit in my locker doing nothing."

"Man, you've got me in a tough spot to try and refuse, huh?" He worries the plastic between his fingers, listening to the crinkle and watching the way it distorts the face on the little smiling bear. "I suppose I'll just have to say yes, then. Thank you."

"Aw, man, your poor nose is so red. That must hurt..."

He sniffles reflexively, and gently brings a knuckle to the tip of his nose. "It's not too bad, just a little sore. Nothing that, uh, a little lotion or something tonight before bed will have it good to go."

She reaches to take his cheek in her hand, and he instinctively leans away from her in surprise. He doesn't mind being touched, usually, but it comes so suddenly that he doesn't know what to do about it--to have his face touched so intimately, he doesn't know what's coming or how to handle it.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you--"

"No! No, it's fine, I was--uh--was h-? hH'DZZHHyue! eIZZHHieww!" He ducks into his tented hands, the feeling coming way too quickly to be able to actually get a tissue out of the packet in time. Now that he's here, though, he's mortified that he opted to do that instead of using his sleeve--and especially because the tissues are still halfway clutched in one hand, the spray shiny and slick on the plastic.

"Oh--bless you, are you-?"

"Don't--uh--" He grimaces, and awkwardly pulls his hands away, thankful to his core that this wasn't so messy as he feared it would be, just thin and liquidy enough to be able to avoid the most mortifying moment in a long while. "Excuse me. I didn't mean to, uh...do that...to--my hands, I mean--"

"That's okay, it happens. You don't really seem like someone who makes a habit of covering like that, you seem really conscientious of others." She fishes through her tool pouch, grabs a little squeezy bottle of hand sanitizer and offers it to him to squeeze into his palms.

"I really try, it's just, uh, kinda hard sometimes, I guess." He rubs the sanitizer into his hands, aware of the fact that his skin is getting dry here in the fall. Gosh, he should probably put lotion on when he gets back into the break room. "I really do my best, it's just sort of, like--I don't know, I guess there's only so much that can really be done? I really do wanna, like, make sure I'm not giving anything to anybody else, but it's kind of--it's sorta--" he falters, unsure of what to say to really convince anyone of anything. Maybe he's trying to convince himself more than her.

"I can only imagine. You're a really nice person, though, and so considerate. You've got a cold, it's not a crime. It happens to everyone, and there's really only so much that you can do for it." She scooches a little closer, gently wraps her arm around his waist. "I'm not concerned about getting it, at least."

It's reassuring, honestly, to have that acknowledgement. "Yeah, well, that's really sweet to say--and to think, honestly. You're brave, to be this close when I'm sick like this. I'm assuming you're still feeling brave enough for dinner, then?"

"Of course! Assuming you're still willing to come?"

"I'm not one to back out from plans I've made." He really does kind of wish he could be in bed tonight instead of dinner, but that's not the important bit right now. "As long as I've got enough time to get to change into something clean, it'll be nice to--to h-? hH-! hH'DZZHHhyue! 'DZZHhyuuee!"

He groans, the little packet of tissues now empty as he grabs the last couple from it, his nose streaming in earnest now. He can feel her tense against his side, and it finally clicks in his mind that he's still holding onto her. Oh, no?

He releases her from his grip, a panic washing over him as he sort of scrambles away a little. "Oh, gosh, I'm sorry--I didn't mean to still be--to, uh--"

Her brow wrinkles in sympathy as she looks at him. "Oh, Elliott, bless you. It's okay, you're totally good. I don't mind, you're sick, there's nothing to be sorry for. I was close to you, by choice, so don't even worry about it."

"Are you, uhmb--hold on--" He turns his back to her, and blows his nose, more vigorously than he'd really ever want to in front of another person, because he's so stupidly congested and drippy that he knows, for certain, that he wouldn't be able to get away with just some little polite thing like he'd hope to. "Are you sure you don't mind if I tag along for dinner? This is honestly kind of gross."

"Elliott." She takes his hands in hers, even though he's got the tissues still clutched in one of his palms. "I swear that I don't mind. I want to have dinner with you, and I want to be close to you. Please...just trust me that I mean it."

Oh. Gosh. Oh, Lord have mercy. He blushes deeply, especially when she gives his hands a little squeeze here. Were she a man, he thinks this may well be close to praise enough to get him hot and bothered. As it stands, he's still quite flattered--and rather embarrassed--to hear how adamantly she wants him there, and having to reconcile that with how he's so grossly cold ridden tonight. "If you insist..."

"I really do. I've gotta get back before the Captain catches me distracting you and lingering, but I'll see you tonight."

It's silly to be overwhelmed by someone just being nice, but something about it just feels so much, he isn't quite sure how to process it all. He watches her bounce back off out of sight, worrying the empty package between his fingers. He sniffles, thickly, and shakes his head as he goes back to work.

⁂

He doesn't have any time to shower when he gets home, his hair will be wet for hours if he does, but he's at least got enough time to change out of dirty work clothes and into something that doesn't meet OSHA safety guidelines. He does consider pulling his hair from the braid, if only because it's been tied back all day to keep it out of the way while he's working, but he thinks with a cold like this, having his hair in his face is just asking for trouble--he doesn't need it clinging weirdly to the moisture when it blows into his face, or comes into contact with his nose.

Someone knocks on the door, and he glances at his watch. Aw, Hell, it really is time to go, isn't it? He sniffs, shoves a couple tissues into his pocket for later, and swings the door open.

"Hey, you--wow."

She looks stunning. She's got her hair done up and curled, her makeup done with eyeliner sharp enough it could cut him clean through, some cute little heels that've got bows tied at the ankle.

She laughs, strikes some cute pose. "Yeah, wow? I'm glad somebody appreciates it, it's nice to have a chance to wear something pretty for once."

He feels so inadequate next to her. "You look great! I can, uh--I can go change, I kinda feel like something the cat dragged in--"

"Oh, no! No, you look fine, I promise!" She takes his hands and squeezes them between hers. "I don't want you to feel like you've gotta change, you look lovely, I promise. Besides, we've gotta get going or we're gonna be late."

He supposes he can't argue with that logic. If he'd realized this was more of a 'look nice' kind of dinner, he'd have put on at least something with buttons, not just a sweater and a pair of jeans, but she hadn't mentioned it was that sort of affair. He can feel that shame creeping up on him, that flush of embarrassment as he catches sight of himself in the hall mirror before he locks the door behind them.

"Thank you for picking me up, I really appreciate it. You're a braver woman than me to be able to park downtown--I don't think I've parallel parked a car since I took my driving exam, and even then I only got through it by the skin of my teeth." He grabs one of the tissues, chagrined to be needing to use one already, but it's a little chillier than he expected it to be, and his nose has been running like a danged tap since he woke up this morning.

Her car smells nice when he steps in, and his eyes instantly alight on the little bouquet in the backseat. "Oh, those are beautiful!"

"You like 'em?"

"I do!"

"Well good, 'cause they're for you."

He's dumbfounded by the statement. For him? He looks between the flowers and her in baffled silence, his mouth hanging open in the shock of it all. "They're for me?"

"They are! I was at a nursery earlier to get something to spruce up my new apartment a little, and I thought, y'know, while I was there I might as well pick up something for you, too. I've heard talk around work that you're a fan of flowers, so I got you a few. It's nothing super flashy, but, y'know, still nice anyway, I'd like to think."

"They're gorgeous! I--" he trails off into a surprised little laugh. "I guess I don't know what to say. I'm rarely speechless, but this is--man, this is so sweet of you, I can't believe it." He gingerly picks them up, the plastic sleeve crinkling in his hands as he takes them to be cradled in his arms like a baby. "These are just beautiful!"

"I'm glad you like them! I was a little worried you might be sort of, I don't know, put off by receiving flowers--I know a lot of my male friends wouldn't even dream of accepting any--but you seem...different. In a good way, of course!"

"I think 'different' is one of the nicest ways people describe me." He leans down, takes the deepest inhale he can manage, and sighs. "I'm sure they smell good, but I can't really tell right now." He pauses, briefly, to scrub at his nose with the tissues. "I've gotta say, I'm lucky that these are some of the ones that don't get me sneezing something fierce. Honestly, we're both probably lucky for it--I don't think you'd really want me in your car if I was in a state like that."

"You'd be surprised."

"Would I?"

"I don't think you'd be bad company in any state you're in."

"You may change your tune when allergy season hits, but I'm happy to enjoy it while you think so." Even without any real ability to smell it, and the fact that they don't really bother his allergies, he can feel that prickling irritation that's creeping back into his nose, front to back and everywhere in between. He pauses in his attempts at buckling his seatbelt, awkwardly setting the flowers on his lap and leaning them against the dashboard so he can grab his one, singular tissue and into tented hands in preparation.

"Are you--"

"hH-! eEIDDZZHhyue! 'DDJZZHhuue! hUH'UDDZZhyue! Jesus, Mary, and Joseph--" He can feel the moisture soaked through the tissue and into his palms, and he fishes through his pockets for the other few tissues he'd brought with to try and take care of the mess. He wipes the moisture away with a grimace, and then gingerly pinches at reddened nostrils with the remainder. "Excuse me."

"Bless you, you poor thing. Are you sure you're up to this? You can go back upstairs if you want to, it isn't too late..."

"No! No, I'm good, I'm just--it's just a cold. As long as you're still fine with having me, of course--I know I'm kinda gross. Or, more than 'kinda', honestly." He wants to sniffle so bad, but he's more afraid to upset this delicate balance he's got struck right now. If he sneezes again, it's gonna be a nightmare with nothing to really clean it up, so he just resolves himself to trying to very delicately mop it up and hope he can keep things in check until they get there and he can zip into the bathroom to wash up and take care of himself.

"I don't have any tissues, but I might have a couple napkins in the center console?" She gently nudges at his elbow until he moves it out of the way, and pops it open for him to peek. It is, unfortunately, empty, aside from a little container of breath mints and a lighter.

"Afraid not, but it's fine." He can hear as well as feel the congestion creeping into his voice, threatening to spill over the flimsy tissues. "It's not a super far drive, and I'm just sort of sniffly." He punctuates that thought with a little throat clear. "And, uh, sneezy, but that's sort of par for the course."

"So I've gathered." She reaches over and puts a gentle hand on his knee. He goes rigidly still, unwilling to move at all and risk her touch migrating anywhere. He would be mortified if she accidentally touched him a bit...sensually, especially if they both had to deal with the fact that her hand on his thigh would have him an absolute mess. No, that'd be weird. He can't let that happen.

Gingerly, he takes one hand from the bouquet, the other still firmly parked beneath his streaming nose, to grab hold of one of her bangles and gently pluck her hand away from his leg. "I'm admittedly not thrilled to know that it's a defining characteristic of mine. I'd rather be, like, nice, or funny, or generous, or something like that, instead of sickly. There's a lot more to me than just my respiratory system, but that seems to be what people notice the most."

"Well," she starts thoughtfully, fingers drumming over the steering wheel as they wait at the stop light, "I think it is pretty noticeable, but it's not the most noticeable thing about you. You're also pretty tall, and have really long hair. Those were the first two things I noticed. But you're right--you are really nice, and really generous, and have a good sense of humor--and it doesn't hurt that you're handsome, too."

He can feel the color flooding his cheeks and he looks away, a bashful little laugh rising up from him. "You're sweet to say it, but I don't think handsome is really the word most people'd use. 'Pretty', maybe."

"I'd use handsome. You've got beautiful eyes--and those lashes, ugh. I'm jealous. Do you know that even with mascara on, mine aren't as dark and thick and pretty as yours?"

"The women in my life do tend to be pretty jealous of them, yeah. I was always sorta--I don't know--not really ugly, but I think I've always been a little...odd, I guess. A little homely, the older ladies used to say." He trails off, wrinkling his nose against the irritation, and it's a move that doesn't really do anything to quell the irritation, but does remind him just how soaked these tissues are. He's verging on a sneeze, that feeling looming threateningly deep in his sinuses. "I'm, uhmb--" Oh, God, they're not gonna make it to this restaurant fast enough. "I don't know. Always just sort of long and thin and weird."

"Someone might call you graceful? Willowy, maybe?"

He can't fight it anymore--his breath scissors, and he shudders roughly into the bedraggled tissues with a trio of rough, wet sneezing. "heEIDDJZZHhyue! hiH-! hiIDDZZHhue! 'DZZHhieww!" It soaks the tissues to a useless degree, and he has to blink away the tears in the corner of his eyes. "Oh mby gosh--"

"Bless you! Oh my God, you poor thing." She gently rubs one of his shoulders, and looks over at him with a sympathetic frown. "Here, do you--I think I've got a bandana in the backseat from my hard hat, if you're not too put off by it?"

Oh, God. This is mortifying. He doesn't want to be so grossly sick in front of other people, especially someone who's so nice, but he really isn't being given any choice by his own body, here. "Excuse me" feels so inadequate for this, but he doesn't know what else he should really be saying for it. He turns away, unwilling to let her really be looking at him like this while he's practically drowning in his own fluids, and gratefully takes the bandana she offers him. He doesn't want to sound ungrateful, but, man, it probably would have been pretty helpful if he could've gotten this a little sooner to clean himself up, but he's not looking this gift horse in its teeth, for sure.

He's more or less cleaned up by the time they arrive, nostrils still deep red and wet, but not actively dripping anymore. "I would take your hand but I, uh, don't think I want to offer mine to anyone right now. At least until I can wash up, anyway."

"I'm not shy, but I won't push you on it." She does, at least, put a hand on the small of his back, and guides him into the restaurant. Her hands are warm, even through his shirt, and it's nice to be touched by another person.

The restaurant is warm, decorated handsomely. It's a little dimmer in here than he'd thought it would be, candles on tables and chandeliers hanging down and all sorts of little accouterments that make it sort of...intimate.

They're guided to a table in the corner, and he feels noticeably worse dressed than most of the other guests. There's a candle in the center of it, flickering gently and casting delicate light across the both of them, softening their lines and edges into something easier on the eyes. "Oh. Man, it's a little, uh--this might be a good date night spot, huh?"

"I guess so! I didn't expect it to be so nice, here!" She doesn't share that same wide-eyed wonder that he's got, but she does seem impressed by it.

He pulls her chair for her, and then seats himself across from her with a bashful smile. "I feel like I should've brought you flowers--or worn something a lot nicer." He glances towards the entrance, trying to decide where he thinks the bathroom might be. "If I leave you my ID, will you get me a glass of wine?"

"Yeah, white or red?"

"I know there's a method to how you're supposed to pair these things, but something red. I'll leave it up to you, whatever sounds good and isn't stupidly expensive--a ten dollar bottle tastes the same to me as a three hundred dollar bottle does."

"Ahh, maybe I'll have to dazzle you with some wine knowledge, then. Talk about tasting notes and bouquets and pairings."

"Consider me dazzled. I'll be right back."

He can't skirt around people quickly enough as he moves towards where he's pretty sure he saw a sign when they walked in, and slips into the men's room. He winces when he catches sight of himself in the mirror--ugh, Lord above, he looks just as bad as he feels, maybe even worse.

The red in his nose is garish, the color threatening to bleed down towards his cupid's bow with the way it's been running all day. The skin around his nostrils is shiny in the harsh lights over the sinks, the moisture catching the fluorescents, and it's starting to peel from the abuse. The shadows under his eyes are particularly noticeable, more so than usual, and he carefully turns his face this way and that to inspect the damage.

Boy. He really should've said no and just gone home to nap, especially since he's going to have to go from work tomorrow directly to Mass and then home for bed to be ready for work again. He regrets agreeing to work the overtime, but they could use the help--and, more than that, he could use the money. Raising a child is expensive, raising a teen even more so.

He grabs a handful of toilet paper, frowns at it as if that might make it thicker and less rough. One would think that a nice restaurant like this could spring for something that he wouldn't consider being well at home in a prison, but apparently all businesses fall victim to the siren's song of one-ply that may well have started life as sandpaper. It's not the most soothing thing when he brings it to his nose, but it's worlds better than the nothing he had earlier, and beggars can hardly be choosers.

He blows his nose, the sound of it grossly thick and productive, and he has to swap it out for a new handful to try again to finish the job. Everything still feels thick and wet and crackly in his sinuses, which is dumbfounding considering how saturated the sodden toilet paper is, but he supposes that's just how this cold is going to be. At least it seems relatively unlikely to try to become a sinus infection--he knocks on the metal stall door in lieu of any wood--and shoves another handful of toilet paper into the pocket of his jeans.

Okay. Okay. He can do this. He's just gotta make it through dinner, and then he can sleep this off and he'll feel better in the morning. Surely.

He pauses, glances at the door, and ducks back into the stall for a second. He can feel that he's going to sneeze, and it'd be better if he just waits for a second to do it here instead of immediately wasting what he's bringing with him. Besides--he hasn't been gone long, he can afford a little longer before he's been gone a weird amount of time. And, if he's being honest with himself, he's sort of savoring the alone time.

He wrinkles his nose hard and sniffles. Of course now, of all times, his nose is deciding that it doesn't want to cooperate and just sneeze. This is one of few times he's actively hoping for it to happen, and it's just being a tease. He can feel that spark of it, that gentle, shy little itch nestled deep in the back of cold-filled sinuses.

He juuuuust has to focus on that, to avoid doing anything that's going to actually soothe it, like trying to avoid blowing too hard on a little ember and snuffing a flame instead of nurturing it in a fire. He closes his eyes, brows knit in concentration, taking slow, deep breaths through his nose to try and nudge it a little further along. He can feel the moisture threatening to leak, and that little bump of irritation when he sniffles it back.

It isn't quite enough to be actionable just yet, but he can feel it starting to blossom into a sneeze. It's close--his breath hitches involuntarily, and he slowly brings the handful of toilet paper up in preparation to catch it. It's playing coy with him--he knows he's going to sneeze, so the fact that it's pretending it doesn't want to happen is frustrating. This must be how Florence feels--his sympathy for her plight deepens somewhat. This is torture just waiting for it.

He sniffles again--and oh, that did it--

His breath snags, a sharp inhale that has him scrambling to catch it. Even though he's had all this time to actually prepare, it still threatens to catch him off guard.

"huH-!? uUDDZzh'yue! eEIZZHhue! Hh...h-hH'ZZHhieww! hEZZHhyue!" He whimpers in the aftermath, the feeling of them scraping across an already sore throat unpleasant enough that it draws it out of him without his meaning to.

"Jesus! Bless you!"

When someone else came in, he has no idea, but he can feel how dark he's blushing, the hot shame creeping down his neck and bleeding clean through to his ears. He awkwardly straightens up from where he's just been standing there hunched over. "Uhmb--" it's a thick croak, beyond congested, and he has to make the mortifying decision to blow his nose again to try and regain his voice. "Excuse me, thank you."

He awkwardly clears his throat and goes to the sink to wash up, distinctly aware of the fact that now somebody is in here and just listening to all the sounds of him being horridly cold-ridden. He tries his best to keep things as quiet as possible when possible, but there's little to be done when he's so weirdly sick and in public. He just hopes that it isn't too off-putting, given that this is a restaurant, and people don't typically want to listen to somebody sneezing like their life depends on it while they're trying to eat.

He hustles back to the table, and Marissa lights up when they make eye contact as he makes his way back over. "Hey, you made it! I was starting to worry I'd have to drink your glass and order you another one before you got back."

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Was trying to do something about this cold, get a little more presentable." After begging to sneeze, he's fairly certain his nose is accepting all the encouragement as an invitation. He already feels vaguely sneezy again, which is, to put it mildly, a massive pain in the neck. With the same subtlety as a brick to the face, he swipes at his nose with the makeshift tissues. "Did you get a chance to look at the menu yet? I was gonna try and remember to check it out before we got here, but I was so busy it totally slipped my mind."

"They look like they've got a chicken parm that looks pretty good, and if you're a seafood guy, I saw somebody else get a cedar plank salmon carried by and it looked delicious."

"Ah! Chicken parm might be good. I am, unfortunately, going to get my Dutch card revoked because I am very much not a seafood guy."

"You're Dutch?"

"I am! I mean, kinda, I guess. I've never been, but my parents were first generation, and that was pretty much all we spoke in the house for the first few years of my life. Enough English to get through schooling, but it wasn't my strong suit by any means." He grins, takes a sip of his wine. "I think it surprises people--they know I'm definitely not from around here, but they don't really expect the guy with the Southern drawl to bust out the Dutch."

"I've gotta admit, if you asked me to guess where your family was from, I wouldn't have said the Netherlands. I would've said, like, Tennessee, maybe."

"Ah, you insult me!" He sets his jaw, affects a thicker, slower drawl like a proper bumpkin. "No, ma'am, I grew up in Virginia, in the sort of town somebody from the boonies would refer to as the sticks. Our population was literally, like, a thousand or something. We have coworkers who had more people than that in their high school alone."

"Geez, I'm one of them. I think my high school had like three thousand kids."

"Yeah, it was definitely a podunk sort of town. It was not lovingly that most people called it BFE--though that's kind of crass. It wasn't a bad place, but it was...small, with all the small town stuff that comes with it, for better or for worse."

"What brought you out this way? Just needed something bigger?"

He winces. "Something like that. It's, uh, not really great dinner conversation. I don't wanna, like--what do they call it on TikTok--I don't wanna trauma dump on you. But suffice to say that I haven't been back in awhile, and I don't know that I ever will be unless something drastic happens."

Her eyes are impossibly sympathetic as she reaches across the table and takes his hand. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I guess the tl;dr of it is that after my parents passed, things were...rough, between my brother and I, and eventually I had to just get out of there. My boss called in a favor from the Captain, and I moved out here, and I've been here ever since." It isn't really a lie, so much as an omission of...most of the story. But it feels selfish and rude to, like, drop everything into her lap like this, when they've only known eachother a couple of days. Especially because he doesn't really know her--even if it wouldn't be weird and rude, it just feels too...vulnerable, maybe? to be telling someone things about his life like this?

"Your parents passed?"

"Uh, yeah. It's been awhile, though, it's not, like, recent. Not that I don't miss them! I don't want it to sound like I'm glad that it happened, or like I don't miss my daddy, but it's been long enough that I guess I'm not really...I don't know, I don't know what I'm trying to say here." He laughs, a pitchy, nervous thing that bubbles up from his throat of its own accord. Oh, God, he needs somebody to shut him up. He takes a much more indulgent drink of his wine than he normally would--not that he thinks he'll be really inebriated; he can hold his liquor pretty well--but if he paid for it, he intends to savor it, not to just waste it by immediately downing it.

"Do you wanna change the subject?"

He doesn't mean for it to sound so desperate when he answers, "please."

She's mercifully obliging when she gives his hand a squeeze and nudges his glass gently. "How's your wine?"

"Good! It's good. I mean, it's red wine, so it's hard to really be bad--well, maybe that's not true. I'm sure there are a lot of people who would wholeheartedly disagree with me. But for my intents and purposes, it's all good." It's also a little itchy, but it's hard to say whether that's the cold or the wine talking. Or, he thinks regretfully, probably both. He rubs his nose, his knuckle pressing in against the side of one nostril. He's probably gonna sneeze.

"I wish I wasn't so picky. I'm more of a--"

"holdonsorry--'ZZHhyue!"

"Oh! Bless y--"

"heEIZZHhieww! huH'UUZZHhue! UZZHh'ue!"

"Bless you! Are you done?"

He shakes his head, eyes still squeezed shut, brows pinched together at a desperate slant while he teeters on the brink of a final one, jaw slack and breath snagging unevenly. "H-huh! hH-!? hEEIIDDZZHhyue!" It scrapes his throat rudely, leaves him teary eyed in the aftermath of it, snuffling desperately into his destroyed tissues. His voice is thin and nearly whimpery when he finds enough space between sniffles to speak again. "Oh...excuse me."

She scoots her chair closer to him to wrap an arm around him, to pull him closer against her body. She's warm, even in a dress that isn't particularly covering, and he scrubs hard at his nose. "Elliott, God, bless you..."

There's a certain...something in the way she says it that feels reminiscent of something else in the back of his mind--someone else--but he can't quite place who it feels familiar from. It's really sweet, just--there's something else about it, too. "Are you--would you be terribly upset if we maybe...?"

"Went home early?"

"If you'd be willing...I wouldn't want to, uhm, stop your night early, especially because you were looking forward to this and we haven't even eaten yet--and even if we did leave early, I'd at least want us to get to eat before we go--but I'm not wanting to...stay out as late as we might otherwise." Especially because he's exhausted, and because he's so miserably cold-ridden. He wants to eat a bowl of soup and go to bed.

She brushes the hair away from his face, cups his cheek in her palm. He leans into her touch. Her hand is so soft and warm, holding him like he's the most precious thing in the whole world. "We can just pay the bill now and go. You were so sweet to try and come out for me, but you didn't have to do this."

He scrubs dejectedly at reddened nostrils, at the gross dampness that meets his hand there. "We'll have to try again another time. But we could, uhmb--" he sniffles thickly, and it crackles weirdly in his sinuses. "You're welcome to hang out at my apartment for a bit? I'll probably be in my pajamas, but I'm decent enough company, I think."

"I'd love to. You're going to be good company in any shape, I wouldn't mind sitting with you for a bit. Get you all comfortable and well taken care of before I go."

The drive home is pretty quiet, save for him intermittently sneezing, and she reaches over to touch his shoulder, his knee, his hair; anything she can reach on him to take hold of gently and grant some semblance of reassurance. Perhaps she was a little more tired than she'd let on as well, because he feels like they probably would be doing a little more chatting if she wasn't just sort of waiting to take him home.

Then again, he doesn't really blame her for it. Working this morning was a lot for the both of them, and he's hardly been the kind of company a lady ought to have for the evening. His momma would've smacked some sense into him if she'd seen his sorry excuse for this outing. He'll have to invite her out again next week when he's back in fettle.

He leans in to hug her, and is surprised when she puts a hand on his chest. "I meant it when I said I wanted to make sure you were set up well before I left."

"You're just begging to catch this off me. If your fate wasn't already sealed, this is gonna be the thing that does it." It's really silly to still be protesting like this, he knows, she's already got him holding his hand, letting him lead her up the stairs. She hasn't got any reservations about his cooties, and, honestly, she's probably already caught this anyway. He feels bad about it, but, who knows, maybe somebody else will have passed it to her, not just him? Or, even if they hadn't, maybe he should just accept her confidence as a sign to get some himself. He obviously isn't going to be swaying her from her decision at this rate.

He actually invites her in properly this time, lets her in from the little landing and into the apartment itself. He lets her go in first, holding the door open to let her go ahead of him (even though it's somewhat awkward to be leaning into the apartment to hold it while still waiting for her to be the first one whose feet hit the threshold) and then following in behind her.

It stands just as it did when he left it earlier, and he sets about flicking on a couple of lights so it doesn't look quite so desolate in here. Not that he's going to have them on for long--after a cup of tea and maybe a bowl of soup--he's starting to have second thoughts about how hungry he is--he'll be switching them all back off anyway and crawling under his blankets--but at least for now, while someone else is here to benefit from them instead of just navigating in the dim light of the streetlights through the window, he'll have them all on.

"It's cozy in here, I like it. It's got a certain "grandma chic" vibe to it."

"You know, you are not the first person who's ever said that."

"I'm not shocked. Your couch looks like it was bequeathed to you by a woman who never saw the year 1900."

"Aww, c'mon, it's not that bad." It is. It's a hideous floral that he is beyond in love with, complete with an antimacassar that the cat's spent his fair share of time lovingly tearing to shreds with his many, many, many sessions of making the most intense biscuits he has ever witnessed from a cat in his entire life. He should really replace it, but he found it for a steal at Goodwill, and replacing it feels like more hassle than it's worth, even though it looks kinda ratty, especially because he knows that anything new will end up in the same state as this one in relatively short order.

"Elliott, I'm pretty sure my Nana owned that exact couch." Her hand is still in his as she leads him further into the apartment, her eyes taking everything in. "Maybe what it needs is a woman's touch."

"It could probably use a little work, but I'm pretty happy with how it's turned out over the years." She drifts closer to the table when he pulls the pair of them closer to it to be able to snag a few tissues with his spare hand, awkwardly stuffing his keys into his pocket to have his hand free to be dedicated to nothing but the current task of sopping up the moisture that's begun running against in earnest at the temperature change. The apartment is pleasantly warm, and he's grateful to be home.

"Why don't I make you a cup of tea, and you," she lets him go to let one hand trail down his back, "go change into something more comfortable?"

"Oh! I couldn't ask you to do that."

"I want to."

"Well...if you insist, I guess it might be alright..."

"I'll bring it into you when you're changed."

"That's really kind of you to offer. Thank you."

She's so nice! Gosh, it just makes his heart feel so warm. There's really no need to be shy, then, if she's so insistent on doing something kind for him, but he has a hard time turning off that nagging anxiety that he's being needy, or rude, or just too much in some way or another. He doesn't want her to get tired of him already, especially once she realizes that he really was being truthful when he said that he's in this state pretty often.

He shakes his head as if it'll shake the thoughts loose, and heads in to go change. He's aggressively throwing the crumpled tissues on the nightstand and the floor into the overflowing wastebasket where they should've gone in the first place, trying to get this room into some semblance of tidiness before she walks in and sees it. If he'd known he was going to be having company, he'd have done something to actually clean up last night before bed, or something this morning before he left for work. Instead he's doing it half-frantically now, trying to turn this mess into something he can tolerate another person seeing.

He hears the microwave beep in the other room and knows he's basically out of time. He sheds his clothing in a pile on the floor and just kicks it underneath the bed--and prays he'll remember in the morning that he's done it when he wonders where on God's green earth his wallet and keys are--and tugs on his nightgown. It's the most comfortable thing he owns, and also the only pajamas he's got that aren't in the wash waiting for him to remember to start the load.

Unsure of what to do with himself, he's just weirdly sitting there on the edge of the bed when she walks in. He doesn't know what to do with his hands, so he folds them in his lap. "Welcome." Oh, God, that was so stupid. Welcome, to his bedroom, in the apartment she's already been welcomed into. Smooth. He laughs nervously.

Luckily, she seems more distracted by looking around than by what he said. He follows her gaze, to the little altar on the corner of his dresser, one of the half burnt votive candles still flickering.

"Oh--I know it's, uh, probably not great to leave a candle burning when I'm not home, but I've scooted everything away from it--" He gets up and sets the little snuffer over the top of it to let the candle slowly die out. "Don't worry about it, it'll go out on its own."

She gently sets down the cup of tea on the nightstand, gently nudging the box of tissues aside to give it enough space to sit. "Why don't you just lay down and get comfortable?"

He accepts her suggestion, if a bit awkwardly, and slides underneath the covers halfway. "I'm sorry that this is what our evening ended up being. I doubt you were hoping to watch me sniffle and sneeze through the first twenty minutes of a dinner." He snuffles, thickly, and snatches a couple of tissues out of the box to try and wipe at his nose, and it threatens to be his undoing. He can feel the itch rising sharply in his nose, and he fights to try and keep it in check as best he can.

"I don't mind at all, honestly. You give so much of yourself to everybody else, I want to be able to take care of you and do something nice for you instead..." She cups his cheek in her hand, and he closes his eyes and leans into her touch.

Her thumb brushes against the edge of one nostril, and he instinctively tries to jerk his head away from her touch before it's too late--but he fails. His nose, already on the brink of sneezing, isn't satisfied to just let this action stand without consequence. He gasps, unable to do anything else--

"hyeEIZZHHue! iIDZZHhue! 'DZZHh'huh!"

It's a drenching trio of them that he doesn't even get a chance to cover, only barely able to turn away from her to spray the bedding with the contents of his cold. He shivers, grabbing the tissues to swipe at his dripping nose. "Oh, I'm so sorry--I didn't mean to--my nose is so sensitive--"

"Bless you." She pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose, and he nearly whines in response.

"Please don't, you're going to makemesneeze--? Hh...h-hH'HEZZHhyue! EDJZZHhue!" His lashes flutter shut and he ducks down into tented hands, the tissues struggling under the burden he's putting on them. Crimson nostrils flare and quiver as the itch consumes him. "H-huh--huH'UUDDZZHhieww! UZZHh'hue!"

Tears roll down his cheeks in irritation, his thick lashes damp and studded with tears. He snuffles, everything so wet and desperate, and he is deeply aware that this cold is sinking its claws into him in a way he won't be shaking it anytime soon. He looks up over tented hands, unwilling to want to pull them away just yet. "Excuse me..."

"You poor thing...you must be so itchy. Your poor nose is so sensitive, isn't it? All it takes is just a little touch to set you off..."

He can feel the blush wash through his features, a deep pink of self-consciousness. "It's usually not so bad, I'm just--it's just this cold." He can feel her eyes on him as he turns away, taking a couple of tissues to wipe away the moisture, and then when he turns away a little harder to blow his nose. It's a thick, wet sound that's so mortifyingly productive. He can see her sort of squirm in the corner of his eye, and he can't imagine it's with anything else except disgust.

"I can go wash up."

"I don't mind. If you want to, you're welcome to, but if not, it's nothing to me. This is your apartment."

"It is, but you're my guest here." He takes a little sip of the tea, and it's hot, and sweet, and soothing. The mug is one of his favorites--it's bright yellow, textured like a pineapple and green and semi-thorned on the handle. It's cute; he loves carrying it around the apartment and sipping anything out of it. "Did you know that this is one of my favorite mugs I own? My daughter got this for me."

Her expression is unreadable. He isn't sure what he should really say, what she wants to do. "Is her mom still in the picture?"

"Oh. I mean--kinda?" He coughs into his fist, some shy little gesture that ends up becoming an actual cough into his elbow, deeper and chestier and congested. "She's around, but not really. She's my daughter's mom, but I'm not her father--I mean--I am her father, but it's like--not biologically. I adopted her. Her mom couldn't care for her, so I ended up taking her in, with my husband at the time. We aren't together anymore, but we do co-parent."

She brushes the hair away from his face, tucking the locks of hair back behind his ears. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked. We don't have to talk about it, if you're not wanting to."

"No! I mean, it's fine. I'm just kind of--I don't want to make anything weird for you, especially because you're really nice, and especially because we're going to be working together. You shouldn't have to, like, deal with me being weird." He runs his fingers over the mug, his nails catching in all the grooves and texture of the whole surface. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can."

He looks over at her, their eyes locking on one another. "Was this a date?"

She laughs, but something about the way she does it just sort of confirms things. One of her hands finds its way into one of his, just holds onto it with a little squeeze. "Maybe I was hoping it would be."

His mind is a stew of thoughts that he doesn't know how to actually pick out anything coherent from. He just nods and breaks the eye contact to look away sheepishly. He's never had to really turn down a woman before--honestly, he kind of can't believe that anyone would ever look at him and think he was anything other than flaming. "You know, I do want to say that I'm really flattered. More than I really know how to say, honestly. It's just not really...in the cards, I guess. I don't really--there's a reason I have an ex-husband and not an ex-wife. But you're really nice--you're really sweet, and you're so pretty, and I do hope that you end up finding someone who digs you."

He's pulled into a hug, hard enough it almost sloshes his tea out of his mug, and he gently wraps his arms back around her. "I can't say I'm not disappointed, but you know how it is. I'll survive, somehow." Her smile isn't bitter like he expects it to be--she does seem to be okay with it, but he can feel the anxiety gnawing at his insides. She extends a hand. "Friends, then?"

"Friends, for sure."

She stands up, smooths out her dress, and gently pushes him flat against the board with a hand on his chest. "Good. Then you go to bed, and I'll see you at work on Monday--and if that cold isn't any better, you'd better believe I'm gonna hit you with some caretaking that'll knock your socks off." A kiss is pressed to his crown, and she's off to the front door. "Sleep well, Elliott. Thanks for dinner."

"The next one'll be better, I promise. We'll even get to eat something this time."

"I'm holding you to it!"

[jayfirestorm]

Alright, I'll explain it anyway

Meet the basis of my funnies undercut

vvv

GMD.MOV

Imagine if something like a cheap copy of pony.mov existed in Geometry Dash community. Yeah that was it. It had lots of dumb ass russian jokes that can not be translated at ALL, and if it still existed, I would probably have been canceled from the first day of GMD.MOV's existence on public media. And yes, it was an animation. But sadly, since GMD.MOV wasn't published anywhere, when I switched devices, it was lost :[

The lore was... Wild. It was literally pony.mov, but with dumber jokes, cheaper animation, and way crazier. At first, it didn't have any lore at all, but after some time, I accidentally brainrotted a whole setting in it. Wompity womp womp. And again, it's lost, and maaaaaybe if I won't be lazy ass, I will recreate it but it won't be as shitty as back in 2023.

GD ACADEMY

Lol imagine gd community, but it's a school? Yeah that's basically the setting of GD Academy.

But it had a lore and it was just REEEEE-

OK, so, the lore was about a nameless and lonely demonslayer who didn't have anyone or anything but his mission on becoming the most skilled dude in lands of GD Community. Yes he doesn't have any personality, and yes he is basically empty character blank at the start. But! When he gets accepted into the GD Academy, things change. A lot. He has to interact with other players, learn more about morals and social life, and so on. At the end of the main plot, he becomes a full-time character with a cool personality, lots of new experience in life, and NOPE he's not fulfilling his start goal, but he gains something more than this. He gains FRIENDSHIP AYYYYOOO!1!11!! (Yes he's aroace representation with NO love interest or something like that. I'm giving an actual representation here.)

But, alas, it's also lost :[

I could rewrite it as a fic, or could make it as a comic, but NOT AGAIN into the animation. Nuh-uh, I'm not stepping in the same puddle as with GMD.MOV.

GeoCherry

DESTROY IT IF YOU FIND ANY FRAGMENTS OF IT.

it was a joke ass fic about shipping gd players, which was a typical ahh situation in the russian community, but some people ACTUALLY believed that it was written BY SERIOUS just because I'm a good writer. SUCK IT! I'm not doing this again.

WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THIS MF. NUH-UH. THAT'S NOT MY CHILD ANYMORE.

Even if I rewrite it, I'll make sure to make it in a way that EVERYONE will realize that it's a joke-fic. That's why I'm not doing that yet since I can't understand why I am good at writing that everyone believes that EVERY SINGLE RAMBLE I WRITE isn't a joke. Guys I'm a silly gober, I do jokes hehe haha and shit don't believe every word that comes from me and my keyboard. I can strike a very, VERY dumb thing with a serious ahh face, so BE CAREFUL!

Ye that's all ig, maybe I'll describe some more stuff later

[pupperchris]

RE Infinite Darkness Could've Been Better

I watched AND rewatched RE: Infinite Darkness andddd it was great! But this is yet another instance where I wish Claire was the MC whereas Leon was the supporting role. Leon is involved bcs it's his job, but Claire got involved bcs she's a journalist trying to get to the bottom of things so if we saw them meet up during Claire's investigation then Leon would tell her details leading to them working together. ANYWAYS I want to comment on all the new characters (That are now dead ☺️) but #LOVED PATRICK he just looks like a wet cat like all the time😭 and he's just doing his best💕 he doesn't like Leon in the beginning for whatever reason I just wish we saw him more in action cuz it's clear that he's an agent maybe not as experienced as Leon but ik he has some sweet moves in him.

Shen Mei was also lovely. RIP Shen Mei you would've loved Ada Wong😪 I felt so bad for her tho bcs she cares for her brother, and she genuinely wanted to bring justice to the victims of Raccoon City and Panamstan ONLY TO GET KILLED BY JASON 😭 I just know how betrayed she felt when she figured out Jason wasn't in the same boat as her like she thought they were in it together💀

now...Jason I like you...but...I HATE YOU. Idk I felt like they were making him too...emo like "it starts with fear then you cultivate it and watch it spread and that's terror 🐺👿" like brooo shut upppp you doing too much 😭 like I think if maybe he tried to speak out in some way or like Shen Mei and he have been secretly exposing bits and pieces of Panamstan and Raccoon City but keeps getting covered up I would see Jason's POV like yes bro! Turn into a BOW and show them!! Like I can see him getting impatient and resorting to that like making Shen Mei and Jason two sides of the same coin, I think their dynamic and character itself would've been more interesting that way. Also, I don't think he would kill Shen Mei bcs to my understanding they've been together for like a long time SO IT MADE NO SENSE FOR JASON TO KILL HER. If you wanted Jason to kill her make it accidental bcs I would think he cares about her since she's been there since day 1. So Leon's character was AMAZING in this series they got his funny and serious side at the same time this is what Degeneration Leon should've been instead of the awkward mewing mess he is in that first movie and I wish that we could've seen that nice back and forth we get with Claire and him since he was more playful in this series also I think that that would've aided their break up scene at the end💔(IK IT WASNT A BREAKUP SCENE BUT IT FELT LIKE ONE DAMMIT😭)

bcs then Claire knows abt the chip and since Leon knows abt her investigation she's under the assumption that Leon would give it to her, but with Leon not giving it to her she almost views him as a bad guy bcs there been through so much trouble to get it and come out alive and he just kind of brushes her off🫤...Okay now CLAIRE I LOVE HER homegirl so good at her job that the government had to kidnap her☺️ there's not much to say just like how passionate and compassionate she is through all of it she's amazing literally can't do any harm I don't have much to say abt her character bcs she doesn't go through and arc but she's just I think disappointed in Leon I really like the line "That outfit doesn't suit you" bcs it has a deeper meaning like in the beginning of it its like haha you look silly😊 to her not recognizing him anymore like the suit represents the government that covered up the RC incident and the outfit doesn't suit the same rookie cop that she met all those years ago😕MAYBE I'm reading too into it but that's my #take all in all it was a great show 5.5/10 I might make more posts abt it but this is it for now

[soclam]

i've been taking a break from playing bg3 so i don't get burnt out between filling my time with solely that and schoolwork, but because of brainworms i'm still thinking about it so here's victri's first impressions of the origin companions! (in order of when she met them)

Lae'zel: She's literally the first person Victri SEES after getting abducted by the mind flayers. When she bumps into her later, she's so happy to see someone else who can help her fight her way out of this place. She also thinks Lae is cool as hells because she kicks major ass. In her mind, they have strong bonds formed by the nature of them being in the same predicament so she's lowkey offended when she finds out Lae'zel doesn't think of them as besties?? Ma'am we fought together, we could have died together, and we're just allies? The fuck?

Shadowheart: (This is very funny because I failed the roll to free her from the pod and I didn't know I could just.. switch to Lae and try again so I left her behind by accident sdlkfhskhld) So Victri does her best to free Shadow on the ship but can't figure it out, so she promises to come back for her - and she means it! But then shit goes down and our silly little bard is waking up on a beach wondering why she isn't like beyond dead. When she starts to wander down the road and finds Shadow on the beach, she's genuinely so elated - you didn't die!! And of course Shadow is like "oh it's the bitch who left me behind :) i mean, at least you tried i guess". Victri starts sweating bullets and is like "haha let's travel together my fellow half-elf!" and Shadow hits her with the "we are not kin" and Victri gets ready to eat sand and die right there. Vic really wants to make things up to Shadow because she feels so guilty about not being able to free her (even though things turned out okay in the end). Vic is also very nosy so she's like "let's get to know each other!" and is thrown when Shadow is just like "let's not!".

When Shadowheart and Lae'zel start fighting or bickering, Victri almost always thinks they're trying to sway her out of concern for her. Like "aww my bestie wants me to make the right choice :)". No girl, they just want you to side with them. They don't like you (yet).

Gale: A strange magic man just came out of the portal in that rock, of course she's intrigued by him!! She also thinks he's really cute (this will cause problems for us later!) and is so genuinely relieved to encounter a person who is just?? polite?? He didn't try to kill her, he's been nice and seems normal, this is a man we can trust. When he asks for a tasty snack of some magical items, she has many questions but is basically just like "okay :) I love my good friend Gale" and hands him a fancy sword she found on a corpse while her other companions are begging her to give him something shittier. She also might have accidentally led him on without realizing? (This was a result of me planning to romance Gale but then finding out that Astarion is actually charming and they didn't lie to me on Twitter. Gale I am so sorry I still love you I am just bad at planning-)

Astarion: Since Vic and Astarion become an Item later I could write a whole essay on them. Basically she clocks him as someone who is capable of handling himself in battle, but is still clueless enough to turn her back on him. She's wary of him for about ten seconds and then hits him with the ol' "Wanna join my crew party?" With Astarion's admission later in the romance that he doesn't like Tav at first, I imagine that he meets her and is taken aback with how... gullible and naïve she seems (putting it nicely). Victri is like "oh cool, this guy who is skilled with knives is teaming up with us :) a great asset for our cause" and Astarion is like "it's gonna be so easy to manipulate this moron". She's a bard and likes to flirt but it usually doesn't go farther than that for her. When Astarion comes onto her, she definitely takes it at face value and is super earnest about starting to have feelings for him as they come. By the time he admits his feelings for her, she's already fully in love with him. His whole "aha so this was basically me manipulating you but I caught feelings oops" catches her by surprise because she's SO BAD at romance but she strongly believes on judging people in the present so she's more happy he's being honest now than upset about him lying before.

Wyll: THE Blade of Frontiers?? Victri is a bard so yes, she's heard the stories. She's stricken with how down-to-earth and genuine he seems. He's a little subdued compared to her other companions, but he has a strong sense of justice which she really resonates with. She thinks he's just the coolest, I like to imagine that he's kind of her rock throughout the adventure in a platonic way. He's always ready to lend an ear or a hand, based on the situation, and she'd do the same for him in an instant. Most of his values line up with hers and she feels like he's such an asset to the team. Does not even flinch when he gets devil-ified because she lowkey thinks the horns look good on him. She tries not to say anything though because she wants to be respectful of his feelings! The only thing holding her back from trying to kill Mizora is the knowledge that Wyll would die as a result. She would do anything for him, honestly, he's like a brother to her.

Karlach: Love. I could literally just leave it there. When she first runs into Karlach with Wyll, she senses something's up before the tadpole fuckery starts. Just looks her up and down and is internally like "this... is not the person Wyll described at all". She's all too happy to go fuck up the fake paladins for her newest bestest friend! Vic and Karlach have a lot of similar feelings about their friends ("we love them") and their issues ("that's so fucked") so they get along well. From the jump, Victri is like "I'll do whatever I can to help you [with the engine]" and when Karlach mentions needing an infernal mechanic she gets a literal exclamation point above her head and runs in circles because "I KNOW ONE OF THOSE!!" (Unfortunately for Karlach and Victri, I had already finished the Grove questline and Dammon had left for Baldur's Gate! So we had to wait until Act II with all this infernal iron burning a hole in her backpack teehee).

[alleunwalk]

tokyo revengers idol au hcs part 3 that no one asked for AGAIN here’s part 1 and part 2 to get a better understanding.  this is what the members would be doing alongside their idol promotions+ what they would post on social media  toman tbh these guys are all just so damn funny on their own that they would constantly be invited to comedy variety shows. maybe perhaps doing something similar to seventeen or wanna one where they even have their own variety show on youtube (ie. seventeen’s-going seventeen series or wanna one’s show on mnet)  mikey-he would post basic food pics like of his parfaits or taiyaki but also it’s rare because he’d constantly forget his password. however on important days he’ll post long emotional and sentimental posts that hit you in your feels thanking his members and fans always. he also has a youtube channel posting random funny vlogs. draken- he has his own personal soundcloud to upload solo mixtapes/songs feat diff members. posts photos of his bikes and different tattoos he would be getting. responds with 1-2 words to fans during fansigns or ig comments but like mikey, once in a while, will also write heartfelt posts thanking everyone.  baji- his ig feed is filled with animals + dance practice vids. also has his own soundcloud too. trolls his members by commenting on their stuff. “delete this u ugly mf no one wants to see this”.  takemichi- very chatty, (sometimes too chatty where he’ll end up accidentally spoiling their next album info) and interactive on social media to his fans. tries his best to respond to most comments or ama ig stories questions. posts a lot of selfies and photos of his members. king of fan service.  chifuyu- beautiful photos of the sky a lot on his ig (in canon he wanted to be a pilot :,) ) along with cute soft selfies. (which baji and kazutora troll and comment being like “damn....u ugly AF!” “lmao stop pretending to act cute u loser”  kazutora- his ig is filled with pure chaos. just pics of him catching his members slipping (sleeping photos where they’re drooling or have their eyes slightly open or making ugly faces behind the scenes). also has photos of cursed memes and memes made by fans. he’s a literal enigma.  mitsuya- very wholesome ig photos- lots of photos of his family, group photos, sometimes cool artsy edited selfies. occasional photoshoot photos.  hakkai- ig is filled lots of #ootd photos and occasional photos from his modeling or acting gigs (he’s the visual, duh!) gets a lot of sponsorships from big brands.  pah-chin: has a joint youtube channel with peyan. they do silly challenges but will sometimes post dance videos (feat. baji) since they’re the main/lead dancers. fans love him because of his “matter-of-fact” responses that are funny without even trying. (example- fan comment: omg i love u guys soooo much u guys are the best in the whole world!!!<333 toman OUTSOLD!.  pah-chin: idk about best in the world but we’ll just take “the best in our neighborhood” for now i guess. thanks.”)  peyan: joint youtube channel with pah-chin. at fan signs mikey has to warn him to chill out cuz peyan will accidentally yell and scare fans without meaning to, but he’s just really excited to meet his fans is all ^_^   angry: posts a lot of wholesome photos like mitsuya (selfies with smiley) and writes a lot of motivational sweet captions cheering fans up and reminding them to always be happy :,)  smiley: joint youtube account with angry. smiley does a lot of prank videos and angrys just usually in the back like  🧍‍♂️... he also does tiktok- he would be doing all the dances, memes, and trends.  inui: ok hear me out, i mentioned before inui has similar vibes as cha eunwoo so i’d figure his ig would give the same vibe as his (iykyk). since he’s the other visual he would be getting a TON of acting and modeling gigs. idk why but i feel like inui would be a great actor (his facial expressions during tenjiku arc, the range!). actor of the year. gets a lot of skincare commercial deals too. 

black dragons shinichiro- photos of bikes, cars, and photos where hes pretending to do a cool pose but his members (+mikey) would troll and comment “LAME!!!!!” “why tf do u look like that?” “hey leader, it’s not too late to delete this now bestie :)” does fun ig lives. on variety shows as a joke his members tease him there as well. really great at fan-service and pulls the whole “pretend boyfriend” scenario with fans (the delusional fans are gonna act up if he keeps this up...).  taiju- (if shinichiro did not exist in this au OR if you wanted both in the group) photos of him at the gym, photoshoot photos.  inui- similar to if he was in toman, his ig would just be a lot of cool and cute photos of him from behind the scenes of dramas or photoshoots. a soft visual king. occasional selfies with koko and bike photos.  kokonoi- has a personal youtube channel but he would be Drowning in sponsorship videos all from high-end designer brands. he’s just casually flexing that PPL in his vlogs. ig feed is a lot of #ootd photos or pics taken with inui. him and inui would be makeup brand ambassadors or faces of brands (ex: like jennie from blackpink represents chanel). in this case kokonoi would be the face of fendi (he wears fendi slides in the manga cover) and inui would be the face of jimmy choo (his heels in the manga cover looked like jimmy choo but i could be wrong.. but u know what i mean) 

tenjiku  izana- pretty leader has a very artsy ig feed. extremely photogenic like inui. has photoshoot photos and candid pose photos. acts in dramas time to time (gg second male lead syndrome).  kakucho- posts gym or dance practice videos on his feed but he posts rarely because he’s just too busy or forgets he actually has an ig. loves commenting on takemichi’s posts “haha no wonder ur called baka-michi!” as a joke.  kanji- posts gym photos but it’s rare because he always forgets his password.  ran- the other visual. he would be modeling for high-fashion brands and go on runway shows. also definitely gives off actor vibes (he would be constantly casted in dark action movies hahaha). loves giving fan service.  rindou- in contrast to his brother, rindou when it comes to fan service, he loves trolling fans. also he’s really good at drawing a line between fans (y’know, keeping the delusional ones in check...which means he ‘friend-zones’ them but it’s for their own good tbh idols need to remind people their boundaries). has a youtube channel where he just posts random dance practice vids and occasional vlogs. also comments under his brothers ig posts “you look stupid af in this wtf”. on variety shows people find their brotherly banter hilarious.  mutou- posts gym photos, also really awkward selfies (he doesn’t know what his angle is lmao). another member who also reminds fans of their boundaries and keeps it real. (sanzu always likes his photos though and hypes him up in the comments).  sanzu- shy baby. constantly following mutou around. posts a lot of cute selfies and random pics of shogi stuff (he tags mutou in it of course). during fan signing/autograph sessions they love putting cute headband props on him like this or this. 

bonten because this group’s concept and aesthetic is mysterious, mature, artsy, gloomy, and dark they will take this concept to the grave. (minus a few exceptions) they are invited to variety/talk-shows but never make an appearance because they want to keep the air of mystery around them. (it’s a good marketing technique).  mikey- does not have any social media. he does have a private account to lurk around but no one knows what it is.  kokonoi- has a youtube channel but it’s locked and you have to pay to get into it. posts super short vlogs and teasers. thats it. (the ultimate scam! but their fans love them too much to notice). lots of sponsored #ootd posts on ig.  kakucho- he would be modeling ONLY high fashion brands and high end editorial places. his instagram is just his exquisite and expensive modeling photos whether it be candid backstage photos from shows, candid runway walk pics/vids, pics of diff photoshoots you name it. doesn’t really comment much.  ran- visual. similar to kakucho- modeling ONLY high fashion brands and editorial places. instagram is filled with modeling photos but also some artsy scenery pics he took.  rindou- posts short artsy dancing clips (like modern dances in black&white filter) on ig.  sanzu- since he’s the other visual, he also posts a lot of his modeling/acting photos on instagram. also pretty chatty (he’s the exception) on social media and loves teasing and trolling fans. posts with a lot of random cute emojis on everything. “just ate lunch and now im off to practice hehe 🍜🍇🤟💃🤠🧚‍♂️💞🦋” no one really knows why he uses random emojis but it’s just endearing lmao.  kanji- no social media at all.  akashi- manager....or if you made him the rapper in this au then he too would also not have any social media. 

[just-someone-who-likes-to-write]

silly imagine I can't get out of my head.

Kind of like a RomCom.

We recently have been making AUs with Mafia Loki. but what if (Y/n) Was the Mafia Boss and Loki... Is a guy who accidentally joins her Mafia.

He'd probably did a huge favor to one of the underlings, who he didn't know was a mafia member and the was so impressed with Loki he starts bringing him more to small missions that he could help them with and trips because he was part of them now. And Loki, who was too panicked, went along with it because he didn't know what these guys would do to him. They would tell him how if he continued doing so good they'd take him to thier boss, followed by stories of said boss. The more they talked the more terrified Loki is of said boss. But he still heard good things, about the boss being a person of reasonable mind, and won't harm innocent, so his plan was to meet the head Boss, tell him it was all just big funny accident and he'd be on his merry way and never speak of them to anyone.

So he starts"Proofing" himself, stopping fights with his silver tounge, bring valuable information from other gangs, etc.

It didn't take long for him to be put in a car to meet the Boss personally. He'd have this speech prepared in his head. First he'd complement the Boss, second, find out what kind of person he is truely is, then when he made sure it's all clear he'd be honest about everything and pray he'd get of easy.

However, when Loki finally meets the Mafia boss, he'd be shocked not only by the fact that "He" was actually a "She" but also how he was already crushing hard by that intimate creature. The speech is forgotten and Loki was a stuttering mess, before pulling himself together and being the charming guy that he is.

"So tell me, Loki was it?.. What did you want?"

"Pardon?"

"My men kept telling me how you always asked about me and wanted to meet in person and privately no less. So tell me, what is it you want? "

"...You.. "

"What?"

"I ..Imeant working for You!!"

"Hahaha, but you are already, aren't you?"

"Well, I'd like to work under you personally, I cam be valuable asset to you, my Lady. "

"My Lady?... What a weird title to adress your boss."

"I... I.. I'm.. "

"It's old fashioned and cute, I'll allow it, as for your request, I'll have to put you through the test first, Mike here will be looking over you to make sure you past, until then, sir Loki haha."

And then Loki realizes Maybe Mafia life isn't that bad.

[potatoidunno]

OKAY KIKO, OKAY. GAME PLAYED. GAME PLAYEDDDD

i had time on my hands. Don't be alarmed. Okay maybe be a little alarmed. It was relaxing for me. Sorta. I'm open to having my opinions being forcibly beaten out of me okay bye!!

Accidental Public Confession - NAY i need them to be able to revel in the confession and to uwu in all their glory and not be interrupted by the realization that NPC#34 is staring intently from across the room

Almost Kiss - YAY there's always just so much room for the build up of tension! and THEN what?? do they get right back into it? Or is there a time skip and it's on their mind for days? weeks?

Anger Born of Worry - NAY very rarely do i see this written in a way that doesn't leave me infuriated; it's just somehow magically solved and sunshines and rainbows once they realize "oh it's because they love me that they've been pissed for a whole week!" without any actual... apologizing? recognizing it's not cool?

Blind Date - NAY just not my vibe, maybe that's rooted in me personally finding the concept of blind dates anxiety inducing HAHA

Break His/Her Heart to Save Him/Her - YAY i love angst (but also NAY because the reason is almost always something stupid that could've been solved with a little something called communication)

Caught in the Rain - YAY but only if it's warm spring/summer rain and they don't have any important papers/documents/electronics in their bags

Childhood Friends Romance - YAY but i gotta be seeing some snippets into the childhood, don't jump me with a "i've always loved you" without actually showing that

“Dear John” Letter - YAY only if paired with sufficient backstory of why A has come to their wits end with B. and they don't take them back.

Deconfirmed Bachelor - YAY eat your words and look at you now, simp (better if they're just completely unabashed about simping)

Dying Declaration of Love - NAY THEN SAY IT MF EARLIER DUMMY (+ doesn't leave room for continuation if they actually die)

Everyone Can See It  - NAY if the actual confession is comparably lackluster to the way the sickeningly sweet pining is described by everyone else :( YAY if everyone sighs in relief and they are no less disgusting in their affection

Exiled to the Couch - YAY funnier if the couch is actually comfier than the bed

Fake Relationship - YAY if there's an actual guideline and plan while executing the fake relationship. there's gotta be a goal/reason, tension, and the segue into a real rel

First Cut is the Deepest - NAY if it becomes a recurring issue that A has to bend over backwards to accommodate B, without B actually putting in effort to work on themselves

First Love - YAY it's cute

Flirting Under Fire - YAY PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN WAS A PIVOTAL MOMENT OKAY

Forgotten First Meeting - YAY A's feigned expression of hurt, B desperately trying to remember and sweating bullets but has the memory of a goldfish (i'm B). A vowing to make themselves much more memorable this time around

Friendly War - YAY it just makes for such good banter

Friends with Benefits - NAY which is funny because i've read so many?? mentally i just need it to go somewhere...! i'm a lil softie ok i need them to kiss kiss fall in love eventually

Gibberish in Love - YAY i love it when A is ridiculously dumb for B <3

wow there's a text limit per block??

Girl of My Dreams - NAY meh doesn't do much for me idk!

Green-Eyed Epiphany - YAY yessssss i live for this shit give it to meeeee muahahaha has me ROLLING on the ground when this happens uhg. less cool if A takes it way too toxic and it's less jealousy and more just straight controlling

Hands-on Approach - YAY let's be logical here it really would be the best way to learn ;)

Happily Married - YAY but they still have to have silly fights okay

Her Boyfriend’s Jacket - YAY they're probably better quality anyway. love it when they get all mushy eyed seeing their partner wearing their things :) bonus if they steal something they can't even practically wear for fun/revenge

Her Heart Will Go On - NAY no thank you just kill me, the reader, off too at that point. i sat through a 300k slowburn fic only to have B spontaneously die. And then A had two kids with someone else in the last chapter. THE LAST CHAPTER. DO YOU KNOW HOW INSANE THAT IS-

High School Sweethearts - YAY there are just so many aspects about high school that can make this trope easy to write about, lots of events/topics/settings for inspiration of how they met (e.g. between the bookshelves and one of them sliding a note to the other using a ruler.... may or may not be an experience of someone close to me)

Holding Hands - YAY the little brushes of the thumb for comfort ooooohh ; u ;

I Can’t Believe a Guy Like You Would Notice Me - NAY if it leans less into "a guy like you" (as in they're just literally max stats and on a different social/economic field compared to everyone else) and too much into the "not like other girls" (in the toxic way) vibes yknow?? but if it comes from a place of genuine insecurity and it becomes an opportunity for some sweet reassurances then ok we ball

I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On - YAY 100% it makes for such good humour, play into it! DO IT AGAIN FOR FUN. WOOO. abuse your newly discovered skill! MAKE THEM MISERABLEEE

I Don’t Want to Ruin Our Friendship - NAY as much as i do understand the real fear that comes along with this and the nuances of changing a relationship from platonic to romantic.... lmao i am reading for a reason GET WITH IT PLEASE DOn'T TEASE ME

I Got You a Drawer - YAY do you know how much you have to care for someone to give them your miscellaneous drawer? the effort they must've put in to put all the shit that was in there, somewhere else?? god, that's peak romance

“I love you” Stigma - NAY just say it, coward >:( I don't mind the build up of it but I dunno I live more for the subtle actions that show I love you more than I do the act of saying it, if that makes sense?

I Want My Beloved to Be Happy - YAY oof yeah, I mean if I'm there to read about those two characters, I probably wouldn't be happy about this ending but LMAOOO I've seen it written well and if it comes from a place of true selflessness then it can be so deliciously bittersweet. Even if it might infuriate me

Imagined Love Triangle - YAY if it's not real or drawn out and it's a way of introducing some tension or realizations of feelings or something something. Weird if it persists as a problem even after it's cleared up

Imagined Innuendo - YAY accidental innuendoes are everywhere and i simply love turning everything into one. It's all about that plausible deniability!!

Inconvenient Attraction - YAY because this was me irl and the frustration that came with it was so annoying and I'm simply built to like this trope and perspective. That, and the reluctance towards admitting attraction makes for great slowburn

Innocent Cohabitation - YAY I love domesticity and there's something about the simplicity of living together and the bond of routine that is wonderful :) that and beating the other person with a pillow because their alarm has been ringing for 20 minutes (surely that leads to romance right?)

Interrupted Intimacy - YAY best when the third party is completely unaware of the cockblocking they're doing and won't take the hint to leave

Intertwined Fingers - YAY again one of those "show it don't say it" methods of affection that I love love love

It Doesn’t Mean Anything - YAY it most definitely did and will mean something LMAO

It’s Not You, It’s Me - NAY I get the principle behind it but if they actually say it like this then I'm gone. I'll be convinced they said it just to rile me up in the audience, knowing it wouldn't be interpreted well HAHA but yeah in principle, fine, as long as you actually communicate wtf "it's me" means and why it's a deal breaker for continuing the relationship

It’s Not You, It’s My Enemies - NAY because if you loved them you'd become the dynamic killer duo and you'd be much stronger together. why the hell would you think they'd be safer away from you and out of your sight?? My g you have to be joking rn

The Lady’s Favour - YAY especially if they treat the item with so much care and tenderness... and if they become reaaaallly tilted when it's damaged or taken away. I just love the idea of them having a prized possession and ahhh. Sentimentality is IN. ((Gilmi was so real for asking for a single strand of hair))

Lap Pillow - NAY because I worry for the person who is the pillow and whether they have to pee or get up to do something and the stress they're under to be STILL. But also YAY because it's cute and running their hands through the other's hair is so sweet and tender and willingly giving up feeling in your legs is so peak romance

Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone - NAY because does this ever work? do they ever actually go back to smooching or romancing or whatever? No!! It breaks tension and creates embarrassment!!

Let’s Wait Awhile - YAY i mean it's always yay if there's prioritizing of comfort and consent, no pressure, and open communication and expectations-if that's how this trope is being used

Like An Old Married Couple - YAY there's something so so heart clenching about knowing the other else like the back of their hand, anticipating their every move--and yet STILL, every once in a while, they do something to surprise them!! Gah!! Yes!! Eat oatmeal and watch day time soaps together in bed while you crochet!

Like Parent, Like Spouse - NAY i thought at first this was using the "god you're JUST like your mom/dad" during an argument and I would've cried hell yes bc that's just the RIGHT thing to say during an argument to make for an explosive angsty story and- anyway yeah I'm good

Long Distance Relationship - NAY I need them to cuddle, stat!! Also the issues that arise from this trope can more often than not be solved with communication... and you know what they never do...? Communicate! Effectively!!!

Love Across Battlelines - NAY I've seen this done well before but it's frustrating if the background lore/context of the battlelines are ignored afterwards. Great, you're enemies from opposing sides and now you're in love. Wonderful. Now what? I need to know what the now what is. You can't introduce a whole backstory and not follow through/keep it relevant.. surely some of the differences between A and B become a point of conflict later on.

Love at First Punch - YAY I've BEEN saying the height of YA novels back in like 2014ish when every protag punched or fought their love interest at some point... yeah nothing like a concussion to give them heart eyes!! Or enough brain damage to ask them to count to 3 and for their name and contact info. Also leads to the opportunity for IOU requests as compensation for the black eye

Love at First Sight - NAY I'm all about the slow burn and falling in love as they get to know each other and the small quirks and details... the exception is if they fall in love at first sight because of something extremely specific/stupid HAHA

Love Before First Sight - YAY immediately contradicting the trope above to say it'd be so cute if they've ever only heard of the person in passing/what they've done for mutuals and they become infatuated with the idea of meeting them but they coincidentally miss every opportunity to do so and it frustrates them to no END. And then they become a fumbling mess when they do meet. I may or may not have used this trope before and am biased oops-

Love Letter - YAY but only because I'm remembering a story my mom told me where she wrote a letter and put it in a random mailbox. Was it received and flustered the recipient? Yes. Did it end in romance? No. But imagine A randomly dropping a letter and B losing their mind overthinking every interaction afterwards and later finding out A had just written some rizz lines from a tweet they found funny.

Love Makes You Uncreative - NAY I just don't think this trope would bring me joy because I'd be busy ??????-ing. a case of the character misattributing their decreased ability to perform activity/hobby to the one good thing they managed to cultivate in their life, and then them throwing that away?? I'm OK in my corner here thanks

Love Potion - YAY it's used on one person and not the other and it becomes a "this isn't you, you'd NEVER let me have the last slice of cake" type of situation where they try to keep the other from doing things they'd regret when it wears off (OFC little do they know they love each other anyway blah blah)

Love Triangle - NAY no thanks. if I wanted to read about A + C I would've searched for that on its own.

Love Will Lead You Back - NAY if it's some on off on off on off thing or hopeless pining with no moves made for character/circumstance development. YAY for if it's one of those "when will they return from the war" / denial of death because I dunno there's something bittersweet about that kind of delulu (((bring him back please please, it's been two months-)))

Married to the Job - NAY too real man, no need to remind me of work culture and the problems it creates when I'm trying to enjoy some peak entertainment wth

Matchmaker Crush - YAY and can you imagine how silly and devious and fun the attempts to help are? And then character A keeps wondering why B's suggestions get worse and worse and aren't even remotely helpful anymore-

Meet the In-Laws - YAY it's sweet how nervous they are about it and how much prep goes into the meeting. Especially cute if it all goes wrong

Mistaken for Cheating - YAY it could be a good opportunity to show emotional maturity in the way that the characters approach this confrontation/discussion. Or it could be made into a silly interaction, a series of comically impossible events that led to this mistaken interpretation. Or maybe the assumption brings up underlying cracks and flaws already in the relationship and everything goes nuclear (or the opposite--the absence of any reaction because they've already mentally checked out). I think I just have a thing for angst

Motivational Kiss - YAY YES SMOOCHES ALL AROUND PEPPER THEIR FACE MAKE THEM ALL HAPPY AND GIDDY THEY DESERVE ALL THE SUPPORT

Mrs. Hypothetical - YAY cause I love the idea of them being completely lost with their head in the clouds for an entire day and being a bumbling mess just thinking about their Mrs. Hypothetical

My Girl Back Home - NAY would rather they be home with their girl instead of talking so much about her smh

My Own Private “I do” - YAY small and sweet, probably makes things easier for the writer too (lmao trying to fit in every named character in the ceremony would be a nightmare). Win win for everyone

My Sister is off-limits! - YAY depending on the difference in age and some of the language/phrases used. Sometimes it's been done well but other times it's given me the BIG ick.

Necktie Leash - YAY yeah but in my head extra funny if they play into it yellin WOOF WOOF to turn the tables and embarrass the other person

New Old Flame - YAY characters grow and change outside of the view of the audience. It's interesting to see how this growth is portrayed and how it's perceived, and whether it actually makes any difference to their relationship

Oblivious to Love - NAY because I've been frustrated in the past by it being drawn out for way too long. Yes, A is way too mf dense. But for the love of god B SUCKS at communicating to ANY degree of effectiveness. Ahhh!!

Office Romance - YAY I guess it's hot when they refill the photocopier with paper without being asked to whew

Operation: Jealousy - YAY it's okay if it's a one off event for an ex they don't have feelings for anymore and it's purely for animosity or starting shit. Otherwise NAY if they're still actively into their ex/other love interest

Relationship Reveal - YAY but the degrees to which some of these relationships have progressed before being revealed ASTOUND me sometimes. Cute and fine if it's early relationship but no way you've been married for five years and you haven't slipped ONCE to your coworkers

Road Trip Romance - YAY road trips and the stressors of traveling with someone are relationship changing and I stand by this irl and in fiction

Romantic Fake-Real Turn - YAY a classic of course. I could never say no to this trope muah my beloved.

Romantic Wingman - NAY dunno doesn't do it for me, shoo away wingman

Runaway Bride - NAY because I just focus too much on the money and the prep and the stress of all that went into the ceremony and I can't get over that mental block.. like okay you ran away but now what?? Where's your passport you still gotta go HOME after pls this is stressing me out!

Secret Relationship - YAY yes cute little cover story of enemies/strangers but secretly they're quite soft for each other. But they gotta make some progress eventually, I can't sit through 20 chapters of it going nowhere

Sex Equals Love - YAY yeah sex can just be sex, not every character pairing needs to end up in a relationship. But BOY do I love to read about the subtle actions of increased intimacy that show during bed wrestling when feelings do develop and spawn in between sessions.

She Cleans Up Nicely - NAY i like the reverse, have them dress down/see them on their day off when they're wearing literally the worst piece of clothing they own and still look cute

She’s Not My Girfriend - YAY yet

Sickening Sweethearts - YAY bonus points if it annoys the shit out of everyone else and they do it on purpose knowing that

Slap-Slap-Kiss - YAY the tension is unmatched. slap unnecessary but bonus points if it turns them on. extra bonus if they're sparring when it happens

Smithical Marriage - YAY if they play and lean into it for fun

Star-crossed Lovers - NAY shit i'll still read it LMAOO but my heart wants good endings and i've been hurt enough as it is

Surprise Pregnancy - NAY cmon with the way they've been banging there's no WAY it's a surprise be for realllllll

Teacher-Parent Romance - NAY but that's one way to boost your kid's grades lmao

Ten Minutes in the Closet - YAY i grew up with Seven Minutes in Heaven on Quotev and when smut was called lime/lemon okay,, shit was peak at the time LMAOO the TENSIONNNN

There’s Only One Bed - YAY a CLASSIC with potential for anything from comfy cuddles to complaining about the cost of hotel repair charges

They Do - NAY idk i just prefer the journey so much much much more?? could be misunderstanding this one but oh well

Undercover as Lovers - YAY the blurring of lines and overly affectionate touches and nicknames even when there's no one around AHHH "i'm doing this for the mission" no you're not!!

Understanding Boyfriend - YAY why wouldn't I like them to have an understanding boyfriend?? Good for them! I'm glad he's supportive of their decision to become a part time snake wrangler. We love to see that

Wartime Wedding - YAY again, the hold that pirates of the caribbean has on me... but also it never makes me feel good, too much worry in my heart that things will go wrong

Was it All a Lie? - YAY the crestfallen expression on their face, the worried tugging at their lips. the second guessing of all the memories they shared, now tainted with doubt- ANGST. Yes please

Weakness Turns Her On - YAY sure go for it, vulnerability is cool. not sure if this particular trope is at the top of my lists tho! Unless A is selectively vulnerable for B. That's very cool.

When Harry Met Svetlana - NAY you'd think I'd have said yes and I might've in the past but idk!! not doing it for me rn but maybe because I've done almost a hundred of these HAHAHA maybe the james bond vibes just fizzle the potential out for me

Why Can’t I Hate You? - YAY there's just something so human about realizing you can't separate your emotions into little neat boxes. The frustration that comes with that is just lovely

You Must Be Cold - NAY because I'm worried that the other character is now cold and is going to get sick. And it'll now segue into the obligatory "A is sick and B takes care of them" trope. why would you do this. Hug for warmth or run in circles. Everyone, check the weather before you leave the house

Your Favorite - I'm not sure if there a specific trope name for it but I kinda love it when there's a conflict (wow, Min mentioning angst again, who would've thought) and instead of rising to action to argue... A shuts down and dips. Just up and leaves, poof! Gone without a trace. And it leaves B absolutely spiraling. Frantic and desperate, going everywhere, calling everyone. Something about the thought process of B realizing they messed up is just... muah. Love it. A bit toxic? Maybe. Incredibly satisfying (especially when A is objectively right in the argument)? Absolutely.

okay hi. wow. I actually got through it all. this was a good exercise for my brain today, I'm so sorry to anyone who had to scroll past all of this! zzZ

(not edited and I'm sure my opinions tomorrow might change but weeeee)

guys, I wanna know 🥺🥺

what your favorite/least favorite tropes are and why?

I'M CURIOUS AND ALSO LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION JUICE

(i've stopped watching the anime but damn is this a nice gif)

I have included a list of tropes that I found below the cut for you to love/hate 🥺

Accidental Public Confession

Almost Kiss

Anger Born of Worry

Blind Date

Break His/Her Heart to Save Him/Her

Caught in the Rain

Childhood Friends Romance

“Dear John” Letter

Deconfirmed Bachelor

Dying Declaration of Love

Everyone Can See It 

Exiled to the Couch

Fake Relationship

First Cut is the Deepest

First Love

Flirting Under Fire

Forgotten First Meeting

Friendly War

Friends with Benefits

Gibberish in Love

Girl of My Dreams

Green-Eyed Epiphany

Hands-on Approach

Happily Married

Her Boyfriend’s Jacket

Her Heart Will Go On

High School Sweethearts

Holding Hands

I Can’t Believe a Guy Like You Would Notice Me

I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On

I Don’t Want to Ruin Our Friendship

I Got You a Drawer

“I love you” Stigma

I Want My Beloved to Be Happy

Imagined Love Triangle

Imagined Innuendo

Inconvenient Attraction 

Innocent Cohabitation

Interrupted Intimacy

Intertwined Fingers

It Doesn’t Mean Anything

It’s Not You, It’s Me

It’s Not You, It’s My Enemies

The Lady’s Favour

Lap Pillow

Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone

Let’s Wait Awhile

Like An Old Married Couple

Like Parent, Like Spouse

Long Distance Relationship

Love Across Battlelines

Love at First Punch

Love at First Sight

Love Before First Sight

Love Letter

Love Makes You Uncreative

Love Potion

Love Triangle

Love Will Lead You Back

Married to the Job

Matchmaker Crush

Meet the In-Laws

Mistaken for Cheating

Motivational Kiss

Mrs. Hypothetical

My Girl Back Home

My Own Private “I do”

My Sister is off-limits!

Necktie Leash

New Old Flame

Oblivious to Love

Office Romance

Operation: Jealousy

Relationship Reveal

Road Trip Romance

Romantic Fake-Real Turn

Romantic Wingman

Runaway Bride

Secret Relationship

Sex Equals Love

She Cleans Up Nicely

She’s Not My Girfriend

Sickening Sweethearts

Slap-Slap-Kiss

Smithical Marriage

Star-crossed Lovers

Surprise Pregnancy

Teacher-Parent Romance

Ten Minutes in the Closet

There’s Only One Bed

They Do

Undercover as Lovers

Understanding Boyfriend

Wartime Wedding

Was it All a Lie?

Weakness Turns Her On

When Harry Met Svetlana

Why Can’t I Hate You?

You Must Be Cold

Your Favorite

[lululawrence]

hello!! i was wondering if u had a werewolf tag for fics? i would search it but not sure how to use tumblr that well :)) if not do u have recs? LOVE U HAVE A NICE DAY<333

hi babes! i don't have one here... damn that's a fucking great idea. hahaha i'm HORRIBLY unorganized when it comes to tags for fics on tumblr. i mostly use ao3 for the organization of fics. so! that said, i defo DO have recs for you!

you didn't specify pairing, which makes me smile because i get to rec rare pairs in addition to larry and hope you read them hehe okay, here we go!

He Carries The Key by me (8k, NR, niall/louis) - this fic is the only one of mine i'll include, okay? promise haha but it is also one i wrote for wordplay just a week or two ago and it's werewolves and a pack fic and i just had a lot of fun. very soft. much fluff. many feels. i hope you enjoy. lol

There's Fur Everywhere by @londonfoginacup / LadyLondonderry (4k, G, Harry/Louis) - this is a 5 times fic, and it's HYSTERICAL. it feels slightly spoilery for me to even be including it on this list, but also... it's still fucking hilarious. emmu is queen of the crack fic that makes you feel all the soft and wonderful things, and she doesn't disappoint with this one.

I Hear Them Calling for You by @jaerie / jaerie (6k, E, Harry/Louis) - this fic is... not for everyone. like at all. please please please read the tags and the summary and if you don't like it or it makes you uncomfortable, then close right out of it. as for ME i loved what she explored with it, all the emotions and the story and worldbuilding of it all. i thought it was fantastic and incredibly interesting. it is A/B/O, pack fic with claiming and... yeah. it's amazing.

Campus Creatures by @kingsofeverything / kingsofeverything and @louandhazaf / YesIsAWorld (25k, E, Harry/Louis) - werewolves! vampires! fae! university! frat houses! science research positions being vied for! enemies to lovers! like... not sure what more you could ASK for, but there's also a fuck ton of humor and nudity and sexual tension and... it's just a lot of fun. can't go wrong, really. haha

From What I've Tasted of Desire by @evilovesyou / 4ureyesonly28 (72k, T, Harry/Louis) - okay so i'm including this one even though like... harry and louis aren't werewolves. but it's a twilight au, so there ARE werewolves and i'm ASSUMING you know twilight and therefore know that means you know they're pretty involved and... that's true for this fic too. ahha for real, though, i love evi's writing and this fic was one of my first introductions to it and it was a fun read, so i wanted to include it in case it had enough of the werewolf flair to entice you haha

Compete Against the Stars by @daggerandrose / amomentoflove (31k, M, Harry/Louis) - omg okay so this one is like ANGSTY AF and i FUCKING LOVE IT because it's one of those fics that you HOPE you have figured out, and you probably do, but also there's SO many twists and turns to it all that you just have NO idea how it's all gonna work out and omg are they gonna just ruin it all for themselves by being stupid and ahhhhh the tension of just FIGURING OUT HOW THEY GET IT ALL TO WORK OUT!!! and of course it does. hahaha but HOW??? this is a RIDE and in my mind feels like a longer fic than 31k in the best of ways, they did an amazing job of packing a LOT of world building and storytelling into those 31k.

the straight for your heart (wolfpack au) series by foreverkneeld and foundfamilyvevo (96k, T/G, Multiple or No pairings including Niall/Louis, Zayn/Liam, OT5, and Shawn/Niall) - This series is the ultimate hurt/comfort and healing pack fic series omg. it was recommended to me when i was in a super hard time and my anxiety was so bad i couldn't focus on anything. These short fics that all focused so much on healing and found family were exactly what i needed. so so soft, so lovely. I still haven't read them all because i'm saving them for when i need them. they're glorious.

when the air ran out and we both started running wild by darlingjustdont (48k, M, Nick/Louis) - OMG OKAY LISTEN THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVS. a tomlinshaw werewolf pack fic?! ahhhhhhhhh i was SO happy when i discovered this one. louis is alpha of the pack and things are... shaky, shall we say. there's a lot going on that he's worried about and then he meets nick and it's kind of enemies to lovers? okay, more than kind of. but omg the FEELS. SO. MANY. FEELS. but also danger and a;lsdgkhas;ldfkja just please read this and rave with me because i don't have many i can talk about this one with and i LOVE IT.

You Smell Like by mystic_believexx (185k, M, Harry/Louis) - i had no idea this fic was so long hahahaha wow ANYWAY louis is human, but he's always been close with harry and therefore basically a part of his pack. but then one day harry leaves and louis kind of accidentally becomes the pack alpha. even though he's human. but there's SO much more to it. there's just sooooo much with the friendship and the pack bond as well as the danger and trying to figure out what the hell is going on... it's just a LOT and one of those epic fics that i still think about even though i read it...a year and a half ago i guess. but it's amazing and i highly recommend it if the word count doesn't scare you away haha

Canyon Moon by @eeveelou / delsicle (41k, E, Harry/Louis) - this is a lion king au, made a/b/o werewolves! i really enjoyed this one a lot, actually, because i could absolutely see the parallels, but also the way it was adapted made it so it wasn't always obvious how it would all play out. it was a really interesting and cool world building as well.

The Truth I Can't Explain (Smoke and Mirrors) by @fallinglikethis / FallingLikeThis (9k, M, Harry/Louis) - ohhhhh this one is SO cool cause it's by tabby so she made it incredibly fun and fascinating to try to figure out. there's magic and mages and werewolves and feuds and they're basically on the eve of battle and holy cow it's just SO cool.

One Touch Is Never Enough by @kingsofeverything / kingsofeverything (4k, E, Harry/Louis) - once again lauren delivers and there's just so much i keep giggling about with this because it is SO fun. there's a lot that louis is dealing with in this fic hahaha and the way she writes it all is so funny. the poor man just wants a fucking massage! lololol it's lighthearted, humorous, and basically filled with fluff, crack, and smut. hahaha

Knot Safe For Work by @jaerie / jaerie (6k, E, Harry/Louis) - a;sldkgha;lfdkjas listen i forgot about this fic until i found it in my bookmarks for werewolves because jenna writes so many fucking amazing fics that when i think of werewolves, i think of at least two others first, but i could NOT do this rec without this fic because now that i remember it exists i am going to have to go and read it again! hahaha harry's a werewolf, louis is a wizard, there's knotting dildos and table sex and... just read it. lolol

Saving's What I Need by @jaerie / jaerie (17k, M, Harry/Louis) - writer louis is out for a drive one day and he hits a dog. THIS POOR DOG! he takes it to the vet and tries his best to take care of it... but things are not as they seem. because yeah, harry is defo not a dog. lollllll this fic was hilarious and sweet and omg there's just so much to love about it. there were so many more emotions in it than i expected. loooove!

Out of the Wild by @jaerie / jaerie (22k, E, Harry/Louis) - this fic has such fun world building, which is actually a huge strength of jenna's fics and you'll hear me rave about it with all 50 of her fics that will end up on this rec list (not really 50, but ya know lol). louis is a fairly wild and undomesticated wolf and harry's from the city and they end up as roommates during the x factor process. oh my word this fic is so fun because of all the challenges they're going through PLUS the wolf side of things and just... the way they work together and navigate it all as well as falling for each other is pure gold.

Out With The Old, In With The New by, you guessed it, @jaerie / jaerie (7k, E, Harry/Louis) - listen, just. this one is smutty as hell and it's gonna take you some places that some people will be uncomfortable with, which is totally valid and fair. please be sure to read the tags and make your decision on whether or not to read accordingly, but also know that its written in a super interesting way that is also pretty amazing if you do decide to give it a shot. lol

Instincts by @marastarfar / StarFar ( 100k so far - it's a WIP!, T, Harry/Louis) - omg listen. i LOVE mara's fics so much and when this first posted it was a one shot little thing that was FASCINATING. i loved it! and then i was happily surprised when i learned more was added to it. and then it was turned into a wip and omg i am so far behind now but i trust mara with my life because i love everything i've read by them and what i've read of this so far is INCREDIBLE so just. yeah. lollll

There's a Power in What You Do by @londonfoginacup / LadyLondonderry (7k, T, Harry/Louis) - i just read my comment i left on this one and it was just mainly me begging for time stamps because there wasn't any way for her to improve upon the perfection of this fic (nesting! softness! even a silly comment in her endnotes to perfectly cap it all!), but i still wanted to remain in the story just a bit longer and learn more about them. hahaha anyway, those time stamps aren't happening, but this fic is still complete perfection.

amaryllis by @hattalove / hattalove (147k, E, Harry/Louis) - for a long time this was thought of as THE werewolf fic. if anyone was talking about a werewolf fic, it was probably this one. is that still the case? probably. i'm not sure. ANYWAY. there's a REASON it was THE werewolf fic and that's because this is amazing. it sucks you in and you feel like you're truly a part of the action. it's filled with the vibe of found family and wanting to figure out what happened while also adjusting to your new life and just... so many feelings. so much angst. SO fantastically epic.

[emsvegetables]

20th: you meet oikawa in a coffee shop.

- maybe it’s fate. maybe it’s a cute meet. maybe i’m just writing whatever floats into my mind HAHA

no. of words: 2.4k +

ruhevuevhbefhiewf well. this. i hope you like this. i was just VOMITING OUT WORDS. I HOPE THIS MADE SENSE. ILY

oikawa knows you as the girl that always comes in every saturday morning.

the first time he sees you, he forgets how to breathe.

he’s busy typing up a report on his computer, a vanilla latte beside him, when he hears the doorbell jingle, and feels the hot air rush into the shop. he looks up, and his hand stills.

you walk into the shop with ease, sneakers squeaking slightly on the darkwood floors, your hair flowing prettily behind you, your attention focused on whatever you were typing into your phone, and he stops breathing entirely.

you’re beautiful.

he always believed in love at first sight, being the stupid, sappy romantic he was, and he was certain that you were his.

he completely ignores the report that was waiting to be completed in front of him, and instead opts to continue to stare at you. he wants to walk up and introduce himself to you, and maybe get your number or ask you out, but for the first time, he’s never been so nervous in trying to hit someone up. what if he screws things up? what if you think he’s just an arrogant, entitled man? what if you think that he’s creepy? what if you have a boyfriend?

and so, he merely remains quietly in his seat, his eyes burning holes into you, and he feels a warmth spread across his chest when he sees you smile at the barista, and begin to chat with her about the weather.

when the barista finally finishes your drink, he watches you thank the barista with another blinding smile of yours, and watches you carefully balance the cup of tea, and head out of the shop with that smile of yours still present on your face.

he doesn’t finish the report that day, because his mind is full of you, and that smile of yours.

-

the second time he sees you, he makes a complete klutz of himself and forgets how to think about anything but you.

he’s typing up yet another report on his computer when he hears a laugh.

he looks up immediately, and feels a quick swoop in his chest when he realises that the laugh came from you. you’re leaning against the counter, chatting happily with the barista, and your smile is just so bright and radiant, it causes his heart to clench at how pretty you are.

you let out another laugh again when the barista says something to you, and he instantly feels his heart begin to hammer against his chest, because how the heck can he be attracted to a laugh?

he tries to take in a deep breath to calm himself, and brings up a hand to pat his chest to tell his heart to calm the fuck down, but he accidentally knocks over his cup of vanilla latte and it spills all over the table and onto the floor.

he winces as he watches the liquid drip down from the table and onto the puddle that was forming on the floor, and he instantly rushes to the counter to get himself some napkins to clean up the mess. oikawa makes sure to avoid making eye-contact with you or the barista, and he’s sure that his cheeks are red based on the burn he feels in his cheeks, and he hopes that you don’t find him weird.

when he sees a shadow fall onto him, he wants to hit himself at once. because he was obviously troubling the nice barista at the counter, and he was obviously making her job even harder.

“i’m so sorry for bothering you,” he says, scrubbing hard on the floor when he hears a laugh that sounds suspiciously like the laugh that he heard just a while ago that caused him to make such a complete fool of himself.

looking up slightly, he blinks when he sees you squat beside him to help scrub at the floors with some napkins that you took yourself.

“don’t be silly,” you declare, waving him off with a soggy napkin, before returning to scrub at the mess on the floor, “it’s not your fault.”

oikawa doesn’t know what to think except for omg she’s here. omg she’s next to me. omg she smells good. omg she’s next to me. omg.

when he continues to remain silent because he’s freaking out in his mind, you turn to look at him with a concerned gaze, and say, “don’t worry, really. you’re not bothering anyone, it was just an accident.”

the reassuring smile you shoot his way causes him to stop thinking of anything else and only think of you.

-

the third time he sees you, he forgets how to talk.

for some reason, that saturday morning, the coffee shop was absolutely packed, and thank god he got there early, because there were literally no seats left in the shop by the time the rush hour rolled around.

he’s busy typing yet another report onto his computer when he feels a light tap on his shoulder and he startles, almost spilling his cup of vanilla latte over himself.

he turns to stare at the culprit, and he instantly feels his heart start to thud against his ribs when he spots you standing before him, a guilty smile present on your face.

“i’m so sorry for startling you,” you apologise, before shifting a little on the spot, and he can’t help but think that you look absolutely adorable, but then he snaps his attention back to you when he realises that you’ve got more to say.

“i’m so sorry, but could i sit opposite you? my usual spot’s been taken and there’s no other empty seats in the shop,” you say, looking at him with a nervous smile, and oikawa’s mind blanks for a whole entire minute.

when he finally comes to his senses, he continues to stare at you, and you shift back awkwardly, and when you open your mouth to say something, oikawa jumps, and says, “no.’

instantly, he wants to whack himself, because what? what just came out of his mouth? and he watches you with widened eyes when you nod slowly and say, “oh! okay.”

“no wait!” he blurts out, reaching out to grab your hand to prevent you from leaving, and when you turn back in surprise, he quickly releases his grip on your wrist, “sorry. i meant yes. yes that you can sit. of course you can sit.”

you nod at him with that smile of yours surfacing on your face, and oikawa realises that he’s never seen anyone that pretty before.

“thank you,” you say, sitting across from him and pulling your laptop out from your back, and oikawa nods.

“welcome you’re.”

he immediately wants to hit himself when he hears the words leave his mouth, but relaxes slightly when you let out a laugh.

-

oikawa got to know you in the little things you did.

okay. that sounded creepy. he sounded like a stalker.

you came in to get tea to go if you were going to study at home, but you always made sure to stop for a few minutes to chat with the barista, whom you’ve seem to have made friends with. you got a vanilla macchiato and always sat down on a seat by the corner in the shop if you decided that you were going to study in the cafe.

he liked it whenever you studied in the cafe. you would always pass by his table to head to the counter to get a top up from the barista, always making sure to check up on her with that smile of yours hanging on your face, occasionally laughing at something funny she said. if the coffee shop was quiet enough, oikawa was able to hear your quips at the barista, and when he first heard the sarcasm oozing in your tone when you spoke to her, he nearly died and ascended to heaven. you were caring, funny, friendly, witty, and pretty. was there anything else that you weren’t?

what he liked the most was that you didn’t have a boyfriend, or a girlfriend. he nearly cried of happiness when he accidentally overheard you talking to the barista about your non-existent love life one day when the shop only had the three of you, but he pretended he didn’t hear anything, because eavesdropping on someone’s private conversations were rude.

what oikawa didn’t like, however, was the fact that he was still too much of a coward to approach you. he normally wasn’t this shitty in getting to know people, but there was something about you that always made him nervous. whenever you caught his eye as you were leaving or standing up to get a refill, you always shot him a friendly smile, and even though he managed to smile back, he still couldn’t muster up the courage to approach you.

he was still afraid that you would find him creepy. or weird.

-

because he keeps heading back to the shop, the barista eventually recognises him, and starts to call him “vanilla latte boy”. he also learns that the barista’s name was miyo, and sort of befriended her as well.

“hey, vanilla latte boy!” he hears from the direction of the counter when he trudges into the shop one rainy day, and he laughs and rolls his eyes, stowing away his umbrella and trying to dry it by the side.

“that’s not even original. isn’t it a mouthful to call me that? you already know my name’s oikawa,” he says, tucking the umbrella safely into a nook by the side.

then, he hears a laugh that he recognises all too well, judging from the way his heart just starts to beat erratically against his chest, and he whips his head up so fast it nearly gives him whiplash.

“hi!” you say cheerfully, waving from the seat by the counter, and oikawa widens his eyes.

you’re so pretty.

and cute.

he might be in love.

miyo clears her throat, and oikawa startles when he realises that he hasn’t responded to your salutation.

“oh,” he scrambles to find the words to say, “hi. yes. hello!”

you probably think he’s weird, he thinks when he sees an amused smile playing on your face.

“hey,” you say, reaching a hand out to him, “i’ve seen you around a few times, but never got the chance to introduce myself to you. my name’s (Y/N)!”

oh. so you did remember him.

“i’m oikawa,” he says, smiling at you and reaching for your hand, trying to mask the fact that his heart was going a million miles per hour.

when his hands finally clapses with yours, he nearly forgets to breathe again.

thunder rumbles in the distance just as the both of your hands pull away, and the rain starts to patter against the window panes even harder than before.

“looks like the both of you will be here for a while,” miyo remarks, eyeing the distant dark clouds outside the window, “oikawa, do you want a coffee or tea?”

“a vanilla latte,” he says immediately, and blinks when he hears your voice say the exact same thing.

when he turns to face you, your eyes are looking straight at the floor, but you laugh casually and say, “oh, i just noticed that you always order that, and i’ve never seen you drink anything else.”

-

the rain doesn’t let up at all, and instead becomes heavier when evening falls, and oikawa’s getting ready to head home.

you left the shop awhile ago, saying that you needed to make use of the opportunity to run home while the rain was a slight drizzle, turning down the offer by miyo of lending an umbrella, and left the shop in a hurry, making sure to wave goodbye to oikawa.

he waves goodbye to miyo as he heads out of the shop, and is about to head down the street when he catches a familiar figure.

it’s you.

and you’re drenched.

he instantly runs to you as fast as he can, and holds up the umbrella above you, prompting you to glance up.

“oikawa,” you say with a smile, and he tries to ignore the way his heart clenches when you say his name.

“take my jacket, you’re going to catch a cold if you don’t,” he says quickly, reaching into his bag to pass you the jacket, and oikawa’s heart swoops against his chest when you reach out thankfully and pull it on.

“thank you,” you say, and he waves it off, “i was trying to run, but then the rain got even heavier than before.”

oikawa glances up at the sky, and nods, before clenching his jaw slightly, “i’m taking you home.”

you widen your eyes and turn to look at him.

“no, it’s okay, i don’t want to be a bother,” you begin, and oikawa shakes his head.

“you aren’t. i don’t mind, which way to your house?” he asks, and when it’s clear that he won’t relent, you sigh and start walking to the left.

-

it’s a little awkward on the walk, and oikawa isn’t sure what to say or what to ask. what if he asks too intrusive questions?

“hey, oikawa?” you say softly, and oikawa tries to ignore the thudding in his chest as he turns to face you, “yeah?”

“thanks for walking me home,” you say, and oikawa smiles at you, “of course.”

the both of you lapse into silence again, and oikawa tightens his hold on the umbrella as he tries to think of things to talk to you about.

“you’re really sweet, you know? and cute.” you say, and the last two words are in a tone so soft that he wouldn’t have caught it if he wasn’t paying attention to you.

“you’re cute too,” he says, and ignores the heat he feels rush into his cheeks.

he smiles when you look up at him and smile.

when the both of you finally reach your house, oikawa stops you from taking the jacket off to return it to him.

when you look up at him with a questioning gaze, he sucks in a deep breath, and thinks it’s either now or never, and musters up the courage to grin at you.

“keep it,” he says, “you can return it to me tomorrow.”

he silently stares at you when you blink, and he’s never felt so nervous in waiting for someone’s reply to him.

“how do you even know if i’m free tomorrow?” you finally say with a cheeky smile playing on your lips, and oikawa grins.

“just taking a wild guess,” he answers, and grins even more when you smile even wider.

“you’re lucky, then,” you say, beaming up at him with that smile of yours, “i do happen to be free tomorrow. see you here at two then?”

oikawa smiles, and feels the tension in his jaw slacken, “see you tomorrow.”

“it’s a date!” you smile, waving at him as you shut the door behind you, wrapping his jacket around you.

“it’s a date,” oikawa repeats, and he’s sure that love at first sight really does exist.

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